Somebody said on Twitter, there was in e clips in Phoenix. Is in
Clippers? Yeah, they won one o five to ninety two over the Suns
in Phoenix. Welcome back in on Madam Oslin, this is Clippers stock.
Here on the Patriot Am eleven fifty eight seven seven five to zero eleven fifty
eight seven seven five two zero eleven fifty is the phone number coming up you're
gonna hear from Russell Westbrook post game. But first joined the show is Big
Chuck Mockler from Clips and Dip for some double dip here on Clips, I
always missed that here on Clippers Talk. What's up, Chuck? How are
you doing? I'm doing okay. I think the Clippers won, which is
which, Hey, we're happy about. They clipped the specific division, which
I know you're very excited about. But perhaps I'm higher. Hey, I
want to, but you know, you gotta build, you know. Half
This game was phenomenal and also just I think one of the craziest first quarters
anyone watching that maybe had ever seen. At the end of the season,
games get really weird. Right now. They were out hardening Kawhi. So
I'm happy they got the win. I'm trying to figure out how much stock
to put into it, you know, into the bad stuff, I guess.
But I don't think we learned too much about the Clippers team other than
you know, if Zu gets played off the floor, things aren't gonna go
well. But I don't think that's a big shock to anybody. What's crazy
is Phoenix desperately needed that game. They got dropped into the seventh spot,
so they're in the seven to eight matchup right now, in the play in
because the Pelicans took down the Portland Trail Blazers for them to not show up,
and some of it's the Clippers, but some of it's them too,
And just how poor they were in that first quarter. They looked mentally fragile.
You know, it just looked like a team that broke. And I've
heard that from Suns fans a lot this season. I hadn't really seen that
against the Clippers. I know they've given up a ton of leads this year
and that's been an issue for them. Fourth quarters have not gone their way.
But my goodness, the Phoenix Suns. That was a tough, tough
loss on fan appreciation night. But the Clippers, you got to give him
a ton of credit for that because the way they came out with Russell Westbrook
shot out of a cannon and just executing so quickly out there and finding the
seams and the defense. You know, it wasn't like they just came out
and hit ten three porters in the first quarter or something like that. They
just sliced and diced and dissected the defense every which way. Chuck, Yeah,
I really, I mean, and shout out to Russ for what one
hundred and ninety nine career triple doubles, which is really hard to kind of
wrap your head around. He had two steals in this game, and I
think both of them came within like three minutes of each other in the first
quarter or something like that, really early, so he was a great again
rush that's the tone. That's exactly what he did tonight. It yeah,
it was. It was. I mean, you know, vintage Russ can
say right with a triple bubble and everything like that. So you know,
he got to start, which is awesome. He seems to dislike playing the
Thuns, which I think we can all rally behind, you know, and
we needed a thirty nine minutes right when you're out Kawhi and James Harden at
the end of the season, Russ, you know, partially having to play
thirty nine minutes because things got weird. It's still it's very valuable for the
Clippers to have a guy who can go play thirty nine minutes the way that
he just played thirty nine minutes. Yeah, and I don't know what.
I have liked to see them blow them out and for Paul George and everybody
to get more rest. I will, I would, it would be nice.
I also think you learn more in close games, though, And it
was a game where they were up by seven in the fourth quarter and Paul
George again hit tough shots. And in fourth quarters this season, he's shooting
fifty two percent from the field, forty four percent from three. He's a
plus one twenty eight and five hundred and fifty one minutes at least. He
was coming into this ball game in the fourth quarter. Best on this Clippers
team, and just continues to come through late. He's had two game winners
in the last week. And he actually made a couple of passes after some
bad turnovers early on the fourth quarter that kind of sealed the game tonight.
Yeah, I mean everyone's been saying it he's peaking at the right time.
He's on the up swing, what you know, whatever one of those you
want to use to describe it. It's happening and it's fantastic for the Clippers,
So kawhi out. It gives Paul George a chance to maybe feel is
more of the one. Right in the beginning of the season, he talked
about he wants to be number two, whatever, whatever. I think it's
very clear that when Paul George is playing like the number one, he seems
to enjoy it and the Clippers, you know, look a lot better when
he's kind of taking those kinds of shots or looking for those shots specifically,
there are going to be some turnovers. He had one late that was really
frustrating. He's just kind of trying to bring the ball up from the dribble
behind the back. But yeah, you know what, I'm talking abou elbow
right after he just stuck a tough shot over two defenders. But that's kind
of what you get with Paul George. Right Sometimes it is two steps forward,
one steps back. Right now, it's like five steps forward, one
step back, which is peak Paul George, and along with a couple other
guys like Terrence Man and a mere coffee. He's playing as well as he
has all season at the right time. Man Terrence Man goes eight for ten,
one of one from the outside. He was fourteen for his last fifteen
coming into this game, so what is that He's twenty two for his last
twenty five overall, that's insane with some three pointers in there too, plus
ten boards. I can't say enough about Man starting to peak at the same
time too. And just the Clippers overall, they're seven to one their last
eight games. Was something born out of coach Louke calling him soft because it
sure seems like it right now. Chuck, Yeah, I think that helps.
We talked about it on clips and DIP. I don't think any professional
athlete likes their coach publicly declare that their identity is a soft one. So
kudos to TYLERU for pushing that button when he definitely had to. I've been,
you know, harping on wanting good process. There's a game tomorrow which
I don't know, no idea what to expect tomorrow after what we saw tonight
from these two teams. And then you know they play the Jazz, which
that's gonna be an odd one and then you know they got the Rockets at
twelve thirty two. So I think for us good process hunters, we're gonna
have to be content with what we have, which is, like you said,
a seven and one record, and there are some good things to look
at. While you know Kawhi rests up from the playoffs. Yeah, I'm
I'm wondering if they're just gonna rest guys tomorrow. Paul George played thirty nine
minutes after playing forty four on Sunday, has anticipated James Harden did not go
in this one. It's just I think we've seen enough, like they've gathered
themselves. They've recovered from being five hundred for a couple of months, and
they've shown enough lashes to me where I'm not saying it's like the run where
they were twenty six and five, but I feel really good about this team
and where they are overall. How do you feel at the moment, as
the chances have only increased of them taking on the Dallas Mavericks in the first
round, where are you at with that likely matchup here? Chuck? It's
I mean I have it Clippers winning the series. It might be in six
or seven games. This is going to be an absolute blood bath. I
know the Clippers are very good. I love the Clippers. I think they
can fit in an NBA championship. The MAVs are also talking, like you
said, you know, peaking at the right time. They have two guys
who can create their own shot. They have two guys who seem to enjoy
playing with each other right now and kind of can attack the Clippers in ways
that they might. I don't know, man, I could go down a
rabbit hole. I think I think the Clippers are gonna win it. But
you know, it's hard to think of it as anything other than going to
be a very very difficult series. It's gonna be hell, but hopefully not
the hell that the Phoenix Suns were in in that first half. Something we
talked about, we were texting about earlier today. You know, a lot
of Clipper Nation has been saying they're probably just resting Kawhi Leonard end of the
season. But I would caution against that a little bit, because Kawhi didn't
play in a huge game against the Denver Nuggets. That's still really meant something
for this Clippers team. I just don't want to you know, assume everything
is completely fine. We're hoping for the best. But that wasn't a game
you could just give away. They ended up winning it. But I think
if he was healthy, he would have played in that game, right,
Yeah, I think so. I mean, you know, he's on the
report for a reason. It said soreness, which you know, I'm choosing
to believe it's thorness and it's just the regular maintenance. But yeah, it's
hard to not have that kind of I guess gnawing as the word I would
use to you in the back of your head right now. Clippers fans.
Also, I know y'all want them update, We're not going to get an
update until you know the team decided to give us one. Tylu was asked
a couple of games ago, you know, the whole thing of like if
that were a playoff game, would Kawhi have played. He didn't answer that
part of the question, So I don't know. We'll know what we know.
I just keep an eye on the injury reports, I guess, but
I don't necessarily want to see him playing any of these three game too,
So it's a bit of a double edged sport. Let's just hope we can
all balance on the right side of that over this next week or so.
Yeah, I guess my central point there is I don't think it's just load
management for the sake of load management going on with Kawhi Leonard, because we
really haven't seen that all season long, And there was a game that men
a tons of the Clippers for them to win and to also try to keep
the Denver Nuggets from getting that one seed, and they got it anyways,
and they should a ton of grit. But this Clippers team, we all
know they go as far as Kawhi Leonard takes them. So hopefully, if
he's able to go in one of these last three games and it's not something
more serious, maybe we can get a look at him before the playoffs start.
But regardless, good to see the Clippers get another victory tonight in Phoenix,
final score one five to ninety two as they thrashed the Phoenix Suns early
and held on late. Charles, thanks for doing this here a little clips
and double dip here on Clippers Talk. Thanks for having me. Let's go Clips