GAME 25: Sacs (11-11) @ Clips (17-7) @ NOON PST Sunday NOTE TIME

[TheNewEra]

This team is a depressing mess and I don't know how it's going to be fixed. Even when healthy, there's just still not enough legit defenders on this roster.

If we are healthy it’s not as bad. The problem is we are hurt at the only two positions that defend and it throws everyone else off trying to help

[og15]

Tough one to lose. It's not Kawhi's "fault", but as the star in a 3PT loss like this, we needed more from him, 20 pts on 21 FGA and 4 FTA is not it for sure. Rest will be good, hopefully they can get the next one.

[esqtvd]

You just love being miserable, don't you? Lol

misery is no fun unless you spread it around

[Captain Ballmer]

We need youth. All 30 or over lineups can't catch with guys like Fox.

[KL2]

Need to find easy buckets. Hard to do without George since they can collapse on Leonard and make the others beat you.

[esqtvd]

We need youth. All 30 or over lineups can't catch with guys like Fox.

That's been a vulnerabilty as long as I can remember, but it only shows up in the regular season against lottery teams who have nothing to lose anyway, so they're playing loose.

And that's why Mann got big minutes today. Against veteran lineups, his flaws are more easily exposed. And OTOH why Batum and Ibaka were MIA--our old men got smoked.

[og15]

Need to find easy buckets. Hard to do without George since they can collapse on Leonard and make the others beat you.

In terms of their skills, George is a better "point guard" in terms of running offense from the middle of the floor and using high pick and rolls. Kawhi is not as adept at those actions, though he's superior in other areas. So with George out there's a loss of offensive initiation not to mention high scoring and efficiency that isn't easily replaced. Kennard is also better than Kawhi at attacking from that spot and filling tha role, but he's too passive to have the needed impact

[playaloc916]

Kawhi is starting to cool down. Earlier in the season it looked like he was in his San Antonio form. The past few games, he's not bullying people like before. With PG likely out for awhile, this will be a rough stretch coming up unless one of these guys steps it up in a major way.

[esqtvd]

If we are healthy it’s not as bad. The problem is we are hurt at the only two positions that defend and it throws everyone else off trying to help

The good thing was that the bench stepped up after being our Achilles heel for the past 2-3 weeks. Lou in particular--23 points 5 rebs and 5 assists--but most importantly, 10-10 from the line. That's where the easy money is. He had been averaging ONE FTA per game!!

What it also tells you is that Batum and Ibaka are the definition of ROLE players--with 2 starters missing they were lost out there. They have also been ineffective when Ty tries to blend them in with the bench players. The chemistry thing continues to be very fragile. Not a lot of interchangeable parts.


BTW--we are now 7-5 in these matinee games over the past 2 years. Maybe it's easier for the visitors to hop out of their hotel than it is for our guys to get up and make it to Staples from home.

[Clemenza]

Nothing much from the starters today. I liked Mann and Zu. Lou made some buckets.

It seems like PG's a bigger influence on the team than Kawhi. Also time to figure out if Pat Bev is going to have any type of consistency health wise and move accordingly cause I can easily see him out for the playoffs. Also these games expose our weak drafting over the years. 2-3 young promising guys off the bench would help us tremendously. Just think if we didn't pass on MPJ in the draft

[Max Headrom]

I'm not really tripping on the regular season as long as the team can enter the playoffs relatively healthy. I trust this team and staff WAY more than I did the team last year. And when they're rolling, like Luke Walton said, there's nothing you can do.

[TheNewEra]

We need defense

[MartinToVaught]

I'm not really tripping on the regular season as long as the team can enter the playoffs relatively healthy. I trust this team and staff WAY more than I did the team last year. And when they're rolling, like Luke Walton said, there's nothing you can do.

I wish I could say the same. Every other team in the Western Conference playoff picture has at least one elite guard and our only answer for them on defense is a foul-prone, injury-prone Patrick Beverley, just like last year. We have too many defensive liabilities who can't play in the postseason, just like last year. Our record has been inflated by a winning streak against a bunch of lottery teams. Outside of that one streak, this has been a maddeningly inconsistent roller coaster of a team, just like last year. It's also very difficult to trust PG in the playoffs after that debacle of a series against the Mavs, no matter how good he looks in the regular season.

It shouldn't even be possible to go 51 years without so much as a conference finals appearance. You'd think we could have at least managed to fluke our way into a WCF on luck alone at some point. If anyone deserves some love from the basketball gods, it's us. Maybe this will be the year the Clippers break through, but it sure doesn't feel that way right now.

[TheNewEra]

I'm not really tripping on the regular season as long as the team can enter the playoffs relatively healthy. I trust this team and staff WAY more than I did the team last year. And when they're rolling, like Luke Walton said, there's nothing you can do.

Problem is that just like last season health is no guarantee and our weaknesses can still be exposed if things go wrong. It’s a different level of talent in the playoffs and things we get away with now can cost us or if Beverly is hurt or fouls out we can be in some trouble.

We could of loss the series to Dallas if not for KP out

[TheNewEra]

One solution could of been moving all of our wing defenders up one position to the SG and SF spots but all of these guys are older players. They won’t be able to stick with the quicker guards of the league for 48 mins

[esqtvd]

One solution could of been moving all of our wing defenders up one position to the SG and SF spots but all of these guys are older players. They won’t be able to stick with the quicker guards of the league for 48 mins

First time I remember the bench clicking--at least Lou, Zu and Senior--so Ty let it roll and invested some minutes in it.

The biggest worry is that Kennard was not part of it. He's not horrible with the starters--where he's not needed. Ty's got to pry some minutes out of him somehow because I don't even see how the FO can deal him with that contract and those knees.

[Clemenza]

Kawhi is starting to cool down. Earlier in the season it looked like he was in his San Antonio form. The past few games, he's not bullying people like before. With PG likely out for awhile, this will be a rough stretch coming up unless one of these guys steps it up in a major way.

Yep.. and If PG had the last two games Kawhi just had he would be ripped to shreds on here. A certain few would be even bringing up the trade for him and all.

[esqtvd]

it happens
long trip, 2 games in 2 1/2 days
everybody's been playing a lot of tough minutes with Bev out and now PG
and Kennard playing like ass

[madmaxmedia]

I'm not really tripping on the regular season as long as the team can enter the playoffs relatively healthy. I trust this team and staff WAY more than I did the team last year. And when they're rolling, like Luke Walton said, there's nothing you can do.

Problem is that just like last season health is no guarantee and our weaknesses can still be exposed if things go wrong. It’s a different level of talent in the playoffs and things we get away with now can cost us or if Beverly is hurt or fouls out we can be in some trouble.

We could of loss the series to Dallas if not for KP out

We know we are one of the most talented teams compared to rest of league, but certainly not the MOST talented. The question is whether our team can be more than the sum of the parts. Last year in the end, we were somehow less than the sum of the parts (which is not only coaching but roster makeup, etc.)

I think early indications have been good but also sometimes mixed. We obviously need our 2 stars to really be a threat in the playoffs, but we knew that all along. If Kawhi and PG need rest here and there that's obviously fine to keep them sound and healthy. But I think we really are hoping to see 1 or 2 good consistent stretches during the season to give us more confidence heading into the playoffs.

[esqtvd]

I'm not really tripping on the regular season as long as the team can enter the playoffs relatively healthy. I trust this team and staff WAY more than I did the team last year. And when they're rolling, like Luke Walton said, there's nothing you can do.

Problem is that just like last season health is no guarantee and our weaknesses can still be exposed if things go wrong. It’s a different level of talent in the playoffs and things we get away with now can cost us or if Beverly is hurt or fouls out we can be in some trouble.

We could of loss the series to Dallas if not for KP out

We know we are one of the most talented teams compared to rest of league, but certainly not the MOST talented. The question is whether our team can be more than the sum of the parts. Last year in the end, we were somehow less than the sum of the parts (which is not only coaching but roster makeup, etc.)

I think early indications have been good but also sometimes mixed. We obviously need our 2 stars to really be a threat in the playoffs, but we knew that all along. If Kawhi and PG need rest here and there that's obviously fine to keep them sound and healthy. But I think we really are hoping to see 1 or 2 good consistent stretches during the season to give us more confidence heading into the playoffs.

Except for the inexcusable Dallas blowout--which I think was a turning point--I've seen no quit in our losses so far. I think we [they] quit against Denver last year. But I'd like to see more grit. Even the Clippers admit they're a low-key team and as much as they talk about pace, they're last in the league. Since we'll never be a high-energy team, we'll have to make up for it with intensity and focus.

And toughness. We've got to start taking it to the hoop and getting to the line. Lou was 10-10 and Zu was 4-4 but the rest didn't move the meter. Cowboy up, boyz.