the final 20 games

esqtvd · Post #61 » by **esqtvd** » Mon Mar 13, 2023 11:08 pm

madmaxmedia wrote:I think we'll have a shot in the first series, if we can stay around where we are (currently #5).

That being said, even if we were hypothetically equal to the top 4 seeds the chances of making it to say the finals is not good. 50% x 50% x 50% = 12.5%.

Our legendary depth looks like it has a chance to be deep. Might be the difference. Adding Plumlee was absolutely mandatory and EJ is turning into a glue guy for the backcourt. And Westbrook is giving PG and KL relief from having to play at the 1 and the 4 respectively, at least until later in the game.

PG in particular was getting worn out having to bring the ball up and initiate the offense. And Kawhi needs to save his energy for the 4th, so the less he has to play against PFs the better. It's still going to come down to those two, and everybody else's #1 job is to make their life easier.

ejftw · Post #62 » by **ejftw** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 12:45 am

donemilio21 wrote:Does anyone actually believe we can get out of the first round of playoffs ?
Unless we miraculously climb to the 2nd seed, we would have to play one of Denver, Memphis, Phoenix, Sacramento or Warriors in the first round. I have not seen anything this season that makes me hopeful we can beat any of these teams 4 times. Not once like we did to Grizzlies without Ja.

Outside of Denver, I'm confident we could beat any of those sides in a Best of 7.

clipperlover · Post #63 » by **clipperlover** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 3:27 am

donemilio21 wrote:Does anyone actually believe we can get out of the first round of playoffs ?
Unless we miraculously climb to the 2nd seed, we would have to play one of Denver, Memphis, Phoenix, Sacramento or Warriors in the first round. I have not seen anything this season that makes me hopeful we can beat any of these teams 4 times. Not once like we did to Grizzlies without Ja.

Bring it on.
1. Sacramento hasn't been to the playoffs in years. They have never had to face a closeout or face closing someone out
2. GS has been terrible all season on the road. They might not win 10 road games this year. They are the defending champions, but they have to beat us 4 times.
3. Memphis has a group of loose cannons and have also been very bad on the road. Morris may be of value in that series in order to get under Brook's skin.
4. Suns are the Champions on paper. Unfortunately, they game is not played on paper. They game up their defensive stopper to get Durant. We are much deeper and they will shrink under pressure with or without Durant. They made the Finals two seasons ago by getting past WC teams that suffered injuries.

There are only 2 teams I worry about in a 7 game series: Denver and Dallas.
Denver because they have the horses, the talent and this may be the year they can put it all together. Aaron Gordon adds an element that they didn't have with in the playoffs the last time we met.
Dallas because they have the Luka factor. The guy can just elevate his game to another level in the post season. Reminds me of a young MJ and LeBron. He embarrassed the Suns last season when they underestimated him.

esqtvd · Post #64 » by **esqtvd** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:01 am

clipperlover wrote:
donemilio21 wrote:Does anyone actually believe we can get out of the first round of playoffs ?
Unless we miraculously climb to the 2nd seed, we would have to play one of Denver, Memphis, Phoenix, Sacramento or Warriors in the first round. I have not seen anything this season that makes me hopeful we can beat any of these teams 4 times. Not once like we did to Grizzlies without Ja.

Bring it on.
1. Sacramento hasn't been to the playoffs in years. They have never had to face a closeout or face closing someone out
2. GS has been terrible all season on the road. They might not win 10 road games this year. They are the defending champions, but they have to beat us 4 times.
3. Memphis has a group of loose cannons and have also been very bad on the road. Morris may be of value in that series in order to get under Brook's skin.
4. Suns are the Champions on paper. Unfortunately, they game is not played on paper. They game up their defensive stopper to get Durant. We are much deeper and they will shrink under pressure with or without Durant. They made the Finals two seasons ago by getting past WC teams that suffered injuries.

There are only 2 teams I worry about in a 7 game series: Denver and Dallas.
Denver because they have the horses, the talent and this may be the year they can put it all together. Aaron Gordon adds an element that they didn't have with in the playoffs the last time we met.
Dallas because they have the Luka factor. The guy can just elevate his game to another level in the post season. Reminds me of a young MJ and LeBron. He embarrassed the Suns last season when they underestimated him.

NICE. Great job CL.

And Denver and Dallas have no depth. Like NONE. Ty has created a credible 9-man rotation out of thin air. And I'm still not counting out RoCo either. I've been following him since his Sixers days.

NickP · Post #65 » by **NickP** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 2:09 pm

But, but we don't have superstar, franchise level players. Can we win a series with role players alone?

donemilio21 · Post #66 » by **donemilio21** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 3:49 pm

NickP wrote:But, but we don't have superstar, franchise level players. Can we win a series with role players alone?

behold. Here is the classic example of The 2004 Detroit Pistons!

donemilio21 · Post #67 » by **donemilio21** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 3:55 pm

esqtvd wrote:
clipperlover wrote:
donemilio21 wrote:Does anyone actually believe we can get out of the first round of playoffs ?
Unless we miraculously climb to the 2nd seed, we would have to play one of Denver, Memphis, Phoenix, Sacramento or Warriors in the first round. I have not seen anything this season that makes me hopeful we can beat any of these teams 4 times. Not once like we did to Grizzlies without Ja.

Bring it on.
1. Sacramento hasn't been to the playoffs in years. They have never had to face a closeout or face closing someone out
2. GS has been terrible all season on the road. They might not win 10 road games this year. They are the defending champions, but they have to beat us 4 times.
3. Memphis has a group of loose cannons and have also been very bad on the road. Morris may be of value in that series in order to get under Brook's skin.
4. Suns are the Champions on paper. Unfortunately, they game is not played on paper. They game up their defensive stopper to get Durant. We are much deeper and they will shrink under pressure with or without Durant. They made the Finals two seasons ago by getting past WC teams that suffered injuries.

There are only 2 teams I worry about in a 7 game series: Denver and Dallas.
Denver because they have the horses, the talent and this may be the year they can put it all together. Aaron Gordon adds an element that they didn't have with in the playoffs the last time we met.
Dallas because they have the Luka factor. The guy can just elevate his game to another level in the post season. Reminds me of a young MJ and LeBron. He embarrassed the Suns last season when they underestimated him.

NICE. Great job CL.

And Denver and Dallas have no depth. Like NONE. Ty has created a credible 9-man rotation out of thin air. And I'm still not counting out RoCo either. I've been following him since his Sixers days.

I agree with Suns comment. Who know if KD will be healthy enough or not. While Sacramento might be inexperienced, they have shown the ability to beat the good teams, including us, and win close games in 4th quarter or OT. Warriors won it all last year, and their season is just inconsistent with injuries and perhaps fatigue from winning it last year.

We have been so incredibly inconsistent that everything that is said for the other teams is true for us. Injury concerns, stars not showing up in big games, turnover prone players, not trying hard on defense, questionable coaching calls.... I am just looking at us and all the other teams, and not willing to bet its a sure thing we can get past them in a playoff series.

The thing with Denver is that when Jokic is on the floor they really are unbeatable. Warriors beat them relatively easily in last years playoffs largely because they were able to get him into foul trouble in two of the games, which limited his minutes on the court to around 30 minutes instead of 38-40 he would have played otherwise.

madmaxmedia · Post #68 » by **madmaxmedia** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:33 pm

donemilio21 wrote:We have been so incredibly inconsistent that everything that is said for the other teams is true for us. Injury concerns, stars not showing up in big games, turnover prone players, not trying hard on defense, questionable coaching calls.... I am just looking at us and all the other teams, and not willing to bet its a sure thing we can get past them in a playoff series.

It's very much a cup half-full half-empty thing. Much of the season has been a struggle for us, and definitely below what most of us expected coming into the season. Simply put, we're not a great team and could easily lose to multiple potential opponents in a 1st round series. That being said, our upside is also higher than it was earlier in the season. Maybe not as high as we thought it would be before the season started, but IMO much better now than during the first half of the season. But again I'm talking about potential.

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if we lose in the 1st round of the playoffs, nor would it really amaze me if we made it to the WCF. There are a lot of good teams in the West but no great ones this year, everyone is dealing with issues and that's reflected in the W/L of all the playoff teams. So I believe we got a puncher's chance, and that's more than I thought we had 2-3 months ago.

clipperlover · Post #69 » by **clipperlover** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 5:43 pm

donemilio21 wrote:I agree with Suns comment. Who know if KD will be healthy enough or not. While Sacramento might be inexperienced, they have shown the ability to beat the good teams, including us, and win close games in 4th quarter or OT. Warriors won it all last year, and their season is just inconsistent with injuries and perhaps fatigue from winning it last year.

We have been so incredibly inconsistent that everything that is said for the other teams is true for us. Injury concerns, stars not showing up in big games, turnover prone players, not trying hard on defense, questionable coaching calls.... I am just looking at us and all the other teams, and not willing to bet its a sure thing we can get past them in a playoff series.

The thing with Denver is that when Jokic is on the floor they really are unbeatable. Warriors beat them relatively easily in last years playoffs largely because they were able to get him into foul trouble in two of the games, which limited his minutes on the court to around 30 minutes instead of 38-40 he would have played otherwise.

As long as we have a healthy Kawhi in the post season, then we can win the West. With Zu and Plumlee, we should have the size needed to play vs Denver.

Denver lost to the Warriors last year for two reasons:
1. Injuries
2. GS had home court advantage

Denver starting line-up changes (Warriors vs now):
Monte Morris, Jeff Green, Will Barton
vs
Jamal Murray, Caldwell-Pope, Porter Jr.

You take this Denver team vs last year's Warriors team and the Warriors aren't sailing through 4-1.

Ballings7 · Post #70 » by **Ballings7** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 1:08 am

Not too worried about Phoenix.

They have some defensive talent for sure, but two of their best defenders are not reliable or proven shooters (Craig and Okogie). And then Durant, Ayton, Paul.. Bazley I doubt plays and is very young still; but who's finishing the game with those guys and Booker, at the other forward spot? Okogie or Craig? Bazley? that seems really like a risk over a series offensively that could be a key factor to winning the series for the other team.

Booker doesn't scare me in a playoff series to this point, but may well change to be more impactful with Durant.

Clips in 6 : )

clipperlover · Post #71 » by **clipperlover** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:11 pm

Ballings7 wrote:Not too worried about Phoenix.

They have some defensive talent for sure, but two of their best defenders are not reliable or proven shooters (Craig and Okogie). And then Durant, Ayton, Paul.. Bazley I doubt plays and is very young still; but who's finishing the game with those guys and Booker, at the other forward spot? Okogie or Craig? Bazley? that seems really like a risk over a series offensively that could be a key factor to winning the series for the other team.

Booker doesn't scare me in a playoff series to this point, but may well change to be more impactful with Durant.

Clips in 6 : )

Want to see the Mavs and Suns in a playoff series again. We need more of this:

Watch on YouTube

clipperlover · Post #72 » by **clipperlover** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:44 pm

Next two games and how Lue manages the roster is going to be interesting to watch. Orlando for the Saturday matinee then to Portland for Sunday evening. Not a true back to back because there are over 24 hours between starts.

Does Kawhi sit one out? Does Lue give the bench players more burn?

We should win both, but against which team do you want your core guys to expend most of their energy? Orlando because of extra time before OKC or POR because things could come down to Conference record tie breakers?

Ballings7 · Post #73 » by **Ballings7** » Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:36 am

clipperlover wrote:
Ballings7 wrote:Not too worried about Phoenix.

They have some defensive talent for sure, but two of their best defenders are not reliable or proven shooters (Craig and Okogie). And then Durant, Ayton, Paul.. Bazley I doubt plays and is very young still; but who's finishing the game with those guys and Booker, at the other forward spot? Okogie or Craig? Bazley? that seems really like a risk over a series offensively that could be a key factor to winning the series for the other team.

Booker doesn't scare me in a playoff series to this point, but may well change to be more impactful with Durant.

Clips in 6 : )

Want to see the Mavs and Suns in a playoff series again. We need more of this:

Watch on YouTube

Oh yeah, would be a very fun series, especially with Kyrie and Durant now.

Durant/Luka
Booker/Luka
Paul/Kyrie
Durant/Kyrie

Ballings7 · Post #74 » by **Ballings7** » Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:39 am

clipperlover wrote:Next two games and how Lue manages the roster is going to be interesting to watch. Orlando for the Saturday matinee then to Portland for Sunday evening. Not a true back to back because there are over 24 hours between starts.

Does Kawhi sit one out? Does Lue give the bench players more burn?

We should win both, but against which team do you want your core guys to expend most of their energy? Orlando because of extra time before OKC or POR because things could come down to Conference record tie breakers?

I think if any load mgmt is done its against Orlando.. maximize that time-subtraction. I don't mind downplaying Orlando again because they aren't the same team as when they won, and neither are the Clips.

I think we'll see some Bones minutes against Orlando even.

clipperlover · Post #75 » by **clipperlover** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:34 am

Clips have 4 home games this week (OKC twice, NOP and Chicago).

Suns have @Lakers, @Sac and then Philly. Clips can not only make up the half game, but probably pick up two full games.

I think the Clips limited Mann's minutes this weekend against the weaker teams because he is going to log a lot of minutes vs Shai.

clipperlover · Post #76 » by **clipperlover** » Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:58 pm

Phoenix @Sac tonight and vs Philly tomorrow.

Could be up 1.5 by Sunday.

Warriors back home, so we have to keep winning.

madmaxmedia · Post #77 » by **madmaxmedia** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:01 am

2 back to backs left, wouldn't be surprised if Kawhi rest manages 1 game but plays the final back-to-back if there are significant playoff seeding implications (Phoenix April 9 to finish the season.) I'm hoping we won't need to win both to avoid the play-in at that point.

Dynamix · Post #78 » by **Dynamix** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:26 am

Just avoid the play-in and keep our winning streak against the Lakers alive. Am I asking for too much?

Bobbymcgee · Post #79 » by **Bobbymcgee** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:05 pm

Remaining schedule looks pretty rough for the Clippers.

Chicago (been playing well, 7 and 3 in their last 10, on a 2 game win streak and just demolished the Lakers)

@ Memphis x2 (9 and 1 their last 10 and on a 6 game win streak) *updated

@Pelicans (2nd game of b2b for the Clippers right after playing Memphis, Pelicans on a 4 game win streak right now, Leonard probably doesn't play, Pelicans just demolished the Clippers)

Lakers (who knows how this one goes, LeBron is back, Lakers fighting to get into playoffs, better roster now, will Russell be back?)

@Portland (Lillard will most likely be shutdown by this point, probably the easiest game for the Clippers left)

@Suns (Another b2b right after Portland, Durant is most likely back, does Leonard play? Last game of the season, where are the Clippers even at in the standings at this point)

Brutal

ejftw · Post #80 » by **ejftw** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:31 am

Think we split Memphis, beat Chicago, Lakers and Portland. The Pelican game is going to be the biggest to avoid the play-in imo

the final 20 games: how do you feel?