GAME #37: TOR (15-22) @ LAC (23-13) WED 1/10—7:30 PM

[nickhx2]

really good win. i think some might think we played down to our competition but the reality of any sport is that sometimes you got it going and sometimes you don't.

but what's important about this one is that this team absolutely needs way more of these close, non-stop, bucket-trading type games in order to contend for the championship. they need to be able to figure things out when the other team is hitting all their shots and you're just trading buckets while the intensity ratchets up and the clock is ticking down - which i'd say is the expectation you'd have in high-level playoff basketball.

it's especially important for us because we have harden now, who completely changes the dimension of just about everything for us. in the past we'd have seen the team do their best to fumble and bobble the ball in to the hands of kawhi with 5 seconds left on the shot clock, just so he could throw up a prayer, and that was never going to be a sustainable way to win close games. but with harden, now all they really need are the reps together, such that guys can learn their spots, learn their roles, learn their sets and get comfortable with who's doing what, all while harden gets the ball to the right guys.

so anyway, good win in that we can use this to keep building enough overall team resilience to hopefully make the difference in the playoffs.

[The High Cyde]

Had to earn that win, damn. Very fun game to watch, wish I’d been there lol

[donemilio21]

that was a close game, didn't expect Raptors to be this competitive without Siakam. I think Quickly, Barnes, Barrett guard line up is really working for them.

[Kelphus]

Don't look now, but we're 2 games back in the Conference and 1 game out in front in Division.... and 6th best record in the league... I think the ceiling is still some distance away....

Signing Kawhi means we'll keep George. Keeping George and Kawhi means we'll probably keep Harden and Westbrook. Me likey. The supporting cast is getting better except for Powell, we now have 3 legitimate centers, am I the only guy seeing how bright things are looking for this team? We've never had such a deep AND talented team. Ever.

Larry... Oh Larry... paging Mr. O'Brien...

[Captain Ballmer]

Happy for the win, but I was expecting us attacked the Quickley-Dennis on isolations way more than this. Especially they don't have Poeltl to help at rim, Kawhi&PG13 could had massacre those small units so Darko had to bench them. This type of talent level we had should expose opponents, otherwise you are just trading buckets with their fastest guards all game.

[Dynamix]

[esqtvd]

Don't look now, but we're 2 games back in the Conference and 1 game out in front in Division.... and 6th best record in the league... I think the ceiling is still some distance away....

Signing Kawhi means we'll keep George. Keeping George and Kawhi means we'll probably keep Harden and Westbrook. Me likey. The supporting cast is getting better except for Powell, we now have 3 legitimate centers, am I the only guy seeing how bright things are looking for this team? We've never had such a deep AND talented team. Ever.

Larry... Oh Larry... paging Mr. O'Brien...

We can't let ourselves get too excited. Too many heartbreaks. This is the best and deepest team I have seen in all my years as a Clipper fan but if Kawhi does down, this whole house of cards collapses.

He is not a Duncan or Steph or Bron or Giannis or any other iron man that not only played every season, but almost every game of every season. Until Joker last year, those 4 guys won 16 out of the last 20 championships. And Kawhi won 1 of the others with the Raptors.

I'ma enjoy the ride, believe me. I deserve this. WE deserve this.

[Dynamix]

Read on Twitter

[esqtvd]

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Hint: NOT Lob City. They were never close. Blame the coach or whoever you want but you can't get blood from turnips.

In fairness to CP3 and Blake, PG mentioned that he and Kawhi are of a certain age [32-ish] and that helps. CP and Blake were 5 years apart and never really became a team.

[donemilio21]

Read on Twitter

Hint: NOT Lob City. They were never close. Blame the coach or whoever you want but you can't get blood from turnips.

In fairness to CP3 and Blake, PG mentioned that he and Kawhi are of a certain age [32-ish] and that helps. CP and Blake were 5 years apart and never really became a team.

Blake was too immature for CP3.

[clipperlover]

Don't look now, but we're 2 games back in the Conference and 1 game out in front in Division.... and 6th best record in the league... I think the ceiling is still some distance away....

Signing Kawhi means we'll keep George. Keeping George and Kawhi means we'll probably keep Harden and Westbrook. Me likey. The supporting cast is getting better except for Powell, we now have 3 legitimate centers, am I the only guy seeing how bright things are looking for this team? We've never had such a deep AND talented team. Ever.

Larry... Oh Larry... paging Mr. O'Brien...

We can't let ourselves get too excited. Too many heartbreaks. This is the best and deepest team I have seen in all my years as a Clipper fan but if Kawhi does down, this whole house of cards collapses.

He is not a Duncan or Steph or Bron or Giannis or any other iron man that not only played every season, but almost every game of every season. Until Joker last year, those 4 guys won 16 out of the last 20 championships. And Kawhi won 1 of the others with the Raptors.

I'ma enjoy the ride, believe me. I deserve this. WE deserve this.

If the Lob City team had the backup big men that this team has, they would have won. They had no quality depth behind DeAndre and that was always the problem. Having Crawford, Redick and Collison on the floor together in a playoff game highlighted this.