Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans, Welcome to season three,
episode thirty seven of Clips and Dip. I am Chuck Mockler,
joined by Adam Os and Will Updike has incredibly slow
internet and rule Montana, so he is not joining us,
but he does send us love from Montana. Adam looks
like he's in rural Montana right now. We are Clips
in Dip. Thank you for listening to us. Thank you
for subscribing to everyone who was on the live stream
after the game on Thursday when my power went out.
Thanks for hanging out until he's going you three episode
we are gonna talk joined credible. He is in that
Send us love. How the heck are you doing? From Montana?
Adam looks like people are bopping around town. We are Clips.
Thank you for listening.
Speaker 2: I have better Internet in my car. Everyone who was all.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
Speaker 2: O Clippers Beanie the Light Blue Clips Podcast.
Speaker 1: We're going to talk the Clippers splitting in the Sallas.
Speaker 2: I love. Probably going to be pretty.
Speaker 1: Game before we get into that. I think that that
looks good. I will say people are like they have
hasn't that in that color? The light blue?
Speaker 2: I mean, I have better Internet in my car than
Will does in Montana. That's pretty crazy. Alright, clips, just.
Speaker 1: Let's get right in.
Speaker 2: The Clippers split in Dallas. They look the City Edition
stuff this season.
Speaker 1: Not the same I will, I think that is good.
I will. They played the maths. There was no Kyrie
like they have the good to go in that color
the light the world six or looks like something that's
uh torching them offensively, which was good to see. The
trailer parks. How do we feel? That's all I'm getting.
There was some concerning things I may want to I
feel I'm just not. I think we all were happy
with the split. Right, let's get right into it. The
Clippers split in Dallas.
Speaker 2: They went on Thursday, Yes, but we also didn't know
at that time, and Minco was going to play. He
didn't play out of the game, missed one of the games.
And when we contextualize it and Kyri goes six for
twenty five like that in game two, that's a winnable game.
That's just a game where you could have gotten greedy
and one.
Speaker 1: Feel about this split. Want to bring up the.
Speaker 2: Point in that respect, I think we were happy with this.
They at least are not going to get swept on
this round trip no matter what happens against Memphis on Monday. Yes,
and there didn't play either game right now, missed one
of the games. Yeah, I want you contextualize it. Kyrie
goes six or twenty five like that in game two,
that's a winnable as that, that's just a game.
Speaker 1: Where in game one.
Speaker 2: So I'm a little bit disrepported to support in that respect.
Speaker 1: From law Murray, the Clippers are thirteen at least.
Speaker 2: Actually get stepped on this road trip no matter what
happens against Monday. Are you concerned there? I was like
the last games in the team right now and James Harden.
Speaker 1: Over the world. Yeah, so I wanted to bring that.
I didn't know whether to be. I havented to. But
they're not as big.
Speaker 2: As he just had eight days off on So in
game two that's what about like from three held up.
Speaker 1: Normal? The Clippers are third, I mean better than thirty
different three and three and ten when they don't like
are you concerned about the had his last four.
Speaker 2: Games, if anything over.
Speaker 1: The last it would be which is not good to me?
Speaker 2: Okay, I am concerned. I don't know he was doing better.
He just had eight days off four, he didn't play
for eight straight days, missed one game, the game against
the Houston Rockets during that time.
Speaker 1: Because these are crazy schedule he's not getting.
Speaker 2: But I know coach Lou talked about him rocking slower
last night. But I'm just saying, like, I don't know.
He just had six and a half turnover over the
game Latour, where only one of them I think he had.
I were learns that that's ru I don't know, nine
turnover better than over and over then turnovers last night.
He didn't play for the straight days, you only missed
one sister game against Rockets during that It's not like
he's had crazy assists to seven turn that I know
coach talked about him look slast night and worries, but
and I don't know. You're right, Maybe it is six
and a half turnovers fiftee a guy that one game
off where which would be even more alarming, guess because
that time off and also that's nine turnovers, six turnovers
haven turnovers. It's not like he's piling up of a
sister And this looks like it's gonna be a tough
game against not for him to assist to set so
we're gonna find something out off, So I don't know.
Maybe I think bigger issue is they still secondary ball handled,
which would be even more along I guess because Star
break and now there isn't a real guy that's an
rhythm tim. It looks like it's gonna be a tough
game against the Memphis defense for him because they have
plenty of guys they can throw on them. So we're
gonna find something out tomorrow, and then they have another
three days off, So I don't know. I think the
bigger issue is they still don't have a more liable
secondary ball handler. And we've talked about KPg a little bit,
but there isn't a real guy that's an obvious choice
to take more of the burden off of James Harden
that you can depend on right now for the Slippers team.
Speaker 1: Not only that you can kind of depend on, excuse me,
from a ball handling perspective, from a shooting perspective, right Like,
if it's Norm initiating the offense, obviously you have to
respect the shooting. If Chris Dunn or KPJ are initiating
the offense, no team's defense has to respect either of
those guys. Outside shooting right now, which makes it, you know,
even harder for them to initiate the offense because of that.
Do we just I mean, until Kawhi comes back, which
hopefully is in five days, we kind of just have
to live with the hardened not growing pains, aches and pains,
I guess, just as we go on trying to get
his body a little more right, I don't know, Yeah, Yeah,
it just doesn't feel they're getting less and less these
types of games, right, these high turnover games, they're getting
less and less easier to shove aside and not worry about.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the further you get into the season, the more
evidence you get at these aren't you know, a fluke.
This is likely what we've been talking about all season long,
from the beginning. A guy who is asked to do
far too much. His workload is taxing and it's not
going to improve. I don't think until Kawhi comes back
and can be on the floor consistently for this team. Now,
his outside shooting has gotten better. He's been well over
forty percent over the last ten to fifteen games or so,
so his three pointers have been falling more regularly, but
the turnovers can be a sign of fatigue. It can
be mental lapses, it can be just miscues out there
for a team that has to be so fine with
it with making you know, passes that get the defense
off balance that they're trying to thread the needle a
little bit too much and they're turning into turnovers. But
it's mostly just James right now having the excess of
turnovers now he has the ball in his hand.
Speaker 1: Is the system?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so it makes sense. But they they've been of
the lasa daisical variety the last few games. Now. I
haven't enjoyed watching that.
Speaker 1: I agree, Well said that's kind of what gets me
with the Is it just tiredness, Like that's you know,
the the lacks of daisical turnovers, Like are you just
kind of like having a brain fart there or something?
But I mean, maybe they make a move, Maybe they
make a move with the trade deadline for someone else
who can back up. But I don't know if that's
in the cards because the we're kind of strapped salary wise.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you wonder if they can wait that long. The
calling Sexton rumors are out there and Kevin Porter Junior,
it's still up and down. It's still a it hasn't
gotten you know, more steady or more balanced with him.
It feels like you don't know what you're going to
get from game to game, quarter to quarter, possession to possession.
I understand why they're doing it. They don't really have
many better options going on, and Bones Highland's clearly not
going to get much run, so that's the guy they
kind of have to roll with as the backup playmaker.
But I think that's the biggest deficiency on this team
right now. It's not a power forward thing. It is
not having a secondary ball handler, a more traditional playmaker
type that can just ease the burden with James Harden.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and we kind of we pinpointed that coming into
the season. It was a gamble to have KPJ as
the backup. Everyone kind of knew, no matter how much
you love KPJ, that it was going to be, you know,
bringing a guy in who hadn't played at that level
in a while. That's difficult to be your back your
true backup point guard. There. He did have nineteen points,
which hey prevented the last game for being a blowout,
but we'll get into that later.
Speaker 2: I don't know if it did honestly, he was a
minus sixteen in his minutes. I did not feel like
those nineteen points were impactful. I don't like going off
one game plus minus numbers, but that was one I
was watching very closely, and it didn't feel like a
lot of those buckets led to Clippers runs where the
Clippers actually gaining much of an advantage. I'm not trying
to be overly harsh, but I was talking about this
earlier on Clippers Talk. He's a minus thirty one on
the season in over five hundred minutes. They're not winning
his minutes very often. If you're chasing him hopefully improving
as the season goes long. I get it because he's talented,
but yeah, he hasn't turned much of a corner yet
either with his play. It's still erratic. It's still up
and down.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it felt like he had a couple. He had
at least one foul that kind of helped spark a
MAVs little mini run in that second game where you
see him kind of you know, I don't.
Speaker 2: Know, it's he had four turnovers too.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So it's just one of those things where he's
a below average backup point guard, and that's where we're
at right now. The defense is better than Bones. We
need it. Sometimes he grabs, he crashes the boards. Well,
but your backup point shooting twenty six percent from three.
I'm not saying it's the end all be all of
his game, but it's it's not ideal.
Speaker 2: I think it's fair to say at this point that
if Bones Hyland had gotten just as many minutes and
just as much of a leash as Kevin Porter Junior
so far this season, if he got the KPJ role,
things wouldn't be any worse, Like, yeah, right, yeah.
Speaker 1: We'd still be it. We'd still be it. Concerned for
the backup point guard position.
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe, but maybe Bones actually could be a little
bit better, Like maybe the floor is exactly the same
as what it's been with KPJ, and maybe Bones, with
this big of an opportunity like KPJ has gotten, would
have actually been a little bit better.
Speaker 1: It is interesting, and there are some people who you know,
they're they're they champion the things that KPJ does other
than scoring, which hey he had I said this on
the live stream before the LADWP cut my stream off
because they're Lakers fans.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: He had a great contest at the rim In the
first MAVs game, Bomba, Batoom and KPJ. All three had
really good contests right at the rim to break up
easy baskets for the mass, which I liked. But but
but the shooting's just difficult. I want to ask you
how your I feel like we're on a bit of
a Norman Powell roller coaster right now when it comes
to outside shooting. And I don't know if it's just
him getting back into the rhythm of things. But his
last five games from three point here are Norm Powell's percentages,
and I loved everything that Norm has done. There's I
think the Clipper should keep Norm for all the people
who are like pitching that we should trade Norm for
some big swing. Here's his last five games three point
percentage wise twelve percent, thirty percent, seventy one percent, fifty percent,
twenty seven percent. We're kind of getting into this men
We're in the middle of this kind of men max
mode with Norm Powell, which makes things difficult for the Clippers.
Just consistency of results wise.
Speaker 2: I just I don't put a lot into shot numbers
like that when it's on so little volume. Like, for instance,
you look at a game where he goes three of
ten from three, man he went thirty percent from three.
We need one more and he's at forty p Like,
I don't put a lot into those numbers. I don't
think it's that meaningful, to be honest. That's that's kind
of how I look at it, because overall, what his
last seven games, he's forty four percent from three. Like
the numbers even out, they average out right, and they
often look bumpy when you look at individual game longs
when it comes to three point shooting, because you're typically
only taking ten shots at most or somewhere around there,
and some games is going to be less than that,
So making one shot or missing one shot can swing
something ten fifteen percent.
Speaker 1: Sometimes that's fair. You look at the teams that's been against.
You had the great game against the Abs, he was
four for eight, which is awesome. Second game against some Abs,
not super solid Nuggets and Rockets, just teams that are
in that echelon of very good playoff teams. I hope
it evens out. There's nothing to do about it other
than just hope it evens out, because who else is
going to be taking and who else do we want
to be taking? These three. During this time right now,
I thought Zoo had had two good games in Dallas.
The refs were letting a lot of shit go. In
game two, he had his wrist wrapped. He mentioned the
physicality of the MAVs. Were the Clippers just too tired
on Saturday or like it just didn't seem like they were.
The MAVs were incredibly physical, I guess, and maybe the
Clippers were worried about the rest or something, but I
think it was pretty apparent that second game.
Speaker 2: The MAVs did outwork them in that second game, yeah,
which we don't see happen very often, So maybe that
puts I don't know. It amplifies the loss a little
bit because the Clippers got beat at their own game,
and that doesn't feel great. But I do think some
of this has to be a tip of the cap
or beanie to the Dallas Mavericks with how well they
played defensively, good team and how they adjusted to a visa.
Zuboss playing so good on the third night, and he
was seeing more doubles and there's more attentionion going his way,
which led to I didn't check the sport VU camera data,
but it felt like the Clippers did well. They were
missing a lot of threes. I want to say a
lot of them were pretty good shots and wide open,
and they were creating them off the fact that the
MAVs attention and detail when it came to viaz Zubas
opened things up. The problem was the Clippers didn't make
them pay for it because they just kept missing. They
were under thirty percent heading into the fourth quarter, where
they ended up going I think four six from three,
so it kind of skewed the numbers a little bit
by the end of the game, but they were miserable
from the outside overall. And if just more of those
shots go down and it's just you know, that was
eight minutes at the end of the second quarter, so
the majority of the second quarter they scored just eight
points and they missed a ton of shots. They get
down by fourteen at the half, Like that's kind of
the game right there. You don't get down by fourteen there,
you just hit a couple more shots and you're down
by five or six of the half. It's a different game.
But some of the same stuff that's been bugging me
with the beats of Zoo Busnack getting in the basketball
definitely existed in that game last night because when he
comes out and has that seven to zero run by
himself or seven straight points for the Clippers and the third.
Speaker 1: Grabbing boards, that was such a cool sequence to watch.
He was just like, I need, I'm gonna be in
the right place and I'm gonna make things happen. It
was it was yeah, it was awesome to uh. I
was listening to it. It was awesome.
Speaker 2: Here Carlo call that run because he had a self
created and two of them were on putbacks off of
missus probably from three, and then one was off a
nice pass from Norman pal a feet underneath where he
throws it down. It's like they call a time out.
They get back out there and there's a play in
the next possession or two. After Norm hits some free
throws where Zoo is running the floor hard straight to
the rim and instead of going to him, he beat
his man down the floor. They settle for a far
side corner three from Dereck Jones Junior, who misses as
everybody was missing. It's like you have to reward him.
That is the perfect situation to reward your big man,
because I think he had just gotten the rebound that
led to that transition break. He was being the more
physical player, or at least matching the physicality of the
Dallas Mavericks and doing the little things and scrapping out there,
and that guy is not the one who ends up
touching the basketball on the other end. That type of
stuff does bother.
Speaker 1: Me, especially in a scenario where you need the points, right,
like it take the two, we're not shooting, well, let's
take the two. Let's Yeah, maybe it's some overthinking, but yeah,
just and again, I want to also point out the
refs were letting, as they do against the MAVs and Zubots.
He's swatting gnats down there, like he's getting destroyed. It's
like he's getting hit a bunch. He didn't pop up
on the injury report, which is great because he had
that wrist taped after the game, so he's not on
the injury report. But just kind of annoying you mentioned
Derek Jones Junior. Felt really good to see him back
out there. Game one of this series, of this mini
series is exactly why the Clippers got Derek Jones Junior
Game two. Just you know, maybe he's just getting back
into it a little bit, but I was incredibly happy
to see Derek Jones Junior back out for the Clips.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was awesome, obviously. In Game one, he hit
the kill shot at the end and blew a kiss
to the crowd afterwards. He had a great sequence. He
had five straight points for the Clippers at the end
of the first half in Game one. He made the
most of his twenty minutes for sure. Yeah, there was
a little something extra there for the Dallas Mavericks who
let him go, and you could tell he got up
for that game, and I'm sure there was some added
motivation to come back because they were going to be
in Dallas and he wanted to show up. And I
love that about him, Like just like Chris Dunn, just
like a lot of guys on this team who have
felt slided in some way, shape or form by an
NBA team or just the NBA in general giving up
on them, And the case of Chris Dunn, I guess
they have a lot to prove and Derek Jones Junior
has outperformed his contract all season long and they need
what he provides, and he did it in Game one.
He was really good.
Speaker 1: I remember the contract came out, people were like, Oh,
it seems like the Clippers had to do a slight overpay,
and I'm like, not really not with the cap going up, Like,
it's not like he's making an absurd amount of money.
He's a starting level guy who's doing everything the Clippers
wanted for like what eleven MILLI year.
Speaker 2: The one thing I was worried about is if they
bought high because of his three point shooting in the
playoffs last year on like sixty shots, right, and he
had never shot I think better than thirty four percent
or something like that in the regular season, and I
was worried coming into this year. For this to really
be a slam duck of a contract, he's got to
continue to get better from three and so far, so
good in that area.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been it's been awesome. Hope he kind of,
you know, just hits more of a stride against the Grizzlies.
Final point before we get into this Clippers Grizzlies preview,
we saw the duality of what this Clippers bench can
giveth and taketh away in Dallas, which is something that
we've kind of been I don't know if harping on
harping on feels too strong. We've been trying to make
people aware of these last couple of games. We talked
about it against the Nuggets, how we were a little
worried about the bench, but we saw like a mirror
was phenomenal. In Game one, it was perfect and mere
coffee basketball wasn't there. In Game two. It took KPJ
having in you know, Uh, the bench was horrible in
Game two, Like everyone other than KPJ couldn't score. It
was just a nightmare. We I cannot stress how much
I'm looking forward to the Clippers having a full roster
to play with. When you add Terrence Man into that bench,
it makes it just knocks everyone down one. Then you
add Kawhi knocks everyone down again, makes the roster look
so much more. I don't know if completes the right word,
but manageable for Tylou, so we don't have to run
out some of these lineups where it's just a pure
gamble if you're gonna treadwater or just sink completely.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it'll definitely solidify things for the Clippers
once they get healthy. Hopefully that happens. There's been so
many teams making up so far this season, like it's crazy.
Even with the Clippers not having Kawhi all season long,
I'm like they've kind of been fortunate with injuries so far,
even though they've had Terrence miss seven games. DJ's been
out some Terrence's Terrence has been out. Of course, I
still feel like, you know, it could be worse. I
guess that's maybe what we typically deal with, worse the pals, right,
like or the Magic Like It's yeah, yeah, the Magic
just lose Mo Wagner Now, it's like crazy. So I
do think that's going to give a nice bump to
the bench unit, make them look like a much more
complete roster out there where people aren't, you know, after
losses screaming that we need to make this move or
that move. We aren't deep enough, or we need to
fill this part of the roster. Somebody needs this trait.
It's like, well, they're missing key guys right now that
help them in those areas. So yeah, I can't wait
get healthy guys.
Speaker 1: I know, I have like no analysis for the bench
other than like, I guess they need to make their
shots more consistently. It spread out through the guys like
Bomba was I so Bomba was great in his second
stint of Game one, when he played that third to
fourth quarter, that was like he was physical every other
shift outside of that, it was just like okay, yeah, no,
this terrifies me for meaningful basketball minutes. This is not
that's just too there's just no consistency.
Speaker 2: It's it's what we heard about all summer. Well, we've
known about Mobamba. It's the lack of motor when he
has it and when he doesn't. He had it the
second stint in that game. He didn't the first stint.
I thought he was poor in Game two. Overall, the
level of activity is just not where it needs to
be from an energy aspect. And that's all you have
to do. Be a rim protector, be a rim runner.
That's all you're asking from a backup center typically in
today's NBA. And if he hits threes, great, but he
hasn't so far as a member of the Clippers. He's
been missing. Was he at a blow thirty percent?
Speaker 1: He's well blow, he's at twenty three percent, and it
seems like some of the threes he's in the corner.
So it's like, so this is something that they're either
telling him to do or he's just doing where they're fined,
Like every single look he gets from the corners open obviously,
because why would the defense commit a guy to standing there.
So it's like that's another thing that makes the bench
all wonky, where it's you have this weird stretch five
who is bad at shooting? Like I was critical of
daniel Tysons shooting. Daniel Tye made a lot more threes
than Obama did and like always had the motor right, Like.
Speaker 2: I guess based off track record, he's due to start hitting.
I mean, he's taken almost eight hundred and three es
I think in the NBA. Yeah, and he's been a
thirty six point shooter last year. Yeah, he he should
be better than this. So maybe they're just betting on
the odds that it turned around. So keep shooting them
is the only way to get out of this funk,
and that would help the team out. But regardless, that
has nothing to do with his defensive activity out there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Like it's it feels pretty pick and choose for
him right now, which again is something that you know
you brought up. We've heard about, so I don't know.
All in all, they get the split in Dallas at
this point with who the Clippers have out, I don't
care who we play. I said it in the postgame stream.
I'm like, it always feels good to be Dallas splitting
expected am I worried? Sure, but we need the wins
right now. Everything's so tight in the Western Conference.
Speaker 2: I just think regardless of who comes back, there's a
legitimate void right now. To me, when it comes to
just having a more traditional backup point card doesn't have
to be traditional. Anybody who's comfortable with creating for others
and getting their own.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would add center to that too, if I'm
being honest.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess I just worry less because.
Speaker 1: We can do Nico with the five or.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like they're going to go small. They'll have Kawhi
at the five at times. And even when the center
is you know bad sometimes like it's still doesn't affect
the game as much. There's still a big body out there.
Speaker 1: Right But if the guy to.
Speaker 2: Spell James Harden is a bigger long term thing to me, because,
as you mentioned, if he looks tired now and he
just had eight days off, what's going on? They could
use somebody, and I like Collin sexon a lot. If
they could figure out a way to nab him from Utah,
that'd be great.
Speaker 1: What's the uh, I'm sure someone will send us this
the salary. What's he making?
Speaker 2: He's like eighteen million and then nineteen next year. It's
similar to Norms contract kind of. And he's really efficient.
Speaker 1: I love no Colin and he it fits what the
Clippers are doing right now. He's a guy who Van
Gundy with Colin Sexon and Chris Dunn. Are you shitting me? Like,
come on now? That would be Yeah, he's an eighteen
to three in the nineteen next year and then he's unrestricted.
Speaker 2: Hmmm, if you could get him for PJ.
Speaker 1: Tucker Bones, we don't have anything.
Speaker 2: I don't know sure, I mean yeah, would they have
to include, man.
Speaker 1: They have to include something. I think, some kind of player.
Speaker 2: Value, not just a second, not.
Speaker 1: Just a second, and not just bones who.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because many others probably offer more. Right, he's good,
Like his only problem is he's undersized.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I was texting my buddy Bob Smith, who's a big
Cavaliers fan, and obviously he was there before being in
that big trade with Utah, and I was like, how
how bad of a defender is he? And I was
like He basically said, he's a tryhard guy. He's just limited, right.
Speaker 1: He tries incredibly hard on He's like any undersized point
guard in the NBA who gets real time, which is
he tries his ass off on defense.
Speaker 2: Like I'm good with that. You know, it doesn't sound
like he doesn't have a reputation of being matchup hunted
all the time. I do think that's problematic if you
had him in the starting lineup right, And that's been
the issue and why teams haven't fully committed to him.
Even though he's a really efficient scorer. He can be
picked on if he's going up against the other team's ones,
but going up against other team second units, I think
Colin Sexon's perfect there.
Speaker 1: Chris Dunn and Colin Sexon would be a nightmare for
other team second units and first units in some situations
with the other rest of the lineup around him. Colin Sexon,
Chris Done, Kawhi Leonard like that's a difficult one, two
three to get through, and he.
Speaker 2: Gives them a speed element. You know that they're trying
to do more of this year, but do they have
the bodies. They're more athletic they are, but he could
really like.
Speaker 1: Two guys were more athletic. Yeah, because of Derek Jones Jr.
And like that's about it.
Speaker 2: He could give him a jolt in that area.
Speaker 1: Yeah, something to keep an eye on. We will have
any news about Colin Sexton's scuttle butt or rumors here
on Clips and Dip. Come on up, we're gonna be
talking Grizzlies versus Clippers, which worried about this one. If
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Speaker 2: Welcome back in US Clips and Dip. I'm medamazin. We
got Chuck Mockler here. No, we'll Updyke unfortunately, but the
Big three will be we'll ride again.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we'll be back.
Speaker 2: Don't worry about that. As the holidays. Things are tough
right now, but thanks for tough for the Clippers going
to Memphis to try to bounce back, because the Grizzlies,
regardless if they have JA or not, are a tough
team to play against. They are the only team in
the NBA that's top five in both offensive rating and
defensive rating. Damn, they have been that good. They're twelve
to three in their last fifteen games. That's tied for
the best record in the NBA, next to OKC, Dallas
and Boston over that span.
Speaker 1: So good.
Speaker 2: I don't know how the Lakers beat him the other night,
but anyways, they're starting to play a little bit better,
I guess themselves. This Memphis team is serious.
Speaker 1: They're very good. Jaw will be available for the game
against the Clippers, per lot Murray Marcus Smart is out.
Not only are they top five and O rating and
D rating, Adam, they are top five in field goal attempts,
which worries me when you think about the Clippers team
and how we can get beating that sometimes. They are
second field goal attempts, first in defensive rebounds per game,
second in total rebounds per game, second and assists per game,
third in blocks per game, third and opponent field goal percentage,
second in opponent three point percentage, and fourth in their
own personal field goal percentage. Some stats that are lining
up to make me worried about this matchup. I would
say they do, however, turn the ball over slightly more
than the Clippers do. This is two bottom three teams
and turnovers. So I hope that we don't turn the
ball over as much as we usually do against this team.
We might get I'm worried about this matchup.
Speaker 2: Well, I will say this, A lot of the stats
with them are influenced by the fact that they play
at the fastest pace, so they have more possessions. So
totally they'll turn the ball over because there's more opportunities
to same with field goal attempts, defensive rebounds and stuff.
But it's not a great yeah, and the Clippers are
twenty third in pace, so it's definitely contrasting styles. And
if Memphis gets you playing their way, that's probably how
the Clippers end up having more turnovers than them. They
try to play too fast for their own liking.
Speaker 1: That's a good call. That's a thing that we've noticed.
You know what's funny. I feel like that happened against
the Blazers when we lost. We were kind of playing
to that that way earlier in the season, I know,
but just that getting caught up and then let's keep
up with these guys you can do. You know, you
feel it in the beginning of the game, You're you're
kind of going shot for shot and then things start
to go awry and you're kind of locked into that
that pace. Yeah, that that's why I kind of, you know,
I wanted to highlight the field goal attempts thing because
that is a weird That's just a stat for me
that I kind of I try and keep track up
because that's pretty indicative of like half things are going.
If the Clippers are trying to match a team that
has a bunch of field goals, it's it's just a
crapshoot because it's not the Clippers offensive system to have
that happen. So you're kind of just hoping for the
best with that.
Speaker 2: And they're a good offensive rebounding team, which helps that
staff in him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they are helping their offensive rebounds. Jaron Jackson Junior
is having an incredible season, and I was worried about
this matchup if John Morant was out, but now he
is available. This is I mean, they're what second in
the West. This is a nice time for Zoo to
continue to cement how good of a season he's been having,
depending what we see matchup wise, because maybe we start
the Toomb and we have him on Zoo and or
we have him on Jaron Jackson Junior and Zoo kind
of plays that weird free safety role. But I would this,
I'm worried about this matchup. Uh, just because he's been
playing so well.
Speaker 2: Who is your starting lineup? Then if they start a
Tomb in this game, who do you got?
Speaker 1: I mean, I would go Harden Norm. Oh that's tough.
It's tough with jaw Harden. I mean yeah, hardened Norm.
But toom Derek Jones Zu, Yeah, because then you can
we have a little more flexibility. But it's tough because
that the backcourt is.
Speaker 2: Troubles because they've also been starting Zach Edy. Right, So
when they when they beat Golden State one forty four
to ninety three, their starting lineup with Desmond Vane, jab Oran,
Zach Edy, Jalen Wells, and Jaron Jackson Jr. There's a
big front line. So he started to yeah, they only
have to start Nico.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Like it feels like so they got the good
back court and then they have a gigantic front court.
And I don't like where the Clippers are sitting matchup
wise in between those two things. I get, Yeah, there's
a crunch. When there's a crunch with the starting lineup,
that's when things don't feel good for this Clippers team
because the bench, we don't know what we're gonna get
from the bench. They're the number one The Grizzlies are
the number one bench scoring team. I think that's maybe
skewed how they're taking that stat because they've done so
much shuffling of the starting lineup, But they're the number
one bench scoring team, and I just if the bench
isn't getting stops. Yeah, I don't know. There's a giant
game for Zoo and Derek Jones Junior.
Speaker 2: I worry. I mean, in the starting lineup, it's probably
gonna be Zoo on Edie and Batoom on Derrick Jones
or on a triple J.
Speaker 1: Do you start done?
Speaker 2: Starting to do?
Speaker 1: What do you start done? Instead of enormous to do
what you are? We just we've sailed past that variable being.
Speaker 2: Changed man, this is tough because you want to cut
off the head of the snake. But actually Jared Jackson
Junior is averaging more points than John Morant this season, right,
But Morant does create a lot of havoc. And if
you don't start Chris Dunn, I just don't.
Speaker 1: Know, it's not a good idea. I don't know if
it's a good idea. It's just a question that popped
up in my head.
Speaker 2: It's like, if you don't start Chris Dunn, then John
Morant gets it going. If you don't start but Toomb,
then Jared Jackson Jr. And E are going up against
who's Zoo and Derek Jones Jr.
Speaker 1: I may, but he's smaller than Kauhi is.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I maybe they would try him on Jaron Jackson
Junior because he does take five threes per game and
they think they can get away with it that he
won't try to punish him too much in the post.
But like Zoo's gonna have to be on eve you start,
so he can't play triple J. So do you either
have DJ or but Toom on Jaron Jackson Junior. And
if you have DJ or if you have the tomb
out there then Chris Dunn is going to be coming
off the bench, and therefore, uh, who's guarding Sam Moran.
Speaker 1: Norm James because Desmond Baine is also Like That's what's
annoying is Desmond Baine is a perfect complimentary to job
this Clippers team. There's another matchup nightmare for the Clippers,
like the Houston We can put the Grizzlies in the
Houston Rockets category of shitty matchups personnel wise.
Speaker 2: And they're like this against most teams, obviously their second West.
For the reason, Yes, I think I'm not gonna I
think I'm gonna have the tomb coming off the bench
still to keep Chris Dunne in. The more I think
about it, I'm gonna see if I can get away
with Derek Jones Junior on Triple J. So we're starting
three guards, yeah, but one of them is I mean
it's the same starting lineup they've been going with basically. Yeah,
And Chris Dunn just came off a game where there's
a reason Kyrie Irving went six for twenty five. Agreed,
he played unbelievable defense. I think I have to have
him out there against John Morant because even though he's
not leading them and scoring by like a fraction of
a point.
Speaker 1: Basically tied, right, they're both at like twenty one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so close. It's still stems from Jock creating
mismatches often and bending the defense. So I think I'm
still gonna have to have Chris Dunn out there, which
means out do they They could go but too instead
of Derek Jones Jr.
Speaker 1: I think they starting all year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe they say, well, DJ's coming back from a
hamstring injury and that's our excuse for starting to zoom
over him. I don't know.
Speaker 1: I think the done thing. You're right though. Done guarded
Kyrie for nine minutes again per the incredibly wonky NBA
stats matchup data, he went two for eight against Dunn.
He's a great performance. That's a lot of time.
Speaker 2: That is a big number.
Speaker 1: That's yeah, like.
Speaker 2: That's just just when he was isoed against him. Basically, Yeah,
I think I have to go. I think I've talked
myself into going with Chris Dunn. But is there a
way that you could still have a tomb out there
instead of DJ to go up against Sharon Jackson Jr.
I don't know. I bet he, I bet he still
goes with the starting lineup we just saw.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm worried about Norm and getting in terms of
the physicality. I'm worried about a lot in this matchup.
Speaker 2: It gets worse, it really does.
Speaker 1: I know. I put those stats up about what they're
top five, and but once we've really been digging it.
I haven't been thinking about it all day, and except
for I did the breakdown. So like we you know,
teams have the blueprint for making things difficult for Norm,
which is be physical. It's not a crazy new thing,
but we've seen it happen kinda recently. Yeah, we're gonna
need kind of all the stuff we talked about that
was bad in the second game against Dallas to be
the opposite. We need James Harden to control the ball.
We cannot give the Grizzlies free points or free possessions,
and we need both of those guys. We need Harden
and Norm to combine to shoot. They need to be
at like thirty seven percent from three together.
Speaker 2: I wonder if they just try to hide James Harden
and Jalen Wells, who is shooting well from distance, but
maybe they try to hide him there and Norm just
has to play well against Desmond Baan and just has
to take the challenge of guarding him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I wish desden Vane wasn't as good as he is.
That would make me feel better about this. About this.
He's good, he's not, He's not bad. This one. It's
gonna be interesting. We need and we just we need
Harden and norm to combine for like sixty. I genuinely
feel that against this Grizzlies team, or pretty close to it,
let's call it fifty.
Speaker 2: The Grizzlies are that good. I think that's fair.
Speaker 1: And we need Zoo Becauzoo's gonna be tasked. Edie's incredibly physical.
He's a physical guy that's gonna take some that's gonna
tax Zoo a little bit. So, like we talked about
it in the first segment, but someone on the bench
needs to not only score but also play good defense
because the Grizzlies bench isn't really anything to sneeze at either,
and it's it has to be kind of a mirror.
I think it's not gonna be a backup five. We're
not gonna have like a mo bomba game against the Grizzlies.
Speaker 2: I felt like when they couldn't score in the second
quarter against Dallas, and a lot of that was with
the starting unit. By the way, I was kind of thinking,
I'm trying Jordan Miller right now. I'm just trying to
get somebody that can get to the basket if.
Speaker 1: We need a bucket when we when the Clippers need
a bucket specifically in that moment. Yeah, maybe he'll get
to the line, but he's probably gonna get to the rim.
Like that's yeah, I'm well, isn't uh Cam Christie's traveling?
Is he traveling with the clips for this game? Okay, yeah,
he'll be joining them. Yeah, no, I don't know. But
that's how difficult this matchup feels. Is that we're talking
about like, hey, maybe you through Kim Christy.
Speaker 2: It's really bad on paper?
Speaker 1: Is really? It is? Not? Don't This one's not for
the box score watchers. Do we have any other points
we want to bring up before we let people before
we pick our players of the game, because I don't
know they do. They do a lot of stuff. Well, yeah,
people are out. Terrence Man's out, Kawhi's out, Kobe's aut
Like that's there's no real change to the danger report.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the Clippers are gonna have to have it.
You're not winning this game if you're not playing at
least your B plus game. I guess a team like Memphis.
Speaker 1: I mean it'd be there. This would be the Clippers
best win of the season. I think pretty firmly. The
Nuggets wins look worse than worse as the Nuggets keep playing,
But this would, I think kind of maybe a head
and shoulders be the Clippers best win of the season.
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, I think you're right, because the wins over
the Golden State Warriors aren't looking as good either right now.
Speaker 1: Bastards. Yeah, I don't know. So who will will is
not here to pick his player of the game. We
picked Kevin Porter Junior for him in an effort to
light a fire under the young man. Didn't really work
out Hot and cold. Let's just say let's call it
hot and cold. I'm sure we'll be yelled at for that.
Who is William picking for the player of the game
for this game against Memphis?
Speaker 2: I think Will has I think Will has Mobamba for
this game.
Speaker 1: Get that productive nine minute shift, five boards, two points
plus plus side.
Speaker 2: With Memphis calls for big Mobamba.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, that's fair. Who is your pick for player
of the game, And if you're new to the show,
we cannot We are not allowed to pick James Harden,
Norm Power of Viatza Zubots because we would just rotate
between those three guys every game.
Speaker 2: I will go with I picked him recently, but I
still like him. You know what I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna go. But hey, I'm gonna gono.
Speaker 1: Three threes and good defense, So you're going, Nico, I
gotta go done, man, This is this is a game
to showcase just how good he is defensively. I don't
care if he goes one of four from three. If
he plays good defense against Joah w and they're matched
up and he holds them to below his averages, I'm
happy with it. Then it's on everybody else to do
their job. But I would be I would be a
static with them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm kind of terrified right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it doesn't feel very good. I'm it's gonna be interesting.
That about wraps things up for this episode of Clips
in Dip. If there should be with all the smoke
going towards Kawhi Leonard's return, if there is any news
in regards to it, we will be live. Perhaps I
will be annoying my family by being live during a
special moment. I don't know. The next injury report will
come out for those of you who look for those things.
On the twenty sixth will be I believe the next
injury report for the Clippers ahead of their matchup with
the Warriors on the twenty seventh. We'll have content for you.
Reviews and subscriptions really help us out. If you'd like
to review us wherever you listen to podcasts, we would.
We need it, We appreciate it. If you saw the
power go out last stream, that's what happens when you
don't give us reviews. I can't pay my bills. I
have a real job. It's not that big a deal,
but we would appreciate them. You can find us on
YouTube at YouTube dot complish at Clippers podcast Adam. One
positive thing after we just maybe did the opposite for
the game preview against the Grizzies. One positive thing to
send these listeners out on one of the big holiday weeks.
Speaker 2: I mean, even if the Clippers lose, there's still sixteen
and fourteen and Kawhi might be back on Friday.
Speaker 1: Hey, I'll take it. We should all take that. That's
not bad.
Speaker 2: If the Lakers can beat Memphis, the Clippers can beat Memphis.
Speaker 1: Come on, I love it all. All the transit and
property logic is working here. We're feeling good. We will
have maybe we'll have a post game for you tomorrow.
I'll see where I'm at on that. I did pay
my light bill, so the power's back on. Thank you
everyone for hanging out. Yeah, let's hope we let's get
through this holiday. Let's get through this game in Memphis.
And here's to Kawhi returning hopefully on Friday. We will
have any any news coming from that will have some
content for you. Thank you for hanging out, and as always,
let's go clips