ROUND 1: Clippers vs. Mavericks Preview Discussion

[TucsonClip]

not like lou williams was that guy to begin with, in the playoffs

either way reggie jackson is more than capable. but morris is probably going to have some games like that as well.

Morris is going to be relied upon on both ends of the floor, quite a bit.

I think Ibaka being able to space the floor at the 5 should be valuable, but he just doesnt look 100% right now, IMO.

[Roscoe Sheed]

not like lou williams was that guy to begin with, in the playoffs

either way reggie jackson is more than capable. but morris is probably going to have some games like that as well.

Morris is going to be relied upon on both ends of the floor, quite a bit.

I think Ibaka being able to space the floor at the 5 should be valuable, but he just doesnt look 100% right now, IMO.

I'm concerned about Ibaka's ability to move his feet with Doncic in screen and roll actions

[Roscoe Sheed]

Lue better be holding practices at noon everyday leading up to the game to prepare their bodies for the early start time

[madmaxmedia]

Lue better be holding practices at noon everyday leading up to the game to prepare their bodies for the early start time

Either that or trick their bodies by partying all night and not letting them sleep until after the game? Or maybe your idea is better...

[TrueLAfan]

It is a shame we went into this recent swoon at the end of the season, after having a really great stretch right after ASB. But after seeing Murray, Mitchell, Lebron, AD all go down with significant injuries, I am pretty happy that we are pretty healthy going into the playoffs.

I think ultimately we really sat guys to rest and not to tank, because there just wasn't much to play for with regards to seeding. Now whether we should have rested guys as much as we did, I can see the counterargument to try to go into the playoffs with better continuity and already in 2nd/3rd gear (and perhaps to get Portland in the 1st round.)

I think most of us are optimistic if not actually really confident going into the playoffs. We have a really good team, but there are a lot of really good teams. By the time 1 through 8 seedings shake out, I'm not sure any upset would completely shock me. At this point it wouldn't shock me if we lost in the first round, or made it to the Finals. I am expecting the staff to get us into better shape heading in to the first series and lead us to a 1st round win, but it's more like 65/35 than 90/10.

Agree with this pretty much 100%. I'll say it again--we weren't ready physically last year for the playoffs. We weren't ready mentally. If resting top guys an extra game or two helps us to get into that better space, I think that's a pretty sound decision. We were 4-4 in games starting between 10:00 and 1:00 this year. Small sample size. Not worrying too much about that.

I do think we’ll miss Lou’s “instant” offense. But I think we’re trading offense for defense is a big way compared to last year—not just with Lou vs. Rondo, but with Serge vs. Trezz and Batum vs. JaMychal. I think our other offensive upgrades are kind of sneaky—instead of having two primary players and two bench players that were almost singularly focused on offense, we’ve got two primary players, a 20-25 mpg (hopefully) outstanding playmaker, and 4-6 guys that can give you 10-15 pts a game on a given night. Last year, we wanted 45-50 a game out of Kawhi and PG, and then needed 35 more out of Trezz and Lou. This year, I think we’ve got the same expectations—we hope to get 45-50 out of our A and B stars, and 35 more out of three of Morris, Ibaka, Reggie, Zu, or Batum. Having a couple of more weapons to get those points is nice; the improvement on the defensive end is a help too.

Tbh, I see a lot more pessimism (“Welp, we’re already down 0-1”) on this thread than arrogance. Don’t really understand or agree with either, but that’s my take.

[NickP]

It is a shame we went into this recent swoon at the end of the season, after having a really great stretch right after ASB. But after seeing Murray, Mitchell, Lebron, AD all go down with significant injuries, I am pretty happy that we are pretty healthy going into the playoffs.

I think ultimately we really sat guys to rest and not to tank, because there just wasn't much to play for with regards to seeding. Now whether we should have rested guys as much as we did, I can see the counterargument to try to go into the playoffs with better continuity and already in 2nd/3rd gear (and perhaps to get Portland in the 1st round.)

I think most of us are optimistic if not actually really confident going into the playoffs. We have a really good team, but there are a lot of really good teams. By the time 1 through 8 seedings shake out, I'm not sure any upset would completely shock me. At this point it wouldn't shock me if we lost in the first round, or made it to the Finals. I am expecting the staff to get us into better shape heading in to the first series and lead us to a 1st round win, but it's more like 65/35 than 90/10.

Agree with this pretty much 100%.I'll say it again--we weren't ready physically last year for the playoffs. We weren't ready mentally. If resting top guys an extra game or two helps us to get into that better space, I think that's a pretty sound decision. We were 4-4 in games starting between 10:00 and 1:00 this year. Small sample size. Not worrying too much about that.

I do think we’ll miss Lou’s “instant” offense. But I think we’re trading offense for defense is a big way compared to last year—not just with Lou vs. Rondo, but with Serge vs. Trezz and Batum vs. JaMychal. I think our other offensive upgrades are kind of sneaky—instead of having two primary players and two bench players that were almost singularly focused on offense, we’ve got two primary players, a 20-25 mpg (hopefully) outstanding playmaker, and 4-6 guys that can give you 10-15 pts a game on a given night. Last year, we wanted 45-50 a game out of Kawhi and PG, and then needed 35 more out of Trexzx and Lou. This year, I think we’ve got the same expectations—we hope to get 45-50 out of our A and B stars, and 35 more out of three of Morris, Ibaka, Reggie, Zu, or Batum. Having a couple of more weapons to get those points is nice; the improvement on the defensive end is a help too.

Tbh, I see a lot more pessimism (“Welp, we’re already down 0-1”) on this thread than arrogance. Don’t really understand or agree with either, but that’s my take.

I don't want to revisit or relitigate last year's playoffs. I believe our on court personnel was misused thoroughly if we couldn't get any production out of Morris or JMyke on a consistent basis.
But that was last year and I'm not going to hold a doc grudge forever and wish him the best against everyone but us. Lue will have to figure out how to deal with a dropoff from either Kawhi or PG. He needs to be smart about point production in a slow tempo game half court playoff basketball.
Also we have Rondo who can tremendously calm things down when the time comes. Even though we lost the last 2 games I was happy to see Rondo dishing out those dimes.
There's a different vibe to this team and it starts with Lue. He pretty much told the press to FO when pressed about avoiding the Lakers.

[RingColluder]

It's not that hard to have a great message board regardless of difference of opinion- apologist, pessimist, cheerleader, whatever. What do I care if someone thinks Doc/PG/Kawhi/Amir Coffey is the best or worst in history.

Express your opinion but leave it at that. Discuss and respond to others, but ultimately let them form whatever opinion they want. If you don't like somebody else's posts then ignore their posts, put them on ignore list if they trigger you. If someone is over the top, report to mods and let them do their job. That's it.

I don't think any of the regular posters here are trolls- at all. But we're just not always doing the best job of getting along.

I totally agree. There should be way more harmony on this board regarding freedom of people's opinions without getting into disarray. It's interesting I can literally write verbatim the same post here vs. on the general board and receive upvotes and agreeance but on here it's treated with malicious and divisive attacks. You are so right. Thank you for expressing this!

[RingColluder]

Screw the media and the Lakers for how we finished the season. This same media screamed out at the top of their lungs that the Lakers won free agency by a landslide and upgraded at every position but when Bron & AD went down they dropped faster than the stock market. Now its the Clipps fault and they're bringing it up more than the matchup the Lakers face against Golden State tonight. WTF is that all about?

And where is this Clipper arrogance at? Who's arrogant after our sh*tty paper bag wearing history, the Sterling incident, the 3-1 choke to Houston, and most recently the 3-1 bubble disaster choke job eight months ago? Every Clipper post season is pins & needles status.

Ummmmm you have not been reading some of the posts here after it was established we were playing the Mavericks, but carry on.. There was plenty of arrogance.

[playaloc916]

I'm really curious to see who steps up as the Clippers' 3rd scorer in the absence of Lou Will. I know you guys needed to move on from him, but having someone other than PG and Kawhi who can go get a bucket is a big deal in the playoffs.

I'm guessing Reggie Jackson will try to be that guy.

For us that "Lou Will" the scoring machine hasn't been seen since 2020 pre covid before the league shut down. It certainly wasn't there in the bubble nor this season before we traded him. This is no slander on Lou Will btw. Now its a committee with Morris leading the way and Reggie, Batum, Rondo, Cousins, Ibaka, Zu, Mann, and Kennard helping out.

Agreed - there is no clear cut 3rd guy. I'd say the closest to the 3rd guy would be Morris. He's one of the best 3pt shooters in the league, and does have some big scoring nights. Reggie also has his fair share of good shooting nights as well. I actually like this, since it's not like after the 3rd guy, you struggle to find points. Each of these guys have held bigger scoring roles at one point in time, so as long as they stay ready, someone will give us buckets.

[RingColluder]

I don't remember the exact details, but by the last game where we pulled everyone it no longer mattered whether we won or lost. The game before was a bad loss to the Rockets, but it was the 2nd night of a back to back so we rest PG and Kawhi RIGHT before the playoffs- not a bad choice considering how Western stars have been dropping like flies this year. And all along, the Lakers were unlikely to get the #6 spot anyway. If anybody had an actual decision whether to tank or not to avoid the Lakers, it was Denver in their last game against Portland.

I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill here. 3rd or 4th seed is essentially the same, 1st round home series and 2nd round on the road. Now if it were up to me, we'd have tried harder to beat OKC and get Portland in the 1st round, but that's a totally different conversation. At the end of the day, we're pretty healthy heading into the playoffs and that feels pretty good.

If the Lakers make it to the 2nd round or WCF healthy, then yes they will be a formidable opponent. But right now I feel it's like a 50/50 chance Lebron or AD will go down with another injury again, if not they will still need a series to get rolling again IMO.

I just don't feel like we're in the right headspace or have the continuity or chemistry to feel confident going into the playoffs. Part of that is injuries, but a large part of that is bc some certain players just have looked worse the closer we get to the playoffs. And we all obviously know who that is.

The seeding and everything is irrelevant to me, it's just the message it sends. And I agree, I'd love to have seen Portland in comparison to Dallas in round 1.

I still feel we had the best odds of facing the Lakers in round 1 BEFORE everyone is healthy, but you may be right - if LBJ goes down or AD in the playoffs and then we face them, that will give us better odds a well. My biggest concern still remains the Suns, but the ideal scenario is them facing the Lakers round 1 and we get rid of a ginormous threat.

It is a shame we went into this recent swoon at the end of the season, after having a really great stretch right after ASB. But after seeing Murray, Mitchell, Lebron, AD all go down with significant injuries, I am pretty happy that we are pretty healthy going into the playoffs.

I think ultimately we really sat guys to rest and not to tank, because there just wasn't much to play for with regards to seeding. Now whether we should have rested guys as much as we did, I can see the counterargument to try to go into the playoffs with better continuity and already in 2nd/3rd gear (and perhaps to get Portland in the 1st round.)

I think most of us are optimistic if not actually really confident going into the playoffs. We have a really good team, but there are a lot of really good teams. By the time 1 through 8 seedings shake out, I'm not sure any upset would completely shock me. At this point it wouldn't shock me if we lost in the first round, or made it to the Finals. I am expecting the staff to get us into better shape heading in to the first series and lead us to a 1st round win, but it's more like 65/35 than 90/10.

Agreed. Ever since that disastrous Pelicans game the team has looked totally out of sorts. I called it, but it just became a pattern of "Well this next game is more important" (loss).. "Well the seeding didn't matter anyway" (loss, tank the game..) "Well we're ready anyway for the playoffs, we're only playing the Mavs"


Yep, and we disagree on the rest/tank vs. continuity. Same issues we ran into last season, only in my opinion bc of injuries and Ty Lue's plan to avoid the Lakers we are in worse shape chemistry wise. Maybe not on a player to player level of agreeability, but just in terms of our lineups and comfort playing with each other.

WE have the most talent and depth, what we don't have is chemistry. And in the playoffs when the going gets tough and let's say we are down 2-1 THAT'S what matters most. And seeing how the team flat out gave up by like game 6, it's a troubling lingering problem.

And yes, it wouldn't surprise me if we lost in round 1. It wouldn't surprise me if we made it to the WCF. But we're a team of total high highs and low lows, hopefully Rondo's voice can lead us far enough

[wco81]

Clippers shot the highest percentage as a team since the 73-win Warriors.

Will that shooting percentage hold up in the playoffs?

[Quake Griffin]

I just don't feel like we're in the right headspace or have the continuity or chemistry to feel confident going into the playoffs. Part of that is injuries, but a large part of that is bc some certain players just have looked worse the closer we get to the playoffs. And we all obviously know who that is.

The seeding and everything is irrelevant to me, it's just the message it sends. And I agree, I'd love to have seen Portland in comparison to Dallas in round 1.

I still feel we had the best odds of facing the Lakers in round 1 BEFORE everyone is healthy, but you may be right - if LBJ goes down or AD in the playoffs and then we face them, that will give us better odds a well. My biggest concern still remains the Suns, but the ideal scenario is them facing the Lakers round 1 and we get rid of a ginormous threat.

It is a shame we went into this recent swoon at the end of the season, after having a really great stretch right after ASB. But after seeing Murray, Mitchell, Lebron, AD all go down with significant injuries, I am pretty happy that we are pretty healthy going into the playoffs.

I think ultimately we really sat guys to rest and not to tank, because there just wasn't much to play for with regards to seeding. Now whether we should have rested guys as much as we did, I can see the counterargument to try to go into the playoffs with better continuity and already in 2nd/3rd gear (and perhaps to get Portland in the 1st round.)

I think most of us are optimistic if not actually really confident going into the playoffs. We have a really good team, but there are a lot of really good teams. By the time 1 through 8 seedings shake out, I'm not sure any upset would completely shock me. At this point it wouldn't shock me if we lost in the first round, or made it to the Finals. I am expecting the staff to get us into better shape heading in to the first series and lead us to a 1st round win, but it's more like 65/35 than 90/10.

Agreed. Ever since that disastrous Pelicans game the team has looked totally out of sorts. I called it, but it just became a pattern of "Well this next game is more important" (loss).. "Well the seeding didn't matter anyway" (loss, tank the game..) "Well we're ready anyway for the playoffs, we're only playing the Mavs"


Yep, and we disagree on the rest/tank vs. continuity. Same issues we ran into last season, only in my opinion bc of injuries and Ty Lue's plan to avoid the Lakers we are in worse shape chemistry wise. Maybe not on a player to player level of agreeability, but just in terms of our lineups and comfort playing with each other.

WE have the most talent and depth, what we don't have is chemistry. And in the playoffs when the going gets tough and let's say we are down 2-1 THAT'S what matters most. And seeing how the team flat out gave up by like game 6, it's a troubling lingering problem.

And yes, it wouldn't surprise me if we lost in round 1. It wouldn't surprise me if we made it to the WCF. But we're a team of total high highs and low lows, hopefully Rondo's voice can lead us far enough

It's the fatal flaw of the Kawhi era.

No game is as important to this team as "the next game".
Very annoying.

Team is truly the opposite of everything the 2018-2019 team was in order to "attract" Kawhi.

[RingColluder]

It is a shame we went into this recent swoon at the end of the season, after having a really great stretch right after ASB. But after seeing Murray, Mitchell, Lebron, AD all go down with significant injuries, I am pretty happy that we are pretty healthy going into the playoffs.

I think ultimately we really sat guys to rest and not to tank, because there just wasn't much to play for with regards to seeding. Now whether we should have rested guys as much as we did, I can see the counterargument to try to go into the playoffs with better continuity and already in 2nd/3rd gear (and perhaps to get Portland in the 1st round.)

I think most of us are optimistic if not actually really confident going into the playoffs. We have a really good team, but there are a lot of really good teams. By the time 1 through 8 seedings shake out, I'm not sure any upset would completely shock me. At this point it wouldn't shock me if we lost in the first round, or made it to the Finals. I am expecting the staff to get us into better shape heading in to the first series and lead us to a 1st round win, but it's more like 65/35 than 90/10.

Agreed. Ever since that disastrous Pelicans game the team has looked totally out of sorts. I called it, but it just became a pattern of "Well this next game is more important" (loss).. "Well the seeding didn't matter anyway" (loss, tank the game..) "Well we're ready anyway for the playoffs, we're only playing the Mavs"


Yep, and we disagree on the rest/tank vs. continuity. Same issues we ran into last season, only in my opinion bc of injuries and Ty Lue's plan to avoid the Lakers we are in worse shape chemistry wise. Maybe not on a player to player level of agreeability, but just in terms of our lineups and comfort playing with each other.

WE have the most talent and depth, what we don't have is chemistry. And in the playoffs when the going gets tough and let's say we are down 2-1 THAT'S what matters most. And seeing how the team flat out gave up by like game 6, it's a troubling lingering problem.

And yes, it wouldn't surprise me if we lost in round 1. It wouldn't surprise me if we made it to the WCF. But we're a team of total high highs and low lows, hopefully Rondo's voice can lead us far enough

It's the fatal flaw of the Kawhi era.

No game is as important to this team as "the next game".
Very annoying.

Team is truly the opposite of everything the 2018-2019 team was in order to "attract" Kawhi.

Hmm interesting theory. Imo its more the arrogance of team "leader" Paul George (who continued to deny it wasn't a championship year last year despite Lou Will saying otherwise and PG's behavior and actions throughout all last season) and in some ways Beverly as well. The difference with Kawhi is that he's DONE IT twice already including on a team he just got thrown onto. last minute.

But I do understand their perspective considering Kawhi still can bolt after this year so he still needs to be taken care of.

[Clemenza]

Agreed. Ever since that disastrous Pelicans game the team has looked totally out of sorts. I called it, but it just became a pattern of "Well this next game is more important" (loss).. "Well the seeding didn't matter anyway" (loss, tank the game..) "Well we're ready anyway for the playoffs, we're only playing the Mavs"


Yep, and we disagree on the rest/tank vs. continuity. Same issues we ran into last season, only in my opinion bc of injuries and Ty Lue's plan to avoid the Lakers we are in worse shape chemistry wise. Maybe not on a player to player level of agreeability, but just in terms of our lineups and comfort playing with each other.

WE have the most talent and depth, what we don't have is chemistry. And in the playoffs when the going gets tough and let's say we are down 2-1 THAT'S what matters most. And seeing how the team flat out gave up by like game 6, it's a troubling lingering problem.

And yes, it wouldn't surprise me if we lost in round 1. It wouldn't surprise me if we made it to the WCF. But we're a team of total high highs and low lows, hopefully Rondo's voice can lead us far enough

It's the fatal flaw of the Kawhi era.

No game is as important to this team as "the next game".
Very annoying.

Team is truly the opposite of everything the 2018-2019 team was in order to "attract" Kawhi.

Hmm interesting theory. Imo its more the arrogance of team "leader" Paul George (who continued to deny it wasn't a championship year last year despite Lou Will saying otherwise and PG's behavior and actions throughout all last season) and in some ways Beverly as well. The difference with Kawhi is that he's DONE IT twice already including on a team he just got thrown onto. last minute.

But I do understand their perspective considering Kawhi still can bolt after this year so he still needs to be taken care of.

Look at this here.. any player mentioned is the green light to que up a anti-PG post. Even upped his PG thread to remind us of how he played in the bubble just to scream down on anybody that wants to see him play well and see the Clippers advance. Why is this allowed in here? We need to get Kwame Brown in here to check some of these people just like he's doing Stephen A, Matt Barnes, Steve Jax, etc... cause this is basically what he's standing up to which is the media and personalities tearing players down for the hell of it. Look at what we have going into the playoffs here- People wanting to tear players down and speak bad games and performances into existence and reality like spells or incantations just so they can be right and crap on Clipper fans who actually believe in the team and wish the players well and want to see wins. Seriously? This is what it has come down to? Why is this allowed in here for reals.. All bs aside!

[RingColluder]

It's the fatal flaw of the Kawhi era.

No game is as important to this team as "the next game".
Very annoying.

Team is truly the opposite of everything the 2018-2019 team was in order to "attract" Kawhi.

Hmm interesting theory. Imo its more the arrogance of team "leader" Paul George (who continued to deny it wasn't a championship year last year despite Lou Will saying otherwise and PG's behavior and actions throughout all last season) and in some ways Beverly as well. The difference with Kawhi is that he's DONE IT twice already including on a team he just got thrown onto. last minute.

But I do understand their perspective considering Kawhi still can bolt after this year so he still needs to be taken care of.

Look at this here.. any player mentioned is the green light to que up a anti-PG post. Even upped his PG thread to remind us of how he played in the bubble just to scream down on anybody that wants to see him play well and see the Clippers advance. Why is this allowed in here? We need to get Kwame Brown in here to check some of these people just like he's doing Stephen A, Matt Barnes, Steve Jax, etc... cause this is basically what he's standing up to which is the media and personalities tearing players down for the hell of it. Look at what we have going into the playoffs here- People wanting to tear players down and speak bad games and performances into existence and reality like spells or incantations just so they can be right and crap on Clipper fans who actually believe in the team and wish the players well and want to see wins. Seriously? This is what it has come down to? Why is this allowed in here for reals.. All bs aside!

This is a conversation between me and Quake Griffin regarding the flaws in the Clippers culture. Notice how you didn't even mention my criticism of Beverly which I've also mentioned numerous times or the nuances of Kawhi's leverage in this situation? Edited by mod--Nope. Backseat modding. Don't play the victim here. You're making your points; people can disagree with them politely. And, again, there is the Paul George thread rather than repeating things here over and over.

[Clemenza]

Hmm interesting theory. Imo its more the arrogance of team "leader" Paul George (who continued to deny it wasn't a championship year last year despite Lou Will saying otherwise and PG's behavior and actions throughout all last season) and in some ways Beverly as well. The difference with Kawhi is that he's DONE IT twice already including on a team he just got thrown onto. last minute.

But I do understand their perspective considering Kawhi still can bolt after this year so he still needs to be taken care of.

Look at this here.. any player mentioned is the green light to que up a anti-PG post. Even upped his PG thread to remind us of how he played in the bubble just to scream down on anybody that wants to see him play well and see the Clippers advance. Why is this allowed in here? We need to get Kwame Brown in here to check some of these people just like he's doing Stephen A, Matt Barnes, Steve Jax, etc... cause this is basically what he's standing up to which is the media and personalities tearing players down for the hell of it. Look at what we have going into the playoffs here- People wanting to tear players down and speak bad games and performances into existence and reality like spells or incantations just so they can be right and crap on Clipper fans who actually believe in the team and wish the players well and want to see wins. Seriously? This is what it has come down to? Why is this allowed in here for reals.. All bs aside!

This is a conversation between me and Quake Griffin regarding the flaws in the Clippers culture. Notice how you didn't even mention my criticism of Beverly which I've also mentioned numerous times or the nuances of Kawhi's leverage in this situation?

Nah I'm not guilty of non of that sh*t you mentioned. I'm just talking about wishing upon bad games for certain players on the team Edited by mod--Don't make it personal. which unfortunately equates to a loss or even worse an early playoff exit for the team. Too much bad energy being directed at certain players. We need good energy and good vibes around here going into this post season. I posted up facts with no name calling or breaking the rules. GOOD ENERGY!!

[RingColluder]

Look at this here.. any player mentioned is the green light to que up a anti-PG post. Even upped his PG thread to remind us of how he played in the bubble just to scream down on anybody that wants to see him play well and see the Clippers advance. Why is this allowed in here? We need to get Kwame Brown in here to check some of these people just like he's doing Stephen A, Matt Barnes, Steve Jax, etc... cause this is basically what he's standing up to which is the media and personalities tearing players down for the hell of it. Look at what we have going into the playoffs here- People wanting to tear players down and speak bad games and performances into existence and reality like spells or incantations just so they can be right and crap on Clipper fans who actually believe in the team and wish the players well and want to see wins. Seriously? This is what it has come down to? Why is this allowed in here for reals.. All bs aside!

This is a conversation between me and Quake Griffin regarding the flaws in the Clippers culture. Notice how you didn't even mention my criticism of Beverly which I've also mentioned numerous times or the nuances of Kawhi's leverage in this situation? Stop attempting to backseat moderate and derailing the thread Clemenza on outside issues you have of me that have NOTHING to do with the conversation that does not concern you. This is exactly what the 2-3 posters in the previous page were talking about. ENOUGH.

Nah I'm not guilty of non of that sh*t you mentioned. I'm just talking about wishing upon bad games for certain players on the team just so you can be right at the end of the day which unfortunately equates to a loss or even worse an early playoff exit for the team. Too much bad energy being directed at certain players. We need good energy and good vibes around here going into this post season. I posted up facts with no name calling or breaking the rules. GOOD ENERGY!!

Edited by mod--Let's try a little harder for politeness.

Wishing upon bad? I'm talking about the culture of the Clippers and the issues that arose last year that appear to still be unsolved. Nowhere in that quote is me wishing bad on any player especially for this Mavs series. I've said many times here the playoffs are a clean start and I want nothing more than to be wrong about Playoff P. But I'm not going to be delusional either given how poorly we finished the season. And if we are supposed to have" good vibes" and "good energy" that should reflect in the posters as well instead of some of the "boy" toxic/racist and derogatory attacks thrown my way lately. It was already discussed on the last page about the history of this forum before I even got here, but there's no point in rehashing it as TrueLa fan said. It's done.

Let's just drop it and we'll all have a very good sense of our ceiling after game 1's EARLY game. Edited by mod--Nobody's ranting or creating a monologue.


Back to the Lakers game

[RingColluder]

Well I'll be damned! Ty Lue's tanking worked out perfectly.

I'm actually remarkably more optimistic about a path to a championship seeing our path is the mavs, jazz, lakers.

We don't have to play both the Suns and Lakers if we somehow make it to the WCF and that series is going to be exhausting.

Playing the Mavs and probably the Jazz (if we win) is the easiest path for us for 2 rounds without a doubt.

Now we just have to take care of business but the path is VERY well set for us.

and the Lakers are still incredible. We are the ONLY team who can beat them (I like the Suns chances as well), but when AD is 1-9 LeBron is like 1-7 and Dennis is like 0-8 and they are only down 1, something is seriously wrong and scary with the team.


And this makes me even MORE grateful Kawhi decided to go tot he Clippers than join that stacked Lakers team with AD and LeBron and would have already had an easy 3rd ring by now. He took the better path.

[TrueLAfan]

One of the things I’m seeing a lot of in the last day or two are coaches and players saying the team is healthy and “ready”—not just compared to last year, but in general—saying it in the Times, the Register, SI, etc. There’s been enough of it from enough people that I actually sorta kinda believe it—mainly because it eliminates excuses the team could make for potential issues. If we’re physically ready and ready between the ears (as Kawhi and Lue put it), then let’s get the series going. (Zu and PG even talk about the “dreaded” early first game; maybe they’re reading the comments here. ).

Time to play ball!

[RingColluder]

One of the things I’m seeing a lot of in the last day or two are coaches and players saying the team is healthy and “ready”—not just compared to last year, but in general—saying it in the Times, the Register, SI, etc. There’s been enough of it from enough people that I actually sorta kinda believe it—mainly because it eliminates excuses the team could make for potential issues. If we’re physically ready and ready between the ears (as Kawhi and Lue put it), then let’s get the series going. (Zu and PG even talk about the “dreaded” early first game; maybe they’re reading the comments here. ).

Time to play ball!

What are they supposed to say? I remember a lot of similar quotes last year and tons of arrogance heading into the playoff bubble (Trailblazers anyone?). I don't believe it TILL WE SEE IT, anything else is false hope.

And if they were reading our posts they would know who the best people are to be our point guards