I still like the Clips odds to win the series

[Vae Victus]

I think Lue has zeroed in adjustment wise on what his players can and cant do. The experimentation in the 1st 2 games has yielded data on what certain players can provide in a pinch. Like Boogie for short bursts, whether Rondo can go all out and give 1 or 2 vintage Playoff Rondo games, Kennard as 2nd option, etc etc.

Obviously losing Kawhi is a massive blow, but i dont think it's a totally crippling one. The team has played plenty of load managed games without him and thus are used to playing without him. There's enough talent and options on the team to throw at Utah that can get 2 more victories out of 3 tries. Utah doesnt have as many tools in their box as long as Conley is out and there's no way he's gonna play in Game 5 in what should be a "gimme" win. Clips HAVE to steal Game 5 before Conley is deployed. Then it comes down to whether the Clips can get lucky 1 out of 2 tries, against a full strength desperate Utah.

PG13 needs to play like a legit superstar
Kennard needs to live up to his potential and shoot lights out, while also doing alot of secondary playmaking
RJax needs to keep playing with confidence and keep up his magical streak
Morris needs to earn his money and step up as 2nd option
PatBev needs to keep defending like the last 2 games AND hit his open 3s
Batum needs to hit his shots and make the right play with no sloppiness every time down the court
Mann is gonna get 25+ mins and need to max out his intensity
Zubac is gonna get 25+ mins and needs to go balls to the wall hard every second he's on the floor
Rondo needs to reach deep and pull some magic out of his ass
Boogie needs to go hard and play smart and not overdo it 1v1 against Gobert

Oh and of course, we need the refs to not screw us over like they did in Games 1/2. If the refs decide we're not allowed to do ****, eh, then the team isnt talented enough to overcome that level of home cooking.

I currently peg Clippers chances to win at 30%, which considering the situation, isnt that bad.

[nickhx2]

yeah they're not out of it. i mean what are you gonna do, just give up the ghost and go home?

if paul george can go supernova and mann can step up his play, the team has a good chance.

we do need reggie to be good reggie, though. might need playoff rondo as well.

[TucsonClip]

For whatever reason, I still feel good about tonight's game. The problem is we are going to need more from the bench and especially Morris in combination with PG.

It's going to be difficult to win tonight on the road, but this game is all about the defense. They have to come out buzzing like there were on Monday in the first half. They need that for 48 minutes.

I think it's possible, but it's a lot to ask when you have to expand the rotation.

[Quake Griffin]

Hope you’re right.

[TucsonClip]

Hope you’re right.

Defense came to play and Reggie stepped up late.

[clipperlover]

When evaluating a young player, the playoffs really tell you if you have a keeper. I remember how Phoenix was so excited about Q Richardson back in the day until he was small in the playoffs. Then they moved him.

Terrance Mann proved he is a keeper. He still is too timid at times, but that "Mann" sized dunk on Gobert was the right time and place. He is a key part of this future. He will be a starter next year. He is the right personality to fit in with Kawhi and PG and will be another great 2 way player. His tight D on Mitchell and Clarkson has made it much harder for those two. Love the kid.

[nickhx2]

i feel like mann's not just showing who he is, but he is also figuring things out and getting better as the playoffs progress. these two series have provided him a critical avenue for growth and i sure hope we get to see him in the next round.

[Vae Victus]

Ok, so it looks like the team did most of what they needed to get the win

PG13 needs to play like a legit superstar - check
Kennard needs to live up to his potential and shoot lights out, while also doing alot of secondary playmaking - nowhere close, which gives hope that he can go supernova in game 6 to help clinch
RJax needs to keep playing with confidence and keep up his magical streak - check
Morris needs to earn his money and step up as 2nd option - check
PatBev needs to keep defending like the last 2 games AND hit his open 3s - mostly check
Batum needs to hit his shots and make the right play with no sloppiness every time down the court - check
Mann is gonna get 25+ mins and need to max out his intensity - check
Zubac is gonna get 25+ mins and needs to go balls to the wall hard every second he's on the floor - barely saw the floor, but he will get more floor time if Utah decides to pound it into Gobert and we cant stop him
Rondo needs to reach deep and pull some magic out of his ass - DNP, looking unlikely to play this series tbh, his D is pretty crap, and shooting is non-existant. We need shooters more than playmakers who cant shoot/finish
Boogie needs to go hard and play smart and not overdo it 1v1 against Gobert - likely an emergency option if Zubac/Morris get into foul trouble, i would like to see him get one more crack at Gobert in limited <12mins.

Overall team defense became super inspired in the 2nd half, causing Utah to start mass bricking.

We need to make this a war of attrition, instead of a shoot out. DMitch is gimpy, Conley is a massive unknown with his hammy. If Conley played like Harden did in game 5 of the BRK/MIL series, we're gonna murder them. Overall talent of the Clippers is still higher and the more we make em work, our bench pieces (Kennard, Mann, Zubac, Boogie, Rondo) are able to pitch in more than theirs.

[Clemenza]

This is our game 7 tomorrow. I think we play well in this game 6 and Ty Lue will be all over this game with his tweaks and adjustments. Mitchell should get his although it looks like he's starting to slow down a bit- his ankle I guess. I don't really see their role players shooting lights out like they did in the first half of game 5. Keep playing that switching defense which seems to be working also they haven't countered our small ball. But we'll see. I believe in this team and Lue. Lets make history tomorrow night!

[50CalClips]

Reaching the Conference Finals would be something.

Random thought: Who would I be happy for (if at all)...?
Lou Will
Tobias, Doc Rivers
Chris Paul
Blake, DeAndre (hadn't real thought about how these two were getting along in New York on the same team).

[clipperlover]

Reaching the Conference Finals would be something.

Random thought: Who would I be happy for (if at all)...?
Lou Will
Tobias, Doc Rivers
Chris Paul
Blake, DeAndre (hadn't real thought about how these two were getting along in New York on the same team).

I am very happy for Lou. We made a trade that benefited both parties. Ballmer didn't just dump Lou anywhere. Lou went to a team that was in line for the playoffs and needed what he provided. We needed Rondo's leadership. Even if Rondo isn't on the court, he is someone Kawhi and PG will listen to because he has won rings. Lou was a fine teammate, but couldn't hold Kawhi/PG accountable. Rondo has no problem with it.

Lou getting traded opened up more opportunities for Mann. Mann has been a large part of our success in the playoffs. Lou would not be helpful to us in this series and wouldn't have helped much vs the Mavs. Lou was big yesterday for ATL because he provided them what they needed: scoring momentum from a big deficit

[nickhx2]

i'm happy for lou, also. i didn't really want to see him go, but he kinda had to go for this team's benefit.

so when it's to atlanta specifically, and he's having big games and success there, you just can't help but appreciate that.

[MartinToVaught]

The trade rejuvenated Lou. There's no way he'd be doing this if he was still here.

The real issue with the Rondo trade is that we gave up draft picks and cash too. Lou should have been more than enough for a return. Our front office loves getting fleeced in trades.

I was never crazy about the idea of bringing in Rondo anyway. I always knew he'd become too washed to be Playoff Rondo anymore as soon as he got to the Clippers. I would have rather traded for a younger player who can defend, like Frank Ntilikina.

[clipperlover]

The trade rejuvenated Lou. There's no way he'd be doing this if he was still here.

The real issue with the Rondo trade is that we gave up draft picks and cash too. Lou should have been more than enough for a return. Our front office loves getting fleeced in trades.

I was never crazy about the idea of bringing in Rondo anyway. I always knew he'd become too washed to be Playoff Rondo anymore as soon as he got to the Clippers. I would have rather traded for a younger player who can defend, like Frank Ntilikina.

We have been over this. Those picks mean NOTHING. Ballmer can buy them right back. Fretting about losing a 2nd round pick for a kid that is in 6th grade right now does not mean we really gave up anything. We will be playing in the new stadium long before that pick hits. You think Ballmer is worried about some 2nd round pick a couple years after that?

[esqtvd]

We have been over this. Those picks mean NOTHING. Ballmer can buy them right back. Fretting about losing a 2nd round pick for a kid that is in 6th grade right now does not mean we really gave up anything. We will be playing in the new stadium long before that pick hits. You think Ballmer is worried about some 2nd round pick a couple years after that?

Spoiler:

Don't waste your breath on the loser contingent. We have a series to win!!

Fretting about losing a 2nd round pick for a kid that is in 6th grade

Warning for personal attacks

[NippySudz]

The trade rejuvenated Lou. There's no way he'd be doing this if he was still here.

The real issue with the Rondo trade is that we gave up draft picks and cash too. Lou should have been more than enough for a return. Our front office loves getting fleeced in trades.

I was never crazy about the idea of bringing in Rondo anyway. I always knew he'd become too washed to be Playoff Rondo anymore as soon as he got to the Clippers. I would have rather traded for a younger player who can defend, like Frank Ntilikina.

Super bad take. It's what he did his whole entire career as a clipper. Lou has had big games before. Let's not diminish him. The only problem Lou had was Lou was taking shots away from Kawhi and Paul George. Frankly, going by the eye test last year(I don't know what the numbers were) he's more reliable than Marcus Morris has been that year , but his style of play is not conducive to winning a championship.

He's not a bad player. Rondo is good. don't overreact I still remember people saying pat bev should be traded at the end of the season and in the first round of the playoffs and I kept saying, Utah is a pat bev series, and what happened? Utah is a pat bev series! Rondo will be more suitable in the next round or even the finals if we were to get to that.

[NippySudz]

The trade rejuvenated Lou. There's no way he'd be doing this if he was still here.

The real issue with the Rondo trade is that we gave up draft picks and cash too. Lou should have been more than enough for a return. Our front office loves getting fleeced in trades.

I was never crazy about the idea of bringing in Rondo anyway. I always knew he'd become too washed to be Playoff Rondo anymore as soon as he got to the Clippers. I would have rather traded for a younger player who can defend, like Frank Ntilikina.

We have been over this. Those picks mean NOTHING. Ballmer can buy them right back. Fretting about losing a 2nd round pick for a kid that is in 6th grade right now does not mean we really gave up anything. We will be playing in the new stadium long before that pick hits. You think Ballmer is worried about some 2nd round pick a couple years after that?

couldn't agree more. If clippers are who they think they are, this is like the lakers complaining about training a pick while being reoccuring contenders. You think the lakers are even thinking about their picks? No.

If you're a top team, the picks are going to yield low results. Mann being a second round draft pick he was anomaly, so is jokic. Even then so, you could trade for low quality draft picks and find the diamonds in the rough.

I think IN MTVs head, it works like oh, x team gives a draft pick to y team. Y team turns x draft pick in Luka Doncic, which means The X team could have had doncic if they didn't trade the pick.

I don't think its as simple as that. If x team is a contender, the pick would have yielded lower quality.

[MartinToVaught]

The trade rejuvenated Lou. There's no way he'd be doing this if he was still here.

The real issue with the Rondo trade is that we gave up draft picks and cash too. Lou should have been more than enough for a return. Our front office loves getting fleeced in trades.

I was never crazy about the idea of bringing in Rondo anyway. I always knew he'd become too washed to be Playoff Rondo anymore as soon as he got to the Clippers. I would have rather traded for a younger player who can defend, like Frank Ntilikina.

Super bad take. It's what he did his whole entire career as a clipper. Lou has had big games before. Let's not diminish him. The only problem Lou had was Lou was taking shots away from Kawhi and Paul George. Frankly, going by the eye test last year(I don't know what the numbers were) he's more reliable than Marcus Morris has been that year , but his style of play is not conducive to winning a championship.

He's not a bad player. Rondo is good. don't overreact I still remember people saying pat bev should be traded at the end of the season and in the first round of the playoffs and I kept saying, Utah is a pat bev series, and what happened? Utah is a pat bev series! Rondo will be more suitable in the next round or even the finals if we were to get to that.

I'm talking about this year, not Lou's whole career in general. The whole reason he even got traded is because he was looking washed for us this year. He got a second wind by being traded to Atlanta, and good for him.

[esqtvd]

I still remember people saying pat bev should be traded at the end of the season and in the first round of the playoffs and I kept saying, Utah is a pat bev series, and what happened? Utah is a pat bev series! Rondo will be more suitable in the next round or even the finals if we were to get to that.

Pretty much every Clipper from last year has been slimed except Kawhi and Mann. Oh and last year's darling Zu.

[TucsonClip]

Again, the reason why we gave up picks for Rondo is because we can use him to aggregate salary, if needed, either at the draft, free agency or the trade deadline next year. That was not the case with Lou without re-signing him, which then leaves him trade eligible at the deadline, because nobody is going to hard cap themselves in a sign and trade for Lou.