Welcome in to Clips and Dips Season two, episode forty five. I'm a
Mouslin. We got Chuck Macklin. We'll update with us here and a very
good show for you guys coming up later on. We got some bold hot
take steal lead pipe predictions for second half action with this Clippers team as we
are in the second half of the season. Now we'll talk about that.
We got an update on the Give No Quarter stats too, thanks to one
of our listeners. We'll also take questions as we submitted some or asked for
some earlier at Clippers Pod on Twitter. We'll get to those, But guys,
let's start with this. Chuck, how are we doing. I'm doing
pretty good. Clippers headed into the road trip off on a good foot.
Was sunny today in La, which I feel like we haven't had so Yeah,
I'm feeling pretty good. Big Will doing well. Yeah Yeah, Ready
for I don't know, ready for the Clippers to continue to be underlooked,
no all star selections, road trip write where we want to be. Well,
I'm gonna see if I can bring both of you guys down with this
news. Kawhi Leonard not a Western Conference All Star starter. Yeah, that
just came out about forty five minutes ago before we recorded this. A little
bit disappointing, Chuck, kind of it's predictable, it's not shocking, it's
not surprising, but it still is disappointing and I'm a little bit vexed and
irked by it, as you can tell. Yeah, I was getting an
irked vibe from you if you can. If you can see this over on
YouTube dot com Slash at Clippers podcast, Adam has a bit of an irk
vibe, which is fair. It's fair to be irked by this. Kawhi
has been playing on a whole nother planet on both sides of the ball.
It's the thing we talk about. Guys who play well on both sides of
the ball are held up to an incredibly higher standard than guys who are and
I don't mean quote unquote just offensively elite. But no, it sucks.
I wish Kauwhi was a starter. But also take the rest man, maybe
pull a Jimmy Butler, just don't even play, just hang out, take
the time. Well, how are you feeling about it? I know this
news just dropped on you. Shocked, man. I I'm really disappointed,
and I know, like Kawhi is probably the last guy in the league to
really care about this. You know, he might even be grateful to to
not have to to, you know, go through the whole pomp and circumstance
for the All Star Game as a starter. But it just does beg the
question. I mean, it's gotta be more than just raw numbers, right,
I Like, I just don't get what we're doing here. I understand
that will probably never have an All Star Game without Lebron except for that one
year where he I think where he had the ankle and he kind of barely
played. I just don't get what we're doing here. Man. We're talking
about the fourth We're talking about the fourth best team in the Western Conference,
one of the hottest teams over the last what thirty games? Twenty five games?
Uh oh, half the season. Yeah. Yeah, it's I just
I under and I understand like the like these other guys are putting up,
putting up bigger numbers. I understand and command Kevin Durant for like committing to
defense more. But some of this, some of this has to be impact.
And I mean that's the thing, right. I feel like, if
you're gonna say someone with snub. You got to talk about who shouldn't be
in there, and I mean, yeah, I guess I'm leaning Lebron.
I mean the Suns are you know, they've turned things around seemingly, But
yeah, I don't get it. I don't get it. I think the
reason I'm so irritated is there's three guys in the starting lineup that Kawhi could
easily be starting over, Lebron, kd and Luka Doncic, going off numbers,
going off record, going off a defensive impact, which people seem to
discount completely. Kawhi Leonard is the top seventy five player ever, having his
best regular season to this point, and he's playing and he's not going to
be an All Star Games starter. Where on the year he's shooting forty four
percent from three, fifty two percent from the field, getting twenty four points
per game. But then last twenty two games, where the Clippers are the
hottest team in the league, they've only lost three of those. When Kawhi
has been out there. In the last twenty two games he has played,
they've lost three times. He is shooting fifty fing seven percent from the field
and fifty one percent from three, and oh by the way, since November
seventeenth, I believe with the new starting lineup they are nine points per one
hundred possessions better defensively with Kawhi Leonard on the court, they go from being
a top three level defense to being a bottom five level defense without him.
So if that's not enough of an impact. And I understand there's three different
phases of the voting, you have half of it being fan voting. I
believe a quarter media a quarter player, but I just don't understand how a
guy on a team with a record that is fourth in the West and just
a game and a half back of being first, and you don't get him
in over Lebron James, over Luca over KD. I guess it is just
a popularity contest and nothing more. But I do want to point this out.
That's fine, they want to do it like this, but when it
comes down to Hall of Fame resume at the end of all this stuff.
And we know Kawhi Leonard's a first ballot Hall of Famer, But when you
are comparing players and ACOL do not put much stock in All Star voting.
Never do it. You want to know what the best moment ever in an
All Star Game was Magic Johnson, who was out of the league in ninety
two, getting to play and having a ridiculous performance. The All Star Game
has become more and more of a joke, and it's one of the few
things that I agree with when it comes to old timers and old man yelling
at clouds about the All Star Game and how there's no defense played and how
nobody cares. I actually agree with that. We've gotten a couple of good
ones the last decade and a half total. One of them was in twenty
twenty when Kawhi was the first to win the Kobe Bryant All Star Game MVP
award when he went off and they changed the rules and it actually worked that
game, and it was competitive down the stretch, and it was the elam
rules I think they called it, with scoring totals per quarter and then you
add them all up and you gotta win by twenty four or whatever it was.
It's just it's become such a gimmick. It's really hard to take seriously.
And I know they're going back to East versus West, and that's cool,
and they're not having the school yard playground type of pick your own squad
situation like we've had the last three years, but this is it's tough to
stomach if you're a Clipper fan and seeing just how good Kawhi Leonard has been
this season again top seventy five player ever, having his best regular season ever,
and he can't make or can't be a starter, I feel like you're
I feel like you really worked yourself up from not really worried about it.
The more I thought about it, Chuck completely disgusted. What does Cassantra say?
It's like an onion, the more you appeel it, the more it
stinks. I mean, it's it sucks for Kawhi, But again I like
Will's point, like it he doesn't care. It kind of proves Kawhi's point
two of like even if I play all these games, you guys still don't
care, right, Like, even if I do everything you guys asked me
to do, which is play every game and play at a high level,
which is what he's done all year, no one cares. So I mean,
it sucks, but I just want to know, like who's actually voting
in this, Like if the fan vote is half the vote, it's the
dogs from the Dogs playing poker picture. That's what they do after they pick.
Is it just I just don't get what their criteria is? Well,
it's the fan voting definitely exkews things because then you get situations where what Zaza
Pecciulia was voted in one year or Andrew Wiggins was it last year the year
before where people felt like he shouldn't have been an All Star and didn't he
get voted in as a starter. Yeah, but if you get a vote,
uh, and you got a big enough fan base, it can warp
things. But Robbery did not make Steph Curry is not an All Star game
starter. So my point is, as much as we say it's a popularity
contest, SGA got in rightfully, So over Steph Curry, he's having the
much better season. Why couldn't Kawhi get in over Lebron he's having a much
better season, or over kd where record wise and if you look at defensive
impact, they're like one point per one possessions better Phoenix with Kevin Durant on
the floor compared to Kawhi being nine points better. He is holding it down
defensively for that. Luka Doncic, you know where he's at Defensively, he's
amazing, and offense does outweigh defense, of course, and I think you
can have a bigger impact on the game. But when things are that close,
it's gotta be Kawhi over all. Three of those guys. To me,
he needs to post more snappy Instagram captions and he would probably get more
votes, but not Kawi style. The good news is maybe by the time
he finds out, it's right before tip off in Boston on Saturday, and
that gets it worked out. He's not gonna know. He's not gonna know
for seventy two hours. Let's speaking of Boston and the upcoming trip. Uh.
The injury report was released for Clippers Verus Raptors on Tomorrow, Friday.
No, Paul George all the injury report. Surprised, not surprised. How
we feel, Will you look a little concerned. I'm very surprised. Okay,
I'm very surprised. I guess, I mean, I guess three days
rest is a decent amount of rest, but just the way that they had
to make they had to actively manage his minutes in game because the groin injury
was that big of an issue. That's yeah, that's a little worrisome to
me, not to be like too much of a of a doom and gloomer
about it, but that's quite the turnaround from something that was like clearly significant
enough that Paul George, you know, was coming to the training staff saying,
hey, this is bothering me so much, and it necessitated a management
of his minutes in what was a tight game for the most part. I
don't know, I really like, you know, again, I'm not a
doctor. I don't know what to make of this, but it does seem
kind of quick. I don't know where are you at, Adam Well,
we're either he or Kawhi on the last two injury reports, Paul George against
the Lakers or Kawhi against Brooklyn when he had the flu. So that I'm
not that surprised by it. I am concerned because the injury, the type
of injury, a growing injury. He reaggravated it against Brooklyn and it's one
of those things that can linger. It's tough to manage, uh, And
I don't want him to play through it if he's just trying to tough it
out to prove a point that hey, this year is different, we're taining
the we're taking the regular season more seriously. That's great, but you still
have to strike that balance of knowing when you're pushing something over the edge and
pass a threshold where you could seriously exacerbate an injury and therefore it's affecting your
ceiling for this season and where this team can go. Yeah, that's that's
a good point. I didn't think about that, just the pro the prove
a point injury right where it's like, you know who did a lot of
those was Landry Shamont. Landry Shammon would have exchanges sometimes with people where he
was like, I hurt, Like like I know if you had a wrap
on your resture okay, He'd like, risk is fine, Like does is
it bothering you? And youn just go no, it's fine. It's like,
you don't have to prove anything to us, man, It's it's okay.
If you're hurt, you know, to sit down or something. The
schedule is kind of rough for this road trip as well. The Clippers have
a back to back screen share a screen or it didn't happen. It's not
gonna happen. No free screen shares, all right, Yeah, let me
get this going. Look, you gotta save players from themselves, only Paul
George and the medical staff. Really it comes down to Paul George telling them
exactly how he's feeling and being as truthful as possible and not just trying to
be a hero or tough it out to a point where it actually worse.
Since then he's out for weeks. They're already without a visa Zubas. But
my point would be, if you got to rest Paul George for a week
so he doesn't end up missing a month, you you do it. Now.
It's a difficult thing to manage though, like I said, and to
know exactly how far you can push things. So we'll see. Yeah,
so we got Clippers Raptors or sorry Rafters Celtics back to back, not kind
of. That's probably the toughest part of the schedule, which'reing to talk about,
Uh, Calves Wizards. You know the Wizards Pistons love those two games
being in the middle of this road trip. If I'm being totally honest,
that's a nice no disrespect, I guess to those franchises, But that's the
nice that's a nice two middle two to have. Then you this gets rough
Heat Hawks back to back, uh, which is part of a three in
four to end the trip. So your Pistons heat Hawks three and four to
end the trip, and you start the trip with three and five. So
it's bookended by kind of some rough scheduling for the Clippers. But do you
guys agree that the hardest part is these first two games? Maybe opponent wise,
Ye, the hardest. The hardest game to win is the Boston game,
not just because it's Boston, but because you're in Boston and second night
of a back to back. The Raptors are just annoying to play. Yeah.
I don't think that's gonna be an easy game either, because the Calves.
The Calves are serious too, Like it's it's a bit of a gauntlet.
I mean, they're eight and two in their last ten. They're they
are in the same position in the East as the as the Clippers are in
the West. Like, hmm, that's a good call. I think the
Calves have won something like thirteen or fifteen overall, Jesus, even without Evan
Mobley, even without Darius Garland. They have turned a corner this season when
it was a little bit sketchy early on. Yeah, that's a good call.
What are we looking for in this Raptors game. We won by six
after like the fastest paced game of the year. Emmanuel quickly is out for
this one with a thigh confusion, which is big for the Raptors. He
kind of killed the Clippers last time, especially at the rim. Will what
are you looking for in this Raptors game? What do we want to see
from the Clippers? Say Zoo. I mean I'd like to see I'd like
to see things look a lot more buttoned up than what we saw in that
Lakers game, especially on the road. I think the composure needs to be
a lot tighter overall. You know, it's it's hard to it's hard to
ascertain whether Clippers at or Lakers at Clippers as a home game or an away
game. But you don't win that game, I don't think on the road,
if that makes sense, Like I think there was just two there was
there was just there was too many inconsistencies and they did turn it on and
clamp things down there at the end. But I don't I don't think that's
a game that you win in an away stadium. So the execution needs to
be a lot better. It's another reason why I'm kind of like concerned about
the Paul George thing because while he had his moments, overall was not great
in that game. And I don't know if some of that was due to
the growing thing, if there was some, if he was a little tentative
there, But like, the execution needs to be a lot better. And
I think that this is going to be a great test for this team because
while they have been like stacking up wins and stuff, I feel like as
though the last three games have been a little sloppier. Yeah, I agree
with Will. That was a mixed bag against the Lakers. You look at
on one one hand, the Clippers shot sixty percent from the field. They
were hot again from the outside last eleven games. Guys, they're shooting forty
seven percent from three. It's unbelievable kanity, but offensively slipping though. Yes,
last fifteen games, they're twenty third on defense. That's getting to be
a much bigger sample size now, kissing the bottom five right there. I
think most of it is just human nature because their offense, they've had the
best offense since they've gone on this run with the new starting lineup, where
they're twenty five and seven their last thirty two games, and therefore you have
a letdown on the other end because you know you can score whenever you want.
Because obviously they've had moments where they locked down that twenty two to zero
run. They don't give up a point in five and a half minutes against
Brooklyn, for example, and last time out against Toronto that was a two
point game with ten minutes left at home. Yeah, and it was a
Vitza Zobots who was playing down the stretch of that one and helping them out,
and eventually they would pull away and win one twenty six to one twenty
but by no stretch of the imagination, wasn't an easy victory. And Toronto
was on the second night of a back to back after getting screwed with the
twenty three to three or twenty two to three years. Hell yeah, so
it's it's gonna be a tough team to play. Emanuel Quickly being out obviously,
that should make things a little bit easier, at least when it comes
to slowing down this Toronto team that was playing at a really fast pace,
especially in the half court against the Clippers. They were just really decisive with
all their passes. They were crisp, they were on point. Guys were
playing with a lot of purpose out there. Uh So, yeah, the
Clippers do need to tighten things up to Will's point, they haven't looked like
a dominant team consistently defensively, like I think they're gonna have to be on
this road trip. At some point, the defense has to get much better.
And if they're playing like a team that's bottom ten defensively, I don't
know that's gonna be good enough regardless of what their offense does, because I
don't expect them to continue to be this this hot like we've seen recently,
especially from the outside. Yeah, this efficiency is crazy. It feels like
this is a pattern, not a pattern. I shouldn't say that, but
we've seen the Clippers shoot absurdly efficient in the two and three era, right
Like we talked about it a couple episodes ago, and we had how many
guys shooting forty percent that one year from three? Even the Dock years they
were always like that. That last year they were crazy efficient from three.
So that's a good point, and the defense is gonna have to get devents
the rafters. And then we roll right into a game against the Celtics where
I mistakenly looked up the stats from the last time we played them, which
was a nightmare. There was no Kawhi. We got smoked one hundred and
forty five to one hundred and eight. Felt like I blacked out during that
period of time. What less, what can they even take from that last
matchup heading into this one without Zoo on the night where I assume everyone's gonna
play because no one's on the injury report for the first game, so that
would imply that everyone's playing the second, right, I don't know, we'll
see I think this game, I think the odds are obviously very stacked against
you in this one. I think that makes the Raptors game a must win.
But I mean, yeah, you know, you're you're on no rest
playing a team that's lost one time at home. I mean it's kind of
the same as the Raptors. Yeah, the execution just needs to be on
another level. And without aviatsa Zoo Bots, like, the margin for error
is really really slim, and we need to see I mean, if they
have any chance of winning this game, we need to see a completely different
defensive team than we've seen in the last In the last five games, like
I just don't see any other way through the Celtics, and quite frankly,
like if we're looking ahead to the postseason whatever, I don't see any way
through the Nuggets. Like there's a lot of teams that if this isn't a
lot better from where it is right now, Like it doesn't matter how good
the season has been, it doesn't matter how good offensively our Big three has
been. There's one thing that this team can do to sort of overpower a
lot of the other teams that frankly have more star power and more continuity,
and it's it's really on the defensive end. And you know, if Paul
George isn't at one hundred percent, I don't know who's picking up the slack.
To be perfectly honest with you, Terrence Man can only do so much,
Kawhi Leonard can can can do so much. Mason Plumbley, I mean,
God, bless him, he's trying. I love the guy. Hopefully.
Daniel Tice, you know he's got the inside script on the Celtics,
so you know, maybe he can have a good outing, but it's gonna
be tough. Man. This is uh, Like I said, I think
that this this game, I don't want to call it a scheduled loss,
but like it makes that Raptors game a must win in my opinion, Yeah,
I think Boston is easily at this point the best team in the East,
maybe the best team in the league, not just because of their home
court advantage and the record there and only losing ones to Denver recently, but
they consistently bring it on both ends. And the Clippers got completely outworked in
that game against Boston. It wasn't some fluky thing where Boston just you shot
a high percentage, which they did. They hit twenty five to three pointers,
but they were quicker to lose balls. They had fifteen offensive rebounds on
the Clippers in a game where Big Zoo had five offensive rebounds by himself,
he had sixteen to ten. They're not gonna have him, and they can
go five out because they start five out and they're starting five now. So
if you aren't sound on rotations, that's how you get a team that lights
you up with twenty five to three pointers as they did, and they're gonna
get stops because last fifteen games, Boston doesn't have that slippage like the Clippers
have. They're third defensively last fifteen games overall, so they're not having that
issue, and I guess the Clippers now are twentieth an update their defensively last
fifteen games. But as good as the Clippers are offensively, they're going to
have to get stops because Boston is doing it on both ends at an extremely
high level right now. And we might need Kawhi to have double digit rebounds
again. Tyson Plumbley had four combined rebounds. I mean, we know who
they're going against, obviously in that Lakers, who's down low. It's a
big team, but they we need the complete opposite from those two guys.
It's obviously not all on them, you know, as Will point it out.
We need great execution from the top three guys, and then we need
everyone to have a good game. We need a mirror to keep playing good
defense. We need Russ to be the good Russ experience, you know,
keep making good decisions with the ball in his hand. Bring the energy up
if it's down, because they're gonna be tired after that Rappers game. Who
is our players of the game for both of these We're gonna do one player
for both games. Who's going to have a good two game stretch to get
the Clippers off on the right foot on the the Grammy trip. All right,
I'll go first. I'll go with team Man, who was shooting over
fifty percent from three in twenty twenty four. It was funny on Podcast Pete
they were talking about the slump he was in and this was right after the
calendar turned over and Terrence Man was showing signs of life. And I guess
Paul George told him in twenty twenty four, we're shooting the shit out of
the ball and like just to try to get his confidence up. And it's
happened. Forty seven percent from three for the team the last eleven games,
and Terrence Man has been really good and gotten off to a couple of quick
starts when the Clippers have started slow. He's been that spark with the starting
lineup, especially against Brooklyn down sixteen to nothing. But he also I think
had seven points on the first quarter against the Lakers. He's been good.
The confidence just it looks like he's completely back, and he almost had the
dagger that just rimmed out against the Lakers from three also in that ballgame of
the fourth Well player of of games. I'm gonna go Norman Powell, and
I know that I just about how important the defense is gonna be for the
Clippers. I think if Norm Powell can really keep things going, and I
mean he has to bare minimum help that second unit tread water against these the
second units for the Raptors and the Celtics, but if they can gain a
little bit of momentum and ground there, I think that could go a long
way. So I kind of tend to light guys who come off the bench
and light it up on road trips. I feel like that's the kind of
guy who can get things going. So I'm gonna go with Norman Powell.
I'm gonna go that's a good preak, great pick. This is a lazy
pick, but I'm good. I'm going with Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard is
gonna do. He's gonna have a two game stretch to hopefully show people why
he should have been a starter. He doesn't talk about it, really,
He's gonna let He's gonna have two elite games. We're gonna see the crazy
percentages. We're going to see them guard Jason Tatum. Some are saying Kawhi
is good, So I'm going Kawhi Leonard for over these two games. I
really hope you win that Raptors game. You're totally right Will about that being
a must win. But here we are, and here's still the rest of
the trip going well. I don't know what what's your guys predictions for record
on this trip? In the seven game road trip? Because coach Lou told
Carlo Jimenez pre game that they put a number on it and the goal is
to go six and one. I was gonna think five and at worst.
He said the goal is to go six and one. I go five and
two. That's what I was going to think, because I was like,
you got and I understand how it was going to sound. You got two
wins in Detroit and the Wizards. There's two. I think you can scrape
around three other ones. I think they can figure those out. I'm glad
that they are setting a higher standard and it's six and one type goal for
them. But I hope I'm wrong. I'm gonna go four and three.
I'm still not bad Will. I don't know, like looking at the rest
makes this makes this really difficult for me. I guess I'm gonna be optimistic
and I'll go five and two. Hell yeah, five and two Live and
two club. All right, let's hope they can do it. Let's hope
the Clippers get it right. Let's hope all three of us are wrong.
I couldn't get into the five and two you were yay, you had a
chance. Coming up, we're gonna answer the best questions we got over on
Twitter from Clippers fans. That's at clippers Pod if you would like to tweet
it us. Also, if you want to watch us, you can find
us at YouTube dot com slash at Clippers Podcast. That's been fun. There's
been an ad break. If your list ads have been loud, go ahead
and turn it down. We got ads coming up and then Clippers questions in
three two one. Welcome back in the Clips and Dip your favorite Clippers podcast.
Just want to shout out everyone watching this on YouTube, Thank you so
much. You can find us over on YouTube at Clippers podcast, which if
you're watching this you already know this is more for the audio listeners. Anyways,
looking ahead, we're gonna talk about some questions we ask for those over
on Twitter. That's at clippers Pod. Chuck, what do we got?
We got some great ones today Daniel Perez as a question here. This kind
of goes off of what we were just talking about. Aside from injury,
Daniel asked any concerns as we get closer to the playoffs and winning our first
championship, or as PG says, are we in the driver's seat. If
you're a real Clippers fan, that quote, now, it doesn't make you
feel good, but I think it's kind of why what we just talked about,
right, it's the defensive side of the ball. The defensive side of
the ball is kind of the big thing they need to get figured out offensively.
I don't really have a lot of complaints, and we're gonna talk about
some personnel stuff, but Adam, what do you think? Yeah, I
agree with that this defense. You know, they had fifteen turnovers against the
Lakers and seven in the fourth quarter where it looked like they lost focused.
I think you mentioned it earlier, but coach Lou brought up how you know,
without Lebron James out there, he felt like there was a little bit
of a letdown. I thought so too, And that's part of the mixed
bag in that game. There were some positives and I think the intent from
PG and Kawhi to go at Anthony Davis was low key special. They both
had moves on him in the post and went at him for dunks and layups.
Even with that groin, Paul George got by him for a dunk,
Kawhi Leonard had a crazy layup in the lane on him, and then that
little pirouette in the fourth quarter for his only field goal on Ad where he
lost him in pretty much all the La Bakers, but that's needed against the
Lakers. You know, they had sixty eight points on the paint. That
was a season high for the Clippers, so that's, you know, very
much encouraging. But if they do end up locking up in the first round,
you can't settle for just for mid range shots, even as good as
they are in that area, because the Lakers have better personnel to guard those
two guys, and I'm sure they're still getting ready to make a move.
But overall, turnovers, defense and just a little bit more consistency, and
some of that is natural. It comes with more reps out there with this
new squad, so I'm not gonna be overly critical, but yeah, there's
things to work on. And with the road trip too, I think that
kind of that makes like the consistency part hard, right, Like we've heard
Paul George talk about how like you know you're together and you're really in the
trenches together. But it's also the scheduling for this road trip is rough.
Will Do you have anything to add to the concerns? No, No,
I think that makes sense. I I I guess I do you still worry
about some of the size matchups, But I think we have to wait.
I have to wait for my final ruling on that until we see if he's
a zoobots back and if this team ends up trying to pick up another wing
at at the deadline. But the way that they have been flummixed by some
bigger teams, I do think that's a concern. But yeah, it's still
a wait and see For me. It's not like it's not a the sky
isn't falling yet. I'm not as worried to say Joseph ryan Ward about Yeah,
he's worried they're going to win too many games. In his fourteen and
six prediction over a twenty game stretch, is it gonna come true? It
didn't. He already got it wrong. They were fifteen and fifteen and three
of that thing got cook Joseph, he wasn't optimistic enough. Optimist Prime rib
asks. I love that name, great, so good. How big of
a deal is it for the team's title chances if they are not a top
three seed. Let's say they stay at four, it doesn't mean they aren't
as good as the teams above them, since they got a late aren't because
of the hard an adjustment period and losing streak. Adam, you're a seeding
is a very big deal, guy, which makes sense. Where are you
at? How big of a deal is it for them to not be a
top three seed not top four? I think four and three is a completely
different ballpark. Sorry, Adam, Well, which is why I like that
they separate it. Yeah. Well, I think historically there have been two
teams in the last fifty or sixty years outside of the top three to win
the championship, so there's precedent. It does matter. I will say this
though, because schedules or excuse me, records are so injury influenced in today's
modern NBA, and I mean over the last couple of years, where there's
so many guys out consistently, they may not be as representative of how good
that team is, and I wouldn't be shocked if for the first time in
a long time you do see a team that's below a top three seed win
it all. For example, the Clippers were the four seed in twenty twenty
one, and I think they were on their way to win at all.
So it may not be as imperative as it used to be with mean to
get that top three seed, but ask me again, when we know the
matchups, So if they ever a better matchup in the four or five and
then you know their brackets better, it could be beneficial. That's fair.
Will Are you super worried about the top three seed? I mean it just
depends. Like I think what Adam brought up a really great point that if
I just think it depends I guess on what the final seeding ends up being,
because I would say generally there's a world of difference between the three seed
and the four seed. You know, you obviously are signed up for a
more difficult first round matchup, and then in the second round, I mean,
you got to go through the best team. So I think that you
know a lot of years that that would be a huge thing, like last
year where Denver held down the one spot. I mean, that's I think
your chances of getting out of the second round are pretty bad if that's the
matchup. If it stays the Thunder or maybe even the Timberwolves, you know,
I feel like that becomes less that that becomes less of a big deal.
Not not a knock on on either one of those teams. They just
don't quite have the playoff acumen kind of which isn't to say that that which
isn't to say that they couldn't beat the Clippers. But I you know,
it's not the matchup on the worried about I would a door ditch, you
know, ditch. Yeah, But like I mean, it's kind of pick
your poison right now. For the Clippers, it's with the standings as they
are today on January twenty fifth, I mean, would you rather play the
Suns or would you rather play the Pelicans? And I honestly might say the
Suns. Yeah, I think that's a good call. Yeah, I think
I think it is really important. But Adam, I really like what you
pointed out with the rest and things like that, where that has changed so
much that I think, as you're right, as it gets as low as
four for me to really believe that, like, if the Clippers fell a
five, something is gone. I don't know, horribly wrong, but pretty
wrong. If the Clippers fall down to five, I mean we have we
have a three game lead, I mean, yeah, something would have feel
horribly wrong. So they didn't go five and two on the road trip.
We don't even talk about in a couple of months, a seventeen games on
the road in March. By the way, they're all roadies. But now
this is a good question, definitely something to keep an eye on. And
then Snow had one addition, do you think we'd be the top seed if
we would have made the hardened trade in the offseason instead of four games in?
I don't know. For the top seed, I think things go so
differently. You don't just copy and paste the schedule. You don't just copy
and paste like the results like four games. Look, this thing felt so
inevitable that I think, I mean, obviously it would have been great to
get a training camp with James. Maybe he comes into the season a little
bit more game ready. But the thing is is like they were always gonna
have to be tested at a game level, you know, they they weren't
you know, the the amount of games that they would that they would gain
is a little bit negligible to me. And maybe you still have the same
losing streak, but it starts at the beginning of the season. That kind
of leaves a different taste in your mouth. You know, if you go
oher and six, if you haven't won a game like that feels a little
different. And I don't know that that would affect the mentality or anything,
but I don't think it. I don't think it's a world of difference.
To be perfectly honest, they were gonna go through skids, they were gonna
go through ups, and you know, none of this stuff, Like I
said, it has to be game tested. So I don't think that like
a training camp would have made a world of difference. Personally, I like
the fact that the Clippers faced diversity earlier in the season, that six game
losing streak, testing the locker room, testing the chemistry on this team and
how guys view one another. But I'm gonna say this, I'm pretty damn
sure the difference in getting James Harden in the summer or after the first couple
weeks of the season was Terrence Man great. So you're talking about losing Terrence
Man to get Harden earlier. I don't like that. I'd rather get Harden
a little bit later and hold on to Terrence Man, because I'm pretty sure
that if they have given up Man, they would have made that trade earlier.
Philadelphia. I don't like that. That would be That is exactly what
Lawrence Frank I Hope said to Darryll Morey when he asked for Terrence Man.
All right, I've been reading all these questions. Will what is this next
question we have on the breakdown that both of you read, which I appreciate
and know. Then Katta Man Magna Murray, Sorry about that if I pronounced
that wrong. Says anyway, the Clippers make a move because a big earthquake
happened yesterday before deadline day, like a center or forward like Robert Williams or
Bojan Bogdanovitch or Dfs or Jacob or Jonas. A lot of names in there,
A lot of names there. Robert Williams is out for the season.
Correct, But that would be a very Clippers trade. Uh yeah, no,
so the the I would say no, But then the earthquake happened,
which I do think does play a part here, something is maybe a foot
who knows something is born out of this earthquake? Hey, well I hope
not man. If someone man, that's something bad is coming if someone's born
out of an earthquake. But another San Andreas movie, yeah, not a
bad movie. Practical effects pretty crazy in that movie. I I don't know.
I think they're gonna do their due diligence. But Zoo's absence is it
a weird time? I think too to kind of it makes the team look
a lot smaller. Obviously, as we've talked about, even when he's healthy,
there is some concern, you know, with our wings La Murray brought
up a good thing on Twitter, how a mere coffee like is just exceptively.
He has a shorter wingspan than you think he does. So when he's
out there, he's tall, but like, he has a shorter wingspan.
And Terrence has kind of the short wingspan too, So someone with more,
you know, I hate to use this comparison, maybe someone like I,
a tumor a Covington. I'm not saying they should go get those guys or
they shouldn't have traded those guys or anything like that, but someone like that
could help the Clippers. I don't see them being able to part with anybody
to get that without losing someone who's gonna help keep things going smoothly with Zoo
being out. I'm in a real like if they could do like Bones and
PJ, I would hate to lose Bones, but like that would make me
feel more comfortable than it was someone who's playing in the rotation right now.
But I don't know if that's possible. Like I'm in between a rock in
a hard place with this, I someone like a rock movie or yes,
exactly, Like I think someone like Dorian Finney Smith would be perfect. I
think that that's like the that's the kind of guy that you need. I
mean, I don't think the Clippers can get into Bruce Brown sweep steaks because
I think there's just gonna be a lot of suitors for that. But I'm
also of the mind that like I'm not given I don't I just really don't
think I'm giving up the twenty thirty to make him make a move around the
margins. And I'm out on a center and and I'm out on a center
unless we know that Zoo isn't coming back, and then that, I mean,
that changes everything. Obviously would be crazy. Yeah, yeah, it's
I mean, it's it's absurd. It's absurd. So that kind of even
like rules out o Linic for me, I like Olynic, but I I
just would rather have I would just rather have another like true forward. Yeah,
somebody a little bit more mobile. Would I give up a player?
You gotta give a guy. I mean, if you're not giving a pick,
you gotta give a guy one of these guys. Man, I guess
maybe bones. It hurts though. So the other part of the question we
got to is, Adam, if the Clippers get Olinock, does that move
raise the floor substantially? Calvin Hadley asked this, raise the floor substantially?
Yes, see, I could if they get him soon enough. The trade
deadlines February eighth, So you get him and then Stiller with out of each
Zubas for a couple more weeks likely. Yeah, how much can you help
you there? He can help I like Killey Olnock. My point would be,
though they need to be better internally, Mason Plumbley and Daniels Hyes,
just have to play better sometimes that's the solution. I've said this about the
Lakers recently. I don't know if there's a guy out there that can magically
save their season. They just have to play better. And Mason Plumbley and
Daniel Tice, we know they're both capable of doing so. It'll be interesting
to see against a smaller Raptors team how much run they get. Avita Zubas
was able to close out that game. He's having his best year, So
I'm still interested in a guy that can play the four of the five to
really solidify things. But I like actually that guy though well. Compared to
having to give up the twenty thirty for Dorian Finney Smith, I would rather
just get Kelly Olynk Yeah, because who plays next to him though in the
front court, Like I just I don't see the fit, especially in any
minutes where Russ is also out there. Well that that is a good point,
but he can't shoot. He can't shoot. He is, I mean
he is shooting fort on the season, but it's on less than two attempts
a game. That's fine. I mean, we have a career. You're
full of data where he's at thirty seven percent from the outside, Like I
he should be around thirty eight percent if you bring him in, plus he'll
likely get even more open shots on this Clippers team. I'm not that worried
about it. But to what you said, you got to bring in a
guy. If you don't bring in in a guy that can shoot, who's
coming off the bench with Russ also coming off the bench, that's problematic.
Then you're always right. It's unable to me. Yeah, then it maybe
lowers the ceiling as opposed, and I also think, I mean with the
Olynic thing again, this all changes if Zoo. If Zoo is here,
if you can't come back rather but like one of the centers gotta go if
we bring in a right one of the centers gotta go. I'm kind of
against the Lenic because I don't like on Zaga guys, but that's that has
nothing to do with uh how yeah, chet sucks. I didn't say that
this question is going to hurt Adam's feelings. It's from Rosetta stoned some elite
names. Uh wow, they have. There a lot of geniuses who followed
us on Twitter. I became a huge Bones Highland fan. What are the
team's plans for him? Is he watching, learning and preparing to play in
the future, or is my greatest fear of him being trade bait a reality
Adam as the president, as the holder of the Skeleton Key Skeleton Key Club.
What do we think. I hope he's a part of the future that
I think that's why they brought him in. They obviously haven't nailed enough of
these drafts, so why not have a reclamation project with the guy that does
have potential and a really high ceiling and see what a change of scenery does
for him and overall as a Clipper in limited time, granted, he's been
really good and he has shown flashes this season. He was getting seventeen points
multiple times. He had a twenty point game early on. You could see
it. He was on the come and it's disappointed on the com at that
axiom, what does that mean? Uh Rosetta stone it oh Man put it
into Google. I'm not us incognito when you google that. Now I see
what you're saying. He was. He looked like he was part of the
future, right like, And I think I like this point. Is he
watching learning and preparing to play in the future. Yes, that is absolutely
happening. I think he's watching and he's learning one hundred percent, and I
think he's learning how to prepare if his number might be called because I think
in Clippers guys recently, Yeah, and I think to me, to me,
what's been really sure, like really reassuring about Bones is you know,
we know that things didn't end well in Denver, right like there was sort
of some friction there. We know that Bones came into this season thinking that,
you know, he could be sort of the second up ball handler,
and you know, had been preparing all summer for that and ready for that.
And I think despite all of that post trade, I mean, just
the way that Bones champions every single guy on this team, the way that
he's like one of the first people up on the bench, I just I
do feel like he's really invested in this and I think that that has to
be because there's an understanding that there is a light at the end of this
bench tunnel, that there is something out there for him. But you know,
you know, maybe I'm wrong, but I think that it looks even
different. And his demeanor is a little bit different from what we saw with
Brandon Boston right where we were really asking a lot of questions about where that
was going and sort of his his demeanor with the locker room and around the
team and not playing, So yeah, I do think that Bones is a
part of the future and obviously is the more complete player than Brandon Boston Junior.
It'll just be really interesting because we obviously we don't know how this season's
gonna end, and that it's going to inform a lot of what we do
obviously in the off season, and you know, so there's definitely space for
him. I would see us with less guards unless we win the whole thing
and try to run things back, all right, real quick. Last one.
We're gonna be kind of a rapid fire on this one because it's I
do appreciate the question, but I think it's kind of well, maybe not
absurd yet From Andrew, what should the Clippers do if PG can't agree to
an extension. There's been some smoke that he could go to Philly Pacers or
New York if he's looking for more money and years in Kawhi? Do you
consider a trade? I think the Clippers wi want to have cap space for
SGA and the twenty twenty seven off season. Adam rapid fire two sentences.
What do you think about this question? Do you consider a trade? Are
the Clippers aiming to get Jay and is he a restricted free agent that year,
like, there's no chance they're getting him. If that's the case,
he's already gonna be signed with the OKC Thunder. I think, let it
go. Let it go. I'm restricted in twenty twenty seven. Yeah.
Personally, well, they'll still be able to offer him the five year super
max. They'll be able to offer him more than anyone else can. That's
how it works with the new CBA. You can keep your own, guys.
I'm not too concerned about it at this point. I don't think if
he's not, you know, if it's days before the trade deadline and he's
still not on his extension, that you're overly concerned about Paul George and what
happens this summer. They're trying to win a championship. Now he's playing his
most efficient basketball. Now he's a career highs. I think in field goal
percentage, three point percentage, free throw percentage, he's been fantastic. So
we'll figure it out. I like to figure it out, will I mean,
the ball is kind of in Paul's court, right, you know,
he can certainly wait out for the max if that's where things are sticking,
and if that's what the issue is. But yeah, I mean the trade
deadline is in a week, a little over a week, so no,
there's no trade to be done. I don't think he why would he agree
to a sign in trade in the summer. It just doesn't really make any
sense. So the ball is fully in Paul's court, and that's kind of
where it's on. The team too, is like it puts a lot of
pressure on this year. But like you want to got to take less than
max money, go out there and win a championship. I mean, that's
a pretty easy way to get somebody to stay right. So yeah, I
think that it's gonna depend on what the Clippers can do financially to not be
too far over the second apron because what you like, lose a pick after
three years, this is one year the second apron and like, I don't
know, man, all that stuff kind of makes my head hurt. But
if they you know, if if if a Max isn't in the cards from
the Clippers organization, which is not to say that they don't believe he's worth
a MAX, but because of the imitations of what is essentially a hard cap
now in the NBA, the balls in Paul sport. I just don't think
Kawhi Leonard would come out postgame and say something to the effect of, yeah,
I think for the most part, everybody's coming back, and that didn't
include Paul George. Yeah, he met Mason plumbling for the most part.
Yeah, I'm ver phrasing. I think I think it was more than that.
He said, yes, could be the move all right often Yeah,
Uh, coming up, we're talking Paul George sending children to space Camp and
then one bold prediction. Uh, it's what he's doing. Uh. The
ads have been allowed for some people. If you're listening to go ahead and
turn it down. We got ads in the Space Camp tyle and three two
one space Camp on the come. All right, we are back. Adam
is disgusting this episode. Somehow it's a phrase, guys, I've no Paul
George hosted his Top Golf Classic, which has happens every year. It benefits
the Paul George Foundation. This event supports one of Paul George's missions, maybe
pun intended, providing scholarships for students to attend space Camp. Space Camp is
a very real thing that I thought was fake, and only in it's called
space Camp. They have one I think it's in like Alabama. It's like
six days. It's very real. It's very cool to get kids interested in
STEM. But the name space camp is very funny. Also space camp or
PG loves space. He's had space in his shoes, like the themed shoe
things before. I don't know, Adam, are you good at golf?
Would you have been able to show out at the top golf Paul George thing
horrible? Why is it in a real golf tournament? Sorry to interrupt,
but like isnament probably cheap? You don't have to run out a whole course.
It's kind of lame. It's lame. Okay, the middle of the
season. Man, you're you're going to pretend to play an already kind of
lame sport. No disrespect, but come on, I didn't realize you had
so much heat for charitable events. Why don't you just making a pong tournament
to the game not actual? Not actual? How about a ping pong tournament
like Clayton Kershaw does every year. No, because you're not playing the real
sport, you're doing the imitation of the sport. Well, Will's Will's very
sour on the Paul George Foundation and their efforts to send children to space Camp.
Out of all the clippers, who would be the best candidate for space
Camp? Do you think I think is off the lists? Yeah? I
don't. I don't think you can fit in there. Yeah, I think
it has to be the smallest guy, right, is that? Is that
Bones? Well he's tall, though he's tall, he's wiry. But who
needs a sport norm Moon? Oh it's Moon space Camp of course? Come
on, there we go Xavier Moon and maybe Zoo just for comedic effect,
Ye need a bigger shuttle. We're gonna need a bigger boat. Zoo and
zero gravity would be hilarious. Kawai would also probably be a good astronaut.
Can I just clarify something really quick? On the come? The origin of
it? The genesis is from betting on cards, that betting on cars that
may come in the future, like betting on bone Highland. He's on the
comb. That's that's if you want to make that your catchphrase, Man,
no one's gonna stop yet. It's not mine. It literally has been around
for centuries. You've said it ten times this episode. It sounds like it's
maybe starting to be your coutchphrase. I'm just glad I somehow escaped getting that
nickname under my tag here on YouTube. Hey, at this point, a
lot of time left, actually not very much time left, all right.
The first thing, so sorry for making fun of Paul George's all right,
you will not the message. The message is wonderful, and honestly, the
outreach that he does is wonderful. Paul George does a lot of great things,
and he does get clowned on sort of an unfair amount for the good
that he does. Yeah, space camp, you think, oh space camp
is funy? No, space Camp is very serious to me. Let me
tell you. In space no one can hear you scream. What's very true?
All right? One bold second half prediction to close this episode out.
The Clippers are rolling right now except for the defense side of the ball.
Will what is your bold second half prediction? Regular season? Visus Zubots has
an even better stretch than he's had thus far to end out the season.
Fucking hey hell yeah, all right, adam, that was badass. The
Clippers have a winning record in marsh Oh, all right, that is a
bold prediction. They have to though, Hey, brother, I was,
according to somebody, I was saying that in November I was saying that November.
I can't believe we are now actually almost there like it just Ti Man,
I don't I don't understand it. You need to go to need to
go to Paul George space camp. We oh, is there Paul George time
camp. Well, I'm casual so I could use it. I'm gonna go.
Wow, you guys had two really good ones. I'm gonna go.
Terrence Man has three twenty point games in the second half of the season for
the Clippers, spicy prediction and then uh oh, Rush shoots another three with
a shoe off makes it again, continues to be one hundred, continues balances
out the shot. There we go. You might need it. That about
wraps it up. We have some updated give no quarter stats per John Rodriguez.
Thank you to John for doing this. Uh forty two games, one
hundred and sixty eight total quarters, possible one overtime game the Clippers of one
ninety five quarters. They have lost sixty eight quarters, so we each oh
sixty eight quarters to the fund that No one has given us something to donate
to yet YouTube put a comment for what we should donate it to. But
that's is that why Kawhi is not an all star game starter. Well,
they're like, look, because we can quantify this. You guys have really
messed this up, like you should not have been your slogan. That's seventeen
bucks. I was gonna say, we each show a hardy seventeen bucks.
Yeah, damn Clippers, stop losing quarters. Guys, is the charity Paul
George's space camp? Who are you giving it to? Yeah? Honestly,
should we just get to the Paul George? We should have to at least.
Yeah, we'll make we'll do it in a top golf event. Can
I give Paul George my seventeen dollars cash? Do I have to write each
other? Do I have to write a check like a jell envelope. It's
a big check that you're writing out, and I give the novelty check.
Yeah. We are gonna have some double dips for y'all on Friday and Saturday.
Maybe a live on Saturday. Who knows? The weekend lives have been
fun? Will Did you have fun on the press box the other day?
That was a good time. Jesus Christ for Anything. Full episode out on
Sunday, talking the back to back and looking towards the week ahead. Uh
well, where could these people review us and maybe subscribe to us? Uh?
So you can listen to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. If you
want to rate or review this show, do that over on Apple Podcasts or
Spotify. We love it. We'd love to hear your feedback. You know,
it really helps the shot. Also, gotta check us out over on
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You can comment literally at any time. You don't even have to leave a
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the videos we did. Please do not thumbs down. Thumbs up the video,
Adam one more, I mean yes, thumbs up the video. Start
fights Ryan in the comments. Let's fight in the parking lot, uh,
Adam. Some word of positivity for these Clippers fans before this Grammy road trip
kicks off. So many blessings in disguise for this team, and I think
Kawhi Leonard not being an All Star game starter is going to be another one.
More fuel to the fire for a man who has played like he's possessed
out there, A demi god. A Kawhi Leonard on a mission is scary
hours for the rest of the league. So maybe the timing is right.
They're going on a seven game road trip, tough back to back. I
like your player to watch in Kawhi Leonard to see how he responds to getting
snubbed. Let's see it, Let's see it. Fantastic words. We thank
everybody. We hope you have a great week, have a good weekend.
Here's a good road trip and as always, let's go clips.