Game # 48 LAC @ Miami Sunday 2/4 3pm

[Wammy Giveaway]

Clippers automatically win via Lawler's Law Sub-Zero Fatality. Tyronn Lue will become eligible for All-Star Coach.

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Earlier in the season, I made a Ultimatum Checklist. Here's what we're at:

1. Go perfect against lottery teams. 16-3, with a series victory win vs. SAS
2. Win in double digits. 21 of 48 games have been double digits of at least 10 PTS or greater.
3. Get the no. 1 seed in the west. PENDING
4. Three All-Star selections. FAILED, Only Leonard and George got selected
5. Don't get hurt. FAILED, Zubac was declared out to injury
6. Don't get careless. FAILED, two bad losses to lottery team Grizzlies and Nuggets team starting former Clippers as psyche-out
7. Don't get ejected from a game. SUCCESS, Clippers are one of seven teams without an ejection

You'll notice I've put a PENDING on checkbox three. We have to wait for the Thunder and Timberwolves to lose their games. Law Murray posted this today:

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Clippers got their part of the job done, now they must let destiny decide who gets to coach. As I'm writing this, Timberwolves have a huge lead over Rockets in the 3rd quarter, and Thunder are storming back against Raptors in the final quarter. It does seem that Clippers will miss out on a first time All-Star Coach, though they may smile upon them because of their Good Samaritan Spurs composure for their ability to avoid ejections.

And if all else fails, at least there's 2026. Maybe Adam Silver just gives Clippers the All-Star Coaching Team by default because of their new arena, which was recently granted All-Star Weekend hosting duties.

[jengmann3]

A little bit concerned about PG, although I think he has contributed defensively and also has made some big time baskets. But offensively he's been really out of rhythm. Another thing I will say is he has been forced to take a lot of end of clock isolation shots. Big game from Harden. I like when he takes 12-15 shots.

[Clemenza]

Not a good game overall but we grinded it out for a win which is a good sign for a team competing for a ring. I'm thinking tomorrow might be the 3rd stringer's game as our trio needs some rest badly. Not to mention we're right back at it on Wednesday night against the Pels

[esqtvd]

Clippers automatically win via Lawler's Law Sub-Zero Fatality. Tyronn Lue will become eligible for All-Star Coach.

3. Get the no. 1 seed in the west. PENDING


Clippers got their part of the job done, now they must let destiny decide who gets to coach. As I'm writing this, Timberwolves have a huge lead over Rockets in the 3rd quarter, and Thunder are storming back against Raptors in the final quarter. It does seem that Clippers will miss out on a first time All-Star Coach, though they may smile upon them because of their Good Samaritan Spurs composure for their ability to avoid ejections.

Well, we are tied in the loss column. Best since the Harden trade. I'd say it's close enough.

[wakelaunch1]

PG cant take the ball up the court with pressure. He almost turned it over and picked up an offensive foul.

Mann can't, either. In fact it was Coffey was out there at the end against the press.

They took away Harden. Kawhi is ok at it, and Powell is good as well. We dont really have that kind of guard.

[esqtvd]

PG cant take the ball up the court with pressure. He almost turned it over and picked up an offensive foul.

Mann can't, either. In fact it was Coffey was out there at the end against the press.

They took away Harden. Kawhi is ok at it, and Powell is good as well. We dont really have that kind of guard.

Is Moon good enough? Haven't really seen him play but he's a very experienced true PG. The Clippers just showed a glaring weakness there and none of the young guys can fill it.

Last year, PG complained he didn't want to bring the ball up, which is why he helped torpedo Mann at the point and pushed to sign Russ.

[wakelaunch1]

Mann can't, either. In fact it was Coffey was out there at the end against the press.

They took away Harden. Kawhi is ok at it, and Powell is good as well. We dont really have that kind of guard.

Is Moon good enough? Haven't really seen him play but he's a very experienced true PG. The Clippers just showed a glaring weakness there and none of the G-Leaguers can fill it.

Last year, PG complained he didn't want to bring the ball up, which is why he helped torpedo Mann at the point and pushed to sign Russ.

Moon was ok against it in summer league. We didnt have another guard in summer league who was great at it either. Preston was terrible. It is a different kind of skill. Speed, handles and vision are the key.

Maybe Primo. I have never seen him play

[Roscoe Sheed]

A little bit concerned about PG, although I think he has contributed defensively and also has made some big time baskets. But offensively he's been really out of rhythm. Another thing I will say is he has been forced to take a lot of end of clock isolation shots. Big game from Harden. I like when he takes 12-15 shots.

I think PG is playing injured with that groin issue- I think it would be wise to rest him for a week or so until he feels right.

[NickP]

A little bit concerned about PG, although I think he has contributed defensively and also has made some big time baskets. But offensively he's been really out of rhythm. Another thing I will say is he has been forced to take a lot of end of clock isolation shots. Big game from Harden. I like when he takes 12-15 shots.

I think PG is playing injured with that groin issue- I think it would be wise to rest him for a week or so until he feels right.

PG was moving well. It's all in his head. There are games when he just doesn't seem to be engaged offensively.

[KingCrimzzon]

A little bit concerned about PG, although I think he has contributed defensively and also has made some big time baskets. But offensively he's been really out of rhythm. Another thing I will say is he has been forced to take a lot of end of clock isolation shots. Big game from Harden. I like when he takes 12-15 shots.

I think PG is playing injured with that groin issue- I think it would be wise to rest him for a week or so until he feels right.

PG was moving well. It's all in his head. There are games when he just doesn't seem to be engaged offensively.

I think I saw Harden admonish PG after a really bad TO around center court. I don't know what it is with this guy but he doesn't pay attention to detail. Perhaps this was what Kawhi was alluding to about execution instead of talent. He's 6'8 and 220 lbs, he should be a nightmare matchup for every 2/3 position in league. Instead he kinda plays like Carmelo Anthony and decides to play soft Instead of going North and South. Just like Carmelo sometimes he makes everything and it covers his lapses. Unfortunately, these are the things that hurt in playoff games. Not sure he's gonna change at this point. Just have to hope he doesn't blow it during critical moments

[MartinToVaught]

Not a good game overall but we grinded it out for a win which is a good sign for a team competing for a ring.

I think part of it is just that Miami is good at turning games into rock fights. They're a tough team.

[PeteyPablo]

NBA announced Chris Finch as the West All Star head coach.

[Wammy Giveaway]

George was moving well. It's all in his head. There are games when he just doesn't seem to be engaged offensively.

I think George is playing injured with that groin issue - I think it would be wise to rest him for a week or so until he feels right.

I think I saw Harden admonish George after a really bad turnover around center court. I don't know what it is with this guy but he doesn't pay attention to detail. Perhaps this was what Leonard was alluding to about execution instead of talent. He's 6'8 and 220 lbs, he should be a nightmare match-up for every 2/3 position in league. Instead he kinda plays like Carmelo Anthony and decides to play soft instead of going north and south. Just like Anthony sometimes, he makes everything and it covers his lapses. Unfortunately, these are the things that hurt in playoff games. Not sure he's gonna change at this point. Just have to hope he doesn't blow it during critical moments

Is it possible Clippers are finally seeing that George may not be the right player for this team? Could they actually end up trading him? Keep in mind, they won't do it unless he gets ejected from a game.

Ejections have been a big deal for me ever since the Doc Rivers era, where they portrayed themselves as entitled complainers, whiners and spoil sports. They accrued a high amount of technical fouls, threw out some frustration flagrant fouls, and were ejected from games for their malcontent behavior. The greatest 3-1 collapse in NBA history forced the roster to be on their best behavior. Notice that all the players Clippers traded since promoting Tyronn Lue have been those who got ejected from games: Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, Marcus Morris, Patrick Beverley (the infamous behind-the-back shove to former savior Chris Paul in Game 6 of their western conference debut, which might have served as the impetus to the secret policy). You can say this theory falls flat when it comes to Terance Mann, who did get ejected vs. Thunder last year, but is still with the team because of his career high 39-point game that saved the franchise. Then there's Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington and Luke Kennard, all three players who have never been ejected while with Clippers.

But there is precedence for ejections-to-trade ratios. I already listed Beverley, whom they would trade right after getting eliminated. The Raptors lost to the Cavaliers for the third time in the NBA Playoffs, but not before DeMar DeRozan getting tossed for a flagrant foul in Game 4 of their 2nd round match-up. It was not just a writing on the wall, it felt more like a disgrace to the franchise, and were compelled to give up their franchise cornerstone guy for someone who was more mature and focused. Toronto understood, Clippers haven't, and it may be due to Leonard's forced hand; he wanted a dynamic duo in the name of parity and fair play, and would join the Lakers unless Clippers made the heartbreaking decision to give up their future franchise cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Trading George means Thunder won the trade, so that's why they're unwilling to trade George, it's a pride thing. But if George got ejected from a game... not only do Clippers lose the trade, they'll be forced to trade him anyway as sort of punishment. This is why I saw this season as an Ultimatum: win the championship outright, or risk losing all your All-Stars to free agency and enter your new arena as a tanking team. And I think they started the right way, being a Good Samaritan Spur who played for something far more than basketball, their community. The evidence is in the ejections, or lack thereof, zero as of today.

Back to George: if they were to trade him, who would it be for? Do they end the superteam experiment and just become a dynamic duo again by collecting role players at lesser value (knowing they are a 2nd apron team); do they go for a lesser player such as a role star or Sixth Man award winner; or is there another true superstar they can go after, a commodity that is actually barren in the market right now (unless they wanna go nuts by stealing LeBron James from their Big Brother as a parting gift, which might make it easier for Chris Paul to come back since it's rumored he'll join him if Warriors elect to move on from him).

The trade deadline is this week February 8. They have three games before the deadline, the last being a Warriors match on February 7th. Unless George hits the showers in the next three games, he's staying a Clipper.

[wakelaunch1]

I think PG is playing injured with that groin issue- I think it would be wise to rest him for a week or so until he feels right.

PG was moving well. It's all in his head. There are games when he just doesn't seem to be engaged offensively.

I think I saw Harden admonish PG after a really bad TO around center court. I don't know what it is with this guy but he doesn't pay attention to detail. Perhaps this was what Kawhi was alluding to about execution instead of talent. He's 6'8 and 220 lbs, he should be a nightmare matchup for every 2/3 position in league. Instead he kinda plays like Carmelo Anthony and decides to play soft Instead of going North and South. Just like Carmelo sometimes he makes everything and it covers his lapses. Unfortunately, these are the things that hurt in playoff games. Not sure he's gonna change at this point. Just have to hope he doesn't blow it during critical moments

He generally makes the wrong decisions often in the 4th qtr. I dont think hes a max guy. I think people like Coffey/Boston/Powell give us 90 percent of what PG does. He seems to give us 1 out 5 games where he scores 30 but the rest are mediocre with a low shooting percentage. I dont think he plays great in the flow of the offense and his passes are weird and generally off target.

[NickP]

PG was moving well. It's all in his head. There are games when he just doesn't seem to be engaged offensively.

I think I saw Harden admonish PG after a really bad TO around center court. I don't know what it is with this guy but he doesn't pay attention to detail. Perhaps this was what Kawhi was alluding to about execution instead of talent. He's 6'8 and 220 lbs, he should be a nightmare matchup for every 2/3 position in league. Instead he kinda plays like Carmelo Anthony and decides to play soft Instead of going North and South. Just like Carmelo sometimes he makes everything and it covers his lapses. Unfortunately, these are the things that hurt in playoff games. Not sure he's gonna change at this point. Just have to hope he doesn't blow it during critical moments

He generally makes the wrong decisions often in the 4th qtr. I dont think hes a max guy. I think people like Coffey/Boston/Powell give us 90 percent of what PG does. He seems to give us 1 out 5 games where he scores 30 but the rest are mediocre with a low shooting percentage. I dont think he plays great in the flow of the offense and his passes are weird and generally off target.

Well said.

[Kelphus]

Another messy game, particularly in the first half. Clippers were out of sync- far too many turnovers. Some credit to Miami, who's defensive strategy reduced Clipper ball movement, but both team's shooting in first half was atrocious. Great to see Zu back, now we have three big men who can clearly contribute, Zu as expected had a bit of rust. Second half we saw Clipper basketball come back and game was mostly under control. Team has so many ways of beating you, it's a joy to watch. PG13 has had a couple weeks of lower production, but it's only been about 2 weeks since his 38 point game. Let's not pull the plug on an All-Star just yet.

[ERClips]

Another messy game, particularly in the first half. Clippers were out of sync- far too many turnovers. Some credit to Miami, who's defensive strategy reduced Clipper ball movement, but both team's shooting in first half was atrocious. Great to see Zu back, now we have three big men who can clearly contribute, Zu as expected had a bit of rust. Second half we saw Clipper basketball come back and game was mostly under control. Team has so many ways of beating you, it's a joy to watch. PG13 has had a couple weeks of lower production, but it's only been about 2 weeks since his 38 point game. Let's not pull the plug on an All-Star just yet.

Agree about PG. He is definitely the most frustrating player to watch when he’s mentally off his game but he’s an all star just the same. It’s not like we’re gonna find someone better in less than a week and change the whole dynamics of our team. Plus we’ve found ways to win even when he’s less than good. Our depth is what separates us from other teams.

Saw that Clippers interested in PJ Washington. Hope they want Tucker’s expiring next year & Bones bad enough to do it. Landing him for those two would be game over in my opinion

[clipperlover]

NBA announced Chris Finch as the West All Star head coach.

Confused me when they announced this. The Standings on ESPN, NBA.com and Pro basketball ref showed OKC above Minny. However, they split the season series and OKC has the better Division record and Minny the better Conference Record.

All of those sites still show OKC as the 1 seed currently. Apparently, the ASG tie breaker doesn't use Division. So, OKC is the current #1.

[clipperlover]

You'll notice I've put a PENDING on checkbox three. We have to wait for the Thunder and Timberwolves to lose their games. Law Murray posted this today:

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Pretty sure we posted that into one of our threads Saturday night.