Speaker 1: What is going on Clippers fans, fans of the sixth
seed in the Western Conference. I should say welcome to
the third season and the fifty seventh episode of Clips
and Dim. I am Chuck Mockler, joined by Adam Osland
and William Updyke. We are going to be talking the
Clippers playoff rotation that was debuted last night. We're going
to be taking a standings look a quick preview of
the quasi weekend three and four the Clippers have coming up.
If you're watching us, thank you so much. If you're listening,
we also appreciate that. But if you want to watch,
you can check us out at YouTube dot com Slash
at Clippers Podcast. Adam, Will, how are we feeling after
that wonderful win in New York City? Will, We'll go
with you. How are you feeling now that we are
in control of the sixth seed? Feels good?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it feels good to be back in the driver's seat.
As you know all too well. No great win, Like
I said that one would be one that would be
a little tough to drop, just considering that New York
was down some some key rotation players and just the
way in which they did it. Hardened, being questionable and
having the game that he had just unreal. Man, he
is like I don't even know, Like where do you
even put him in the pantheon of Clippers players, Like
it's almost time to start talking out all the time,
and it's been two seasons.
Speaker 1: I put a note at the end, like and we
can talk about it now.
Speaker 3: Though.
Speaker 1: Is he more beloved than Paul George? I know it's
been shorter time obviously, so he has a lot easier
of a backdrop. But I don't know. We'll get to that. Adam,
you're fatigued. You have been putting in the hours today
on the pods. How are you feeling now that the
Clippers are the sixteen?
Speaker 3: It was a nice turnaround last night down fourteen to
up as as nineteen thirty three point swing the big
four shot. That was a great win. That's probably is
that their second best road victory of the season, best
with Kawhi, second best to the one in Memphis where
they didn't have him earlier in the year.
Speaker 1: I think it's the best because we it's with Kawhi.
I guess selfishly, it's like we got to see him
take He scored what fourteen in the fourth. Yeah, selfishly,
I like it more.
Speaker 3: It was it was good. It was good to see
what ten games left.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that was I did a post game stream
with Knick's Film School and New Claudio, and he kind
of talked about the Clippers or like that at a
team in baseball where it's like getting to the postseason.
And it only took the Clippers seventy two games, but
it certainly feels like they're like rounding into form. Everyone's
kind of hitting their strides. How what do we think
of the rotation change? Did you did, I guess, Adam,
did you expect to see kind of basically the playoff rotation?
A mere coffee out of the rotation and we'll getting
I mean, everyone's watching this nose who will be in
the playoff rotation? But a bit of a surprise.
Speaker 3: I mean, I guess it's surprising that it happened last night,
But it's not surprising to me that Amir's the odd
man out. I think that's pretty obvious because Bogie can
offer more than just hit shots. He can run, pick
and roll with the Viatsa Zubas. Amir has had a
rough year, I think defensively, especially the last couple of
months fouls. So while he's probably still better than Bogey
on that end, Bogie can shoot just as well, if
not better, and he can create for others and initiate
the offense. And that's a huge deal for a team
that has overtaxed James Harden, even though you wouldn't know
from the way he looks right now, but a team
that has asked a lot of James Harden, and now
the calvary has arrived. With Bogie being on ball, with
Chris Dunn, with Kawhi back, it just makes him that
much better because he's got more gas in the tank.
James Harden do stuff like you did at the end
of that third quarter last night.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you're right. I mean, I don't think
anyone would argue that coffee should be cemented in that
nine man playoff rotation.
Speaker 3: Will really I talked to somebody earlier today who would, Oh,
NOJ Matthews.
Speaker 1: I Also, I do think it's funny that we're getting
a quite literal ten games sample size of the playoff
rotation is game seventy two.
Speaker 3: Will.
Speaker 1: How confident are you in this rotation? Because where I'm
sitting also, like I am feeling perhaps too optimistic about
how this play in might go. But I like the Nico,
Bogden Simmons, Derek Jones junior bench right, Like, it's hard
to not kind of be incredibly optimistic about this team
making noise with this rotation.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, the your thing is is a
bummer for fans of homegrown talent. Amir took another stride
this season as a player. Started off the season incredibly hot.
But you know, this has been kind of a slow
moving thing for a while where he's been getting less
and less minutes. It's pretty clear that he's like less
and less a part of the rotation. I think I'm
excited about this. I'm excited about this bench lineup. I
do feel like there's some caveats, like are we getting
the version of Bogie that we've gotten like the last
handful of games. Is he going to maintain this clip
or are we looking at a little bit closer to
the start of his tenure and certainly what what he
had on the Hawks. Nico? I mean, you know, I
love Nico to death. How much are we gonna run
this man into the ground? Can't like how consistent is
three Pointon's gonna look and then Ben Simmons is the
ultimate wild card, and I think that that I think
that that is in the Clippers favor. But I do
think certainly, you know, with his own injury stuff, how
some of his usage has been limited. I guess I
have a little bit more trouble establishing a baseline of
him in this rotation, you know, like on a consistent basis.
We've seen the highs, we've seen some lows, you know,
maybe not the worst, but I like it. I do
feel like there, you know, there are some question marks,
but the last stretch of games has been feel a
lot more confident and if they continue to have that
sort of output over this last ten then I'm feeling
really good. So yeah, like, overall, it's what we got,
you know, it's the hands that we have. And obviously,
you know, I love DJJ. We've kind of gotten back
and forth as to whether he should be with the
starters or not. That's not going to be the case,
but it's a nice piece to have.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Adam, you kind of called the done because it
just seems like that's the starting five now. Is the
three guard or two and a half guard, whatever you
want to call it with hard and norm done. Kawhi Zoo.
I like that point you made about Simmons will like
he kind of is like and like his lows aren't
that low, right, He's not being asked to do enough,
Like if Ben Simmons has the.
Speaker 2: Role, Yeah, like the role isn't being honestly the the
one that's like kind of killed me the most of
some of the turnovers just because you know he's better
with the ball than that. But you know that stuff
hasn't even been like particularly backbreaking. A couple of silly
low lights that people have posted on the internet. But
that's he's uh, he's gonting. He's getting back in the form.
He's running back in the form you know the.
Speaker 3: Old Russian dolls where there's a doll inside a doll
inside a doll. All we asked from Webamba was to
be better at the Mason Plumley. Then all we asked
from jew Banks supposed to be better than Mobamba, And
now all we're asking from Ben Simmons is better than
Chue Eu Banks.
Speaker 1: Oh Man.
Speaker 4: Not only he could be quite a bit better because
the wild card, you know, prospect with him being able
to do a lot more He's playing kind of two
roles for this team.
Speaker 3: He can play some backup five. You can play some
backup four defensively, but on the offensive end, you can
play some one can.
Speaker 2: He handled the ball as well as Mason Plumley, though
if you ask Mason, he's not as.
Speaker 1: Confident as Mason Plumley. I'll tell you that much. Also,
really quick, Eric Buie, if you are listening to this
episode or watching it, a Russian nesting doll drawing of
every backup center the Clippers have had since Isaiah Hartenstein
be incredibly depressing. It would move a lot of people,
but just I don't know, it would be very funny. Yeah.
I like the thing about Bogie. I've grown he looks
I guess, like my the Boggdain thing is what he's
doing when he's playing better is not as surprising as
when he's playing when he started with the Clippers.
Speaker 2: It's much closer to the player that he's been the
majority of his career. Yeah, So I like he's one.
I guess I'm a little bit less worried of. And
you know, we all talked about like his numbers to
start this season, we're so low that the law and
averages would deem that it would happen to bounce back, but
you know, again it still just hasn't been a huge
amount of time with the team. So I will be
looking at these final ten games.
Speaker 1: Adam, what do you think the kind of because Will
brought it up like Simmons maybe being the question mark.
Do you have any question marks in the rotation.
Speaker 3: With the backup specifically, Yeah.
Speaker 1: Starters, it's like, you know, we just got to hope
Done doesn't get too early foulsand things will be okay.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I still think there's a possibility that, you know,
if Don is struggling early on in a series and
he's not hitting those threes and they're leaving him wide open,
I think he'd be benched pretty quickly. So I don't
think it's firm that he's for sure the guy the
rest of the way, but it's probably his spot to
lose right now. Off the bench, you know, a mere
coffee in certain situations against certain teams could still get run.
Maybe plays tomorrow because they're taking on Brooklyn the Cavs.
Speaker 1: Lou said like he was like he might start against Cleveland.
Speaker 3: It's like they have a back so they have don't
they have three more back to back still they play.
Whether or not he gets a ton of run in
the playoffs, it doesn't look like that's gonna be the
case unless somebody else struggles. And Amir is the guy
that struggled in that series mightily against Dallas last year
after having a really good regular season. I don't know
how much that is weighing into the decision. I think
this is just about fit in having guys who are
a little bit more multiple out there. But I'm not
giving up on a mirror because he has overall had
a good year. I mean, he's shooting forty one from
three from the field. Uh, he can switch on to
multiple guys and guard different guys. Defensively, he's had a
bad run as of late, and I think he's got
a really tough whistle. Has felt like where he's almost
gotten a reputation of a guy that over fouls or
over is overly aggressive out there.
Speaker 1: A guy who fouls out of summer league games.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I just the last two months have been a
little bit alarming defensively from him, where he's been getting
kicked on more. There's a scouting report building. When last
season I would have been like, you know, a mirror,
isn't that far behind Terrence Man defensively, Yeah, yeah, I
feel much differently about it, So that hurts his case.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And it's funny because we've watched him become more
consistent kind of almost every season. He's just not a
playoff guy yet, which is a difficult you know, playoff
rotation guy is a difficult thing to be in the NBA,
even for say a short handed Clippers team. I think
last night one thing that gave that got me hyped
was it was the first quarter. Things were not going well,
but Nico Bogden and Ben Simmons came on and I
think Nico got a block or something or that. They
just all came out kind of feeding off the usual
like get it done energy that Nick Patum usually has,
you know what I mean, he comes in, he sets
the tone with a defensive play or you know, a
deflection or something like that. It really seemed like Bogden
and Ben Simmons are really good at coalescing around that,
and that like short shift gave the Clippers some energy,
and Derrek Jones Junior and Ben Simmons combined with that,
like and Nico, you get this veteran presence from Nick
Patum and then you have two for sure energy guys
and Ben Simmons and Derek Jones Jr. Who it's like,
we need you guys to cut, We need you to
make something happen, get us an easy bucket and transition.
Like I really like that bench crew in the playoffs,
especially basketball slows down, gives Nico, you know, more time
to think or whatever you want, like figure it out,
Like I'm looking forward to some bench playoff minutes.
Speaker 3: And those are the four guys that surrounded Kawhy to
start the fourth and they opened the game up even
further and got up by nineteen after they're up by
ten heading into the quarter. But I will say this,
as good as they look there, it still was about
Kawhi getting the first ten point.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah. I mean, well that's the other thing, right will,
Like Kawhi I said on the line, I think I
said on the live stream last night that Kawhi is
the Clippers' best player because of if you factor in
both ends right now, this is no discredit to what
James Harden is doing, but Kawhi is taking defensive assignments
like old Kawhi like that kind of thing Pete Kawhi
or even eighty percent of Pete Kawai around those four
there's a lot of possibilities to disrupt the flow of
the game in the Clippers favor.
Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting because Kawhi is kind of like mister consistent, right,
So I see him as being such a floor raizer
with so many different uh with so many different types
of lineups. It's you know, he can kind of glue
different things together and he's he's really going to elevate that.
And then you know, I do see James Harden though, like,
depending on the level that he's at, as another ceiling
raizer as far as what this team can do, especially
how they've struggled offensively all year. I mean, if he
can click into some sort of playoff gear, you know,
which he certainly had his ups and downs playoff wise
cor droughout his career. You know, I see it as
being kind of like two sides of the same coin.
Speaker 3: What's interesting to me a little bit is those starts
to second quarters with Kawhi back have not been good,
and they still weren't yesterday, and they had three of
those guys we just talked about with Simmons with DJ
and Bogey. But it was Zubos in place of a
tomb next to Kawhi to start the second field yesterday,
and I thought he might try that with a Viza Zuboss.
He came out of the game early. I think partially
it was because they have a tomb to guard Kat
and that's a good matchup for them. Though Kat was
cooking yesterday and it still didn't work out, and that's
when they got down by fourteen. And I asked Law
about this recently. It just feels like there's so many
variables going on with that start to second quarters. They
still haven't quite fixed it yet. That start to the
fourth quarter was nice, but again it was Kawhi being
hot and taking over and I can't act like, yeah,
everybody was feeding off one another. It was a lot
of Kawhi of course.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: So I just I feel a little bit more comfortable
in these last ten games if they can find something
more consistent with those starts, those the start to second
and fourth quarters.
Speaker 1: What's their net rating in second quarters? Do we know?
Is it got to be not there?
Speaker 3: I look it up, but it's been one of their
worst quarters.
Speaker 1: Well, it's hard to write like Harden plays twelve minutes
and then it's like, all right, the system is out,
like and this is now. I'm not nitpicking how Harden
plays the first or how Tylop does it, but it's like,
all right now. It's like a hard shift from here's
a guy who's clearly running the show to a no
disrespect a downgrade from James Harden when it comes to
running the ship. Oh for the second.
Speaker 2: Quarters, gotta be feather in the nest one in the
first I think.
Speaker 1: Gotta be that. That goes to the point that like, hey,
they're not getting down by ten and every first quarter
the start the first quarters have been much better this year,
I feel like overall, and it was an uncharacteristic bad
start last night too. I think everyone watching your kind
of like, oh, we haven't seen the which team was
on the second night of the back to back vibe
in a very long time from the Clippers team. So
it's like, I think it was a bit of a
weird start too, Like I don't know what are you
learning over there at them?
Speaker 3: So they're fifteenth and net rating in second quarters, in
first quarters, they're thirteenth. Oh wow, in third quarters, they're fifth.
They've been really good.
Speaker 2: They've historically been good in third quarters in the tylu
Era adjustments.
Speaker 1: Remember when we used to have a coach who would
talk about how they never made adjustments. That's what happens
in halftime and.
Speaker 3: A fourth quarters. They're sixth.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, we're a second half team. We're an old team.
We got to get the chug a chugga choo choo.
Speaker 3: It feel like that last night, man.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well you look at the games.
Speaker 2: With those young men run themselves in circles.
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, h.
Speaker 3: Two days off. You can see it on them. They're like,
we gotta warm the legs back up.
Speaker 1: The Clippers are the tortoise or the Clippers are Yeah,
they're the tortoise and the tortoise, and in every playoff series.
But that does benefit him, right, Like the game slows
down in the playoffs. I'm a little worried about Chris
Dun's whistle in the playoffs is one thing I'm worried about.
Speaker 3: But I don't know, honestly though, I don't know if
they'll need him, like for thirty five minutes in playoff games,
j might play more. Yeah, unless he's hot shooting wise,
you know.
Speaker 1: You can start with Dunn and finish with Derek Jones,
which is kind of what we've we've been.
Speaker 2: Saying, Whistle, do you worry about more than Chris duns
or James Hardens Cools.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think those same calls, and that's something I
always worry about, and that's part of I think his
playoff track record. They start calling it differently. I will
say this, it is a bit of a revelation how
good DJ has been no matter where they put him
all season long.
Speaker 1: Oh he's off the.
Speaker 3: Bench like it's nothing, and being just as good and
just as productive is awesome for this team.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And it's the one of the best value contracts
in the NBA ten million dollars a year.
Speaker 2: And people thought that was an overpay, Like they thought
it was overpaid because of the hot shooting and playe.
Speaker 1: Blew my mind. I was like, the cap goes up
every year. Ten million dollars is and I understand it's
a lot of money in the NBA contract world. That
is no money.
Speaker 3: It's really because it's his first big contract and he
was a guy who was like teetering on being out
of the league, right, and they really committed to him,
and I did say, you know, a lot of this
comes down to is he going to carry over some
of that three point shooting to his credit? Yes, he's
a Bobb League average.
Speaker 1: And he's twenty eight, So yeah, they gave him a
I called it a prove it deal in the sense that, yes,
it's three for thirty three or whatever it is, but
he's gonna be thirty by the time it's done, So
I'll put it this way.
Speaker 2: I'll put it this way. PJ Tucker was making twelve
million dollars right exactly like if DJ, if DJ was
shooting ten percent worse, I'd still take that. I would
still take that deal because he's not.
Speaker 1: Actively pouring gasoline and lighting a match on the locker room. Yeah,
like it. To me, it's like a prove it deal
because like, all right, his contract's up when the books
for the Clippers opened up, so it's like there's a
chance that if he continues to play really well, it
could be a Clipper for his next contract.
Speaker 3: Like, yeah, it was gonna be hard for them to
just completely swing and miss on this deal because of
the value. Like all you needed was even if he
shot thirty four percent, from three this season. With the
way he's played defensively, that would not be a bad contract.
Speaker 2: He guarded Shaef mostly Yeah, Well, like in the athleticism
like he just he brings another dynamic that we don't
have a lot of players.
Speaker 1: Last, running, running fast and jumping high is a thing
is very needed for the Clippers team. Coming up, we're
gonna be talking just the standings look and a classic
something we have it done in a very long time.
In Updyke fun Check. We're gonna be checking our fund
meters on the next segment talking if the Clippers can
stay in six, maybe they'll go up to fifth. Who knows.
If you like or dislike anything we've said, you can
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then we're talking standings in three two.
Speaker 2: All right, welcome back into Clips and Dip. We talked
a little bit about the playoff rotation. Now let's take
a look at who the Clippers could be facing. As
we look at the standards of Clippers have reattained the
sixth seed, which I mean I think a week ago
we were all pretty down on the prospect of happening.
So they've done that, and how high could they climb?
You think they could get up to five? I think
five puts them in with the Lakers. I think that
ends up being I think the Lakers are going to
end up in that four or five matchup.
Speaker 1: Yeah. The five thing is interesting because on the stream
last night, the guest was like, you guys might catch the.
Speaker 2: Grizzlies three game with three games behind, it feels.
Speaker 1: Like kind of a lot With ten games left for
the Clippers, that's a lot of ground to make up.
And the Clippers and the Warriors have a pretty similar
end of season schedule, you know what I mean. Like,
it's not like in terms of opponent, it's not super different,
but catching the Grizzlies feels like a lot they would
have to fall to us, I guess would be what
would happen.
Speaker 3: The one thing though, the Clippers do have the tiebreaker
over them and the Grizzlies schedule that is the fourth
toughest left and now the Clippers have dropped back to
seventeen like the Grizzlies have. Okay, see Boston, Denver, Lakers, Warriors, Pistons,
the Clippers have Cleveland, the Rockets, and the Golden State Warriors.
Speaker 1: I'd put the Magic in there too, because the magic.
Speaker 3: Magic game is tough. Yeah, that's true. It's it's possible,
it is. I don't when's John Morant coming back.
Speaker 1: I don't know. A lot would have to go right
for the Clippers to do this.
Speaker 3: They probably they're gonna have to at least go I
would guess they'd have to go eight and two.
Speaker 1: So he's sorry. Morent is day to day in the
hopes of returning soon.
Speaker 2: Would you prefer Would you prefer Lakers in four or
five Battle of La versus the Nuggets?
Speaker 1: No, I don't want real Psychologically, I don't want any
part of the Battle of La And I'll tell you
also why into it's not as much of an advantage.
I understand the wall will be crazy. I understand Clippers
fans will show out. I don't want the first selfishly,
I don't want the first playoff series and into it
to have anything to do with Lakers fans being there.
It seems like a losing and it's Luca. It's like,
we don't like I don't know, man, I would be
I don't think I would speak to anyone during that
playoff series aside from this podcast, because I would be
so stressed and just like, I don't know, it feels spooky.
Speaker 2: You'd rather roll the dice with the Nuggets?
Speaker 3: Yeah, sure, I think the Nuggets. I I'm not saying
it's significantly easier of a matchup, but their defense has
been pretty consistently bad all season long. I don't like it.
Yolka is gonna play forty two minutes a game in
that series.
Speaker 1: There's Russ Revenge, Juice Magic going.
Speaker 4: To have a game.
Speaker 3: But as opposed to Luca in a Lakers jersey plus
Lebron and you don't have as much of the home
court advantage as check point out. I've just been through
that too many times with the Sacramento King. So I
got major PTSD.
Speaker 1: You could break out the Bavena jersey though. That'd be fun.
Speaker 3: It would probably be unprofessional, but I might have to
on broadcasts.
Speaker 1: Would be crazy. Yeah, Well, which would you want? Would
you want to play the Lakers?
Speaker 2: And it's like, I think we can beat the Lakers?
Speaker 1: That I agree, I think we can beat the Lakers,
but on paper, yeah, but like I don't know.
Speaker 3: I'm not I'm not conspiracy theory guy, but the Lakers
have traditionally they are plus twelve hundred and free throw
attempts over the last three seasons, which is like seven
hundred more than the next closest team.
Speaker 1: Wait counterable. Maybe that helps the Clippers because at least
half of those would be against the wall, so their
percentage would go down. Right, aren't teams shooting pretty bad
in far of the wall?
Speaker 3: Maybe it's we're going to hack of Lakers to make
them have to shoot against the wall.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a lot of pressure on the wall in
the first series and into it in this uh, in
this scenario for sure, And if.
Speaker 2: You're playing a playoff series against Luca, Harden's going to
get a similar whistle. Have to you have to, sorry,
just have to. That's the ballance, that's the balance of
the whistle.
Speaker 3: I just couldn't see it being a positive for the
league to have Luca and Lebron lose in the first round.
I just I don't know. It seems like they would prefer.
Speaker 2: That script's already written.
Speaker 1: You're saying.
Speaker 3: I think the Clippers have a chance. I'm just saying,
there's more stuff going against you taking on the Lakers. No,
I I.
Speaker 2: Agree wholeheartedly with both, with both you and Denver. You know,
this is a different Denver team than we've seen in
other years. It is pretty clear, though, who would be
the best player in the series. And I think that
that's a really that that to me is more difficult
to overcome than the Lakers from like from a you know,
it's the best if you know, if it comes down
to a coin flip and the best the best player
on the floor wins the series. I have a lot
more concerns about Denver than I do the Lakers.
Speaker 3: It is, it's very close. Nobody wins, nobody wins at all.
Give it Houston please.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that won't be easy.
Speaker 3: But over those two teams, I'll take it.
Speaker 1: So, what do you think is more likely Clippers get
to the fifth seed or Clippers get to the sixth
seed and play the Lakers in the three to six matchup?
Speaker 2: Wait, so you have them playing the Lakers in either scenario?
Speaker 1: No, no, no, I have just either what's more likely Clippers
taking the fifth seed or staying in the sixth seed
and playing the Lakers in the sixth three opponent can
be whoever it would.
Speaker 3: Be tonight in Chicago.
Speaker 2: Right, so you have the Lakers, you have the Lakers
jumping over the Nuggets.
Speaker 1: Lebron got all that time off.
Speaker 3: They still have a game left against Denver, don't they
do they check? Is that could decide it between those two?
Speaker 1: Okay, well they don't. But they have a tough schedule.
So the Lakers play the Thunder twice, the Rockets twice, Grizzlies, Warriors.
They still have games against the Pels, Blazers, Bulls, who
I believe they're winning against right now, and the MAVs.
Speaker 3: So they have kind of a tough Yeah, that's tough.
They're probably not the three fuck so it's probably what
will said you get them if you get into the
four five most likely?
Speaker 1: Yeah, man, all right, let's stay at six.
Speaker 2: In last I mean, Denver is only a game and
a half out of two. Oh, if they piggy back
the rock if they piggyback the Rockets, and we I
think either way, we should probably stay at six. I
think that's the most likely scenario covering what is it
three games? That seems like we said we did talk
about the Grizzly schedule, which is extremely difficult, and with
gen Ran out. That does kind of change the calculus
a little bit. But I think, I don't know, stay
at six and hope, hope that the Nuggets end up
end up leap frogging them the Rockets.
Speaker 1: And they play the Rockets, So Nuggets Rockets play too,
So that will they played.
Speaker 3: The last game of the season.
Speaker 1: Oh shit, Oh no, We're gonna figure out. If they're
looking at the standings then, just like the.
Speaker 3: Clippers play a Golden State, which could have huge ramifications.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Houston has OKC Nuggets, Lakers twice, Clippers Warriors.
Speaker 2: If I told Houston schedule, yeah, I feel like they
have the hardest one out of any of that that
we've named.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's difficult. I think the Memphis one just because
you have to play, yeah, Celtics and the Pistons.
Speaker 3: Would you rather say, it's last day of the season
and you were in the sixth and you knew if
you're the sixth seed you're getting Denver in the first
round as the three.
Speaker 1: Jordan Miller come on down.
Speaker 3: Would you rather take your chances in the play in
to get Houston at the two?
Speaker 1: Fuck? No, get me. I don't want this team to
play any extra.
Speaker 5: Games and if you and if you drop one, then
you've like so then you have to then you have
a seven game date with the Wheels are just off.
Speaker 3: Well, you guys drop one and get Phoenix in the
spot to get the eighth spot. Like, what if you
have to play Phoenix just to get into a seven
game series against Okay?
Speaker 1: See yeah, yeah, get me out, get me off of
Adam's crazy ride? Would you have to do that?
Speaker 3: No? You got a gun for six and.
Speaker 1: No extra games is my motto, was my hope for
this Clippers team. Okay, now we get to a very
fun part. It took seventy two games, but the Clippers
are showing what they are made of. We're doing a
classic bit we used to do on Lockdown clips, the
Updyke fun check. What and this has nothing to do
with x's and o's. This is just fun vibes. We're
gonna ask everybody's what will what's your fun what's the
fun where's the updyke fun check? Where are you at?
What's your fun level? With this team?
Speaker 2: I'm not having a pretty damn I'm having a pretty
damn good.
Speaker 1: Time right now.
Speaker 2: I'm you know, I it's not the best time I've
ever had. But I'm like, I'm two drinks into an
afterwork mixer. You know, things are looking things are looking
pretty bright around the corners. I'm chopping it up with coworkers.
Suddenly these people are my best friends. It's it's it's
it's a good time. It's it's a really good time,
especially just the turnaround from how they came out of
the All Star Break. You know, the the roller coasters
with this team, and I know it's like that for
everybody in the NBA at times, but it just seems
exacerbated on this Clippers team, the ups and downs, and
then you know, having some some injury busts. Things got
real dark there for a little while post All Star Break.
And so I think that that is also helping to
elevate the fun as well, just like knowing how low
things got to where we are now.
Speaker 1: Knowing the low points, Adam, your fun level, you can
give us a metaphorical scenario. You can just say, kind
of how much fun you're having. You look, you seem
locked in. I feel like you're not having fun, But
I don't mean that in a negative way.
Speaker 3: I'm crashing Will's after work, yeah, get together, and I'm
double fist in Heineken Zero's.
Speaker 1: I didn't know they made many kegs of those. You're
doing a ke saying on a Heineken Zero.
Speaker 3: I'm having fun. I'm proud that this team has come
together that what could be just the right time. Honestly,
I don't think you get asked for more from what
we've seen from Kawhi, from Norman Powell in the game
he had last night. Is it all systems go? Can
they actually get some good jury luck heading into the playoffs? Man,
it'd be nice.
Speaker 1: That's a good fun level. I think that's I like
what you said about like just being kind of proud.
I'm not sure if the being proud is fun, And
I don't mean that as a knock on being proud,
but yeah, I would say I'm having some fun. I'm
also crashing the work event. I'm showing up way too late.
People are still there. But you know, there needs to
be a little something at it. I love that Zoo
is gonna have over fifty double doubles probably this season.
I think that's incredible. It's a testament to him, it's
testament to James Harden. Norm Powells had an incredibly up
and down season. It's mostly been good, but the lows
were not that good. He got smoked in the three
point contest, he got hurt after All Star weekend. Some
people don't want him to start anymore or close, so
I'm not sure what his role would be in some
of those people's minds. Bogden came out of a Bogden
came out of a tough, you know, debut stretch for
the Clippers. Kawhi is taking defensive assignments, like it's hard
not to want to order a double when the bartender's like,
you want to I have a double? Like, oh shit, sure, yeah.
Like that's how it feels right now with the Clippers.
It's never really that hard for me to order a double,
but it would be especially easier now.
Speaker 2: It's more like it's like the airport double, where you're like, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, I's.
Speaker 1: Run thirty six bucks. Yeah, this seems good.
Speaker 3: I can see us there a happy hour, and that's
right about when the injury report comes out. You see
it still clean another room.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the thirty five er is like, okay, you guys
are eating a lot of popcorn, not owning a lot
of food. Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm feeling fun.
It's been a stressful year. But again, all it takes
is seventy two games. We look good. These ten games,
things go smoothly. Maybe the last game doesn't matter at all.
Speaker 3: That would be great, that'd be real nice. It feels
past game could end up being very stressful.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what, we'll do an updike fun check
in eight games and we'll see, we'll compare the tape
and we'll see where we're at. All right, anything else
about standings or fun broadly, could be about anything. Before
we get to this quick three and four preview.
Speaker 3: I'm about to pour out one of my Heinekens for
the damn Bulls who losten to the Lakers. Bad.
Speaker 1: Are they getting smoked?
Speaker 3: They're down thirteen now at eight minutes left, But there
was they were up like fifteen.
Speaker 1: Did you see the Pacers Wizards score No. One sixty
two to one oh nine Pacers? Let me double check.
Speaker 3: Oh they were pissed about something last night.
Speaker 1: One sixty two. That's insane.
Speaker 3: All blocks out on the Lebron tippin next time.
Speaker 1: Huh? All right, coming up, we're gonna be talking the
three and four preview pretty briefly. Uh, if you're listening
on audio's gonna be a quick break. If you're watching
on YouTube, leave a comment about who you would rather play.
Would you want to follow the play in or would
you want to just let's pray to god we stay
at six and get a normal playoff series. Audio ads
coming up, and then Small three and four preview in
three two one.
Speaker 3: Welcome back in clips and tip episode fifty even of
season three, I'm atamaasm we got Chuck Mockler, will Updyke
and a Clippers three and four and I think leads
to a five and seven the final one of the season,
starting with the Nets tomorrow in Brooklyn, a team that
is heavily injured at a time where it seems like
it's almost like they're trying to lose or something to
ll down the standings and have a better chance at
this guy from Duke, I don't know who's playing pretty
well in a bum ankle, So yeah, tomorrow. You know,
I thought there was a chance James Harden would play
against the Knicks and then maybe not play against Brooklyn.
Now he's not on injury report, maybe there's a chance
still he can play lesser minutes against the Brooklyn Nets.
If the Clippers handle their business.
Speaker 1: I don't know. I think he's playing higher long he
wants to play. I have given up on thinking he's
gonna sit out for better or worse. The man does
not want to sit out. As Clippers fans, it feels
hypocritical to be upset about that, So go for it, James,
You've been phenomenal this season. Quick aside, do we think
James Harden is a more beloved Clipper than Paul George
at this point? Well?
Speaker 3: Today is for sure? Sure, Yeah, in ten years, who knows?
Speaker 1: But I think in ten years, yeah, I think it'll
still probably be James Harden over PEG.
Speaker 3: As long does Paul George still have a podcast going?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Absolutely? Well, you say, are you taking James? Are
you taking hard and over PG for a more beloved
Clipper in ten years?
Speaker 2: Personally?
Speaker 1: Sure?
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean PG had had had one had one
good playoff series, so outside of that, I feel like
it wasn't my thing favorite tenure of of Clipper. And
when I think about the sliding doors moment, where if
instead of instead of PG, we make the same trade,
but maybe with an extra first to get harder out
of Houston. Uh or Kevin dur kind of makes me
want to die. So no, Kevin Durant was going he
was going to the nets. Yeah, I know, he was
going to the nets. He and Kyrie they figured that out.
They were going to team that one up. But getting
hardened out of Houston would have been huge.
Speaker 1: All right, So we're going. I think we're probably all
going hard. Kawhi is missing one of these games. They
go Calves Calves Magic is a brutal back to back
right now, That is not.
Speaker 2: The best you're gonna do on that is one and one.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I think that, like, I think that's that's
the best you're gonna do on that is one and
it's probably the first game because I don't think we're
getting like, I don't know, Adam, what are we What
are we thinking? For ideal record? I mean, I've this
sounds crazy. If we look good and things go our
other way in other areas, I'm fine with one in two.
It's a tough stretch. The nets are not a tough stretch.
Speaker 3: I'm trying to see what do the Warriors have during
this time? So they got Pelicans tomorrow, Spurs on Sunday,
Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Speaker 1: So they're looking at too and one.
Speaker 3: Probably step still out, but sounds like it could be
back soon. Yeah, it might not be the end of
the world if they go one and two, but it'd
be nice. I'm a little bit more focused on the
Magic game. I know that they beat Cleveland. They also
shot God to your numbers in that game, outmatch the
Calves shooting. I feel like the Calves are gonna be
upset about that one. They can play better than they
did in the second half. I don't know. I might
rest Kawai and that one because they have they have
beaten the Cavs. You can live with going one and
one against them. Go Gar Orlando, who doesn't have a
great offense. That could be a rock fight of a game.
And the Clippers offense right now number one in the
league last ten games.
Speaker 1: Does that have anything to do with Kawhi putting up
like twenty six or less time? That's crazy? Yeah, I
washed not washed. Well, is there anything specifically over the
span of three you're looking for from the clips just
as a whole, just like I just want could process
no knocks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Adam brought up the second quarters I
guess I would like to see now that we're kind
of easing into a playoff rotation and there's that they're
trying to figure some some more of that stuff out. Yeah,
i'd like to see some better stuff from the bench,
plus Kawhi minutes, even if we're losing those games. Yeah,
for sure.
Speaker 1: We get some guys, some rep Maybe Nico doesn't play
as much. Like it's back to Like everyone, it's gonna
be weird on the back to back. I hope what's
tough is like and Adam, you've talked about this too,
where like the first game of a back to back
against a really good team and you're kind of chasing
the win and you don't get it, and then the
second night you're like, oh shit, this is another pretty
good team with the guy Paolo kills the Clipper like,
he's very good against the Clippers. He makes life difficult.
Speaker 3: I remember a couple of years ago they punted a
game in Cleveland, and boy did they out kick their cover.
They kicked the ship out of it. They got their
win against Cleveland. I'm happy about that. I'd like to
see him get a win against Orlando.
Speaker 1: It's been a pesky team. For the Clippers kind of
the last like five years or so, they're always kind
of weirdly close games. Cole Anthony hit that game winner,
uh back at Staples.
Speaker 3: Paul George last year hit the game winner, Yeah, the
eventual game winner over Jonathan Isaac, that tough fade away.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's weird out of anything other than second quarters.
I like that point. I'm gonna also look that up.
Anything big before we pick the player of the three and.
Speaker 3: Four, U figure it out second quarters. Kawi has been
upset about this for a while, and last night he
talked along was like, finally, literally that wasn't necessarily the
second quarter, but just him with the second unit because
the fourth quarter started so well, But I need second
quarters to start better for this team. That would make
me even more confident. There you go, Yeah, blowout Brooklyn.
Speaker 1: Please please, Yeah, let's not make that distressful. Yeah. Professional win,
as Tyler would say, I forget a professional win.
Speaker 3: What they did against Charlotte recently.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I do also love the professional win is just
code for beating the shit out of a team you
should beat the shit out of.
Speaker 3: Like the best is when they're like and that's a
good team over there by the way.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all that being said, hell of us, hell of
a squad over there, A couple of bounces go the
other way, we don't win by thirty five. Okay, now
we're doing the player of the three and four. We
got a YouTube comment that wants there to be consequences
from when we get these wrong, which I actually don't
think has ever happened. But I told them they can
track it because I'm not keeping track of this and
I don't know what the consequences would be.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm like what I mean. Sometimes we're pointing out
different things, Like we're not saying this player is going
to have the best numbers out of any of the
three players picked for all three games.
Speaker 1: We're cerebral, you know, like it's award. Yeah, we don't
pick Zoo. We don't pick Kawi. It'd be too easy,
Adam who Again, if you're near to the show, the
rule is we are not allowed to pick Norm, Kawhi,
Harden or Zoo unless things are going really poorly for
like ten games and we can pick them, but things
are not going poorly now, or.
Speaker 2: If they're on the injury report and you won a game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Adam, who is your player of the three and four,
who's going to be impactful over all three games.
Speaker 3: It feels like the consequences are already built in that
we can't pick any of the good play right, Yeah,
obvious players.
Speaker 1: Yeah, uh, most obvious to some.
Speaker 3: I'm going to go with Derek Jones Junior.
Speaker 1: Okay, damn, I'm gonna be to.
Speaker 3: Guys top the bench playing clutch minutes here and there.
Sga went one for thirteen against him according to the
matchup data. I know there was still help defenders around
and stuff, but he was the primary defender love DJ
a couple of big throwdowns in these three games. Troubles
are over, dude, Troubles.
Speaker 1: Are over, dude. All right, we got Derek jon Junior.
Will you're player of the three and four?
Speaker 2: I'm going on Bogie the turnaround man. I said that
there's some questions about him in that second unit. He's
looked very good though, and I think that he he's
just gonna have to be one of those guys who
takes more on, especially that second night of the back
to back against Orlando's. He's gonna have to kind of
show out again there if the Clippers are gonna go
two and one over this three game situation to.
Speaker 1: Get the Adam win the one over the Magic. Yeah,
we are gonna need Yeah, we're gonna eat Bogge. Have
a good game.
Speaker 3: I'm going to an interview. I will be mentioned if
they get that victory.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm going Chris Dudd because we've talked about needing energy,
eating legs and stuff like that. Chris Dune brings out
every single night. If the whistle's going his way, things
are a lot better. And I hope he can. I
don't know how hot of a shooting stretch I want
him to end the season on because that means maybe
they're all gone for the playoffs. But if he can
just shoot close ish to league average from three over
these three games we saw the Knicks to it. He
had a lot of a couple open looks from three,
Cott Russ open looks from three. I'm hoping some of
those go down because they also again will need him
to hit shots to get to go to and one
over the stretch.
Speaker 3: Do you want to guess what he's shooting from three
in March?
Speaker 1: Oh man uh was twenty six and a half twenty
four point three. God, it's always lower every time We've
done this. Every time one of us is asked what
he's shooting, it's always the lower.
Speaker 2: Well, well that averages those fellas.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying. Man, plenty of room to go up.
Speaker 3: He did go from shooting fifteen percent in January to
forty percent in February, and now he's back at twenty
four percent.
Speaker 1: Like seventy six, twenty six percentage points of room there is.
It gonna be great. We'll see how it goes. All right,
that about wraps things up. Thank you for hanging out.
We're probably gonna have next episode will probably be a
postgame live on Monday and then like a crewpod on
Tuesday or something like that. Well, where can these people
tell their in laws to listen to us if they
really want to connect and get to know, you know,
whoever's trying to marry their their child.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Clips and Dip brings families together, much like Chips and
Dip brings families together. But if you want to check
out Clips and Dip, you can check us out wherever
you get your podcasts. If you happen with listen over
on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, go ahead, leave a little rating,
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the little bell so you get notified when we come
out with new videos and stuff. Yeah, it's a great time.
But however you consume the show, you know we appreciate it.
Speaker 1: We really do. Adam one positive thing to send these
Clippers fans into this three and four with, please shit, I.
Speaker 3: Might have a bonus if the Bulls come back here.
They're down by five with three minutes left, but you
said this earlier. Big Zoo had a goal this season
to get to fifty double doubles. He might be there
by the first half of the game tomorrow. I'm happy
for Big Zoo. He's dunking on opponents. He's dunking on
the detractors and the haters. Meanwhile, the Big Zoo truthers
like us.
Speaker 1: Just loving life.
Speaker 3: We're the lebron I can't believe this is my life.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good call. All right. We hope everyone
has a great weekend. Here's to going two and one
over this three and four. Yeah, we've been clips and
dip and as always, let's go Clips