GAME 70: Clippers [47–22] v. Crooklyn [3-2 in the bubble] NOTE TIME!!! 6 PM PST

[MartinToVaught]

This team honestly deserves all the comments like this from the media:

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It's been too many embarrassing losses like this all season. We're thisclose to the playoffs and people are still making excuses like this is somehow okay.

[NippySudz]

Mann is honestly better than Shamet at this point, which is shocking.

shamet has been a disappointment all year. If he's not hitting shots(which he is not) he's being bullied as a defender because of his small size.

[NippySudz]

This team honestly deserves all the comments like this from the media:

Read on Twitter

It's been too many embarrassing losses like this all season. We're thisclose to the playoffs and people are still making excuses like this is somehow okay.

Imagine taking nick wright seriously.

[MartinToVaught]

The Nets couldn't miss that first quarter

NBA players generally aren't going to miss when you keep leaving them wide open. This whole "the other team just couldn't miss" excuse has been used for so many of our losses this year, but the truth is that our defense simply isn't anywhere near as good as advertised.

All the Clippers have to do to lock in 2nd is beat Denver.

Which isn't a foregone conclusion by any stretch of the imagination.

And whoever is at 2 is playing the Mavs, not Utah

I know. My point is that we're going to play ourselves out of a favorable matchup for us and get stuck with a tougher first-round series for no good reason.

[NippySudz]

Clippers win against a top ten player withouth their best player in the lineup - Silence

Clippers lose with their best player in the lineup but everyone else on a back to back - Chaos.

Re-freaking-lax. Mcgruder will not be getting mins. Neither will man. Trez, Pat,and PG did not play.

****, I'm glad I was away for awhile. I don't know how anyone could panic.

[Clemenza]

We gotta start playing defense from the opening tip of the game from now on. Start Mann over Reggie Jackson if you have to. Play the hungry hands.

[NippySudz]

We gotta start playing defense from the opening tip of the game from now on. Start Mann over Reggie Jackson if you have to. Play the hungry hands.

we need the full squad together on the floor before the playoffs lol

[Clemenza]

GG

I thought the first quarter is the reason we lost. The team played like crap, but kawhi kept the team in the game. Thankfully, we won't see Mcgruder, mannn much in the playoffs. So they got the mins they need.

Mann balled out and his defense was one of the reasons we got back in the game. Did you even watch the game?

[MartinToVaught]

Clippers lose with their best player in the lineup but everyone else on a back to back - Chaos.

Look at the roster the Nets had out there. How can you really justify losing to that team with Kawhi playing, with seeding on the line? We were actually trying to win this game, unlike the Blazers game, and still got embarrassed.

No disrespect, but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with the amount of excuses being made all year. I'd understand the excuses if this was year 2 of the Kawhi/PG era coming off a ring, but not right now.

[Wammy Giveaway]

Look at the roster the Nets had out there. How can you really justify losing to that team with Kawhi playing, with seeding on the line? We were actually trying to win this game, unlike the Blazers game, and still got embarrassed.

No disrespect, but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with the amount of excuses being made all year. I'd understand the excuses if this was year 2 of the Kawhi/PG era coming off a ring, but not right now.

Picture this: the Clippers end up losing the upcoming Nuggets game, dropping them back to 3rd (or 4th). No matter what happens, for some weird reason, the Clippers 1st round opponent ends up being... the Thunder. Now they're forced to face Chris Paul (the guy who made them relevant and failed on their part of the bargain), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the guy they traded Paul George for just for the right to sign Kawhi Leonard), and their past (the 2014 NBA Playoffs, after overcoming the Sterling scandal and the Dark Horse Juggernaut Warriors, only to collapse in a series-changer Game 5).

If the Clippers lose to Thunder in playoffs, and results in Paul finally winning his first title, what would be your reaction?

[NippySudz]

GG

I thought the first quarter is the reason we lost. The team played like crap, but kawhi kept the team in the game. Thankfully, we won't see Mcgruder, mannn much in the playoffs. So they got the mins they need.

Mann balled out and his defense was one of the reasons we got back in the game. Did you even watch the game?

I did watch the game. What I'm saying once the full squad is back, we won't have to rely on out of rotation players to compete in ball games.


Kawhi was the main reason we were in the game at all.

[NippySudz]

Clippers lose with their best player in the lineup but everyone else on a back to back - Chaos.

Look at the roster the Nets had out there. How can you really justify losing to that team with Kawhi playing, with seeding on the line? We were actually trying to win this game, unlike the Blazers game, and still got embarrassed.

No disrespect, but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with the amount of excuses being made all year. I'd understand the excuses if this was year 2 of the Kawhi/PG era coming off a ring, but not right now.

if you want to make a mountain out of this game, go right ahead. I'm not going to join you in that. I'm not that delusional.

if the full strength clippers lost this game and gave no effort, then I would talk.

if we don't make it to the finals, we don't make it. I'm not going to sugar coat it. But I'm not going to make this loss everything.

if doc doesn't get it done this year, then he can go. I don't have any feelings towards doc one way or the other.Not a big fan nor a big hater.

[NippySudz]

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[nickhx2]

unfortunate to lose a game but prioritizing health and readiness is the correct move. anything else eats away at the team's championship equity.

[esqtvd]

I would think resting Kawhi yesterday and PG today was an organizational--not just the coach's--decision.

The judgment has been made--we don't care about the seeding. Kawhi just said it himself in the postgame--the healthiest team will win this thing.

Hey, my biggest criticism of Doc during the Lob City years was that he ran his horses into the ground in pursuit of seeding. This year--fro the first--has been a 180.

The Denver game on Wednesday counts double. Really something to play for, more than just trying to get up for the Nets trying to create some artificial sense of urgency.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Is it even possible for the clippers to fall all the way down to the 4 seed? They own the tiebreaker against Houston in terms of head to head. I’d probably rather play Dallas than okc, mainly because they are experienced and cp3 would likely have extra incentive. However, Dallas is no walk in the park. True the clippers beat them 3 times this season, but you never know how great a superstar like Doncic might play

[esqtvd]

___________________________________________

Nets game overview, besides Kawhi scoring 39 points without even breathing hard:


---THE BIGGEST NEWS: Marcus Sr. continues to solidify. The only Clipper in the plus in plus/minus tonight [+3]. This is a BIG DEAL since he's a playoff starter slated for 30 mpg.

After a crap first game against the Lakers [Marcus was late reporting to The Bubble], in the next 5 games he's 27-46 [57%] from the field and 8-14 [57%] from distance.

Frankly, Marcus Sr filling the 4 is why we traded for him--to put in a real NBA starter in to replace the placeholder Mo Harkless is what we needed.

---Our other need was for a backup PG. In the bubble, Reggie is struggling as our starting PG, but back in the Real World thrived as the backup 1, enabling 8-time 6MOY and accomplished tittybar wing-eater Lou Williams to do his thing--leaving Reggie open to spike 3s at a 50% clip.

I'm not worried about Reggie in the playoffs once returned to the role he fits so well beside Lou.

---Zu is Zu, and even a little better I think, than before the bubble. And at age 23 he was already having a solid NBA season. In November [or even October] I pointed at Zu as one of our keys to the season. If he can earn 20 minutes a game, we're in good shape. That leaves 28 for Trezz, small lineups and now Noah.

---Sham's minutes are still questionable in the playoff rotation. But his defense is 100% committed--even if only adequate at best--and on some nights his 3-pointers can win you a game. I think the league already respects his marksmanship as much as Kyle Korver's.

You can't slough off on him--Landry is getting major-league respect. Maybe even as much as JJ Redick where the Jazz beat us only by putting Ingles on him fulltime. The only way to stop Landry Shamet is to guard him. Fine, do that--that means you can't double-team Kawhi or PG.

Sham is not bricking open looks, is my eye test. He's getting special treatment. Anybody got the stats??


---Was Jerry West right after all? He predicted Terrance Mann would get minutes with this team. Before the COVID break no, but at the press conference, somebody asked Doc, is Mann still a rookie?

I think Doc recovered well enough to say that Mann still is. But that was rhetorical media BS. The question should have been whether T-Mann might see some playoff minutes.

And I think Doc has already answered yes. With PT. If I'm winning but I need some back-of-the-bench minutes, its McGruder.

If I need to roll the dice I'm going with Mann.

[esqtvd]

Is it even possible for the clippers to fall all the way down to the 4 seed? They own the tiebreaker against Houston in terms of head to head. I’d probably rather play Dallas than okc, mainly because they are experienced and cp3 would likely have extra incentive. However, Dallas is no walk in the park. True the clippers beat them 3 times this season, but you never know how great a superstar like Doncic might play

I can't figure out what the strategy is. I think there is no strategy. Except I do think we tried our best to drop the Portland game to %%$@ up the Lakers, lol.

Everything else is a coverup.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Of the 3 teams- Dallas, okc, and Utah, Which is the toughest match up? I’m probably most concerned about Utah- even without Bogdonavic. Conley usually plays great against the clippers, ingles still has a chip on his shoulder from being cut by the clippers years ago, Mitchell is a great player, and Gobert is a great defender. I think the clippers should really try to win on Wednesday to avoid Utah

[NippySudz]

unfortunate to lose a game but prioritizing health and readiness is the correct move. anything else eats away at the team's championship equity.

People here want to overanalyze everything. You know who's playing the best basketball in the bubble? The phoneix sun's and TJ warren.

Kawhi has the right mindset.

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