Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans, Welcome to a Clips
and Dip Happy Hour live. We do these most fridays
that the Clippers don't play. I am Chuck Mockler, joined
by Adam Oslin and William Updyke, who's eating a shit
ton of chips right now, but is on mute, which
is great. No dip. Excuse me, no dip, which feels
kind of sacrilege. But we are Clips and Dip. Thank
you for hanging out. If you're listening to the audio
of this, you can always find us on YouTube dot
complished at Clippers podcast and click the bell when we
want to go live, y'all, I gotta change the graphics
real quick because we might be back in hell. What
are we doing out there? We've lost fo in a row.
We lost to the Pels twice in a row, sixty
percent from the free throw line in game two. The
Pels had their first fifty to forty ninety game of
the season against us the day before. What's going on?
Speaker 2: Is that Marty gar going on in Hill? Is that
just New Orleans in the background?
Speaker 1: We have that representation or this representation.
Speaker 2: I see the skulls coming out of the smoke there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's not as good. Well, what's going on with
the Clippers? Are they just tired?
Speaker 3: I think it's I think it's a combination of tired
injuries are sort of adding up. Mounting up two back
to back to the Pells is a little it's a
little incomprehensible. I mean, we talked ahead of time about
how it is certainly hard to beat the same team
twice in a in a back to back for some.
Speaker 1: Yeah, not for the Pells.
Speaker 3: Apparently not for the Pels. They proved us wrong.
Speaker 1: The game rules everyone and obviously guys are out. That
is the issue with March right now. But they look
gas yesterday. Missing that many free throws is a tired issue, right, Adam.
Speaker 2: Honestly, I don't know if that was it. I they
missed three in the first quarter, Like, I'm sure that's
that's some facet of what's happening here. But maybe just
a lack of concentration, you know, you try to key
in on everything else. They were playing hard, they were
playing with great effort, and then you lose it with
the freebies. It's it's brutal, but it only happens in
New Orleans and there's no doubt there has to be
some mental thing going on.
Speaker 1: Well, Justin Rousseau, our favorite French Canadian reporter, put out
a tweet that kind of depressed me, which was the
Clippers are nine and nine this season against the Bulls, Grizzlies, Jazz, Kings, Mavericks,
and Peals. Hindsight is twenty twenty, but those are some
killer losses to have. He's not wrong about that.
Speaker 2: How many of those have come December twenty.
Speaker 3: I was gonna say, yeah, like, how much of that
is December?
Speaker 1: Hey, I'm just saying what mister Rousseau told us.
Speaker 2: I'm guessing it's heavily weighted on that six and twenty
one star.
Speaker 1: Well, and two of them are from the last two nights.
Speaker 2: To be fair, I think the majority might be when
they were playing terrible for yeah, thirty games.
Speaker 1: This four game winning losing streak, excuse me, I wish
it were a winning streak. We're gonna change the graphics now.
Is they've been very bad during this four game losing streak.
The thing that I think is most worrisome is they're
not shooting well at all. But teams are playing pretty
good offense against the Clippers when they're not getting turnovers.
The Clippers are twenty third and opponent three point percentage.
They're twenty second in opponent field goal percentage. Like this
is the defense is what I'm most worried about. I think, Wait,
that's just for these four games that's been since the
All Star Break. Sorry, they're twenty third in net rating
during this four game losing streak. They're not shooting from three, well,
they're twenty fifth and three point percentage. They're twenty eighth
in assistant turnover ratio, and they're not grabbing boards. They're
twenty ninth in rebounds per game and twenty eighth the
rebound percentage since over these last four games. So like
it's going to even out, But right now it just
looks like fatigue. I think. I think they're rebounding numbers
and the fact that we have two centers that don't
exactly prioritize rebounding. It's it's just tough. I don't know
where are you at. What is they gotta go eight
and four over these next twelve to be over five hundred.
What's a real problem? And what is maybe something that's
going to go back to the mean regress? If you
will uh.
Speaker 2: Real problem the injuries. I don't know if Kawhi is
going to be one hundred percent before the end of
the regular season.
Speaker 1: Questionable for tomorrow as well against the Maps.
Speaker 2: I just don't know, like if there's enough time to
ever heal up, because I don't think he's going to
take another week off because they can't afford to as
long as it's you know, just pain tolerance. We saw
that clip of him grimacing running down the court the
other night.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the game we were supposed to beat the Pelicans
in because everyone was playing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they definitely chase that win and we're up. We're
definitely up eighteen in the first quarter. Yes, definitely still
lost by fifteen. I think the defense also, you talk
about regressing to the mean. So their defense the last
sixteen games post All Star Break is twenty first, right,
but the defense on the season seventy games is nineteen
they So, yeah, I don't know, Like I think they
can be better than that in spurts and stretches, but
it's not going to change drastically in the next twelve games.
They're not going to be it. They're not going to
end the season a above average defense.
Speaker 1: That's brutal. And that was one of your big worries
coming into this season, was kind of not being able
to get back to that defensive identity.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and some of it was injuries early on
and roster shakeups and stuff. And they definitely have had
stretches where they played good defense. I want to say
in January they were playing like a top ten defense,
but it hasn't been sustainable enough. And yeah, that's the transition.
Defense has kind of been a problem. But you know
the Pelicans yesterday, how many fast breakpoints did they have?
Was it zero? Was it two? They had a ton
in Game one? And then I feel like the Clippers
were so much better in a couple of areas and
it still didn't matter. They still lost it. The free
throw on.
Speaker 1: The Clippers won fast break points eight to nothing.
Speaker 2: They didn't give up a single fast break point yesterday,
and I think they gave up like twenty two or
twenty four in Game one, and they still lost Game
two because they just could hit three thrust. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 1: Russhare, Well, what's the cure here? Obviously we're gonna be
in the play in the Clippers. This is an incredibly
stressful end of the season.
Speaker 3: It's so tight right now. Like if you thought, if
you thought we might get home court advantage in that
seven eight matchup, that's gone, Like, that's that's completely out
the window. We're five games behind the Suns that you know,
there's a better chance of somebody falling into that seven
eight matchup than there is us getting home court for
the plan. Now, the thing to watch is we're dead
even record wise with the with the Blazers.
Speaker 1: We're half Warriors.
Speaker 3: The Warriors only half a game. They're twenty. They're like,
they're like half a game behind the Clippers and uh
and Blazers. So you gotta pull it together enough to
at least stay in that seven eight play in matchup
and then you know, let the chips fall as they may.
But if you're looking for, you know, any any sort
of like series that has the potential, like the potential
to go longer than five games, I think that's your best.
I think that's your best hope.
Speaker 1: A lot of people have said, you're like, oh, the Clippers,
they have the sixth, they have an easier schedule for
the rest of the season, right they have the sixth
easiest schedule when it comes to opponent win percentage.
Speaker 3: But what talk about the end of the season though,
the actual end of the season.
Speaker 1: And the other issue is the Blazers have the third
easiest and the Warriors have the eighth easiest, and so
it's like, and.
Speaker 3: The Blazers and the Warriors are our last two games.
Speaker 1: We played the Blazers two more times and the Warriors
the last game of the season, with one of those
Blazers matchups being two days before that Warriors game. So
it will come down quite literally to the end of
the season for the Clippers for if they're going to
be in the nine ten, like.
Speaker 2: The schedules, like it's bullshit, how quickly how that situation
is hahha. The Lakers have the top three toughest strength
of schedule and then they play two games and now
they have the fifteenth toughest strength of schedule left. It
can change so drastically, dramatically. But I was just looking
through all defensive ratings for each month this season for
the Clippers, and they've had only one month where they
have been a top ten defense, and that's when they
were ninth in December. That's pretty alarming.
Speaker 1: When they have they been above average or is that
the only month they've been even above average.
Speaker 2: I think they've been above average a couple of times.
Speaker 1: But pretty close, like probably what like fourteenth and fifteenth.
Speaker 2: You know, Yeah, it's not great. It's kind of shocking.
Speaker 1: I would say nineteenth when you said that, Yeah, I
was a little jarred by it being nineteenth. That feels
lower than But it's also like they're a five hundred team.
What really? What realistically with the numbers, Kahi, what would
you expect it to be? Yeah, I mean record wise
and everything, Yeah, like fifty.
Speaker 2: Their offense being better than their defense. I don't I
don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I think I think that's helped by the fact that
Kawhi is having his best offensive season.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1: Shout out Kawhi. Great playing through it.
Speaker 2: He's also missed twenty games. Now what are we at?
How close is he to missing out on postseason awards?
Speaker 1: Here? Which god man, hard pivot, but Cad Cunningham having
to miss out on postseason stuff because of the collapse
lung and the game's rule is insane.
Speaker 2: It's stupid, brutal. The voters should be able to distinguish.
Speaker 1: Right what they're not idiots.
Speaker 3: It's like it was part of the conversation before you
know what I mean, It was like, but he's only
played amount of games or whatever.
Speaker 1: I don't know, whatever, Kawhi can only miss one more
game before being ruled ineligible for awards such as all NBA.
All right, and he's probably missing one more game, right,
the Clippers had that's over.
Speaker 2: I got twelve left.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but how many more back to backs?
Speaker 3: One?
Speaker 1: I think only one? Damn shout out us. I think, well,
there's only one, but they play every other day.
Speaker 3: Could they do a couple of just the ceremonial starts
or whatever, because there's.
Speaker 1: There's only you have to play twenty minutes.
Speaker 3: It's twenty minutes. Now.
Speaker 1: It's crazy because that's why Chris Dunn couldn't get all
in all defensive stuff.
Speaker 3: I guess I forgot that it was a full twenty minutes.
Speaker 1: Shit. Yeah, it's kind of crazy. So the Clippers, there's
only one more back to back, but they play Saturday
than Money Day, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. Like it.
It's just every other day until April seventh and eighth,
which is a back to back at home against the Maps.
On the thunder and then they travel. They end on
a four and five.
Speaker 3: Let's go fallas Wait, I thought there was only one
more back to back. Sorry.
Speaker 1: They play April seventh, April eighth, April tenth, April twelfth.
The happy hour drink is getting to me. But they
have to travel, man, that's so stupid.
Speaker 2: It's a lot of stupid stuff going around, a lot
of shit going around. It's in the air.
Speaker 1: So how are we? We don't know how the season's
gonna end. They had to go ten and one last
year to avoid the play in, and now it kind
of feels like we have to go what is it,
twelve games left? We have to go ten and two
to avoid the nine or ten seed. Does that feel fair?
Speaker 2: I mean I would say that gets them that, Yeah,
that would guarantee them.
Speaker 3: Like, that would guarantee it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what we think is the worst record that gets
them the eight and probably that eight and four?
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, depending, I mean obviously it's you know, then
you're your outcome is kind of decided by what two
other teams do.
Speaker 2: But of course, well they haven't. They have a game
left against each right, one against Portland, one against two
I believe two against against one against Golden State.
Speaker 1: I know we played Portland the last fittingly, we played
Portland the last game of March, when we will be
at our optimum powers. I mean, you win those three,
that's true, honestly, let's just yeah, because having on we
were riding high last week, Adam, you and I. Once
Joseph got off the stream, we're very excited about. I
sent him a link. I don't know if he's gonna
pop on. We're feeling great. What do we think the
Clippers finish March at now? Record wise? Now that we've
had we've seen the fatigue, not only from the injuries,
but we've seen the guys on the court be fatigue.
Brook Lopez looks exhausted. It's yeah, I.
Speaker 2: Still got them at eleven and seven, like they're on track, Yeah,
to finish eleven and seven and finish in the eighth spot.
I never bought into they could get up to the
sixth spot, and I thought the seventh spot was a
feeling that probably there's no chance they're gonna get to either.
And everybody's like, well, they just keep playing like how
they're playing now, Yes, except right now they're not playing
eighteen games in thirty one days, and the schedule eventually
becomes your enemy two and you're apoon it out there.
It's caught up to them, it's clear, but they still
have a relatively fair schedule remaining even in March. Mavericks, Bucks, Raptors, Pacers,
Pacers haven't won a damn game since the All Star break.
Speaker 1: My gosh, ship and Zoo's out. Zoo broke a damn rib.
Speaker 2: Prayers up to Zoo.
Speaker 1: You go to Indiana, you get that unhealthy food they're
trying to make in that number one thing, right, Yeah,
that shameless.
Speaker 2: I'm not even gonna I'm just gonna assume they're keeping
their pick at this point. I don't want to get
my hopes up because this is ridiculous a game since.
Speaker 1: So, I saw a tweet from Justin Russo brought up
a thing where he was like, if it's not the
fifth pick, your odds of you know, drafting an All Star,
all that go pretty far down. So the Clippers really
this next draft should have been hoping for number five
and kind of anything below that. You're like, eh, because
the other alternative is that it's unprotected in twenty thirty one.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but if they get a number one pick and
have the team that they have.
Speaker 1: I don't. They just lost Halliburton, and I know that
anything goes can happen. Thing is shitty, but like Haliburton
towards you know, like, no.
Speaker 3: You're right, you're right, a completely unprotected pick.
Speaker 1: And trade value wise, it's like, oh, it could even
be a boat, Like yeah, you'd.
Speaker 2: Rather risk Oh, we're looking towards twenty thirty one than
maybe getting the sixth, seventh or eighth pick, this.
Speaker 1: Ninth pick in this draft. Like it's like, okay, sick,
but not.
Speaker 2: No, that's a good point.
Speaker 3: That's a good point.
Speaker 2: It's not gonna happen. They're gonna have the best odds
to get the number one pick, apparently with the way
they're going. Oh my god, but I know. I think
the last three teams though that had the best odds
finished fifth. So it definitely won't happen again.
Speaker 1: Definitely what happened.
Speaker 2: I'm just I'm just assuming this. I can.
Speaker 3: It would not be mad, like so mad at that.
I would not be mad at all at that outcome
if somehow they ended up the worst team had the
highest likelihood and we still end up getting the bad
I mean, yeah, yeah, that'd be the greatest.
Speaker 1: And then there's also there's also the idea too of
say it does fall to the sixth pick in the draft,
that becomes a tradable thing. There's still moves to be made.
Weird drafted, don't give me.
Speaker 2: Also projecting with the draft. I know everybody's saying, all
this draft is loaded at the top. I have heard
this many times before. I say, the back over a
ten year period and you have a twenty five percent
chance of drafting an All star within the top ten picks.
It's it's really difficult. It's there's no signs to it.
It's it's a craft.
Speaker 1: Shoot. The only time they say it's a bad draft
is when it's like like the draft where Anthony Bennett
went one.
Speaker 3: You know where Tom Brady was taken in the NBA
gotta be first.
Speaker 1: Right, yeah, tom Brady. Also, this is a hard pivot.
I wish that he would just stop doing ship because
it's making me, You're just it's making me think he
wasn't as good of a quarterback as he was because
he's such an idiot.
Speaker 3: He should have driven recklessly and died on top, like
James Dean or something. Come on man just like a hero.
Speaker 1: Oh that's so funny. Okay, So we beat the MAVs
on Saturday tomorrow, right, that's gotta happen.
Speaker 2: It's happening. It's happening. I think he is.
Speaker 3: If this streak goes to five, like five and five
straight losses at the hands of the MAVs, it's it's
time to start ringing some alarm bells.
Speaker 1: I mean the alarm bells. I think, what does that
even mean? This team is gonna face the Spurs or
the Thunder in the first round or maybe not even
make the play in You're not alarmed, I'm not.
Speaker 2: Even fairly alarmed here. Like Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park,
I'm not.
Speaker 1: I'm just now, did Jurassic Park turn out?
Speaker 3: That's true?
Speaker 1: That's true.
Speaker 2: What you mean they flew.
Speaker 1: Every pretty successful franchise is how it turned out.
Speaker 2: The Lawyer got eaten.
Speaker 1: What do you not worry? I mean, I under I am.
I admittedly watched the first half of the game last
night and then Will and I went to see The
Bride in theaters. Horrible movie. I'm trying to be more
positive about the way that this team could end the season,
but it's just kind of difficult. Not that I'm like
shitting on them or anything, but it's just like we're
kind of we're careening towards what feels like with the injuries,
with the uneven play, I'm just like da, I would
just wish we were in a little stronger I.
Speaker 3: Agree, like the limping to the finish line is a
little bit tough just given you know, the massive turnaround
that they had to undergo from December. But you know, realistically,
if they finished this season one game above five hundred,
it's a huge win from where we were in December, like,
regardless of where that puts you in the standings, and
sort of like you know what else kind of happens.
Speaker 2: You reminded me of something there. You know, it's probably
not just March. It's because they made such a big
push to get back to five hundred. That is also
kind of like how you know, sometimes you have a
comeback that comes up short because you run out of
gas because it took so much energy to get back
into the game. It's kind of like that with the
Clippers maybe in some ways.
Speaker 1: Thank you the Kawai da Vinci code for bringing this back.
That was a on time paper Bowl. The season's insane.
Speaker 2: I don't think he's eating another one.
Speaker 1: Bon Saw twenty eight said, don't get too high, don't
get too low. We're five hundred that we're right there, man,
we are. We're not high enough and we can't be
low enough because we don't have a draft pick. Oh yeah,
they just look bump for Kawhi. He looks like he's
trying so hard on the bad ankle. What's difficult. I
was texting with Joseph about this. It's funny watching Darius
Garland play and you're like, you know, like the game,
the first game against the Pals, you wish you would
have taken over a little bit more or something like that.
Darius Garland has played like six games for the Clippers,
like it, it's so because we need wins so bad.
He's played eight because we need wins so bad. I'm
still forgetting that he's getting used to this team still,
you know what I'm saying, Like the expectations are high
because we obviously traded someone who was bringing a lot
to the Clippers, and with Garland it hasn't even been
ten games, but the urgency because of the start and
everything like that feels like there's more pressure from me,
like as watching it, like damn, like why can't you
be better? But at the same time, it hasn't been
that many games and the lineups have been all walking.
Speaker 3: Yeah, having some sort of consistency in the lineup is
definitely gonna help Garland a lot. And just being at
one hundred percent, like being able to play a scratch
of say ten games without a without a hang up.
Speaker 2: And honestly, he's been better than what I expected, especially
efficiency wise after not playing for a month and a
half or whatever it was.
Speaker 1: He's shooting plus forty percent from three I think is
a clip like he.
Speaker 3: Wasn't in New Orleans.
Speaker 1: He's yes, Yes, was doing what they were supposed to
do in New Orleans. They were early, Yeah, they were early. Yeah.
I don't know, It's just it's and missing Mathrine is
huge too. Adam, you weren't on the show this week
because you were taking care of something, right? Is it weird? That?
Is it weird that Matherine is on the trip but
not playing like that was just kind of confusing, I guess,
But I.
Speaker 2: Think I'm guessing the doctor that's tending to Darius Garland
is also tending to his foot injury to the Lebron James,
the foot doctors. It's Lebron James once called his foot doctor.
He's the Lebron James.
Speaker 1: That's awesome. I mean that kind of rules. Yeah, we
don't have a timeline for when he's coming back.
Speaker 2: I just ruled him out. It sounds like I.
Speaker 1: Well, he was out the whole trip. We knew he
was gonna miss the road trip. They like already had
ruled him out for the road trip the whole thing,
which was kind of.
Speaker 2: I noticed something he said about a week and a
half ago, he had a big dunk in a game
and he kind of surprised himself and he mentioned postgame
about it, like I didn't know I could do that.
Right now, I've been a little banged up. And he
didn't say with what. And now I think we know
what the ailment was. And Law said he's had his
foot wrapped a lot and they've seen him limping around
and so this isn't well it may have come out
of nowhere for Clipper Nation, it's real. He's been dealing
with something. He's been playing through it.
Speaker 3: Why are so many foot injuries while why all the
foot stuff at him we were posing this when you
weren't here the other day. What's going on with the
de feet?
Speaker 1: What's up with the toes? I don't know.
Speaker 2: Got to go back to the Chucks, like Chuck the condo.
I don't know that.
Speaker 1: Well, we need I read there was an article and
this is dating me and aging me in ESPN the
magazine when it was still magazine. What about how a
lot of NBA players don't use insults like customer thoughts,
just they're just using shoes off the rack basically, which
seems insane to me.
Speaker 2: You're saying they're not jelling like a felon, they're not
using I'm.
Speaker 1: Saying they could afford even more expensive than Jealous, even more, Yeah,
more than sixteen bucks. I don't know, if I don't know.
It was just some thing where I was like, that
feels crazy. But also I believe like DeMar Derozen plays
with the shoes on tide, like you know what I mean,
Like it's like.
Speaker 2: People you don't understand how shoes are supposed to be used,
and we should look to Alex Caruso more about that.
Put them on your hands.
Speaker 1: Hey, I was surprised you got even called for that.
I'm just happy that they blew the whistle on that one. Yeah,
the Mathroom and Mathron had has had toe issues before,
which I had spaced out, and then Will and I
did pretty deep dive research onto it.
Speaker 3: We pulled up the wiki Fee Adam, you really missed out.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Also, it is an insane slasher and take some risks
going down the alleys and lanes like nobody I've seen
on the Clippers in a long time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well we need That's one thing that's been missing.
His free throw he's getting against They took thirteen and like,
what is I'm going to look it up right now.
But his free throws per game is a Clipper have
to be insane. He's taken eight free throws a game
as a clip, Like, we need that with how the
shooting can really fluctuate.
Speaker 2: Yesterday, though they got their free throws, they took ten
more and they only made one more the Pelicans.
Speaker 1: That was insane. Oh I thank you Frankie Cosmos for
reminding me that Terrence Man assigned with sketchers. Yeah, what
do the Clippers hate about comfortable shooes? What's the issue here?
Pablo Troy should actually maybe shift gears and investigate.
Speaker 3: That are there many foot like injuries league wide? Like
I just feel like it's such an anomaly that there's
so many people affect thing because it's a rarer Isn't
it a somewhat rarer injury in the NBA than it is,
obviously than you would see in the NFL or something,
isn't it? Like I feel like I feel like when
Darius Garland had it, you know, in the like in
the playoffs, that was like one of the first times
I'd heard of someone in the injuries Like it's.
Speaker 1: I feel like certain injuries kind of have like trends,
right like we saw the Achilles and like how the
game evolves. So I wonder if a certain way that
certain guys who were built are playing as putting under
what's new.
Speaker 3: About what the like in the history of the NBA,
you know.
Speaker 1: Like uh speed compression forces like that. No, not at
his levels, not to you're not on your toe, you know,
So I don't know, I'm talking down on my ass.
We're not doctors, But I think it's one of those
things like we saw the Achilles, Like there's that one,
like like the guy all tore him the same way. Right,
like they're doing like that hop step or something like that.
Speaker 3: You know who never has toe injuries? Quiet, So I
say training Tim's playing new balances.
Speaker 1: I like that idea. We could probably get Pat bev
on here. He's really been trying to push that new
show he has, which seems not good actual basketball talk.
I have a question here, and it sounds pessimistic. Kobe
Sanders over Nick Batoom heading into the postseason. Should that
move be made? Dot dot dot thank you? Does that
move matter?
Speaker 2: Uh?
Speaker 1: Kobe Sanders over Nick Patom in the postseason? Should that
move be made in the rotation? Does that move matter
in the grand scheme of things?
Speaker 2: Kobe Sanders has been missing a lot lately.
Speaker 1: I would ride three. Yeah, it feels negligible because they're
kind of like they're pretty even like looking at their
stats before the Pels games, it was like Kobe Sanders
had like a sixty three point percentage, which obviously is
going to come back down to earth. I like playing
Sanders for the experience level, but I think that's the
most you're getting out of it. Neither of these guys
are swinging a game, I don't think. But yeah, like
Bone saw us saying Kobe should maybe get more time.
So I like Sanders from the experience perspective. Well, I'm
looking at some new balances. Nine nine two is.
Speaker 3: Actually probably gonna pick up a pair.
Speaker 1: Some maiden US eights. But yeah, I feel like it
should be Kobe just for the experience.
Speaker 2: I mean, whoever is going to help them win. I
I want to play the guy that's gonna give them
the best chance of the playoff series. And if it's
San Antonio, probably still but too, this is the way
you can guard Wemby some here and there.
Speaker 1: He's been gassed too though he's getting veteran rest days,
as he should. But like playoff basketball different man.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm guessing they're doing the rest now so they
can have them more available for their series.
Speaker 1: Do we think it's that's a Tyler usually does a
nine guy rotation, So I don't know.
Speaker 2: Let's still have to get in the playoff series. Maybe
we should.
Speaker 1: Uh that's true. Oh, that's a good question. What's your
lineup for the let's call it the seven eight game.
What's your starting five for the seven eight game? We
saw Chris Dunn coming off the bench when everyone who
was available for the most part was he who's healthy
in this scenario, let's say everyone, Let's say we are
at optimum starting lineup. So obviously bill Yannicker out, everyone
else is available, Math, Garlicke, who's your who's the starting five?
It's done? Still all the un he's on the scooter.
Speaker 2: Who's ever be against Devin Booker?
Speaker 3: Didn't Robert Williams have like the robot leg at one point?
Speaker 1: Yeah, Robert Williams had a crazy cat.
Speaker 3: You then on the court?
Speaker 1: Maybe? Yeah? What whoever's against Booker is a great call,
which is probably done?
Speaker 2: Probably. I was surprised to see dun come off the
bench the other day. They want to see something different. Yeah,
but Garland, you know, he was big on having Done
out there with him.
Speaker 3: It makes sense.
Speaker 2: But they also they had been taking Done out so
early in the first quarter, like within the first four minutes,
to get him back then with the second unit. And
then what they started doing when DJ was in the
starting lineup, They took out Garland early in the first
five minutes, first five and a half minutes, and then
brought him back with the second unit to kind of
run that and give him minutes that are staggered away
from Kawhi to have him be more of a focal
point offensively. So I think they're just trying things.
Speaker 1: And the defense, like we said, it's eighteenth on the year,
So for me, it's hard for a winner, take all
or take whatever seed playoff game. I kind of want
done out there to start because the defense can't. Starting.
Speaker 2: Is the DJ's offense. I mean, yesterday he was DJ
did not lose yesterday, he was awesome. His offense has
been scaling up and up and up. Maybe they just
think to have more firepower out there. DJ is the guy.
Sounds like you're getting some huge off defensively.
Speaker 1: He was rough in game one versus Pells h and
kind of versus Spurs too.
Speaker 2: What about since he came off injury though.
Speaker 1: No, yeah, but like he can defend, like you're he's
really only hit a skid when the Clippers have lost
four in a row, Like that's the only time he's
played bad. You look at the games after, like before this,
you take out Pells, Spurs, Kings, he played really good
basketball four or five versus Bulls four six versus the
Wolves killed it against the Knicks, like he had.
Speaker 2: One, two, three, four or five. He had six straight
games of ten plus points or more. I believe that
is a career high for him in this month.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's fair. Well, who's your starting five? I
like done? I think Garland done, DJ Kawhi Lopez is
what we.
Speaker 3: See Garland done, DJ Kawhi Lopez. Yeah, that's that's pretty
much fine.
Speaker 1: And then you sub Done off like maybe early if
it's not working or something like that, because then the
bench also has firepower other than math Rin. You got
Collins off the bench, who's huge.
Speaker 2: Like, well, you guys aren't starting Collins.
Speaker 1: I think I'm starting. Yeah, I think he's coming off
the bench with math they starting, so you.
Speaker 3: Go, yeah, actually I'm with you.
Speaker 1: Garland, Dunn, Collins, Kawhi and Lopez.
Speaker 2: Or DJ instead done. Those are the only two that
i'd switch out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and we'll also we'll see small ball five. Yeah.
I like this from KAUI Done sets the tone early,
which I kind of like.
Speaker 2: Coach was always said, Uh, I like that, Done sets
that tone early.
Speaker 1: My headphones out.
Speaker 2: DJ has been slashing. He has been so much more aggressive.
Speaker 1: We got a Louis appearance, what's up, Louie? And we're
gonna see some small ball in the seven eight game
because our centers are kind of hitting us skate.
Speaker 3: We need so many questions about Bogey.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, strictly from we'll talk about Bogie in a second.
But I like, Alex web, you got a stagger done
in DJ for spacing. You can't have that many non
shooters out there and lope streaky, yeah done. Teams do
not care.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it doesn't. It doesn't like it almost doesn't
even matter if he makes them.
Speaker 1: And do we think how much are team's gonna care
about Lopez shooting because he's gonna be gassed? This is
no disrespect to Lopez. He is an older man playing
starting five minutes. He's gonna be tired. I don't know
if team like we Yeah, that's a good point, Alex.
Speaker 3: I think that's where the small ball is going to
have to come in more, unless you really trust Jackson,
because I think that Brook Lopez right now, from a
minute's look perspective, they're already asking too much of him.
Like he's been able to stay like you know, he
was able to stay in that sort of starting position
for so long because it was like he had so
much help around him, and I think now he's still
he still has the ALP, but like he needs to uh,
he's got the I mean it float has to be
a lower.
Speaker 1: Right, and that's what cific about the playoffs, and so
we're gonna stay low man. The Clippers are in this
weird thing where like everyone other than Lopez is going
to play more minutes, probably because we're gonna see more
small ball five. So guys are gonna get rotated into that.
Like I don't, Isaiah Jackson's playoff minutes are going to
be chaotic mostly probably good chaos, but not enough to
like rely on play hand I should say.
Speaker 2: I like what we've seen from Jackson a lot.
Speaker 1: I have to. I've been impressed with his what he
can bring, but again, like play it man. So ideally
we are playing in Phoenix for the seven eight game.
Speaker 2: Written a month ago. That's best case scenario. That is
best case scenario for the team that is the Sea
right now, guys, anything else is dreaming.
Speaker 1: People were mad and Will and I for saying that
the team might have trouble against San Antonio in the
first round on the last episode.
Speaker 2: I mean, look, is san Antonio the better option versus Okay,
see yes, is it a good option? No?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 1: Right would you rather get poked in the eye with
a sharp stick or kicked directly in the testicle.
Speaker 2: The only good thing is that I haven't seen the
Clippers fully healthy yet. Yeah, because the Clippers have been
so banged up, San Antonio doesn't.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I like dj D flu where we are rebounding though.
The rebounding, yeah, it's it's tough because because we have
centers who don't rebound the ball, guys have to crash,
which thankfully they're good at. But I just feel like
it throws everything out of there.
Speaker 2: You're wrong, broke. Lopez was supposed to replace Zoo. Remember
he was much better than Zoo.
Speaker 3: All yeah, he should have been starting while Zoo is
still here.
Speaker 2: What happened to that?
Speaker 1: Yes, I will walk into traffic on the street. If
you guys turned on me on Zoo, I would make
I would change all of our lives. No, the rebounding,
it's just like, dude, like I love that everyone is
able to crash the boards and the forwards are crashing
the boards and stuff like that. But like, this is
why Lopez is threes. It's like, great, no one's there
to grab an offensive board. He can't grab defensive boards
like it's tough.
Speaker 2: We probably shouldn't be looking this far out, but you know,
at this point, just the hypothetical.
Speaker 1: About we're live, looking up to you.
Speaker 2: Who cares, Let's do it live. So Phoenix is an
eleventh in defensive or in rebounding percentage overall, I'll see
offensive percentage of ninth.
Speaker 1: I don't love that, ye right, it's the team. The
teams that were going that we have the team well
because the pel anyway, the Pells killed us on the
offensive ports too. Like it's just difficult. We're bad at
we're bad at stuff that I think is showing the
fatigue right now. Yeah, Like we're just a tired team.
And no I'm not saying that in a derogatory way.
This schedule is crazy. Eighteen games in a month is nuts.
Having like you guys pointed out, to kind of get
back to five hundred, Like.
Speaker 2: You remember what we kept talking about last year was
how important it was to stay out of the plan
because you get that full week off then and how
big that would be for the team. Well that's not
an option now, So there's there's more fatigue that is
going to be working. I guess them heading into that
first series if they get out of the play.
Speaker 3: But again, that's why you gotta do it in one game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you gotta win that first game. But also because
even if you win the second game, you're getting oksey.
Speaker 1: It would be funny the nbation institute a rule where
if you win two playing games, so you have to
win two thank you balloons, you actually get home court
advantage against the number one seed.
Speaker 3: You know what, Like, fuck it.
Speaker 1: What, you're already You're already the lower seed. Like would
it really like? First of all, the atmosphere would be crazy,
if you win two playing games, you should actually get
home court advantage. Yes, that's an insane.
Speaker 3: Take it to the bank. No, this year, like this,
the series should just shift. So it should be the
lower seed gets three games and then the higher seed
gets gets three games.
Speaker 2: I know Rob Manford is listening. I don't know Adam
silver is.
Speaker 1: Rob Manfred is a bad commissioner, so he's for sure
listening to the show.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you go back to like the three two one
one one thing. I think if you win two play games.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's fair.
Speaker 3: I will say you have to sometimes play like the
next day.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like that old when the when Baseball had
the wild card game. We're not because remember a couple
of weeks ago. Okay, So the Nuggets and the Rockets
are three games up on the Suns. They're not dropping
to seven, are they? They better?
Speaker 2: Fucking not? Denver better or not? Denver has lost some games.
I mean they lost in Memphis the other night. I
couldn't believe it. They have lost some really bad games,
but I think that was the same night the Clippers
lost to Sacramento.
Speaker 1: This is very funny. Thank you for this, laugh, Franky Cosmos.
That's a good bit.
Speaker 2: Uh Brook has been more than serviceable.
Speaker 1: I know, but he's supposed to be the backup. Oh god,
it's just a good time. Brook has been great for
what he's supposed to do, but he's being asked to
do more, which is difficult. So what do you as
we wind this stream down, we're winning tomorrow? Correct?
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, Pencil.
Speaker 2: Then now I'm going fool sharpie. They are not losing
five in a row. They are not losing to Dallas,
who is another taking team. The Pelicans were not taking Dallas.
Is Sacramento apparently dead? Christie? You no, not on my watch.
We are taking.
Speaker 1: Okay, So we're beating the MAVs. Who's our player, who's
our player of the game for the MAVs game? Give
me j C God damn it, I'm gonna go. I'm
going Garland. Okay, I think Garland has a big game.
Will where you going?
Speaker 2: That should be another you damn it guys here. Yeah
you can risk a.
Speaker 1: No you can't. You can't. Yeah you can't. How about this.
If Kawhy is on the injury report, you can pick him.
If he's questionable, you can pick him.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go KD take take me out of the
starting lineup once, shame on me, take me out of the
story line up twice.
Speaker 2: Shame on you, And shame on Joseph ry Award.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we talked about that.
Speaker 2: Garbage he was spewing right before they played Sacramento about
Russ so.
Speaker 1: Adam, we talked about that, Will and I discussed that.
I briefed him on the whole situation, and we all
collectively blamed Joseph I Award for the loss against that
was that Cam was god awful. I hate the Kings,
and I know that's rough because they've been bad, but
I'm just like, figure it out.
Speaker 2: Did Joseph also get a text about that because he
should have gotten.
Speaker 1: Yes, I absolutely had him plenty. I told him that
everyone agreed that he lost the game.
Speaker 2: What do you say?
Speaker 1: He said, that's fair. Okay, So we beat the MAVs
and then we're what game under five one game under
five hundred? We're right there, we beat the MAVs. We
just gotta go.
Speaker 2: You know who was right? Kawhi Wha said Dot finished.
Speaker 1: He was so right. It is not finished at all.
Speaker 2: Maybe we did celebrate too much.
Speaker 1: We might have. Well, we were just riding high, you know.
Speaker 3: We we were the first tea and I was just
happy to get back to five hundred. Come on, yeah,
I care about anything else?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Who cares? All right, We're gonna be back with
a full crew episode on Tuesday. The Clippers play so much,
we're getting these out like once or twice a week. Maybe, Well,
where can people find this? For the audio listeners who
maybe miss this live, how could they be informed when
we even do something like this?
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, So you can catch this where you
listen to podcasts. But the best way to interact with
the show, to listen to it, to watch it is
over at YouTube. Dot com that's at Clippers Podcast. That's
where we go live on many Fridays unless there's a
game or something. So check us out over there. Be
sure to subscribe, hit the little bell to get notifications
when we're doing stuff like this. But however, you listen to,
you watch.
Speaker 1: You know we appreciate it. We very much do. An Adam,
Can we get one positive thing to send these viewers
into their weekend.
Speaker 2: With at worst? In the last twelve games, the Clippers
are going eight and four and they're split the two
games against Portland, and they're winning the final game of
the season at home against Golden State. They're getting to
a spot we're splitting between for Phoenix. Get ready because
the Suns may have beat us three times in the
playoffs in a series, but this is a play in
this is different.
Speaker 3: And also I believe there were some asterisks for the Clippers.
Speaker 1: A couple of those they never got fully healthy. I
like that. The positive note is that we split the
games against the Blazers. We will not go three and
zero against the two most important teams we will go
to and.
Speaker 2: One I said it at worst, and they're splitting against
Portland and they're still beating Golden State.
Speaker 1: At worst, there we go. At worst, we're going too
and one over the most important games to close the season.
Speaker 3: Adam, what are you packing in your bag to Talking
stick Arena?
Speaker 2: A bigger talking stick.
Speaker 1: There we go, There we go. Thank you for hanging out, everybody.
We'll be back on Tuesday with a full crew episode.
Let's Go Clips. They're gonna go eight and four at minimum.
Per Adam Oustlin, Phoenix is a hole in the ground.
The Clippers have a lot to play for. They're gonna
get the dub tomorrow against the MAVs, and if not,
it will be a very depressing live stream because we
might have to go live if they lose. Thank you
for hanging out. Find us anywhere you listen to podcasts,
and as always, let's Go Clips.