Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans? Welcome to season three,
episode fifty.
Speaker 2: Two of clip If. I am Chuck Mackler joined by
Adam Osen. We got Will Updyke with a wide angle lens.
So if you're only listening to this podcast, you can
watch us at YouTube dot com slash at Clippers podcast
to season new angle.
Speaker 1: Maybe it changes next time.
Speaker 2: Who knows we're gonna change next time. Let's level set
it'll be changed next episode. Uh, we're gonna be talking
the Kahi game winner obviously, the upcoming back to back,
and then kind of a daunting question that I was
asked on a different podcast that I'm gonna make these
two guys answer before we.
Speaker 1: Get into that. Will, how are you doing? Adam?
Speaker 2: How are you doing after that scintillating game against the
Sacramento Kings.
Speaker 1: Will, we'll start with you.
Speaker 3: I mean, it was a get right weekend.
Speaker 1: Things.
Speaker 3: Things are on the up and up. Uh, you know,
both of the Clippers and me personally, Spring is right.
Speaker 1: Around the corner.
Speaker 3: Things will turn around, all right, It's gonna be better.
Speaker 1: Will As.
Speaker 2: Will As routinely said this is our year, but he
seems even more impassionate about it being our year, Adam,
how are you doing what a game? Had to have
been a fun thing to talk about with the callers
after the game last night.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, it was a good time. Clipper Nation was
stoked the first real game winner buzzer beater at into
a dome when it came at the left hand of
Kawhi Leonard. Uh, pretty awesome. I had my doubts when
the shot went up, but he's got that magic touch
when it comes to a game winner that bounces around
like a Plinko chip, he finds a way to get
to full.
Speaker 2: Yeah, as soon as I as soon as it bounced once,
I went, oh no, and then it bounced three more
times and I was like, well, this of course this
is going in. That's the only way these things fall
for Kawhi.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Just obviously there was a lot of we're talking about
kind of the game as a whole, but it was
so nice to see that confidence a the trust and
the team and we never really thought that went away,
but it's nice to see it fully on display since
Kawhi has been back. For him to take that shot,
especially left handed.
Speaker 4: Especially in a game where he was six of eighteen
before he took that shot, and James Harden had made
a lot of big ones, but Kawhi did get that
in one when they were down seven with about a
minute forty left in the fourth quarter that also fell somehow,
and he kind of shrugged, like, that's the toughest shot
I got all night and that's the one that drops
because he was missing a lot of good looks. So
I also think it's meaningful that they went to him
down the stretch. That was their guy, their go to
player in a situation like this, and he perfectly ran
out the clock and made sure that the Kings would
have no time if that ball dropped through to come
back at him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because I gotta be real, you know, I was
glad the ball was in Kawhi's hands. What was your
confidence level at in that final shot it being in
his hands as the clock was ticking down, Charles, I'll
start with you. Where were you at just from a
personal confidence level for the game winner?
Speaker 2: That's a good question. I did have a little bit
of what the hell are we doing here? That was
kind of in my head a little bit because we've
seen those possessions before from the Clippers team, right where
like like no movement whatsoever.
Speaker 3: I was just I was tense en up.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I love Kawhi.
Speaker 3: I know he's mister big.
Speaker 1: Shot, but yeah, I was in the same boat.
Speaker 2: I was kind of like, okay, Like I mean, this
is either going to be classic ISO heroics by Kawhi.
Everyone's gonna complain that we weren't doing anything and there
wasn't a set play or something like that.
Speaker 1: So I was for sure a little nervous.
Speaker 2: But like I said, as soon as it hit the
rim more than once, I was like, oh, game over,
go back to the big tomato.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's like the secret password to get to fall
through the hoop and has to hit the rim a
few times. Yeah, it's it's a secret knock on the door.
If he had missed that shot, there would have been
some harsh criticism on Kawhi on the play being run,
Like the outrage would have been loud. What I would
have at least said, Look, they need Kawhi to be
at his best for this team to peak, and to
do that, you got in still confidence and you got
to play through him. You got to show that he
is your superstar and he's going to be taking these shots.
He's making fifty million dollars. It's usually how it works.
There's typically hero ball in the NBA from every team
late in games that it's usually the case, and I'm hoping.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I did have some concerns initially because I was like, Oh,
he's gonna run down the clock here and settle for
the final shot. This is it. But I also thought
that the reason they were doing that instead of just
going for whatever the best shot was available, time on
the clock left be damned, was because I don't think
Kawai would have been able to play in double overtime.
Speaker 1: No. Yeah, I think they were.
Speaker 4: Saying this is either going going and we're losing the
game right now, Like this is it. So I understood it.
I think there was logic and rationale to it, and
Gauy is infinitely skilled enough to get that to go.
So I was happy, but I did have concerns because
I didn't I didn't want to check the numbers earlier today,
but I know him last twenty four seconds of a
game within three points as a Clipper at least, it
hasn't been great those attempts, but last night's went, and
I think it could do a lot for Kawhi and
the team.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I like what you tweeted too, kind of wondering,
like as I guess, we're gonna find out if Kwai
plays an overtime, which was such a big question, and
then he played very well and overtime obviously he got
he got the win for the Clippers, But the whole
thing was very encouraging, like just kind of the game.
Speaker 1: As a whole. Hope Tyler's back is okay.
Speaker 2: Brian Shaw had to coach the game because Tyler's back
was acting up, which sounds like a damn nightmare.
Speaker 4: This if you gotta fly out on the road afterwards,
is he gonna be with him?
Speaker 1: Damn?
Speaker 4: We haven't heard otherwise.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's true. Yeah, no injury.
Speaker 2: Well, there was the injury report, but that was Tyler
wasn't on it, thankfully.
Speaker 4: Sometimes if it's back spasms or something like that, it
could just shuttled down.
Speaker 1: He could be fine.
Speaker 4: I left that game last year and everybody was freaking out.
Speaker 1: Yes, that was so weird.
Speaker 2: Yeah, will anything else on Kawhi before we talk about
some of the other highlights from this game, because there were,
I mean, it was a weird game. It was kind
of gross, But they found the way to win, which
is good.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean this could be very much a birthing
game in the words of Adam Oslin, which you know
that this could instill something new for this Clippers team.
And Kawhi postgame, I mean talked about his confidence. You know,
he kind of gave the generic answer that he's gonna
shoot through stuff. But it's still good to hear him
approaching the game with that confidence because I think, like
numbers aside, you know, since the return, I do feel
like at times he has looked like a shadow of
himself on the court. So to see him come up
in a in a big moment is definitely a step
in the right direction. And to see that internally, you know,
like he still is of the mindset that we need
him to be at as you know, the best player
for this team. So there was a lot of really
encouraging stuff. But I mean, like Adam kind of touched
on like, if we're being honest, that was like one
rim bounce away from some time to ask some very
serious questions for this team. I don't want to be
overly dramatic about it, but like you you kind of
have to like what, you know, what do you do
at that.
Speaker 1: Point, it's it's.
Speaker 3: Gets even tighter in the West, and you know, if
if you're who's supposed to be your best player isn't
able to deliver in a big moment, you kind of
got some other questions. So it was a huge win,
but I do wonder, you know, the sliding doors moment
is is a little is a little scary, not to again,
not to be overly dramatic.
Speaker 1: Adam anything.
Speaker 2: Last on Kawhi specifically before we talk about Zoo Harden
and Derek Jones Junior.
Speaker 4: I think sometimes with Kawhi it's hard to differentiate between
is he not moving well or is he just missing
shots that he normally makes and there's nothing really to
worry about. They're going to fall eventually, and it's still
early in the process. This was game twenty two for him.
Him and what game three or game four off of
the minutes restriction even though there still is one. He
mentioned that post game sounded like it's around thirty six,
but they've gone so there's some flexibility there. So it's yeah,
it is hard to measure where he's at because I
thought he looked really good the second game against the Lakers,
and I thought he looked really good. For three quarters
against Phoenix he looked great, and then the last couple
of games out there, he didn't look as good. He's
been in a real funk from the outside three point
percentage wise, he has tanked his three point shooting in
like two games. I think he's like two for his
last sixteen or maybe even worse.
Speaker 1: He was one for seven last night. I think something
like that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Like he went from shooting I think thirty nine
percent to now thirty five percent. Yeah, he is. He's
three for his last nineteen.
Speaker 1: Not ideal. Yeah, some numbers.
Speaker 4: That was something I was kind of holding on to
and looking at the lift and saying, three point shots
are falling for him. But then that starts to go
and if he's not hitting mid ranges at the same
level we're accustomed to, then I'd start to get really worried.
So we do need to see better from him in
tomorrow's game overall, from an efficiency stamdpole.
Speaker 2: Yes, because he's not going to be playing. It is
a back to back, so he's not playing on Wednesday.
Other people had good games. Zoo had twenty two and fourteen,
Harden had twenty nine to nine and eleven. I thought
Derek Jones Junior was huge in this game. Obviously zoo
and hard and more important too, but it was like,
you see what Derek Jones Junior brings to this team
athletically and just kind of utility wise. Like I know,
we kind of knew this going about him, but he's
really shown he brings everything this Clippers team needs, especially
when he has to come off the bench. I thought
it was one of his better games off the bench
impact wise.
Speaker 4: He scored as many points as I did. They both
at seventeen and on the season. Now, DJ is right
below shooting thirty percent from the outside, so he's kind
of well above league average. With what eighteen games left,
there's a good chance he's going to finish above league
average from three this season, which is really all you needed,
Like that's all you could hope for. That's great because
everything else he does is awesome. It's slashing to the hoop,
the athleticism, the defense. If he is knocking down threes
in a similar way that he was last year in
the playoffs for the Dallas Mavericks. That was the entire
conversation about him coming in. Will any of that transfer
and for the most part it has will.
Speaker 2: Did we have any weird bets about Derek Jones Jenior's
three point percentage we have to eat any hats or
eat any crows or anything.
Speaker 3: No, I don't think so. I feel like we were
both pretty confident on it. I didn't think it would
maintain necessarily at the playoff at his playoff clip last year,
which I don't have right in front of me, But
I mean, he's he's a decent shooter, and we talked
about this one or two episodes ago. But you do
feel a lot less nervous with with the ball in
his hands beyond the arc than Chris done and and
and that is huge for the Clippers, especially when they
go to these three minute plus stretches with no scoring, which.
Speaker 1: They have one against the Kings.
Speaker 2: There was a while, old Buddy, it started that first
was it? The The third quarter started off so well,
and then the things just kind of stalled out and
very kind of pitifully looking. Zoo had another huge game.
Valanciunis poses a really interesting battle for him just because
it's really physical big. He does that little hit push
that Jim Jackson and Brian Stemen were talking about a
lot where when he goes up for that little push shot,
he can push him further out basically, but he handled
it very well. Harden was hardened more fantastic stuff. Their
people were upset about that. All we're gonna say for
what do we want to say was it was class
like this is what he does.
Speaker 1: I like we needed every single one of it.
Speaker 4: Like Harden was extremely clutched. Late in the fourth quarter,
the runner in transition where they just said, to hell
with the clock the case, have another opportunity out here.
I'm gonna take what the defense gives us right now,
and he got that quick bucket in transition led to
Zach Levine thankfully missing that shot that I definitely thought
was going in. But James James was huge, and then
he had a three and another little floater in ot
and I think some free throws. And by the way,
the Clippers just won a game where they missed ten
free throws. They went I think fifteen or twenty five.
Speaker 3: That is going on shooting, Like what's going on with
the free throw shooting right now?
Speaker 4: I don't know, but if they had lost that game,
that would have been the thing. Underscored highlighted circled, like,
how do you blow ten free throws in this game?
Speaker 3: Are you making them on wind sprints? When they met?
Speaker 2: Yeah, they need to put more weekly progress points on
the free throw practice slider or.
Speaker 1: Whatever they're doing.
Speaker 2: No, Harden was phenomenal, but like I didn't mean that
in a weird way, but like he's he does this
for the Like this is just a thing that Harden
does him and started off incredibly cold.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then they managed to turn around.
Speaker 3: But like, yeah, it's just good with the extended norm outage, right,
like we thought we were going to have him back,
We thought we'd continue to have him here. Like what
Harden is able to do, Like, I don't know, I
I agree, it is just what he does. But it's
still kind of mind blowing, like for where he is
the age wise, where he is in his career, where
people thought he was when he came here, and I
just think that he's answered a lot of questions and
he's been I mean, he's been incredible. He has been
the all star for the Clippers, uh and continues to be.
So Thanks Harden, thank.
Speaker 1: You, thank you James.
Speaker 2: People were upset roch wise that, but Toom wasn't in
the fourth quarter when a mere coffee was in. A
mere coffee did end up getting a shot late that
I didn't like that he took. I thought that Kawhi
maybe could have taken a shot, or Zoo maybe could
have not passed. I think the Clippers were down one.
Zoo got the ball in, dished it to Kawi, Kawai
passed it to a mirror and a mirror missed the three.
In my head, I was like, I would have been
fine with Zoo taking that shot or Kauwi taking the three.
Just interesting it fell to a mirror. How are we
feel about these rotations? Is that something we're not worried
about yet? Because the set wrote like because norms not available,
so all the rotations are thrown off. If it would
have lost, it would have been a lot louder of
a group of people upset.
Speaker 4: How many minutes did Niko wouldsom end up at in
that game? Because he played what thirty four of the game.
Speaker 1: Before played twenty eight and he was three for three
with four boards in a block.
Speaker 4: The hot three point shooting from him recently has been
nice to see. Uh, I don't know, I I get
some of the gripe stuff with and playing twenty seven minutes,
but they don't have a lot of different avenues to turn,
and that's pretty decent chunk of minutes for Niko Batoom
coming off again, we just had thirty four. I get
the criticism. I also don't think it's crazy the way
they used him in that game.
Speaker 2: It's like a wrinkle. It's not like a big issue,
you know what I mean. Like it's just like it's
also saving him for later in the season. I know
we're not too far to the end of it, but
he is still an older guy.
Speaker 3: We do got an I mean, twenty eight minutes is
probably more than Nico should be playing for this team. Obviously,
norm is out for rotation. Yeah it's not our normal rotation,
but I mean, I'd always love to see more Nico
on the floor, But I think twenty eight twenty eight
is a reasonable expectation to get from him.
Speaker 1: And Simmons was out.
Speaker 2: That's the other part that messes up with the Nico
minutes too, Right, if Simmons is in, if Simmons still
have no word on no word, it is me. But
him being back also changes that where I think Nico
gets some of thurs those Clutcher minutes that maybe a
mere would.
Speaker 4: Get I wonder if they're trying to save them some
for the Zion matchup coming up. You might have to
get that's true Zion, which is not gonna be easy.
Of course, where.
Speaker 1: Did will go? Will hurt the Zion slander and he said,
I'm here.
Speaker 2: Coming, Yeah, all right, so the Clipper. I also one
of the things I loved about this game. They found
a way to win an ugly game. This was a
gross game of basketball. This was not an exactly acthetically
pleasing game of basketball.
Speaker 4: The turnovers were really low though from both teams. Like
I thought, in some ways it was well played. There
were shots that were missed that both teams would like back.
But they also caught that heater in overtime where they're
going back and forth, they're both hitting shots. Uh. The
replays that were plentiful down the stretch of the game
were tough, but I felt like they got him right.
And I was looking at King's Twitter and what they
were saying about the game earlier today. They're pissed about
the retracted foul on dj On DeMar DeRozan corner on
the left wing that turned into a jump ball that
Devisa Zubas won for them. They think that was a
screw job that he got him on the wrist. That
shouldn't have happened. I thought it was almost close enough
where DeRozan kicked his legs out. Carlo and I talked
about this happened, that it might have been an offensive
foul by the way he kicked his legs out.
Speaker 1: De Rosen I think that's I.
Speaker 4: I didn't hate that call or think, you know, the
Kings got screwed. No, I don't think the Clippers got
screwed when they said that Demart DeRozan long two pointer
even though the shot clock malfunction and they reset it,
even though it didn't touch the rim because Kawhi block
balance unis it's still was it within the parameters of
twenty four seconds when he ended up taking that shot.
So there were some stalls in the game that maybe
hurt the flow for a second, But I don't know.
It felt like a playoff type game to me in
a lot of ways.
Speaker 2: The vibe was very much playoff vives for sure, which
is what it needed to be, right because now the
Clippers have the tiebreaker over the Kings, so we're effectively
two and a half.
Speaker 1: Games ahead of them in the standings.
Speaker 2: We are one game back of the Warriors and Timberwolves,
who are in sixth and seventh. We do not have
the tiebreaker over the Timberwolves, but we do over the Warriors.
Speaker 4: And still a game left against them against the Dubs.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's interesting.
Speaker 2: I don't know, I feel a lot better about the
standings than I would have if they if he missed right, like,
things become a lot bleaker in la scenario because then
that second to last game of the season, which is
against the Kings, instead of meaning possibly a whole bunch
standings wise, the Clippers, you know, it's as of six
three pm on March tenth, it's, you know, a normal game.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: No, that's a good point. I'm almost looking at the
top of the West more just to see who you
could match up with if you're seventh. We know you're
matching up with if you're eighth, So I'm looking at
who do you match up with if you finish sixth
or seventh. Those are the two teams that I'm looking
at who's slotted there. And my hope is the Memphis
Grizzlies going a winning streak here and jump into the
two seed. Ideally then you get seventh. That's a great
matchup or the best of the worst matchups.
Speaker 2: You get, right, Yeah, best of I like that best
of the worst is what I would call.
Speaker 4: And I think it would be significantly better than playing
Denver or the Lakers with lucan Al.
Speaker 2: Yes, I would a one hundred percent. And we don't
know what kind of Russ revenge would be cooked up
either in a series against Denver just in terms of
playoff stuff, but I think that's a that's a great point,
the best of the worst options. We're gonna talk more
about what is maybe the best scenario for the rest
of the Clipper season in a bit. We're gonna talk
about this upcoming back to back after a quick audio break.
We got the Pelicans on Tuesday than the Heat on Wednesday.
If you're listening to us on audio, there's gonna be
a short break for advertisements. If you're watching us on YouTube,
we'll still be here, will We'll hopefully be back. Yeah,
a short audio break and then talking the back to
back coming up in three two one.
Speaker 3: Hey, welcome back in to clips and I'm back.
Speaker 1: I'm back.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry about that. I was the reason for the
wide angle I was going from iPad iPad died anyways,
don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. We talked
about Quhi's incredible game winner in the OT thriller Over
the Kings. Massive step in the right direction for the Clippers,
potentially massive implications moving forward. But the job is not
over yet. We got an upcoming back to back, of course,
because we hate rest. We're taking on the Pelicans tomorrow
from the day that we're recording this Tuesday. If that's
the day you're listening to this followed by the Heat, Charles,
you think we're going to and l on this one.
Speaker 1: I am not on the record saying that.
Speaker 2: I think we split this one strictly for the fact
that Kahi's out for the Wednesday game. We're all assuming, right,
Norm's not going to be there. We've seen it. We've
seen James Harden on the second end of a back
to back put up fifty points, so I would love
for that to happen again. But a road back to
back the Pels proved to be I think a harder
matchup than the Heat just looking at the stats, so
I'm thinking we split, but I hope we split with
a conference win, because that's the one that matters most
to me.
Speaker 3: Adam two and oh back to back haggle, no haggle.
Speaker 4: No haggle. I think it's possible.
Speaker 1: I didn't say it was a poss who.
Speaker 4: They're gonna surprise the hell out of Chuck, just like
Will did.
Speaker 1: On the reach one.
Speaker 4: Jumping out of the bushes. I think it's very possible.
I do think the Pelicans game is the tougher game here,
and I was talking with Carlo earlier. Kawhi has played
the front end of all the back to backs. I
think this season he's always played the first. They haven't
done it based upon matchup. I don't believe it's just
he plays the first, that's I think that's accurate. And
the Pels I think are actually you can throw the
record out because both teams have changed so much, and
the Pelicans have been through injury hell this season, and
if they have CJ and they have Zion like they're
supposed to tomorrow, I think they're slightly more dangerous. And
especially because they always beat the Clippers, so's you would
want Kawhi Anyways.
Speaker 3: Yeah, history is on their side.
Speaker 1: They also did just sign Mobamba.
Speaker 2: Which means he's gonna have a revenge game of sorts.
Three three is by Mobamba, book it. So I was
looking just since the All Star break. They're not shooting
very well. They have the twenty first offensive rating, their
twenty fourth and three point percentage, and they're twenty third
in defensive rating. The Clippers aren't exactly lighting it up
in those same areas, but I do believe in the
Clippers more despite what my co host will say. Their
top two most played lineups in terms of total minutes
played are minus twenty two and minus fifteen since the
All Start break. So I'm maybe feeling Oh, I'm not
feeling incredibly confident, but this feels like first night of
a back to back. I'm I feel good ish about
this matchup. Yeah, depending if Nico guards sign on, Will.
Speaker 4: Kawhi might have to guard him some, Kobe Brown might
have to guard him some, and we did see for
four minutes last night. Yeah, I don't Maybe they throw
you Banks out there against him, or maybe he's going
up against Mobam, but approve who deserved to be the
backup centers this season.
Speaker 1: The marquee matchup of the bottom.
Speaker 2: Yeah, do we want to see will How would you
feel about Chris Dunn starting this one so he could
make life more difficult for CJ McCallum.
Speaker 3: I think that makes sense. Look, we have a lot
of history with c J McCollum. You know, this Clippers
team is very familiar with how to guard him. I
think we've done so very very well. I think Done
Done is definitely up to the challenge, and if he
can stay out of early foul trouble, then yeah, I'm
all for it. It's another one of those games where
he picks up three pretty early. Not great because what
you know, like offensively, it's not a whole lot the
Pels can can really do. If you're able to sort
of neutralize c J mccollm, it's going to be very
very difficult his own problem he presents, you know, when hell, health,
the whole set of issues that I feel like is
in his at his prime, is still sort of difficult
matchup wise for the Clippers to defend given some of
the you know, smaller forwards that we have, uh and
right now this center rotation being so shaky. But I
would be in favor of Done starting on McCallum. I
think make make him have a bad night early, don't
allow him to get into a rhythm. Don't let the
Pels set a new franchise record for three point percentage.
Speaker 1: That'd be great.
Speaker 2: Uh maybe steps maybe steps? Yeah, Adam, how would you
feel about Dirk Jones junior off He looked great off
the bench last year, like it was if he's gonna
be that efficient, Dirk Jones Junior off the bench is phenomenal,
and I think with such a good backcourt player, why
not put done in there.
Speaker 4: It almost feels like lately they've just settled into forget
the matchup stuff. We're just gonna start Chris Dunn and
have DJ coming off the bench. I don't know if
that's what the thinking is. But when's the last time
Chris Dunn didn't start? Is my question? On this team.
It seems like it's been a string of games here.
Speaker 3: Well, djj did was injury.
Speaker 4: This is true.
Speaker 3: He has not been back in the starting lineup since
the injury.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and then even before it just seemed like, I
don't know, they're favoring Chris Dunn in that spot.
Speaker 3: But oh, I'm with you. Yeah, it did seem like
he was. He was taking the lion's share of those starts.
Speaker 1: And even was healthy.
Speaker 2: Because I think that's where it changed if I can
remember that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it feels that is a long time.
Speaker 1: The restaurant tour.
Speaker 4: I haven't heard that name in a long time.
Speaker 2: Teams against the Pelicans can get a lot of threes.
They are thirtieth and opponent three point attempts per game,
So it seems like maybe a stylistic issue or they're
fine with teams since the All Star break and they're
making a lot of twos. So like the shots are
gonna be there for the Clippers from the outside, but
who do they funnel to, which kind of goes back
to that done question, right, Like it's gonna be Adams
maybe more nervous about this game now, thanks dude.
Speaker 4: No, I just I want to see Kawhi hit two
threes in the in the first quarter. That's what I
want to see because three of nineteen his last few
games out there from distance. That's that's been rough to
watch and they need his three point shooting. I saw
somebody say, like, why is Kawhi taking so many threes?
Like because he's like a forty three point shooter.
Speaker 1: Because Norm Powell is out.
Speaker 4: They need it, Paul George is no longer here and yeah,
so it'd be great if they could exploit that, ye,
seeming we it's hard to talk about the Pelicans because
they've been in fluxed so much and like trends and patterns,
it's like, who the hell are they? And that's scary
to me. Who are the Kings being a wild card
like the Pelicans? I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1: There, that's true.
Speaker 2: Will you worried at all about maybe the physicality, like
because this is a pretty physical defensive matchup at least
for Kawhi that he could find himself in.
Speaker 1: They got some big bodies over there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean for Kawhi at least it will be
the first time to a back to back, so there
will be some rest coming up. But you know, they
just had to put a lot in to grind out
a win over the King so that it definitely could
be a factor. And just the size in general, like
you know the size of this team with no Ben Simmons,
we're just back to a lot of question marks went
in front court.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's fair.
Speaker 4: But toomb could solve a lot of them, I think,
But do they want to play him heavy enough minutes
to do that?
Speaker 1: You know, yeah, I.
Speaker 5: Probably shouldn't be playing back to back probably not like
no disrespect to Niko, but like, yeah, I wonder what
the injury report against the Heat looks like, because that
is because obviously Kawhi Norman bed.
Speaker 2: I wonder if things go well and I don't, you know,
I'm sure they put more thought of it than.
Speaker 1: What I'm doing right now.
Speaker 2: Things go well tomorrow, and then you think Miami okay,
Like if Kawhi plays heavy minutes, Harden's not sitting out,
we know that.
Speaker 1: It'll be interesting.
Speaker 2: Maybe they give Petune like arrest or something if if
he has to play a lot. But I wouldn't be
super surprised on that if it is.
Speaker 3: Either of these, a guinea like it's either of these,
like an indictment on this team.
Speaker 2: If if they were to lose, I think if you
have actually been watching the Clippers, it wouldn't be I
think if you don't, you say they lost to the Pels,
and you'll go, well, yeah, I think he would.
Speaker 3: The Heat one would be worse to me.
Speaker 2: It's a second out of a back to back I mean, yeah,
like this team on the second aid of a back
to back, I'm like, okay, I don't know, just don't
look like dog shit process wise. Yeah, that's fair, Adam,
would any of these being in would you arrest the
team if they lost any of either of these games?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 4: I think they need to win the Pelicans game though,
with Kawhi out there, you have Kawhi, you know, win
that game depending on how it played out against Miami.
You know, all reserve judgment. But they're not terrible. They
have an identity and heat culture and they've just been
in a downward trends.
Speaker 3: That's just something people say that doesn't mean anything.
Speaker 4: Hete culture, Yeah, you know, it's it's a culture, and
it's a culture.
Speaker 2: How would one display it? Cut up magazine letters?
Speaker 1: Just look how they display it now, dude, cut up
magazine letters.
Speaker 4: You Donna's has them.
Speaker 1: Hete culture.
Speaker 4: Just let's just look at.
Speaker 3: Just name me a couple of exhibits.
Speaker 4: Tough, tough, tough, tuffies.
Speaker 2: Tough tough h How come they don't have a tough
tough toughies Jersey.
Speaker 1: They should do that for a city edition.
Speaker 2: All right, you give the heat since the all star
Break pretty average four and six thirteenth and net rating
pretty again, pretty middle of the road. We beat them
in January, but we had some pretty insane games from
Norm Zoo and Harden and there was no Bam out
of bio in that game, which was a pretty big issue.
And Bam routinely can sometimes look like a Hall of
Famer against the LA Clippers another to cover for sure. Yeah,
so that yeah, Now this Pels game is that must
win because now I'm thinking about the fatigue that's gonna
be hitting the Clippers after traveling. First of all, you're
in two pretty rough cities to have free time in
if you're trying to get your job done, which is
New Orleans and Miami. And you know Kawha's gonna eat
a bunch of Vignets. We know that's gonna happen. So
he's gonna take the second night of the back.
Speaker 1: To back off.
Speaker 2: But that Miami game is just as physical, if not
more so, than the Pels team. Right Like they're gonna
try and run. I think they're gonna try and just
run the Clippers out.
Speaker 4: Looks like Bam is on a heater, averaging twenty seven
and eleven. His last five games.
Speaker 1: Good.
Speaker 3: Well, it's I mean, it's kind of revenge time for him, right,
you know your coast you've got two start very loudly
wants out. I mean, I think you'd feel slighted.
Speaker 1: That's true. Damn okay, and they got Yeah.
Speaker 4: I'm thinking Zoo. I'm thinking Big Zoo playing through him
second night of a back to back, getting him more
touches out there, making him more of a focal point.
You don't have Kawhi. Let's get Zoo in other twenty shots,
which would tie his career high, which like just happened.
Speaker 2: I mean, last game again, no auto bios who had
twenty one and twenty the game before that when they
did have.
Speaker 1: Auto bio, which was in February. February twenty four.
Speaker 2: Sorry, he had four points in eighteen minutes, which is
not ideal. So he's been kind of up and down
against the heat. Career wise, he's averaging ten.
Speaker 3: And eight against how many Intenncity have in that in
that February game.
Speaker 1: Let me check?
Speaker 4: Did he get hurt?
Speaker 2: Oh, guys, I'm checking. Why would I want to play
by play? Give me the box score? U he went
two for four. He played eighteen minutes. Well, it seems
like he was getting ignored there.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, it was not ideal, and it was when
Paul George was on the team. So who knows.
Speaker 4: Umm, they're gonna need some threes against that zone that.
Speaker 2: Any team that plays a zone against the Clippers looks
like defensive geniuses. I feel like it's like historically the
Clippers just don't know what versus zone. I like what
you said though, with Kawhi's three point shooting, if he
can make the they're gonna throw that zone out pretty early.
It'd be my guess to be like, hey, let's see
if you are shooting well.
Speaker 1: He makes two of them.
Speaker 2: He makes two of the first three whatever, two of
the first four hard and two and makes them think.
Speaker 1: About a little bit, which I like.
Speaker 2: But I'm not looking forward to them working the kinks
out against the Miami's out.
Speaker 4: I guess now that's gonna be tough. Second back to back.
Does does Miami have a game beforehand?
Speaker 1: I think they played tonight, so.
Speaker 4: Then they'll have a day off.
Speaker 1: They're playing the Hornets right now. Shout out the Hornets.
Speaker 2: Shout out future Clipper lamellow Ball see him Sunday.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, we will.
Speaker 2: All right, anything else about the heat before we get
to our player of the back to back. We haven't
even talked about Bogden yet. They're gonna let him shoot,
probably in Miami.
Speaker 1: Against this Ouland. So let's hope those are falling.
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, player the player the back to back picks,
Let's do it, Adam, who is your player of the
back back? If you're the show, we pick anyone who
is not a Vitza zubats Kwhi Leonard or Norm Powell?
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 3: Who knows?
Speaker 2: Too easy, baby, We're not doing Pingalore rules where you
can pick every anybody you want, Adam, who you're going with?
Speaker 4: Uh, I'll go with bogie ball Odan Bodanovich. He went
I think, oh for four from three against the Kings,
but he's had some incredible playmaking possessions recently, and those
tippins he had against New York. Yeah, we're insanely clutched
with all eight of his points coming in the fourth quarter.
I like what I'm seeing from Bogey overall, being able
to take some of the burden off Kawhi and James
Harden out there. Give me some bogie ball.
Speaker 2: Okay, trusting bogged in Bogdanovitch to be a hot shooter.
Two games in a row, you like to live dangerously?
Will your pick.
Speaker 3: For the going DJJ again?
Speaker 1: Who went? Who?
Speaker 3: I went? Last time over the weekend. I would say
I was half right. But he's coming off one of
his best games as a Clipper. I do think like
his physicality helps. I think that he's a guy who
He's the kind of guy that we need for the
schedule that we have always with the back to backs
and everything and no Kawhi, It's gonna be a tall order.
But I you know, we we gave him Miss Flowers
at the beginning of this. But I love the athleticism,
I love the versatility. Yeah, Hoping strings together a couple
of good ones.
Speaker 1: A lot and Derek Jones Junior, those were one of
those two. Is gonna be my picks. I'm gonna go no.
I was gonna say a mirror, but I don't feel
confident about that. For two games in a row, go done.
Speaker 2: I'm thinking I'm thinking done. I think Chris Dunn is
gonna have to be He's gonna have to do a
lot defensively, especially in that second game with no Kawhi
and stuff like that, so Derek Jones Junior will too.
I'm excited to see them kind of paired together. Just
start that one as what I assume will happen.
Speaker 1: So I'm going with done.
Speaker 2: I feel pretty good about it, and the Clippers are
gonna go one in one.
Speaker 1: It's a tough factor back, all.
Speaker 2: Right, Okay, get their receipts ready. Clip it, Adam, clip
it and you can play it with distorted sound and
a remixed horror movie song.
Speaker 1: Or something like that. They just need they need to
win the.
Speaker 2: Game against the Pales. Our conference record needs to be better.
They would just make me feel better personally if we
were better than five hundred in the conference, because the
Kings are better in the conference, which is annoying.
Speaker 4: Be nice to get a victory over the Pelicans, who
have routinely I guess the Clippers have one two of
the last three in New Orleans, but before that it
was ugly. I don't want to talk about it.
Speaker 1: You know what's weird?
Speaker 6: Uh?
Speaker 2: The Timberwolves had the have the third most wins in
conference play in the Western.
Speaker 4: Conference, and they've lost a lot of close games. Their
bugaboo has been they've lost a ton of clutch time games,
but they've been better as of late.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're twenty six and eighteen in conference play. Pretty
damn good.
Speaker 4: They're better than their record, honestly.
Speaker 6: Well, thankfully we go by the record, which is also
better than the Clippers.
Speaker 2: All right, coming up, we're gonna be doing an existential
existential question and then sending everyone on their way from
this back to back. If you're listening, thank you so much.
If you're watching, also love that you can watch the
YouTube dot com back Clippers podcast. Coming up, we're talking
the best case scenario for how the Clippers can finish
their season. Coming up in three two.
Speaker 4: One Welcome back in clips and dip, I'm at a
Moslim We got check Macklin, will Updyke. It's episode fifty
two of season three. Coming off a huge win last night,
Add into a Dome, some say the best game ever
played add into a Dome. That I mean your first
buzzer beater at the Dome. People were freaking out. It
was loud, it was crazy, it was pandemonium. But uh,
this Clippers team, we just talked about it going out
on that road trip. But there are some bigger questions
at hand. It's not just about this three game roadie.
It's about where they end up overall this season by
the time things are done. And so I guess, Chuck,
you were asked this question. It was posed to you
on a podcast recently.
Speaker 2: Yes, I did the nixt Film School pod. Wonderful pod
if you ever want to listen to a team from
the other coast. I was asked what the best case
scenario on how the Clippers season ended is what I
What I said candidly was best case scenario. The way
I see it is they win at least one playoff
home game into it and hopefully we don't get bounced
out of the playoffs by the in this order, Lakers
or the Thunder. That was kind of my best That's
what I think maybe best case scenarios. That was also
when things were not going swimmingly. It was last week,
so things have gotten better since then.
Speaker 3: But that would change your answer.
Speaker 1: No, If you can get.
Speaker 2: A home playoff or play in win at into it
and then be a really annoying team to play in
the playoffs, I think that's a pretty and again you
don't get bounced out by the Lakers or the Thunder
in that order. That would be I think that'd be
a great way down the season. Not obviously elite, but
we came into the season saying they'd be a high
playing team, and that's what happens to high play in teams,
and if everyone stays healthy, we get a fight and shot.
Speaker 3: Okay, will So you're saying five, five game first round exit? No,
is the is the ceiling for this Clippers team?
Speaker 1: Maybe six? What? Yes? That is the ceiling? Will it?
What is your I know what's our year?
Speaker 3: Shot the world? Shock the world? World is what the
ceiling is?
Speaker 1: What time is it?
Speaker 4: March madness?
Speaker 3: Baby? Is what the ceiling is?
Speaker 2: Well, you're going, You're going, You're going. Championship is the best?
Speaker 3: I mean, I mean we get out of the first round.
Speaker 1: It's looking like nailing.
Speaker 4: Okay, I mean that's hey, if they get out of
the first round, this guy's living.
Speaker 3: Sure out of the first round, who knows, it's anyone's
game at that.
Speaker 2: It's actually better to play the best teams in the
first round when you're the Clippers coming off, I mean,
get out of the way.
Speaker 1: Sure, you just you sweep it right out of the way.
You're less sleepy? Yeah, all right, Adam, what are you feeling.
Speaker 4: Uh, I'll say Western Conference Finals if everything broke their way.
We were talking about it a little bit earlier, but
I need Memphis to end up as that two seed.
Sure that happens, Clippers get seven. I feel pretty good
about their chances in the first round. Sometimes just matchups.
I don't think the Lakers should have made it to
the Western Conference Finals in twenty twenty three just to
get swept by Denver. But they got Memphis, they got
the Golden State Warriors. It worked out in their favor.
So it's all about the matchups in the end. If
the Clippers catch the right ones, with the healthy Kawhi,
I think they could view business all right.
Speaker 2: So we have one host saying championship, we have one
saying Western Conference Finals, and then.
Speaker 1: Me saying first round exit. Five game, first round, first
round exit.
Speaker 4: I think a dump on the I think I think
Western Conference Finals.
Speaker 1: I'm not ready to say that.
Speaker 2: Wow, this is a huge backtrack, but I know I
think the matchup that thing makes sense. If they get
the Grizzlies. I don't exactly see the second round going
as swimmingly as Adam does.
Speaker 1: But who do they get?
Speaker 4: Tell me who they getting?
Speaker 2: I guess who would they get? So in your dream scenario,
who they get Grizzlies.
Speaker 4: Houston the second round?
Speaker 1: That was sure? Yeah, if we get Grizzlies Rockets, I'll say.
Speaker 4: Are they not in the Western Conference? This is not
a possibility.
Speaker 1: They are. They very much are a lot of things
gonna fall your way.
Speaker 2: I do appreciate it, all right, anything else before, That's
really all I had for this extra section. Anything else
before we send these Clippers fans onto a week that
is an hour shorter as of today I've spent. We
gotta get ready for this back to back. All right,
We're gonna do a postgame hang tomorrow after the Pels game,
because that is the one that is more important, and
that is when we're Kawhi is playing. Will Where can people,
during their performance reviews when they're higher ups, ask them
what they've been wasting time on instead of working? Where
can they tell their bosses to listen to our pod?
Speaker 3: Yeah, you can check out this podcast wherever you get
your podcast. If you happen to listen over on Spotify
or Apple Podcast, go ahead, leave us little rating and
review definitely helps us out. But the best way to
watch this show, you can watch a bunch of crazy
stuff happen, like the camera angles, changing me randomly. Cutting
out is over on YouTube dot com and that's at
Clippers Podcast. Subscribe over there, hit the little bell so
you know when we're doing new stuff, we sometimes we
come at you live. We love to get the community involved.
But however you consume this show, we.
Speaker 1: Appreciation we very much do. We love getting the community involved.
Speaker 2: Adam hardest part of the show right now, Give these
Clippers fans one positive thing to start their week with.
Speaker 1: Please.
Speaker 4: You know, as much as we're a bitching about the
three point shooting going against the Clippers recently.
Speaker 1: I just looked this up.
Speaker 4: Last three games team shooting twenty eight percent against the
Clippers from three third lowest percentage in the NBA over
that time.
Speaker 3: Believe in the averages. Believe in the averages.
Speaker 1: The math. The math is right here.
Speaker 4: But I feel like CJ. McCollum hit like ten against
them this year or was that last year?
Speaker 1: I don't we got to bring that up.
Speaker 4: That Is that a real thing or a nightmare of
that up?
Speaker 1: Hold on, let me look now, I'm confused now did
he do that?
Speaker 4: Either way? The Clippers things are trending in the right
direction again. The law of averages is back in their
favor after fifteen games of getting the worst three points
shoot variants against them. It's gonna even out. That's how
things work.
Speaker 2: There we go, the law of averages evening out at
the right time. Closer to the end of the season
where sixty six percent of this podcast. Thanks for going
to the Western Conference Finals bear minimum.
Speaker 1: Baby, that wasn't a question.
Speaker 2: We will be back live. That's how he manipulate stats man.
We will be back live after the game tomorrow. You
can also catch Adam on Clippers Talk before and after
the game. Thank you for hanging out and as always,
let's go clips.