Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans, Welcome to the Clippers
are over five hundred? Happy hour hang. Usually we do
these on Fridays, but the Clippers play tomorrow, so we
are doing it on a Thursday. I am Chuck Mockler.
William Updyke might be unavoidably detained. Adam Osland unclear he
was TVD. But the Clippers were over five hundred for
the first time since I think Game three. Adam Oslind,
how the heck are you? Bud?
Speaker 2: I'm good? Can you hear me? All right? Gool cool?
Speaker 3: Are we live?
Speaker 1: Yes, we are live.
Speaker 2: Let's go.
Speaker 1: Are we feeling?
Speaker 2: Man?
Speaker 1: We're over five hundred. We beat our bitter rivals? Uh,
the Wolves last night? How are we doing? Of course
he's driving, Oh all right, go ahead.
Speaker 2: He saw me and left. You know that like infomercial
or commercial with the guy who's doing the inverted back
thing and he's like, and I feel great and he
jumps up at the end. That's how I feel right
now with this Clippers team. I haven't felt this good
in a while.
Speaker 1: It's been a very long time, and I don't was
it the third game? Has it been? Were we two
and one and that's the first. That was the only
other time we've been over five hundred.
Speaker 2: Yeah. The last time was when Kawhi hit the game
winner against New Orleans on Halloween.
Speaker 1: That's insane.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty it's it's historic. It's never happened before.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was saying I was just doing the dishes
before coming on this stream, and I was like, I
will always refer to this year as the record break,
as a record breaking year.
Speaker 2: This is our record breaking year.
Speaker 1: Joseph, Hello, he's there.
Speaker 3: I am.
Speaker 1: How are you feeling. We're over five hundred.
Speaker 3: Dude, Okay, look, it's pretty pathetic to be this excited
about this. But even though I.
Speaker 1: Was, yeah, we can finally use this organically.
Speaker 3: Okay, listen at six and twenty one, I thought they
could do this. I didn't think it would be with
as many games left as there are, and like as
many times as I can text back and forth with
Lucas about well they could go fifteen to three over
this stretch or maybe they'll go sixteen and two during
this stretch. To actually do it is really impressive.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I think that's fair. And we're also seeing
part of the reason why it's so cool too. Is Yes,
the new pieces of they're getting their footing. Garland looks
like the fit is great obviously, right, Like Kawhi is
the best offensive player in the league right now. He's
the second.
Speaker 3: His his play right now at this age. Honestly, I
think the aspiration thing is a cover for the steroids
he's taken because the guy looks awesome.
Speaker 1: Pablo's listening, dude, Pablo is an avid listener. He's gonna
that can of worm next.
Speaker 3: Oh good now, I'll have a personal vendetta against me.
Speaker 1: Adam. When is is Kawhi getting some MVP vote? Stan
Varrett mentioned that, I think yesterday.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's getting some. I don't think he can't. He
can't win unless like Ky Cunningham is no longer eligible,
so SGA could still miss five more games, and if
they finished top in the West, he's probably gonna win again.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's probably gonna be shy. Yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 2: And he's about to break Wilt Chamberlain's record for most
games with twenty points for four in a row.
Speaker 1: I mean, Kawi's gonna break Kwile break it next.
Speaker 2: He's right there, I think, so he is right there.
Speaker 1: So forty five five and five last night with two steals.
I kind of made a joke about this off top,
But Joseph, would you agree that Wolves Clippers is a
pretty fun rivalry between Like it's kind of I like
that the organic hate has kind of grown between these
two teams.
Speaker 3: I I think it's interesting. I mean, obviously there's been
good battles over the last three years. I find it
interesting that we've kind of owned them this year. They
look flat bad against the Clippers this year.
Speaker 1: They have a Clippers problem.
Speaker 3: I don't know what that is. It doesn't mean make
any sense to me on paper, it doesn't make any
sense watching the game. It doesn't make any sense. It
almost feels like they just don't care to play. I
don't know. I don't know what's going on. I think
the Wolves have a Chris Finch problem. But if that's
the threat, Like if we somehow got to six and
that was the three six, I'd go into that probably.
But I think if we got there, I'd feel pretty confident.
Speaker 1: We are six and a half games out of the
sixth seed.
Speaker 3: So there's a chance they're not a good one. Not
a good one.
Speaker 1: There is a chance that something terrifying happens, which is
the Nuggets falling to seven, and then it's Clippers Nuggets.
Oh god, in that game, they're a game and a
half out of being the seventh seed.
Speaker 3: All of the positive momentum I had about the Nugget
like beating the Nuggets left last season, not because not
because of the series, but because Russ is no longer
on the team. If they still had Russ, I'd be like, yeah,
we could beat them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, except he was like one of the reasons they
lost that series. He shot like forty from three.
Speaker 3: No, he he was actively costing them the series. Like
over the course of the series. He was not a
good player.
Speaker 2: He won.
Speaker 3: They were okay, whatever, We could talk about that the Clippers.
The Clippers should have gone up every one. If if,
if James Harden had bought they win that series. If
Aaron Gordon doesn't get that tip, Doug or you make
us up, but either.
Speaker 2: I agree that they still could have won.
Speaker 3: I don't think Russ, hold on, hold on, Russ lost
them more games than he won them. I don't care
about Game one. Overall.
Speaker 2: He was terrible.
Speaker 3: He was terrible in that series, so much so that
even the Nuggets, who relied on him so much decided
he couldn't play anymore by the end of it.
Speaker 2: See, you're thinking about the Oklahoma City Series where he
was awful. After he helped beat the Clippers of the
first he.
Speaker 3: Had a hot shooting start, but he was still bad.
Whatever I'm not I'm not doing this. I know you
love him, I know you want him back.
Speaker 2: That's the thing. I just don't know where you're going.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna cracked. I'm gonna crash right now. I don't
want John Wall back. He won wants Rondo back, he wants,
he wants.
Speaker 2: I don't want any I don't want any of this.
All I want is for you to take back that
shot you took a coach, Lou last time, you're on
with us saying that he forgets how to coach whenever
they bring in new players.
Speaker 3: At first he has appsbsolutely locked in in a way
that he has not the last five seasons.
Speaker 1: You're saying it was a James Harden problem.
Speaker 3: No, I think he just he frequently has given up
when when players are at a minutes restriction. He's talked
about it, he's admitted it. Oh, it's really hard to
coach when I got a coach off a card. It's
your fucking job, bro, figure it out.
Speaker 1: Figure it out.
Speaker 3: As the argument, Oh Jock, now now you're against me.
Speaker 1: Wow, figure it out. It's hilarious. The Clippers have figured
it out. They have their job perfectly.
Speaker 3: This is this is a very positive stretch of the season. Season.
I'm very excited about the team. I know, we just
got myired in a negativity conversation because Adam likes to
take no Adam, Adam provoked me. I just wanted to
be seen and heard that Adam provoked reality. I just
I just want to say, Adam provoked me. I was calm.
Nobody's been calmer than I was.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, way for the epic gun around.
Speaker 1: Yeah you have the gun out, dude, Oh.
Speaker 3: My god, I didn't know.
Speaker 2: Can we talk about coach lou and for years people
saying all you can do is have his guys run
eyes so and he doesn't know how to play any
other way. And now they're playing this up tempo, fast
paced team. Cohi's adjusted to the speed they're playing at.
He doesn't care like I love it.
Speaker 3: They don't. They don't play it. Running out transition isn't
an offense. It's responding to defensive possessions going your way.
I just want to throw that you.
Speaker 2: Intentional hit ahead are absolutely part of their offense.
Speaker 3: I love this team. I just want to say again
to all the listeners out there, I'm very excited about
this team. There's so much fun to watch. This has
been such an incredible stretch. I am positive about this team.
I just Adam. Adam brings out the Marsta.
Speaker 2: Did you have to park to get these takes off?
Speaker 3: I parked. I parked. My wife and my family are
anxiously awaiting my return home, and I have sat here
for the last two minutes to argue with you, Adam.
I don't know why you do this to me.
Speaker 1: Go see your family.
Speaker 2: You're in ISO mode.
Speaker 3: I miss being on podcasts. I also miss my friends,
so that's why I'm here. Okay, his friendshipone.
Speaker 1: Wants to pot again. You know that's good.
Speaker 3: Hold on, I am hold on.
Speaker 2: Let me tell you.
Speaker 3: Go ahead.
Speaker 2: It wasn't the friends we made along the way. It
was the historic turnaround. Yeah, less about the friends right now.
I needed the historic turnarounds.
Speaker 3: I started. I started thing about coming back into the
podcast space at around eight and twenty one. Okay, so
it wasn't the whole run. I got really excited really fast.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: As soon as those two games happened, he was like,
we're back, baby, I'm in.
Speaker 2: How excited were you though where they traded your son?
How are you feeling that day?
Speaker 3: So that was that was okay. That was a complicated
day for me because obviously I wanted Zoo to retire
at Clipper Okay, he was one of my favorite players.
There's a lot of things I stand for him anyway, whatever.
Looking at the deal, I was like, how could anyone
have said no? How could anyone have said no to
that deal? It positions you, It gives you optionality. You're
like ready to go for the future. We got a
flyer on another player I really loved, Benedict Mathern, and
I was like, you just can't say no to that.
Speaker 2: We were team athletes before. It was cool Joseph, you
and I talk behind the scene, and he was our
he was our other kaminga.
Speaker 3: I kept trying to trade Norm for him.
Speaker 2: They found a way. I was Indiana gave up on him,
to be honest.
Speaker 3: After after having watched him play, I am not I'm
not saying he's a bad player. But I'm not surprised
why they said, we're not paying you twenty five to
twenty eight million dollars a year. You think I am
that if they do, it's a mistake.
Speaker 1: Damn, what would you go twenty?
Speaker 3: I think twenty is my cap.
Speaker 1: He probably wants to be a starter or two. This
is something that people are already worrying about. Or what's
is he going to start next year? I think he
probably will.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I I I don't think that's a good idea either.
Yeah yet, I don't know. He can show me something different,
you know what I mean? Absolutely, But based on what
I have seen, his process is so poor and like
his fundamentals are so sloppy that I think I texted
you this most of the times where he's playing well
at this point, I'm like, is he just like getting
lucky out there? Like, I don't know what's going on.
There are things that are super super strong about his
game in terms of like his willingness to attack the
rac draw fowls, get to the line. All that is great.
His defensive intensity has been way better, way better than
I anticipated.
Speaker 4: But just in terms of like a process perspective, he's
not playing the game at a high enough level to
where I feel like, Yeah, that guy should be starting
on a team that I would have high expectations for.
Speaker 1: I think he's really excited, if that makes sense. Yeah,
I think he's looked really excited to be on this team.
I think that's helped him be better at defense. He's
around guys who are all trying on defense every single possession,
and that's right. And I think Adam you talked about this.
I think if he would have made that game winner
against the Magic, I think he's still a little which
if you want to frame it as a good way,
like still bummed he didn't complete that.
Speaker 3: I definitely.
Speaker 2: If if his three point shooting just gets back to
where it has been, and he knocked down a couple
in the fourth quarter last night, I couldn't believe Kawhi's
got forty and he has an open look and he
passed it to Ben on the right wing to take
that three. It was pretty awesome with seeing he made it.
But you mentioned the little stuff he's been doing out there,
because he's been doing enough of that. The basketball IQ
stuff hasn't been hurting them that much yet. But it
does need to improve the process.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I need to go see my family, so I
just ill, I will, oh, all right, all right by.
Speaker 1: I think Kawhi likes Matt in two. Yeah, not like
like that he disliked other young players, but I think
he actually enjoys being mathines.
Speaker 2: Vet Matherne caught him after the Grizzlies game with the
walk off interview with Lorn Roseen, and Matherne came by
and he did the clothing with him. I think he
he really looks up to Kawhi Leonard and you know,
he said he he thinks he's the best player in
the game, and he knows that there's so much he
can learn from him. And that was one of his
comps coming out of Arizona.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, the player comps. Yeah, I'm higher on him
than than Joseph Is. We've needed every We've needed every
single one of his points that he's given us.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely been some helter skelter or chaos theories.
You say, it's definitely been up and down. He's had
some really good second halves recently to make up for
four first halves, some good second and third stance to
make up for the first stint.
Speaker 1: I think he needs structure. I think once the rotation
settles down and we're not and I don't mean this
disrespectfully to Kobe Sanders, when we're not starting Kobe Sanders
because Collins is out, you know what I mean, like
when we're not having to shuffle. Yeah, like because if
you've been on the Clippers for two years, you've had
to play at least three positions in a week usually.
And I don't know if Matherin's kind of used to
that chaos yet he.
Speaker 2: Is twenty three. He is still very hump.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a very good point. But in Ski's asking,
what what are our thoughts? First of all, thank you
for saying great work. We appreciate it. What are your
thoughts on trading Kawhi this offseason to any desperate team
that would give up lots like Golden State or Philly.
Speaker 2: Man, I don't even feel like talking about that right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't think about that. We're over five hundred.
That's what we're here to celebrate.
Speaker 2: We've had three months of the best play of Kawhi
Leonard's career. I don't want to think about trading him
right now. Guys, I saw the reports too out there,
and I don't know how substantiated they really are, how
close they were to make you that move. It seems
like clickbait type stuff or attention stuff, just like Frank
I Sola today.
Speaker 1: I was just about to say, like everything now is
just like vibes, Like all the reporting on what's gonna
happen to the Clippers is like, oh, maybe this will happen,
and it's the aggregate. It's a goddamn mic.
Speaker 2: Vibes is kind Honestly, that's like charitable I see it is.
You know, this will get some circulation if I say this,
even if I say right beforehand, I don't know if
any of this is true, but I'll still say it
to get clicks and subs out of it. I have
no idea if any of this is true attention. Just
talk about the Clippers a little bit.
Speaker 1: I guess Stump gave us five dollars, thank you. They said,
tinfoil hat Kawhi is showing Benedict Mathern how to play
team basketball when he made that pass last night. I
like that tinfoil hat theories.
Speaker 2: I don't think that's that's far fest at all.
Speaker 1: I think a fitted tinfoil hat.
Speaker 2: I think for the first time maybe in his career,
Kawi feels like a mentor. He said when they first
made the trade, or around the trade deadline, something like,
you know, maybe I can ride their coat tails sometimes jokingly.
I think he knows this is that point of his
career and the maturity is there to bring these young
guys along and help them excel. And I think Ben
mcmatherin he knows how good he could be.
Speaker 1: And he's certainly already leading by example with how he's
playing basketball. We haven't talked about him very much this episode,
but Garland is fitting in so well to this Clippers team,
in this new faster version of the Clippers. There was
a three pointer last night where I think Lopez battled
for the board and got it to Jordan Miller, and
Garland curled around so Miller could make kind of an
awkward pass easier so he could have the open three.
And it's just like it looked. It didn't look like
I don't know, it looked like a move that you
would see I guess later in a player's tenure, you
know what I mean, with a new team and stuff
like that, Like the fit has been borderline seamless, like
the transition period. I mean, having a real point guard helps,
but like, I think it's a testament to Garland's ability
to like he looks like he's been playing with the
team longer than seven games.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think he had thirteen the third doesn't even
have to play in the fourth last night, hit the
big step back three on go bet. He was out
there with the rest, with backups, and they held on
to that double digit lead when Kawhi went to the bench,
even when Garland went to the bench, like the last
two minutes of the third quarter, they held on. Yeah,
I was so impressed by that. I really thought that
might have won on the game, just still being up
by eleven heading into the fourth because Minnesota was making
their push. They had Ant on the floor or next
to Julius Randall, uh Dante DiVincenzo Bones and who else
Na's reed and Bones was hot and they kind of
went all in, Okay, Clippers, don't have anybody out there,
this is it. We're gonna We're gonna get down to
five points right now, and they couldn't do it.
Speaker 1: Garland was great, and he's he's again very fun to watch. Yeah,
guys you talked about, you talked about in the transition
before Joseph started yelling at everybody about.
Speaker 2: How do we not mute that guy? What's so funny?
Got some order?
Speaker 1: Usually he's so chill. He came in hot today. I'm
glad he got that out before the famn time.
Speaker 2: I believe myself, if you bring up Russ like I
talk about Russell Wilson, that's still would have triggered him.
Speaker 1: Like one of the thing that I've liked is like,
there was that game, I think it was Garland's second
game where Done made a cut and Garland threw a
fastball and Done it went. It was a turnover, went
straight past his face. He was like, oh, I'm not
used to getting I haven't seen that pass in a while.
And we're seeing guys figure that out now. We're seeing
guys kind of get these like half transition breaks and
stuff like that, and we're seeing the cuts and everything
because they know that Garland is looking for it. So
it's like, yeah, I'm so excited for I'm obviously I'm
feeling great during this insane run we're having, but it's
making my excitement for next season elevate.
Speaker 2: Well, and it reminded me of a play I think
it was in the third quarter where they open things
up a little bit and Done cut behind the defense
and Garland found him for an easy dunk and there
was a time out right afterwards. And yeah, they're catching
up to his play style, speed tempo, where he's dropping dimes.
He's he's extremely talented. He also you know, in some
ways we talk about Benedict Mathern and I'm like, is
he really high level six man type or can he
be more than that? We don't know yet. There's still
more to Darius Garland with a different coaching staff and
coach Lou and the Kyrie Irving stuff where they could
still get more out of him. He's only twenty six.
We don't know what player he could turn into or
as he already scraped his ceiling, or is the best
still yet to come. It's very possible.
Speaker 1: And if his you know where he's at right now,
if his ceiling is starting point guard in the All
Star Game, we'll take that. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2: Uh, not for to make it in the West, but still.
Speaker 1: Sure we got someone from Brazil. Hell, yeah, appreciate you.
Jimmy Williams giving a shout out to Don Done is
playing so good. Done, And we talked about it a
couple episodes ago, like people were kind of like souring
on Chris Dunn, but everyone was hurt and he was
having to be the starting point guard. Now you see
see what Chris Done is supposed to do when there's
an actual point guard on the team. No disrespect to
Chris Done, but he's playing out of his mind because
Tyler is good at playing the guy's strengths, and guys
are healthy.
Speaker 2: And I think he did more than an adequate job.
Even when he did have to run point and they
didn't have anybody else, the assistant turnover ratio was there.
He still was playing great defense. There were times where
maybe he just didn't have any legs left to take
three pointers and he just stopped taking them. But yeah,
Chris Done five million dollars a year. I don't know
if there's better value anybody's getting out of a guy
for that amount in the league. Right now, he's so critical.
Speaker 1: How many more years does he have?
Speaker 2: I think one not enough?
Speaker 1: Seven team options. They're picking that up. Another speaking of
people who don't take threes, Jordan Miller had two posters
last night, and Lot Murray had the tweet that, like,
he had eight dunks all of his first three years,
and he's got eight dunks this season, two of them
incredibly huge posters against or impact full posters against the Wolves.
Speaker 2: Like that was one of the plays the end of
the third quarter that help had them holding on to
the double digit lead, the crossover on Dante Tavia Chenzo
to the dunk. I could not believe that. I thought
I was watching a different player because he hasn't showed
off hops like that. Those were the two highest birch
we've seen from him, and they happened within like five
minutes of each other.
Speaker 1: And the second one when it you could see it happening,
and you were like, he's gonna get a second one,
Like this is happening. Shout out Jordan Miller. You should
maybe start taking some threes though at some point he
has really stopped. Yeah, the Clippers, the offense has been
phenomenal since the All Star Break. The offense is great.
The Clippers are first and true shooting percentage since the
All Star Break. The defense has been eighteenth in defensive
ratings since the All Star Break. Albrety Games, Let's call
it seven let me check, maybe eight with guys in
and out of the lineups. I don't I think it's
better that it obviously needs to be better than that,
But I don't I don't think they're completely transforming into
like the best true shooting team in the league. I
still think the defense obviously needs to get a little
bit better.
Speaker 2: Yeah, tighten up a bit, I should say I. I
think Jordan Miller said this the other night, but he
didn't feel like they put it together for forty eight minutes
and the game against thing goes. So the game against Memphis,
you know, Memphis had ten three pointers in the first quarter.
It was ridiculous, and then and the Clippers started to
slow them down.
Speaker 1: Eleven games since the all Start break. Sorry, so eleven
games at eighteenth in defensive rating.
Speaker 2: Okay, uh, yeah, it's something worth monitoring, But I'm not
overly concerned because, as you mentioned, too much roster makeover
and guys in and out. Man, it'd be nice to
have John Collins back, and it's incredible they're doing this
without him. But speaking of threes and a guy to
throw on, Julius Randall, they were trying to play through
him to start the third quarter because he's like too
quick for the big guys they put on him and
too strong for the smaller guys like DJ putting on him.
But they did a good enough job in the end.
He got a couple buckets.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I like the question.
Speaker 2: Efforts definitely there.
Speaker 1: Yes, the effort is there. I like this question from
Andy what happens when Collins returns? Who goes to the bench.
Speaker 2: It'd be DJ, probably, it's probably DJ.
Speaker 1: Someone in the chat is saying they got sixteen skills.
I don't know how a better defense you can get
them that they did also give up one hundred and
twenty eight. Well, they did also give up one hundred
and twenty eight.
Speaker 2: Part of that is pace you score one fifty three.
There's a lot of possessions you're getting.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but the I mean, the defense it has it's
not been bad, but there's a regression to the mean coming.
Shout out to the YouTube user who gave us guidance
on that last video for both things. I think there's
some evening out that's going to happen. That's not a
negative thing. It's just.
Speaker 3: Wait.
Speaker 2: So I can't say if you're below the mean, you're
progressing to the mean.
Speaker 1: It's still regressing to the mean, is what the We
got to comment from a I believe it. Yeah, we
got to comment on YouTube that it's still even if
you're doing better, it's still regression to the mean. Let
me pull Let me pull it up, because I thought
about it a lot, and.
Speaker 2: I appreciate both. Maybe one's a little bit more exact
for the Albert Einstein that is, I.
Speaker 1: Want to get it right.
Speaker 2: No, I'm interested.
Speaker 1: Let me see if I can find it. That's so funny.
But yeah, so I think there's some evening. I had
some notes here that I that I've noted as believable. Stats,
stats that I believe in since the All Star Break
that I think represent the Clippers well. Fourth and turnover percentage.
I believe in that stat because Garland is back.
Speaker 2: It's been I don't think it's quite sustainable. I'll be honest,
I don't think that is.
Speaker 1: But I'm like they could be top.
Speaker 2: Ten sure, sure, yeah, if that's the standard. Yeah, because
I can't believe how well they've kept the turnovers down.
We mentioned the different lineups and that hurting their defense.
It hasn't hurt the turnover department.
Speaker 1: Okay, I found it. They commented because we were talking
about Benedict Mathern's three point percentage getting back to normal,
and they said, I know what you mean. You're trying
to make it sound positive, but I'm not sure. Progression
to the mean is a thing. Regression to the mean
is for both increase and decrease, depending on where you
are relative to the met m.
Speaker 2: I don't know. I found this reddit post. Isn't positive regression,
simply progression.
Speaker 1: We're not taking Reddit as a source on this show.
Speaker 2: It's Clippers Reddit though that stuff never goes around.
Speaker 1: Oh ray j and T said, how's the guy who
started dating during the losing streak? Are they married yet?
So they did say I love you, and she has
met his friends and they're going to a wedding. Recently.
We updated on the last episode. Actually, they seem to
be doing great like the Clippers. Exactly like the Clippers.
They're also second in free throw attempts since the All
Star break. I think, yeah, Math is e laite at
this Jordan Miller's helping Kawhi is taking his highest free
throw attempts per game, and like six seasons, this one
maybe not second, but I could see being top five
in free throw attempts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like that.
Speaker 1: That feels like a believable stat to.
Speaker 2: Me because what Kawhi has been doing volume was his
level of aggressiveness spandic Mathren feels like he can almost now.
He wasn't getting some free throws in the first half
and that got him frustrated. Didn't he get a tech yesterday?
Speaker 1: Yes, he did get a tech.
Speaker 2: He definitely got into it with Julius Randall and then
they got into it afterwards. Was it still Jaden McDaniels again,
he was trying to get who is the game ball?
Speaker 1: Yeah? For that guy that I think a lot of
us were like, who is this guy?
Speaker 2: Hit two three pointers?
Speaker 1: No fear like at all like that dude came in
and was like, I'm going to score.
Speaker 2: But Padullah he hit his first shot, Yeah, and the second.
I think he almost got them the record for most
points in four quarters for a Cliffers team.
Speaker 1: And of course we know the record for most points
in a game. Yeah, here's a stat that I don't
believe since the All Star Break, twenty seventh and assists
per game, I think that changes.
Speaker 2: Yeah, even after last night, didn't they have thirty six?
Speaker 1: Still twenty sevenths per stats on NBA.
Speaker 2: That that could be tied in with the lack of
three point shooting for a good section there. This is
yeah and a lot of misses.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's what I like. Yeah, like that's going
to be higher than twenty seventh, especially with Garland. Yeah,
like that that's just going to be that's just going
to be higher. I think some chatter has been like
the playoff rotation, the end of the playoff rotation is
kind of part of the discourse now between Kobe and Batoo.
There's been no negative stuff, but people are like, should
it be Kobe? Should it be Batoom? I was looking
at their stats and they're pretty even right now. Like
guys have been out, but since the All Star Break,
Kobe's averaging more minutes per game, not by a lot.
They're basically taking the same amount of threes per game
two Kobe shooting sixty one percent, Toms at forty four
per but like, obviously sixty one percent is gonna regress
a little bit.
Speaker 2: The Toom has some nice plays in the second half
last night, those threes and the defense on end. He
was one on one on the right wing and he
claimped him.
Speaker 1: He has the track record because John Collins has been out. Uh,
Kobe Sanders is in the most played lineup since the
All Star Break with uh, why done Jones and Lopez?
They're plus thirteen. But that's fifty five minutes. And if
you look the next lineup, five man lineup that Kobe's played,
and then that Kobe's played in since the All Star Break,
he has played eight minutes together. So like, Batum's playing
more consistent minutes, but Kobe's getting these spots starts. Yeah,
where how are we feeling about that? No definitive decisions, obviously,
but I don't think you can go super wrong. I
don't think the Clippers are in a position to a
say it's only Kobe or Batum, because I think Batom's
experience helps a lot against a team like the Spurs.
Let's say in the first round.
Speaker 2: I would say definitively if they play San Antonio, because
of Wemby and his experience with him, Batum will be
playing just like we saw the other night, and he
had some possessions guarding Wemby and got him coming up Monday.
Speaker 1: And the like the threes are there, like batumah shooting
well well, I believe batoombs forty four percent from three
more than I believe Kobe's sixty one from three. Paul
Thomas might have a big night on Sunday says long term,
you need to play Kobe long term. Yeah, obviously, but
I think right now in the for the playoffs specifically,
I think Kobe will still get reps, but I think
Batoombs out of that first option.
Speaker 2: I've been having one battle after another with this. Paul
Thomas here in the chat because earlier he said some
bs like Adam said he wanted to trade Kawhi. Leonard
at the deadline said what I've been consistently saying around
that time was I'm open to trading anyone.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I have the offers right.
Speaker 2: Including bos and they got the Godfather offer we kind
of talked about.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I like that both Kobe and Nico been playing
so well, like that this is a This is not
as big of an issue as I think. Yeah, some
fans are maybe freaking out, Like I think it's still
a good thing.
Speaker 2: People are looking at stuff song like they have to
get in a playoff series. They're they're not going to
get the six seed with seventeen games left.
Speaker 1: No, that's that would take a force masure.
Speaker 2: I'd love to be wrong, but I don't see it happening.
Speaker 1: They'd have to like win out. They're like pretty damn
to make up six games, six and a half.
Speaker 2: Like just catching the Suns for the seventh spot is
almost asking too much.
Speaker 1: And because we are going to have this is a
great joke. We're good.
Speaker 2: Kawhi here uh ron wekay hey.
Speaker 1: Garland is out for the game tomorrow, which is not
a surprise first night of a back to back. He's
still managing the toe. It is against the Bulls and
then the Kings are on Saturday. This is one of
we had a very forgiving back to back to start
this month. This is a more forgiving opponent wise back
to back to start this month.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they should win both.
Speaker 1: We started with what pels Warriors. Both these are at home,
and both these teams are now fully interested in fucking losing.
Like both of there's no like. Both of these teams
are fully trying to lose. The Bulls are also going
to be on the second night of a back to
back because they're playing the Lakers tonight.
Speaker 2: Yeah, another scheduling boon for the Clippers.
Speaker 1: This is a fair question from Paul Thomas. This actually
opens up a good question. Are we now no longer
the trap team? Are we the ones who will be trapped?
Speaker 2: I don't know, kau I keep saying job not done.
Speaker 1: I think job's not done. But the way the Clippers
are playing, I think we are the to be trapped team.
Speaker 2: They are due for a letdown. They are no Garland,
don't let it happen. But there's gonna be a first
like what happened early on against Memphis. And I don't
think it was honestly lack of effort. I think they
were just hot. But there could be a flat first
quarter coming where they take an opponent for granted a
little bit. It just happens. It's a long season. You
can't stay locked in all the time. It's going to happen.
Do you still have enough of a margin of error
to recover from that based upon what we've been seeing
with this Clippers team, Yes.
Speaker 1: And I think against these two opponents. The Bulls are
three and seven since the All Star break, and they're
not They're like getting blown out when they lose.
Speaker 2: And taking three and seven.
Speaker 3: Hey, they're bad at taking or pick it up.
Speaker 1: And then the Kings on Saturday, a team that Matt George,
who has been covering the Kings for a very long
time and a Kings fan for a very long time,
has said multiple times this is the worst Kings team
he's ever watched. Yeah, which is saying something so like
they thankfully on paper if they show up to one
of these quarters. This is a good point as well.
By Dexodus, Westbrook is gonna pull some b ass. Will
never count that dude out fair?
Speaker 2: What if they take him out in the fourth quarter
like they did the other night and one probably because
of it.
Speaker 1: So like this, I'm fine if they split here. We
have been on cloud nine for March, me personally and
I but I still think I think there's a strong
chance they can go to and.
Speaker 2: Though yeah, and I think about Matt George's he's also
the guy that said going into last season the Clippers
would finished last in the act.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you can't live that one down. And we as
listeners of us know the division holds a lot of
weight with these three guys over here at this pot
you too, It's really just but yeah, I want to
see and Garland will be fresh against the Kings it's
a chance for him to you know, take a little
more brunt of the offensive load and stuff like that.
I was feeling. I stopped myself from sending out some
tweets last night, but I was feeling very confident with
how the Clippers were playing.
Speaker 2: I may get smoked by that guy on Twitter, and
I'll own it and I'll retweet it. That was said
fifteen three in March, and I was like, whoa eleven
and seven, my guy, Like, I may have to pull
a receipt on myself. Happens, fair man.
Speaker 1: I was terrified for this month. I think all of
us were. I'm also like, as these things go in
the Clippers universe, they can change quickly. So I'm trying
to keep myself in check a bit because there is
you know, things can change. Right now. They're six and one,
Like they got bulls Kings. They play the Spurs. This
is another five and seven by the way they play this,
so they go bulls Kings. They play the Spurs on Monday,
and then they're at the Pels the eighteenth and the nineteenth,
which again like.
Speaker 2: Pells not taking just bad, but they've they've been a
little bit better. They're a little healthier that they might
lose one of those games.
Speaker 1: They could end up nine and three. Yeah, they really
could after the first twelve games, Like that's unreal.
Speaker 2: Yeah, san Antonio is gonna be tough, but they're due
for a letdown. Actually, the fact that san Antonio came
back on them, first of all, the fact that this
just happened less than a week ago. The Clippers blue
age twenty five point lead, and nobody remembers that or
the worst ever in the regular season. That was so
last week apparently because we have moved past it quickly,
because now they're above five hundred and they.
Speaker 1: Well they've had like six games since then.
Speaker 2: That's that's the type of season it's been. But maybe
there's some added fuel to get them back, even though
san Antonio was technically getting them back from the Clippers
coming back on them with the first went into a
Dome last season down twenty six. Slippers turn though, Monday.
Speaker 1: Alfonso Lopez is saying, I remember when you guys were
all about losing with dignity, just saying we all were
we were six and twenty one.
Speaker 2: That was first of all, that was Chuck's phrase, And why.
Speaker 1: Would you not want to lose with dignity. If you're
gonna lose, don't lose like an idiot. Why would you
want to lose like a dope, drop a soda on
your pants and lose like you want to lose with dignity.
I don't want to were We watched the Slippers Seam
lose without dignity, and that is not fun.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Look, guys, let's be honest. I don't know if any
of us thought when they were six and twenty one
they would get back to this point. Even Joseph Ria
Award and whatever he was texting about at that time.
Speaker 1: Was sending mixed messages.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was all over the place. So I don't
want to hear that. Like if you take, if you
take both sides, you're bound to be right. You can Clay.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I hope he's showing his family thisss. I hope
they're watching the stream.
Speaker 2: Right now now. I'm gonna have to pull that if
they go fifteen and three in March, I will be
pulling that receipt because I did book I did BOOKMARKT
and you know we can all smoke that good Adam
pack on those predictions.
Speaker 1: I will also when when coach Lou was like, they
got to go thirty five and twenty and then Zoo
got hurt. I was like, I've said it. I was like,
I don't know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, people thirty five and twenty big time.
Speaker 1: I did. And then Zoo got hurt and it was like,
well shit, and then we just.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: They've They've been better than I would have thought without
a beach zoobot so far. God admit that.
Speaker 1: Oh shit, shout out Brook Lopez. Isaiah Jackson, Man, I
am becoming more of I'm just a fan of watching
him play. There's there's peaks and valleys, obviously, but the energy,
the energy sometimes the energy from a bench center is
like yeah, okay, the energy very high, but you're just
kind of running around out there. He's affecting play. Yeah,
and I appreciate that.
Speaker 2: I thought he was really good. They actually played through
him a little bit when they didn't have Garland or
Kawhi on the floor last night, because they put like
Dante on him and like just dumping in, just dumping
into Isaiah Jackson. They had to foul and he went
five or six of the sierity stripe.
Speaker 1: Right like he's he's filling in these gaps where he
needs to like perfectly within the role. So and we've
talked about it. Brook Lopez is doing traditional center stuff
really well. Like he's he's been so quiet, but he is.
It's been really not everyone is playing elevated. We're hitting
that one of those stretches where everyone is ten to
eighteen percent better than they usually are, and it's they
care fantastic.
Speaker 2: I think part of it is they feel like, oh
my god, look at what Kawhi Leonard is doing. We
cannot let this guy down. I honestly think Kawhi is
inspiring everyone. And yes, Bradley Beal, Bradley Bueble, we have
this ahead.
Speaker 1: We're gonna announce we're gonna do a giveaway. Next week
We're giving away this Bradley bilbobblehead.
Speaker 2: Seeing out to giveaway for the Bradley bilbobblehead. I like it.
Speaker 1: It's a size medium, that's nice. Yeah, it is a
nice shirt. Details details next week. This is yeah, And
I'm not I just want to get to the play in.
That's where I'm at. I'm like, I'm trying not to
think about the PLAYO.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm ready to go to Phoenix for the seven
eight matchup. I think it's happened. I'd love to chase
them down and get it into it. Don't but we're
they're five games behind them with seventeen to play. It's
it's just not that realism.
Speaker 1: Beat them in that hole of a city they call Phoenix, like,
get in, enjoy the air conditioning, get the hell out, Like, yeah,
I'm fine, I'm fine. They're five games back of the
seventh seed.
Speaker 2: There you go.
Speaker 1: It's a lot of games, and they're a game up
on the ninth seed. But the Warriors are trending.
Speaker 2: And they went to and two against Phoenix, right, so
head to head was even first time breaker, Yes.
Speaker 1: I believe.
Speaker 2: So.
Speaker 1: Reminder, the second to last game against the season is
against the Trailblazers and the last game of the season
is against the Warriors. Like there's at that point.
Speaker 2: Let me tell you that's true. Step doesn't get back soon.
He's out another week.
Speaker 1: So yeah, that Mexican Nara is saying, I'll hop on
for the shirt. You can keep them ahead, you get both,
you get negotiable. Yes, we're having some trouble thinking of
ideas on how to give this away. So there'll be
more details on Tuesday. There may be a special email
account that you have to email anything else before we
let these these fell and ladies and whoever else go.
Speaker 2: I think Miles Johnson brought up something interesting here. It's
a fun ride, but I wonder how the fan base
would take a destroyed by okay, see in a one
to eight. Here's the thing, guys, this is why it's okay.
Somebody last night got in the chat was like, who
cares about being above five hundred. It's like, it is
okay to celebrate along the long journey of an a
two game season and ride the wave when things are
going well because you don't know how it's going to end.
If you just wait to see how it ends, to
decide what your emotions are going to be on the
entire season, that's a terrible way to a fan. I
don't want to tell anyone how to have but that's
not how I would do it.
Speaker 1: That's why we're having a happy hour hang to celebrate
going one game over five hundred. I was just as
I was making this tequila soda, I was like, oh,
this is if you were a negative person, you would
not care about this at all, and you would say
it doesn't matter. They're just going to get killed in
the playoffs. We're not the players. We don't have to
have a championship bus mentalent. Yes, we can enjoy a
historic for maybe not the best reasons season right now. Like,
we don't have to go to work and be like,
I'm a Clippers fan. You know, they just got to
win the championship. I didn't do my job, have fault.
Speaker 2: I'm glad Kawhi has that hard ass in him where
he's like, cool, job not done. I love that. That
doesn't mean we all have to be like that as fans,
because they may need that for the locker room, and
we may need to be on fire for this team
no matter what to help them add into adult Right.
Speaker 1: I'm a Dolphins fan. I can't get it. I can't
pretend like it's Super Bowl or bus like you gotta
find things, you gotta find things. You're a Panthers fan,
like you're a lunatic.
Speaker 2: Are we building? Are we trending in the right direction
or not? They certainly are not the Panthers the Clippers.
Speaker 1: We're feeling good. We're gonna be back with a full episode.
I think Tuesday, whatever day that the Clippers are not playing,
we will have a full episode for y'all. Adam, can
we get one positive thing? I'll put this out on audio.
If you missed us on the video, you can find
us at YouTube dot com at Clippers Podcast. Adam, let's
get a positive thing going into.
Speaker 3: This back to back.
Speaker 2: I think it's I don't think it is like some
dubious record to pull off what they just did. Plenty
of teams have been in this spot, and one in
NBA history has held onto the rope long enough to
get back above five hundred. And it's so emblematic of
who the Clippers have been over the years where you
talk about I always do the hashtag comeback clips thing
when they're down, and they've had more comebacks I think
still than anyone else over the last six seven years.
And now they're having like a comeback season where they
were basically like in an O and three or twenty
eight to three type of hole in the regular season
and they came back to get their head above water. Yes,
there's work to be done, but it is fine to
say this is really cool. This is really special still,
and I'm fine with celebrating it and nobody else done it,
so it can't mean nothing. Everybody else. It's easy to
give in. It would have been so easy to give
in for this team, and they didn't. And oh yeah,
it kind of feels like, you know, they don't go
six and twenty one? Is Darius Garland? Here is part
of the future? Here? Do they have two more first
round picks?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 2: Is all this happening for a reason? I don't know
what I want.
Speaker 1: To talk about that next week, because that's a great point.
I don't. I don't think that happens at all. I
don't think we trade for I don't think we trade
Zoo and Harden. If we're the battling for the four.
Speaker 2: Seed, Harden doesn't want to leave then, right, So I
don't know. Things have worked out. And thank goodness they
didn't make any rass decisions with the front office or
cochlu because they clearly are the right guys for the job.
Speaker 1: You mean the Clippers reddit was wrong? Okay, we gotta
get out of here. Thank you for hanging out. Everybody
Clippers read it. You're great and the Clippers need all
the fans support they can get. Have a great rest
of your weekend. Here's the going. Let's split the back
to back and uh, we'll talk to you guys next week,
probably on Tuesday. Stay safe and thanks for hanging out
and as always,