When the final buzzer sounded on the longest two weeks of the Los Angeles Clippers' careers, they felt more exhaustion than elation.

While coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans and pumped his fist at the crowd, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul quietly congratulated each other.

They had just persevered through seven exhausting playoff games amid enormous distractions leading to the team owner's lifetime banishment from the NBA.

A franchise that once redefined losing was a winner despite it all - and there is no telling how much farther these new Clippers can go.

Griffin scored 24 points, Paul had 22 points and 14 assists and the Clippers outlasted the Golden State Warriors 126-121 in Game 7 on Saturday night to win their first-round playoff series.

"I'm just happy we pulled it out," Paul said. "It's going to sound crazy, but it was all about tonight. Everything else was in the past. We didn't dwell on all that stuff - not to diminish how serious everything has been in the past week or so. It was all about basketball tonight."

Jamal Crawford scored 22 points for the third-seeded Clippers, who earned the franchise's third playoff series win in 38 years with the highest degree of off-court difficulty imaginable.

Less than a week after dumping their team warmup jerseys at center court in a pregame gesture of defiance against owner Donald Sterling, the Clippers earned a cathartic win and a second-round date with the Oklahoma City Thunder, starting on Monday night.

"I just thought with all this stuff, the team just needed this win," Rivers said.

"This was a hard week. It feels like two months. I just needed to be able to smile and laugh and cheer, and be proud of something. And I was very proud of my players."

Sterling was banned for life from the NBA on Tuesday after a recording of racist comments by the 80-year-old billionaire was made public.

The Clippers endured sleepless nights, constant public scrutiny and a failed attempt to close out the series in Game 6 before they finally hung on to beat Golden State.

Sterling's long-estranged wife, Rochelle, cheered and clapped from the back of the lower bowl of Staples Center, where most of the advertising signage was illuminated again after a walkout sparked by Sterling's comments.

"It's been a crazy ride for us," said DeAndre Jordan, who had 15 points and 18 rebounds.

"I commend our guys for sticking with it. It's been a roller coaster, but we came out and had a job to do, and we did it."

Stephen Curry had 33 points and nine assists, but Golden State blew a lead with 2:10 left. Draymond Green scored 24 points for the Warriors, who lost their first Game 7 since 1977 and failed to advance in consecutive postseasons for the first time since that same year.

"We fought so hard this whole series, this whole season," Curry said. "It stings."

The Clippers couldn't seize control of the first home Game 7 in franchise history until the final minutes - and they did it in fitting Lob City style.

(China Daily 05/05/2014 page23)