Uh well, the Clips and Dim Season two, episode sixty six. We're
doing this one live. Thank you everyone who's gonna watch, ticker, who's
gonna listen. The Clippers came back down from twenty six, their biggest comeback
of the year, right and in part to Paul George, in part due
to a bad first half. Everything came together in the second. We're gonna
talk about it. We're gonna talk about the stuns, back to about coming
up. Will and Adam. How the hell are you guys doing on this
seemingly Sonny, Los Angeles evening. After the Clippers get this win, I'm
good. I feel great about it. I was down on them early in
the ballgame. But hashtag comeback clips works sixty percent of the time. Russo,
Justin Russo left at half and had to listen to the rest of the
game on the radio, and the Clippers won, So there might be something
to that. Justin Rouster, if you're listening and the Clippers go down in
the playoffs, you need to leave the building like he left out of disgust
or just something I think he had to go. That would be great.
Russo is not Russo stays for every game. If he can't think he had
to do something. I would to make that very clear. I'm not trying
to him under the bus. We'll see it's the bad ones. Yeah,
Will. How are you doing you guys chopped it up on the radio.
You feeling good? Yeah, I'm feeling good. I mean, this was
I was in the same boat as Russo. I didn't exactly have anything to
do, but I was. I was ready to turn this game off.
It was just sort of it's just sort of the same thing we've seen right
in these losses, Like just the turnovers pile up. There doesn't seem to
be a lot of urgency on the defensive end, and teams get hot.
You see tons of you know, you see, however, many players like
scoring above their point averages, shooting the lights out as compared to their regular
season averages. And it's just like it's one of those things that we'll talk
about it. I mean, I'm glad they were able to get the comeback
in. I think these kinds of wins all they are ultimately good because you
are really getting put through the fire and really coming through adversity. But you
know, like Paul George says, it's not ideal. The way that it's
happening, right. It's not like an anomaly where a team is like shooting
the lights out and you're still defending well, or you know, like it
you just can't keep up with them. You know, it's a lot of
it is pretty self inflicted, so that I think that just gets really difficult
for me. Yeah, I mean, it was a tail that you have.
We should, I think before we get really deep into stuff. First
fifty one season for the Clippers in sixteen seventeen, So hats off to the
Clips for that. Despite how these last two months have been pretty damn good
season overall, sixth in franchise history. Of course, some of these would
have been fifty wins seasons if it wasn't for COVID and the lack of games.
I'm pretty sure actually they lost like Ted gabs here and there. The
schedule has only gotten back I think the last two seasons. Now. Yeah,
something weird like that. William Updike's camera has cut out. We're gonna
talk about what shar is talking about with hard and riding the bench down the
stretch. I'm assuming that was a minutes thing. I don't think that was
It was a minute restriction. He was capped at twenty I think he was
capped at twenty five and he played twenty six something like that. Yeah,
but yeah, I mean, let's talk. I mean, Adam, first
of all, do we have a high five? Did you get one out
of this or was it? I'm sorry, guys, I went to the
afterwards. You gotta get that pump and that makes total sense. So I
mean, let's talk the good stuff. Paul George. Interesting that you couldn't
work out post stream. It's sad that your gym closes so early. It
does, it closes at seven, that's crazy. Paul George is peaking at
the right time. That block on Garland late was maybe his best defensive possession
of the year. That was wonderful defense. To see his fourth quarter was
absolutely absurd. He made the three, which he has done all season.
Like Paul George as up and down, and he's been and as down at
points as we've been on him. Like the man has shown up big in
fourth quarters all year long. He basically had two bad months and outside of
that, he's having one of the best seasons of his career. If you
take the start of the season and now the last month it wasn't just the
start of the season. But we're talking when they got rolling with James Harden
in that twenty six and five run and his efficiency was off the charts.
So I want to say, like four of the six months, is that
how long the season ends up being? Were spectacular for Paul George. Yeah,
And it's happening at the right time again, right, Like we've talked
about on this show, and the large Clippers Twitter has talked about it is
he is a ceiling razer. When he's playing like this and he's finding a
shots and he's being aggressive, He's a ceiling raizer for the Clippers. Junction
says they're peaking at the right time. Couldn't agree more. Same here,
if big, if true, Paul George stealing racer, Yeah, yeah,
who knows what else other than I mean, it's very easy to pick out
Paul George. Twenty seven points in the second half. He played also the
entire what the last thirty three minutes of this game? Yeah, what a
stud. He didn't want to go on the bench. He said he felt
warm in the second half and he didn't want to cool off. He just
thought he could play through it and speaks to how he's healthy again. Like,
I don't think those two months were just fluky bad shooting where he was
only scoring eighteen points per game. I think it was obviously related to the
left knee injury, to the left groin injury. Who was playing through You
see him now, he looks like peek Paul George once again, it couldn't
happen at a better time. Guys play better when they're healthy. It's weird.
It's something that we've learned on this show as the games have gone on.
Didn't know that before. Yes, he's not washed now, guys,
I guess not. Yes, Terrence Man fake passed into a three. It's
cash every time. It feels like he's like three for his last three when
he does the fake pass. Well. I don't want to get too far
off Paul Georgie, but Adam and I talked about how, like I thought
this game, especially in that fourth quarter, was really encouraging from the role
players. Right, we had been threes from Coffee and Man that that chipped
away at the deficit, got us, you know, started to get us
into a lead and keep the rhythm up and just with all the limitations of
like that TYLERU had to deal with rotation wise, obviously no Kauai Harden on
the minutes restriction and kind of a goofy lineup to close out this one,
especially against a like a larger Calves team, a larger front court. I
you know, I think a tip of the cap obviously all the role players,
but to Tylo as well to stick with that, I guess it's easier
to stick with anyone it's working. But still it was, I mean,
I thought it was something. It was definitely some inspired play there in the
fourth court or from the rotation on the floor. I mean, Terrence Man
came back in down five and the three to zero four mark for Mason Plumbley,
you're going up against the team with Jared Allen, I don't think.
Yeah. Evan Mobley came back in the game about a minute and a half
later. But that is a big move from coach Lou that worked out for
this team, where he would have been heavily criticized if it didn't, if
they were able to just feast against the Clippers. But something he's been saying
all season long is when you go small, it presents more of a sense
of urgency. You have to be better on the defensive end at that point,
and guys were scrambling and covering for one another, and they ended the
game small with Jared Allen I think at least still out on the floor in
that final possession where Paul George was the backside defender gained the block. Yeah,
and the like the aggressiveness rebounding Paul George season high in rebounds tonight.
I mean, I think that is one thing obviously, like that's that's how
the small ball lineups are kind of going to live and die, is like,
how are they able to, you know, outside of scoring, able
to clean up on the boards. And they did. I mean, Paul
George was incredible tonight, but everybody did well. Yeah, this was a
season high in boards for PG Right, there was what was it, Yeah,
eleven correct out rebounded them in the second half, which is great because
they also rerun in the first half. So the rebounding in general was good
for the Clippers. There was the same we talked about a little bit off
top, but the first half was kind of that same like, Okay,
they're turning the wall over, they're not exactly getting back in the transition,
and we're all frustrated, and it was fair to be frustrated. It wasn't
inspired to play against the team missing a key guy again this I'm just talking
the first half missing a key guy who had played yesterday. It was kind
of like, what are we doing here? Clips? But they they they
figured it out, and I'm really looking out to get too far down the
old breakdown here. I really hope we get to see a whole game of
the second half, right like from tonight or from this afternoon, you know,
against the Suns, hopefully not going down twenty six or anything like that.
But even if they do, I guess go down twenty six, do
it because the Suns are shooting on some insane shooting night, not because you're
turning the ball over and not getting back in transition and stuff like that.
You know what I'm saying. I don't know if it's gonna happen, honestly,
because there's four games left. They need one to hold onto the four
spot. Pretty much when I said when they were seven games left, they
win four of their next seven, they should have four wrapped up, and
they're really close, so I don't know how they're going to play it.
They're remaining four games now, the closer you get or if you get that
secured Tuesday night, if you do play hard, so you make sure you
have that four spot and then you know you can pretty much rest guys to
the rest of the way. That could be big for this team too.
But obviously Phoenix has a lot more to play for at this point than the
Clippers. Yes, very much. So. Yeah, the injury stuff,
So let's talk to Harden thing, because some one in the in the stream
evidently missed that Harden had a minute restriction. He was questionable with the right
foot soreness. He played twenty six minutes. La Murray said that he was
told that it's likely Harden will rest in at least one game the final week
of the season. It was a consideration today, But per La Murray,
you know, James wants to play, so he's going to get some rest
at some point. I hope, Yeah, I hope it's more than one
game, to be honest, I hope he's not playing heavy minutes the rest
of the way. Even if he is playing in games, maybe he ends
up being under thirty minutes the rest of the way the last four games at
most. Yeah, So regardless if he's out there or not, I just
don't want to see him play heavy minutes. Yeah, that's a good call.
And I mean twenty two to five and five, he was fifty from
three. Like, we saw good aggressive Harden. We saw good process from
Harden in terms of being aggressive with the ball. He looks pretty good the
last three games now, he's looked like he's moving a lot better out there.
I know, whatever he has going on with the foot is a little
bit worrisome, but he's been playing probably more banged up through tougher stuff during
the season than that. He's just a guy wants to continue to play out
there no matter what. He always talks about losing his rhythm if he doesn't
play, and I guess we've kind of seen it. Yeah, when he
misses. When he missed those two games, when they sat him for a
couple of games, he didn't look great when he came back. It's it's
the opposite of Paul George every time he misses games. That first game back,
he's on a heat out of sixty. Yeah, that's a really good
point. And then Kawhi rested again. It was the right knee inflammation.
Again. This is a PSA to people the Clippers can only put could only
put soreness on the injury report for two games and then you have to up
it to something else. Can it just be anything? It just has to
be a little bit more specific, Like soreness doesn't denote any sort of actual
injury or timeline, and inflammation to me feels just as sort of nebulous.
But I guess it's not in the eyes of betters, which is really what
this is all about, right, Like it's not it's not about transparency or
like player health or anything. It's it's about betting and to not you know,
for betters and sharps to not have the correct information is apparently very important
in the NBA. You can't have that. Ty isn't sure if Kawhi travels
to Phoenix on Tuesday, but he's also not concerned, which I'm kind of
just riding with how tay Lu feels about this. Adam, where are you
at? Do we think Kawhi plays one more game before the season is over?
I don't know. I'm really up in the air on that, Like,
even if he was fully healthy, it's almost like, you know what
Kawhi is going to bring every time, Do you really need to see him
out there? Unless they needed a win the last game of the season to
secure the forest against Houston next Sunday, I don't know if i'd necessarily need
to see Kawhi. I understand the good process stuff, but it's like,
I think it's kind of close to over of hoping to get like a bunch
of consistent games strung together. I want, yeah, just give me one
personally, What do you even mean that much? Like if you get won
the next game and then they take the next three games off after that,
is that gonna be a continuation in Game one of the playoffs from the game
they played three games ago, Like can you really build a momentum off of
that? I don't know, Like I think the end of the season you
get a lot of weird stuff, So I just I don't think it's that
necessary. Honestly, at this point, I think we know who this team
is. They have been consistently and consistent at times, but when they seem
to care, they turn it on, and I'm pretty sure the same thing's
gonna happen like we saw last year in Game one of the playoffs where they're
playing really hard for forty eight minutes all of a sudden, and people are
gonna say, yes, I guess they did flip a switch. I get.
I mean, I totally agree with that. I think my my good
process Hunt is like, I want one game and it's hopefully one against the
Suns the Jazz. I know, I'm I'm telling you what I want,
though, I want another one. The Jazz are so bad that throw that
game out. Who knows what the Rockets are going to be doing this for
the last game of the season. I guess, like just in terms of
game shape, like maybe get him in a little bit versus the Suns.
I would like to see everyone caring at the same time versus the Suns.
But I'm not going to think that this like sky is falling, you know
what I'm saying. There's just like a game shape thing that I'm kind of
thinking about. But again, I'm not like concerned for the playoffs, like
I think Kawhi is going to be Kawhi. He is the only guy on
this team who has proven the flip to switch theory to be doable at some
point in his career. So yeah, I just I don't know. Four
games left, I don't know if there's going to be the same urgency now
because they're so close to clinching that four spot. Yeah, it's gonna be
tough. They will be Tuesday, right, Maybe if James Harden isn't feeling
great with the foot injury, are they gonna play him in that game coming
out of this restriction POxy? Yeah? I don't know if, like,
if they push things at this point and somebody ended up exacerbating an injury or
getting hurt, It's like, come on, what were we doing? Yeah?
I thought they were guys. I honestly thought early in the third quarter
coach lou might pull the starters. It was getting out that today. Yeah,
I totally agree with that. We had a question that we'll just had
up that I thought was good. Uh, his home court advantager, well
rested players more important in the playoffs. Let's open that up to the floor,
will what do you think well rested players? Yeah? Especially, I
mean it'd be different if you were looking at like three seed versus as a
four seed, But like in all likelihood, you're I mean, we're looking
at optimism leads well both the maps, but I mean one, we're looking
at one round of of home court you know, like that's yeah, it's
gonna be it. So if it was between those two things, like four
versus five, or everybody's like coming in well rested and looking their best,
I mean that's I don't know, it's pretty easy decision. Yeah, well,
Mike, My thing is, you can get both if you're not in
the plane, Like you're gonna get five or six days off from the end
of the regular season next Sunday to when Game one starts in the first round.
So get home court and get rested, get them both, Like why
not? I think court could be the difference against Dallas. Guys, if
you have to go to Dallas for the first two I think that's very troublesome.
I think a lot of people all of a sudden, they're coming around
on are maybe we don't want to play Dallas. I didn't know they were
this hot and the defense was playing this good for this long. Yeah,
guys, it's real. Last thirty two games they've been the eighth best defense
in the league. That's forty percent of the season and a wild ass comeback
today both and been twenty eighth. I haven't checked it. They've been twenty
seventh. Let's chill. Well, they were coming into this one. Their
last seven games they were top ten, so they were trending back in the
right direction. But overall, yeah, over their last thirty or so games,
they've still likely been bottom ten. Yeah, that's not ideal. I
do believe, Yeah, no good, I do believe in this team being
able to flip a switch, like for better or for worse. This is
who they are. Yeah, when Will brings up Paul George Sam post game,
it's not ideal, it's not. We all know it. It would
be if they kept it together for forty eight minutes. But I definitely think
they have built up a bad habit over years of all these comebacks. There
is a downside to that where you think you can turn it on when you
want to, and that's just who this Clipper team is. But I think
in a playoff series, I think it's more of a bad habit that applies
in the regular season. I think in a playoff series they will be up
no matter if it's the first quarter or if they're down fifteen heading into the
third quarter and need to scrap and get their way and call their way back
into a ball game. I honestly am not that concern with them playing hard
or playing down to competition when you're always playing good teams in a playoff series,
I just it doesn't concern me as much. I like that theory if
they're playing down to their competition and the competition is the very good MAVs and
we're playing up. Someone mentioned in the chat that their daughter was at the
game for their first game today, so he thinks she needs to attend all
of them. You're absolutely correct, Ray. We hope that you can make
that happen. We hope you have that in the budget for that. All
right, we're gonna talk about this final week of the regular season kind of
a little more in depth, just specifically these Suns games. In just a
sec. We're gonna put this out as audio, so there's gonna be ads,
and if you listen to our podcast, which if you want to hear
us talk about these Suns games, we're gonna do some double dips Tuesday and
Wednesday, you can listen to those wherever you get your podcasts. There's gonna
be some loud ads. And then we're talking the mostly the wonky by the
week of the season of potalized for the Clippers coming up in three two one.
All right, we're back in. We just talked about the clippers incredible
twenty six point turnaround against the Cavaliers. Here. Now we're just looking ahead
to the end of the schedule, like as we're recording this, this is
the final week of the NBA regular season, which just feels pretty crazy to
say out loud. But we've got a duo with some pretty difficult games against
Phoenix, who are you know, l who still have something to play for?
And then we're looking at the Jazz and we also look at the Jazz
uh and the Rockets who the Rockets are also not a step over team the
Jazz a little bit more so. So where are you guys at what?
No, they're so bad, Like it's like astonishing, how bad that roster
they're gonna get fine, It's like they're being bad. It's like they're being
bad. We talked about it before the last game, and things were even
worse than I think we presented it as like that Jazz team did not care
at all. That was wild, dude. I was like, holy shit,
like this is yeah, this team is a lot worse than I thought
it was. Kind I said during the game on the air. I wonder
if Colin Sexton feels like he's back in college playing three on five again,
like he had that one game for Bama. I like, I like calling
Sexton it's too wet tea right that Bama game. I forgot that was that
a fight? And like all the players got suspended, but they were like,
we gotta still play the game. I can't either a fight or guys
fouling out. I forget, who is it against somebody in the Big ten?
I think it was and they like lost, but it was only by
like five, had forty or something. It was a total badass. Yeah,
so throw the Jazz game. About the Jazz game on Friday, we
can just That's why I worry about the Phoenix games because they know they almost
have one in the bag against Utah on Friday, to get that one victory
to get the four seed. That's what it feels like to me. That's
a good yeah, But what if you just put it away early, like
take it to Phoenix at home on their home court, let's do it,
lock it up, lock it up, and Carl Curtains man like, you
could play well against Phoenix and still lose that game, Like they're good enough
to beat you. Wow, you have little faith. I just I know
they're two and oh against them so far this seasonalistic, gotta be realistic.
Yeah, yeah, so I put this in the notes, but like not
to be disrespectful, but the Sun's back to back. That's the last meaningful
games that we're going to learn anything, if we're going to learn anything new
from this Clippers team this last of the season, unless they bring Jordan Miller
in and he'd crushed against the Jazz or something like that, we learned that
he's actually really good. It's yeah. The Suns. They're playing the Pels
right now, right, I think we I think they are. I don't
know if it's tipped off it. Oh they lost. They lost to the
Pells one thirteen. Wait, that game's over. Yeah that happened at three.
Ooh. That is a brutal loss for the Phoenix Suns. Sucks to
suck Phoenix. So standing's update after that? Now, Okay, I guess
they're still in the sixth spot. So they're just gonna try to hang in
there and at least be six. I guess like they're uh, yeah,
they're not going to be able to I think catch the Dallas Mavericks then at
this point, because Dallas had the tiebreaker against Phoenix, so that's probably out
the door. They may they might start resting some guys too, depending on
what they have to stay in front of New Orleans. I don't know who
had the tiebreaker between them two. They're two back of Dallas now, right,
Yeah, but they lost the tiebreaker too, so they're three back against
them, really, just like the Clippers are three games up on them really,
So yeah, Tuesday might be weird. Yeah, who's gonna play hard?
Is it gonna turn into the South Park episode with the youth baseball kids
both trying to lose the game just kicking the ball into the stand? Yeah?
I put in some stats for the Suns over the last ten games.
They've been shooting the lights out. They've been passing the ball very well.
But I don't know if any of that's gonna mean anything on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Uh yeah, I thought those games, you know, it could be
over for the Clippers, getting that good processed game. Okay, doubt Phoenix
does have the tiebreaker over the New Orleans Pelicans. They won the series two
games to one. Okay. This season show I guess they feel a little
bit safer. Yeah, I don't know what they're looking at. Then,
I mean, nobody wants to be in the play and so they're probably still
going to be playing to win that game against the Clippers. So when the
Clippers go all out against them, when likely Kawhi Leonard's still not going to
be back for that game. I don't know, Uh, if he plays,
he's only playing in one of those games against the Phoenix Suns totally is
what is the I guess argument for the Clippers playing to win that game against
Phoenix is my question on Tuesday? What do you mean lock up? Lock
up the four seed? Call like, call it a rap, but you
still have Utah, you still have Houston, Like the forest seed is pretty
close, it's really close to being locked up. That that could be it,
that could be it. Get it done then so then you can start
resting guys. I don't know. I think it depends on Tie too.
If Tie is satisfied with what he's seen earlier in the season, not in
the second half, I think we'll we'll know pretty quickly. Do you think
Kawhi would be back for either of these games against Phoenix again? Selfishly,
I want to see him back against Phoenix. He's hey, he's just been
playing so great that I would love to watch Kawhi Leonard play some more basketball
before we have to go on a break without watching him. But it would
be I think someone in the chat put a funny comment like, just just
rest Kawhi until the Clippers lose again, because the Clippers do need to get
better without him on the floor. That's been an issue, you know,
of the past couple of months. So selfishly, I would like to see
him beat the Phoenix Suns because I hate the Sons, So for me,
selfishly, yeah, I would like I hope he plays one of them.
So to get Kawhi a little bit of rhythm. There's one reason, as
Will said, to lock up the four seed now and start being able to
rest guys. There's another one. Good process is another one. Maybe to
just feel like you got one, really the last good game in before you
get what almost a week and a half all that's that real serious game in
the opening round. Well, like, we just know how this team looked.
We've talked about it extensively coming out of the All Star break. It's
it's not like a rest is necessarily been that good for this team, So
I you know, like I think that overall, especially with sort of the
tiki tacky injuries, it's it's better than not having the rest. But it's
not like you know, they've been lights out on long breaks or something.
Yeah, that's a good point. Hopefully that that to that one week off
two weeks to get back into shape ratio that we've been talking about. Doesn't
the older team, Yeah, the old as team, But yeah, I
mean the Sun's been good over the last ten games. They're fourth and offensive
rating. The Clippers are fifth, which is not something to you know,
shake a stick at, which has been encouraging. So yeah, it's gonna
be odd. And again for these other games, the Jazz and the the
final Brunch game at Staples for the regular season, it's just gonna be weird.
I like what you said, Adam. It's because of today, because
that result for the Suns, it really truncates things into being kind of weird.
I believe if the Suns had won that game, it would have guaranteed
the Clippers having a top six seed. It's still very close to being guaranteed.
They need one more win, one more win and they're in really good
shape because I guess theoretically, if the Pelicans won the rest of their games
and the Clippers lost the rest of their games, they could end up with
the same record. Is that right, and therefore the Pelicans would jump them?
But I don't know it. Somebody put in there there's like a ninety
four percent chance or a ninety five percent chance. I'm not sure if that
was about the Clippers securing the number four seed in the West, but it
feels like that. I don't know if that's mathematically where it's at, but
it sure feels like that with just needing one more victory and with having Houston
and Utah still on the upcoming schedule. Here, I don't know why you're
at home only because they don't have They're not gonna have much to play for
that last game. They're out of it now. That shot they had to
jump into the top honors. Yea, Dylan the villain, I don't know.
Uh. I was looking at the Sun's remaining schedule, and so they
played the Pels a day two games versus the Clips, then away to the
Kings and away to the Wolves. What a brutal end of the schedule.
For the Songs like that is rough. I mean, I love it for
them again because I hate the Phoenix Suns and they are playing to win Tuesday
period. The Suns, yeah, because they gameft Yeah, there was like
are They're like what a half game out of the plan? So they have
no they have the same as the Elegans, but they have the tiebreaker,
got right, so they need to stay ahead of them. The Lakers have
the tiebreaker against the Suns too. I don't know where the Kings were at
when it comes to tie breakers with them, but there's no way they're laying
down on Tuesday night because of how bloo the back end of the schedule is.
They have no given victories coming up. They're gonna play hard es I
want it, which maybe gets the Clippers to meet them on that same competitive
level Tuesday night. I hope. So Junction with a very good point though
he thinks Xavier Moon could win one of the four games if we just rest
our starters. Let's save your ball out get a full season's earth shots.
Alfredo Rodriguez was asking about the Pacific Division. Great question, Alfredo, thank
you so much for bringing this up. The Clippers. The Clippers, he
doesn't. He doesn't know shit about the division play. The Clippers are four
games up on the Suns with two very large games remaining, So yeah,
I think if they win one, they win the Pacific Division. Right,
sounds right? Sounds right, and then the party begins and then we get
nothing for it. Maybe I'll make myself a T shirt that says great,
great Pacific, Great division win man. We had a lot of power today
in the stands. We had someone's daughter's first game. Alfonso Lopez was at
church and prayed for the Clips, and they won a lot of good vibes
from the fan base so far, to be honest, that's good stuff.
Someone said it in the chat earlier too, Sorry I forgot your name or
who said it, but they were talking about how good the home crowd was,
and I think that's something that in the home court. I feel like
the crowd has been just very different this year than seasons pass and it makes
sense, right, Like there have been injuries, there have been reasons why,
you know, maybe you're not one hundred percent all in on this team.
But for me, during the regular season, I think that this has
been one of the best regular season fan sort of experiences that I that I've
ever seen. People are really really into the games, and let's let's hope
that that carries through to that to that first round playoff matchup. I couldn't
agree more. The crowd at that Nuggets game was phenomenal. We were a
lot of games. I gotta be honest, like I mean, and this
is no like, this is no knock on clubers fans like exactly like I
said, the last couple of years hasn't exactly been a whole lot to play
for fully understand, but I just feel like they've been on another level this
year, Like it feels like a playoff atmosphere from what the fans are giving,
like night in, night out. Would you agree at him? I
mean, you're there all the time. Yeah, I give Russ a lot
of credit for that. The energy he brings kind of permeates throughout the building
whenever he comes into the game. There's a huge ovation. And that second
half by Russell Westbrook something I wanted to bring up. Defensively, the way
he played in the second half for the most part, that's what I want
to see in a playoff series. Because we talked about this a couple of
months ago, but without patom without Marcus Moors, the twenty twenty one version
going through a long playoff run a mirror and Russell Westbrook off the bench for
their defense is gonna be huge. Like Russ in the first round series against
the Dallas Mavericks, he's gotten a little bit chippy with Luka Doncis already in
the regular season and Terrence too doing that. That's gonna be fun. Luca
and Kyrie Irving matchup wise, aren't bad for Russ if he's focused in defensively
like he can be. Russ can be a great defender at times when he
wants to dog guys like we saw against Kevin Durant. He obviously gets up
for that matchup last season it turns out, Yeah, it turns him into
the all first team type defensive Russell Westbrook. And today there was a little
bit of that in the second half. Yeah, his energy was good in
the second half, like we need it. One mast thing about the the
fans. To a large reason, the fans have been so good Section two
oh seven. Shout out Section two oh seven. They've been doing more stuff.
They put spotlights on two oh seven when they get chants going, and
things like that so tip of the hat to section two oh seven. I
like this, this point by Roland, and this seems like something that Tylu
would absolutely do. He said, I have a fin the Clippers are saving
actions for the playoffs. During the twenty six and five run, we had
a lot of pick and roll and elbow action in the middle of the court
for PG and Kui. Paul George on the elbow has been insane this year.
You always love to see the shot. Kui is able to get to
his spots right where he wants to, So I think Roland's got something here.
I think we always kind of wanted this with Doc Rivers and never got
it. But with Tylu, I agree with this. There's some stuff he's
been keeping in the back pocket a little bit. Nothing groundbreaking, like nothing,
nothing crazy, but there's gonna be some some new things moving. Yeah.
Well, when they, you know, drop the full play in during
the playoffs, then you can almost really start to judge this team and where
they're at offensively and what a mad scientist coach Lu can be. One thing
that has concerned me though. Did you hear the comment coming out? I
think it was after the game against the Utah Jazz Or after the Denver Nuggets
game with him talking about simplifying things defensively, which you would take as encouraging,
but he said what they stopped doing over the last ten games was not
nearly as much trapping and blitzing because guys were getting out of position. But
obviously that's going to be necessary in the playoffs much more, and that discipline
has to be there, and it just seems like, you know what we'll
get by right now just playing a more traditional drop switch switch for drop big
zoo, and it's worked, But I don't know if that's a recipe for
success in the playoffs. You just have to be more sophisticated defensively, and
guys have to help the helper and rotate. So that's that's a little concerning
to me. Honestly. You don't want to see rop coverage Rosus Luke in
the playoffs. I can't even say it. I'm getting hell of laugh I
mean, or him just pulling out a Visa Zubas on the perimeter isn't great
either. I don't know what I want to see in the playoffs, but
I definitely want to see them trapping blitz Luca at times Yeah, we saw
it against Remember against that the Pedals game. They did the soft kind of
doubles on Ingram and they made good decisions when to do that and how much
pressure to put on that With Paul George, I really like that, So
I agree. I hope we see some of that. We need to see
it. Rob One. This comment from Andrews interesting. He says, I
think we're gonna see a lot of center RUSS minutes because Lively and Gafford aren't
post threats. Well, their lob threats is the problem. Their vertical space
is significant. I do think though, that's a good series for RUSS defensively,
I think there's a good matchups there. Just like last season against Phoenix,
I think the Pelicans would have been a tougher series for US. Uh,
there's a lot of a there's a lot and like a more traditional team,
there's more switching on. Maybe it'd be annoying as hell if you were
Ion, dude, he'd be like a little nat flying around. Do we
We haven't even talked about PJ. Tucker yet. Uh, that's all you
guys. I know I was on the radio. I couldn't talk about him.
Yeah, why don't you why don't you lead us in the PJ Tucker
chat at him so obviously the last two games I thought he was more useful
than what happened. What he was more useful than what then what I saw
today in the starting lineup, where he didn't have a great game. He
was part of the reason they got down so much, although I saw the
effort was there from him. The reason they gave up eighty, yes,
eighty points in the first half I think the most ever they've given up in
a home game. Actually, guys just were not taking the challenge at all
of staying in front of their man, and then it created it's zoobats have
to come over and help, and the Clippers were just a mess. But
it all started with poor point of attack defense that goes PG, that goes
Russ early on Hardin, Terrence Man, Norman Powell, all those guys in
the first half. We're just really bad on that end. So I'm not
gonna go after just PJ for that. Everybody was really bad there. PJ
is like giving effort, but he's not quick enough to stay with those guys.
Obviously, for the most part, Garland's one of the faster players in
the league. Yeah, someone on Twitter was kind of lamenting that, you
know, like why is PJ out there? Woo woo woo. But PJ
is going I don't understand him next to Zoo still. Oh I get that,
But you got to give him some run if he's gonna be We talked
about this when he was getting those dnps, right, like, if he's
going to get time in the playoffs, which it seems like he's going to.
We're not advocating for this, he's just going to get time in the
l he just needs run. Though. You can't be like, oh,
second oldest player in the league, here's a bunch of dnps and then straight
into the first round of the playoffs, Like, you gotta get him some
game legs in there. And we saw against Denver that's what he's gonna be
used for short shifts hedgen they're good big, have zoom run around, Like,
that's what we need PJ to do, and you need to give him
run before that because everyone would be a lot more upset if PJ Tucker didn't
play all year and then all of a sudden was playing in the playoffs,
right Like, which would we rather really have? Oh? Yeah, totally
I'm a waivered I think he has playoff utility. I think he's gonna be
good for them in spot minutes in the playoffs against the right team Dallas.
I don't know if that's a great team for him, but honestly, Dallas
has changed so much. I worry about Iviza zoo Bots in that series two,
obviously, not just because of Luca picking on him, but against their
more athletic big men that they have three of them now with the Dallas Mavericks,
that's not typically the best matchup for Viza Zubos. He's done good against
the bigger, slower, plotting big men he can just kind of throw his
weight around against and uses IQ to stick with him, like that defensive possession
at the end of the fourth quarter against Nikola Jokics where he got the miss
and then the rebound and then they fouled him. That's when Beats Zubots is
at his best. Dallas, I think what we're gonna hear a lot of
in that series if they play them, and there's a ninety five percent chance
I guess at this point is oh, the Clippers were that athletic forward away
and Dallas is the team that ended up getting him in PJ. Washington or
Daniel Gafford, which a lot of people won with the Clippers, and hey,
we kind of mocked at the time. Guys, Daniel Gafford has had
like four or five games with five blocks. I think at one point he
made something like thirty straight shots over the span of a few different games,
something like only like Wilt Chamberlain had did he had an all time field goal
made run. Now they're all looks for him, But I think there's gonna
be a lot of people saying, I told you so, we should have
gotten one of these guys, and we don't match up well against them because
they didn't get just one of them. They got both of them on Dallas.
Yeah, and they already had Derek Lively. And the thing about Dallas'
defense too. People are talking in the chat about, like Harden's point of
attack defense, his low post defense is a lot better than his point of
attack defense. So Harden's gonna be asked to do maybe not asked, They're
gonna force Harden to do more on the like, if you're the MAVs,
who are you gonna put in defensive matchups? Right? Not quiet George,
Like you probably want to try and get Harden in there. So I think
we're gonna see Harden have to do a lot more in the low post against
this MAVs team. He's had some good possessions against Luca actually because of that
reason, lower center of gravity. When Luca typically bullies guys when he goes
down the alley, James Harden he can stand up to him a little bit.
Yeah, he can take that. Will Neighborhood clip is asking did we
flip the switch? Do you believe the switches flipped? Uh? Not yet,
not yet. That's gonna flip on at whatever time the first game starts,
the pre the pre switch flip toggle has been activated the switch before the
switch. I kind of think there was some flippage, and it goes back
to Coach Lou some flippage. It just needs, you know, to be
pushed up a little bit more. It's so close, it's dangerously close to
being switched at this point. Fully, but there's six and one since Coach
Lou called him out for being soft guys. I think there's a correlation there.
Like I don't think that's a coincidence that in Philly late that crazy win
in Philly with Kawhi Leonard that was meaningful. Then the next win against the
Orlando Magic in the fashion it was, then the big victory over the Denver
Nuggets. Then what we just saw today, like winning gets more winning,
and the type of victories they got with the grittiness they showed. I don't
think what happened today is a coincidence or just a one off. It was
building over a span of wins that we've seen the tough minded Clippers since coach
Louke called them out for playing soft. I really think so, and I
totally agree. You never know player wants to hear their coach publicly say they're
soft, that it's just not ideal for the for the how you feel.
And now that Tuesday's going to matter, we think for Phoenix. For Phoenix,
they're gonna at least try right again. Last ten games tied for first
and assists fourth and offensive ratings shooting the damn lights out. The Clips have
a chance depending. I mean, I want to see it to actually show
that the maybe the second key is in, to take Jeremy Mormon's analogy here,
to show that the second person has put their key in and they are
in unison turning it and then the switch will be flipped. The briefcase has
been taken off of the handcuff man, it's been passed to the right people.
When that glow hits from Marcellus Wallace's soul on your face, yeah,
it's gonna be big. Well no, then it's real. All right coming
up, we're doing kind of something we haven't done. I don't think a
lot of It's not an up to like fun check, but we're kind of
just put in some positive vibes. We're gonna ask for them from the chat.
Adam does this every episode us at the end of the episode, but
now we're all three gonna do it. We got ads coming up and then
a bunch of positive stuff. Ads are going to be loud and then positive
things in three two one welcome back in it's Clips and Dip episode sixty six
of season two. I'm at a mas and we got check mak Clan will
Updyke who joined me postgame that will be potted up a little Clips and Double
Dip on Clippers Top, the official postgame show for your Los Angeles Clippers.
So guys, it's your turn. I'm all positive vibed out, all the
time, after a season of spinning and a lot of it. I did
believe, of course, but there were some times after some rough losses where
I had to grasp its straws and look for anything that was a positive from
this Clippers team. But they've I think, legitimately started to turn a corner
six and one your last seven games, and that one loss was up against
the Sacramento Kings. Not a terrible loss, although the way they lost it
wasn't great, and you could see Paul George and James Harden seem to have
since responded after that. But Chuck, you want to start things off here
with some positive vibes for this, I would love if you're in the chat,
put your positive vibes up. We're gonna We're gonna put those on screen.
Yeah, I will say the Clippers did kill the High five at one
point, so it was difficult for us to be positive throughout the whole season.
Great segment, it's gonna come back, but they killed it at one
point because it just letting good tape. I am taking a positive vibe point
that it's nothing groundbreaking, but seeing Paul George hit this stride, hearing him
talk about I don't want to come out. Seeing him on the floor is
a little scary in the moment, but you do like to see the hustle.
I think he was on the flour twice today going after rebound or something
like that. So I'm incredibly encouraged by Paul George's end of season performance,
and again not shocking to say, if he plays this well in the playoffs,
Clippers have a really good shot with Kawi Leonder playing well too. So
from an individual player perspective, I'm going I'm so happy that Paul George is
playing at the level he's playing at. I wish you would stop promoting his
podcast after games, but I'm very excited to see the level of play that
he is at. Following Adam a On on Twitter dot com, x now
it actually resents your your criticisms of self promotion. That's fine. Yeah,
that's being consistent. I'm fine with it. So I'm fine with it with
him. What's the issue. I'm not mad at Adam for doing it.
Adam isn't my hopes and dreams for a championship don't partially rest on Adam's shoulders,
So different argument. Okay, It's just I do I get it when
they lose games, sometimes it feels bad. Oh, but he's got a
podcast dropping on Monday. However, I don't know how many times they've lost
a game and he's brought up ever that, Hey, but check out the
podcast tomorrow. I think he's self aware enough about it. I'm becoming an
old man, Adam. I'm annoyed by it. It's his hobby, like
he said, like, no one is in the gym twenty four hours a
day. So if he wants to talk basketball, which he said has got
him more engaged, and it kind of beds make sense, like you'd be
more in tune if you have to talk about these players, so then when
you're going up against them, annoying tendencies and things like that, because he
does like breakdowns and stuff. Sometimes, I don't know, I like it.
Maybe he'll do a pod from the bench ur in the playoffs, will
what is what is your positive vibe? We got some good ones in the
chat. I'll put up the potential for rest both for Kawhi Leonard, which
even though that's like a little bit more of a day to day situation that
we're not fully sure of, but I think the rest for Harden is actually
going to end up being huge. He played a lot of consecutive games for
the Clippers. He played through a lot of like kind of just ticky tacky
injuries to the extremities we know, hand stuff, foot stuff, and I
think, I mean, he's doing it all what stuff. Yeah, of
course it's twenty twenty four man, but you know, him like playing as
many games as he did, I think it was kind of clear that,
you know, not having a full training camp and not not playing games,
he needed to get into shape and his body right gets where he needed to
be. I think he's one hundred percent there now, and I think he's
ready. I think that he's ready, and it's deserved for him to,
you know, be able to hang a little bit, chill a little bit,
and he hasn't always had that luxury going into the postseason with securing and
seeding and everything. So I think that I think that that's gonna be really
good. I think that that could be a huge factor because Harden being able
to play at the level we know he can, and especially in this role
where he doesn't have to be the number one or number two option. You
know, he's just got to be a really good number three and and be
able to run this offense and get guys going. I think he's in a
really great position and compressed. I think that's just a really good spot for
him to be coming into the playoffs. I think they have relocated their identity
and that is being a tough, gritty, resent, hand stuff and foot
stuff four maybe all the way to the parade. Like I mentioned earlier,
I think it could have a downside all the comebacks in the regular season because
you're prone to not showing up in first quarters and just thinking you can come
back in ball games. But in the playoffs, I just I don't think
that's gonna happen. If they get off to a solow start in the first
quarter, it might just be because they're not playing well. It's nothing to
do with them not being engaged, because well, the game, the magnitude
isn't there for them to really have their attention like we see sometimes in the
regular season, even though I think, you know, you come back down
seventeen against Denver and then the very next night you blow out as bad as
Utaie is. We've seen them play down to their competition and they were up
forty one to sixteen in the first quarter of that game, it just seemed
like, and Coach Wu talked about a post game, we wanted to validate
the victory against Denver and not have a letdown this very next game. That's
good. That's good to see. I'm not gonna, you know, diminish
that just because it's Utah, because how many times will we seen them not
get up against really bad teams, especially at home. Ass of late,
they finally did it against the Utah Jazz and destroyed them. So I do
think they are trending in the right direction, like they figured it out just
in time before the regular season is over. To me, that gives me
hope that they're gonna be all right. And what you guys said about,
you know, James Harden and how important he is to getting some rest before
the postseason starts. It's not just now worrying about Paul George and him being
inconsistent at times. James Harden has been that at times in his career.
Of course in the postseason, so and even this season. You know,
like for as much as we credited Harden during that great Wayne streak and leading
into the Grammy trip, I mean his decline play was a factor in the
Clippers being a five hundred ball club. Yeah, and you know, I
want to attribute his decline and then Paul George for a couple of months to
them being worn down or injuries. But time will tell, you know,
you all have a chance to prove that. At least we've seen the aggressive
version of James Harden, even in that game against Denver where he goes six
of twenty three. Okay, at least he got up twenty three shots.
He didn't say I don't have it tonight and then just turn into a shell
of himself or you know, running hide from it. He continued to shoot,
and he got to twenty points for the first time in over a month,
which was very much needed in a low scoring affair. So I like
the way this team is looking. Honestly, even if we weren't doing this
segment right now, I do feel there are a lot of good things going
on with this Clippers team. It's still all hinges on the right knee of
Kawhi Leonard and until we know the full side, Jesus Christ, how are
we not it's he's out right now. This is I think you missed.
You missed the point of this segment. It's more of a positivity seck.
I'm just saying, I, you know, obviously as good as I think
things are trending right now, with so much is about Kawhi Leonard's health,
how could I not bring it up. But I think for the most part,
this team is in the right place. I like this comment from Jay.
They said positive Kauhi isn't seriously injured. He's getting extra rest before the
playoffs, allowing others to get extra on court time together and find some way
to win without him. It can all be Kawhi. I especially like that
second point. You know, Adam and I have talked postgame about how like
it's it's been. It hasn't been exactly inspiring sometimes. The way that that
the PG and Harden led team is able to rally around and you know,
get wins with without Kawhi, I think that that's looking a lot better.
And I do think that this is both good for for their on court chemistry
and the minutes that you know will be played inevitably in the playoffs without Kawhi
Leonard, and also I just feel like it's given a bunch of role players
an opportunity to get back into rhythm with more minutes and and kind of step
up in a big way. Yeah. I like what Neighborhood Clips said to
kind of about rest. Bouncing back helps the second, you know, to
have an identity. I think Junction mentioned a mere coffee being a legit bench
guy, Like, yeah, absolutely, that's huge. Yeah, they got
to feel a little empowered and stuff like that. Amir wasn't incredibly efficient today,
but he hit the most important three. I think he was zero for
five before that shot and he hit it and like without hesitation, Man like
I don't know a mir like, Yeah, his confidence is unreal. It's
so good. We say all the time. How you know Amr's on the
court later and fourth quarters, Maybe because he's a more willing shooter out there,
but Man hitting that three porter and him being four team for his last
fifteen the last two games from the field, that's good to see. Terrence
Man has been at the basket, Like every time they have a big comeback,
Terrence Man is always a huge part of it. He's a spark and
he gets a lot of easy shots. I mean we talked about last season
he ended up top three in points at the rim or excuse me, field
goal percentage at the rim. It's happening again. Hasn't he been over eighty
percent shooting at the rim this season? He was at one point, So
I mean, that's a guy. He has utility that they really need because
they don't have enough of those guys getting easy shots for them. And it's
funny this team does play slow, which you know, they that's just how
it's designed. They kind of need to. He is very good in transition,
so if things do open up, he's probably the Clipper's best, if
not second best, transition guy. And him and Harden had some nice chemistry.
I can't rember what game it was, but when Terrence was getting to
the paint without the ball, Harden was finding him with the ball. So
him and Harden being you know, kind of the same wavelength when man wants
to cut and things like that when he's off ball is going to be very
crucial for the Clips. I feel dangerously optimistic of where this team's a slip
right into the dangers out hell yeah yeah, oh no, he's gonna start
pulling out. Okay, everyone, if you if there's any receipt that you
may have, if there's any receipt material you may have tweeted, Adam tweets
Yeah, I would, I would hide those receipts. We are about to
head out of here this this flew by. The streams are a lot more
fun after wins, which is something we've learned. Shocking shock, But we
have our final of the regular season giveaway these in the playoffs? Do they
how many games are going to get? Well? They give away? Really?
Uh? Oh, you know we're gonna get in the playoffs. Oh,
we're gonna get some break the paint, rip the net shirts at some
point one hundred percent. We're gonna get those insane shirts again if I can
get my hands on any Oh yeah, well, Jeremy Moore, when we
wish we were giving away diet coke, we'd give it all the will as
who we'd give it to. But Adam, what are we giving away?
What are we giving away? And how are we giving it away? Boom?
The last of the regular season Bobbleheads, the beard seep it called here
the James hard one given out the other night. Are we just going best
comment here? Guys? I would maybe do since we have two double dips
coming up? What if what if we didn't cluse keyword keywords back to the
keyword. Three keywords from the two double dips. I mean, this is
a pretty damn good prize. This is nothing to sneeze at. I saw
people getting very covetous when they were walking. I'm grabbing one of these.
It has a it has a comb, and you have to you gotta put
oil on that thing or it's gonna ca Yeah, you gotta have that good
beard oil and everything. Okay, so what do you guys want to do
for the first keywords? We'll say one kind of material from the Classymerican factory,
the nice one, the nice Uh. We do three keywords over the
next week or so, and you have to have all three. Let's do
three keywords from the two double dips from from this plus the two double dips.
I feel like where you give I mean that otherwise we got to give
away two and one of the double dips to give away three and two double
dips. Right, got to listen, whatever you guys want to do.
All right, We'll do one key one secret word from this uh podcast.
I already know what it's gonna be. I'll tell you guys after. It's
very easy, and there's gonna be two secret key words. I'm never giving
the Peace side again. And then there's gonna be two secret keywords on the
double dips after Tuesday and Wednesday's game. So it's going to be a secret
heyword from this episode, one from the next Double Dip, and one from
the double Dip after that. Well, how is the one given out from
this episode if we don't do it right now, like in the comment section,
Uh, teck's getting given out before we get out of here. Yeah,
we got out before we get out of here. Oh okay, Yeah,
I'm just gonna spoil it right now. And viewers can tell that we
put really a lot of thought into this. It's a very very careful and
precise. I'm looking at my charts right now and they're they're just are all
over the place. We're gonna give them one keyword right now, and I
think it's a very pretty obvious one positivity. That's what we were going for
with this final segment. The first keyword to win maybe the best bobblehead ever
given away by the Clippers, second to the Melo Star Wars bobblehead. Maybe
also behind the Kawhi Christmas bobblehead. But this is up there in the upper
echelon of clippers bible heads. The first keyword positivity. The next two keywords
you're gonna have to listen to the double dips. Be that live, be
that afterwards, because we do post them, there will be two other keywords
that we will definitely know are being said on those. So yeah, comment
it. And then if you comment on this video that that freaking if you
do it first, that freaking bibblehead is yours. But you have your problems
to put oil on the Beard weekly weekly. Yeah, it's a schedule.
It's actually, man, what did they They had it like a chia ped.
I'm sure James Harden has had a chia p must be out there somewhere
that there's not wow right here. Guys, if you do this, we
will sue you, all right that what about? Wraps it up? We
are going to be back again with that double dip. And the second keyword,
the first keyword is positivity. Will where can these people listen to this
episode of balloons? Dude? Yeah, I gotta hate this. Well,
where can these people review our episode? Tell people to listen to it?
Find these double dips? Where's that even possible? Yeah, so you can
find all the double dips and all audio versions of this podcast wherever you get
your podcasts. We're on Apple podcast, We're on Spotify. If you listen
to on either one of those platforms. If you feel so inclined to leave
a little rating and review, let us know what you like, let us
know what you don't like. It helps the show out. You can listen
to us on anywhere you get your podcast. You know, also view us.
We're doing this live right now. If you missed it, we're over
at YouTube dot com slash at Clippers podcast. We'd love to chop it up
with you. But yeah, wherever you listen, however you listen, Hey,
we appreciate it. We do appreciate it. We already did so much
positivity. We're gonna give it Adham a break because his face is in that
kool aid. He is drinking that kool aid and he might be full.
We'll see what happens on Tuesday with a game that matters for the Suns.
Now, we'll have the double dip where you can get that second keyword after
the game on AMS ive seventy with Adam. It's gonna We're gonna a standalone
episode on Thursday. It's gonna be a good time. We hope everyone has
a good rest of your Sunday evening in Los Angeles, and as always,
let's go clips.