Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans, Welcome to a bit
of an impromptu, just kind of vent session preview of
what should hopefully happen tomorrow against the Bulls. Things have
not been going that well for the Clippers, around a
three game losing streak. None of us like that. Yeah,
there's been a lot of people freaking out at a
great stream the other night, trying to kind of calm
people down and whatnot. What's up? Jade Dog seven seven seven.
If you just want to vent, put some stuff in
the chat. If you're listening to this later, we're probably
gonna put this out under audio as well. For the
Clippers Pod, thank you. If you want to watch us,
you can find us at YouTube dot slush at Clippers
Podcast always. How are y'all feeling? Hello? Why not the Clippers?
What's up? How you doing? Clippers are on a three
game skid. Kawhi Leonard is playing tomorrow against the Bulls,
which is great. We hope that he looks good because
a lot of the Clippers problems are alleviated. If Kawhi
Leonard plays like the best player on the team, which
he should be, we'll talk about that. But Norm Powell
remains out. And again, if you're just watching and you
want to put your vent take in the chat, go
for it. Keep it PG. I think there's some children
who listen to this. I don't know. J Dog seven
seven seven saying not trying to overreact is where I'm at.
I'm in the same boat. I was a little I
caught the first half of the game three cords of
the game last night, and then rewatched it after I
landed after my trip, and I was I was running
a little hot, a little annoyed. It's just the offense.
I guess we can get right into it. The Clippers
are on a six game losing streak when Norm Powell
is out. They're four and eight without him this season.
What's good, Chuck? Trade Kawhi for a bag of knees.
We shouldn't trade Kawhi for a bag of knees. We
should trade somebody else for a bag of knees. I
think that's fair. Punk's gone wrong saying my heart Yeah,
this team will give you heartburn. I mean score being
out is an issue. It's obviously not good. Uh Oh, folks,
we got Adam Oslin in the house. We're gonna get
into some of your questions in this stack. Adam haw
the hell are you, buddy? I'm okay.
Speaker 2: I'm doing better than most Clippers fans are in a
complete panic today, although the Kawhi news should help some.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Kawhi is coming back. How did you feel about
the norm injury designation change? It went from knee soreness
to now we're at tendinopathy. Does that matter? Is that semantics?
I'm trying not to freak out about it, but I
am freaked out about the fact that they've lost six
in a row without Norm in our four and eight
without him this year.
Speaker 2: I think it's a requirement after a couple of days
on the injury report to give more specificity, so I'm
not Look, if he doesn't play against Lakers, then I'll
be more concerned. But it is something that he dealt
with in twenty twenty one. I guess for a couple
of games he missed and then came back.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm hoping that the offense Jeffrey Herrera saying offense
is just a trophense, just a troaches. Our defense is great, though,
but defense can only go so far, and I think
we saw that last night too. Not getting up one
hundred points. It's difficult to deal with, especially against a
team that was on a rest disadvantage. How do you
feel about Kawhi tomorrow against the Bulls. We got ghosts
saying he's going to go out twenty three on eight
twenty three for MJ and Kobe.
Speaker 2: I mean, if they lost that game, that's when I'd
start to get concerned my level of concern over a
loss to the Pistons, who I think a lot of
people still think suck, but they don't.
Speaker 1: They are good, and they have a guy in Kaide
who not only is good, but that's the exact kind
of player that gives the Clippers issues.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and their defense was pretty good throughout most of
the ball game, but they did have twenty seven fast
break points and a lot of them were off of
not live ball turnovers. They were just straight misses and
the Pistons athleticism going the other way. I don't think
there was any lack of effort going on in that
game by the Clippers. I think they played hard. I
think they played well. They were at a talent disadvantage,
and these things happen when you're missing fifty points between
two guys. It's difficult, So.
Speaker 1: I don't it's difficult.
Speaker 2: I understand some of the panic, but they did just
lose three games like a week ago and then uh
one three right afterwards.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I like what you said kind of
the if they lose tomorrow, I will be I think
more concerned. But yeah, I think the alarm bells will
start ringing if Norm can't go because we got the
Lakers right after the Bulls. Right, yeah, we got the Lakers.
Speaker 2: I'm not overlooking the Bulls. No, I think they're winning tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Okay, Chunk Sampson saying, I thought we played awesome yesterday,
but seeing us barely scraping out of the plan is depressing.
The standings are not kind to the Clippers right now.
The Clippers are in a battle against the standings. We
kind of thought the start to this season made us
feel very we were hyped, right, but at the before
the season started, we all said, you know, high playing team,
potential to be out of them play in we're probably
capped at that four or five rage. It just feels
like that four or five cap is getting a little
further away. There are four games out of the five spot,
and those Lakers games. If they weren't already looming large
are huge starting on Friday.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like, I get it. Maybe some people reset their expectations.
And I think there were four games over five hundred
before Kawai came back, so you just felt like, oh,
they're going to take off from here. And they went
six and won the first seven games with Kawhi. Yeah,
but Kawhi on a minutes restriction, the ramp up process,
a dip near the All Star break, a skid that
they've hit has caused people to I don't know, I
just don't understand how if you had told anyone before
the season, your five games over five hundred with twenty
five left and Kawi has only played sixteen, they would
sign up for that. They would absolutely have signed up
for that before the season. It's signing close, like and
you're the sixth spot. It's not even close.
Speaker 1: We all.
Speaker 2: I don't know what happened to the preseason talk that
we had, but as you just mentioned there, we said
like six to ten.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean to start, right, it's that start of
the season kind of going so well. And I also
think part of it is kind of the deja vu feeling,
right because we've this this timing every last couple of seasons,
it's like we're maybe overperforming. Things start to break down
around the All Star break. The team comes out a
little slower around that time, and I like, this is
the first round pick from Houston still in the air?
Is that actually not? In my mind?
Speaker 2: There are four games up on the Clippers, which beats
is actually five games up because they own the tiebreaker.
Now they are three and seven their last ten games
and they have been losing. But it would take a lot.
It's possible, but it would take a lot of Clippers
winning and more of a losing streak from the Houston
Rockets continuing, which I don't see happening.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Deca fantastic Again, this is a point where we
haven't seen Pete Kawai yet, but he's going to be
there soon. He I agree that we haven't seen Pete
Kawai yet. I hope we need him to be there
soon because we broke it down the last time we
had the full trio on, which is there's what nineteen
games left of Kawhi if you look at back to
backs and stuff like that, like the time for Kawhi
to get into what the Clippers need to make any
kind of noise is getting a little short.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's gonna end up playing less than forty games
this season, and you're gonna have to hope that in
the last nineteen or twenty games, if he's healthy enough
to play those ones, that he will be available for.
There aren't in a back to back for as that
he starts to hit the gas a little bit, that
he starts to push pedal to metal. And I don't
know if it's so much that you know, he's trying
to be cautionary with his own body because it's still early,
or the alarming thing would be if he just doesn't
have much left in the tank. Yeah, I think that's
pretty unlikely, considering we're not that far removed for the
best from the best version in the regular season of Kawhi, ever,
which was last year. Yeah, So I still want to
believe that he can get close to that version and
that level that he played at last year. And he
just isn't completely comfortable yet with certain movements out there.
Speaker 1: And we're coming up next month March. My sources tell
me sixteen games for the Clippers's it.
Speaker 2: I know. I was seventeen.
Speaker 1: I was way off man I was I was losing.
I don't know what I was on that. We've seen
this a couple It's either gonna go one of two ways.
Either having to play that many games is gonna get
Kawhi into a rhythm, which we've seen happen before. Right,
there's times Remember last March, when did we go in March?
Last year? We did? Okay, I believe because the team
was like, we got to keep playing. There's no time
type thing. That first week of March, I really hope
we can see Kawhi start clicking in the gear because
everyone else will once there's no I don't think there's
any scenario like James harden Right plays phenomenally the other night,
no one else can hit a three. You know, things
just aren't working When Kawhi is playing well. It kind
of usually everyone else plays well too, you know what
I mean, for good or bad. But that first week
of March, I think is gonna tell us a lot
about how this team is gonna look heading into the
playoffs or play.
Speaker 2: In from my perspective on March, well, I guess March
is starting on Friday.
Speaker 1: Saturday Saturday. Sorry, it's not a full episode. We've had
travel going on. Things have been crazy. Thank y'all for
hanging out with us. I'm sorry, go ahead on them.
Speaker 2: I need them to lock in like it is March
first on Friday, okay, because they're playing the Lakers. The
Lakers are going to be on a back to back
after playing at home against Minnesota the night before, so
that could be an interesting one where you might even
be rooting for the Lakers to beat the timber Wolves
before the Clippers have their shot at the Lakers the
next night. But honestly, if they could somehow figure out
a way to win the next three to bounce back
after losing three straight, which means they would have knocked
off the Lakers in back to back games with a
day off in between, that would do wonders for the
fan base for this team. And I think these are
the games where you need to see Kawhi really go
zero to one hundred a little bit, because last time
out against the Lakers, it was honestly alarming to me
because they always get up for them, and they got
beat by twenty five. They look slow and lethargic and disinterested.
I want to see Kawhi like really lead them this
weekend that's my hope.
Speaker 1: I would love three and oh in the next three,
I'm not I don't know how much I believe that
will happen. I want to see if we split against
the Lakers, given the fact that they just got loot
like it's not you know it. Now there's this whole
level of Luca. You know, the rivalry that we used
to have with the MAVs, and now he's just he's
across the city. I should say I will be okay
with a split against the Lakers. I think that would
be pretty good because with the way the team's playing,
I don't know if I can get my hopes up
to go to win both of those games.
Speaker 2: I'm just saying, if you want any shot of passing
them in the standings, you have to win both games
this weekend, because then you'd own the typebreaker over somebody.
That's the only way to do it. That's why that
lost that twenty five point loss. To me, that was
a devastating one because I feel like they had won
that game and into a dome and they go to Crypto.
They just have to get one of them. Now. I
feel like you got to get both if you want
a chance to pass them by in the standings.
Speaker 1: Thank god, there's that point differentch like the end season
tournament for the uh the tipebreakers, because I don't know
if it would shake out in the clippers favor. Yeah,
and the Lakers have an emotional match tonight against the Mavericks.
Speaker 2: Of course, I'm already pissed. I'm already upset. I want
Nico to have to be seated half court front row
for every Lakers maps game from here on.
Speaker 1: They should make him king kind of mission impossible style
from the top, so he has to watch it. He
has to see everything.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and to keep his eyes open like in Clockwork Orange.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the old that's the only part of it. We
want it to be. Uh like Clockwork Orange. We takahi.
I want it bogged and shooting. He's eight of his
last thirty five from three. Last game was I think
our colleague, UH French Canadian trapper Justin Rousseau said it
was the worst. I think it's you know, no one
had missed ten threes in a row or so. It's like,
I don't know, it was not good. If that gets better,
things should be easier. But I'm it it feels a
little it's rough right now. It's not the confidence is there.
You gotta have confidence to take twelve threes when you've
only made zero at the time.
Speaker 2: And he owned it post game and said, like, you know,
if I hit more shots, the outcome could have been differently,
could have gone different basically, and then he pointed at
it's up here and obviously that's what it is. It's
all mental right now. He needs to see a couple
go through his shot, like his form and everything looks great,
he's firing, he's got that quick release out there. Aesthetically
it's awesome until you see the end result. He has
to find a way because as much as I think
if this team's fully healthy, they can get by with
him still shooting thirty percent from three like he has
a whole season, even though I think he's only played
thirty games now, I think for them to reach their ceiling,
they need Bogie to get back to who he's been
throughout his career.
Speaker 1: You can't make these additions like they may right because
he was brought in kind of as the KPJ play
center whatever we want to talk about it. It was
high usage. We brought Bogie in to be a high
usage guy. Off the bench started the other night obviously,
but I agree they need it. And that's what's tough
with the Kawhi situation too, as we hope we can
play the maximum games from here on out, obviously taking
the back to backs off, but Kawhi being outputs so
much more pressure on everyone else to be efficient kind
of over what they usually are.
Speaker 2: Yeah, although I will say if Bogie was just bad
and not miserable one, yeah he hits four, they might
have won. Now, I'm not putting it all on him.
Other guys did not play that well, but their defense
was pretty damn locked in. Zubat said postgame that defensively,
he felt, you know, much better about this performance than
the one against Milwaukee and Indiana.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no idea. How do you feel about Ghosts? Take
care that he would rather see Cam Christy go oh
for twelve. The thing is next season, ghost I think
that's gonna be more next season than this season.
Speaker 2: Like Bogee does have just much better overall developed basketball
in even when he's not hitting. While he was fouling
in that game, a lot of people were it's been
kind of an issue as of late. You're going to
bet on bog Don Bogdanovich, who is a thirty eight
three point shooter and a ten year vet in the
league to come out of this. That's what that's what
they're doing. They're saying, we believe in him as they should.
It's good process. I think I think it was smart
to start him in that game and embolden him and
say go out there because we need your shots, because
I don't know if there was a path to win
without him in that game, like either he gets it
going or you're gonna lose anyways, Like if you just
don't play him.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you can't DNP. You can't DNP both because
the gravity is still there to some extent. Someone commented
earlier that Norm's gravity clearly helps out Zoo, which is
entirely true. If you have non shooters next to Zoo,
it's a lot easier to guard Zoo, which is why
the Ben Simmons and Zubots lineup seem insane. But the
gravity is still there, which is what's important. The shots. Hopefully,
you know, he finds the right wellness retreat or something
to do with some breaks coming up to get his
mind right. But when the shots are falling, it's gonna
look a lot better. I mean, obviously, but.
Speaker 2: Hey, look he's been a Lakers killer in his past
with Sacramento, maybe that's the team that really wakes him up.
Speaker 1: I would love that we talked about that. What we
sung him like he hates the Lakers, Like, so maybe
he just has an insane two game stretch against the Lakers.
I'll tell you what, he could be bad against the
Bulls tomorrow. If we get thirty six percent from three
over those two Lakers games from Bogden, sign me up.
And that's not even an elite percentage. That's like that's
basically league average. Yeah, I like it. I like what
deca fantastic saying shoot or shoot give me another eleven
threes tomorrow too, Like, has.
Speaker 2: To get it out of your system, like figure this out.
He wants it so bad. As part of the problem,
I think he was kicking his own ass. He was
upset with himself visually or visibly upset with himself, you
could see out there. And then postgame, you know, he
took a lot of the blame for them losing that one.
And you know, there there's so many guys that weren't
able to step up offensively yesterday when they needed. I mean,
James Harden, after one of his most efficient games of
the season, has a game where was he five to
twenty two or something like that, and had more turnovers
than assists. So it's not all on Bogie. But I
don't know. I really believe in the guy. He has
a pretty extensive body of work hitting shots in this
league and in big games in the Olympics and Foeba,
So I'm not giving up on them.
Speaker 1: What I like this from Decca fantastic. Norm being on
the trip is a good sign, right, Oh yeah, it is.
Ty described him as day to day, which I know
hopefully so gets some Clippers fans a little bit of
you know, spicy memories or something like that. But it's
good that he's there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's something you could read into a
little bit. They're hoping that this is going to turn
around quickly for him. Again, it happened a couple of
years ago in twenty twenty one. He missed two games.
He came back when he was still playing with Portland.
La Murray had that, So I'm hoping they're just being
overly cautious. They thought they could steal a game yesterday
and not push them too far, because look, if he
doesn't play so many minutes against the Utah Jazz right
before the All Star break, maybe this doesn't happen. But
they're chasing that game. They're down twenty. He and James
Harden both have to play huge minutes. He has that
crazy overtime, but they don't win it without him. I
think he had nine of their twelve points in ot
norm pal like he emptied the take and then he
didn't look great obviously in the three point contest. Was
it bothering him then? I know some people are upset
about that. I just there's not a there's a lot
of movement going on there. It's stationary shooting, Like I
don't know if that exacerbated anything.
Speaker 1: It's stationary shooting. And also like I think that's looking
at it, you know, like why did he play in this?
That's looking on paper. This is a guy who talks
about wanting to be an All Star, never gone to
an All Star weekend. I can't blame the guy for
competing in the three point contest. And hey, he only
had one round, right, It's not like he shot as
little as you possibly could. So I don't I don't
blame a vet who's been a six man his whole
career for wanting to experience All Star weekend. Yes, Kevin
Hart ruined it for everybody, But I don't blame Norm
for being out there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't. Hopefully he's back against the Lakers. If
he's not back against the Lakers, with the importance of
those games and how meaningful they are, then I'll be
more concerned, much more.
Speaker 1: Speaking of much more concerned, we should all be concerned
because William Updyke is now here. Will what is your
level of concern? How are you feeling? It's a bit
of a vent session, so go off if you feel
like it.
Speaker 3: Where are you at, buddy, I'm not feeling good man.
I'm sure you guys already talked about it, but this
happening after the All Star break is it is beyond disturbing,
is beyond troubling. It'd be differently, you know, it'd be
different in some of those stretches that we see where
you know it's an ungodly amount of games and a
small amount of time, But to have this much rest,
it is I don't know. And coming into March, which
Charles remind me, do we play a couple of games
in March, I think is pretty worrisome.
Speaker 1: Where are you? How are you feeling about Kawhi playing
Kawhi coming back tomorrow is huge? Are you? Adam says
we need to go three and oh, which I think
is fair over these next three games. I don't know if.
Speaker 3: Dropping those last two, man, Yeah.
Speaker 2: I'm saying they need to go three and oh if
they want a chance to pass the Lakers and the standings.
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, undoubtedly, undoubtedly.
Speaker 1: I mean they probably have to.
Speaker 3: Go too and one to stay in the mix.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because that's the other part right now, Like it's
the Clippers are tied with the Wolves, They're a half
game up on the MAVs, they are one game up
on the ninth place Warriors, and the Kings, who are tenth,
are only two games back. How you feel about et
Cado saying, I'm not mad. If we had our starting five,
we'd be three and oh on the road. Not a
true strength of team. But seating is troubling. I'm worried
about the runway that the Clippers have, they have how
everything is going. I think they have sixteen games of
what the playoff rotation is going to be to figure
everything out.
Speaker 3: If we get sixteen games, I'm actually fairly confident with that.
Are they Are they successive coming into the playoffs or
sixteen scattered? And it's kind of and there's five games
leading into the playoffs with none of the playoff rotation.
Speaker 1: No. I think, in my mind and my utopia as
a Clippers fan and my fantasy as a Clippers fan,
which is how you know we are real Clippers fans,
we get sixteen games of a healthy team kind of
chopped up leading into the playoffs as it should be.
I like this point by Decca fantastic, actually, because I
wanted to talk about this too. DJ and Dunn shooting
stresses me out because we need them so badly. On
d Chris Dunn played like a madman on defense yesterday.
It was tape that any defensive minded guard, if you
want to work on your game, you should watch that.
It's four on five on offense. Sometimes I'm not saying
don't play the guy or anything like that, but it's
it's a big hurdle to go over.
Speaker 2: He had a good offensive game though yesterday. Did he
end up with the thirteen or I think of the Indiana.
Speaker 1: Game, let me check I have the he has been
that game thirteen, he went six to ten.
Speaker 2: That game yesterday in the Milwaukee game, especially the third quarter,
are two of the best perimeter defended games I've ever seen.
I find individual.
Speaker 1: It's difficult. And then and this goes back to the
point of Kawhi being healthy, right, Like, if Kawhi is healthy,
if Norman is healthy, Chris Dunn doesn't have to take
ten shots. That's way too many shots.
Speaker 3: A herculean load for Chris Dunn.
Speaker 1: I mean it kind of is though, like and and
you can't do anything like you can't the titles in
this episode her load.
Speaker 2: And that's why I'm not hurting so much over yesterday's
game or against Indiana, Like, I get it. If you
just look at the record, they're owing three out of
the All Star Break. They blew a game against the
Bucks that was pretty inexcusable up thirteen, Giannis doesn't play
the second half of the fourth quarter. But the last
two if you told me the last two, if you
told me heading in who they're going to be missing
against good teams, you're gonna be at a disadvantage. You're
probably going to lose those games. That's that's difficult. I
get the PTSD with Kawhi and if people are so
sour on this era that you know, they're just upset
and they don't want to hear that, Hey, you're playing
good teams too, and they have their guys and you don't.
And that kind of explains a lot of this. Like
if they lost to Chicago with yesterday's roster with the Clippers,
I'd be more concerned. Chicago is really bad. They've lost
six of seven. They lost to a team that has
happened in their best moment in ten years yesterday with
the Pistons, and the Pacers have won like sixteen of
twenty one. Like those are good teams, So I like,
I get it. There's only twenty five games left, asn't matter.
Just got to find a way to win no matter what.
But I think there's an explanation for what's going on
right now too, and unfortunately it's back to the same theme.
Then maybe that's what the issue is. It's injuries hurting
this team.
Speaker 1: And it was what we played. We just played four
or five six in the East. I think, seating wise,
that's who we just play.
Speaker 3: Les you said sixteen games was your runway there's only
twenty like twenty five games left, right, I feel like
that's not that bad.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, and that's fair. I think that so Les.
Speaker 3: Get sixteen out of the last twenty five. Uh like
fully healthy? I feel like pretty good.
Speaker 1: What's more important heading into the playoffs? Health or getting
out of the play in? Great question, by the way.
Speaker 2: Health health obviously, Like yeah, if they're in a first
round series, didn't we just see this last year? If
they're in a first round series and Kawhi is limited
and only can play two games, right, I don't see
that again.
Speaker 1: That is one of them. I have such a vivid
memory of being at that game. Will and I were
in the press box that it was there was overflow,
so they put us in like the little kids press box,
and we were watching Kawhi and it was just like, oh,
this is like one of the more like just sad
i've felt watching someone try and play basketball who isn't healthy.
I agree that his health. Hopefully we only have to
deal with one of these issues, because if we're unhealthy
and we're in the play in, that will be our
lowest listen to or viewed postgame episode ever.
Speaker 2: You know what the title will be like the title
just be on second thought, not our year.
Speaker 1: Will was wrong.
Speaker 3: Here's thirty two ways, Here's what would have to have
to happen. Here's thirty two events that would have to
happen for it to be the Clippers year.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, no, but it is health and Kawhi is
playing tomorrow. Someone pointed out that Norm is on the trip,
which is a little encouraging. Will, where are you at
with with your concern level, uh for Norm's injury. Adam
is going to be concerned if he doesn't play on Friday,
which I think is fair, but.
Speaker 2: I'll be really concerned if Yeah.
Speaker 3: I mean I think that's a fair benchmark. I mean,
this is a guy like that we got on a
pretty favorable UH trade deal because of the injury concerns
because with that contract and his availability, you know, it
was an issue something not a lot of franchises wanted
to commit to or certainly give up an asset to
get and we had, i mean, outside of his first year,
like really good injury luck with Norm. So yeah, it's
it's concerning. I want to say though, that it cuts
both ways, and that his durability thus far in his
tenure as a clipper is going to continue. Uh, that's
based on absolutely nothing. I haven't I haven't done my
examination yet. He hasn't been with the team. You know,
popped on the old stethoscope. We had to see what's
going on there. But healthy as a horse?
Speaker 1: Oh man, Yeah, we got to get the statis.
Speaker 3: I didn't say a healthy horse?
Speaker 1: Art h asking. Will Kawhi or Norm play in Chicago? Buddy,
you gotta follow injury reports. Kawhi will play tomorrow. Norm
will not, but he is with the team, which is
which is good.
Speaker 2: Not because I'm injured, but I'm just said at Buddy's
house and I told him ten minutes and I lied, Well, Bro.
Speaker 1: Thank you for coming out. Adam. No worries at all.
We'll talk to you later. Here's to see, all right?
Adam is out? Will it's been a three game losing streak.
What is up? I don't so. Ben Simmons is playing tomorrow,
which is good? Are we can we? Do you think
we're out of the let's play Ben Simmons and lineups
that clearly don't work phase.
Speaker 3: I think it depends on the availability, because I do
think you're kind of grasping at straws no norm is
obviously like such a huge blow to the offense. Not
that Ben Simmons necessarily helps that area, but I could
see the rationale behind his playmaking, you know, attempting to
pull something out or make a difference. I think with
the amount of one way that's left, I just don't know, Like,
obviously we're not there in every practice. I just don't
know where the thought process is coming in for some
of these lineups around Ben Simmons. Like his strengths, you know,
I mean, like, sure he's not at the peak that
he was once athletically, physically, the back thing is going
to be a lingering thing. Not being able to play
backs to backs is a definite issue. But he's been
in this league a long enough time that we kind
of know his strengths in his weaknesses, and I think
that it's fairly easy, uh, depending on the construction of
your roster, to build competent lineups around that. I do
understand that, TYLERU. You know, he said he wanted to
try basically every machination that he could around Simmons, which
again I don't know that I fully I guess I
don't know that I fully understand that, Like I don't know,
you know, I.
Speaker 1: Don't know what you.
Speaker 3: Don't Well, I just don't know why like that you
think the same experiment is going to yield a different result.
But you know, I mean it's it's the double edged
sword with tie, right. Like we we love that he's
a tinker. It's sometimes really annoying that he's a tinkerer.
Uh so, you know, like you kind of have to
take the bad with the good on that one. But
given this losing streak and just given how precarious the
situation is in the web, Yeah, yeah, I mean playtime
has kind of over. I you know, I I don't
think there's any chance of the Clippers moving up at
this point. Like, I think there's little to no chance
they can maybe sneak into that four or five. There's
no chance of them surpassing the Lakers. I love Adam's optimism.
There's no chance they're making up four games.
Speaker 1: Well, he did just say they would have to do
that in order to get there. He doesn't think they
they will win both of the games. But like, yeah, I.
Speaker 3: Mean that's what I heard.
Speaker 1: There are four games out of where the Rockets are,
and the Rockets have had a horrific stretch these last
ten games.
Speaker 3: Three and seven. Yeah, and even still, I still think
it's a stretch to think that we're going to get
past them. Yeah, unless unless, like unless the skid continues.
Speaker 1: The Mavericks because of the injury stuff. I'm not worried about,
you know, losing game to them. The Timberwolves, they just
beat Okac like they're there, and the war I don't know,
the Warriors are playing pissed off. The Kings could just
spitefully do the annoying Kings thing where they like make
it up to a playoff spot obviously gets milked or
something like that, but at the expense of the Clippers
having to beat in the plane. Thank you Punk's gone
wrong for saying we needed the power of you three
together to turn this around. Let's hope that works out.
Let's hop they don't lose three in a row after
a three more in a row after we do this.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, we haven't all been together in a minute.
That's what's screwing the whole thing up.
Speaker 1: Damn. Yeah, we did an episode of scheduling scheduling man. Yeah,
I don't know, it's just like I think before we
next year, I know, that's putting the cart before the horse.
I know people are super sour on Kawhi right now.
They're upset because the guy who is supposed to be
the best player on the team, you know, same tier
as hard. You know what I mean in terms of
engine and stuff like that. When Kawhi has been healthy,
he is the like when healthy it's been he's been
the third.
Speaker 3: And when in ben I feel like are two words
doing a lot of lifting in that statement. I you know,
I know that it was tough and last season, yes,
we saw peaks. I don't think we've seen the same
thing in any sort of sustended like sustainable or extended
stretch since his return. This year, we've seen peaks like
there have been flashes in the pan for sure, but
nothing like nothing like the confidence that I had and
where he was at physically last season.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I like what you said with the confidence physically,
and that obviously trickles down to everyone on the team
and it just puts more pressure. We were talking about
Bogden shooting situation where it's just he's eight of his
last thirty five from three, which percentage wise, that's not
very good. And you know, some of that has to
play like, oh, we're down some guys. We got to
chase a little bit, We got to push a little
bit more. It just makes things harder. There's people who
were talking about like why don't they trade Kawhi? But
all that stuff. I'm gonna be honest now, you if
there was a trade for Kawhi at this front office,
like they would have made the trade.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what do you want? Like Kevin Herder in four seconds?
Like I just don't think like the the offer that
moves the needle enough for the Clippers is like really
out there.
Speaker 1: The front office doesn't make shitty trades. Also, we haven't
seen them like.
Speaker 3: Like and there. It just is a lot. Yeah, you know,
like the significance of Kawhi choosing the Clippers is a
big deal. The significance of like you can look at
it sourly because you know, it didn't ultimately culminate in
the championship.
Speaker 1: Except for this year, except for this year?
Speaker 3: Correct, uh, except for this year, Like because it hasn't
thus far culminated in a championship. I think that that's fair.
But it's really the Clippers don't have uh what six
year five six year run of being a contender at
this level without Kawhi and like you can, like you
can boohoo the result and that that's totally fair and
that's valid. But that's you know, like that's hindsight is
twenty twenty, Like there's no I you know, and regardless
of it, like the ultimate end, you know, there's no
denying how he's already lifted this team. And I think
a guy like that beyond just concerns about injury, like
you've already given up so many assets and I know
those like the sunk cost fallacy is like, you know,
it's a little bit of an issue. You could see
it both ways, but like it, if you're not getting
the like an ok cesque, you know, like treasure chest
to re stop.
Speaker 4: Those things, what are you really left with? There's no
way that you're getting a player, like a player and
a first or something like that, which I I you know,
I think with like barring that you're looking at some
very dark stretches for the Clippers.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Lizo asking do you see us possibly hunting for
a matchup over getting out of the play in.
Speaker 3: God, I hope not, because I don't want either one
or two.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think this team is just trying to get
healthy and win games like that. There's no there's they haven't. Yeah,
and they haven't shown the ability to say oh, like sure,
I guess the only matchup they would want to hunt
would be the Warriors. Like it's not like there's other
teams in the West that we've destroyed, right, Like we have.
The Clippers have a twenty and eighteen record in the West,
which is worse than the two teams below them in
the standings and only one game better than the Warriors,
who are three spots below them. Like, this is a
team that I don't think they would hunt for a matchup.
I think they would hunt for health, and that that
is about it.
Speaker 3: Hunt for health.
Speaker 1: Hunting for a matchup would be crazy in this Like
there's no team that is and I'm not saying this
to Poo poo the question. There's no team that's tied
with a playing team that should be hunting a matchup. Yeah.
Speaker 3: I like just the way Denver is playing right now,
I mean they're like they're they're hitting a peak. They look,
you know, like they did in that They look like
they did in that championship run. And then we've just
seen we have enough game footage on on Okay, see
it's a bad matchup for us, it's not. I mean,
I I don't see that going our way in seven games.
It's just too like it's just it's it's a young team.
It's a highly physical, highly athletic and I just I
don't see us hanging with them for for for like to.
Speaker 1: Win for And they're just good at defense too, So
like any team that's like plus at defense against this
Clippers team right now is not ideal.
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, because what do you really have to combat that?
Speaker 1: Right? So they got the Bulls tomorrow. We got a
couple more minutes before we head out. Is tomorrow must win?
Will updyke? Yes or no? Yes? For your own sake?
Is tomorrow a muster and the clip. The Bulls are
three and seven in their last ten. They are not
a good basketball team. They do not play good defense.
This could be a jump start a bit. I'll tell
you what, I'd love to win this game before heading
into two against the Lakers.
Speaker 3: They got Yeah, go like losing four straight and then
taking on two against the Lakers, that's a recipe for disaster.
Let's at least get one win in I don't want
to say guarantee, because there's no guarantees in this league,
absolutely not with this any team. Yeah. Well, and I
just you know, any team can jump on you on
any given night. But this is, yeah, as much of
a must win as we've talked about in a while.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's gonna be stressful, I think, no matter like
I don't think they blow them out, it's gonna be stressful.
There's no norm Ben Simmons will play, so hopefully we
see the good lineups with that bogie, hopefully his shot falls. Like,
there's just I've talked about the rotation. There's a lot
of stuff that still needs to fall into place, which
is so frustrating just in terms of having everyone healthy
for the rotation. So this is I don't want to
say it's a get right game because again, the full
rotation isn't available, So I don't know if it can
technically be a get right game, but it's a it's
so we really need this game for the Clippers.
Speaker 3: Someone is asking the chaff we lose the bulls, what
is this clips and dip live stream gonna look like
it's gonna look like me having a drink. No glass,
No glass, buddy, that's what it's gonna look like.
Speaker 1: Just a bit, just one of those comically large bottles
of like handle rum. You're just holding it by the
two handles. I'm actually I there's a show I'm going
to tomorrow night, but that starts at like eight. So
if the Clippers lose, I will definitely be turning up
for this show. So the postgame live will be very fun. No,
it's gonna be. It'll be rough if the Clippers lose
to the Bulls. It depends on which fashion, but there's
not a lot of avenues for it to be a
chill stream.
Speaker 3: Remember when I said we go like, we couldn't go
calling the Milwaukee loss Wor's loss of the season, because
the Clippers will find a way. This would be the way.
Speaker 1: This would be the way. Yeah, this would be the
way because also looking at the schedule in March, their
first game in March is against the Lakers. March second
versus the Lakers. They have a three and five to
start No, sorry, they were three and four to start March.
They go Lakers, and then a back to back away
to the Sun's Home versus the Pistons, and then they
play the Knicks. I don't know, man, Like this is
Adam is a does a really good job at it's
staying positive for things. But like we are in we're
in teetering space where the wheels might just fucking fall off.
And I want, I'm being real, like there's two ways
this goes. The team galvanizes itself with all these games
in March, or the first week of March goes poorly
and we're in a play in spot kind of maybe
fighting for that playing spot.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's proven time, right, Like we talked
like all year, this team surprised everyone, This team overachieved,
They exceeded expectations. Was that you know, like was that
an anomaly? Or you know, can can they get back
to that? Can they do when bethinks are going to
be able to do? And this this month is certainly
the test.
Speaker 1: It's like the first week of the month is the test.
Which is what's so frustrating because man, like they got
a stretch. Listen to this stretch, dude, this is so brutal.
Calves on the on the eighteenth Grizzlies on the twenty first,
thunder on the twenty third at home away to the
Knicks on the twenty sixth like this. I hate the
schedule makers, and then they close with to end the season.
It's insane. The season is close to being over. Their
last three games are Rockets, Kings, Warriors, which if you
look at the seating, are all potentially incredibly important games
for where the seating is at. Okay, Adam's out here
to do it. Do you want to do one positive thing?
Or should I do one positive thing?
Speaker 3: You should do it? Man, bring back the old Moniker?
Speaker 1: All right, I don't have one in my back pocket.
But the positive thing we can take is that Kawhi
Leonard is playing against the Bulls, which is good. Norm
Powell's on the trip, which shows that the injury is
not too crazy. And yeah, that's what I got. They
have a potential get right game versus the Bulls, and
then they're gonna get ready to shock the world against
the Lakers, hopefully twice. I would be happy with a split.
I think everyone should be happy with a split. I
think it's hard to beat a team that has Luka
Doncics and Lebron James twice and such a short span.
So that is my version of positivity for this.
Speaker 3: Yeah, a win over the Bulls and a split and
like you're correct in course?
Speaker 1: All right, right, we got a good question from I mean,
is this team trying to just get into the playoffs
like they did in the twenty twenty three season. Yes, absolutely,
they're trying to win a championship obviously, but not being
in the play in would feel pretty damn good to
close this season, which as of six forty seven pm
February twenty fifth, is how I feel.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you just get to the playoffs?
Speaker 1: Healthy?
Speaker 3: Can we see it one time? I like, how about just.
Speaker 1: Once you're going, Bill Simmons, can we see it? All right?
Thank you everyon for hanging out. Here's to a more
fun stream next time we're all together. I don't know
if we'll do a live stream tomorrow, but we will
have a full episode for sure before the Lakers game.
Hope everyone has a good rest of your night. Here's
to a win against the Bulls. You know, don't take
don't be too stressed out by this team. It is difficult,
but here's going against the Bulls and as always, let's
go clips