Time for a postgame Look, it's your La Clippers. This is Clippers Locker
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Breaking down today's action with the pre and post game voice. If you're La
Clippers, they're locking in every game every night, Adam Osland, Well,
unfortunately everything's bigger in Texas and Dallas, including losses. As the Clippers fall
one to one twenty six to Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, and they've dropped
their last four ball games. Welcome into your postgame show. This is Clippers
Locker Room. I'm at a Oslin still to come. Your final box score,
it'll be fun to look at and phone calls coming up on m five
to seventy LA Sports, we'll have Clippers Talk eight sixty six nine eight seven
two five seventy. But first let's get back out to your radio voice of
the Clippers in Carlo Jimenez. Carlo, you look at the final score,
it's hard to believe this clip. First team was locked in early, had
a twelve point lead, but that turnaround at the end of the first quarter
where they didn't close out that quarter. It was a big momentum swing.
Gotta think it it contributed to this big loss. Hey, Kyrie Irving had
an eight zero run by himself and downa was about all she wrote. The
Dallas Mavericks didn't look back from a six point stretch. They turned a ten
point deficit into a from a six minute stretch. They turned a ten point
deficit into a twenty point lead, and the Clippers could just never really get
closer until late in that fourth quarter. And Adam, you look at this
game and Luka Doncics does Luka Doncics things against this Clipper squad. But it's
not all negative. They did a better job on the offensive glass. The
Mavericks just had three offensive rebounds in that second half until garbage time when they
got a couple more. And the Clippers only turned it over tonight fourteen times,
which you'll take ty los as they try to sit around twelve or thirteen.
Just fourteen turnovers. There's some things to take away. The offense got
going one twenty six, that's a season high. You're trending in the right
direction. But it's just Luka Doncic. At the end of the day,
that's the difference in this one, forty four points. He missed four shots
six of nine shooting from the outside as well. He's been a Clipper killer
since he entered the league and came to the States. It is what it
is. But this Clippers team really searching for answers right now. We talked
about it in the first half. You know, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden,
great two man game to start things off, but Paul George and Russell
Westbrook, I believe combined to start zero for eight or something like that.
How do you get all the guys pointed in the same direction and staying in
rhythm together with this big four, It's been a struggle so far. PG
finished three of twelve, just eight points. Obviously they'll regroup, but interested
to hear what the messages postgame from coach lou Just how do you think this
team's gonna respond? Carlo. They have to continue to play with the defensive
intensity they play in the first corner, that one went away after the lead
was taken by Irving, and that second unit gave up those quick a points.
But Adam, there was a real intensity on the defensive end. In
those first eight minutes, the Mavericks were struggling from the field, The Clippers
were getting rebounded, was one done trips and it seemed to just all fizzle
when they took that first punch ended up being a knockout with all George one
for seven, sorry, Adam, a one more thing, twenty nine percent
from the three point line. That three point shooting did not come back for
the Clippers. Oh, it's a great point. They've been struggling from the
outside. We've been waiting to see when they'll be due maybe a little home
cooking. As they returned back to Crypto dot com arena, we'll hear what
ails them tiptime against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday is at twelve thirty. Well
of your pregame show starting at eleven thirty, Carlo. Even in a ballgame
like this, a blowout, the great shine through anyways you did in this
one great call by you, my friends. We'll talk to you on s
Thank you so much, Adam. As no Eagle says, the best thing
about the NBA is you play another one in two days. See a Sunday
in person. Clippers Grizzlies. Let's get a win. Huh. Let's go
Clippers looking to bounce back. They've lost four straight. They lose one forty
four to one twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks. More postgame coming up
right here on the Los Angeles Clippers Audio Network. Well, the n Season
Tournament not kind to the Clippers in their first experience. They lose one four
to one to twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks and Luka Doncic, who
finished right about his average at least against the Clippers. He had forty four.
Clippers were down by as many as thirty two in that third quarter,
with a final one forty four to one twenty six. Welcome back into your
Clippers locker room postgame show. I'm at a Moslin Get to me at follow
Adam a on Twitter on X Coming up, we will have Clippers talk on
a M five to seventy LA Sports eight sixty six ninety seven two eight sixty
six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number. I guess I'll
go over this final box score. Clippers ended up shooting a respectable forty nine
percent from the field, but a couple of inconsequential quarters and inconsequential second half.
I mentioned the Clippers being down by thirty plus in that third quarter.
Yeah, they scored thirty eight in the third. Cool story bro, they
also gave up thirty eight points. They scored thirty seven in the fourth,
they gave up twenty nine. I commend the guys off the bench. Terrence
Man got a lot of run at the end of this game. I think
that was intentional to get him back into a rhythm, and you could see
it out there. That was big. But guys like a mere Coffee,
Kobe Brown Bones, Highland Mussa Diabate, they played hard. They had it
to within fourteen with about five minutes left in a game where the Clippers were
down thirty two. Tip of the cap to them for continuing to play the
right way, bringing energy and fighting and battling out there, regardless of what
you thought. The game was put away already in the refrigerator, whatever you
want to say, those guys played the right way. Can't say that for
a lot of the rest of the team right now, and look, growing
pains, it's happening right before our eyes. Just the third game with James
Harden. But I don't think anyone expected them to get off to this brutal
of a start to this era of Clippers basketball. Harden finished playing twenty nine
minutes fourteen points, had all of those in the first quarter. Again,
he and Kawhi Leonard combined for twenty six points of the Clippers thirty three in
the first. They led by twelve early, and they let go of it,
and like Carlo Amena said, once they got punched in the mouth,
let's see how my tyson line. They didn't have a plan. Kyrie Irvings
started knocking down three pointers, had his own eight to zero run. Clippers
only led by three heading into the second, and then they got blitzed,
ambushed. They lost the second quarter forty seven to eighteen. It was just
Luca. It was lively at times with hustle plays, but he and Kyrie
Irving. Luka Dons and Kyrie Irving, who had gotten off to a slow
start so far this season, those guys combined to shoot eleven of eighteen from
three. The Mavericks, best three point shooting team in the league so far
this season, went nineteen to forty two. As a team that's forty five
percent from the outside Kyrie and Luca had eleven of their nineteen three pointers,
and the Clippers continue to miss open looks, good looks. They're eight of
twenty seven from three and just have no rhythm out there. As good as
Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were in the first quarter, well Russe and Paul
George, they couldn't get anything to go, didn't take many shots, timing,
rhythm was off. How do you keep all four of your big four
involved in rhythm? It's tough. It's solving one side of the Rubik's cube
and then the other side is now showing missmash of colors and you just can't
get everything aligned. That's what the Clippers are dealing with right now. They
lose one forty four to one twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks. Was
this their final? Breakler Network side Zach No Zach Olcrdier, producer. We'll
do a little one on one later. Clippers have dropped to three and five
now in the season. More postgame next right here on the Los Angeles Clippers
Audio Network. Clippers lose one forty four to one twenty six in Dallas to
the Mavericks, and it really wasn't even that close. Welcome back into your
post game show. I'm Adam Oslin. Coming up on AM five seventy LA
Sports. We will have Clippers Talk. Expect it to be a lively one
eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy eight six six, nine
eight seven two five seventy. Get to me on Twitter on x AT follow
out of a Clippers next contest coming up back home on Sunday against US struggling
Memphis Grizzlies team still without John Morant. Have to find a way to get
a victory there. We're looking for answers. I got a few for coming
up on Clippers Talk outside of Los Angeles. We will leave you until eleven
thirty. We'll have your pregame show then on Sunday in LA. Don't go
anywhere. It's Clippers Talk next. Hello Clippers fans, if you're gonna go
for it, if that's what you want to do, you do. Welcome
the Clippers Talk, your first chance to react to all the action of Clippers
basketball. To hear every episode. Subscribe to Clippers Talk on iHeartRadio or wherever
you podcast. Hen me right now, your host on your home for the
Clippers. They were in attack mode. Adam Astley well once again, luc
at the dawn, I want to pay my respects. Put out a hit
on the Clippers, and the hits keep coming. They drop four straight.
They're zero to three with James harden As they lose big in doubtless one forty
four to one twenty six as Luka Nancez has forty four goes seventeen of twenty
one from the field, six of nine from the outside. The Clippers were
down by as many as thirty two. The starters were pulled basically by the
end of the third quarter, and your Los Angeles Clippers are three and five.
Welcome into Clippers Talk. I'm at a Moslin eight six six nine eight
seven two five seventy eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy is the
phone number coming up. We got postgame audio from coach Lou we'll hear from
Will Updyke of Clips and DIP. But I want to address a few things
off top something I talked about yesterday on C and D Clips and DIP.
I had some concerning thoughts after Wednesday, and I couldn't sleep after that loss
to the Brooklyn Nets. But the Clippers had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter,
and guys just looked out a sink out of sorts, disjointed the offense,
even though they scored one hundred and twenty six. Come on, what
are we talking about? That second half was meaningless basketball, not for some
of the guys out there trying to earn minutes. No no disrespect to them,
but the game was already out of reach when it was your top five
versus their top five, and the Clippers had an eighteen points second quarter,
had two points midway through the second quarter and got out scored forty seven to
eighteen, and were down twenty six at the half. Game was just about
over. Then. You never know what the Clippers. They've had tremendous historic
comebacks, but not to be against Luca Nacis tonight. But the one thing
that kept me up late at night, the terrifying thought I had was just
how do you keep all four guys in rhythm? And we saw it in
the first quarter play out. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were cooking, but
Russell Westbrook and James Harden, or excuse me, Russell Westbrook and Paul George
weren't getting chopped up. They combined to go z five in that first quarter,
when Kawhi and James Harden combined for twenty six points and looked great,
and the Clippers were up twelve, Well, what about the other guys that
aren't touching the basketball? How do they stay in rhythm? Because you're gonna
need them eventually? You could say, oh, Kawhi and James Harden,
that's enough, they can just take over. The next three quarters too unlikely.
There's gonna be lowells, and they had one. First half of the
second quarter. Clippers looked like a mess out there. You gotta be honest,
that's what they look like. And it really started the end of the
first I'm still waiting because I thought I heard it media Day and I could
be wrong about this, but I thought I heard that they were gonna stagger
Kawhi and Paul George and always have one of them on the court at all
times. And we're eight games in and it hasn't happened. And at the
end of the first quarter, the lineup was Russ Bones, Norman Powell,
Terrence Man, and PJ. Tucker. They got blitzed. Kyrie Irvings started
knocking down three after three went on his own eight to zero run, and
what was a twelve point lead was just three heading into the second and the
second quarter was just a disaster. Paul George couldn't find a shot. I
believe at the half he had still yeah, gone scoreless, zero five from
the field. At the half. Russell was one of six. So while
you had Kawhi and James Harden hot early, what about the two other guys?
How do they stay in the flow of the game. One of my
concerns is, I've never seen a big four like this in NBA history.
And if somebody wants to throw out a team that had a big four like
this, please eight six, six, nine, eight seven two five to
seventy. But I've never seen a big four where all of them were so
dependent to have the ball in their hands. Paul George can play off ball
pretty darn well. But if you're talking about maximizing the talent here and getting
the most out of these guys, is James Harden playing off ball the best
version of James Harden. No, same with Paul George, same with Kawhi
Leonard, with Russell Westbrook, he doesn't offer much off ball. This isn't
something like with the Golden State Warriors, where you have four guys with their
own particular set of skills. Steph can play off ball, run around,
backcut, come off of screens, catch and shoot. He can also playmake
assist to others. Kevin Durant was a catch and shoot guy at times on
Golden State they had an embarrassment of riches, but he could also iso,
go one on one, defend multiple positions, rebound, find other ways to
contribute. Draymond Greed didn't want to shoot. He could bring the ball up
the four at times, set great screens, get offensive rebounds, make hustle,
plays guard one through five on the other ends. And Klay Thompson,
probably the greatest catch and shoot player ever, doesn't want to dribble. I
think when he had that sixty point game, he had eleven dribbles. So
that big four had guys that could do other things, and you could still
get guys playing at an elite level when the ball's not in their hands,
they're still finding other ways. I don't know if that's the case for this
Clipper's Big four and starting aller and three with James Harden, it seems to
not be the case. So what do you do? How do you fix
this? I think it starts with something I was preaching all summer and talking
about before and after they brought in James Harden. I don't know if he
and Russell Westbrook can both be in your starting backcourt. I don't know how
do you get the best out of both of them starting there when they both
need to be on ball to bring out the best in them. How do
you deal with that tug of war? Seems like one of them should be
coming off the bench, and then they can be the focal point of a
second unit, and then you can get back to maximizing their talents there.
I'd like to see more James Kawhi and Paul George on the floor together,
just those three next to a combination of Terrence Man, Big Zoo, whoever
else. I know. Russ has sacrificed a lot for this team, including
only making four million this season. They got him on a very team friendly
contract. He's been doing the little things, He's been doing what he has
been asked. I just don't know how you feature him and the best version
of him next to James Harden. Same goes the other way. How is
the best version of James Harden playing off ball. You know what he said
postgame after the loss on Wednesday, Because everybody's been focused in on his catch
and shoot numbers on threes last season, shooting forty one percent on catching shoot
threes. See, he can do it. He took one point eight per
game. He can do it well. Apparently it's still weird to him.
He literally said it's weird. He's not used to it. That's what you
said postgame after the Nets loss. So maybe he can do it. That
doesn't mean it's what he's great at, or what he's most comfortable with,
or how you're going to be able to maximize who he's been and why he's
been a Hall of famer, Why he's going to be a Hall of Famer.
I don't know. Just seems like some of these rotations and lineups,
something's got to be done. I love what coach Lou did in the second
half. Started Terrence Mann. Vita Zubats has been bad to start off this
season. It's been a carryover of that playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.
And you know, I'm a big big Zoo guy. He's been great for
this team. He's been a bargain. He is sacrificed, but I don't
know. He's in a funk and he's going through a rough patch at a
very tough time. Because they don't have Mason Plumley. They're right back where
they were to start off last season without a true backup big. We know
how that went. PJ Tucker, he got some run tonight. They've been
trying him. I will play small him. Terrence man Kawhi, Paul George,
James Harden out there with certain teams. I think it can work,
but some of the three guard lineup stuff, and I know they're trying to
get guys minutes and it's not easy. You got bones, you got Norman
Powell. How do you get everyone involved? But that's my point. They're
trying so hard to get everyone involved, to get everyone their minutes, and
it's just not working right now. So all this talk about guys are open
to sacrificing, it may have to start soon. I know it's just three
games so far with James Harden, but they're three and five and teams like
Dallas are starting to already pull away. In the West. Teams are setting
themselves apart. Don't tell me there's seventy four more games left, because it's
not true. And I'll tell you why they don't have seventy four more games
left where Kawhi, Paul, George Russ, and James Harden are all going
to be healthy. They may have forty more fifty more for Lucky. Just
going off track record recent history, there's not as much time as you think.
So yeah, I'm going with a sense of urgency tonight here on clip
talk. I want to see them make some moves quickly here and coach Leu,
to his credit, did in the second half. We'll see you what's
yet to come. But if one of the big four have to come off
the bench, all right, then they're sacrificing. If they're happy to do
whatever it takes to win. I think that might be the move because right
now it's not working. The rotations aren't working, the stuff they're tinkering with
is not working. And while Dallas is very good, I still don't know
how they lost that game to a Brooklyn Nets team missing half their guys.
You would think talent alone would overcome a lack of chemistry, continuity. It
has been strange to watch so far. It's just a week and this team
was looking really good. But even in the loss of the Lakers, down
many men themselves because it was right after the trade. I liked the way
they were playing. They competed, but it sure looked like Carlo brought it
up once they got punching them out tonight. That was it had two points
midway through the second quarter. Just no flow, no harmony, no cohesive
units out there, and something's got to be done. I don't know if
you can take a ten game sample size or a fifteen game sample size right
now and say, hey, give us more time. We'll figure it out.
I amount of time in this segment coming up next, we'll get your
phone calls eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy eight six six nine
eight seven two five seventy. I mean, James Harden said it after last
game, well, yeah, it's a process, but we want to win
while going through this learning curve. They have the talent to do so.
Didn't take the Brooklyn Nets long, but they didn't have four guys that they
were trying to feed. They had three. And I think there's too much
crossover right now with skill sets, especially in the starting lineup. We'll see
that's where I'm coming from right now. More Clippers stock next here on five
seventy LS sports, LA Clippers basketball is odd. The two one three era
continues. You're listening to the LA Clippers on the LA Clippers Audio Network favorite
song in the last year, I wish I knew what was going on with
the Clippers. They traded defense and rebounding for more offense, and the offense
hasn't been more yet. They haven't been able to lean into it yet to
make up for being a worse defensive and worst rebounding team out there. They
lose tonight one forty four to one twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks.
All right, let's start with you know what, Tejus in Walnut, you're
on Clipper stock without a mawsm what's up, tagous hey, Adam? Uh,
you know, I agree with everything you were just saying, uh to
kind of what you were saying about the big four and the crossover and the
talent. To further that point, I was thinking of another big four like
the Celtics with Rondo, rey Aalen KG and Paul Pierce. Hey, guess
what, Rondo did not care about scoring at all. Yeah, the Clippers
don't have a guy like that. Yeah, And they all had their own
kind of role. Ray Allen was a spot up shooter, KG didn't you
know? He was a power forward and Paul Pierce was the main score.
But you know, they all had their role in here. Like you said,
a lot of the talents crossing over and redundant. Yeah, the redundancy
department has reared his ugly head with the Clippers right now. And it's not
just with the starters. You look at Bones with norm similar similar skill sets.
All right, who's going to stand out? Who's going to be the
gritty, tough guy. I know Terrence Man does some of it, but
it can't just be him doing the dirty work, especially without Big Plumb right
now. No, I agree. You know what's funny, it's a little
food for thought. When Kyrie came last year and he was traded to the
Dallas, they struggled like crazy and they didn't even make the playoffs. And
now they look like a different team. So we don't have that luxury.
But when I looked at the first quarter at him, it was kind of
weird because I know Harden and Kawhi were in rhythm, but I also thought
Paul George was in rhythm. It's just he didn't hit those open shots,
but he was getting the wide to open and if he knocked some of those
shots, maybe we're saying he was also in rhythm. But he just missed
a lot of open shots in that first quarter, and then it just kind
of manifested into a lot of new shots later on. But I don't know
if you saw that as well. The only person that was kind of out
of the mix was Russ in that first quarter for the first four or five
minutes, and then he got subbed out. The problem is when guys know
they're only getting a handful of shots compared to what they used to get,
or they're down five shots a game compared to what they used to get,
it can make you press, oh, I gotta hit this one. If
I'm gonna get close to my average, I better be great tonight. I'd
better be really efficient because I'm not getting eighteen shots. I'm getting thirteen.
Paul George finished three or twelve. And you know, it's just guys playing
new roles and they aren't the roles that brought them to this point that made
them Hall of famers. Okay, so you're asking them to do things that
are out of the ordinary. No, I know, we're some Pattiko.
We're on the same page here. I like what you brought up with Kyrie
Irving, by the way, and now things are working out. I do
want to make this point. It's not just that they brought in James Harden.
They brought in James Harden who didn't have a training camp, who didn't
have a preseason, who didn't have a regular season. He didn't have any
of that, he didn't have any of that ramp up process. He's just
literally playing his third game since last May. That makes things even tougher,
It makes it even more of a unique situation. And while he was really
good in that first quarter, still had a couple of really bad turnovers and
the pieces just aren't fitting right now. Appreciate the phone calls, Agis and
the knowledge. Let's go to Javier and the Hobber Heights hobby Air. What's
up? It was so bad? I'm thank you were taking my car again.
You guys were talking about it's only three games. But you know what,
there's no excuse for this. They're not losing to Phoenix, They're not
losing to Denver. They're not loosening to Boston. So this excuse like alls
on the game now that SBS they lost, They were losing by thirty in
the second quarter at them. I know it. I was listening on the
radio, I was watching the ball game. I understand they had an eighteen
point second quarter, but it wasn't even that they had two points through the
first half of that second quarter. They got beat. They got outscored by
twenty one points in a quarter. Wait more than that, Uh nuts,
it was more. It was more than a half. It's a type of
number that's almost hard to do, forty seven to eighteen to be outscored like
that in a quarter, like the amount of things that have to go wrong
like it would be it's I mean, to lose a quarter by twenty nine
points is just it's remarkably extraordinarily bad. Yeah, and you were just talking
about earlier about the Golden State. Yeah, the Golden State team. But
you know what, you know the difference from that team and the Clippers.
They have a really good coaching staff. Honestly, after tyleru who who's assistant
Kassel who's the other? I mean, they need a better coaching staff.
Adam. I mean it just happened game after game, just like last year.
There's no he doesn't adjust this Titan help. It sure does in the
playoffs in a playoff series, like he maximized their talent against Phoenix, the
guys they had available, and he was great in twenty twenty one. I
appreciate the phone call. I got too many to get you here, Javier.
He has a proclivity to go small ever since we thought, oh wing
stop. He wants a bunch of interchangeable sixty eight guys, because that's what
we saw in the twenty twenty one playoff run. Apparently that's not what he
wants as an affinity for guards. He has said as much. I don't
know. They're getting cooked on the defensive end. They're getting cooked on the
boards when they're playing small. That's just what I see out there. And
maybe one of these guys, these young guys with Musa and Kobe Brown getting
minutes and being successful out there, maybe they get a bigger opportunity moving forward.
Because I was hoping a mere coffee after the trade, oh forward,
consolidation, Marcus Roco, But Toomer gone, you have to do something well,
A mere Coffee is a wing. Maybe he'll play more now. He's
given the Clippers great games in the past, an entire month where he was
the best player in January of twenty twenty two, a game winner against Philly
in a big comeback. I don't know how he's just disappeared completely out of
the rotation. I get he didn't shoot well and the amount of minutes he
got last year weren't a lot. It was up and down. But I
believe in that guy. He brings things other than just scoring, and I
think they need some of that. Right now. Let's go to Sean in
Inglewood. Sean, what's up here on clipperstoffer that I'm awestin all right,
my man Adam, basically to mirror some of the things that you said,
but also to get my take on it. I have to say, first
off, as you know, I really didn't want to trade. However,
this we have him at this time, especially for the next five or ten
games. Russ needs to start and James needs to come off the bench.
They have to get Russ and George active. George looks like he was about
to have the season of his life. I know it. He started out
so intense so intense, and now he's looking like I don't know what to
do with myself. So we have to migrade James and to this production and
to this offense, not just have him come and didn't hope everybody assimilates with
him. And that's one of the bigger problems. As you touched on,
and as I've been touching on, and now you're finally starting to believe me,
six six five does not work in the in the front court with one
big man. You have to have more big Now sixty seven could work,
Sean, what's happening now is we're getting guys that are six to three all
over the place. That's the difference. Yeah, when you're playing Bones Highland,
Terrence Man and Norman Powell out there, that's the difference. It was
working back when they actually had guys that were six seven or six eight.
Roco rebounded, but Toom rebounded. The problem is they went from wink Stop
to Olive Garden as well. William Updyke would say, now, unless your
name is Montres Harrow or Draymond Green, you have no business sixty seven or
six six playing power forward in the NBA because you will get worn down and
it show in the rebound especially in the second half. How about Aaron Gordon
on a championship winning team last year, did he have a business being out
there for the Denver Nuggets. So that's what I thought, all right,
uh hay six six nine eight seven two five seventy. Look, you can
have your own opinions, but the fact is the league is going small.
It's not just the Clippers out there and the team that won the championship does
it. Multiple teams that have won championships recently have done it. We're talking
about just not going and playing three or four guards out there. You can
play wings, you can get by that way. Collectively rebounding. Kawhi Leonard
is a great rebounder. Paul George was awesome in that playoff run rebounding when
they need him to play big, but too many smalls. It doesn't make
sense to me. I don't get it. I thought coach lou Love winks
guess not. Didn't realize itun till now, well on the last season.
Really all right, quick time out here eight sixty six nine eight seven two
five seventy eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number?
Well, here from coach lou coming up. Clippers dropped four straight,
three straight now with James Harden, and I'm not putting it on James.
I'm not. There was gonna be an adjustment period. But the offense,
as chef Mockler said recently, looks broken, even though they got off to
a good start, but then the second quarter came. There are so many
moving parts in undefined roles. It's just a moving target right now. For
the Clippers to settle in on any rotations. It's whack a mole, saw
one thing another, leaks springs up in the in the boat. I'm not
saying it's sinking. There's seventy four games left. There's time to figure it
out. But I think it's okay to still have urgency early in the season.
Most championship teams all get off to hot starts. I told you that
before the year started. I'm at a Maslin and this is Clippers stock.
You're on a five seven LA Sports. La Clippers basketball is odd. The
two one three era continues. You're listening to the LA Clippers on the LA
Clippers Audio Network. Spirited night here on Clippers Talk. I'm here for it.
I like it. Because people care, because they're passionate about this team,
because what they think was promised to them has yet to come to fruition
that night of the earthquake in twenty nineteen, when they brought in Kawhi,
when they brought in Paul George. They've had an extraordinarily bad luck, but
they haven't won it all, and they're still striving to win it all.
That is the point of bringing in James Harden eight six six nine eight seven
two five seventy eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy. Clippers lose
big in Big D final score one forty four to one twenty six to Luka
Doncics and the Mavericks. I'll say this, if there's ever a silver lining,
it's that Kawhi Leonard still is moving great, looks great. Had twenty
six points in twenty nine minutes, eight of fifteen. Shooting started hot like
it was playoff. Kawhi, the game got away from him when he was
taken out, and then that second quarter happened, which needs to stop these
giant lulls where I can't understand for the life of me, why one of
Kawhi or Paul George aren't out there on the court at all times, or
at least two of their big four with Russ and James Harden two. How
do they not have two of those guys out there. I know they're trying
to figure things out. I know it's different now with James. You have
to see some lineups. It could be one step back before two or three
steps forward. That has to be the hope right now, Jose, I'm
Southgate, what's up here on Clipperstoper that I'm Aasen what's up at them?
All right? So, yes, no, we'll want to be on a
winning street, now a losing street. It's all about the LARRYO b And
I did find the strange that Harden started with a team in at a starter,
but you know what, I'm looking at it. And if you're tight,
Lou, everybody should be on the same page now, all right,
sacrifice it should be way easier to make now, all right. So,
and they're only eight games in. I know you say, well, forty
games left. At the end of the day. I know Westbrook and Harden
are going to be there, so we better get used to it now.
We don't know how many games they have with the four intact fully healthy.
No, yes, yeah, but we at least have we at least have
these games coming up. We at least have, like you said, Adam,
thirty games, right, and Tyleru wants to least ten to fifteen games.
All right, so we're gonna get I'm looking I wanted the freeze.
Looks at the schedule right now, I'm all right, we're about to some
good wins. We're about to some good wins because we lost the ones that
we should have win. But back to my point, Adam, I like
where we're at. I know, I like I said, I want to
be on the winning stream. But at the end of the day, we're
at a point where everyone should be humble. Now and I'm not gonna call
it a garbage time, but Tyleru, with the sacrifices that are gonna have
to be made, the other players are gonna be called up. And the
other players are the players that just made the head coach put their starters back
game with how much left. So it's like it's there, Adam, it's
there. It's gonna be there for Tyleru. Let's go play parts. No,
you're right, the backups balled out in that fourth quarter. They made
Dallas and Jason Kidd have to think about it and reinsert Luka Doncic. That's
amazing to me. That's impressive and they deserve all the love for doing that.
Bringing the game down to fourteen with about five minutes left. They played
hard. They didn't worry about how many points they were down, just took
it possession by possession and look like these guys that haven't been on the court
much, that haven't played much, they came together quickly. They looked like
they had continuity out there. The backups. I'm talking about Moosa Bones,
Terrence Man who just came back last game, a Mere Coffee, and Kobe
Brown. Those guys played together. I want to see the stars do it.
I want to see guys not worry about scoring at all. I think
it's gonna happen. We knew it would take time. We didn't know it
would be like this though, Harold in North Hollywood, you're on Clippers stack
with that of Mawson. Harold, I may have fall asleep. I'd like
to go to coach lou right now. Might produce for producer left me After
the Clippers fall one twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks. I just keep
going back to, how do you keep all those guys happy, involved and
in rhythm at the same time when they all do their best work with the
ball in their hands. This isn't Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat sacrificing next
to Dwayne Wade and Lebron James because hey, he could just rebound play defense
offers a ton while not scoring. I'm not saying Kawhi and Paul George aren't
great defenders. They are, but they're all so your superstars, your best
two scores. It doesn't make sense for them to have to sacrifice as much.
I'm looking at Russ, I'm looking at Harden. I know Harden just
got here, but something's gonna have to change. And I Viza Zubats,
by the way, who I called out last show, wasn't much better tonight.
I don't know what is happening with Big su. I could not be
more disappointed. And maybe he's hurt, maybe he's banged up, we don't
know. He's a tough guy in Iron Man. He always wants to play.
Just doesn't look right. Norman Powell awful ball game. He was a
minus thirty five and eleven minutes and a couple turnovers forcing it. I he
and bones Hyland to me, I don't know, are you gonna divvy up
those minutes? They're both similar players. Just see who's hot that night.
Last season, we went through a ton of not enough to find roles.
You got all these guards, Luke Canar, John Wall, Reggie Jackson.
Where are their differences? How can you use those guys and their individual special
talents to help this team? No one when to use them, no one
want to plug them in. So they just kind of threw them all out
there. It was a mess. They were awful defensively. Norm was in
there too, And now they're scrambling and trying to figure it out on the
fly again. When coming into this season, the regular season is gonna be
different. They're gonna take it more seriously. And now it's back to,
oh, you gotta figure it out, give it ten games, give it
fifteen games. And I know, and you knew some of that was going
to happen because they brought in James Harden. But what I thought was,
Oh, there's still enough talent there even while they're figuring things out, They're
gonna win games. Nope, O went through James Harden. They've lost their
last four. Memphis is all of a sudden looking like an early season must
win, and I hate saying must wins, but that's one. They got
to have more clipperstoc next. Will Updike will be here from Clips and Day
if you're listening to am FI seventy LA sports, Clippers lose one to one
twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks and it feels like there's an identity crisis
going on or a crisis of faith with Clipper Nation and this team and the
way they're constructed in the imbalanced roster. Hey, welcome back into Clippers Talk.
I'm outa monselind eight sixty six ninety seven two five seventy eight sixty six
ninety eight seven two five seventy. We'll hear from coach Lou, but I
do want to get to Will Updyke first, who's joining us from C and
D Clips and Dip podcast On a night like this, Hey, Chuck has
had to wear some tough losses on this show. Will it was your turn
tonight. Thanks for doing it. Yeah, absolutely, my pleasure. It's
normally a tradition you bring me on for a garbage game or a craft loss.
Oh well you can start that up again, apparently. H what are
you most contract What are you most disappointed in right now with this group?
Because I know you weren't on the C and D episode yesterday with me and
Chuck, but I just kind of laid out that I got real concerns about
the roster construction. With having four guys that are at their best when the
ball is in their hands. It's not like any other Big four that I
think we've seen. Yeah, I think that there is definitely issues in the
raw your construction. I think that that is one of those problems that just
with the sheer amount of talent that to me feels overcomeable just with some of
just with some changes in the rotations. Like, I think there are ways
to optimize that obviously. You know, the loss of Plumblee is huge.
They're gonna have to address that right away. They're gonna have to figure that
out. You know, that was an unforeseen circumstance, but that is gonna
have to be addressed like immediately. I don't know how they can can continue
without, you know, a true backup center. But I think the thing
that has got to be most troubling to watch the Clippers lose four straight,
especially the way they've lost this last three, is like there is something rotten
at the core of this team. This team feels to me like they do
not want to win. And we keep saying the same things every game,
every loss, every season. Oh, what's their identity. Oh, they're
gonna find out their identity. Oh something was born out of this. The
players come back and they say, we're gonna approach the regular season more seriously.
We're gonna do this, We're gonna do that. We're gonna play every
night like it matters. And then they've dropped to and then we hear Paul
George that back, and it's just it feels to me again and again and
again like this team does not really want to win. They do not really
want it. You don't get that many points, you don't get almost get
a one fifty dropped on you. If you want to win, you don't
almost come back in the fourth quarter with half a quarter left and the starters
still don't come in because you know that they don't want it bad enough that
they're not going to get over that hump. You've got to use your second
and third stringers to have even a little bit of spark of energy. Well,
I'll say this, there have been a lot of setbacks and restarts,
and it just feels like since Kawi towards acl there's been zero continuity consistency out
there basically, and it always comes down to them just having to figure out
who's available that night, how are we gonna play this night, where's the
foundation that you fall back on. And it's not like they haven't had great
wins the past couple of seasons and they haven't had moments where they have you
believing again. But right now I know Clipper Nation is down, and so
is Paul George. The last three games now with James Harden fourteen points per
game, shooting twenty seven percent from the field, seventeen percent from three,
been a minus twenty eight. That was from Joey Lynn on X. But
to me what was alarming was, Okay, great, Kawhi Leonard and James
Harden have it going in the first quarter and Paul George and Russell Westbrook combined
to go zero for five. They have no rhythm. How do you balance
that? How do you figure that type of thing out? As Paul George
finished three of twelve, and I know Russ had some inconsequential layups in the
third quarter. It looks a lot prettier now five of eleven with fourteen.
But Paul George is too important to this team and was getting off at such
a great start. I gotta think there's a connection there the last three games
with how bad he's been playing, and it seems to be since they brought
in James Harden. I'm not saying it's his fault. I'm just saying this
transitional period is really taking his toll on Paul makes like I have to be
honest with you, that seems to me like a like more of a Paul
George mental thing, because fit wise, basketball court wise, he makes the
most sense around James Harden or James Harden and Kawhi than any of the other
players. He's you know, he's used to you know, he's used to
playing off ball. He's used to like being a little more malleable offensively.
And you know, we heard in the Doc Rivers area it wasn't necessarily his
favorite. He wanted to handle the ball more. That didn't work out.
We've been We've sought every single possible point guard. I don't think that this
is a hard I have to be really honest with you. This is not
a Harden issue to me. No, these games are not a hard an
issue to me. If the answer was that simple, then I don't think
we would have had three straight losses with garbage time minutes and all of them.
That's not one person. One person on a team of fifteen guys doesn't
pro the entire game away. I don't know what happened at the end of
that first quarter, but that lineup out there with Russell Westbrook next to Bones
Highland and Norn Powell and Terrence Man and PJ. Tucker, maybe I do
know what happened. They went so small and in a minute and a half
they just got destroyed by Kyrie Irving going off and they lost all momentum.
A twelve point lead in the first quarter. Kawhi coming out cooking like he
was against the Lakers, looked great. Harden had fourteen in the first quarter,
and they just gave it all back. And I don't understand that lineup,
and I don't understand what is going on with so many guards playing.
I guess it's a necessity at some point now because of the trade they made.
But I'm sitting here thinking, you know, Mere Coffee is still on
the team, and he's a wing, and he has done very good things
for this franchise the past couple of seasons. I thought I had some nice
flashes in the fourth. Yeah, cook on that because some of those guys
they looked like they had more continuity and rhythm, Guys that have not played
probably together or at least significant minutes at all this season, and they looked
Okay, I give them credit. Yeah, no, I agree that.
Yeah, that unit that was out there with bones and terns and a mirror
and brown and diavaate, I mean that was lively. Like, look,
man, if we had taken three straight losses and the team looks like that
on the floor, like there was that kind of energy, Uh, this
would be totally different. I Like, it's not just that they're losses,
it's that they're blowout losses with garbage time minutes, and like it does,
it's not looking any better, and you know, still only three games.
This guy hasn't completely fallen yet. But man, I mean you just look
ahead of the Clipper schedule and it's it's just not looking very friendly. You
know what else, I the guy who's probably disappointed me most because he's been
so consistent and so reliable, and he has been there no matter who is
playing next to him, he performs and holds it down. It's been Big
Zoo and he's going through one of the worst stretches since he's been a Clipper.
Right now, he just looks lost and doesn't have the same burst.
I don't know if he's hurt, but something's going on with Big Zoo and
we know how important he's been to this team. Yeah, yeah, I
mean that's that's the thing too, is like defensively, like we knew that
they would take a step back. Obviously we got rid of so many wings
who had their own limitations. But yeah, I mean with the injury to
plumb Lee, like Zoo can only do to do so much, And I
mean you brought up a possible injury. I really hope that that's not the
case, because if that's the case, like, I don't see how this
team is not dead in the water. So that second quarter, I mentioned
the end of the first quarter and who was in it was Russ Bones,
Norm Terrence, PJ. Tucker. The only thing that changed to start the
second and going off the game log was Paul George came in Bones, so
it was PG, Russ, Norm, Terrence, PJ. Tucker. I'm
not saying I hate that lineup, but with the way Paul George is playing,
like he obviously just has to be better in those minutes, that was
his time to start to catch a rhythm and a feel for the game out
there. There was no Kawhi, there was no James Harden. That's just
okay. You guys took over the first quarter tag us in it's our turn,
it's Russ and it's Paul George to start to impose their will, and
they had two points through the first six minutes of that second quarter. To
me, that's where the game was lost right there. Yeah yeah, I
mean you have to be able to do more with that. I mean,
like I thought when we first talked about this game one, and I wasn't
that upset about the loss of the Nick. I was like, this is
gonna be a great situation for Norm, Like things are gonna be easier for
him, and he didn't share the end up sharing the floor with Harden,
But we need more from him. We definitely need more from Paul George and
I don't know. They like it's only it's only three games, but man,
it has been just a miserable it has been an absolutely miserable three games.
It's been about a bad of a start as you could ever in the
worst fevered nightmare type dream could foresee after bringing in James Harden. That's just
why it's so alarmed. But like it's not and it's not. No,
I'm with you about James. It's not James Like he's actually looked relatively pretty
darned good out there, considering this was just his third game played, no
training camp, no preseason, no games with Philly since last may you know,
yeah, absolutely, and it already looks like man's he's trying to take
more catch and shoot. He's trying to set his teammates up. You know.
I it's again, only three games, but it seems like he's at
the point in his career where he is willing to do the things that take
to make the team win. It just it it isn't coalescing. I guess
the real question is are the pieces there? They just have to be reconfigured
for this team to click in. Do you believe the pieces are there,
and there is a team that can get on a roll. They just have
to find the right rotations in lineups and continuity barring injuries. Yet, like
right now, even down plumbly, I don't think that they don't I don't
think that they have enough pieces defensively and they can't really cover up with it
on that second unit. Yeah, they're getting destroyed on the boards. It
was I know, you look at the box score afterwards, and because of
the second half, it's very much skewed. But they gave up nine offensive
rebounds in the first half of this game, and they had nine turnovers in
the first half when it was still somewhat in the balance. So it's kind
of a tough game to evaluate in the final box score because it's not indicative
of how this game went whatsoever in the first half when it was still in
the balance. He is Will Updyke of C and D. I think we're
going to have a tripod on Sunday after the Clippers game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Maybe we'll do it live. We'll have some fun with that. Will
thanks for coming on tonight. Thanks for the epic rant. Appreciate you.
My friend. Absolutely, I wish I was on under better circumstances. I
hope you leave these fine folks to something more positive than I brought to the
table today. Hey, you made a better circumstances tonight here on Clippers Talk.
That's all I can ask for before we get out of here. Three
things. First, final call, Brad mission Vajo, what's up? All
right? Thanks for taking my call. I wondering in fact that Zoo might
not really be the most dominant center you can have out there. I mean,
I know he's been struggling, but you know, you look back and
when they had Montross herolds like ten boards. Yeah, Monstra has played power
forward. You play him at center. I mean, that's not the solution.
That's not any solution. I don't know what you're saying there. Do
you think they can need a better center? I think there's a salary cap
in sports, and there's only about five centers in this league right now that
are transformative, and the rest of the guys have to be serviceable and play
their roles and for the most part, body of workwise, Ivita Zubats has
been very good for this team. He's going through a tough stretch and it's
to start the season, so you're it's a little bit more magnified right now.
I get it, but I'm hoping body of work. He's still young
at twenty six, he's gonna pull out of this. Yeah, you know
what the three point shooter on the nets who was at it again thenight?
He wasn't just torching the Clippers early on against Boston. What's his name,
Dinwiddie Spencer, Dinwittie, Yeah, he's yeah, he was. Elannie Walker
was the guy I think, also having a big game tonight like he did
against the Clippers for them. So yeah, it's not just the Clippers dealing
with it. And I know there's been some lookie shooting so far, shooting
variants has been way off for the Clippers. They basically have been shooting twenty
five percent on open threes the last three games, when before that they were
shooting forty two on open threes. They have to progress to the mean there,
that's built in. It's going to happen. It may happen on Sunday,
but before we get out. I want to hear from coach lou post
game after the Clippers lose one twenty six in Dallas to the Mavericks. What
that first nine mess was a work of art, just you know, on
both sides of the basketball, with our blitches getting the bottle Luca's hands.
And then offensively just you know, where we played, the way we attacked,
and so that was good to see. And then you know, we
just got to get used to, you know, that second unit with our
small lineup, you know, just defensively what we got to do to be
better and like I said, a guy, they competing and just you know,
we're just not big enough, I think, you know, so just
trying to find ways to tweak that that lineup, the second unit when we
come in and go small, because defensively not that good. So that's up
to me to get that done. Like I said, not taking away from
the guys that compete and playing hard, just you know, and it's just
a bigger difference of you know, heighth advantage and stuff like that. It's
it's it's tough. So we just got to you know, go back to
the drawing board. But you know, our young guys came at the end,
they competed as well. Like what they did. They had to bring
Luca back at the end of the game, but we had some good spurts,
you know, And so you know, I thought James in that first
quarter probably the most comfortable's been since he's been here. I thought Kawhi,
you know, same way, just when he attacked, and the speed and
pace that he played at and in that first quarter. So just got to
keep going to the like I said, just keep staying together, keep working,
you know, keep competing, and you know, it a turn for
us. But I did like some things, but some things we got to
get better at, all right. Coach Low their post game, I found
some of that encouraging. He's right, they had a very good start to
the ballgame. They couldn't sustain it, but there were positives to take away
there. And him just talking about that second unit and the small ball lineup.
It's something we've talked about add nauseum tonight here on Clippers Talk. He
understands they're just not big enough out there. It's a tough hand to play
without Mason Plumbley right now. For this team, it's not easy, all
right. Zachil called he as our producer tonight. He's actually I don't know
if I should pull back the curtain on this, but let's just say he's
doing a lot of work here at AM five seventy tonight. He's an impressive
young man and undefeated in movie tie. So we're gonna play one in one.
He gets a question towards me, I get a question towards him.
Not quite truth or dare just truth? Okay, truth and truth? Zach,
you want to start throw something to me? What is your favorite Clippers
jersey ever as in jersey design? Correct? M oh, this is good.
I think it's honestly the white San Andreas font mister cartoon jersey that they
had on the cover of Sports Illustrated a couple of years ago when they first
brought in Kawhi and Paul George. I love the San Andreas font ones.
I wouldn't mind if they went white at Home, Black on the Road full
time with those and then threw in all the alternates with more colors and stuff.
I just think they're classy, they're traditional. I know some people say
they look a little too too much like the San Antonio Spurs, but damn
they look good clean. I think they're just saying that because Kwhi is wearing
it. But I think what about the Elton brand Corey mcgetty, Dariy smiles.
The red Wards. Yeah, oh, fans long and pine for those
Red jerseys with that Clippers cursive script on there. Those are nice too.
You're right, those mid two thousands one on the team that went to the
second round against Phoenix nice jerseys. Are those your favorite? Yeah? Those
are mine? You're taking those. I'm taking those. Yaho's your favorite Clipper
player all time? Ooh, Jamal Crawford Jay crossover. Yeah, I gotta
go Jamal because I mean, like, I know I told you this before,
but like when it comes to six men, I really do think the
six man is a portunt role is very underrated, and ironically enough, the
Clippers have had two of the best six man of all time in Low Williams
and Jamal Crawford. But that's why I got to go with Jamal. Well
put great answer, Well, said Zach Ocaldy tonight on the board. Thank
you, Zach, Thank you Adam. All right, Clippers will regroup,
and I do love the fact that Coach lou is obviously not panicking whatsoever.
That's what you need from your leaders. Clippers fall, We're down by thirty
two, they lose one twenty six and Dallas to the Mavericks. But they're
coming home where they have gotten all their wins so far this season. At
home. It's been a safe haven Crypto dot Com arena in his final season
for the Clippers, tip time on Sunday twelve thirty pregame at eleven thirty against
Memphis. Before we get out of here, I do want to thank the
Clippers organization. No At Eagle, Brian Seeman, Ralph Lawler, Carlo Jimenez
on the call, Big Brother, Jake Warner, Zacho Kalady, and Katie
Newton back with me in the bank, the callers, the listeners until Sunday
at eleven thirty with your pregame show Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. I'm at a
Moslin We'll talk to you then