What is going on? Clippers fans, Welcome to season two, episode thirty
of Clips and Dip. I am Chuck Mockler. William Updyke is joining us
as well. Adam Ouslin still under the weather? Are you not talking?
As I was? Will's do my bit. Adam Oslin is usually with us.
He's still under the weather. He did want us to tell everyone this
is a direct quote from Adam. My efficiency and my eventual return will be
like Kawhide dropping forty one. So that's good to hear. Believe it when
I see it man and Will's will skeptical. We hope everyone's doing well.
This Sunday evening. We're gonna be talking the Clippers eight and three over the
last night as we generally, We're gonna be talking Clippers last eleven games.
How that's looked. Really, also want to ask, like how badly that
Nuggets lost poisoned our brains from this season of course, the one where Reggie
DJ went off. We're gonna talk Norman Zoo's great stretches of play. There
is a fantastic new nickname for Norm plus uh the regular starters instead of Terrence
Man that we need to go over and then we're gonna pre Powel Rangers.
Shit, it is not, but we're putting that on the list as well.
Powell Rangers is man. This is again wish Adam was here for this.
H Powell Rangers also a great nickname. They were talking the back to
back Portland, which has some key one key, very key person out and
then a couple of other guys questionable. Oh no, the game against the
Kings. But first, if you listen to our last episode, people hated
it. We have a new guest on to talk to. We brought Jillian
Zucker on to talk. Everyone's well, how are you doing before we get
into the Clippers talk. I'm doing good. Yeah, relaxing, restorative weekend.
I'm ready to, you know, pretend to do work this week and
then I'm I'm heading on a little vacate. So I'm feeling good. I'm
hoping the clips keep me in a good mood coming into this holiday season,
because you never know, they can really do you dirty, as they did
one year versus the MAVs in a Christmas that my family is still going to
talk about. No, you're back off to Montana, right, Yeah,
that's correct. There we go. Fantastic well, let's get into it.
Clippers eight and three over their last eleven. Is the taste of that you
mentioned the Clippers being able to let us down sometimes? Is the taste of
that Nuggets loss gone for you? Are we past that? Because that poisoned
my brain a bit. I was shot. I wasn't shocked, but it
was all those things where it was like, oh shit, okay say this.
Worried about this, I would say some It's it's starting to the point
where like that is starting to fade. You know, you've bathed, You've
bathed the skunked dog in tomato sauce, whatever you gotta do. You're you're
cooking it up like a little marin ea uh. And it still kind of
stinks, but it's you know, it's a lot better. It's your dog
again and the Clippers, the Clippers are definitely looking a lot better. It's
just that Nuggets want just hurt so much because it's like just the encapsulation of
sort of everything in an overarching sense that's kind of been wrong with this team
really in the two and three era. And so I'm not gonna harp on
it anymore. We've talked about it, and we've talked about it enough.
The Clippers have looked a lot better. I was. I was thoroughly impressed
with the way that they were able to like really put their foot on the
throats of the Jazz in Utah in a road game when once again we all
a backcourt pairing that hasn't worked. We thought we had completely moved away from
it, which was successful, and then for some reason we moved back to
it, and lo and behold, it wasn't that successful. But just through
just through sheer like hard effort and will on the defensive end and just some
really great offense, we were able to come out of that one. And
I talked a little bit with Adam. I still had some concerns of some
issues with the game. But long story short, that stench of the Nuggets
loss is starting to wear off. This is starting to feel like a much
more real eight and three. You know, when we talked about this,
Okay, when we talked about it earlier, it's like, you know,
you look at the quality of the wins, maybe not the best, but
now they've put together a couple of good ones and this Utah one. Look,
I get that Utah isn't tearing up in the standings. It's a hard
team, that's a hard road game. Okay, we've been there for since
twenty seventeen or something like that, a really really long time, a really
really long time, so that one was to me, was good to see
and obviously not as impressive standings wise, you know, playoff ability wise as
the Nuggets game. But the Nuggets game, I did feel a lot of
stuff kind of to go right in our ways. Some of some was earned
and some you know, some things a little bit broke our way. But
it's starting to feel more and more real that this team is pulling it together
and I'm in a much better place with where they are. I'm still not
you asked me last episode, and I know people were furious about this,
but like you do, I think that this is like a championship team.
I'm still not there yet yet. But do you want a time stamp it?
Because that was the key component of the last episode. Yeah, as
of December tenth, Like, I'm not there yet, but this team is
looking the best that it's looked so far, and it is seeming like we're
gonna be able to make this work. Despite some there are some kind of
weird things that we have to work around in the roster. Yes, we're
going to talk about I got a text from Joseph Fryer Award, former Clipper
podcast great who had a bold take over the next twenty games. We're gonna
talk a Clipper podcaster, just joking. I hope you hear this thoughts today.
I hope Joseph is doing well. I think I one thing that helps
me deal with the the Nuggets loss is that people were worried about Kawhi Leonard
for some reason. Okay, that's this one has never made sense to me
all season long. I feel like this has been that we've talked a little
bit about. I think it's troubling that they've lost the majority of the games
with I mean up until this stretch with Kawhi and Paul George playing together.
That to me is concerning. I think there's like there's more questions in the
play style than the players, if that makes sense, absolutely, because that,
yeah, I said it on I think it was one of the early
double dips with Adam that we do on AM five seventy. If you're here
to the show, we're gonna go on after the game. I'm talking about
a little bit where I was like, well, I still shows up to
those. Adam still shows up to them. His actual job, his actual
job. Some people got priorities. I guess the man is sick. He's
ordering fu uh send some fun Adam's way if you're in Burbank. I basically
said, like, let's not all be surprised when Kawhi Leonard starts playing really
well and the Clippers follow suit, like the man is the engine of this
team. The last game from I felt like from the second bucket that Kawhi
got against the Jazz that it was just like, okay, good luck everybody
else trying to do anything tonight, because Kawhi looked determined, like this is
what we need to see from Kawhi. He's been fantastic. Over what do
you say that the performance was? Stathan asked. Stathan ask he was Would
you call him the beekeeper? Sure, he is the beekeeper of the Clippers.
Did you wait, did you see the beekeeper? No? I haven't
yet. But isn't Utah to be hype state? I don't know. It
is the bee hype state because everyone is so productive like bees is reason not
very good Kawhi over the last five games twenty seven to six and four with
forty points the other night. He's looking phenomenal. James Harden also looking more
comfortable. Are you surprised over the last five games he's averaging two steals Harden?
Yeah, No, He's an active hands guy. Look, I'm not
gonna I'm not gonna cape for Harden's defense and say that it's like great anything.
But he has at times been, you know, an elite post defender,
and he's very active hands that can swing both ways. You know,
you can like that can turn into a foul prone game where you're really in
trouble. But he did during when he was still in the MVP conversation,
he was you know, top of the league in deflections most of those years.
So this isn't like, this isn't brand new. Is when I'm sortal,
you know, you worry about obviously you worry about the fouls. But
other than that, No, it's great. Yeah, still good, It's
still good. I'm just saying it's like not coming out of nowhere. I
guess sure fair Yeah, nineteen four and eight over these last five games,
Tylu had a great quote about him in justin Russo his substack is really good.
He's using Harden like Lebron, he said, I think using him a
lot like Lebron in Cleveland. Just a great passer at the elbow, lou
said when asked what has made the Clippers offense so potent when Harden is operating
as a ball handler and playmaker, specifically in these elbow sets, he said,
then having Kawhi and PG just working off pinned downs, rip screens and
seeing if the defense messes it up and kind of get those guys shots.
He's been really good at the elbows, and it's true. James Harden also
made fun of Justin Russo for being short. Did you see that exchange?
I did, Yeah, that was good stuff. Justin Rousso handled it well.
But Harden was basically like he can see over people, so he knows
what to make these passes. Commented that Justin Rousso probably couldn't see over those
people and then left, which was great. But the hardened thing, he's
not taking as many shots, but that's good, Like that's gonna. He's
running things so well as the driver of the offense that it's like, let's
keep on this pace. This is wonderful stuff from James Harden and so far.
Yeah, he's also been and I talked about this a little bit with
Adam, but he has been a huge key of Zubots having this insane strategy.
Yeah, we're talking about He's a huge benefit of James handling the ball.
Great pick and roll partner. Zoo talk post game about how much they've
been working on that before every before every game, after every practice. Just
the two of them are running through like their pick and roll coverages, what
they want to do, what they're going for, how to react when the
defense counters. So that is really really encouraging. But yeah, we can
talk about this some more later, but uh, yeah, I'm loving the
stuff from Harden. I think in terms of his shots, I want to
see him be aggressive. I don't want to see him turn down anything,
but to me, obviously should be quiet and Paul George with the Lion's share
of the actual field goal attempts, I'm fine with him being the third or
fourth most, depending on how many looks Norm is kidding where that's a good
call. Yeah, especially if Waite Norm's been playing, and how white Norm's
been playing in a lineup with James Harden specifically, sometimes you gotta ride that
that norm heater. That can happen, but it's great to see the starters
continuing to be really good together. That lineup change came, you know,
a couple of games like whatever, whatever. But we're here now, a
gatting eight and three over the last eleven. So Joseph ryt Ward texts me
kind of a bold take in the middle of the Utah Jazz game. He
thinks the Clippers are going fourteen and six over their next twenty pull up the
schedule. He pull up the schedule by the Clippers. Can we share a
screen on here? Do we figure out how to do that? Yet?
Try? There's a button at the bottom. You're watching this on YouTube or
listening to this. I don't know that we'll cut this out. We you
know, sometimes we're messing around on here. All right, hold on,
got it? Hey, there we go, look at us using technology.
Oh if I ride the normy, I absolutely am. So here we go.
We got the jazz which he counted in this. Okay, including the
jazz game, the Clippers go fourteen and six. So there, I like
it. There, let's look at the so the way I mean, Trailblazers.
I don't want to pencil anything in here. Also, gender Ayton's or
not. Jeremy Grant's out of that game, So there's probably a dumb where
we seeing the losses. Where do you think the six losses can come from?
Here? I'm thinking so, I think I think New Year's Day.
I think January first. We can maybe chalk that as we have no idea
what's going to happen the New Year's Day game. I think that's fair.
It's a weird time. It's an evening game though. Oh that's true evening
game if it was new and I'd say lost for sure. Okay, so
I'm thinking we for sure drop at least one of the suns. We lose
to the Pelican I think we drop one to the Timberwolves. We're playing.
The Timberwolves defense right now is the only half court defense better than the Clippers.
But their stats are like they're shitting on everyone in the half court defense.
It's crazy. Did I say timber Wolves? Yes, Okay, yeah,
we lose to the Timberwolves. I think we lose a revenge game to
the Mavericks. I think we lose to the Boston Celtics. I'm not guaranteeing
any of these. I'm just saying, if this is, if this is,
this is fourteen and six, I'm saying, these are ones that I
could pencil in that I could see a loss in and not in a way
where I'm like pissed about that totally. If the process is good, It's
like it's like we say a lot. If the process is good and we
lose, it's hard to be too upset sometimes, and then I think we
drop one of either the Kings or Warriors game. Yeah, I think the
Bay Area. I think, yeah, that those Wealth or the Pacers or
the Pacers game. I don't know, but that Pacers is going to be
depending how dude, that Pacers game is going to be a really good game,
depending how I like those los. I mean, I don't like those
losses, but I like thinking about where these losses might come from, which
is nice. If we get and none of those, I would be you
know, like I said, none of those, I would be like pissed
about, you know what I mean, Like I you know, getting blown
out. I suppose would be one thing. But a lot of those teams
that I mentioned are quality teams all above the Clippers and the standings. It'd
be understandable, Yes, it would saying it's a foregone conclusion. But yeah,
but I read I first saw it, I was like, I don't
know, fourteen and six. But now that we took us short look at
the schedule, doable, very doable. It's a real important next twenty games
because as good as they've been in this last eleven, still still eleven to
ten, but a lot of good habits being built. So shout out Joseph
I. Ward for the confidence, love the optimism, love the optimus.
But anything else you want to talk about before we break and dive into this.
These two fantastic normal lineup names we have uh and and zoo stretch.
Uh no, no, let's hit him with an AD break. Let's hit
him with an AD break. Someone on Twitter who did not like the last
episode said that they were like, I didn't like the last episode and the
ads were loud for the first time for me, and I was like,
this is why we put the disclaimer in. People make fun of the disclaimer,
but then one day you you made me thank us. You'll thank us
when you don't get tonight. As from listening to ads to out all the
time for the hours that you listen to this podcast, Yeah, so if
that has been your case, go ahead and turn it down. We're gonna
be talking Norman Zoo. They're great stretches of players the Clippers have absolutely needed
coming up. We got ads coming up in three two. What all right?
Welcome back into Clips and Dip your favorite Clippers podcast. It's me Charles
Mockler, or it's me William up the here with Charles Brethren. Adam Oslin
rip. We hope to see him soon. But we're talking about we're talking
about Zoo playing one of the best stretches of his career, as well as
Norm in some of these closing lineups and just playing with the starters in general.
Got some great nicknames for that. Let's start with the Norm stuff,
Chuck, where are we at with Norm? What about Norm? What about
Norm? Uh? So we have to give a shout out to I saw
this on l a Clippers film Twitter first and then they divols that Shannon Moscoso.
I believe, I hope I pronounced that right. Thought of this light
up, which is Norm Powell uh. And then Tarat excuse me out Terrence,
it's Norm Harden pg Kawai Zoo. So Norm of the Core four Norm
Core Norm Core is a great name for this light up, however good However,
Powell Rangers I'm also really on board with. So we know which one
out of Powell Rangers. Uh, but the this lineup has been incredible for
the last ten games. They've only gotten twenty seven minutes together. So it
is some small sample sized theater, but one hundred and twenty three point seven
offensive rating, eighty five defensive rating for a thirty eight point zero net rating.
It's been used in the short bursts. We've seen the spacing, even
when things were still getting figured out, When Harden was first on the team
and Norm was out there with the starters, it was like, oh shit,
okay, there's something's getting churned up here in a good way. This
to me feels like the closest thing we've seen to a Oh this is so
clearly a playoff lineup. This is going to do some damage of the playoffs
in the two one three era. This is like the most Maybe it's because
we were we wanted you know, wingstop so bad or something like that,
but we wanted to see some playoff ready lineups. This is a playoff ready
lineup. This is going to do some damage for the Clippers, it is,
and I'm really excited to see We're gonna talk a little bit more about
him later, but I'm excited to see how his sort of adapts to this,
because we know, the biggest thing with his tenure, while he's established
himself as a starter has been is he in those closing lineups. So I'm
hoping that, you know, with Harden on the floor with him, that
can increase his offense to a point where Tyloo feels that he provides enough value
on that end of the floor that his defense obviously is enough to carry everything
on the other side. But norm has just been so good and this is
the first season that we'll have, hopefully you know, knocking on all the
wood right now, fully healthy with him, which is something else. And
it's also this is just an aside and not to be a wet blanket on
this whole parade, but like, at what point do we start to worry
about the Clippers only playing eight guys? I mean, like eight or nine?
You know, I could see nine once Tice for turns. I mean,
like it's still it is a tight rotation. Is a tight rotation,
not that it isn't necessitated by the talent. But I mean I am just
broadly wondering at what point do we are we concerned about the longevity of that.
I well, I mean, you know me, I will be thinking
about March, so I'm concerned about it right now. No, I think
that is one hundred percent something to think about with this team, because it's
that there are it's a bit of an older team. There was some good
news. I don't know how much this helps, but Brandon Boston Jr.
Is healthy, which is good. He's playing tonight. Maybe he might get
someone. I don't know. You're not wrong. There needs to be some
spelling happening, and maybe they're just waiting to figure stuff out more. But
I think that is a fair thing and worry about yet. But the other
question that it begs, and sorry, then we can get back on track
with what we were actually talking about, positivity. The other question that it
begs is that, Okay, so what is this eight man rotation when one
of or both of Kawhi and Paul George Rout. We haven't had to had
to address that issue so far this season, Goby bro I don't see it
being something that doesn't have to be addressed at some point during the rest of
the season. You slack Kobe in right at the four, you put a
mirror at the three things. It's exactly the same. No, I I
agree. I think these are things. If Adam were here, he would
have a really positive thing to say about the process and how they would get
that figured out. And let's just pretend I believe in it. I'm sorry
saying that. It's a question. You know, I'm asking the hard hitting
questions. All right, But let's get back to this wonderful death lineup that
we have here. Now I'm thinking about who's gonna play these minutes. But
back to the good stuff, man, Let's come back to the good stuffs.
Some more about the Powell Rangers, Uh, the power. It's just
it's good basketball, and I wish The thing that's tough is I don't Terrence
made what two threes last game, which is fantastic given how things have gone
on. Yes, he was two for five, so we're still getting chops
up. People are still giving him that space. This lineup is gonna be
I know this sounds weird. I think it'll be even better weirdly when Terrence
Man starts shooting well. Even though he's not part of this lineup because I
think when the starters, when he starts hitting these things, and then you
have the opposing team trying to play a little more catchup, and then you
bring Normanto this equation, then the Clippers are kind of then I think this
lineup is truly on stop like when this Yeah, putting this team out ahead
to kind of get more of a lead is gonna be cool to see.
I think give too much free endorsement to our buddy justin Russive. But he
also brought up a sat He episode. He crunched the numbers on Terrence's sort
of starts with the Clippers, and apparently this is a regular pattern where through
about the first twenty games of the season he shoots like sub thirty percent.
I believe it's around twenty twenty percent, and then the following sixty two games
he's right around forty percent. So that's you know, like that's where that
average is coming from. So hopefully this is like that. Hopefully this is
a real trend and a true thing that we can sort of depend on.
I have kind of been wondering with Terrence, especially with some of the aggressiveness,
if there aren't still some growing pains with him in this lineup because contextually,
right we look at this Terrence Man was supposed to be in the starting
lineup in October, right, he was supposed to be in the starting lineup
in October. He had an ankle injury only thing that kept him out of
the starting lineup. Then they had to work him back in. Of course
this was pre hardened trade. And then they do that and he's still not
in the starting lineup, and then he later finds himself inserted. And all
I'm saying is that, like the man is forced to take a U turn,
like the guy drives in so many circles. I don't really know exactly
how he's supposed to, you know, have his coordinates right after only a
few games under this new lineup with him in the starting lineup, but does
seem like he's getting it figured out. And as he does that, the
unit is just going to get even more space, Like I can't I mean,
unless you went even smaller, there's no way that you could possibly put
more space out on the floor for the Clippers. And I think defensively,
you know, if Zoo can continue this stretch of play and hopefully we don't
see him with like sort of the accumulated slow down that he sometimes gets gets
a play. This is very I could see this very much as the death
line up very much. That's a great I yeah, the Terrence thing,
he had a quote recently where he was like, I kind of finally feel
back to one hundred percent. So I definitely think there's something there the Zoo
stretch right now because what makes the slight up so nice. Part of it
is that the the front court of Norman Harden is it. You know,
obviously the back defensively back court excuse me, of Norman Harden isn't the best
defensively just with Norm out there. So having Zoo playing this good of defense
is really helping the slide up out. There's a stat floating around on Twitter
that Ivitza Zubots is number one in rim points saved per seventy five minutes in
the entire NBA, which is great. Uh. The other thing that is
nice. One thing, yeah, one thing that I think could be even
better with this is when the team gets a little bit better defensively on the
second effort, because I think sometimes we see Zoo with an insane defensive possession
on the first action or like the first thing right around the rim, and
then he's obviously out of position, because that's what happens in the course of
defending someone you don't you know, you can't cover everything, and then we're
not seeing we're not seeing somebody else either snag the rebound or be there to
stop the second attempt. And I think once the team gets in sync enough
to get to that point, then you're talking about an even better defense.
And I think we were, what like, we're kissing the top five in
the last in the last stretch of games. I believe we're like I only
like six. There's something I don't have the number right in front of me.
I'll pull it up. But uh, you know, I think that
that gets even better whence everybody can kind of get on the same board.
And I think this trust coming from Tylou right having Zoo being closing forty two
minutes the other night, damn completely has to change how other players on the
court trust in him as well, you know what I mean. It's one
thing even if you play with a guy, like if you know that a
coach doesn't trust him to be in closing lineups. You know, when things
get tight, how are you supposed to trust him? I don't know,
Like I mean, that's just how I feel like from a coworker perspective,
you know what I mean? This guy, this guy always drops the ball.
But hey, you and him are going to be on this project.
Big devil coming up, y'all got it, buddy. The Clippers are officially
fifth and defensive rating of one hundred and ten point six. That's fantastic.
Uh so more than kissing it if you catch my drift for that fifth spot
defensive rating, Zoo's numbers making out with it. Zoo's numbers so far the
season with one eight point four defensive rating for the Clippers with Zubot on one
thirteen point two with him off one thirteen point two. Not you know,
a horrendous defensive rating, but one, wait, is a lot better to
see elite. There's a thing opponents also have seen thirty you know, just
just right under thirty one percent of their total field goals attempts covet the rim
against the Clippers, which is the eighth fewest in the league, which is
great. Since the seventeenth however, that's down to twenty eight point eight percent,
which is top five when it comes to just preventing rim attempts in general.
So it sounds like they're kissing the top five in this particular stat They
are kissing the top Is this a new phrase? I don't know if I
like kissing the top five as a phrase, but I think all fine.
I think it may forever unfortunately, but this is so good to see.
We're not like team. The pick and roll defense for this team is peaking.
It's just great to see if if teams aren't gonna feel good going into
the paint, like go ahead, shoot it up, like we have two
elite wing defenders who can defend you out on the paint too, Like the
work that Zoo's putting in down low. Paul George and Kui have had a
bigger defensive responsibility and we've seen them play really well on that end. Yeah,
but they're getting help, thankfully because Zoo's doing so much downlow too,
which is awesome. Like it's all it's starting to coalesce. It's starting to
go up into the right right now for the Clippers defense, and it's good
to see. I hope we get more stuff just on how good this this
Clippers defense has been what more stuff like uiens or you want to see some
more numbers, more film breakdown for people who know more than I do.
That's all we all, it's all we ever hoped for. We need to
be trial for the show. But yeah, these two guys having this start
to the season, even with the the xcame losing streak and the you know,
one game over five hundred and whatever, these guys have been indispensable for
the Clippers. And I this is there's there's not a trade in my head
right now that I think I'm comfortable with with how the Clippers are trending right
now. Not to say that like this, you know, the way we're
playing as of December tenth, five seventeen PM, that I don't think one
will have. But if we keep trending like this, everyone's working really well
together. We're seeing guys understand their jobs, something you talk about a lot,
and it is an issue with this two and three team of like what
is our jobs? Like that was a big issue with Doc and things like
that. But I don't know if there's a trade right now that I would
entertain, maybe to get some more time for a couple extra guys or something
like that. But I don't think. I don't Jeremy Grant, I'm the
cheap maybe the contracts that pushes tents out of a staring line up, though
I don't know it. And I think Terrence has got like I think they
probably want Terrence right. No, but is there a trade you can think
of? Like, isn't that good at donuts? It's that they're overrated.
He's persona non grata anymore. Yeah, he's got to check in when he
with the Voodoo donut guy. Is there a trade you could see, like
I want to see this play out more the slow starts rough, but there's
not a there's not an instant trade that's like there it is that that's what
makes us more of contenders. I don't think people know how I feel about
a Kousma trade. Yeah, I I guess just like some more veteran wing
death. But I don't know what you're PJ. Tucker, like, what
you're really getting that for, you know, like I can think of like
some higher tier guy names. I don't know. It's all kind of big
swiggy. Yeah. I think you gotta wait until the deadline to do anything
like that. And for me. For me, another thing, and I've
said this since he went out, is like it just depends on what the
timeline is for Plumbley as well, because no Plumbley has changed has changed things
a little bit for me. And maybe that doesn't even mean a trade,
but it does mean we are going to need something else roster wise. I
think, in addition to Daniel Tice, you don't think it's Droyd Deadward.
You don't think it's hip Light left the league covered up to the clips.
How old is he? I don't know. I don't know. Let me
look, I did combat that. I don't think Duyd Deadman uh would have
joined the he's thirty four. I would have Bloyd the the G League Clippers
if he didn't have some ink late that he would play for the l A
Clippers, right, Yeah, I mean, let's you just say loves the
game. I like that, But yeah, I don't know. We'll talk
more trade stuff with Adams. He just wanted a free Jim, I just
want to run man, want a couple of T shirts, Jersey want to
Uh, We'll talk more with Adam. I think Adam would probably be on
the page of no trade right now either, or he'd take the gun out
and completely yell about recent trade. Or but yeah, we gotta keep everybody.
We got to keep everybody right now, things are going too well despite
being eleven and ten. Anything else, any other random players you want to
give a shout out to you, Brandon Boston Junior just had a nasty poster.
Dunks returned to the G League, which is cool. Oh, that's
awesome. I don't know if we've talked about this yet on the show,
but I want to give a shout out to Bones. He has not been
playing. Yeah, he has not been playing, and I okay, so
I know that some of his shot selection was an issue in Denver. I
don't know if there was ever like a locker room or personality issue, and
that's like sort of what motivated the trade. But the guy has been a
complete pro, even in the wake of being taken completely out of the rotation
and publicly being stated that he is really no longer in the rotation right one
of the most active guys on the bench. He always seems really engaged with
the games. He's inner like, he's interacting and talking with his teammates all
the time. I know that he's not playing and I know that, you
know, with the hard and trade, where he stands at all in this
rotation is constantly going to be influx, if not nonexistent, But damn it,
I'm I'm just happy with, at least from appearances wise, how it
seems he's been handling this whole thing like a true professional, and it gives
me a lot of hope for what he can look like when he is rightfully.
I think rightfully so return to this lineup. It's just a little bit
weird with the players that we currently have on contract, but man, bones
love you can't wait to see you back on the court, and just love
that you still seem to be given it your all, even though you know
you're kind of you're not in the best of the situations. Yes, totally,
tuk. I second everything you just said. Shout up. My norm
stand account is tweeting right now. Why did we sign here? Why did
God? Why didn't we Vito this train? Dude, I texted the group
chat. I don't think we'll we'll fully go into it, but like I
don't know if we've talked about it early on the show, we've alluded to
it a little bit. When Carl was on these RUSS stands are God damn
dude, Like what are we doing this for? Like I just love that
the accounts talk about like talk about it, like they're involved in the player
interactions, like this isn't what we signed up for when we came here,
Like what the fuck are you dying about? Dude? When we got here?
What we got here? I expected a lot of things. People are
just photo shopping. And here's the thing too, here's I guess we are
gonna talk about a little bit. Here's my thing. Russell Westbrook Fayenal basketball
player, Hall of Fame basketball player, like a man who has done questionable
yes, yes, almost everything you can do at the professional level in the
NBA. RUSS Westbrook is no playing tournament neither sure very true like these this
mentality is so weird. They're just they're just posting photoshops of him on every
team jersey and they're just like, what if he went here? What if
he went to the Suns? What if he went here? What if he
went here? Like get over it, help him get a ring. He's
still playing, He's still playing. He's still playing there like six, we
didn't come here and his field goal percentage like his field goal percentages up,
his point per games like his points per gamer up. He's settling into this
role as I mean, I think the team would have known that he was
able to do that, and I'm sure there were conversations before he signed here
in the summer, like, hey, we have some inkling that we might
be able to get another guy sacrifice that he I'm gonna random call one sec
just damp Will might be being robbed right now over the phone. That's terrifying
chaos here at Clips and Dip. Now, I guess I'm talking to no
one right now. If you're watching this over on YouTube dot com Slash at
Clippers podcast, thank you for watching me as kind of vamp right now while
Will take some mysterious call. We're talking Russell Westbrook stands who don't give a
shit about the Clippers. That's as I think what annoys me the most is
that they don't care about the Clippers, which is kind of the whole point.
And you should care about the Clippers because that's the team that Russell Westbrook
is on. So if the Clippers are playing well, that means that Russell
Westbrook has a better chance at a ring and then maybe you can go outside
or do whatever you're gonna do. Will is back. Did you give did
you give them your social did? What do they need? Is it a
long lost brother? No? I I thought that it was going to be
something important. It wasn't. What was it? It was just about some
medications I have to pick. Well, there you go, shout out the
Hey, another underrated aspect of this Clippers team, the pharmacists. Let's get
take anything you want to say about Russ Stands. I basically just said that
they're stupid and I don't like the rust Stands. I don't care about the
Clippers who are like and like, let's make the Clippers worse so Russ can
get more minutes. Yeah, I don't know, man, man, maybe
just ease up. You know. To break fandom doesn't always have to be
insanity, you know. And I say that as someone who's fandom borders on
insanity. But you know what, I try to keep it in check,
and I try to not talk about the team as though I'm a part of
it or a player, as if you because I'm because I'm not. Hey,
a lot of interest, a lot of interest, but yet to be
part of the team. I did put out they are the Clippers are hiring
a like director of AI and Emerging technologies. Mum, that's why I had
it of the ring for that. Yeah, I'll talk to my head and
I think it's I think it's like two hundred and twenty a year. Just
what if we made the basketball is invisible? It seems like it would help
us. You know, other team throws a pass balls invisible, something to
it, something to it? All right, coming up, we're gonna be
talking the kind of weird back to back that's happening on Monday and Tuesday,
and then oh yeah, we have a fun end of year thing. We're
gonna do what should be a good time. We got ads coming up.
Go ahead and turn it down if they've been too loud for you. Ads
coming up the backpack review with three two one. All right, we are
back talking the Clippers back back to back. We are back talking Clippers back
to back, Blazers tomorrow Kings on Tuesday, Will which one of these are
you more concerned about? What do you mean this serious question about? At
all? Did it take you to come up with this question? So Mason
and Musa are out bar overs Portland, LUSA has some hip sort of which
sucks. Uh, Brandon Bustin junior available? Do we think everyone else plays
them both of these games? Do they kawhi pg keep this thing going?
They're not hurt. If the quote was if they're not hurt, they're gonna
play, then I guess they continue it. I guess they could take a
break. Look what I want to see is I want to see an early
lead and great performance from Kahi Paul George in this Portland game. And then
I want to see the bench do what we do as well as we know
they can do. Yeah, and and maintain and hopefully even build upon a
lead, and we get some sort of they get the appearance for the game.
But I'm I'm hoping that and this is my hope on all of these
games against your Portland's or your Spurs, but that we don't see a lot
of them in the second half. That's on a back on like on a
back to back. I think if you can keep the minutes low, I
think it's doable. I think it's doable. Yeah, yeah, especially so
Portland. DeAndre Ayton was out verse the MAVs with knee soreness. He's questionable
Brogden is questionable with a knee issue. Jeremy Grant is out because he's still
in concussion protocol. I didn't see where he got a concussion, but yikes,
that shit's gotta hurt having had a concussion, not from professional basketball,
it really hurt. But so the Blazers are eleventh in defensive rating, which
kind of blew my mind when I saw that. But with DeAndre Ayton not
there, excuse me. With Jeremy Grant out eight and not one hundred percent,
Brognon not one hundred percent, I'm leaving towards your quasi prediction. I
think we might see some great first half performances from Quie and Peg and then
hopefully we see like Brandon Boston Junior gets back for a little bit, or
like Mirror gets some road or something like that. The King's Game. That's
gonna be a bud I want to see. I want to see, uh,
bones Brandon Terrence if the if the Clippers are up forty, Terrence will
be in. Uh so you said sorry, it was it was bones Brandon
Terrence. Kobe Zoo oh oh man, I don't know that sure that that
is? That's the A five wag you that is. That is certainly a
lineup for Clippers basketball. Kobe Brown looking pretty good at that last little stint.
He's looking pretty good. They called me crazy, Actually, no one
really called me that crazy. I think. Uh. Second game is against
the Kings. We beat them after that that horrible Nuggets loss, which is
funny that game, that Nuggets loss was so bad we somehow didn't even let
the game hype us up. We're getting the Kings. They were on the
second night of a back to back, which I believe we're getting them again
on the second night of a backpack. Yeah, but it's invalidated if we're
also on the second nud of a back to back. No advantage there,
that's true, there's the advantus there. I hate the NBA schedule. So
last time we played, we won points in the paid sixty to forty eight,
which is great, But we also only turned the ball over four times,
which that has to be the fewest amount of time so far this season.
I hope we can continue that. And zoo On Simonis was really nice.
Zoo held them to one of nine shooting, and simonas could not stop
Abaza Zubots. So I think we might see some of that not a rim
protector. I think we see some of that early lead on Zoo stuff,
a little bit if quiet PG if one of them for some reason doesn't have
it going. Yeah, when you're not Claus who will be your friend?
He'll help you carry on, all right, I'll see you later. I
don't even know what that is in reference to what is lean on me?
Oh right, classic Surprised people don't make more jokes based on that song.
Oh. Harrison Barnes also was on Kawhi last game that did not go well
for the Kings, So I hope there's more of that and this King.
We know the starters, or we've seen the starters be very good. They
really only had a little bit of a hiccup just recently. So the Kings
are gonna be looking for a little bit of revenge from this one. John
Jared Fox had forty and they lost last time. So there's gonna be a
there's gonna be the legs I think are weirdly gonna be the most important thing
of this game, depending how these this King's team comes firing out and not
playing yeah and not playing James Hard and Russell Westbrook together, if we do
that we'll probably lose the game. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, we
need to stop tie still does it sometimes and it makes no damn sense.
Maybe this is the time. Maybe this time it works. Are you seeing
two wins out of this? Are we sweeping this back to back? Does
the wind streak go to five? I bet it goes to four. I
don't know if the Clippers go to and oh on these I feel like the
stink from Denver is pretty near gone. Stay from Denver's God would feel good
going unto the game against the Warriors, which they have three and this is
the first two of a three and four nights, which is a little tough.
So you're you're saying, do you think it's Do you think they get
these two wins? Yeah? I think they got it? Hell yeah,
all right there we go probably gonna get it. Play they gotta go what
sixteen and five, sixteen and four, fourteen and six, fourteen and six?
Right right right? They doable, very doable. We're gonna have cap
so that you're just gonna talk about what happened at that game on Clippers Talk.
Adam's job that pays him money, so he takes this one off,
which makes sense. We have so bad about it. We do have a
fun thing to talk about. We've been talking about this give no quarter thing,
uh, where we're gonna like take a quarter and we're all gonna donate
it to ourselves. Each one of us is gonna donate a quarter. Yeah,
every quarter the Clippers lose, yes, which we're up to like eight
twenty five now each So with the holidays it's me I know, but we're
gonna just donate all of it to a charity at the end of the season
on behalf of clips and dips. So if you would like to suggest a
charity for us to donate this too, go ahead and add us at Clippers
Pod real answers only. I guess I'm just gonna caveat that. We're not
gonna give to your venmo. We're not gonna give you your PayPal. Yeah,
we don't support the Dragon Fund. Come on, be real, we
will not support the Dragon fun. We're not going to donate anything to the
Ligmacorp. Okay, but yeah, we're gonna donate. We did Path last
year. When we we used to do stuff with locked own, we would
donate the Path, which is a wonderful organization here in l A will anything
else now wrong? Ubard Center take our money. I haven't. I don't
even know why I'm still giving them checks. My thetns are off the charts.
What's dangerously low? Wait is low? Thetings bad or as high?
Low is bad? Low is bad? I think so good. I don't
know, No, Thetans are bad. All right, We're gonna get into
all of this on Scientology and Dip, which is our other podcast that we
do. Uh will anything you want to send these dedicated, wonderful uh good
Clippers fans? Uh? You know all this this holiday evening? Yeah,
als will start a poll which is better norm core lineup for the Powell Rangers.
Other than that, I mean, look, the Clippers are looking a
lot better. I know, last time we did a full episode, things
were stay, things were still a little down despite a winning Denver. I
think this team is you know, this team, I think deservedly so is
approved team right, and so far, at least in this last stretch of
play, they are in fact proving that they are proving that they are contenders.
Let's just hope that that continues. I see no reason why it can't,
you know, giving health and the way that things are starting to work
out from both an on core perspective from the rotation perspective, and yeah,
let's let's hope that this. In these next couple of games, we see
the offense continue to evolve, we see less of the ball sticking ISO hero
ball stuff, and this team continues to look more more congealed. Yes,
that's the word I'm looking for, not congealed. Yeah, yeah, cozy.
Any any C word you want to use for being really close together and
comfortable. I guess kissing. Yeah there. We hope they're kissing the top
five soon. If they go fourteen and six, they'll be kissing the top
five. I hate that. So we're gonna do a tripod. Adam is
going to be better at some point. He had fun the other day.
We hope that's okay for him. I had a bunch of ice cream today.
Probably we're gonna do a full trypod. Hopefully sometime this week. We'll
have the double dips for you tomorrow and Tuesday. Reviews. Help us out.
Hit us up with a review of O on iTunes, and yeah,
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Let's know what you want to let us know what you want to see
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yeah, we know what they don't like. Anyway, here's everyone have a
wonderful evening. Uh, the clippers are, they're doing the right things.
We'll be back with you soon. At as always, let's go clips