Welcome into Clippers Talk. Here's a new sheriff in town. You won't be
able to deny if you're going to go to the NBA Finals. I believe
it in my heart. This is the best team in the history of the
franchise. I am all about the Clipper Nation. This is Clippers Talk.
They're trying to win the whole thing. A postgame look. It's your La
Clippers recapping the game, the stars and looking ahead to what's next. To
hear episodes you've missed. Subscribe to Clippers Talk on iHeart Radio or wherever you
podcast. Now your host of Clippers Talk. Here's Adam auslin. Ela former
Spur, took down the Spurs tonight. Kawhi Leonard back second straight game for
the Clippers. He has eleven on five of eight shooting with four assists,
and the Clippers have their first wire to wire win of the season. They
go on to win one, nineteen to ninety seven over Sin Antonio. Clippers
led by as many as thirty in this one. Welcome into Clipper Stock.
I'm Adam Oslin eight six six ninety eight seven two five seventy eight six sixty
nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number coming up. We're looking
for postgame audio from coach Lou Will get to your phone calls. But this
just came down the wire. Paul George, who had twenty one points in
the first half, had eighteen of them in the first quarter, where the
Clippers had their best quarter of the season. They put up a forty spot
and we're up by eighteen after the first twelve minutes thanks to those eighteen points
from Paul. George didn't play in the second half, was experiencing right knee
soreness, and our friend law Murray from The Athletic just tweeted this, I'm
checking the blue check mark. I guess you gotta do more verification than that
right now, but I'm pretty sure it's law Murray. A source close to
Paul George tells The Athletic that George does not believe that his knee soreness is
and that he expects to play Monday night versus the Jazz at maybe better news
than anything else you're gonna hear tonight, because at first there was some concern
Kauai's back. He had the right knee injury, obviously a serious injury with
ACL and then Paul George doesn't play in the second half, and you're just
wondering when you can get everybody on the same page at the same time with
all these moving parts with the Clippers. But it looks like Paul George will
be just fine. The Clippers they were more than fine from the outside.
They finished shooting a season high twenty one made threes twenty one to thirty nine,
fifty four percent from three. They shot fifty five percent from the field.
They were better from three in the first half than they were from two.
They were scorching hot, and they've been due for a game like this,
multiple games like this. They're much better than where they've been a thirty
four percent three point shooting team. We know that the guys are there,
the personnel is there. They have players on this team that have proven that
they can shoot it from the outside at a very high clip. And now
it's starting to happen, and it just looks like everything's starting to fall into
place now that Kawhi Leonard's back. I know it's one game. I know
what's San Antonio. They've lost nine of their last ten, But the way
the Clippers offense was running in that first quarter was special, and it was
everyone playing off at Kawhi Leonard and John Wall, who had nine assists in
the first quarter alone, one shy the franchise record back in twenty sixteen CP
three A tennessis quarter once for the Clippers. John Wall finished, though,
with fifteen assists in the ball game, most assists for a Clipper since who
else but Chris Paul in twenty seventeen versus Charlotte. We were a twenty six
of twenty seventeen. He brings a different element to this team. He threw
I counted them. I think this is accurate. Five lobs, two of
them to Kawhi Leonard, one of them to Reggie Jackson on an awe up
layup where he was fouled, one to Paul George, and then the oop
to Terrence Man in the third from the three point line. The vision of
John Wall is special. Also got a lob to Ka Whai to start the
fourth quarter for a layup. But fifteen assists the Clippers go for a season
high as a team thirty two. Their best number before this was twenty six
versus the Spurs on November fourth. So if this offense can start to turn
things around, and the defense was still good enough, holding the Spurs and
ninety seven points. Now the Clippers can start facing top level competition and feel
very confident going into those ball games like Monday Night against the Utah Jazz team
that their rally around the fact that they don't feel like they have maybe a
superstar a star market has played like one though so far this year, but
they weren't supposed to be this good. They beat Portland, who was at
the top of the West earlier. Tonight, Clippers is gonna face them at
home Monday night. Tip time for that one is at seven thirty. We'll
have Clippers countdown at six thirty. Gone too long without talking about Norman Powell.
His Clippers season high of twenty six points. An efficient twenty six from
Norman Powell. He went ten of fifteen from the field, five of seven
from the outside, and at twelve of his twenty six points in the fourth
quarter and all of a sudden, he's become one of the better scores for
the Clippers in that final period where he gets on a roll where the downhill
or with the shooting and the passing was unbelievable around the perimeter for the Clippers.
Finding open looks, finding guys who were due to hit some of those
looks. The only way you get to thirty two assists is guy's making shots.
It's not that the ball movement. Well, the turnovers have been atrocious
at times, don't get me wrong. And they only had fourteen five of
them just in the first half. They had five more in the third quarter
and then four more in the fourth quarter, and they have to get that
under control. Fourteen is a decent number. You'd like to get it closer
to twelve. But considering how bad they've been averaging fifteen point seven turnovers per
game so far this season, the ball movement was better. There were less
careless passes, just those unforced turnovers that have been hurting this squad. It
looks like they're starting to clean some things up here. So a special performance.
And now our friend Joey Lynn caught this on Twitter. I'm just getting
all the updates here. Woaj eat your heart out, Joey Lynn at Joey
Lynn does it for SI Now caught Paul George talking with Steve Balmer after the
games, saying a little soreness, but I'm okay, a little sorenis,
but I'm okay, So chrisis averted. It looks like with Paul George and
that right knee, that is the hope right now. Clippers improved to ten
and seven. They've won two in a row. They're taking on Utah on
Monday night. Let's get out to the phone lines eight six, six,
nine, eight seven two five seventy and first up, Javier and Lahabra Heights.
You're on Clippers stop without a maslin Hi, Javier, it was a
bad him. Thank you for taking our call again. Yeah, that's finally
a game that, like you said, it was finally a blowout. I
think that's the first one of the season. And a couple of teams.
The assist you said earlier, it was thinking thirty two assists, so that's
you know, the ball was moving all over the quart especially in the first
quarter or second quarter, and you know who was It wasn't just John Wall
Kawhi Leonard has been on tent intent on getting that ball movement, getting the
ball hopping, playing hot potato with it, making the extra pass. He's
not just going out there and trying to score, which he was able to
in that third quarter where he had five of his eleven points hit a three
pointer looked much better in the mid range in this game. But Kawai talked
about it postgame Thursday night, after the victory over Detroit, saying, we
got to start ramping things up, we got to have more of a sense
of urgency. I'm paraphrasing, but he was talking about how the team was
looking right now and how they have to improve, and he basically said in
every area, we have to improve. The leadership from Kawai, and then
it played out on the court tonight. I thought with him setting the example
of just making the extra pass but go ahead of here. Yeah, knowing
that, but John Wall, that was pretty impressive. Like you said,
those lobs, I mean, and he played it very well. I mean
nine assists and with the first half or ten assists, I mean, he
was he was cleaning smart basketball. That's what you got to play, especially
you're going to be leading to team as a point guard. And I don't
think he had one single turnover in the first half, so that was good.
And the second thing is Kyle he looked really well too. He starts
scoring, being aggressive. Episode hopefully continues because like you said, the next
game is Utahs. So he played the way to play today. They'll be
Utah, thank you, Adam. Appreciate the phone call, Jabbier. Just
to underscore how good the passing was tonight. There was one play in particular.
It was in the first half. Wall got into the open court and
you can hear the excitement of the crowd from Clippers fans whenever he does.
Now our friend farbought Ess and Shari pointed this out, but it's palpable.
You can tell when John Wall starts to push the basketball and plays with tempo,
that excitement builds in the arena for a highlight that could be coming,
and there were many of them tonight. But he went behind his back,
gave it to the tomb. He made the extra pastor Reggie, and then
he made a pass to Norman Powell in the nearside corner for a three pointer,
and multiple guys turned down good shots for a great open look for Norm,
who all of a sudden looks to be fitting in perfectly with this team.
Same with Reggie Jackson. Reggie last nine games over fifty percent from the
field, over forty percent from three. I heard a lot of phone calls
on this Clippers talker on the Clippers stock sessions here late night. People complaining
about Reggie Jackson not getting those right now. It's weird. Sean and Inglewood,
where are you? Every time you call a guy out, he starts
playing so much better. I know you're gonna take credit for it now,
coming up more Clipper stock. Back to your phone calls eight six, six
and ninety eight seven two five seventy eight six six nine eight seven two five
seventy. Clippers win one nineteen to ninety seven over the Spurs here in downtown
Los Angeles. And this is a five seventy LA Sports George and Lennard running.
You're listening to LA Clippers basketball up top. Clipper puts it down plus
the foul every game of all season long on their official home Clippers win one
nineteen to ninety seven over the San Antonio Spurs. Welcome back into Clippers Talk.
I'm out of Moslin live from downtown Los Angeles. Clippers improved to ten
and seven, and they'll be waiting for the Utah Jazz who were coming in
Monday night. It'll be a good one. Tip time seven thirty pre games
starting at six thirty. I mentioned Paul George the right knee soreness kept him
out of the second half, but it looks to be hopefully much ado about
nothing with some of the reports we've gotten postgame. Now, a little bit
of soreness, nothing to be too concerned about, and the athletic is reporting
that he'll be available to go Monday against the Utah Jazz. But speaking of
available to go, Paul George with eighteen points in the first quarter where the
Clippers led by eighteen. And remember his last four games, and I got
this from Dennis Dagastino or statistician here. Last four games, Specie was shooting
just thirty four percent from the field. He was really struggling. And he
came out in this one and went eight of twelve and five of eight from
three and just looked in rhythm for those twenty one points he scored in fourteen
minutes in the first half. Look really good. All right, let's go
to Morris and long beach. Morris, what's up here on Clippers stalk Adam.
Every everything that you saw tonight in tonight's game, you're gonna see that
in the NBA, except for one thing. You're not gonna see a guy
getting nine assists in one quarter. I mean, you're not gonna see guys
get hurt all the time, but nine assists in one quarter, you need
some help. Though, you need some help. You made Paul George out
there making every shot. He took. Four of the nine assists from John
Wall in that first quarter went to Paul George. I'm trying to tell you,
but you know what, I guarantee, when those guys get the ball
from from from John wall for some reason, they seem to like it at
him. Seems to babe this it's pretty good. And uh, you were
talking about when he's coming down in the middle of the court on a fast
break like somebody Runner two twenty and everybody's getting all excited. I said this
before, but I needed evidence. I needed evidence John Wall is this team
will goes as far as he goes. Okay, this team will goes.
You gotta have a quarterback. Somebody's got to be able to distribute the ball.
And your boy Leonard, my god, it looks like what he does
he and everybody just seems there. Confidence level just seems to rise. Jackson's
hidden shots. You remember earlier people was talking about and need to you know,
do something Jackson ain't talking about no talk about him, no more and
and and Paul's hidden shots. It seems like everybody's game just rise. It's
just with him on the floor, including john Wall getting nine assists. But
I'm gonna tell you you're not gonna see that. No more at him anyway.
I appreciate you taking my call, but you're not gonna see that.
No more. Talk to you later. I'd like to see it more.
I'd be fine with seeing it more. And Morse not assist in the quarter
is somewhat of an outlier special performance, of course, but John Wall obviously
is capable. This is someone who has had twenty assists in the game before.
He finished with fifteen tonight for the Clippers. But you mentioned a lot
of guys playing with all of a sudden john Wall, with his passing,
even though his shot has failed him at times so far this season, he
could still get to the basket. He had a nice lay up in the
fourth quarter. But Norman Powell has come alive along with Reggie Jackson. Powell
now in his last seven games, has been in double figures in six of
them and had that efficient twenty six tonight. His season high had efficient fourteen
against Detroit before that had games of seventeen and sixteen against Houston, and Brooklyn
had an eighteen point game against Los Angeles Lakers seventeen against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
So all of a sudden, that six man and six man of the year
opportunity that could be in front of John or excuse me, Norm Powell,
it looks to be presenting itself. Something is different with the way he's been
playing. I think guys are just fitting in. There's seventeen games into the
year. It's still very early. Tagus in Walnut, Tagus sharing Clippers stop
without am Azel. I TEUs, hey you're doing Adam. I'm in the
car with my fiance and she's a Laker fan, and I told her in
hey, I gotta call Adam, so my apologies pretty good. I'm sorry
now, my apologies, but you know, congratulations at the same time.
All right, I'm pretty sated. I told her I'm gonna call at him.
But it was good man. I love the game. I think we've
been waiting for a game like this for a while where we didn't give up
the lead, and no coincidence that we're getting a lot more open looks from
the three points, especially from the three point line. With Kauie back,
there's just a lot more room, a lot better shot. Uh. That's
two questions. One where when Luke comes back, where do you see him
coming in as far as in the rotation? What's the second question? The
second question is with Covington not playing a kind of out of the rotation,
I feel like since we have so many wings that I know there's a Miles
Turner talk. But other than that, do you see like Clippers just adding
to their roster with one more big man just because there's Zoo backets and fluble
early? Do you think that they'll just maybe get one more big guys?
I know Moses Brown is doing pretty well, but he hasn't got consistent minutes.
So do you see them going that route with maybe like a white Side
or someone else? Yeah, Tajus, I appreciate the phone call. I
think it's possibility White Side Derek favors it's white Howard's doing work overseas right now.
There are guys available. You mentioned Miles Turner and those trade rumors that
are out there. The good thing about the Clippers is they have a lot
to work with. They have a lot of options because of how well they've
drafted and because of the guys they brought in in free agency. And even
though Roco's out of the rotation right now, I'm not worried about him all
of a sudden showing up for big minutes in the fourth quarter Monday night against
the Utah Jazz. This team stays ready. That's been their motto for a
long time. It'll have to be the same with Luke Kennard, and with
how hot he's been from the outside, shooting forty eight percent from three spot
up three pointers for him right now feel like a layup. It's just too
easy. I'm not worried about him cooling off. He's dialed in. But
they'll have to get by with Adam right now. It's gonna be tough to
fit these guys into the rotation. That's Coach Lows. It's Coach Lew's blessing
and a curse, I guess at the same time. He's got this amazing
roster. But how do you keep everybody in rhythm, how do you keep
everybody involved? It's not easy, but he's the perfect guy to figure this
out, and Coach Lou we trust all right, quick time out, Clippers
win one nineteen to ninety seven over the San Antonio Spurs. More Clippers talk
next right here on him five seventy LA Sports George and Lena running. You're
listening to La Clippers Basketball. I'm clipp puts it down plus the foul every
game of all season long on their official home Clippers improved to ten and seven
on this young season. They win one nineteen to ninety seven over the San
Antonio Spurs, led by as many as thirty in this one largest margin or
largest lead they've had so far this season. Welcome back into Clippers Talk.
I'm Adam Oslin. A lot of guys a highlight, six players in double
figures. Reggie Jackson has just looked completely different the last week week and a
half. Now, catch and shoot Reggie is most definitely back when four of
four from distance from the outside is the Clippers hit twenty one three pointers,
but he was perfect to get to his twenty points was eight of eleven overall,
and after not having a game with twenty or more points this season,
last two games, twenty three points and then twenty points tonight. So Reggie
Jackson is starting to heat up and speaking to coach lowing those rotations and knowing
who to play and win and know one who to stick with and ride out
some of the lolls. Reggie Jackson, he's one of those guys. They
call him Reggie roller Coaster. Sometime the Reggie experience. His play can be
up and down, but it's been really consistent the last nine games, which
means the majority of the year where he's been above fifty percent from the field,
above forty percent from the outside. The Clippers can just cut down on
the turnovers. If they did tonight they were just fourteen, their offense will
be in very good shape. They just have to get out of their own
way. They've been their own worst enemy. All right, Let's go to
Andrew from Long Beach. Andrew, you're on Clippers stop without am Oslin.
Hey, what's going on? Adam A long time listener, first time caller.
I'm actually coming home from the game right now, and I just wanted
to give you your flowers. One of my favorite things to do after going
to any game is turning on AM five seventy and listenings. Oh. I
appreciate that, Andrew, and the fact that you joined forces with Will and
Chuck to do clips and dip is just legendary. But we're trying clips and
double dip Monday night count on that, Yes, sir, yes, sir.
But anyways, I'm glad I went to this game. I got the
tickets last minute, man, and for the first time off season, we
stuck by our moniker give no quarter, and man, it was a blast
to watch when the balls moving and the shots are dropping. It's just a
thing of beauty. If we can play like that every game, it's hard
to beat us. But anyways, the last caller kind of mentioned this,
but I just wanted to touch on it a little more and get more of
your take on it. Why isn't Rocco playing man? Why is Roco subject
to dnps and garbage time? I knew we were gonna have figuring out the
rosters and figuring out minutes for all the guys, but I thought that would
fall more on like guys like Man or Coffee. But why Roco wire signed
him just to subject him to garbage time? Here's my best guess with that.
And I appreciate the phone call Andrew. I appreciate the love as well,
but I think coach Leu knows what he has in Roco. I think
he's trying to figure out early in the season what he has with some of
these other guys and some of these other lineups. I don't think he's worried
about Roco being cold coming into a game or being ineffective, like I said
Monday night, if he gets big minutes against a really good Jazz team,
I think he's trying to see what he has with guard lineups, with mixing
and matching different guys, with some of the new guys like John Wall,
and Rocco's just a very solid, reliable player. Think about this way.
He came in last year to this Clippers team from Portland and just hit the
ground running. It didn't take long at all. He was so productive for
them, and I think early in the season, also considering where the West
is and where teams are and the Clippers just being a game and a half
back, I think currently of being the top seed in the West, it
gives you a little bit more time to try to maybe experiment a little bit
early in the season and figure out what you have and what guys can do.
But Rocco, he's a proven commodity. That's my best guess. That's
all I got for you, quick time out here at Clippers Stock will come
back close things out. Preview Monday Night's game against the Utah Jazz. This
is a five seventy l a sports George and Leonard running. You're listening to
LA Clippers Basketball Top Clipper puts it down plus the foul every game of all
season law on their official hole. Let first get their most dominating victory of
the season with a one nineteen ninety seven win over the San Antonio Spurs here
in downtown Los Angeles. It was their first wire to wire winning of the
season, their biggest win margin, winning by twenty two season high fifty five
percent from the field, a season high twenty one made three pointers, and
they led by as many as thirty. That's their biggest lead of the season
so far. Perhaps this offense is starting to come alive. Perhaps, as
our friend Brian Siembl would say, you know that guy Kawhi Leonard pretty good
at basketball. You know, makes a big difference, makes it life easier
for everyone else out there. Clippers taking on the Utah Jazz Monday night.
We'll be looking to win three straight. I'm not gonna be easy. Tip
time at seven thirty Clippers pregame Clippers Countdown show starting at six thirty. Programming
note on the podcast. For Clippers Talk, we will attach the interview with
Ralph Lawler that we did pre game. Really cool. He has the book
out. He was in the building tonight, your longtime voice of the Clippers.
It's Bingo forty years in the NBA. Check it out. It's even
on Amazon. It's everywhere you've been on the Amazon, like like everything's not
already on it. Okay, before we get out of here, I do
want to think no evil. We'll talk to you'all Monday. My friend Brian
Seamen being on the call of Mike for Tello, a good friend, Ralph
Lawlor, Big Brother Jake Warner here in downtown Los Angeles, the head engineer
Big Brother Jake Podcast Colin ye see Yeezy back in Burbank doing amazing fill in
work, helping us out you, the callers, the listeners until Monday night
with their pregame show starting at six thirty. For Clippers Jazz, I'm out
of Maslin. We will talk to you that welcome back in the Clippers Countdown.
I'm out of Moslin as we are just about thirty minutes away. From
tip off here and downtown Los Angeles. It's the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard taken
on the San Antonio Spurs. Still to come, we'll get to an NBA
out of town scoreboard. But joining me right now, Clippers Royalty is in
the house for this one. Clipper Nation, I know you're gonna love this.
I'm joined by the great Ralph Lawler. His book has just been released.
It is Bingo forty years in the NBA, appropriately tid oled. Ralph,
is a pleasure joining you once again. It's good to see you,
my friend. Well, Adam, it's a it's a kick for me,
believe me. Walking into this building for the first time since probably May of
twenty nineteen, my last game before retirement. I got goosebumps from head to
toe when I walked in and saw the arena, and it's it's special to
be Clipper Nation obviously misses you, Ralph. What do you miss most about
being outside the broadcasting booth? And how's retirement been or retirement is great?
Joe and my wife and I don't miss a whole lot, people, is
what we miss. I don't miss a job at all. I don't miss
broadcasting, being on radio, being on television, holding a microphone to my
hand, preparing for the games. All that that was just second nature to
me, and it's such a large part of my life. I don't miss
any of it. What we miss is coming into this building and seeing ab
down in the media room where he greets us and has for all those years.
Here was Staples Center, and seeing Hector amrrors from the security staff of
the Clippers, and seeing you, and seeing all the people here that we've
known so well for so long. And we missed the travel because the travel
had a compact group of fifty sixty people who you virtually lived with for seven
months of the year. You went through the joy of winning, the misery
of losing. You had dinners together, You spent just so much time together.
I miss I missed that a lot. So let's dig into the book
a little bit. Was this always in the back of your mind, you
knew you had these stories. We had Ralph's notebook on the pregame show for
so long, and then once you're retired, it's time to get these out
and let people hear a little bit more about not just the NBA, but
Ralph Lawler and the life on the road. Yeah, I kind of felt
in the last few years that I thought there was a book in me.
I didn't really have any idea how to get it out. I was lucky
enough to connect with Santamonica Press and a publisher named Jeffrey Goldman, who helped
me get it out and hooked me up with a guy named Chris Epting,
who's a pretty good author in his own right. And Chris just basically interviewed
me two hours at a time on Facebook or not Facebook, but on Skype
or whatever it was that we were communicating with and he would lead me from
one chapter to the other, say we need more of that from you,
We need less of that, how about this? And pretty soon we had
a book and I've loved it. It covers the entire seventy five years,
first seventy five years of the NBA. We have celebrated the anniversary of the
league last year. The very first year in nineteen forty six, my dad
and I were immediate NBA fans. I wasn't even called the NBA in those
days, but that's when the league was really founded because George Mikan was the
star of the game. He was mister Basketball and we knew him because he'd
played at DePaul University in Chicago. He played against our hometown in Pure Illinois,
Bradley Braves, So that kind of gave us a tie to this new
pro league. And could you could hardly follow Adam. There's no such things
the box score in the newspaper in those days. You might just have a
little tiny tight see that you know, Team A B, team Team B
one hundred and fourteen to one hundred twelve. That's about all you'd be able
to get. It wasn't until nineteen fifty three that the games were televised nationally,
and that was one game a week on Saturday afternoon on the old Dumont
Network, And we thought we were in heaven to watch these old timers play
on black and white TV, a little seventeen inch screen with wow, this
is so great, and George Yardley and others of the day. We're making
baskets that we thought nobody could ever make in college. So we were very
impressed him. So I've seen the league, and I knew George Mike,
and I knew, of course Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor, knew Bob
Kuzy, Bill Russell, all the great players from the fifties on into the
sixties, and of course in the years after that. I don't think there's
many people alive who were a part of the NBA as long as I was,
who also go back to the very beginning of the league. So I
thought that gives me a very unique perspective of the league. So there's a
real history in this about the league, about my time in Major League Baseball,
my time in the National Football League, my time in the National Hockey
League where I broadcast the first hockey game I ever saw and it wasn't very
good. Boxing, and all of it all comes together, and I think
that the guys helped me put it in an order that makes sense, and
I think it'll be interesting to a lot of people aside from JEFH. Flipper
fans. I'm joined by the Hall of Famer Ralph Lawler outside the team's store
here Crypto dot Com arena. The book is called Bingo Forty Years in the
NBA. You're listening to Clippers countdown here. So, Ralph, because you're
in this unique position, you mentioned it, the longevity. It's not just
that you're a Hall of Fame broadcaster, but you became a bit of a
basketball historian. So I do want to throw this question at you, even
though I know I've done it before, and I think I know what the
answer is. But I know the answer. You're the best player you've ever
seen in person. I think it's Lebron James. I think Lebron James is
the best player that's ever played in the league. And I've seen all the
great ones. Not I hate when you see people write these all time great
things and you know they were born in eighty they didn't see any of the
great old players play. I mean, Bill Russell was the greatest winner of
all time, Michael Jordan was maybe the most gifted athletic artistic player of all
time, but all around skills offense, defense, as a playmaker, I
think that Lebron James is without parallel. So let's talk a little bit about
the Clippers. Then, in all your years with this team, what was
your favorite season or squad to call games for and broadcast for? What season
was most fun or entertaining or gave you the most material to talk about with
this Clippers team. Well, that's that's a tough one, Adam. I
go back to the very first year in San Diego nineteen seventy eight seventy nine,
the team nothing was expected of it was. It was a mixedmatch of
Boston Celtic cast offs and players from the Buffalo Braves that became the San Diego
Clippers, and nothing was expectedly won forty three games and lost thirty nine,
missed out in the playoffs in the final week of the season, so everything
then was really exciting. Next year they went and made a big deal signing
Bill Walton's a free agent and sadly his feet said that wasn't such a good
idea, but he was the biggest free agent signing in the history of the
NBA at that point. So that first year in San Diego stands out for
sure in terms of the LA years. I think the Darius Miles, Quentin
Richardson lamar Odom group that was so darn exciting. They were so much fun
to watch. They were all eighteen nineteen twenty years old, every single one
of them, and they caught the fancy of the nation. ESPN followed us
around a weekly reality show on Sunday nights. On that team that they never
had great success. Unfortunately, they moved Darius Miles the following year for Andre
Miller and it just didn't work, and so that just kind of fistled out.
And then of course the Lob City era was positively marvelous. I mean
those six years with DeAndre and Blake and Chris Paul. Every single game in
this building then called Staples Center was a sellout. Every single game was They
had never had very many sellouts in this building or any building, or you
know. It was really exciting. They won fifty seven games, and Doc
Rivers first year as a head coach, I think that's the best Clipper team
I've ever seen. I hope the current group can surpass that in time,
but as of right now, I think that that thirteen fourteen team was the
best Clipper team ever. So I know you and your lovely wife have been
watching this current iteration of the Clippers. My question is, I guess it's
a two parter here, but what do you think of the state of the
team right now and what do you think it's headed by the end of this
season. It all depends upon Kawhi Leonard's help, you know, Paul George's
health. I think John wall health, and those three guys really make up
a new Big Three potentially for this ball club. I just have no idea
how to predict the health of these guys. You know, Kauai played rather
tentatively in the game the other night. We'll see more tonight, and I'm
looking forward to seeing it firsthand, because he is one of the most gifted
players in the league, certainly a top five player at least in the NBA
when he's healthy. But when he's not healthy, it doesn't make any difference,
you know, because you've gotta get out there, and you gotta be
able to play. When you get into the playoffs, you gotta play thirty
five minutes at night. No, you don't play back to back, which
which helps in the playoffs. But my fingers are crossed. But I'm cautiously
optimistic. Now. You mentioned Chris Paul. He wrote the introduction in the
books. Doc Rivers wrote the afterward Bill Walton with the forward. Is it
true that it was almost as long that he was going to turn that into
a book himself at some point? I'm just wondering, because Bill Walton can
be a little bit lengthy at times. The forward was four chapters. I
think talk a little bit about your friendship, though it's a special relationship between
you and go Walton. Well, it is beyond special, Adam, I've
never had a relationship like this, Uh with a friend. Uh, he's
He and his wife Laurie are as dearer friends as my wife Joe and I
have had in our lives. He's the most generous man I've ever known.
Maybe it's out aside from my father. Uh. He's extraordinary. He has
been. His time is so variable. He's busier now at the age seventy,
than he's been any time in his life, making more money than he
has at any time of his life, between working to pack twelve games and
all the stuff that he does, speaking inccasions all around the country. It's
amazing. He gave us three different sessions this week, helped promote this this
book want a Thursday morning appearance on television in San Diego. Night before we
were on Andy Bernstein's podcast, and then on Thursday night we spent three hours
together at a book signing at the library in San Diego. I mean,
his time is worth tens of thousands of dollars, and I don't think we're
going to get a Bill Clipper Nation come down to the Team Store Ralph Lawler
is here to sign your copy tonight as you're driving in until tip off.
This is Clippers Countdown. I'm Adam Oslin. Ralph. It was a pleasure
speaking with you on the pregame show once again. It's been too long.
It's great seeing you and your family. Thank you very much, Am,
I appreciate it. Great to be here.