Busy f and Bones had thirty seven, his career high, played forty three
minutes and almost willed the Clippers two way victory over the Suns without their big
four, with out of eatsa zubats, without Norman Powell, Clippers fall lead
one twenty four to oneh eight. Here at Crypto dot com arena, speaking
of Willing, we got big Will updyke on from Clips and dip for a
little double dip here on Clippers talk. Well, I'm proud of this Clippers
team the way they played tonight. I know it's in a loss. You
wanted to get the victory, but some of these young guys showed out.
I have to be honest, this has gotta be a moral victory and a
half. I just I don't know what to say, man, are are
is the Clippers' depth that good? Or are the Suns really that bad?
Uh? You know, for any Clippers fans out there who you know sulked
a little salty in this rivalry, you know we kind of gotten the butt
end a couple of times in the playoffs. I mean, it does help
to remember how the Suns' playoff exits have happened anytime they've faced an actually healthy
team, So you gotta feel a little bit better about the history if you're
a Clippers fan. But to tonight in particular, man, what an opportunity
for the young guy and way to absolutely seize it. Bones didn't get completely
to the forty piece, but thirty seven points from him and twenty three from
Brandon Barston Junior. While the shot making late was a little bit perplexing,
it would have been awesome to see them get all the way over the hump.
This was just this was, like I said, this was a moral
victory. This I thought spoke to a lot of like the fiber of what
this team is. I mean, this would have been a gimme. This
should have been a gimme win for the Suns. This should have been you
know, like, hey, everybody's out, you guys go out there,
you know, you try your best, and whatever happens happened. And they
didn't come away with the win. But man, did they show what I
thought was an a founding amount of character out there. Bones Hyland Huntson for
that forty spot late, put up some three pointers. Couldn't get it to
go, he said postgame. He started cramping. Quote, man, they
lucky, not gonna lie. He got a little bit tired after not playing
any hardly over the past three form basically since November. He's been for the
most part out of the rotation, with a few starts here and there when
James Harden was out on that road trip, but the Skeleton Key showed off
the array tricks he has in his bag. Like, this guy has high
potential. I don't know how anyone cannot see it. At this point,
he was doing it against maybe a Sun's team with a lot of turmoil going
on. Who knows. They don't look right, but there's still a couple
of future Hall of famers out there, and bones Hiland was going right at
him. Yeah, I mean, you gotta love you've gotta love the confidence
and I mean, I don't know, it was just it was just incredible
across the board. And I think for for bone Thailand, I mean,
we know what you can do from uh from behind the arc, but I
think he's gotten a lot more crafty as a finisher. The way he's been
able to get to the rim, I think it's really impressive, and like
he's a guy like I just enjoy watching his game, like aesthetically the way
he moves, sort of like the herky jerkiness to all of it. I
really really enjoy it. And you saw out there of late, I mean
like he was getting prosps from from you know, Kevin Duran, these guys
who were yeah, like like you said, Hall of famers, and just
to have that moment for him after a season that you know, I'm sure
for him it's been you know, somewhat of a disappointment. Obviously, you're
you're happy to see the team win. It's great that, uh, you
know, they were able to bring James Harden in, but from where you
started at the at the beginning of the season and what you thought your development
might look like, your minutes and your place on this team might look like,
like I said, it just kind of goes back to that moral victory
of like getting in a good one like this. I mean, you got
to show off what you can do and against a good team like and not
against Scrubs or something like. Like you said, he went right at the
very best and it's a shame they didn't ultimately get the better of them.
But yeah, I mean love bones. You know, coming into this season,
he had the keys to lead the second unit, So, as you
mentioned, it must have been disappointing and deflating. And obviously he was sent
home with PJ. Tucker right before the All Star break too. Those guys
thought they were gonna get more minutes than they thought they were gonna get traded.
I am thankful Bones Highland is still on this team. I still think
he could have a moment for them in the playoffs, like we saw last
season when the Chips were down. He almost helped him win that Game three
against the Phoenix Suns. But Brandon Boston twenty three points. He played forty
minutes ten of twenty four shooting. I know, couldn't get a few good.
He looks to go a wide open three pointer in the fourth quarter where
he had all day to think about it. But this was a big opportunity
for him as well. Will yeah love it? Look. I mean,
Brandon Boston Jr. Such an interesting journey, like in his tenure with the
Clippers, the way he's then sort of up and down, and I think,
you know, from a few years ago what we thought he might be
and develop into and sort of how that's happened. It's it's always interesting with
these young guys. On a team like the Clippers, where it is,
you know, obviously both vet heavy and just very talent heavy. It's you
know, it's really difficult to crack a rotation like this and thus, you
know, next impossible to get actual developmental minutes at the highest level. So
it's good to see Brandon Boston. You know, we haven't seen him have
like a big starlight moment since you know, his version of the Boston massacre.
He's still got to work on the efficiency as a scorer. Two of
nine from three, uh, not that great. He's definitely gotta be working
on that shot. But I mean incredible to see him get it going,
you know, and get the opportunity because you know, he is a score
first guy to be able to kind of to be able to do what he
can do. I asked Chuck this question last night. I'm gonna ask you
because I just saw this a quote coming out from coach Loop post game saying,
yeah, they're already prepping for Dallas. They know it just depends on
who has home court. Now. The Clippers need one more victory or one
more loss with the Dallas Mavericks to have home court and be the four seed.
How are you feeling about this matchup currently, as you've had some time
to marinate on it a little bit. Will Uh, what's the news on
Kawhi Leonard. We haven't gotten any news on Kawhi Leonard at this point.
Oh, that's about how I feel. That's about how I feel for it.
Man. If there's yeah, if there's no more limited Kawhi. I
love this team. I love what they've been able to do. I don't
think they're getting out in the first round, this Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard.
You're saying most people are assuming that he's gonna be good to go,
and coach Lou they don't seem to be very much worried about it. He
was asked about it by Tilmarazari pregame, and there doesn't seem to be a
high level of concern when it comes to Kawhi Leonard. Obviously, he would
have missed about three weeks if he isn't going in the last two games of
the regular season by the time that first round playoff series starts. But in
terms of the matchup in the Dallas Mavericks, there's nothing to talk about anymore.
Between the Pelicans or maybe the Phoenix Suns it is Dallas. Does that
strike fear in you or are you confident that the Clippers have been him before
they could do it again? I mean, it absolutely strikes here. And
I mean, I mean, this is a different Dallas Mavericks team than we've
seen the other two times. But I mean, if we're talking a fully
healthy Clippers team versus this Mavericks team, I mean, I think either way,
you know you're you're looking at in a classic, an all time classic
first round matchup. I mean, when has it not been fireworks between these
two teams. You know they're a scary opponent, but I got there's a
lot of opponents in the West. It's just the way that it is.
I tend to like the way this team matches up in a in a in
a longer series against the guard driven team. Personally, I think that that's
a good fit for us. I I mean, I wouldn't say that I
prefer it, But you know, if if you were asking me to choose
which one I preferred out of any of these matchups, I would really not
like any of them. I guess unless there was some way the Suns could
sneak up there, just because I'd love a little uh, I love a
little retribution on the on the way that those playoffs series have went. But
uh, I mean, it's it feels it's an inevitability. It's felt like
that way for the past couple of weeks. We know that Tyler is going
to get the guys ready, you know, like you do have the benefit
of knowing part of what you're facing, right, Like they've seen Luca enough
times. He has grown, he has changed, but you know, you
do have the familiarity there. This Clippers team is different too, though,
I mean the way that they can initiate the offense is much different, which
I think should be scary thinking about the defensive end with Kawhi Leonard and Paul
George, if you know, if they have to do less ball handling and
they can really be locked in there because that was his no squouds defensively either.
But I don't I like our chances in a in a seven game series,
assuming full help. But it's not going to be easy. But I
gotta be honest with you, I just can't other than maybe the Suns just
because they look so discombobulated, but they still have the scores to make it
a series. None of these matchups in this in this four or five,
we're gonna be a cakewalk. And it's not looking that much better if you
were to move up to three in the three six either. You know what
I'm saying, It's not None of these are gonna be cakewalks. This one's
gonna be difficult, But I think win, loser draw, it's gonna be
like a classic. I think that these I love the way that these two
teams match up, and I as stressful as it is, I have loved
watching them watching these playoffs series. So far, round three between the Clippers
and Luca doncis now with Kyrie Irving as well, is inevitable. All we
don't know is so far is who's gonna start with home court advantage? Where
are they going to tip things off of? In about ten days from now,
Clippers lose tonight once twenty four to one oho eight at home to the
Phoenix Suns. He is will updyke of clips and dip a little double dip
here on Clippers Talk will I believe we got the YouTube coming up tomorrow and
we'll see that week. Sounds good. Let's go quick