Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans? Welcome season three, episode
fifty eight of Clips and did we come to you
as the eighth seed? As of six fifteen pm April first,
not as fun as the last time we were all together.
Speaker 2: What are we talking about the four or five the
last time we were here.
Speaker 1: It's still possible and we're gannity. I am Chuck Wackler,
joined by William Dake and Adam Osland. We are gonna
be talking the Clippers ugly win versus the Magic, previewing
a bit of the Pels game, and then just kind
of an end of season outlook that has some interesting
I don't know, I hiccups is the right word, but
there's some things to think about for these last games
for the Clippers. As we are recording right now, the
Warriors and Grizzlies are playing each other. Kind of a
win win for the Clippers, right no matter who loses.
It's kind of like a a toss up in terms
of good right at them or you seem stressed.
Speaker 3: I was trying to figure this out earlier. I think
I want Memphis to lose because they're in a tailspin
and there is a real good chance they fall out
of the top six, hence how the Clippers could get
the five. But I guess the other side of it is,
you know, the Golden State Warriors have been playing some
good basketball. You might want to see them take a loss.
But the Clippers get a chance to play them in
the final game of the season. They have a little
bit more control. They don't play Memphis again, and I'd
rather see Memphis just go. Okay, you heard what Triple
JS said last night, right, it could be worse. We
could be homeless. They're in a bad spot. Let's keep
them there because they may feel like.
Speaker 2: Tack them put them in the play in.
Speaker 3: It's it's feeling like it's inevitable right now.
Speaker 1: Okay, will do you care who loses? Or you just
what you want to kick them? Either down? Yeah, of course,
maximum sadness if you could. If you would like to
watch us as I just read Adam's reaction as he
was trying to figure out who he wants to win,
you can find us at YouTube dot com slash at
Clippers podcast, and if you're listening to us, just thank you.
One quick thing, Adam, is that a new hat.
Speaker 3: I've been on this for like a year.
Speaker 1: Here you have a lot of hats metaphorically and literally
probably why.
Speaker 3: It looks so new video section our words like.
Speaker 1: What are you? I thought it was new.
Speaker 3: It was crossab that's closer to being burned because I've
worn it out. I need a new one. Damn, it's
a beautiful hat. I would get the same one.
Speaker 1: Okay that okay, see, so not crazy for me. I
think it's a new one if it's a guy who's
rebuying the same hats.
Speaker 3: I have a closet of these hats.
Speaker 1: So the big game this week, though, is is Timberwolves
Nuggets in terms of Clippers seating, right, we want the
Timberwolves to lose that game. Definitely, definitely.
Speaker 3: Why would it not be? Definitely?
Speaker 1: Oh logic. The Clippers got an ugly win versus the
Magic to end March, which was great because March went
pretty good for the Clippers. It's their best offensive month
of the year ninety six eighty seven.
Speaker 2: Grading this this March as the resident March hitded Ooh.
Speaker 1: Where did they go? Eleven and five, ten and five
double something like that. I'm going a everyone was healthy
for the most part. They played well. They showed up
the prove it trip or stretch. They went three and one.
Pretty happy with it, Adam, where are you going?
Speaker 3: Pretty good? Pretty good march, indeed good. I don't know
if you can expect much more than what they were
able to pull off. Yeah, all things considered. It was
only sixteen games, though, so I don't know if I
can go A because it wasn't now maybe B plus.
Speaker 2: I'm going to B plus. But because it was very good,
I think they can do better.
Speaker 1: Okay, hell yeah, take that. I kind of teach I
just want the bat. This is on you, guys. You
know I've given you the tools. Yeah, that was a
nice I don't know, because the Magic are consistently annoying
for the Clippers for some for whatever reason. And it
was annoying to begin with because the Magic had an
infinite number of free throws. But Adam, you tweeted a
thing that I thought was incredibly on point. Zoo was
the only one who could make a field goal in
like the first quarter or something like that. I think
he went four for four and that's the exact kind
of thing the Clippers needed from him in a slow,
ugly game like that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I honestly it was ugly in some way. But
that's how a lot of playoff games go. You run
up against teams with good defenses. Every possession is more
meaningful out there. I think that was a great test
for them because the Magic are way better than the
record their records because Van Carroll and Wagner have both
combined to miss like fifty games this season, so they
have the curse of the Magics. The Clippers had the third.
The Clippers looked like they had the better defense by
the end of that ball game, and they executed well.
And Kawhi fighting through a bad shooting game like that
against really good defense and still getting big buckets to
go late in the fourth when he had to. I
thought that was an awesome win.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was the fourth. I was like, Okay, I
think Kawhi hit the first two or at least the
first bucket in the fourth or something for the Clippers,
And it was like, Okay, that that just gave me
some peace, you know what I mean, Like it was
nice to see him work for the buckets and still
get after it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he had the fade away on Franz. He had
the little baseline floater out there to start things, and
then he kind of had the closing bucket where Zoo
found him for that transition dunk that pretty much sealed
the game. But the reason you know you want Kawhi
to be your number one option over anybody else is
because he has more shots that are unguardable in his bag.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 3: That's it's difficult, Like when Kawhi misses shots and the
way he was missing, some of it was Orlando, somebody
was just missing shots. But typically he makes such high
degree of difficulty shots it doesn't matter if you're there, Like,
it's not about the defender, it's about Kauwhi because he's
taking these fallaway fadeaways that he just happens to hit
because of all the work he's put in the last
fifteen years at a high rate.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's usually it's like always missing short It's like
it's like always legs are tired or something like that.
I feel like it's the usual no art, no art. Fuck. Yes.
One thing I was I was looking at the defensive
numbers and they're kind of wonky. Obviously for the matchup stuff,
Ben Carroll shot thirty four percent from the floor. Harden
was credited with guarding him for five minutes, which is
like the overwhelming majority. I think the second place was
like a minute and eleven seconds or something. He held
him to one in six, So like that. Obviously, I'm
not saying Harden some kind of giant wing stopper, but
seeing that defensive effort this late in the season has
to be exciting for some people, right Like, obviously there
you didn't like it.
Speaker 3: Matchup data is crap because a couple of times what
that is telling you is hard He had eleven points
in the first quarter. He was getting by him so
far that Harden was no longer the closest defendert. Yeah,
because they match up hunted. He got by him a
few different times. I was like, eh, I don't know
if this is sustainable. Guys, like we might have to
get hardened off of him. I do not tell you
he went one of six. If you if you watch
the film versus the matchup data.
Speaker 1: I'm going on the numbers, it says one of six
all I can.
Speaker 3: Do closest to him. Yes, he was one of six.
But the point is, the further he gets away is
because Harden couldn't guard him.
Speaker 1: Uh and they were taking a lot of threes to
start that game. The Magic were It was very weird
because they take the fewest and I think make the fewest.
So I was kind of happy with that strategy from
them in the beginning because it's I mean.
Speaker 3: They're not a very good offense. That's where they struggle
when they hit shots is when you're in trouble because
their defense is pretty much there every night. So the
Clippers defense, they looked awesome and it looked like there
was a lot of urgency out there. Kawhi came back
in the end of the first quarter, like we haven't
seen that once this season. I can tell you how
often we haven't seen that once. Uh you Banks got
pulled because he had a really bad possession and coach
lu said enough, I'm ringing Kawhi back in.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I like that. Do you think the new rink
on the playoffs? Do you think that was just a
Ben Simmons thing not being available or do you think
we're gonna see Khi?
Speaker 2: I mean, well, I don't think you Banks is in
the rotation so.
Speaker 1: Un that's something crazy.
Speaker 2: Happened, So yes, I do think we'll see that more
in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was I was bummed that Simmons couldn't play
because I wanted to see the full playoff rotation against
the defense like the Magic even though it's not like
their full strength. I want Ben Simmons to have more
time with the Clippers.
Speaker 2: On the three point shooting thing too. I wonder now
if on the scouting report when you're playing the Clippers,
you just write down season best three point shooting percentage
question mark and you just try it because odds are
odds are pretty good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a check, yes or no, they ask everyone
before the game. Yeah, Harden had seven steals, I think Russo,
our favorite French Canadian reporter, Justin Rousseau, tweeted out this
the third time this year the Clippers as a team
had at least twelve steals something like that, and like, yeah,
it's pretty incredible.
Speaker 3: And Harden deserves a ton of credit for that because
later in the game, when Ben Carroll blew by him,
he recovered and got the strip as he was going
up and Ben Carroll lost it off of his knee
because Harden got the deflection there, like it was. He's
got quick hands. You can say what you want about
his defense, but James Harden, he's led the League of
steels before, so it's it's something, it's not nothing.
Speaker 1: I think the book. I think the NBA stack keepers
must have given Ben Caro a missed field goal and
hardness steal for that stat to help him boost those
matchup numbers. They were helping him cook the books a
little bit.
Speaker 3: They definitely gave him an extra steal because at first
it was six, and they later reviewed it and gave
him the seven.
Speaker 1: See that's I'm glad they're doing the good work down there.
The Clippers go from playing a really good defense in
the Magic to a team that has given up. And
I don't know if that's too fine a point on it,
but the Pelicans have given up. There's no cj or
Zion for the rest of the season. I don't know, Will.
How are you? How are you feeling about this game
against the fledgling Pelts left of the Pelicans?
Speaker 2: It's just another It's like the Nets. This is a
game where you gotta you gotta take care of business,
you gotta good get a get a good professional win
and hopefully you know, get some get some rest for
key rotation.
Speaker 1: Guys, and get get the hell out of there.
Speaker 2: It's punch in, punch out stuff like I'm not I'm
not saying to take the Pelicans lightly. I'm saying kind
of opposite, like take care of business, like you should
early clock out man, clock.
Speaker 1: Out company time. Uh. Yeah, they we lost by seven
earlier this month to them. There was no Norm or
Ben Simmons, but they didn't have Brandon Boston Junior, so
it could have been a lot worse than a seven
point loss. Adam, this is a professional win scenario. This
is the the respectful, disrespectful professional win. Hell's a team
over there.
Speaker 3: Though. It's not just a professional win. It is a
must win if you don't beat this Pelicans team. That
was the game the last time they played them. Did
they blow Was it a thirteen point lead in the
fourth or something like that. The Pels shot ungodly from three.
Of course it was during a great stretch from the
Clippers and they had one losses of the Pelicans who
shot like fifty the field, and I think they also
came back on them. Yeah, you have to win this
game if if you want to be out of the
play in, you have to win this game. You can't
afford to trip up with them shutting down Zion A CJ.
Speaker 1: Yeah, this would Uh yeah, I don't even want to
put it out there, but this this would be an
urgent live stream.
Speaker 2: And it's like an actual conference opponent.
Speaker 3: Come on, that's a good point too.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that is an incredibly good point. The Clippers do, Hey,
they get this one, we'll be right at five hundred
in the conference.
Speaker 2: Maybe so yeah, but don't we have the worst conference
record of anyone in the mix for the like six, three, ten.
Speaker 1: That MAVs are twenty three and twenty five, so eight
or above. Yeah, by far, it's bad.
Speaker 2: I was looking at this earlier. Yeah, it was like,
oh wow, we suck.
Speaker 1: In the conference. It's not ideal.
Speaker 3: It's a good about the playoffs, and we're better against
the East, the Lakers and teams I think below five hundred.
The Lakers are infinitely better against the West, but they
lost to some terrible team, especially in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 1: So this bodes well for the finals run. Then for
the you just get us out of the Western Conference
all we need to get us to the finals. Baby.
So yeah, on the year, I mean, just I didn't
I tried to look at stats for this team. Everyone
is out too, like like, yeah, they're bottom five an
offensive rating defensive rating, net rating. They just beat the Hornets,
which I don't know if that tells us anything. Is
there anything in particular we're looking for in this as
we kind of get into like the part of the
season where it's like good habits before the playoffs.
Speaker 2: I want to see Norm continue this heater. He's like
fully back. He had what thirty four against the Cavs
and twenty one uh in twenty one versus the Magic,
Like he's back.
Speaker 1: Maybe Norm is back. He was very bad against the Nets,
but yeah, I think a third game in a row
of good Norm shit would be great.
Speaker 3: He hit a huge three pointer after Bogie stripped it
from Ben Carro. I guess they called it a block
at the rim, which was insane. I know that was
the layup that Norm got in transition, but he also
hit a huge three pointer that was after the done
multiple offensive rebounds. So yeah, it is really good to
see Norm find his groove again. He looks much better
the last two games.
Speaker 2: Especially with like the late set like the setback after
the setback. You know, he's a guy who needs to
be in rhythm. I it's no secret, like his increased
playing time obviously boosts his numbers this year. But I
think also just not having that six man sort of
like helter skilter spot in the in the lineup where
you can't really get into the same rhythm. Uh So
seeing him on the upswing right now is perfect.
Speaker 1: Yeah, finding rhythm on this iteration of the Clippers is
a very difficult thing to do, So credit to Norm
for being able to do that and to ty Lou
for putting him in a position to find rhythm for
that one thing I want to pass the eye test
and the number the numbers back this up. It's the
offense of the protecting the offensive glass, I guess because
the Clippers have been very good in defensive rebound percentage
last five games, they're like their top ten. But then
there's games like against the Thunder where you give up
long rebounds that lead to threes, and it just I
want to see and this is a perfect team to
do it against, right to completely up the floor with
them no pun intend on the glass. I want to
see that mindset starting to cement more and really kind
of owning the glass from strictly an eye test perspective,
which might be me being selfish.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they were. That is something that has fallen off
a little bit the last month and a half because
they were top two like all season long in the
first fifty games in defensive rebounding percentage, and I think
coach Lou talked about it too last night afterwards because
they did out rebound Orlando by a pretty significant significant margin,
thanks Big Zoo.
Speaker 1: But that is something they have to get back to.
And again, like you look at the numbers for like
you know, again, March was a really good month, but like, yeah,
there's just I guess maybe like the timing of it
because some of them it's just a little frustrating. And
I thought they were good done and Zoo picked up
two huge offensive boards late in the game yesterday that
was really good to see. So I just I want
to see more of that. Nothing, they haven't been bad
all year obviously, but like, let's just do it against
a team that we should be, you know, wiping the
blood off of our boots and they'll be like really
really tough stuff out there.
Speaker 3: Though, for that something that does concern me a little bit.
So the last fourteen games where they're eleven and three
and we're talking about this big turnaround and then being
hot heading into the playoffs, and their offense is playing
much better. Sometimes it's just a make or miss league. Boys,
they are number one in three point percentage over that time,
they're at forty two point three percent.
Speaker 2: But that's I don't know, like that's not completely strange
for the for this over teams an average.
Speaker 3: Like thirty six percent.
Speaker 1: Okay, I mean yeah, sometimes it is a make or
miss league. But now now we're making them. I don't know,
Like the shots have been good though, right Like to
your point, like the process hasn't looked bad. It's not
like they've been jacking up a bunch of them.
Speaker 3: It feels like the shot quality obviously has been better
since Kawhi has looked much better, so everybody else gets
open shots. It's still probably not sustainable like their next
fourteen games, they're not going forty two percent from three.
Speaker 2: Who do you think is the biggest outlier right now
on the clickers scene terms of shoot like shooting above
like like that you expect to see more fault or
regression of the means.
Speaker 3: Who's Here's the other part of it is over this time,
opponents are shooting their worst percentage from three against them
the last four But that.
Speaker 1: Had to happen. Forget that it did.
Speaker 3: But both those things happening at the exact same time
is pretty wild. And if you wanted to account for
one reason, they're eleven and three the last fourteen, you're
You're the hottest team in the league from three. Everybody
else is the coldest. I guess you. I'm not saying
super red flags, but yeah, it's not sustainable.
Speaker 1: Who is the outlier though? Because I'm looking at like
Bogden hasn't been He's been up and down, right, he
hasn't been crazy consistent Norm. There were a couple of
games where Norm only took two and made one, which
is throwing stuff off, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3: That's fair. I'm looking month of March, not wrong, like
totally like month of March, Bogie, is it forty seven
percent from three?
Speaker 1: Damn? Sustainable? Next?
Speaker 3: Not the reason Chris Dunn is shooting like twenty nine
percent from three over that.
Speaker 1: Time, He's going to be better? Also be better?
Speaker 3: Uh? I think I believe DJ is at forty percent
from three over that time sustainable? What's Kawhi at over
that time? Fifty five? Yeah? No, I think you only
shot forty percent from three over that time. That's not
crazy for him.
Speaker 1: Well, it helpded that yesterday he went oh for six. Yeah,
because the game he played before that, he went five
for six versus.
Speaker 3: The Okay, there's an easier way to do this. My
dumb ass forgot how to put the parameters in here.
Speaker 1: Uh parameters.
Speaker 3: Harden has been shooting more efficiently as of late, but
that's not I don't think his shooting numbers have been
Maybe they are. I'm about to throw it in Clippers
last fourteen games or what everybody's shooting. It just seems
like forty isn't that crazy, right? It is the other
number also being at its best versus them opponent three
point percentage. So in this month, Patty Mills is at
eighty percent.
Speaker 1: Okay, shout out Patty Mills. Also for being a great,
a great locker room signing and going nuclear the other
day pro the pro's pro. So he's throwing it off.
Take notes. PJ. Tucker. Okay, the fact that the Knicks
signed PJ. Tucker to a two year deal culture boggles,
boggles my mind. He doesn't. He's not a culture guy.
He's wasted. He's gonna waste anyway. Sorry, that's not a
knicks pot.
Speaker 3: You say he's gonna take a young guy and poison
him as well, and that they're not going to be
in the league because of PJ.
Speaker 1: Tucker and Bones has been going crazy on Twitter with
some stuff. I'm like, this guy needs a vet. I
get this man a vet. Okay, So Adam Adam thinks
that the last month was all luck. Let's get to
these player of the game picks for the for the
game against the Pels. Adam, who is your player of
the game pick for Clippers versus Pelicans?
Speaker 3: I will take give me Chris Dunn, who is shooting
thirty four percent from three his last fourteen games during
this eleven and three stretch.
Speaker 1: Okay, so that's what's skewing everything.
Speaker 3: He's up three percent from his average. Okay, it's the
Patty Mills eighty percent on low volume. Nico's at fifty
five percent the last fourteen games, Bog, you mentioned forty
seven Norman forty four percent. Isn't crazy. He shot that
last year from three, Right, It's really just a couple
of guys. But again, forty two percent as a team
over fourteen games, it's not that crazy. Yeah, it's everybody
else shooting thirty percent against him during that time. That's
the one that's like, I don't know about this holding up.
Speaker 1: So you're going Chris down versus the Pels. Life love
that he could make life incredibly difficult for a shorthanded
of scores. Well, who you're going with player of the
game versus the damn Pells.
Speaker 2: What's the Simmons status? We know he's good to go.
Just no back to backs.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no one's on the report. A mere Coffee's out
and I believe Jordan Miller's out too.
Speaker 3: Slim pickets for us.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go Big Ben.
Speaker 3: Yeah, hell you, big Man, the real Big Ben.
Speaker 2: I feel like this is a situation where he could
kind of also get his group back and snap into
it have a decent impact.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm gonna go big Man, Big Ben. Okay, Yeah,
the real got that stupid clock, all right? So Ben
and Denner off the table. That leaves about three guys
to choose from. I'm going Nico. Nico has been an
incredible the last I mean obvious, everyone's playing good over
the last month. Even you take the shooting stuff out.
Nico has shown why you have him on the team
in every way possible in terms of connecting setting the
tone on defense. I'm excited for his playoff minutes. We're
going to talk about a lineup with him later. But
I want Nico to be really good in this game.
And that also mean that he only puts up like
four points and four boards, but he's I think he'll
show us than that.
Speaker 2: But he's like he has to perform well in the
US's most French city.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, I like that for sure, and he'll be
like a plus. He'll be like a plus twenty five
and like you know, some like like a thirteen point
win or something like that, and I'll be like, oh shit,
Nico was killing it. And he'll have more WALKI matchup
day that I can reference for the next time we're
all together to make out him upset.
Speaker 3: It's amazing how like you can put him in any
lineup and he ends up with a positive plus minus
most of the time.
Speaker 1: It's crazy. He's so good. All right, That about wraps
it up. Let us know what you think is gonna
happen with Clippers vers Pals. Also, let us know what
you think the punishment should be for not picking the
correct player of the game.
Speaker 2: We've gotten some people, so two people are gonna get
punished every time.
Speaker 1: I don't know. This is why I'm asking the masses,
the people saying there needs to be more on the
line for the player of the game. Tell us what it.
Speaker 2: Is, or should we just open up mistakes to every player?
Speaker 1: That's too easy. Okay, we're doing it for the people
in the back or the back of the rotation specifically.
All right. One guy said, whoever has the worst pick
loses hat privileges like forever. Yeah, you can never wear
a hat again. I'm not mad at that hat one.
Privileges is funny. That's a good one. All right. Coming up,
we're that privilege is a good one. Or or how
about this, you have to wear a backwards hat? Yeah, coward,
no forwards hats? Yeah? All right, coming up, we're just
talking the end of season outlook, some standing stuff and
then just some What are we watching for is if
you're listening, there's gonna be a quick audio break. If
you're watching us at YouTube dot com at Clippers Podcast,
we're still gonna be here. Uh So we're talking rest
of the season outlook coming up in three two one.
Speaker 2: All right, welcome back into cliffs and dip. We just
talked about the Clippers road trip. Now we're looking ahead
to the rest of the season. Where do we want
to start here? We already talked about this Pels game.
You want to look at the Western Conference opponents. We
got the maps for Hers, Kings, Warriors all all coming
up here.
Speaker 3: I don't feel as good about the two games against
the maps anymore. Guys.
Speaker 1: Really they lost.
Speaker 3: Last night, but they're like four and one with Anthony
Davis he probably plays in one of them. But they
have to back also, and yeah, it's a back to back,
even though back to back get into a dome kind
of weird.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: They just they should be in the play it now
because Phoenix is in Cancun. I know you guys remember
this in geography, but Phoenix is actually in kick Those
guys do not want to They do not want to
be in the play It is remarkable.
Speaker 1: They lost, like what three straight.
Speaker 3: Kd gets hurt. They've lost miserably, not just lost, like
the fact that the Clippers blew that twenty three point
lead against them, that like gave them renewed life just
for them to hang on a little bit longer before
they totally gave in. But yeah, I mean they're already
talking about Kevin Durant trading him this summer, like it's
a given that he's already gone. Like, what are we
doing here? I know they're in a bad spot.
Speaker 1: So do you think because Kawhi is not playing one
of the MAVs games, the Clippers still have two back
to backs, which is insane? Do you think we split
against the MAVs?
Speaker 3: I just think it's more of a possibility they split
now because AD's back and they actually are playing for
something that looks like they're going to be in the plan.
Speaker 1: Yeah, split against the MAVs would not feel great. I
know they've been playing better, but.
Speaker 2: Imagine missing the playoffs after you trade your franchise player too. Like,
I'm sure there's a push coming. I'm sure there's some
from up above to uh to perform well and at
least at least make the play in.
Speaker 3: There was no reason for Anthony Davis to come back
outside of making the play in. Shut him down? Why
are you? Why are you even trying this year again?
Speaker 2: You cannot miss the playoffs after trading away your franchise
player for an older, more injury front player. I'm so sorry.
Like people are getting kicked out of the stadium for
saying fire Nico, Like, imagine what's gonna happen if they
don't even make the if they don't even make the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I forgot they were kicking people out for that.
What a soft organization. It's wild, man.
Speaker 3: I hate that people would upset hope for something they
should be upset.
Speaker 1: About it yelling about him. Probably right, It's not even
like it was a margin move, like it was like
an objectively horrible idea, right, Okay, So the MAVs game's
on a given and then the Clippers go Spurs Rockets
back to back three days after that, which Kawhi hasn't
played against the Rockets at all this year. I'm wondering
if tylu if which one of because Kawhi is sitting
one of these games too. I wonder against Rockets, I
wonder I can so I see that for sure, But
I wonder if Ty, just for gamesmanship and fuckery, is like,
do you want to sit against the Rockets, because that
would be kind of a funny bit because then if
we ended up playing that. First of all, I think
we beat them in the playoffs. I'm on the the
you don't like, I'm fine with playing the Rockets in
the playoffs now, I don't think it would be.
Speaker 3: Losing to them, Like, how would that help the Clippers
in the standings because the Rockets are on the two spot,
they would probably I don't get the game you're.
Speaker 1: Talking about, like later in the playoffs when we matched
up with them, Oh later, they haven't played a while year,
and then we'd play it. Yeah after the round.
Speaker 3: Okay, I thought we were still talking about matching up
against them in a series of the first round. Yeah,
I think they need to win that game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't think there's the time for games.
Speaker 3: I hope is playing that one because san Antonio has
checked out, They've had a ton of injuries, Starreon Fox
had the surgery. So I don't know, like people are
still thinking they played. It was a strategy thing matchup
wise with Kawhi playing against Orlando, and while I do
think that's part of it, I think the main reason
he didn't play against Cleveland was because it would have
been two games within forty eight hours. That was the difference.
That was the main reason they weren't gonna push things
with him there. It also to me made sense that
you could play him against Cleveland and still lose that game,
whether you'd have a better chance winning the game against
the Magic with him, and thank goodness they did do
it that way because they weren't winning that Magic game
without him.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think that's incredibly fair and timing wise. So
he sits out the game the second game against the MAVs,
which would be the fifth, Yeah, then he's yeah, then
play the spring. Yeah, it'll be interesting which ones he
sits out, because I hope it's I hope everyone sits
on the Spurs one. Harden won't. So that's fine, I guess.
Speaker 3: But is there a too much time off concern? Like,
maybe play him the second game against the MAVs so
he doesn't have too much time off if he's just
playing the game against Houston. I don't know.
Speaker 2: I think that's a valid point because these guys don't
seem to don't seem to thrive on too much rest.
Speaker 1: You gotta keep that trade moving, man, I said a
couple episodes.
Speaker 2: Again, you remember remember how we looked come around on
the All Star break?
Speaker 1: Come on, come on now. I think too much rest
is a valid thing to bring up, for sure. So
if they can get So the MAVs Spurs Rockets back
to back, they can go three and one in that
with normal rest and everything. And I think that would
be par for the course for this level of competition
in this back to back, these back to backs, I think.
Speaker 2: And I Adam, what's our record roughly got to be
to avoid the plan over this stretch, to stay out, Yeah,
to stay out of the plan.
Speaker 3: Friends on what Golden State does and Memphis if they
keep sliding. But I think Chuck's right. I think they
got to go at least three and one over these
next four games.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because then the next two of the final two
are Kings on four to eleven, which and then Warriors
on four thirteen, the last game of the season, which
I believe is at twelve thirty PM. For some god,
I think it might be into it too.
Speaker 3: No, it's it's up North.
Speaker 1: Oh it is, okay, Well, I guess that's better. No,
I guess for the logic of it being at twelve thirty.
If it was twelve three and into it, I would
have a strongly worded email sent out, Oh yeah, that
game is going to be incredibly that's that's going to
be a tense one.
Speaker 3: And knowing three and one, it will be on the line.
Speaker 1: I think a lot might be on the line.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's no chance either team is going to have
a solidified position and either know their matchup or no
for sure if they're in or out of the play
in right.
Speaker 1: Because there also I have to imagine the first game
of the slate that day, right, Like, it's not like
they can be scoreboard, you know what I mean, you
play the last game of the season last day to
like you can see a little bit, you know.
Speaker 3: Usually they do do that, though they have a bunch
of games going at the same time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so there's no.
Speaker 3: You know, showery.
Speaker 1: Bullshit back. That's going to be incredibly stressful. So because
Matt Kawhi is gonna miss two, Simmons is gonna miss
two as well, right because he's not doing back to backs.
Speaker 3: There was talk at one point, like a month ago
that maybe they adjust that with Ben Simmons at some point,
but they have an update at US and.
Speaker 1: Didn't he get hurt. He just missed all that time.
Speaker 2: I don't think that's getting updated by the end of
the season.
Speaker 3: It was before I think the knee injury, Yeah, which.
Speaker 2: We still are there any specifics on that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he hurt his knee.
Speaker 3: Cool, he took a it was against the Lakers in
that first game. I think of that weekend and he
took a knee and got hurt that way, and his
knee swelled up a little bit. It was just it
was a soft tissue. But his niece will swelled up
a little bit.
Speaker 1: We'll tell that doesn't happen again. Needs to do. That's
very true. One thing I know we just talked about
things were watching for in the Peals game. There's been
some discourse wondering of people wondering why done is starting over.
Derek Jones Junior Justin Rousseau had some content on this. Adam,
you were talking about this earlier today and people post, oh,
the five man lineup with Derek Jones Junior said, Chris
Dunn is x themount better than the five person lineup,
but done in it. But the bench rotation with Chris
Dunn coming off the bench is kind of brutal in
terms of shooting, in terms of who you're bringing on.
Like that's why Done is started, aside from a lot
of other points and like causing turnovers. James Harden's better
on the floor when Chris Dunn is out there with him,
Like you can't have Done and Ben Simmons coming off
the bench in terms of spacing and stuff like that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's the main reason why they're doing it.
I think coach Lou also just feels like Chris Dunn
offers a level of defensive intensity that is a good
Ton Center for each game. I brought this up though earlier.
I think there's a fix for this. If they wanted
to start DJ, like DJ can play the first five minutes,
like in the game against Orlando, Done was started the
first five minutes, then he came out for DJ. If
DJ starts the first five minutes and Done comes in,
DJ can then start the second quarteror sale with that
lineup that we've liked as of late.
Speaker 1: Give them the old gortat start.
Speaker 3: And five minutes ain't nothing, ain't jump change.
Speaker 1: Oh, and he'll play more. Yeah, it's not like Gortott
would play five minutes than put on the warm ups.
Speaker 3: I get the gripe. When you look at the lineup data,
it's significant the difference and their minutes. The minutes of
both these lineups have played with the four guys versus
Don versus DJ. It's almost identical. It's within six minutes.
They've gotten six more minutes with DJ next to Kawhi,
next to Norm Harden and Zoo. So it's a decent
little side by side parallel you can do. Now. What
we don't know is and I haven't seen anyone post
anything about who they played when DJ was in the
lineup with these guys, who they played with Chris Dunn,
because you get a couple of crazy games, or DJ
had the cream off team to go against and that
could skew the number.
Speaker 1: Or something. Yeah, that's a good call, And yeah, we've
talked ourselves.
Speaker 2: I just feel like, you know, since this like sort
of rotating thing was announced before it was kind of solidified,
I feel like we've successfully talked ourselves both ways, like
that you could go back and look through the episode
contradicted ourselves. We definitely said one over the other. So
I think I I definitely understand why there is like
like fans wanting one over the other. But I think
if you're thinking critically about it, you can probably see
the argument that that that the coaching staff is making
as well.
Speaker 1: And this is just like it or not.
Speaker 2: Man, this is a guard sort of oriented team. That's
just that's that's what it is. That's that's what Tyler likes,
that's what they do. So I think that makes sense.
I think that makes sense.
Speaker 1: And I think the defensive side of it is huge too, right,
because the opponent turnover percentage is crazy high when done
is on the court. And for a team that's sat
back and really used their defense this year when the
offense was figuring it out, I think the coaching staff
likes the idea of we can cause these turnovers, we
can get some of these easier buckets and stuff like that,
and it's a tone setting thing. So but his total
playoff minutes are going to be interesting to watch because
the ball is going to be funneling his way on
the perimeter on offense.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Like if Dunn is not hitting those threes and
the Clippers offense is suffering, it's gonna be a pretty
pretty quick pool. Yeah, it's gonna be a short leash.
I don't think he'll get more than two games, Oh yeah,
Udy before coach lou makes an adjustment. And we like
early in the series against Dallas, I think Pat Bebmie
started the first two games and Lucas too big, just
a bad matchup for him and eventually took him out the.
Speaker 1: Classic go down two and then make a change win
the series the Tyler Loves. I do know that josephry
Award is tired of Chris Dunn. I've been getting a
lot of texts about Joseph rible Ford being tired of
Chris Dun.
Speaker 3: Glad I have stayed those texts being in.
Speaker 1: The line, but I don't know. For a team that's
built its whole thing on defense this year, I get
why they're playing them. Yes, the shooting is bad, but
ideally he doesn't have to take those shots in the playoffs.
He'll take some for sure. So when I got six.
Speaker 3: When I looked at the traditional numbers aside from the
advanced numbers showing that they're like twenty points better per
one hundred possessions with DJ versus done, they're shooting almost
eleven percent better that five with DJ from three versus
having done out there from.
Speaker 1: Three not a surprise there.
Speaker 3: Also, when I saw the turnover versus assist numbers, or
I didn't look at opponent's turnovers though, but I guess
I was looking for Okay, how much is Done helping
when it comes to setting the table and hard not
having her bring up the basketball as much, because that
was the initial reason that Colue went to Done when
t Mann came out. But I said at the time,
when Kawhi is back, you don't necessarily have that excuse
as much because he's going to bring the ball up
a lot. He's going to take the load off of
James Harden. And yet they've still been playing Done more
as the starter when at what point it sounded like
it was matchup dependent And I don't know if we
ever got an update on that. I don't think we
have because it just seems like Dun's been the guy.
But it might just be because that second unit they
like DJ in there.
Speaker 2: But again, and then you have the DJ injury, which
I do think complicates things as well, which complicated things
as well.
Speaker 3: This is true, Kawhi missing games and then norm two
different injuries played nine minutes over like three weeks. Yeah,
that changed things.
Speaker 1: It'll be interesting, but we do have a coach that
will make changes. So if you don't like it for
game one of the series or whatever, it will probably
be different in game two or game three.
Speaker 3: Well, so it's probably over analysis a little bit with
starting lineup stuff, right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's closing lineups, right, we talk about it.
That's what people are more upset about usually.
Speaker 2: I mean, especially like when you look at this team
and like sort of the trends. I feel like they
in the first quarter they've taken care of business a lot.
So I don't think that you have to like worry
too much about the starting lineup. Whatever they got going on,
it appears to be working. They do need to figure out,
you know, you know, what's going on in that second
quarter and once Hardened is off the floor, and if
DJ is the answer, like him coming off the bench,
like is what's going to mitigate that? Then yeah, it
makes it makes sense. But first quarters haven't really been
a huge issue for the team this year, which is,
you know, different than it has been another year.
Speaker 1: So I don't know why. I don't like, I don't
know why the starting lineup chatter is like a little louder.
It's whatever we're doing, it's working. So the grass is
always greener. Man Mason Plummer should have been starting at
a zoo. You know, that's just how things go. A
lineup that I want to see more of hardened Norm Kawhi,
Nico and Zoo. We haven't seen that a bunch, and
I'm wondering, let me check, let me, let me check
the data.
Speaker 3: Let me tell you you're gonna be scrolling pretty far
because I was looking it up. Not a lot. It's
not a lot of minutes they played together this season.
Speaker 1: It's like like eight.
Speaker 3: Lower live. It's fine.
Speaker 1: That's kind of crazy, right, That's a good ass line.
Speaker 3: Up, I know. And my hypothesis all season is coach
flu has been holding back with Nico and specifically that lineup.
With all the outrage over we didn't get a power forward.
They can run Nico at power forward and him be
the fifth starter against certain teams in the playoffs, and
I think they will.
Speaker 1: We have power forward at home exactly, and it happens
to be an incredibly good power forward as opposed to Yeah,
it's a lineup that in my head, I'm like, this
should have more than seven minutes or whatever it is,
because all the pieces are there to be an incredibly difficult.
Speaker 2: I said, fifteen minutes. That's the number they should have played.
Speaker 3: To me. Five minutes. Now, some of this again, Norm
got heard Kawhi came back. Yeah, I really think coach
lou is trying to hide this lineup and it could
be one of the death lineups for this team.
Speaker 1: I wonder if we see it at any point in
these final handful of games, maybe a little bit against
Houston and a very defensively.
Speaker 2: I feel like it's maybe a little too cheeky to
be like withholding a lineup when you're in the plan.
Speaker 1: I can't argue with that. Well, we're here to win games.
I'm not. I get I get where you're coming from
with that.
Speaker 3: It's it's also, yeah, it's a matchup thing. I think,
like if you're playing a big team. Now. I think
we saw it yesterday for a sec.
Speaker 1: Quite literally, I think a split second we saw it
for it was probably like an inbounds or something.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean that's a fair point. It's I
think a lot of it has to do with guys
that have been in and out and they haven't had
norm much.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I would see it.
Speaker 2: I would see it more as being that I like
the theory of the death line of though I also
like Chuck's theory of withholding Kawhi. So in case we
you know, see the Rockets in the in the second
round or something.
Speaker 1: Hell yeah, this is just like Adam's theory of losing
the play in game one purpose to then play the
Rockets or whatever it was a week ago.
Speaker 3: I did not say that.
Speaker 1: You said, what if they lost it? You said, how
would you feel about if they lose it?
Speaker 3: Versus I want them to lose it?
Speaker 1: Chuck the game, right, Jordan Miller? Start Kobe Brown. Let
him know right from the bat that this game means
nothing to the Clippers.
Speaker 2: The regular starters sit backwards on the bench, which they are.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, anything else about this final part of
the season before we let these Clippers fans out of here.
I'm excited for these final games. I'm a little nervous
about these Maps games now, but that just means the
Clippers will face better competition towards the end of the
year and iron sharpens iron. So that's what I'm telling myself. Adam,
how are you feeling?
Speaker 3: Yeah, the Maps may have their big three back, as in,
their biggest three guys on the.
Speaker 1: Team quite literally, the largest three players.
Speaker 3: That that could be some NCO in there that could
be interesting. Yeah, I I think they have to go
at least you have to go at least five and
two to stay out of the plan. The last seven games.
You go worse than that, and you're probably gonna play.
And even if you go five and two, you might
still be in the plan, depending on what Minnesota, Golden State,
Memphis do. But I do think Memphis is gonna fall
out now, guys, because their schedule is tough.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I've lost three straight.
Speaker 3: It's really three teams for two spots instead of three
teams for one spot like it was before. If Memphis falls.
Speaker 1: Out, it's tense. Yeah, is what it is.
Speaker 3: Tomorrow must win.
Speaker 1: No ship. Yeah, absolutely, well, any final thoughts before you
send these Clippers fans on other way? It's stressful.
Speaker 2: I just I hate the I hate the back to backs,
the two of them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I still don't.
Speaker 2: I still don't get how we get on the schedule
in that way, even with the new arena and everything.
But it's all coming together. It's all coming together out there,
don't you worry. It's picking it up like a nice
pan sauce.
Speaker 1: There we go, exactly picking it up like a nice
pan sauce. All right, we are gonna be back on Thursday.
For y'all or maybe tomorrow. Hopefully not tomorrow. We will
be live tomorrow if things go horribly wrong, but you know,
Adam will have you over on Clippers Talk no matter
what happens.
Speaker 3: Cheers three they lose to the Pelicans, I'm out, cheers
to the Clippers for another winning season.
Speaker 1: By the way, I don't think we've talked about this yet.
That's pretty cool. Yeah, we haven't talked about that. People
say it doesn't matter, but I don't know. How could
it not matter? That's all over there? Then that's asinine. Yeah,
I actually will. I actually don't care if my team's good.
Speaker 2: Like, would it be better if we had won a
championship in one of those years?
Speaker 1: Of course? But yeah, yeah, I would trade for sure.
But this is our year. Lucky for many many people
are saying lucky fourteen, baby will. Where can these people
review this podcast and really get into the thick of
it now that the season is ramping up For some
who've decided to check in once April starts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you could go all the way back and
follow the trials and the tribulations of this entire season
wherever you get your podcasts, if you happen to listen
over on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Go ahead, leave this
little rating review. You leave comments now on Spotify. I'll
start checking those. I know I bring it up and
I haven't checked them. Uh so something something I'll get
to work on. The best way to check out the
show is over on YouTube dot com. That's an At
Cooper's podcast. But yeah, whoever you listen, how we watch, No,
we appreciate it.
Speaker 1: We very much do it, Adam. One positive thing to
send these Clippers fans out midweek on.
Speaker 3: You know, kaw I said at one point point that
it's not gonna be the same like it was before
because he came in so late to this season and
these guys have earned it and he's not going to
try to make them fit in around him. He'll fit
in around them basically. But if you look at a
lot of the shot sharts going on, and like last
game where possessions were at a premium against Orlando, well,
Kawhi got up twenty two shots, Harden got up nineteen,
You're starting to see the pecking order just work itself
out naturally in a game that big, that tight, where
Kawhi was struggling and still continue to put them up.
I thought that was a really good sign that this
is your number one option. They still only go as
far as Kawhi takes them, and when the chips are down,
they're gonna rely on Kawhi and that's I think the
best recipe for success with this team if they want
to reach their highest ceiling.
Speaker 1: There we go, and here's to a professional win with
a great Kawhi showing tomorrow against the Pals. Thank you
everyone who listen. Shout out Eric Bie for also doing
the nesting doll centers drawing. That was great. Thank you
for that. Hell us all right, We'll be back with
you all on Thursday, and as always, let's go clips