Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans. Welcome to three, episode
sixty of Clips in Dip. I am Chuck Buckler, joined
by Adam Oslin and William Updyke. We're coming at you
live from YouTube dot com, just at Clippers Podcast or
wherever you listen to pods, but if you want the
full experience, check us out over on YouTube. It's a
very fun time today. We're talking to Clippers winning a
bunch of games in it, remaining the seventh seed, and
then previewing these Spurs versus Rockets back to back. Before
we get into all of that, it's a beautiful day
in Los Angeles this Sunday, Adam, Will, how the hell
are we feeling after seeing Kawhi Leonard and play his
first back to back in over a calendar year. Will,
We'll start with you.
Speaker 2: I'm feeling good. You know, I know that the fan
reaction to this one. I was actually kind of surprised
how mixed some of the reaction is. And obviously I
understand the concern, you know, given the history, you know,
Qui not having a healthy postseason four straight years. I
think what we've talked about on this show, or like
what would come to the conclusion is is really all
we can do is trust Kawhi and trust his team
as well as the medical staff, because there just doesn't
seem to be any real like recipe or like perfect
sort of like scenario that you can conjure to make
sure that there's like this swelling, this recurring issue isn't
going to flare up again. So I certainly understand people's
concern on the basis of, you know, he hasn't been
playing back to back so long, you know, why why
go ahead and start now. At the same time, they're
looking ahead to the playoffs. We've we've heard them and
basically after every game now talk about how you know
they're approaching this now with a play like with the
playoff mentality, every game means something, every win means something,
and you know, if if they are, you know, fortunate
enough to get out of the first they're gonna be
playing every other night and at playoff that's the same
thing as playing back to back. So I think that
you know, the medical staff as well as Kawhi and
all those aforementioned teams being on the same page and
that they believe he's ready to do this, albeit with
a slight minutes restriction. I still think that that's a
great move forward, and not to invalidate anyone's concerns, but
I guess I'll just well by saying we don't.
Speaker 3: Know, period.
Speaker 4: He won't know how the knee and.
Speaker 2: The swelling is going to react, period, So I just yeah,
I think it's all right to have your concerns, but
let's not get too upen on start.
Speaker 1: And I think Kawhi did a good job to invalidate
some of the concerns last night too, just with how
well he played. I like your point about like every
other day of the playoffs is harder than a back
to back in the regular scene, Adam, how are you feeling?
Speaker 3: Feel pretty good? Kawhi looked. It's funny because you know,
he got to catch a rhythm from the night before
where he played much better. The second night of the
back to back, he was sharper, he was more in tune.
So it kind of gives you a glimpse into a
different version of Kawhi Leonard and just how good he
can be if he could play more consistently out there
now with the minutes restriction, obviously being on there last night,
but being off overall over the last month or so.
He just looked he looked strong, he looked assertive. His
defense has been awesome the last ten games or so.
So you know, I always worry, like did he wake
up and feel differently? Like I feel better if had
a personal relationship and I can just text Kawhi, But hey,
you feel good after last night?
Speaker 1: You're good.
Speaker 3: I think the real test is how he feels the
next day, not that night, because when I flared up
last year it happened. It wasn't during the game, it
was the next day.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he looked phenomenal yesterday, twenty nine, six and three. Everyone, honestly,
everyone except for one guy, looked really good last night,
which we'll get to that in a sec. Yeah, Adam,
I do wish you too, also had a personal relationship
with Kawhi to the extent that you guys could just
check in see how you know, see how the bodies
are feeling the day after a workout or something like that.
Speaker 3: Subclaw.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it'd be all emojis, I feel like with Kawhi
in the group chat, but we got to see because
we didn't. The Clippers go two and zero in the
back to back. They've won four in a row. They're
still sitting firm at the seventh seed because every other
team around them continues to win, which is annoying, but
that I mean, Zoo looked great last night. Nicias on
Twitter did a really good thread just kind of showcasing
how insane Chris Dunn played yesterday and just all the
activity he was doing out there. Like I I think
I'm hoping people are starting to kind of flip to
the other side of like, oh, there's incredibly good reasons
why Chris Dunn is out there, and not only for
the rotation, but also for being able to blow up
almost any action of the other team has tried to initiate.
Speaker 2: And you have the benefit of like having James Harden
out there, like who can mitigate seemingly all or the
majority of Chris Dunn's sort of inadequacies on the offensive
end of the floor.
Speaker 4: Harden had a phenomenal game that second game.
Speaker 2: And yeah, that's if that's the sort of the scoring
he can bring on a consistent level in the playoffs.
I mean, it really doesn't matter, Like, you know, Chris
Don's shooting matters a lot less.
Speaker 4: Does it make things more difficult offensively to work with?
Speaker 2: Less space, of course, but luckily we have a guy who,
even if Norm is having an off night, can kind
of feather the nest for two other guys in the
starting lineup.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Chris Dunn covers for him on defense. He covers
for Chris Dunn on offense. It makes sense in a
lot of ways.
Speaker 2: It were ying Yang hot hot. You know where you
get both flavors. You can get the regular and the spicy.
Speaker 1: It's that, Yeah, I like that. Another thing that was
pointed out LA Clippers film saw this too, and then
it was backed up by another stat tweeted out by
nikaias Duncan. James Harden is second in the NBA in
blow by rate this year among high volume drivers, so
people who've driven the ball at least five hundred times.
He is the second best at blow by rate so
far this season, which is incredible for the age. And like,
just aside from what it's bringing to this Clippers team
and how we saw it on display yesterday, Like we
talked Abou Kawhi hitting this stride right with the training
and everything working out, Harden is also peaking physically at
kind of the perfect time right now. It's been on
display more consistently. This last handful of games.
Speaker 2: Well he had to go to it a little bit more.
That last game he could not really get threes the ball.
I think it was one of four Yeah for him
to s have this in the tank especially, I mean
we were talking about it now that feels like forever ago,
but it was truly just a couple of weeks ago
where we were wondering, like have we asked Harden to
do too much already?
Speaker 4: Like has he been too tasks physically?
Speaker 2: You know, is he hitting some sort of wall that
we're now not going to be able to extract what
we need from him, Like come playoff time, and somehow
he's managed to turn another corner. Yeah, even on despite
three point shooting, you know, solid efficiency last night.
Speaker 4: Great to see, love to see it.
Speaker 2: I mean he's always been one of those players that
I've enjoyed watching him, but having him on your team
is a whole, other, whole nother delight.
Speaker 3: I've felt like the eye tests this season says he's
been quicker than last year. I didn't know the numbers
there on the blowby rate? Is he only behind SGA?
Speaker 1: Let me double check, but I would imagine.
Speaker 3: Because he you know he had that hamstring injury in Brooklyn,
and I always wonder that the further he gets away
from that, could he actually get close to how he
looked pre hammy injury. And he's looked. Yeah, he's had
a ton of downhill attack this season, and the Clippers
have needed all of it, especially when they didn't have
Kawhi on the floor. But the last seventeen games, now
hard and shooting thirty eight percent from three, and he's
averaging twenty six points per game. So he's at the
top of his game right now.
Speaker 1: And I think the assistant turnover has been better too, right,
not that it's been like too terrible over the whole season,
but I mean last night he was at fourteen and two.
Like last night might have been his best passing game
all year. He was surgical out there against the larger
MAVs team because we saw their full crew.
Speaker 3: His assist to turnover last seventeen games still isn't great.
It's a little better than two to one, But overall
the Clippers turnovers are down, like they are top three
and fewest turnovers per game the last seventeen I say
the last seventeen because they're fourteen to three over that stretch,
so I wanted to check how they've been playing since then.
But Harden's played all seventeen of those games. Kawhi's played
fourteen of them. Arden has been phenomenal.
Speaker 1: Zoo eleven for eleven, twenty five and ten savingly light
work for the big fella right now. Who He's not
gonna win Most Improved Player. He should, but he had.
I don't know. I wish he could.
Speaker 2: I wish he is the kind of guy that I
think that that award should go to versus Cunningham. Yeah,
not to a number one pick or even a lottery pick.
It's like, yeah, yeah, I mean you were supposed to
be good, Like kudos on you, but like it's not
the same as a guy like hitting his stride in year.
Speaker 4: Seven in the league or whatever.
Speaker 2: Like it's you know that that's special to me.
Speaker 1: I don't know, but there's no expectations.
Speaker 2: Again, I'm a biased and b I realized that that's
not that's not a sexy headline, you know, like because
you know, if you're trying to generate interest in the
league from a casual observer of beats, the Zoo Bots
probably isn't the name to do that. That's fair, but
unless you're trying to get in an older crowd who's
constantly bemoaning that the three point game defense that you know,
like defense has been relegated out and.
Speaker 4: The three point shooting is completely ruined the game.
Speaker 1: So it's tough because like Zoo is like no one
ever thought like we love Zoo, but like fifty plus
double doubles? How many in a row?
Speaker 2: Like it's well, we I feel like we have for
the last three seasons been saying this is finally going
to be a year that Zoo averages a double doubles.
Speaker 4: So I yeah, not to pat ourselves.
Speaker 2: On the back here too hard, but uh, it wasn't
like completely, It wasn't completely I surprise.
Speaker 3: Could you guys guess who's last year's most improved player was?
Speaker 1: Is it someone stupid? You know what I mean? Is
it someone who was drafted high?
Speaker 3: I didn't. I wasn't sure either, But I'm just saying, like,
I have no idea is that big of a deal,
right if we're talking about, well, is it gonna have
enough brand RECOGNI and star power to his name to
give the most improved players to that guy? It's like
we can't even remember who won it last year, So
why don't just why don't you give it to the
guy based on marriage and forget about the whole name thing.
It was Tyrese Maxi, but I didn't. I wouldn't have
been able to guess that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I wouldn't have either, And I'm also like good
pick I guess oh he did improve?
Speaker 3: Yeah. JJ Reddick spoke about this recently, took some time
out of his press conference to go after it, and
he's right. It doesn't make a lot of sense just
giving it to good young guys who were expected to
get better and then did. Ari Markin had won it
the year before.
Speaker 1: Yeah, JJ Reddick, whose team just dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaker 3: I'm saying the Lakers are a good matchup for Okay.
See okay, he's a good matchup for them.
Speaker 1: I should say, yeah, let me look at the standings.
Won't change tonight unless the Rockets beat the Warriors, which
we hope happens.
Speaker 3: Rockets have been playing well. You would think the Warriors
are due, but they've been do to lose a game,
and they've been beating good teams.
Speaker 1: You would think we talked to one person who we
talked about who we wanted to see have a good
game yesterday, who really did it? And again I don't
mean this in a disrespectful way. He was the only
person to not shoot at least fifty percent last night,
I don't think, which was Norm Powell. Norm Powell had
nine points. He was four for thirteen. I don't think
he had any free throws. When do we push the
worry switch for Norm because he has a bunch of
clout built up obviously for we did early in the season.
We know he can be clutch. It's not like we've
seen him fall off a cliff and not come back
or anything like that.
Speaker 2: But I looked so I think for Norm, like what
I'm watching more is the efficiency not for him to
stuff the stat line like he was earlier in the season.
Speaker 4: That just wasn't ever.
Speaker 2: Gonna happen with Kawhi being back in the lineup full time.
Like that, You know, that is not that Norm wasn't great,
and not that he didn't improve his game and rise
to the occasion, but like that was very much a
circumstance of being out like you're a main rotation player,
the guy, and of course it was needed, We needed
every bit of it, and he definitely stepped up to
the challenge and I appreciate that, but that wasn't something
if you were expecting him to maintain similar numbers once
Kawhi returned.
Speaker 4: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I guess I've got a bridge to sell you or something,
because you clearly think everything just continues to go up
in value. But the efficiency, I guess is what I'd
be a little bit more worried about. Can we lean
on norm heavier?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I still think he was at thirteen shots last night.
I believe I think that thirteen to fifteen field goal
attempts is realistically where he's going to be moving forward.
And so to me, it's not necessarily about the overall
box score. It's just what he's able to do with
those fifteen shots. And what was he like thirty percent
from the floor or whatever last night. That's not getting
it done. Yeah, he was thirty percent from the floor,
twenty percent from three, So like, that's not getting it done.
Speaker 1: But I don't know they still want obviously.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know that I have a huge amount
of concern because, as I said, it's not just less
shots either. How he's getting these shots where he fits
into the flow of the offense. Now it is a
lot different, you know, Like we talked about this earlier,
but like when Kawhi came back, he said that he
was going to sort of fit around everyone else.
Speaker 4: And now the pecking.
Speaker 1: Order has been or like, please, I'll do that well.
Speaker 2: And now the pecking order has sort of like it's
it's figured itself out in terms of how they're going
to do things. And now, unfortunately norm because he had
such an extended period of time outside of the rotation,
he's the one that has to fit around this and
obviously his shots are going to suffer because of that.
And I think he's, you know, he's still trying to
figure out how to get in rhythm during that.
Speaker 1: He almost has like the Zubats thing of like you're
getting these fifteen shots, what you do with them was
entirely up to right, Like in terms of like the
shot diet, like it's going to fluctuate.
Speaker 3: I'm not as big on efficiency when it's that low
of attempts because like he makes one more shot and
it goes up almost ten percent because the volume just
isn't there. But I think what you're looking for now,
is just norm to be more like last year's norm,
maybe somewhere between where he was earlier this year. In
last year and last year, he only attempted ten shots
per game, and he made the most of it to
get to fourteen points, and he shot almost forty four
percent from the outside. This year, he's just under sixteen
shots per games. So I kind of agree with Will.
Somewhere between thirteen and fifteen feels right. He is shooting
over his last eleven games, and I think this is
all since he's gotten healthy again. Thirty nine percent from three.
It's like he for his standards, he's a little off,
but right there is a little bit of a learning
curve with Kawhi Leonard being back to this level and
everybody fitting in and adjusting around him and finding where
they fit in. I still have seen really good things
from Norm Palell. The Cleveland game, obviously, that was without Kawhi,
but the Orlando game was with him and he was
eight to fourteen or twenty one points and hit a
few shots in that fourth quarter. So it's been up
and down a little bit. But I'm not I'm not
I'm stepping back from the panic button.
Speaker 1: I guess and he gets a chance too, because we'll
talk about this in the next segment a little bit,
like it's not a given that Kawhi plays this next
back to back either, you know what I mean. So
there is a chance for Norm maybe to have another
game where it's like, Okay, we're gonna look at you
a little bit, get into that rhythm towards the end
of the season as we kind of close this thing out.
So it remains to be seen, but I hope we
can get on at least one heater before the end
of the season.
Speaker 3: He does seem like the type of guy where I
don't want to say he's a luxury at this point
with the way Kauhi is playing. But if Norm does
have a hot game next to Avisa, Zuboss Harden and
Kawhi playing well man, good luck. Like they're just gonna
overwhelm you. They've been again the seventeen game sample size
where they're fourteen to three, their second best offense over
that time, like second best defense too.
Speaker 1: And we've seen too like teams are gonna continue to
double Zoo off of Done and stuff like that, like Zoo,
like Zoo's passing is gonna be really important in the playoffs,
and he's able to find norm is able to cash
it that in or or something like that. It's gonna
be big. The two big things, one of the two
big things in the playoffs are gonna be is Done
hitting his go for it shots that they're gonna give
him at the perimeter. And how Zoo passing out of
the double team Like those are two obviously if everything
else needs to go right too, Like, those are pretty
big things I think people will be looking at during
the playoff. The Clippers have won four in a row
and there's still the seventh seed. How are we feeling?
How are we feeling that every other team that we
need to lose continues to play great basketball.
Speaker 3: Well, if they win their last four, they are out
of the play in. If they went out, they won't
be in the play in. So they determine their own
destiny to an extent. Doesn't mean they're going to be
four or five or something. They might just be sixth.
But they win the next four, they're out. I think
Adam Silver got what he wanted out of dangling this carrot.
It is created a very competitive atmosphere at the end
of the season, James Harden was asked about this post
game last night, regarding how well they're playing and the
sense of urgency, and he's like, everybody's got it right now,
you have to have it. So it worked. Whether or
not you think it's fair whatnot, because the teams in
nine and ten are like ten games back. But I
more fan base is interested and it keeps the teams
jocking for position late into the season. I guess it
curves tanking to some extent.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, how you feel that we just keep winning
with the other teams keep putting too?
Speaker 2: I mean, I like that we're still in a position
where we can control our own destiny to the extent
that we can. You know, you can't really control what
happens above you and the standings. All you can do
is play who's in front of you. And I do
like that, you know, even with the ups and downs,
especially with how cold we came out of the gate
post All Star, we are still in a position where
we can kind of determine our own destiny. Not that
we can cherry pick the matchup or anything like that,
but you know, we do have the possibility to avoid
the plan.
Speaker 4: If that's you know, where we can get blocked in.
Speaker 1: Yeah, those last two games are going to be incredibly stressful.
What is our hype level as of April six, five,
twenty nine PM. Because I have been having some incredibly
irrational thoughts, I tweeted it out that I was back
at the Clippers Opium Den and they asked me if
I wanted the same thing as last time, and I
said yes. I don't see any reason how this could backfire.
I am ready to get hurt again. Uh, outam your smirking?
How are you feeling?
Speaker 3: It does feel a little bit too good to be
true with lower seas.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 3: But there are just four games left?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 3: Is this the best they have looked? I'm trying. I
was trying to think back of every season with coach Lou,
meaning take away the bubble season, because that was difficult
to read. How you finish that regular season? Because now
they're in Orlando? Who cares? Is this the best they've
looked to end a season with coach Lou? Like? Is
this the best? The most momentum they've had? I was
trying to think back to twenty twenty one. People were
saying then like they put in Daniel Turou to tank
a game. I don't think that was necessarily the case.
I thought it was already decided Sunday and by Friday.
I think it was their matchup. I thought I thought
I had that at the time figured out. But regardless, maybe.
Speaker 1: He got blocked seven times in that game. I think
he set the record for one of the most.
Speaker 3: Maybe that.
Speaker 4: Was intentional.
Speaker 3: Their urgency has been good for this team. It has
been really good to have them have to play meaningful
games late into the season. That's the hope, right, that
this carries over that they already have flipped the switch,
so to speak. Kawhi looks like it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I'm Will, you've year? Okay, you being pretty
hyped is one thing because Will has been saying it's
our year all year and hey, it's shaping up to
maybe being the Clippers.
Speaker 2: Ear that's right, man, people, people need to take more
heat when I'm speaking.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I look it.
Speaker 1: I was a right so much.
Speaker 4: So much of the.
Speaker 2: Playoffs is just dependent on the matchups that you get.
You know, It's just that there's there's easier paths to
a to a conference final or even a championship than
other ones. Just ask the Lakers or the Warriors, or
you know, all sorts of teams who are the heat.
I feel like so many times end up with a
end up with a pathway towards a conference final where
it's like, Okay, well good for you guys. So I
you know, a lot can still happen. But like I said,
just it's like I said before, like the fact that
they're still in control sort of of their own destiny
and could potentially avoid the plan if they choose to
do so. I think it's great And I don't know
how much more you could hope for knowing that Kawhi
was only going to play, you know, thirty seven games.
Will it end up being thirty five games?
Speaker 3: Yeah, if he plays the last four, it'll be at
thirty eight.
Speaker 1: Thirty Okay, damn yeah fuck thirty games.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: People didn't pay Like people thought this was going to
be one of the worst teams that Like people thought
this would be the worst team in the Pacific Division.
I thought it would be one of the worst teams
in the West. I don't I didn't see a lot
of people. I didn't see a lot of people preseason
projecting the Clippers higher than like eleven twelve. So I
think what they've done here is is pretty damn impressive.
Speaker 1: And we all said they'd be a high playing team
and lo and behold, they're a high playing team or
maybe not.
Speaker 3: And you know, we said six like was their ceiling, right,
like six was aspirational and maybe they end up there.
But all of this was just hinging on can Kawhi
get back to who he was last season? And the
last twelve games he's getting twenty six points on fifty
seven fifty two ninety two splits. That's what he did
for about thirty games last year year to set the
all time efficiency record. So he's back the same version
of Kali.
Speaker 1: Good luck everybody else. I'm feeling way, I'm feeling irrationally confident.
I'm sure this will change depending what happens over this
next back to back. Let us know at Clippers pod
or at Clippers podcast what you think of the Clipper,
what your hype level is that. I know a lot
of people are ready to step on the Clippers rake again,
and I am right there with you. My foot is
hovering over the rake waiting for it to hit me
in the face. Coming up, we're doing a final back
to back preview, the Clippers play the Spurs, then the Rockets,
and then we'll be sending you on your merry way
for the week. If you're listening on the audio, there's
gonna be some ads. If you watch us at YouTube
dot collebish at Clippers Podcast, there's no ads that we
choose to put in, so there's some ads and then
back to back talk coming up in three two one.
Speaker 2: All right, welcome back into clips and did talking about
the Clippers being victorious in a back to back that's
already over now looking ahead to another one taking on
the Spurs and then the Rockets. I mean one of
these games, clearly, I think it's a lot more difficult
and there's probably heavier implications seating wise between between that one.
That being said, uh Adam, do you expect that? Do
you expect Kawhi to play through the back to back again?
Do you think they save him for the second game
with a little extra rest or what?
Speaker 4: What? What do you expect there from the from the
starting five?
Speaker 3: Hold on, let me text my guy big claw the
point the point emoji when the thumb's up. I think
a lot of this depends on how he felt today,
how he came out of this back to back. I
would also put into the calculus, is three days off
too many days off for him? If he doesn't play
their question Deo game, that's three days off before he
plays Houston.
Speaker 4: Is that's so weird how often we have to talk
about is it too much? Dressed?
Speaker 1: Well into Will's last point, right, that's playoff basketball schedule.
You're going every other day like you might as well,
like if he's if he reacted well today because they
don't practice today, I don't think because's the day after
back to back. I think that's the illegal base on
the union rules. Yeah, he's gonna like why not?
Speaker 3: I mean they should, first of all, without Kawhi, they
should be able to handle San Antonio just fine. And
if they don't, I'm not gonna say they should have
played Kawhi in this game. No, then they blew it
like they shouldn't need Kawhi to beat San Antonio with
the state of their team right now and what they're
looking forward to in their future. So if he does play,
there's a real good chance he might play around twenty
minutes and do you get the same scenario. Then we
don't know exactly what his minutes restriction was last night
because that game got out of hand.
Speaker 1: They said twenty to twenty five. I think pregame and
he played right at twenty five.
Speaker 3: I was there. I didn't hear that.
Speaker 1: Oh really, I.
Speaker 3: Could be wrong. I just wonder because I thought Law
said he thinks it somewhere between thinks like twenty eight
or thirty minutes, and I thought maybe.
Speaker 1: Oh, he said twenty five to thirty.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but nobody, nobody knows, like that's you're calling.
Speaker 4: You're calling Rousseau a liar.
Speaker 3: No, I'm not. Did he say coach Lu said twenty
five to thirty?
Speaker 1: No, he said he's just he just reported that he's
on a minutes restriction. Yeah. Law said he thinks it'll
be around twenty five to thirty, and then he ended
up playing twenty four.
Speaker 3: So we don't know. If he does play against the Spurs,
Let's say he only plays twenty minutes because they blow
him out. How many minutes he can get to the
next night when they might need him for thirty five
against Houston? Is that gonna be on the table. I
don't think it would be. I don't think. I don't
think he'd go past thirty so if that's the case,
I would take an extra day's rest and worry about
rust like in the first Corps or whatever. Maybe Kawi
can figure it out if we're talking about oh no,
one day too many off, Like I'm just I don't know.
I'm not that worried about it. But maybe it just
depends on how Kawi is feeling what he says.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and well, I guess we'll also know pretty well.
I mean, injury report should come out fairly soonish, right,
that'll be out tomorrow.
Speaker 3: I just want to have him for thirty eight or
forty minutes if you need him in that game and
against Houston. If he plays the game against San Antonio,
I don't think you're getting up for the most minutes.
Speaker 1: Well, because that's what I was wondering. If the game
against San Antonio, like, even if it's like whatever, he
ends up only playing twenty three minutes because it's like
a shit show, the good the professional win shit show,
then maybe he plays against Houston. But I yeah, I
wish I wish the scheduling was flipped. I wish it
was Houston then San Antonio because then for sure he'd
be playing against the Rockets.
Speaker 3: But well, I think he'll play as long as he
came out of this back to back good. Like, there's
no reason he wouldn't play in both. If he does
play against San Antonio, it's just how many minutes can
you play against Houston then, right, because it's not gonna
go like last night's game went against the Tallas Mavericks
where he only needed to play twenty five because they
were destroying them. Yeah, Houston game, you're probably gonna need
Kawhi for big minutes. So should you play them against Antonio?
Speaker 1: Well, in San Antonio has been terrible. They have lost
six of their last seven. They're minus ninety one over
this stretch. Total. The Clippers are a league best plus
one hundred and nineteen. So it's different. The Spurs have
one hundred and twenty two defensive rating over the span
and a one oh nine offensive rating. They have you know,
things are a little wonky and was flipped. Yeah, and
they are. They are not rebounding the ball. They are
bottom ten and every single rebound percentage stet So this
is a team that has built Adam As you said
that if even if Kawai can't go, this is a
team the Clippers should absolutely light up. This should be
a win. Haggle, No haggle. Norm getting out a heater
is one of the more important things we could take
away from this Spurs game.
Speaker 3: No haggle. But then again, I want to know is
he getting on a heater next to Kawhi or a
heater without Kawhi because the issue is fitting in next
to Kawhi and Norm still being himself. Just a scaled
down version.
Speaker 1: Yeah, a more yeah, basically scaled down. Well, how do
you feel about this Spurs game? What are you hoping for?
What's because again I expect it that I think most
of us do to be a win, maybe along the
more easier side of the wins as these things go.
But it's really kind of their last easy on paper
game because you obviously have the Rockets the next day
and then you have the Kings and the Warriors to
close that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, this one has to be a professional
win and they have to continue to like just take
care of business, uh and have those good habits there.
There would be no excuse to losing to the Spurs
team with how the team has been looking right now.
Speaker 4: The Clippers, that is it.
Speaker 2: I think even close one would be I don't want
to say inexcusable, but it would, uh, it would give
me a little bit of pause.
Speaker 4: Even as hell, it'd be it to like.
Speaker 2: Have to like claw this one out. A team down,
it's like two three best rotation players, like come on.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and they've been putting together. They have. It's not
like they're a team that's down there three best rotation
guys and like, wow, they're still playing pretty hard. There's
some things that are doing well. They're not doing anything
that they're shooting thirty five percent from three. That's like
the best that I can find.
Speaker 2: And it's like not even like they have a much
to play, like to play for, you know what I mean.
It's not like they're like fighting to get into a
playing spot, like there's not Again, no team in the
NBA is necessarily easy, but like this team, they have
no reason to like really gut something out, you know
what I mean. So going there, take care of business early,
maintain the lead, like let's.
Speaker 1: You know, drive over to Houston, get minimal rest.
Speaker 2: Minimal fourth quarter minutes from Harden and Kawhi would be
great for Harden. Sorry, I'm assuming kau I'll just play
the second game that's fair.
Speaker 3: I don't know, I don't know what they're gonna I
would just if you can only play so many minutes
the second I have a BAP to back and it's
thirty or less and you're taking on Houston and you're
probably gonna need it for thirty eight. I just wouldn't
play against Antonio.
Speaker 2: Any potential playoff upon that, like why would you? Why
would you mess around with it?
Speaker 1: And it goes back to your thing too, will conference wins,
like let's let's get some Oh yeah, yes, okay, So
do we have anything else to say about the Spurs game? Really?
Before we talk more about the game that matters more,
which is a team of the Clippers have been beaten
all this year's clip?
Speaker 3: Does Kawhi want to play against them because he's a
former Spurs? They're that type of thing.
Speaker 1: Still, yeah, what if Kawhi puts up seventy against the Spurs,
but then his benched against the Rockets? How we feel
just the most unnecessary f you game ever beat the
sixty and then.
Speaker 3: I know I was traded seven years ago ago.
Speaker 1: It's still on, yeah, and I'm going to kick you
when you are quite possibly at your lowest miss missing
your best players, all right, they play the Rockets. The
Rockets are playing the Warriors tonight, so it's go Rockets.
Because we are hurtling towards a terrifying situation where there's
like a five way tie between a bunch of these teams.
Justin Russo has been sick about that on Twitter. Every
team going forty nine and thirty three or whatever it is.
Speaker 3: You'd the Clippers fair if there's a five way tie.
Speaker 1: Let me look it up. I think it helps them.
Speaker 2: Well, we still don't have tiebreakers over We only have
tie breakers over what.
Speaker 4: The Warriors and the Grizzli.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, so, yeah, the Timberwolves would still be ahead
of us. I still don't know that we could get
higher than six.
Speaker 1: I think it, Yeah, hold on him and that anyway, Yeah,
I think I think the Yeah, I think we're still
six in that scenario because like the Lakers have the conference,
they won the division, which helps the hardest division in
basketball potentially those who know no.
Speaker 5: Of course, yeah, that one year it was really good,
except for the Kings fucking it up consistently every single
year that I say that.
Speaker 1: The Pack Dave is going to be good. All right, Well,
I can't find the stat right now, but it is
funny that there might be like a five way tie
for this team. The Rockets are playing really good basketball.
We're recording this before they're playing the Warriors. They are
eight and ten, and they're eight and two in their
last ten games. Their fifth and net rating, they're only
sixteenth and true shooting percentage. But the Spurs are a
bad rebounding team. The Rockets are the best rebounding team
in the league right now. Over their last ten games.
Their first and offensive rebound percentage, their fourth and defensive
rebound percentage. Clippers haven't played this team since December.
Speaker 2: That low true shooting number, though, is doing elected bull
Steel's offensive rebounds.
Speaker 1: I'm sure very true. Clippers haven't played them since December,
so we didn't have the new bench, and the last
time we played them, I think KPJ started and a
mere coffee, so it was like it was going to
be a loss. How we field heading the one. I
feel a lot better now than Kawhi is gonna maybe
play against them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know. I got this feeling like he's
gonna play both and I don't know, but the Houston
Rockets their struggle this season was supposed to be on
the offensive end, and it was at first, but the
last fifteen games now they're second in offensive rating, so
they have an elite defense, and like the Clippers, they've
turned things around on the offensive end. Now, they didn't
get a Kawhi Leonard back, but they just kind of
matured and shng Goon and Jalen Green would play better
next to each other, and men Thompson. The second half
of the season has been awesome for them. Jabari Spit
Junior's back now, so they're scary. Like as much as
I would prefer to play them over Denver, the Lakers
like it's that it's getting closer, Like I don't. They
don't love the Houston matchup.
Speaker 4: And Denver is in a mini spiral right now.
Speaker 1: Dought of it. Yeah, I mean they're not Donovan. Their
defense is bad like they la Clippers. Film was tweeting
about this. He was like, no one on the Nuggets
is like checking James Harden.
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is not that defense.
Speaker 4: Yeah Nuggets team, This is not that Nuggets team that
it was when they won the championship, when they've been
terrifying before.
Speaker 1: It's sorry, Sue, no I think we're about to say
the same thing. Hopefully he's back by the playoffs about
Jamal Murray, so like they're I want the Nuggets more
than any other team now because like that is not
a team. Well, I think someone was tweeting out, like
how many games have they lost this year where Yoka
has put up fifty? They've lost like six games this
year where he's put up fifty points.
Speaker 3: Like average fifty. Yeah exactly, but likests, Yeah, that's the recipe.
Speaker 1: And we will learn more right about how this Clippers
team because now we got the new look bench like
Bogie Simmons but toom and Derek Jones junior. If we
have the full roster with Kawhi playing, like, we get
to see a lot better bench than we saw any
of the other three games versus Houston this season in
terms of how guys are playing currently fit in chemistry
and all that stuff. Like, it's a much different Clippers
bench that the very good Rockets bench is gonna have
to defend.
Speaker 3: Bogie. So I got one more baby, got my guys
shooting fifty from three the last twenty one games. It's
pretty incredible.
Speaker 1: He's killing it. He's been the Bogie playoff game is
gonna be awesome because there's gonna be a Bogie playoff game.
Speaker 3: I think you can flip a series. Honestly, I said
that when they got him. I'm that high on Bogie.
I think he can flip a playoff series for you.
Speaker 4: Yeah so is.
Speaker 2: Sorry, I don't mean to side check this, but uh track,
it is the more favorable matchup just playing the Grizzlies
in a playing game, taking the Rockets, and then you
would face if you get out of that series. And
again Adam As, I'm saying, the Rockets aren't getting scarier,
but then you could potentially.
Speaker 4: In the second.
Speaker 3: Round, second round.
Speaker 1: See this is some charles. This is you See I
was getting shipped for Man the other day.
Speaker 4: You're still probably taking on the Lakers.
Speaker 1: I guess right. The West is insane. I always say
this every year, but it's the second round is difficult
no matter what, Like you're not, there's not It's not
like the East, where it's like like you were saying, well,
like the heat get these paths sometimes where you're like, congrats,
now you have to play real basketball, or like when
the Blazers made it to that Western Conference finals.
Speaker 2: I mean, whoever's getting I feel like whoever is getting
the winner of the four or five matchup as currently
constructive getting neither Nuggets or Warriors.
Speaker 4: I feel like that's that's a pretty good role.
Speaker 3: So do we want the Nuggets to catch the Lakers
right now and be in the three spot?
Speaker 4: That would be ideal, hundred percent, that would be ideal.
Speaker 3: If your best option is getting Jokics in the first round,
it's like it's a Blood and Russ.
Speaker 1: Which if people have been noticing the poor beat writers
for the Nuggets, who did sell themselves out for the
Russ fans to begin this season, are now having to
deal with the fact that if you say anything remotely
bad or Nuggets honest about Russell Westbrook's performance, you are
thrown under the bus. So first of all, this is
what you get. You're selling what you reaped or whatever.
Speaker 4: And yeah, anyway, I.
Speaker 2: Mean, if I have, if I have the choice between
two difficult teams to face in the playoffs, I am
ten at a time, ten times picking the one that
also has Russell Westbrook as a significant contributor in the rotation.
Like I mean, come on, like look at the track.
Speaker 1: Record and look how it's been trending the last week
and a half or whatever, like.
Speaker 2: There's an entire body of work there and it just
is pretty favorable two opponents.
Speaker 3: I think he's been out of the first round two
times without or once without Kevin Durant, and that was
in the bubble next to James Harden with the Rockets when.
Speaker 1: They made that great edit of him, even though he
wasn't yelling at the small children the bubble edit.
Speaker 3: I don't, Yeah, I still worry there's going to be
a Ross game where he nukes you somehow from three,
like it sure feels like that's coming.
Speaker 4: Don't care.
Speaker 1: But there's three other games in the series that he
has to play min of them.
Speaker 3: I wonder if Mike bolone at some point given what
has occurred at the end of the season, because I
don't think coach lou got nearly enough love for how
often he wouldn't play Russ late and fourth quarters over
the last two years.
Speaker 1: I also think it seems pretty difficult to communicate to
Russ that he will not be playing significant minutes. Based
on some of the things that.
Speaker 2: You mean, it seems like you essentially have to completely
him out of the lineup if you intend to not
close with him.
Speaker 1: It's Nuggets.
Speaker 3: Do you want Nuggets more than Rockets? Well as of.
Speaker 2: Be the best player in the series. That's you think, like,
do you think that? Do you think I'm not against
the Nuggets?
Speaker 3: But yes, I think Yoka is just the one guy
where you can definitely, I mean based upon track record.
He's a three time regular season MVP, a more recent
finals MVP. They won in the bubble against Kawhi. I
think you have to at least give the nod to
Yokis going into the series. I'm not saying Kawhi can't,
but I think, oh for sure.
Speaker 1: Number one, who's two, three four? Why James New.
Speaker 3: It might tell me is Jamal Murray playing like I playoff?
Jamal Murray is also very different against LA teams.
Speaker 4: Yeah, very scary.
Speaker 1: But if he's not going to be one hundred percent,
it doesn't sound like they'll even be one hundred percent
because and again this is off the one quote, maybe
he'll be Hopefully he's back for the playoffs. So it's like, damn, like,
what's that first round going to look like?
Speaker 3: So the Nuggets have this is who they have left
on their schedule. If you're rooting for dem to move
up into the three spot, and in case the Clippers
get the sixth spot. They're playing the Pacers tonight at home.
They're currently up by nine first half. They're in Sacramento,
then they host the Memphis Grizzlies, and then the final
game of the season, they're in Houston against the Rockets.
The Rockets, there's a chance they might not have anything
to play for, yeah, whause they might be locked in
with the two seed.
Speaker 1: Just rest everybody.
Speaker 6: Yeah, that might mean the Clippers beat them for them
not to have anything to play for, and the Warriors
beat them tonight.
Speaker 2: I mean, the Rockets are mighty close to being done.
They got I think three games up on the Lakers.
Speaker 3: And they have one game left against them. That's the
other part of it. And I think whoever wins that
game would have the tiebreaker between the Lakers and Rockets.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the Lakers second to last game is Rockets. I
think the Lakers play the Trailblazers the last day year.
Where's that at Portland? I don't hate that the Motive
Center rocking, rocking in twelve thirty.
Speaker 3: She's up in Portland.
Speaker 1: All right, Back to this Rockets game, I guess this
is back to both games. Who was our player of
the back to backs? Pick? Which way? Who did we
all pick for the last game? I picked but Tom
he did Okay. I think all of our picks did
pretty good because no one played poorly against the Mass
except for Norm. But we can't pick him.
Speaker 3: I had Bogie, he was pretty hot Friday night. Didn't
didn't take me Shaw's yesterday?
Speaker 1: Well, who'd you pick?
Speaker 3: Pretty sweet reverse duncle off the lu.
Speaker 1: Yeah, nasty and took a crazy was that Norm or Derek?
Both of them took crazy knocks?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yesterday that normal one dude when he got knead and
the knee and they showed the replay. Holy fuck. Anyway,
forget all of that. So we were we were three
for three on the picks. Well done, fellas. Who's your
pick for a player on the back to back?
Speaker 3: I will go with give me Nico this time. I'll
take Nico.
Speaker 1: But okay, I like that.
Speaker 3: Never go wrong with Nico. He's almost always a plus.
Speaker 1: Very difficult. Yeah, well, you're player of the back to
back pick, I'll.
Speaker 4: Go for Adams guy. I'll go for Bogey.
Speaker 3: Oh dare you? I was gonna take him before this.
Speaker 1: It'll be fun to watch him had first choice, it'll
be fun to watch him against Houston and what Tyler
you can do with a more versatile bench. Now, I'm
going Ben Simmons for basically the exact same reason, because
I want to see how he is used. Kind of
I feel like we're all kind of putting the Spurs
game has a Watch Ben Simmons against a team with
as much athleticism and length on the and aggressiveness as
the Rockets is interesting to me because we're gonna see
the defense the Rockets play is very good, and that's
very close to what we're gonna see in terms of
playoff intensity defense, Like in terms of some of the
best we're gonna see before the end of the season
is gonna be that Rockets team.
Speaker 3: Also, to be honest, Ben has not been as good
recently as.
Speaker 1: Right, so it's like, can can he get back into
some better form? I thought about wraps up unless anyone
has anything else to say about the final back to
back of the Clippers twenty four to twenty five season.
Speaker 3: Go Rockets, tonight, Go Nuggets.
Speaker 1: There we go perfect all right, We're going to have
a full episode out on Thursday. We're all gonna be
at the game on Wednesday, so that's gonna be fun.
If you see just come say what's up? Will? Where
can these people now that the weakest started, they have
to go back to work tomorrow. Where can they tell
their coworkers that they must listen to us? What answer?
What they did this weekend? Where could they do that?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you can tell your coworkers to listen to us
wherever they get their podcast if they happen to listen
over on Apple Podcasts, Spotify with a little rating and review.
It always helps us out. But your coworkers who are
really in the now should be checking us out over
on YouTube dot com slash at Clippers podcast. Subscribe over there,
hit the little bells. You can get notified when we
come out with new stuff. You can comment on every video.
Speaker 4: Yeah it's a good.
Speaker 2: Time, so come through on that. But however you listen
to watch this show, you know we appreciate you.
Speaker 1: We absolutely do. Always wonderful getting the full crew together,
Adam before we send these wonderful folks out for a
quasi stressful week of basketball. One positive thing for Clippers fans.
Speaker 3: Yeah I got something go whi doesn't watch ESPN. Hey okay, yeah,
the goat the coat that's a watch and has no
idea what sau Zubas was doing with that press tour.
Speaker 1: That was so funny. Yeah, he's like, I had no idea.
He was on cool man.
Speaker 3: I know he's a basketball player and he's good, and
he was like trying to put together I don't know
what the topics were. I don't locked.
Speaker 4: In, dude, he's too locked in to be watching TV.
Speaker 3: I love Kawhi so much.
Speaker 1: You're texting them that right now? All right, we will
see y'all later. Here's to a good week, and as always,
let's go close.