1
00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:11,080
Welcome in Clips and Dip episode one
thirty nine. We got a live one

2
00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:16,000
for you. If it we'll do
it live. It's obligatory saying now it's

3
00:00:16,039 --> 00:00:19,480
a little bit overused, but hey
Bill O'Reilly made it famous. It's gonna

4
00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,399
be with you, guys. I'm
Adam Oslin. We got Will Updike here,

5
00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,000
who knows, Jeff Matha may jump
in at some point, you might

6
00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,839
show up. It's a live feed
we got going for you on YouTube as

7
00:00:29,879 --> 00:00:33,840
we try out all these new platforms
and figure out what works. As we

8
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,960
explore things during this playoff edition of
The Clippers here in twenty twenty three,

9
00:00:39,039 --> 00:00:44,200
coming off a loss last night by
fourteen in Phoenix in a game that was

10
00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,000
much closer than that, we'll talk
about, you know, more in depth

11
00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,399
on what happened in that game.
We'll also preview game three here for you,

12
00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,240
and if you guys have questions,
I don't know if we'll both be

13
00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:59,119
able to see them or if it's
just Will since he's the administrator and just

14
00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:00,880
in control of the name tags here, Will, how does this work?

15
00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,840
Can we do with the YouTube live? I we're still figuring it out a

16
00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:10,000
little bit so so basically I have. I'll try to keep up with everything

17
00:01:10,079 --> 00:01:14,000
on Twitter and YouTube. I gotta
have a bunch of tabs going on,

18
00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:17,719
so so bear with us. We're
still kind of iron out some of the

19
00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,359
kinks of this, but we're excited
to chop it up with you. Hopefully

20
00:01:21,359 --> 00:01:23,719
some people come in and add some
questions and yet we'll have a good time.

21
00:01:25,079 --> 00:01:26,480
Well, you're used to have a
lot of tabs out anyways, there's

22
00:01:26,519 --> 00:01:32,560
usually some computer processing overload at some
point. Oh yeah, nothing like Jeffrey

23
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,599
Tube or anything, but some tabs
open. Nothing wrong with that. Yeah,

24
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,040
I usually have I think currently on
my mobile browser, I have thirty

25
00:01:40,079 --> 00:01:42,439
five tabs open, and right now
on my computer, I'm at a solid

26
00:01:42,879 --> 00:01:47,560
twelve. Dear God, you got
a process or from Intel that works on

27
00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,959
like a molecular level or something.
I couldn't handle that. I'm a little

28
00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,680
AMD over here. Okay, so
let's talk about it. We had you

29
00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,519
guys did a YouTube live last night, you and Chuck and Chuck came on

30
00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,680
with me during the middle of that
to come on Clippers Stock post game after

31
00:02:02,719 --> 00:02:07,359
their loss final score once twenty three
to one oh nine. In Game two,

32
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,080
the Clippers get this split and It's
funny. I was thinking about this

33
00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:17,280
earlier today. This really this game
last night divides the pessimists and the optimists.

34
00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,280
Yeah, because there's a couple different
ways to look at it. If

35
00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,240
you're a pessimist, well, you're
saying, man, we were up by

36
00:02:24,319 --> 00:02:29,439
thirteen in that second quarter, we
let go of things, and it looked

37
00:02:29,479 --> 00:02:32,840
like to me, they had Phoenix
on the ropes to me, and maybe

38
00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:37,840
this is revealing who I am more
in the glass half full, glass half

39
00:02:37,879 --> 00:02:43,360
empty analogy here, But I feel
like this Phoenix Suns team, and one

40
00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,960
of my points coming into the series
was they could break at some point if

41
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,960
you push them enough, if you
get up on them as the underdog,

42
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,840
because they've had such severe collapse as
the last couple of seasons in the playoffs

43
00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:00,479
up two O in the NBA Finals
on the Bucks, losing four straight about

44
00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:06,240
that, and then of course the
most miserable Game seven performance really of all

45
00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,080
time, especially because they were at
home where they just didn't even show up

46
00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,960
for that game and they were reports
came out later whether or not they had

47
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,280
COVID. But now they have Kevin
Durant, so there's more of a security

48
00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:20,520
blanket, but still I wonder what
that does to a squad that's gone through

49
00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,800
such difficult times the last two seasons
in the playoffs, and if the Clippers

50
00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,680
were able to get up two ozo
and I think the most critical point of

51
00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,560
the game was Clippers up by thirteen
five minutes left in the second quarter,

52
00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:37,240
and somehow it ends up tied at
fifty nine at the half. That to

53
00:03:37,319 --> 00:03:39,319
me is where the game was lost. I hope that's not where the series

54
00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,080
was lost, because right now,
if they do go on to lose this

55
00:03:43,159 --> 00:03:46,639
series, that's probably something I'm going
to point to. But optimistically speaking,

56
00:03:46,639 --> 00:03:51,080
if you are an optimist, I
mean, the Clippers were in a game

57
00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,240
where the Phoenix Sun shot sixty percent
from the field, and outside of Russell

58
00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,360
Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard, everyone else
on the Clippers shot thirty four percent and

59
00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,000
they were still right there, down
six with three minutes left. I mean,

60
00:04:02,039 --> 00:04:05,120
I think the other thing to look
at optimistically is if you're looking at

61
00:04:05,159 --> 00:04:09,199
the long game of it. Right
through eight quarters of this series, the

62
00:04:09,199 --> 00:04:12,439
Clippers have trailed through what two of
them. You know, That, to

63
00:04:12,479 --> 00:04:16,160
me, I think is something that's
super encouraging, given that you know this

64
00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,439
is now a best of five series. But so far, you know,

65
00:04:19,439 --> 00:04:23,800
the Clippers have done a lot to
not only stay in games, but to

66
00:04:23,959 --> 00:04:28,800
manage to have an advantage more often
than not. And Game three, obviously

67
00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,839
back in downtown Los Angeles, could
cure a little bit of what ails them

68
00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:35,680
because a lot of the top during
playoff time is your stars have to show

69
00:04:35,759 --> 00:04:40,160
up on the road and carry you, but at home, your role players

70
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,160
can play a more prominent role,
can have a little bit more confidence out

71
00:04:44,199 --> 00:04:46,839
there with the crowd underneath them.
And I think it's going to be pivotal

72
00:04:46,879 --> 00:04:51,040
for the Clippers and Clipper Nation to
show up in a big way on Tomorrow

73
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:57,399
night Thursday for Game three and have
some of that enthusiasm we saw during the

74
00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,720
twenty twenty one run, specifically that
Game six against the Utah Jazz where they

75
00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,279
were down by twenty five. There's
no way the Clippers come back and win

76
00:05:04,319 --> 00:05:08,879
that ball game without them being at
home in front of the fans. And

77
00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,240
I had an engineer, our engineer
there, Jake Warner, Big Brother Jake

78
00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:15,639
Podcast, Big Brother Jake Warner.
He has done games for the La Kings,

79
00:05:15,959 --> 00:05:20,079
for the Lakers during their championship runs, and he said the only time

80
00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,600
he had ever heard at the time
it was still called Staples Center louder than

81
00:05:24,639 --> 00:05:28,959
that game six with the Clippers twenty
five point comeback on Utah with Terence Mann

82
00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,319
going off for thirty nine. Was
Kobe's last game. He said that was

83
00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,279
the only time he had heard it
louder than Clipper Nation was for that game

84
00:05:35,319 --> 00:05:41,160
six. So hopefully it's a similar
environment tomorrow night. I mean, I'm

85
00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:46,519
hoping if we could get thirty five
percent of what the Kings fans have been

86
00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,040
given that home home crowd like they're
in Sacramento. I mean, it's it's

87
00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,000
absolutely unreal. It's one of those
things that's so inspiring to watch. But

88
00:05:54,279 --> 00:06:00,519
I was in I was in then
Staples Center for that for that game versus

89
00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,279
Utah, critical critical game, and
it was unreal. It. Like really,

90
00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:09,839
I sometimes even tend to be a
little bit of a pessimist about like

91
00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,839
the home court advantage for the Clippers, and that's for a variety of reasons.

92
00:06:13,879 --> 00:06:16,160
It's you know, it's partially due
to just kind of how they've performed

93
00:06:16,199 --> 00:06:23,319
sometimes in those scenarios. But if
there was ever any question about this audience

94
00:06:23,439 --> 00:06:28,839
or their commitment or these fans I
think all of those were absolutely quelched that

95
00:06:28,959 --> 00:06:33,439
day. Yeah, I thought they
helped carry the team back and kind of

96
00:06:33,439 --> 00:06:38,680
the back and forth players were having
with the crowd, the interaction there where

97
00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,839
Pat bab would hit a shot,
look back to them, Paul, George,

98
00:06:41,959 --> 00:06:45,879
Terrence Man. They were just feeding
off the energy at Staple Censor.

99
00:06:45,959 --> 00:06:49,399
Then against this Phoenix Suns team with
how good they can be, and we'll

100
00:06:49,399 --> 00:06:53,759
get into more of that, and
just how well they shot numbers wise in

101
00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:58,160
that game too. You need every
possible advantage you can get in this series.

102
00:06:58,639 --> 00:07:01,000
Yes, yes, absolutely, And
you know one of those advantages that

103
00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,600
wasn't there that that has been for
the Clippers so far, or at least

104
00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,920
through one game against these Suns,
has been the bench and has been the

105
00:07:08,959 --> 00:07:12,399
depth of this team, which they've
really been able to, you know,

106
00:07:12,439 --> 00:07:16,319
to abuse the Suns rotation shortened in
that second game. I thought that that

107
00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:21,279
was a really great adjustment by Monty
there to go ahead and limit that time.

108
00:07:21,839 --> 00:07:25,120
I think, and I talked about
this a little bit last night with

109
00:07:25,199 --> 00:07:29,319
Chuck, but Adam, what do
you think could be the double edged short

110
00:07:29,319 --> 00:07:32,560
of that? But what are the
detriments are? Is this Phoenix team especially

111
00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,040
after you know, coming into these
playoffs, band really played a game of

112
00:07:36,079 --> 00:07:40,720
consequence for for a couple of weeks. They were more or less locked into

113
00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,319
that four seat. There wasn't much
higher they could go. And you know,

114
00:07:44,399 --> 00:07:46,800
just even without Kevin Durant, you
know, the floor was still fairly

115
00:07:46,879 --> 00:07:50,519
high for this team. So do
you think that we could begin to see

116
00:07:50,759 --> 00:07:55,639
or even in this game three,
see a regression from that extreme efficiency that

117
00:07:55,680 --> 00:08:00,240
we saw from the Suns if these
minutes loads continue to be that high.

118
00:08:00,279 --> 00:08:01,879
Well, I think that's a great
point because one of the things I brought

119
00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:07,000
up last night on the pessimist side
was can Kawhi Leonard continue to perform at

120
00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:13,279
this high level for an extended series
if he continues to have to do this

121
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:18,600
much on both ends of the floor
offensively and defensively. But the other side

122
00:08:18,639 --> 00:08:20,879
of that is, can the Phoenix
Suns, who have gotten ninety minutes out

123
00:08:20,879 --> 00:08:24,040
of Devin Booker and ninety minutes out
of Kemn Durant in the first two games

124
00:08:24,319 --> 00:08:28,800
continue to play those guys that much? Devin Booker more likely, I guess,

125
00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,279
because no, this is not a
Kawhi regression thing. How dare you?

126
00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:37,360
I'm just wondering it's a little bit
of a red flag that Kauai is

127
00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,600
playing well. He's averaged forty minutes
so far. The only reason he didn't

128
00:08:41,639 --> 00:08:43,039
get to forty minutes last night was
because they took him out with a minute

129
00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:46,639
left because the game was over.
So I don't know why people are considering

130
00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,279
making that into a talking point.
Just I'm kind of curious your thoughts too,

131
00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,840
Just peggybacking off of that, what
do you think when the game was

132
00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,919
still in reach there to start the
fourth the decision to not have Kawai out

133
00:09:00,039 --> 00:09:03,120
there? I mean, I'm assuming
that was a conscious effort in order to

134
00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,159
keep that minutes load somewhat lower.
Do you think do you think that that

135
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:11,440
was the right call? Well,
in retrospect, I don't know what coach

136
00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:15,559
Lee would say about it. He
wasn't asked about it last night. But

137
00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,879
just like to start the second half, it was the Suns on a quick

138
00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,399
six zero run to start that fourth
quarter, which is what they did in

139
00:09:22,399 --> 00:09:24,480
the third quarter as well, but
this was without Kawhi Leonard, I think

140
00:09:24,519 --> 00:09:28,080
they were just trying to steal some
minutes out there, find a way to

141
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:33,399
get Kawhi a little bit more rest
because in Game one they took him out

142
00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,639
during the middle of the fourth quarter. So I think the adjustment there was,

143
00:09:37,879 --> 00:09:41,720
we're gonna play Kauai, you know, ten minutes of the fourth to

144
00:09:41,759 --> 00:09:46,960
give him a breather to start it, and hopefully we're still within striking distance

145
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,679
and we never have to take him
out again once he enters the game in

146
00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,720
the fourth quarter, which I don't
mind. Guys just weren't good enough.

147
00:09:52,759 --> 00:09:56,440
And as you know, if you
look at the way the bench performed in

148
00:09:56,519 --> 00:10:01,679
the second quarter and how they actually
increase the lead once again in both games.

149
00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:03,919
They did that in the first half
of the Clippers in Game one and

150
00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,759
in Game two. But in Game
two they were a plus five out there

151
00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:13,120
and they helped get him up double
digits. They just couldn't keep that going

152
00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,799
in the fourth quarter. But I'm
sure they looked at that and said,

153
00:10:15,799 --> 00:10:18,759
well, they were able to not
just tread water in the second quarter of

154
00:10:18,759 --> 00:10:22,120
the bench was able to rise up
and steal some minutes while Kahi was on

155
00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,240
the bench. He actually didn't come
out back in in that second quarter until

156
00:10:26,279 --> 00:10:30,200
the six minute mark. They really
gave him an extended amount of time.

157
00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:33,159
Normally it would be about the seven
or eight minute mark. They kept him

158
00:10:33,159 --> 00:10:35,480
down till the six minute mark,
and it was the starters who gave up

159
00:10:35,519 --> 00:10:41,080
the lead in that second quarter,
which I think was the critical swing of

160
00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:45,120
that ball game, because not only
do the Phoenix Suns go on a thirteen

161
00:10:45,159 --> 00:10:48,000
to two run in the last three
minutes of the second but Devin Booker hits

162
00:10:48,039 --> 00:10:52,440
that three pointer to end the first
half and then comes out in the third

163
00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:56,840
quarter, goes seven of eight and
as eighteen points. So he caught fire

164
00:10:56,879 --> 00:11:01,080
and found his confidence when it looked
like I really felt like they could have

165
00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:03,440
been on the ropes, not just
for Game two, but the series,

166
00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:07,879
Like the Clippers had a chance for
a knockout blow, you know, at

167
00:11:07,919 --> 00:11:13,799
the end of the first half,
they didn't take advantage. Maybe that's oversimplifying

168
00:11:13,919 --> 00:11:18,360
things or overreacting, but I think
this Phoenix Suns team was right for the

169
00:11:18,399 --> 00:11:22,440
picking in the first half a Game
two, and the Clippers couldn't keep their

170
00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:24,279
petal on the gas or their foot
on the gas. Yeah, totally,

171
00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,759
and I you know that. I
think that was just a combination of the

172
00:11:26,799 --> 00:11:33,200
missshots and then I didn't think that
we were as physical defensively to start on

173
00:11:33,279 --> 00:11:37,200
Phoenix in this one. And I
think once they started to kind of see

174
00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,120
some baskets go, kind of see
some easy ones go, at a certain

175
00:11:41,159 --> 00:11:46,679
point, it seemed like it didn't
matter how toughly contested some of the shots

176
00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:50,200
were, it just felt like they
were going to fall. And I think

177
00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:54,039
that, you know, that's another
like glass half mb half full thing,

178
00:11:54,159 --> 00:11:56,879
because I don't know really how you
adjust to that defensively, although we will

179
00:11:56,879 --> 00:12:01,600
talk about some things that they can
do defensively in this game three. But

180
00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:07,039
on the other side, like if
that you knew you were going to get

181
00:12:07,039 --> 00:12:09,320
that at some point, right,
Like you knew that you were going to

182
00:12:09,399 --> 00:12:13,519
get the three headed hydra at at
a certain point in this series. And

183
00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,799
I think that if that was it, right, like, and I'm not

184
00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:20,799
saying that's even the only game that
it can happen, that it can happen

185
00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,200
in, but like, if that
was as bad as it got for the

186
00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,879
Clippers, right, which it did
end up being a fourteen point loss,

187
00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,360
that's not really indicative. I don't
think of like what this game was for

188
00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,960
the majority of it. Um,
I think that's something still to hang your

189
00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:37,919
hat on. And I, you
know, I hesitate to say encouraging loss,

190
00:12:37,919 --> 00:12:41,120
because I don't know that I'd go
that far, and in the playoffs,

191
00:12:41,279 --> 00:12:43,200
I don't think there's any such thing
as an encouraging loss. But if

192
00:12:43,639 --> 00:12:50,559
those three were hitting with the efficiency
that they were and it and then you

193
00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,799
know, until the very end,
like it's not like this game was completely

194
00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,399
out of hand. Really, um, I think that that boads pretty well

195
00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:01,080
for the Clippers moving forward. Yeah, the Clippers really just unraveled in the

196
00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,799
last three minutes with those four turnovers, with the misshot in between there,

197
00:13:05,879 --> 00:13:09,360
and then it was over after they
fought back to bring it to within six.

198
00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,759
And there are a lot of encouraging
signs starting with this. The Clippers

199
00:13:13,759 --> 00:13:18,240
didn't come out like a team that
had a one oh lead in the series

200
00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,759
with the way they played with that
intensity and that urgency. And for all

201
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,159
the conversations and storylines we've had all
season long with which Clippers team is going

202
00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:33,000
to show up each and every night, it's starting to look like they did

203
00:13:33,039 --> 00:13:39,240
flip a switch because the intensity was
there for forty eight minutes. Maybe they

204
00:13:39,279 --> 00:13:41,480
just needed to be in a playoff
series and they knew what they had all

205
00:13:41,519 --> 00:13:48,200
along, And our concerns regarding them
going in and out of playing hard defensively,

206
00:13:48,159 --> 00:13:52,559
we're a little bit unfounded because they
just knew they had that extra gear.

207
00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,600
And then once they got to the
playoffs, because I was very encouraged

208
00:13:56,639 --> 00:14:01,759
by the fact that they were the
more desperate team in the first half,

209
00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:07,360
still they looked like a team that
wasn't satisfied with just winning one game.

210
00:14:07,519 --> 00:14:11,600
They were out there competing each and
every possession doesn't mean you're gonna win,

211
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,720
but you give yourself a chance to
instead of just being satisfied with getting the

212
00:14:15,759 --> 00:14:18,799
split and going home and saying,
Okay, we're just gonna handle home court

213
00:14:18,879 --> 00:14:20,519
now and we'll have a three one
lead in this series. No, they

214
00:14:20,559 --> 00:14:24,679
tried to get Game two, and
if they had come back and won that

215
00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,360
game, I would have considered that
a steal. That would have more of

216
00:14:28,399 --> 00:14:33,200
a steal because they were down double
Absolutely, that's what qualifies as a steal.

217
00:14:33,279 --> 00:14:37,720
Damn it. I that was kind
of that was my mindset basically going

218
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:39,559
into that fourth It's like, can
the Clippers steal this one? Because this

219
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:45,000
one would to me like be qualified
much more as a steal than that game

220
00:14:45,039 --> 00:14:48,559
one was. You talked a little
bit about like the style of play,

221
00:14:48,559 --> 00:14:52,080
and I agree, and I think
it's one of those things that's been so

222
00:14:52,639 --> 00:14:56,519
encouraging but also like just further confounding
for the rest of the for the rest

223
00:14:56,519 --> 00:15:01,159
of the season, Like I do
feel like we've been watching to who completely

224
00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,879
different teams and now part of that
is definitely due to a notable absence and

225
00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,000
everyone defensively kind of having to step
up in the absence of Paul George.

226
00:15:09,039 --> 00:15:13,000
But at the same time, this, to me, this is not the

227
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,480
Clippers team that we watched for eighty
two games or however many you know,

228
00:15:16,679 --> 00:15:22,360
combined Kawhi and Paul George games are
however total many Kawhi games even And I

229
00:15:22,759 --> 00:15:28,759
think that it's frustrating because you got
it, you still gotta wonder, like,

230
00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,120
you know what, was there a
different ceiling, Was there a different

231
00:15:31,159 --> 00:15:35,240
outcome for this first round? Not
that I think that this was the worst

232
00:15:35,279 --> 00:15:39,639
matchup on the board, but at
this point I don't hate it at all.

233
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:45,480
Ye when you see what Sacramento has
been doing, not just with being

234
00:15:45,559 --> 00:15:48,679
up too well on the Golden State
Warriors, but they are running them ragged.

235
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:54,200
Yeah, they are playing at a
breakneck speed that we haven't seen since

236
00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,759
you want to talk about seven seconds
or less, Sons, This is five

237
00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,440
seconds or less. The way they're
getting up and down the court. You

238
00:16:00,519 --> 00:16:03,480
talked about it a lot, that
home court advantage we'd see in Sacramento.

239
00:16:03,519 --> 00:16:07,240
It's just a deafening sound out there, with the way the crowd's on top

240
00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,399
of you. Every possession has to
feel like Game seven, you know,

241
00:16:11,559 --> 00:16:15,840
right now for the Golden State Warriors. So the stakes must feel that high

242
00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,279
that it's not just a first round
series. Because Sacramento was so desperate for

243
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,279
so long just to get back into
the playoffs. They're trying to let out

244
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:27,919
all this pent up aggression, you
know, all this pent up I guess,

245
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:33,840
nervous energy, and it's finally there
for them to enjoy a playoff series

246
00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,000
with their beloved Sacramento Kings. And
they don't have it, like they don't

247
00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,799
just have a seat at the table
right now, like the way it looks,

248
00:16:41,559 --> 00:16:44,279
you know, they could. They're
damn near the head of the table.

249
00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,159
And I think that, you know, it could be a very you

250
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:48,919
know, it could be a very
similar thing to get that same sort of

251
00:16:48,919 --> 00:16:52,639
crowd reaction back there at Crypto.
I mean, you go back to Phoenix

252
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,320
and you take, you take care
of on court, you come back with

253
00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:03,720
both That crowd at whatever it's called
Walking Arena or it formally Talkingstick Arena is

254
00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:08,400
looking a lot different to me.
Yeah, and the Clippers never really got

255
00:17:08,519 --> 00:17:14,319
rattled in either of the games.
You're up sixteen in Game one and the

256
00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:17,240
Phoenix Suns had a nine point lead
in the third quarter, and the Clippers

257
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,519
came back and won that game.
They're down by twelve I think in the

258
00:17:21,559 --> 00:17:25,599
fourth quarter, twelve or thirteen,
they come back bring it to within six

259
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:30,720
with three minutes left. They showed
a lot of that resilient spirit we saw

260
00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:36,200
in twenty twenty one. So all
the potential and those glimpses of Clippers basketball

261
00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,079
we saw during the regular season,
they're starting to fulfill it a little bit.

262
00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:42,599
Here in the playoffs. You're seeing
them put it together more and put

263
00:17:42,599 --> 00:17:48,119
together two for the most part,
complete games defensively. Yeah, of course,

264
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:49,599
there are going to be some miscues. There always are. You're not

265
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,920
going to play a perfect game out
there, but for the most part,

266
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,839
they have been locked in. And
it took the Phoenix Suns shooting almost sixty

267
00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:02,440
percent from the field seventy two percent
in the mid range in Game two and

268
00:18:02,559 --> 00:18:06,720
some really tough shots and a great
performance by Devin Booker. But to your

269
00:18:06,759 --> 00:18:10,359
point earlier talking about did they take
the Sun's best shot? Basically, is

270
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,039
this that one game you get where
you just run into a buzz song and

271
00:18:14,079 --> 00:18:15,960
there's not much you can do about
it. I don't think it is.

272
00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:21,200
Unfortunately, I had a caller,
the first caller last night, Damien in

273
00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:23,240
La love the guy, but he
said, you know, Devin Booker is

274
00:18:23,279 --> 00:18:26,960
not getting thirty eight again. And
I quickly heard like a record scratch and

275
00:18:27,079 --> 00:18:30,960
was like, oh, I don't
know if you know who Devin Booker is,

276
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,720
because this is someone who had back
to back forty point games in the

277
00:18:33,839 --> 00:18:37,319
NBA Finals. He has a seventy
point game under his spell, and now

278
00:18:37,319 --> 00:18:40,839
he's getting better looks because he's playing
next to Kevin Durant. There was a

279
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,960
play in that fourth quarter where the
double came to KD on the left wing.

280
00:18:45,319 --> 00:18:48,680
He got it to CP three,
who immediately threw it around the perimeter

281
00:18:48,759 --> 00:18:51,480
to the right wing for Devin Booker, who took his man off the dribble.

282
00:18:51,519 --> 00:18:53,920
I think it was Norman Powell who
was closing out on him, and

283
00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,720
that's just stuff that opens up because
of the gravity of Kevin Durant. He

284
00:18:57,839 --> 00:19:03,440
got better looks and he finished with
thirty eight on what twenty shots, like

285
00:19:03,759 --> 00:19:07,279
he had an extremely efficient game and
it could happen again. Or it could

286
00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:11,720
be Kevin Durant being the one who
gets closer to forty and it's Devin Booker

287
00:19:11,759 --> 00:19:15,160
who has twenty five. Like they
have the ability to do this. I

288
00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:19,200
don't think this is an outlier for
the Phoenix Suns. Yeah, no,

289
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,799
I agree with you, And I
wasn't saying that this was their absolute best

290
00:19:22,799 --> 00:19:26,599
punch. But I mean it's like, you know, it's it's a big

291
00:19:27,079 --> 00:19:33,359
the ceiling is still higher, like
like the ceiling I suppose is still higher.

292
00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:37,480
But I meant, like on a
consistent basis, right, Like if

293
00:19:37,519 --> 00:19:41,240
this is let's say that they have
now you know, after ten games,

294
00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,960
right with Katie, they've now pulled
it together enough right to where this is

295
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:52,079
consistent. I still don't know that
that is enough, just that like just

296
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,920
what we saw last night to beat
these Clippers four out of seven times.

297
00:19:56,359 --> 00:20:00,599
Look, but I'm not saying like
definitively I'm not. I don't feel the

298
00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,400
same way about it as I did
coming into this series. I suppose I'm

299
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:07,079
more encouraged than I was coming into
the series, even though I had the

300
00:20:07,079 --> 00:20:12,279
Clippers and six coming in. I
see the path now because if they start

301
00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:15,519
hitting threes, and they're shooting thirty
four percent from three so far in this

302
00:20:15,599 --> 00:20:19,359
series that split at one game apiece, they could have won that game last

303
00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,799
night. They had open looks even
though they shot thirty seven percent, they

304
00:20:23,839 --> 00:20:29,960
only hit eleven of them, and
they had some really good opportunities out of

305
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,480
double teams in Kauhi, passing out
of them and finding the open man along

306
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,759
with Russell Westbrook. Like those shots
I think start falling when they're back at

307
00:20:37,759 --> 00:20:41,160
Crypto dot Com arena. I wouldn't
be shot if the Clippers had, you

308
00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:47,200
know, fifteen sixteen threes made in
game three. They're more than capable of

309
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:51,720
doing that, and all of a
sudden, the score could completely swing the

310
00:20:51,759 --> 00:20:55,880
other way where the Clippers are backup
by double digits, or dominate one of

311
00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,559
the games at home just because they
have a hot shooting night, which they

312
00:20:59,559 --> 00:21:03,559
have been due four. They are
over due four with guys who have a

313
00:21:03,599 --> 00:21:07,119
reputation of hitting those shots that just
aren't right now. Yeah, yeah,

314
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,599
you talked about the three point shooting. That's one of those things where I

315
00:21:11,839 --> 00:21:15,880
don't feel like we've exploited that on
the margins enough that about does it for

316
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:22,640
our sort of prolonged, sort of
game two reactions. Let's look ahead here

317
00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,000
to Game three before we take a
little break. Um, I want to

318
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,680
take a question here from YouTube Yas
Mayama, who I hope I'm saying that

319
00:21:29,759 --> 00:21:34,119
right wants to know can Betune be
this cold for this long? Adam where

320
00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:40,279
you at on this? Does?
Does does Nico Portois turn it around when

321
00:21:40,319 --> 00:21:44,559
things shift back to Los Angeles?
I think so, I think the safe

322
00:21:44,559 --> 00:21:48,279
haven of Krypto dot com arena.
It's also just it's a progression to the

323
00:21:48,319 --> 00:21:52,200
mean thing. It's just playing the
odds. He's been like this all season

324
00:21:52,279 --> 00:21:56,440
long, where he's had a few
bad games, then one really hot game.

325
00:21:56,839 --> 00:22:02,400
He shot thirty from three on the
season. But I just haven't seen

326
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,720
someone who had been so consistently up
and down with the swings and his three

327
00:22:06,759 --> 00:22:11,039
point variants and his shooting variants like
we saw this season from Nicholas Batum in

328
00:22:11,079 --> 00:22:14,759
a while, especially when you compare
it to a couple of years ago.

329
00:22:14,839 --> 00:22:18,640
His first season as a Clipper,
where it just felt like he was automatic

330
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,359
from the outside and would always knock
down a big three point or for you

331
00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,119
at least get you one. And
I believe he hit his first three of

332
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:30,559
this series and now is what missed
the last seven. He went over four

333
00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:37,759
yesterday and had open looks that he
can knock down, and yeah, he

334
00:22:37,839 --> 00:22:41,279
was one for three in Game one. He's one for seven so far.

335
00:22:41,319 --> 00:22:45,759
I think he's due for a four
plus made three point shooting night. I

336
00:22:45,799 --> 00:22:52,079
think Nicholas Batoum is due because if
you want to say he's getting older at

337
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:55,960
thirty four, and some people cited
that maybe Batum is lost a step this

338
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,759
season. I don't really see that. For the most part, his defense

339
00:22:59,839 --> 00:23:02,119
is been there and that's what keeps
him on the floor. He went on

340
00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,960
shooting nights like that. But even
if that was the case, shooting is

341
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,440
the last thing to go. It's
a flick of the wrist. That's not

342
00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,079
a problem for him. I watch
him all the time and shoot around pre

343
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,920
game. He knocks down everything.
So whether or not it's mental or it's

344
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,240
just a bad rut he's in right
now shooting slop. He's gonna find his

345
00:23:18,319 --> 00:23:21,599
way out of it, and he
has to. I don't think they can

346
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,079
win this series because Nicholas but Tuma
is going to be on the floor because

347
00:23:25,079 --> 00:23:27,400
he's so versatile defensively. But if
he's out there, you know, they

348
00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:32,279
can't have these games where Tory Craig, who I think has had what thirty

349
00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:36,599
nine points so far and efficient thirty
nine through two games combined, where he

350
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:41,480
is the best role player on the
floor in two games against the Clippers who

351
00:23:41,519 --> 00:23:45,200
have so many guys that can erupt. All right, so let's look ahead

352
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,920
here to Game three, and we
talked about a three point shooting. We

353
00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:52,359
talked about some of these other guys. One guy I want to talk to

354
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:57,920
you a little bit about in particular
is Norm Powell, who I think has

355
00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:03,799
to be due or a scoring explosion. I mean, we need Norm to

356
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,000
be in a different gear than when
he's been so far in these playoffs.

357
00:24:07,319 --> 00:24:11,839
What do you see so far that's
limiting him, and how can the Clippers

358
00:24:11,839 --> 00:24:15,599
adjusted to get him more shots,
to get him going and make him a

359
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,440
part of this Game three. The
one thing that worried me about Norm,

360
00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:25,079
as good as he was the last
three games of the regular season, where

361
00:24:25,079 --> 00:24:29,200
he had twenty in all three and
had a really big performance against Lakers that

362
00:24:29,279 --> 00:24:36,200
was necessary. He had been so
consistent win healthy. He was averaging seventeen

363
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:38,839
off the bench. That's best in
the league. Nobody scored more points off

364
00:24:38,839 --> 00:24:44,640
the bench per game than Norman Powell. But he was one for his last

365
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,599
thirteen from three his last couple of
games with the regular season, and that

366
00:24:48,799 --> 00:24:52,559
seems to have carried over. He
was over three last night, him,

367
00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:57,240
Norm bones Highland. They all went
over eleven. Everybody's talking about it,

368
00:24:57,559 --> 00:25:03,160
and I do think that is an, you know, an outlier. That's

369
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:07,119
just not something that you can rely
on if you're the Phoenix Suns, especially

370
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,319
with the type of looks they're getting. But Norm is someone who they need

371
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,519
so much. Where I had him
as, you know, my second key

372
00:25:14,559 --> 00:25:18,559
to winning this series, behind the
Clippers overall, as a team collectively outshooting

373
00:25:18,559 --> 00:25:22,359
the Phoenix Suns from three to make
up for the mid range masters they have

374
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,720
there. Norm. I had him
as if they're gonna win the series,

375
00:25:26,759 --> 00:25:29,960
he's got to get an efficient twenty
per game. I don't even think that's

376
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,599
possible anymore because he's only averaging thirteen
through two. He'd have to get on

377
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:37,880
a ridiculous heater. I'll settle for
seventeen a game though his average what he

378
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:42,480
scored throughout the season, and he
ended up shooting what I think forty four

379
00:25:42,559 --> 00:25:48,319
percent from three on the year or
no, he ended up at forty percent.

380
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,119
But if you look after the first
month in November, the numbers are

381
00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:56,000
pretty outstanding. The efficiency from Norman
Powell. He's got to shoot himself out

382
00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,920
of this. I think he's one
of those guys where you kind of have

383
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,519
to live and die with him because
he's so important to what they do offensively,

384
00:26:03,799 --> 00:26:07,759
and he's so important to help and
ease the burden on Kawhi Leonard that

385
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:12,039
you know, you let him go
one for ten or one for fifteen or

386
00:26:12,079 --> 00:26:15,880
two for three for fifteen, like
you let him keep shooting because he's either

387
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,079
going to figure it out in this
series and find his stroke or you're going

388
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:25,039
to lose. I don't think there's
another way for them to win without Norman

389
00:26:25,079 --> 00:26:27,480
Powell waking up here, and I
think you will. Yeah, I mean,

390
00:26:27,519 --> 00:26:32,640
he's so key and his shot profile
is just exactly everything that the Clippers

391
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:36,240
need right Like they need to win
the volume battle from deep and they need

392
00:26:36,279 --> 00:26:38,160
to get to the line, and
he has been absolutely masterful at that.

393
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,920
I did like the way that we
were able to exploit the free throw a

394
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,799
tent advantage a little bit more in
game two. I hope to see that

395
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:48,599
trend continue in game three. You
talked a little bit about Bones, Hiland,

396
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,039
Let's talk about Bones. What where
are you at with him right now?

397
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,799
A little bit of you know,
not a lot of time with the

398
00:26:57,799 --> 00:27:03,039
team, to be sure, not
really the most encouraging playoffs performance through two

399
00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:07,680
games. What is there an adjustment
that he can make, how we can

400
00:27:07,759 --> 00:27:11,599
use him differently, or is it
a situation where maybe he shouldn't not be

401
00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,839
touching the floor or touching the floor
less than he has so far? Well,

402
00:27:14,839 --> 00:27:18,839
it's interesting. Aside from his offense, he's been pretty good. He's

403
00:27:18,839 --> 00:27:23,599
made some good defensive place he's also
blown by Chris Paul, but he has

404
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:30,359
yet to have an assist and he's
three for thirteen from the field and made

405
00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:36,160
a three in game one, went
oh for four in game two. I

406
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:41,279
wonder how much they're chasing a Bones
performance because, like we talked about,

407
00:27:41,279 --> 00:27:44,440
with role players, coming into a
playoff environment like this, you don't know

408
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,960
what to expect. For instance,
Tory Craig seems to be rising up in

409
00:27:48,039 --> 00:27:52,440
the moment right now. He's getting
open looks. They're leaving him open.

410
00:27:52,519 --> 00:27:55,319
He really needs to make those shots, but he is. Some of the

411
00:27:55,319 --> 00:27:59,359
Clippers guys aren't right now who are
being left open. Bones Highland is one

412
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,319
of them. Though he takes three
pointers off the bounce, sometimes right in

413
00:28:02,319 --> 00:28:06,519
the face of a defender. He's
a different type of shooter like that.

414
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:11,759
But I don't want to say this
series is contingent on whether or not Bones

415
00:28:11,839 --> 00:28:17,359
Highland finds his stroke, like I
did with Norman Powell. But we talked

416
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,680
about them them looking for a Bones
Highland game or Clipper Nation looking for that

417
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:25,079
Bones Highland game. I still think
it's going to happen. I don't know

418
00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:27,559
if that's what coach lew is chasing
right now by giving him these minutes.

419
00:28:27,599 --> 00:28:32,759
But even though his shooting hasn't been
there, his stint in the second quarter

420
00:28:32,799 --> 00:28:36,000
in Game one was huge when they
opened it up to a double digit lead.

421
00:28:36,279 --> 00:28:38,559
His stint in Game two in the
second quarter, same thing. There.

422
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:42,599
He's been on the floor when they've
made some runs, so he hasn't

423
00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:47,119
been picked on as much as you
would expect from the Phoenix Suns. He

424
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,680
had the block on Devin Booker at
the end of the third in Game two.

425
00:28:49,759 --> 00:28:52,200
That was the only miss he had
in the third quarter where he went

426
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:56,200
seven for eight. It was Bones
Highland blocking him. So I like the

427
00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:00,839
way he's competing. He liked Russell
west Brooking game one, maybe a little

428
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,519
bit too amped. You heard from
Russ last night on the difference between his

429
00:29:04,559 --> 00:29:07,599
shooting performance in game one in game
two, and he said he just took

430
00:29:07,599 --> 00:29:11,480
his time more. Maybe Balls needs
to just settle down a little bit,

431
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:15,880
let the game come to him.
That just trying to be one shot hot,

432
00:29:17,119 --> 00:29:18,839
Like, oh, I know if
I get one to go, and

433
00:29:18,839 --> 00:29:21,279
I'm gonna force it even if I
have to, just because if I see

434
00:29:21,279 --> 00:29:22,319
it go through the hoop, then
I know I could get on a heat

435
00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:26,119
or real quick. Yeah, And
I feel like that's been pretty easy to

436
00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:27,920
read when he's on the floor,
like sometimes in his first ship, the

437
00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:32,400
first time he's touching the ball,
he's putting it up, which you love

438
00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,960
if it's going down, but it's, yeah, maybe not the best option

439
00:29:36,039 --> 00:29:40,359
that's that's on the floor. But
I agree his defensive intensity has been good.

440
00:29:41,599 --> 00:29:44,799
You know, and there is always
the threat there and he is just

441
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:48,440
kind of like a different type of
player, right I talked a little bit

442
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,559
about before the series, Like,
I think something that that could be really

443
00:29:52,599 --> 00:29:56,279
impactful for the Clippers is being able
to alter sort of some of the styles

444
00:29:56,279 --> 00:29:59,920
of play that they have, like
to ebb and flow a little bit more

445
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,039
to introduce some unpredictability, especially to
a defense that hasn't had a whole lot

446
00:30:03,079 --> 00:30:07,640
of time together and we've seen we've
seen some stints in it. I think

447
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:11,720
that that can continue. Speaking of
defense, though, I'm curious what you

448
00:30:11,839 --> 00:30:17,200
thought about Zoo's performance in game two. What can we do to make him

449
00:30:17,279 --> 00:30:18,640
more of a factor on that end? And you know, a lot of

450
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:23,519
people are kind of pointing out and
then rightfully so who he has been kind

451
00:30:23,519 --> 00:30:27,000
of picked on? And the drop
coverage is that something that we you know,

452
00:30:27,119 --> 00:30:30,319
is that something that we need to
scrapped? We do we need to

453
00:30:30,359 --> 00:30:33,359
adjust the way that we're that the
we're going to defend pick and rolls.

454
00:30:33,519 --> 00:30:37,599
Do we need to adjust or you
know, possibly change Zoo's minutes load?

455
00:30:38,359 --> 00:30:41,160
What do you see? What do
you see being a difference there from him?

456
00:30:41,759 --> 00:30:45,720
I'm not overreacted to a bad game
from Zoo because he is one of

457
00:30:45,759 --> 00:30:48,920
the most critical guys on this team
that you're not going to win the series

458
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,519
without him. He was missed when
he went out in twenty twenty one in

459
00:30:52,559 --> 00:30:56,599
the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix
Suns. I thought, for the most

460
00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,279
part, people focusing on the value, but he was getting the better of

461
00:31:00,359 --> 00:31:03,799
DeAndre Aiden. In game one,
he got the better of DeAndre Aiden even

462
00:31:03,799 --> 00:31:07,000
though he had eighteen. Aiden's points
weren't that impactful. They were a quiet

463
00:31:07,039 --> 00:31:11,599
eighteen, but in that second quarter
he had ten points. Last night,

464
00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:15,640
DeAndre Aiden finished with fourteen. Some
of that stuff you gotta live with,

465
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:19,440
though, When he's knocking down mid
range shots because Zoo's playing off of him

466
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,480
and giving him that shot to help
out on somebody else, you know you

467
00:31:23,519 --> 00:31:27,759
can only defend them and pick your
poison so much. If you're loading up

468
00:31:27,759 --> 00:31:33,000
on Devin Booker and Kevin Durant and
then CP three starts hitting the way he

469
00:31:33,039 --> 00:31:37,039
did in the fourth quarter and hit
a tough shot over Viza zu bots okay

470
00:31:37,079 --> 00:31:41,799
I, then they're probably gonna beat
us. Although the Clippers still had an

471
00:31:41,799 --> 00:31:44,599
opportunity late and if they were better
from the three point line. A few

472
00:31:44,599 --> 00:31:47,440
other guys got hot at the right
time or made some open shots, they

473
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,880
still could have won that game.
So I don't put too much into Oh,

474
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:53,839
Viza Zubots only had six boards,
How can you have that as a

475
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,160
big man. Well, he's getting
pulled away from the rim a lot.

476
00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:00,599
That's intentional. The Phoenix Suns are
trying to get him away from there.

477
00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:02,319
Does he need to be better?
Yeah, he was two of seven.

478
00:32:02,519 --> 00:32:07,000
He's got to play through contact a
little bit better, and he loved to

479
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,480
maybe have some of those same nerves. I don't know what was going on

480
00:32:08,519 --> 00:32:13,480
there, but he looked a little
unsteady offensively out there. Yeah, and

481
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,559
as good as he looked in game
one, I saw the same thing as

482
00:32:16,599 --> 00:32:21,400
you there. But you know what, they have to live and die with

483
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,079
some of what I eats the zoo
Bots brings because he's too important. When

484
00:32:24,079 --> 00:32:28,880
he's at his best and he can
punish the Phoenix Suns. I still think

485
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,440
they need to feature him more,
Like I don't think seven shots is enough

486
00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:37,359
when you're struggling offensively and everybody else
outside of Kawhi and Russell Westbrook is missing

487
00:32:37,359 --> 00:32:39,960
shots. Get some easy twos.
Give it to Zoo bots. One of

488
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,759
his two makes was against Kevin Durant, where they made a concerted effort to

489
00:32:44,799 --> 00:32:46,960
get it into him in the post, Like if Kd's on him in the

490
00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:51,000
post, go to Big Zoo and
you got a hook shot over him.

491
00:32:51,279 --> 00:32:54,440
Punish those guys, make them pay
more. DeAndre Ayton, I don't want

492
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:58,839
to say looks like Tarzan, plays
like Jane and that may be an over

493
00:32:59,559 --> 00:33:04,519
or now dated phrase that you can't
even use anymore. I'm not sure.

494
00:33:04,599 --> 00:33:08,720
But for as strong as he is, he's not the most physical player.

495
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:14,079
He's still more of a finesse guy, which fits in well with a lot

496
00:33:14,079 --> 00:33:16,279
of what the Phoenix Suns do.
I guess Kevin Durant's more finesse, Devin

497
00:33:16,319 --> 00:33:22,599
Booker's more finesse, but he's not
this monster and a lot of people compared

498
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:28,440
him to Greg Odin coming out if
he didn't have the knee injuries. DeAndre

499
00:33:28,519 --> 00:33:32,119
Ayton is someone that Zoo can out
muscle at times, and we didn't see

500
00:33:32,119 --> 00:33:36,799
it enough yesterday, but some of
that is because DeAndre Aden was hitting jumpers

501
00:33:36,839 --> 00:33:38,119
and if he hits four or five
of them like he did in that second

502
00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:43,480
quarter, yeah, you're in trouble. But I'd rather have him hitting those

503
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,640
than other guys like Kevin Durant and
Devin Booker being in rhythm. Same with

504
00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,720
Tory Craig, because those are the
guys who were gonna be taking shots late

505
00:33:51,799 --> 00:33:54,079
in games. That's what you worry
about. Devin Booker caught a rhythm in

506
00:33:54,119 --> 00:33:58,119
the second half, in the third
quarter, and you never could really turn

507
00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:00,000
it off. And he had I
think seven more ones and big ones in

508
00:34:00,039 --> 00:34:05,079
the fourth quarter after having eighteen the
third. Like, I'm not as worried

509
00:34:05,119 --> 00:34:08,199
about DeAndre Ayden Zubos. Look,
he's got to be better. I think

510
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:13,039
he will be. Like a guy
can have a bad game, A guy

511
00:34:13,039 --> 00:34:15,840
at the center position can have a
bad game. In this series, you've

512
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:20,599
talked about it or alluded to it
on our last podcast. It stands out

513
00:34:20,639 --> 00:34:23,599
more when a big man doesn't go
strong. Everybody gets up out of their

514
00:34:23,599 --> 00:34:27,960
Seaton says, if I was that
size, I would be going to the

515
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,400
basket. It will I'd be shack
out there. It's not that easy,

516
00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:35,800
or else we'd see more shacks in
the NBA. Like it's just it's the

517
00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,119
nature of playing the position at the
center position, especially in the modern NBA

518
00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:45,039
that you get criticized heavily whenever you
aren't throwing it down, you know,

519
00:34:45,079 --> 00:34:46,679
And Zubots has dealt with a lot
of that, I think over the years.

520
00:34:46,679 --> 00:34:50,159
And Carl Tart, you know,
brought it up on the last show

521
00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:52,840
a little bit. I think that's
where some of his criticism comes with the

522
00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,800
visa Zubots. He just wants them
to play with more force. Yeah,

523
00:34:55,800 --> 00:35:00,159
absolutely absolutely. Do you think that
we see a return to some of I'm

524
00:35:00,159 --> 00:35:05,960
gonna go ahead and generously call them
experimental smaller lineups that we saw in Game

525
00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:10,800
two. You know, I didn't
hate it as much as some only because

526
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:15,239
with the way the Clippers were playing
defensively anyways, not getting many stops,

527
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:21,280
you might as well try to lean
into an offensive minded lineup. Yeah.

528
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,679
I could definitely see the vision,
like if they could have got something going

529
00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:30,280
and unlocked the three point shooting game
that they desperately need to get, you

530
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:32,480
know, to stretch the floor with, that was the lineup to do it.

531
00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:38,079
I think it was what Bones Norm
Terrence Man Kawhi was there? Big

532
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:44,400
Who was the other guard that was
out there? Bones Norm Terrence Man was

533
00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:47,360
it? Also? I'm trying to
think Eric Gordon came in for Terrence Man.

534
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:52,800
Yeah, the last book, Russ
was out there, so like they

535
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,679
tried it for a few minutes.
It's not like they were getting stops anyways,

536
00:35:55,679 --> 00:36:00,920
when they did have a pizza subots
in there, So I think it

537
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,440
was worth a shot. And if
you're not going to play Robert Covington,

538
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:07,079
if you're not going to play Marcus
foris, I guess you were right.

539
00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:12,199
They're going all of Garden stop or
they're going all of Garden over wings Stoff.

540
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,079
Well you said, yeah, yeah, I mean that's kind of what

541
00:36:15,159 --> 00:36:21,000
we saw all season. And you
know, despite some of the prognostication of

542
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:27,880
Robert Covington in the starters jerseys in
the now infamous Clipper's team picture from a

543
00:36:28,079 --> 00:36:32,239
from a practice, I am at
the same place that I was when we

544
00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:39,000
came in these into this series regarding
Robert Covington in his minutes and yeah,

545
00:36:39,079 --> 00:36:44,079
I like, look, I guess
I just I'm not really seeing the spot

546
00:36:44,119 --> 00:36:47,360
where he fits in the rotation.
Um. You know, I think there

547
00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:52,960
were some less than encouraging things during
the regular season, like defensively, and

548
00:36:52,199 --> 00:36:54,559
I do think that that could change
in the playoffs, and I do think

549
00:36:54,599 --> 00:37:01,599
that he gives us another versatile,
switchable guy. I just I don't know,

550
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:06,519
man, I'm just not really I'm
just not really seeing where he slots

551
00:37:06,559 --> 00:37:09,239
in right now, and like where
those minutes come from. Okay, what

552
00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:15,480
if? What if I paint this
scenario, give you this hypothetical. Nick

553
00:37:15,559 --> 00:37:21,239
Batoum in Game three, in the
first half goes over four from distance.

554
00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:25,760
Do you think we see them pull
the trigger or break glass and bring in

555
00:37:27,199 --> 00:37:30,159
Rocco in case of emergency because Nick
Batoum is just not able to get out

556
00:37:30,159 --> 00:37:34,639
of the shooting slub it's a close
game, or they're down and he's still

557
00:37:34,679 --> 00:37:38,719
not hitting in the first half tomorrow
night, or do you think they go

558
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:43,960
Marcus first. I still would think
that Marcus is ahead of him in the

559
00:37:44,079 --> 00:37:49,519
rotation, and I would still I
would still think that that Marcus is ahead

560
00:37:49,519 --> 00:37:53,320
of him in the rotation. If
for nothing else, then he might demand

561
00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:55,840
a little bit more gravity. It's
it's hard to say, Like, it's

562
00:37:55,840 --> 00:38:00,519
hard to say how the defense would
react to that, And it depend to

563
00:38:00,119 --> 00:38:05,119
on the number of starters that Phoenix
is able to keep on the floor with

564
00:38:05,159 --> 00:38:10,280
their bench units, because if it's
some combination of like Katie and Booker plus

565
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:15,320
the bench. I don't know that
that's really the right time. Well,

566
00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,880
frankly, I don't know that that's
really the right time for either of them.

567
00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:22,599
I don't know if that's really the
get right game that either guy,

568
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:28,039
that either guy needs. I'm curious
if Marcus comes back in in this series,

569
00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:31,519
and coach lu said before it started, he has a role, what

570
00:38:31,599 --> 00:38:36,800
he's gonna look like just having all
this time off because he came into the

571
00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:39,639
season looking better, He had a
couple of dunks, he looked more spry,

572
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:44,559
he wore down as it went along, and then had the rib injury.

573
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:49,000
Is there any thought to the fact
that Marcus just needed to get healthy

574
00:38:49,119 --> 00:38:53,519
and that was playing a role in
his poor shooting performances and lack of lateral

575
00:38:53,559 --> 00:38:58,639
movement out there the last three months. To you look, I mean the

576
00:38:58,679 --> 00:39:04,840
way this Clippers team deals with injuries
and talks about injuries anything as possible.

577
00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,880
Yeah, I think that I could
certainly be a factor. You know,

578
00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:12,719
we see quiet sort of minister restrictions
on guys. We see, you know,

579
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,480
we see guys just performing really poorly
despite playing a lot of minutes,

580
00:39:16,119 --> 00:39:20,400
and it just seems like they're still
kind of being run with, and then

581
00:39:20,559 --> 00:39:22,360
you know, low and behold out
of nowhere. They'll show up on injury

582
00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:27,880
report and then come back and look
look better. So it's it's definitely possible.

583
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,480
I would think, Well, I
don't know, you know, like,

584
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:37,960
on one hand, it maybe the
fact that neither of them have appeared

585
00:39:38,199 --> 00:39:42,360
doesn't mean that there's any sort of
lack of confidence in either player. It

586
00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:46,159
could just be, you know,
Tyler not wanting to overreact to a situation,

587
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:51,400
right, because I think that there
is a pretty clear pathway in game

588
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:53,360
two, when that double digit lead
kind of started to get extended, and

589
00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:57,719
even though it felt like we were
really in it, I do think for

590
00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:00,760
a younger coach, or even a
more reactionary coach, it would have been

591
00:40:02,199 --> 00:40:06,800
it would have been feasible and understandable
to go with a guy who hasn't played

592
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:08,599
a lot of minutes with this unit, right just hoping for something, just

593
00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:15,159
rubbing two dimes together to try to
make a dollar out there. Yeah,

594
00:40:15,199 --> 00:40:20,559
and they're not in a position right
now where they need to make any desperate

595
00:40:20,599 --> 00:40:24,800
moves to just try something else because
they're down OZ two and Phoenix won by

596
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:29,599
double digits in both the first two
games. They're in a really good spot.

597
00:40:30,159 --> 00:40:35,280
It's encouraging overall where the Clippers are, and I think it was especially

598
00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:40,000
telling that they went after game two
like they had lost Game one. That

599
00:40:40,119 --> 00:40:45,239
was the level of effort, urgency, and intensity out there in all season

600
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,920
long. We've been saying where is
the urgency. It's showing up now in

601
00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:52,920
the playoffs. But yeah, I
don't know what that means for Coach Low

602
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:58,480
and what lever he would pull if
Nicholas Betune continues to slump with his offense.

603
00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:02,880
Now, if some of the other
guys start to step up, some

604
00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:07,159
of the other role players like Norman
Powell we mentioned, even someone like Terrence

605
00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:13,920
Man takes more shots or Bones Highland
catches fire, then you can live with

606
00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:17,800
Nicholas Batoum still not hitting shots because
his defense and everything else he brings is

607
00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:24,639
so big. That's another way that
the Clippers can remedy this situation with the

608
00:41:24,679 --> 00:41:29,039
four position and guys just not hitting
shots out of that right now, with

609
00:41:29,159 --> 00:41:31,559
Nicholas batum somebody else could pick him
up. Yeah, we talked about this

610
00:41:31,599 --> 00:41:34,719
a little bit, but your boy
Greg wants to know, do you guys

611
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,079
think that being on home court base
that alone will help the role players step

612
00:41:38,159 --> 00:41:45,239
up big time. I think so
it's typical in a playoff series that role

613
00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:51,960
players just settle in better at home
for whatever reason. You know. Superstars

614
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:54,199
are paid the big bucks for a
reason. You know, when you see

615
00:41:54,199 --> 00:41:58,559
a guy have a performance like Okay, Nicholas Batum as an example, he

616
00:41:58,679 --> 00:42:01,320
had that thirty point second half I
think it was against the Indiana Pacers.

617
00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:05,920
Was at last season where he just
exploded for a thirty point second half.

618
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:10,400
Or you see like a Tony Delk
fifty point performance against his former team in

619
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:17,360
the Sacramento Kings. These outlier Tracy
Murray goes for fifty with the Washington Wizards.

620
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,800
Great college player, wasn't a great
NBA player, But these guys that

621
00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:24,159
show up and have a fifty point
game out of nowhere. Corey Brewer is

622
00:42:24,199 --> 00:42:30,000
another one. Sometimes the difference between
role players and superstars, or stars and

623
00:42:30,079 --> 00:42:34,920
all stars, it's just a matter
of consistency. It's not that they can't

624
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:38,880
do it often can you do it? How often can you repeat that performance?

625
00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:45,039
So these role players at home,
they're going to get a lift from

626
00:42:45,079 --> 00:42:49,079
the fans there and just getting away
from that hoop. I think in Phoenix

627
00:42:49,639 --> 00:42:52,840
for somebody like with Toomb or Norman
Powell, just like coming into a series

628
00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:57,599
with a clean slate, It's okay, game three. You know what happened

629
00:42:57,599 --> 00:43:01,320
in Phoenix. Maybe that stays there. But I have a chance to figure

630
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:06,039
things out, get into a rhythm. Now. You know we're tied up

631
00:43:06,079 --> 00:43:08,480
at one one. There's a lot
of positive feelings. Coachly talked about the

632
00:43:08,519 --> 00:43:14,039
confidence last night and how confident the
team still is even after losing that game,

633
00:43:14,079 --> 00:43:16,199
and I would expect them to be
the Phoenix says, aren't looking like

634
00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:20,440
a juggernaut right now. They're not
looking like a team they should necessarily be

635
00:43:20,519 --> 00:43:24,239
scared of the Clippers. If anything
looked like the team that, oh,

636
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:29,159
they could be as dangerous as we
thought they were going to be coming into

637
00:43:29,159 --> 00:43:31,199
the season. If they get Paul
George back. I think a lot of

638
00:43:31,239 --> 00:43:35,360
people have already changed their pick that
if they had Paul George, they're winning

639
00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:37,880
this series. Like it's that simple. Well, I mean, I think

640
00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:39,719
this is a perfect time to get
into the forty two million dollar question.

641
00:43:40,599 --> 00:43:45,400
Paul George. We did see some
new practice video yesterday him running around he

642
00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:50,280
looks like he has a heart rate
monitor or something on. Has your opinion

643
00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,039
changed, I don't actually remember your
original opinion. I'm sure you probably said

644
00:43:53,039 --> 00:43:57,960
Paul George would be back game too. But has your opinion changed on Paul

645
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:00,199
George returning to this series and if
so, when do you think that can

646
00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:06,960
happen. I was optimistic coming into
the series, even with the reports that

647
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:12,840
were out there, and I thought
he could return mid series, But then

648
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:16,920
we saw him doing the stationary shoot
around. It's a little bit of a

649
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:22,599
negative because he's not doing any explosive
movements. How much can you really take

650
00:44:22,599 --> 00:44:27,239
away from that. But the fact
that less than a week later we see

651
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,320
him doing movement drills and running up
and down and trying to get his win

652
00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:38,039
back and do some cardio, I
think that's significant. I'm not saying he's

653
00:44:38,079 --> 00:44:43,039
going to be back tomorrow night.
I don't think that, but I wouldn't

654
00:44:43,079 --> 00:44:47,440
be shocked if he was back Tuesday
for Game five, after they get those

655
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:52,000
two days off between Game four and
five where they finally get two days off

656
00:44:52,079 --> 00:44:55,320
between games in the series. I
think I think that's a great point if

657
00:44:55,320 --> 00:45:00,840
he is to return this series,
which I had kind of previously had completely

658
00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:04,480
ruled out, you know, just
going off the reports of what we you

659
00:45:04,519 --> 00:45:07,239
know, what we had been told, what we've been seeing up until that,

660
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:10,880
that more recent report of him actually
running around and like trying to get

661
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:14,760
his cardio back to the level that
it needs to be at for him to

662
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:20,800
play meaningful minutes. Um. I
think that game five would be the perfect

663
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:29,920
time for him to return. I
think, I mean almost for not completely,

664
00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:32,719
but almost regardless of what happens at
home, I think that it would

665
00:45:32,719 --> 00:45:37,039
be the perfect time. I think
even if the Clippers, uh some out

666
00:45:37,159 --> 00:45:40,920
ended up on the wrong end of
a three one split, if he's good

667
00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:45,440
to go for that for that game
five, why not? That would be

668
00:45:46,519 --> 00:45:51,960
at about the five week mark.
If he came back for game five.

669
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:59,519
I think I four week mark.
I thought that was this week. I

670
00:45:59,519 --> 00:46:04,880
thought it in a month this week. But I could be wrong, Okay,

671
00:46:05,079 --> 00:46:07,360
I'm just saying, Oh, a
lot of people are agreeing fifty one

672
00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:14,079
percent chance, including Chuck Mockler,
that Paul George returns. I think it

673
00:46:14,079 --> 00:46:16,239
could be better than that, because
if it's not, and we don't know

674
00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:21,960
this for sure, but if it's
not just about his flexibility, his comfort

675
00:46:22,039 --> 00:46:27,880
level, his pain tolerance, and
we're just talking about conditioning and his lungs

676
00:46:29,079 --> 00:46:35,480
and weren't then pg's in business.
Then a week after seeing that video,

677
00:46:35,599 --> 00:46:37,559
I don't think it's out, you
know, too far out there, too

678
00:46:37,559 --> 00:46:40,840
crazy of a call to say a
week after what we saw yesterday, he

679
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:45,119
could be back for a ball game, especially if a series is tied up

680
00:46:45,159 --> 00:46:49,800
at two two and it's the pivotal
game five, the most crucial game of

681
00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:53,559
the series. Yeah. And I'm
not a doctor too, just in case

682
00:46:53,599 --> 00:46:57,719
anyone was unclear on that, but
I'm gonna change your name tag to that.

683
00:47:00,519 --> 00:47:02,400
Just seeing the like, just seeing
that it was more about, um,

684
00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:07,480
you know, his cardio ability.
I do think that that was super

685
00:47:07,599 --> 00:47:14,079
encouraging. Yeah, and the shots
were obviously fallen. He looks great there.

686
00:47:14,159 --> 00:47:16,280
I mean, this is somebody who
and a lot of people have referenced

687
00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:22,079
this when Paul George has come back
from injuries as a Clipper, he comes

688
00:47:22,119 --> 00:47:25,440
back and hits the ground running.
He drops thirty. That's what we have

689
00:47:25,559 --> 00:47:30,480
seen whenever he is returned, going
back to him off the shoulder injury.

690
00:47:30,559 --> 00:47:34,480
Yeah, which was Minnesota, right
or was that the second game back?

691
00:47:35,119 --> 00:47:38,239
I think it was New Orleans the
Pelicans and they lost. But maybe he

692
00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:42,920
had thirty seven and then he had
the big game against Atlanta where they put

693
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:46,079
up one hundred and fifty points or
something like that. I'm thinking of the

694
00:47:46,119 --> 00:47:50,679
Minnesota game, and maybe it wasn't. I don't think it was his first

695
00:47:50,719 --> 00:47:53,079
game back, but it was the
first game that he and Kauhi like both

696
00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:59,199
like yeah, yeah, yeah,
where it was NBA jam. It was

697
00:47:59,239 --> 00:48:02,760
like he and co versus I think
de Low and Carl Anthony Towns. It

698
00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:07,000
was a weird like two on two
type of game going on. So we

699
00:48:07,119 --> 00:48:09,679
talked a little bit about our hypothetical
star. Let's talk about our actual star,

700
00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:14,159
Kawhi Leonard. I know Adam is
certain that he's going to regress,

701
00:48:14,199 --> 00:48:19,079
but as Kawhi, you know,
continues to see more reggressive doubles. We've

702
00:48:19,119 --> 00:48:22,079
talked a little bit about, you
know, how the role players and stuff

703
00:48:22,119 --> 00:48:27,000
can step up. What can Kawhi
do to keep this going? What can

704
00:48:27,079 --> 00:48:31,119
Kawai to continue to I mean,
my opinion, through two games, still

705
00:48:31,159 --> 00:48:36,199
has established himself as the best player
in the series. Oh, he's the

706
00:48:36,199 --> 00:48:38,159
best player. When he ripped it
from KD and went the other way.

707
00:48:38,239 --> 00:48:42,280
Oh, my god, I thought
there was no way. Granted, I

708
00:48:42,320 --> 00:48:45,880
had the radio feed obviously ahead of
television. Radio's a lot people had Amy

709
00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:50,280
seventy LA Sports with the Patriot aleven
fifty much like the show. If you're

710
00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:53,800
watching on YouTube or Twitter, good
call. So I knew it was coming.

711
00:48:54,159 --> 00:48:59,639
But when I saw the play that
was lagging behind on the television and

712
00:48:59,679 --> 00:49:02,559
I was Washington on Valley, you
know, get Brian Seman and Mike Fortello

713
00:49:02,639 --> 00:49:07,159
in there, but I couldn't believe
when he took the ball away, I

714
00:49:07,199 --> 00:49:09,159
was like, He's going to take
this coast to coast and dunk it where

715
00:49:09,159 --> 00:49:13,639
they had two guys back, including
Kevin Durant, right next to him,

716
00:49:13,679 --> 00:49:16,320
and he went by them and just
was more physical. The thing that makes

717
00:49:16,360 --> 00:49:22,880
Kauai, I think so great in
playoff settings is he embraces the physicality more

718
00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:25,320
than other guys because he's so strong. And one of the reasons I think

719
00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:29,960
he's better better than Kevin Durant in
those situations is because Katie's more of a

720
00:49:30,039 --> 00:49:35,440
f nest player. Completely different physicalities, like just completely I mean completely different

721
00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:39,920
bills, completely different styles. But
I agree with you in that offensively,

722
00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:45,039
Katie great like you know, great
for the postseason, so great for the

723
00:49:45,039 --> 00:49:50,360
postseason obviously, but Kauai, I
feel like there's a little bit less of

724
00:49:50,360 --> 00:49:52,679
a variance because of the style that
he plays, right, it's so much

725
00:49:52,719 --> 00:49:58,880
more coming from that, like that
physical ability, that's stamina, and that's

726
00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:02,599
sort of like constant workhorse and as
that I think can kind of save you

727
00:50:02,679 --> 00:50:07,320
if we do get a performance from
Kauai that's less than ideal offensively, right,

728
00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:12,400
I think that his floor is a
little bit higher just because of what

729
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:15,519
he's able to do and how he
can control the game purely with physicality,

730
00:50:15,559 --> 00:50:19,360
Like he's not as dependent, not
that he doesn't have it or anything,

731
00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:22,679
but he's not like as dependent on
the touch as a more finesse player.

732
00:50:23,159 --> 00:50:28,519
It may be because Kawhi isn't the
quickest guy on the floor. He's not

733
00:50:28,559 --> 00:50:31,360
the most athletic guy on the floor, so when he takes shots, defenders

734
00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:36,639
are often right there. So it
may have conditioned him over time to be

735
00:50:36,760 --> 00:50:42,119
more comfortable with contact because guys are
there, it doesn't matter that they have

736
00:50:42,159 --> 00:50:45,639
a hand in his face. He's
more used to that than other players,

737
00:50:45,639 --> 00:50:49,679
and even someone like Kevin Durant,
who may not be the quickest. He's

738
00:50:49,760 --> 00:50:52,199
quick for a size, but his
thing is just rising over the top of

739
00:50:52,199 --> 00:50:57,719
you and get looks at any time. Kauai is not getting the same clean

740
00:50:57,840 --> 00:51:02,000
looks, but he's still hitting at
a ridiculous rate. He embraces the contact.

741
00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:07,800
But you mentioned the passing out of
the double teams. Kawai had six

742
00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:10,280
of his seven assists last night in
the first half. And that goes to

743
00:51:10,320 --> 00:51:15,519
the point of guys weren't hitting shots
in the second half, but after the

744
00:51:15,559 --> 00:51:19,360
first quarter where they were or after
the first was the first quarter of the

745
00:51:19,360 --> 00:51:22,159
first half, or the Clippers were
six of thirteen from the field that was

746
00:51:22,199 --> 00:51:24,760
the first quarter, six or thirteen
from the field in the first quarter.

747
00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:29,920
They went five or seventeen from three
excuse me now from the field from three

748
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:31,880
in the second half, after growing
six for thirteen in the first quarter from

749
00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:38,159
distance five or seventeen, the rest
of the ways like just huge. Yeah,

750
00:51:38,159 --> 00:51:40,280
they took twenty in the first half. It looked like there was gonna

751
00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:44,239
be a guarantee they'd get up at
least thirty five. And where they end

752
00:51:44,320 --> 00:51:52,079
up at thirty yeah, yeah,
right right around there. And I understand

753
00:51:52,159 --> 00:51:57,119
because you're not hitting them maybe you're
more reluctant to take them, but like

754
00:51:57,280 --> 00:51:59,920
you got to live and die with
Norman Powell. I think in this series

755
00:52:00,119 --> 00:52:01,599
he has to get going or else
they're going to lose. You have to

756
00:52:01,599 --> 00:52:05,519
get going overall as a team from
three, so shoot your way out of

757
00:52:05,559 --> 00:52:08,199
it, keep putting them up,
keep taking those shots. It's the only

758
00:52:08,239 --> 00:52:13,599
way to equalize things with the rate
of mid range shots being hit by the

759
00:52:13,599 --> 00:52:16,239
Phoenix Suns, and they have I
heard this earlier. I forget which podcasts,

760
00:52:16,440 --> 00:52:20,719
We'll just say it was the law
of the jam. I'm gonna give

761
00:52:20,760 --> 00:52:23,199
those guys credit. May have been
doctor shap I heard this earlier, or

762
00:52:23,239 --> 00:52:28,360
maybe it was Lucas Hand our boss
and better to point him out that the

763
00:52:28,559 --> 00:52:32,280
Suns have attempted only twenty shots in
the restricted area in the series so far,

764
00:52:32,559 --> 00:52:37,159
and they've attempted one hundred shots than
the mid range, which I think

765
00:52:37,239 --> 00:52:40,400
is considered ten to sixteen feet out. That's wild. Yeah, yeah,

766
00:52:40,480 --> 00:52:44,719
no, absolutely unreal, and I
mean that definitely has led to the free

767
00:52:44,719 --> 00:52:46,559
fer disparity. It's one of those
keys that we talked about coming into this

768
00:52:46,639 --> 00:52:51,679
series. You know, at the
line is a place where we can punish

769
00:52:51,719 --> 00:52:54,599
Phoenix because we are getting to the
restricted area more so than that team.

770
00:52:55,159 --> 00:52:58,280
I don't want to backtrack too far
a little bit, but we talked about

771
00:52:58,599 --> 00:53:02,480
Kauai's physicality. X Ongo Project wants
to know, will we see CP bump

772
00:53:02,559 --> 00:53:06,280
Kawhi again. I'm curious what was
your read on that, What are your

773
00:53:06,280 --> 00:53:10,159
thoughts on that? How does the
claud respond? I don't know if he

774
00:53:10,280 --> 00:53:15,840
was even aware he was bumped,
Like he barely moved, Like it's Kawhi,

775
00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:20,400
Leonard, He's the rock. He's
made of stone or metal or whatever

776
00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:23,719
you want to say. Like that
was hilarious to me just to watch people

777
00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:30,039
were saying like, oh, he
didn't get his programming chip yet for being

778
00:53:30,119 --> 00:53:32,159
bumped post game, because he just
didn't react to it at all. Chris

779
00:53:32,199 --> 00:53:36,119
Paul did a little bit, but
he also tried to act like, oh,

780
00:53:36,159 --> 00:53:38,360
no big deal, nothing happened there, and Kawi just kept walking like

781
00:53:39,679 --> 00:53:45,199
I do. Though in all honesty, I think they both felt it.

782
00:53:45,360 --> 00:53:51,239
They both knew there was, you
know, a little bit of a rivalry

783
00:53:51,320 --> 00:53:54,280
relationship there with the way they walked
by each other that no guy wanted to

784
00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:59,760
submit to the other or show that
Oh they got they got put off balance

785
00:54:00,159 --> 00:54:02,719
that bump. Yeah, it's kind
of like, you know, you get

786
00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:06,400
hitting baseball and you're not supposed to
rub it. And when you go to

787
00:54:06,480 --> 00:54:07,519
first base if you get hit by
the ball, like, oh, don't

788
00:54:07,599 --> 00:54:09,920
don't show them that it hurt.
Don't show them that it hurt. Don't

789
00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:15,320
rub the injury. You don't want
to look weak out there, and Cohi

790
00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:22,480
never does. All right, So
before we get out of here, Adam,

791
00:54:22,599 --> 00:54:28,239
what's your prediction Game three? What
do you got? I got the

792
00:54:28,280 --> 00:54:32,320
Clippers winning the Game three, and
it it may be I think one of

793
00:54:32,320 --> 00:54:36,840
the games back at home, Game
three or four, more likely Game three,

794
00:54:37,519 --> 00:54:42,280
they could win by double digits.
It's possible that they could win in

795
00:54:42,320 --> 00:54:45,840
a more comfortable fashion than what we
saw in Game one. I'm right there

796
00:54:45,840 --> 00:54:50,159
with you. I think the Clippers
are due for, you know, a

797
00:54:50,239 --> 00:54:53,039
bounce back to the means from some
of these other guys. As good as

798
00:54:53,079 --> 00:54:59,079
everyone was in Game one, I
think that I think that in some of

799
00:54:59,079 --> 00:55:04,039
those in the minutes where they don't
have three or four, three out of

800
00:55:04,079 --> 00:55:07,079
four, let's say, of their
of their key guys, the Clippers are

801
00:55:07,159 --> 00:55:10,679
due for like an absolute surge.
You know, we've seen it. We've

802
00:55:10,679 --> 00:55:16,360
seen this team in just short little
stints. I'm thinking of the third Lakers

803
00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:20,119
game, the one before the last
one, where there was like a ninety

804
00:55:20,119 --> 00:55:23,199
second stretch where they went on like
a seven oh run and it was just,

805
00:55:23,519 --> 00:55:29,400
you know, this team is capable
of so much in such a short

806
00:55:29,440 --> 00:55:31,599
amount of time that I would be
very surprised if one of these two games

807
00:55:31,880 --> 00:55:37,880
things didn't go a little bit our
way and things got for us offensively a

808
00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:40,960
little bit easier than they have been
through these first two games. They's just

809
00:55:42,199 --> 00:55:46,320
matchup a lot better even than I
could have thought against the Phoenix Suns.

810
00:55:46,880 --> 00:55:52,920
That King's potential three six matchup looks
like death now compared to them going up

811
00:55:52,920 --> 00:55:57,519
against the Phoenix Suns. Some of
it's biased because they won a game,

812
00:55:58,599 --> 00:56:00,880
but I think even if they be
the Kings in a first round series,

813
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:06,440
they would be so incredibly worn out
that they would have nothing left the rest

814
00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:10,079
of the playoffs. That would be
such a difficult task. At least,

815
00:56:10,119 --> 00:56:14,760
the Phoenix Suns play in the same
range, in the same pace in tempo

816
00:56:15,320 --> 00:56:16,880
as the Clippers. They're not going
to get run off the floor. There

817
00:56:16,920 --> 00:56:22,280
aren't a lot of guys with campaign
out, especially right now, that can

818
00:56:22,360 --> 00:56:24,880
just kill you off the dribble.
Devin Booker can do it some we saw

819
00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:30,000
it last night. But it's an
easier team to defend for the Clippers personnel.

820
00:56:30,400 --> 00:56:34,880
And I think if the defense plays
the same way and they don't have

821
00:56:34,920 --> 00:56:37,119
a letup just because they're back home
and they know they're getting some home cooking

822
00:56:37,239 --> 00:56:40,239
or they're gonna get some of those
shots to drop, but they continue to

823
00:56:40,320 --> 00:56:45,239
play with that defensive mindset for forty
eight minutes and stay locked into the game

824
00:56:45,239 --> 00:56:50,039
plan, they got a great chance
to win Game three. That's typically,

825
00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:52,679
you know, it's just eyeball test. I don't know what the numbers say,

826
00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:58,920
but when a series is tied up
at one game apiece and that third

827
00:56:59,000 --> 00:57:04,559
game going back going back home,
usually in a close series, which we

828
00:57:04,599 --> 00:57:07,000
think this is going to be,
that home team has a big advantage of

829
00:57:07,119 --> 00:57:12,159
game three of a series tied up
at one game apiece. Yeah, yeah,

830
00:57:12,199 --> 00:57:20,079
definitely. Who is your surprise performer
of the night? WHOA People are

831
00:57:20,159 --> 00:57:23,000
saying Carl Tart got his Zoo game, by the way, and came to

832
00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:28,440
like like he picked him for a
surprise bad performer or something like that.

833
00:57:29,079 --> 00:57:31,000
He was right. I guess he's
you know, he's not religious, but

834
00:57:31,039 --> 00:57:38,519
he is praying on Zoo's downfall.
I'll go with Nick Betum four three pointers

835
00:57:38,519 --> 00:57:44,440
made. At least he starts to
knock him down. Just being back on

836
00:57:44,519 --> 00:57:46,719
the home floor. It can do
wonders for a guy. Change the scenery

837
00:57:46,760 --> 00:57:52,679
coming back from Phoenix. What's the
old phrase from a bull Durham clear the

838
00:57:52,719 --> 00:57:57,440
mechanism. Yeah, that's what he's
gonna do. Who do you got,

839
00:57:58,400 --> 00:58:02,440
I'm going I'm going to Norman Powell
and I think he's gonna have a big

840
00:58:02,480 --> 00:58:08,880
game. I think he I think
it's twenty plus, and I'm gonna say

841
00:58:08,960 --> 00:58:15,880
he gets like eight free throw attempts, okay, and that that could be

842
00:58:15,880 --> 00:58:17,480
big for a lot of these guys
struggling. And that is one of the

843
00:58:17,639 --> 00:58:22,599
if you're looking through the lens of
the pessimist, the Clippers in that game

844
00:58:22,679 --> 00:58:28,400
yesterday ended up getting up what seventeen
more free throw attempts? It was thirty

845
00:58:28,400 --> 00:58:32,079
one to fourteen. Ye that kept
them in it. That was a big

846
00:58:32,199 --> 00:58:35,840
part of it. You brought it
up post game on the live I listened

847
00:58:35,840 --> 00:58:40,039
to it. That kept them hanging
around. I don't know if you're going

848
00:58:40,079 --> 00:58:45,119
to see a disparity like that in
Game three. And even though it makes

849
00:58:45,159 --> 00:58:47,760
sense the Suns are taking a ton
of jumpers, it's not that the Clippers

850
00:58:47,760 --> 00:58:52,400
got some great whistle. I thought
Batum got a really tough call on him.

851
00:58:52,480 --> 00:58:54,840
Eric Gordon had a couple go against
him. They weren't that they weren't

852
00:58:54,840 --> 00:59:00,960
benefiting necessarily from Scott Foster or anything
like that. But has to continue.

853
00:59:00,039 --> 00:59:05,119
That's another trend that just has to
continue with them getting up more free throws.

854
00:59:05,519 --> 00:59:09,639
Yes, all right, well I
think that that'll do it. Thank

855
00:59:09,639 --> 00:59:15,480
you everybody who joined us for this
one live. You can catch us on

856
00:59:15,519 --> 00:59:19,000
YouTube that's at Clippers Podcast, where
we are on Twitter where this is also

857
00:59:19,079 --> 00:59:22,519
streamingline. That's at clippers Pod.
Listen to the show wherever you listen to

858
00:59:22,599 --> 00:59:27,519
your podcasts Adam, anything else you
want to leave these fine folks with before

859
00:59:27,559 --> 00:59:30,039
we get out of here and you
know, get get our get our preparations

860
00:59:30,039 --> 00:59:32,960
in for game three. You call
that a bump, You call that an

861
00:59:32,960 --> 00:59:37,519
eye fessen and a life. I'll
say this. I'll put this up on

862
00:59:38,159 --> 00:59:42,519
the podcast as well. I'll rip
it and we'll have it on Spotify.

863
00:59:42,679 --> 00:59:45,000
We'll have it on itube, so
you could be listening to it there right

864
00:59:45,039 --> 00:59:49,880
now, even if you'd missed us
live, so it'll be it'll be good.

865
00:59:50,039 --> 00:59:52,800
So it's another little avenue for us
to put up new content with these

866
00:59:52,840 --> 00:59:55,920
YouTube lives. Look for him yep. Yeah, we're trying to find different

867
00:59:55,960 --> 01:00:00,400
ways that we can bring you guys, all the Clippers news that you want.

868
01:00:00,199 --> 01:00:02,880
Hopefully you like it. If you
do, you know, like comment,

869
01:00:05,480 --> 01:00:07,119
review us over on iTunes or Spotify, and yeah, thank you so

870
01:00:07,199 --> 01:00:10,480
much. Let's go clips gain three
win. Let's do this
