Season End Performance Review

We are past the point of the final quarter of the season. With 15 games remaining (and way past the All Star game), we are looking shaky... We've lost 4 out of the last 5. (Although NBA's "form" meter measures Last 10 - we are 5-5.) I have been worried that the coaching staff has let the players "play through it" a little too long. It seems from the quotes from Ty Lue he may have also fallen asleep at the wheel (re: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/tyronn-lue-questions-clippers-struggles-after-bad-loss-to-hawks-maybe-it-s-me/ar-BB1k4isb) It was also interesting to see an article analyzing the quotes from KL2 about missing Russ. I know we....

I just realized that the topic title is absolutely terrible... I just wanted to indicate that it is the last quarter of the season.

Not sure how I can edit the title, and even if I could, not sure what I would change it to.

("Late Season Performance Review"?)

Apologies and OK to change to whatever David

Good title' In the Southern Baptist Church there is something called a "Come to Jesus Moment" You look the big guy in the eye and say "I f*cked up" The big guy then tells you that he is happy you accept your transgressions and if you don't take it on your own responsibioity to fix them then you're in deep s*it"

Leonard, this is your Come to Jesus Moment" It is YOUR problem. You are the "leader" Missing Russ is BS. KL needs to have a players only meeting and give them their Come to Jesus Moment. Come totally unglued. Kobe,LBJ Draymond etc would be totally bat sh*t crazy. The players know what the problem is, There was an interviews with Wilt and Oscar Youngsters always laughed because they never dunked. A dunk was considered showboating and ANYBODY who did it was benched. Coaches had control. Now coaches have to be changed because the players don't like them. We have enough depth that we don't "Need" anybody. Time to name names. A tream's identity is the leader's identity. Elton Brand, Chris Paul,. Baron Davis

I agree. KL2 needs to dig deep and find he leadership and will his imprint on this team and team identity.

Unlike the others mentioned, KL2 can identify as a champion.

Unlike KL2, it seems the others mentioned had some factors that would help the identity of a budding championship contender.

I wish KL2 had certain traits of EB, CP, and BDiddy... but we cannot dissect. We can't pick and chose.

"You could make the case for those being the worst losses of the season for the Clippers. The Hawks had lost three in a row coming into that game and were without Trae Young. The 76ers, meanwhile, had lost two in a row and were without Joel Embiid.

Frustration would be building after losses like that and Harden just might not have been in the mood to answer some difficult questions. The Clippers are now 8-9 after the All-Star break and they have lost five of their last eight games. The only wins in that time have come against the lowly Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls.

The Clippers were the top seed in the Western Conference on Feb. 6 and they are now on the brink of not having home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. LA is fourth in the West with a 44-26 record while the New Orleans Pelicans are right behind them with a 44-27 record."

I am seeing our team IG account show pregame fun and games and smiling and laughing... then I read articles like this...

My fault for missing viewing some games, but WTF - what reality are we living in.

More importantly, how do we get back on track?!

Seems like Ty Lue has also got short fuse (from the sound of the quote)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/after-another-ugly-loss-tyronn-lue-says-clippers-gotta-wake-the-hell-up/ar-BB1kuLT4

Something tells me Ballmer is not happy and is shaking at the top! (Which is exactly what he should be doing!)

Don't jump into my sh*t and be objective. When you hear hoofbeats it's a horse not a zebra. Ergo a team that consistently plays poorly ain't a zebra, it's a horse. It's a poor team We can bury our heads in the sand but when your head is in a hole and your naked behind is in the air --- I don't need to finish.

Putting it into perspective, this is the worst team in the NBA. If this continues they will be the worst team in the history of the NBA. This is not hyperbole. We have 4 HOF players a ac championship coach and Powell and Zu yet we get blown out. If we were the Headbangers or Piatkowski I would have no complaint. I didn't go to the game, I plastered my wall. It is OK to lose when you have no talket but wheen you have this level of talent? In the past we had two 6th men of the year

Got blown out in the bubble Leonard out. PG gives a great performance. He has to hit ONE FT and misses five PG and KL out "Wait till 213 are healthy They are. They lost TWO to the Lakers. The Lakers will sweep them

Can anybody tell me why this is not a bad team? They have turned losing into an art form

Gotta agree with toohip... just because we have talent does not mean we are a good team.

We are losing games we should be winning (at least on paper). I haven't watched a lot of these games (March is a bust month for me), but not happy with the results over the last many games...

Ty Lue calling us the team 'soft'

The bleeding doesn't stop vs IND

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39811848/ty-lue-describes-clippers-identity-soft-latest-loss

Power Ranking Update (3/27):

#10. LA Clippers

2023-24 record: 44-27

Previous ranking: 8

Next games: @ PHI (Mar. 27), @ ORL (Mar. 29), @ CHA (Mar. 31), @ SAC (Apr. 2)

The Clippers' surprising slide continues in the West. Once in first place in early February, the Clippers fell to fifth on Monday night after losing for the sixth time in nine games with New Orleans owning the season tiebreaker over them. They've looked disinterested at times, and both James Harden and Paul George say the Clippers lack an identity. Head coach Ty Lue said the team's identity right now is "soft" and he challenged his leaders and team to be more invested. The Clippers' standing in the West could get worse. They hit the road for Harden's return to Philadelphia on Wednesday and then fly to Orlando, Charlotte and cross-country to Sacramento before returning home to face the Nuggets.

An interesting postgame comment:

When an NBA reporter asked Paul George how the Los Angeles Clippers could get James Harden out of his slump, the small forward didn’t mince words.

“I’m not a coach,” George said, via Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I’m not the coach. Next question.”

Power Rankings Update (4/3):

#7. LA Clippers

2023-24 record: 47-28

Previous ranking: 10

Next games: vs. DEN (Apr. 4), vs. UTA (Apr. 5), vs. CLE (Apr. 7), @ PHX (Apr. 9)

The Clippers finished a four-game trip in Sacramento without their best player and lost to snap a three-game winning streak. Kawhi Leonard went back to Los Angeles to treat right knee soreness, a new injury that popped up during Sunday's win in Charlotte, according to coach Ty Lue. The Clippers are hopeful that Leonard will return for Thursday's home matchup against Denver, but their remaining schedule is jam-packed. They play their remaining seven games in 11 days with two back-to-backs. Six of those are at home, but the Clips have been far better on the road over the past month, having dropped five straight at Crypto.com Arena in March.

Mathematically, the Clippers are guaranteed no lower than the 10th and final Play-In spot in the West. With fewer than two weeks to go, the Clippers have a three-game lead in the loss column over the New Orleans Pelicans, Kings and Suns for a top-six seed, which ensures staying out of the Play-In Tournament.

The Clippers are trying to hold off both the Suns and Kings for the franchise’s first Pacific Division title since 2014, an important accomplishment for tiebreaker purposes. The Kings’ win on Tuesday night kept the Clippers from winning that regular-season series, and LA still needs one win in its two games against the Suns next week to clinch that regular-season series. The Kings and Suns have split their season series so far. The tiebreaker is April 12 in Sacramento.

A trickier task for the Clippers is holding off the Dallas Mavericks and Pelicans, two teams leading the Southwest Division. The Clippers have a two-game lead in the loss column over the Mavericks, and a 2 1/2 game lead over the Pelicans after the Orlando Magic won in New Orleans Wednesday; the Pelicans dropped to seventh in the West entering Thursday, their lowest ranking since Feb. 9.

The Clippers only have a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mavericks, who they beat in two of the three meetings this season (and before Dallas made multiple trades to upgrade their talent). The Pelicans have beaten the Clippers in three of the four meetings and 11 of 13 times going back to March 2021.

Tight finish in the West, I think our no brainer wins have to come April 9 and 10... I know, a back-to-back.

However it is ALSO a back to back for PHX.

And it is set up favorably for us, April 9 at PHX. April 10 at home (not that we have been a great home team).

Remaining SEVEN games:

1/7 vs Nuggets on 4/4 at 7:00 PM

No KL - toss up game, but likely loss. 47-29

2/7 vs Jazz on 4/5 at 7:30 PM

Eliminated Jazz team should be a W. 48-29

3/7 vs Cavaliers on 4/7 at 12:30 PM

Cavs playing a second game off a back-to-back, should be a W. 49-29

4/7 at Suns on 4/9 at 7:00 PM

Toss up, hoping for a W. Significant game! 49-30

5/7 vs Suns on 4/10 at 7:30 PM

Toss up, hoping for a W. Significant game! 50-30

6/7 vs Jazz on 4/12 at 7:30 PM

Second game off a B2B (and... see above) - W. 51-30

7/7 vs Rockets on 4/14 at 12:30 PM

Regular season "home" finale at Staples/Crypto - gotta be a W (at this point HOU may be eliminated, interesting to track). 52-30

I anticipate a 52-30 finish to the season and narrowly avoiding the play-in. We own the tie-break with the Mavs, and we can hold off the Suns by splitting the April 9 & 10 showdown. Seems likely to hold the #4 position, but unpredictable who our first round opponents are - I reckon it is the Mavs.

All I want is a healthy team and still have hope that we can make some noise in the playoffs - which are a whole different ballgames. The past road trip is not a bad one considering that we had a 3-1 trip - the loss obviously without KL.

We have always been asking (and hoping) for health. It will be, what it will be. We've got to come to terms with it, and the players need to have the "next man up" mindset. And the roster is stacked enough where we can compete - so at the end of the day, at whatever level of health, the players (AND COACHING) controls the team's destiny.

Do I think we can win a chip with no KL2, no. Do I think we can win a series or two (especially early on), yes.

I doubt we will have a full roster for our upcoming B2Bs, but the PHX series is significant - need to (at a minimum) split.

From the NBA:

Clippers’ reset, Part II

When the Clippers went 27-5 following a rocky start to the James Harden trade, they looked like the most serious threat in the West to the defending champion Nuggets. And then, without warning or major injury, they caved, going 10-12, with bad home losses to the Hawks, Sixers and Pacers.

Can they recapture the image of a contender, or is this yet another Clipper illusion? We’ll know once they finish up a regular season stretch with two against the Suns [& Jazz] and one each with the Cavs, Nuggets and Rockets.

It’s as if the Clippers lost their identity, found it and then lost it again, all in a few months. For sure, this is their best chance to cash in since adding Paul George and Leonard. And that was five years ago.

AD and Kawhi’s ability is availability

Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard have a solid chance to make All-NBA, a testament to their superb play this season at both ends. Well, truthfully it mostly meant they were healthy enough to reach the 65-game minimum required to enjoy that honor.

Davis has already played the most games in a single season since 2017-18 when he saw 75 for the Pelicans. That also represents the most Davis ever played in a season, which he can surpass if he plays it out.

Leonard won’t play Friday against Denver, but he can still match his 74-game season in 2016-17 if he plays each game after. He needs just two games to reach 70 for the first time since he played in San Antonio.

Given the rich injury history of the two stars and the swath of games missed, this represents a victory as much as it does a relief.

I just saw a link for the expanded line of quetioning:

Apparently getting called "soft" by the coach was not appreciated by PG... not suure if it is just me or if there's a minor rift between Coach Lue and PG13

https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1775541834695266571

Sounds like it because George is responding to Ty Lue the same way Ty Lue responded to George's assessment that the Clippers were lacking an identity. But doesn't seem like a big deal.

Recap from NBA after last night:

-Nuggets hold at No. 2 after loss to Clippers, moving a half-game behind No. 1 Wolves and remain a half-game up on No. 3 Thunder

-Clippers hold at No. 4 after win over Nuggets, staying 2 games up on No. 5 Mavericks

-Mavericks clinch a top-10 seed after Rockets lose to Warriors while remaining No. 5 and taking a 1 game lead over No. 6 Suns

-Kings hold at No. 8 after loss to Knicks, 1 game back of No. 7 Pelicans and No. 6 Suns and just a half-game up on No. 9 Lakers

-Suns clinch a top-10 seed after Rockets lose to Warriors

-Pelicans clinch a top-10 seed after Rockets lose to Warriors

-Warriors hold at No. 10 after win over Rockets, extending lead over No. 11 Houston to 4 games and pulling within 1.5 games of No. 9 Lakers

-Rockets drop 4 games back of No. 10 Warriors after loss to Golden State

We must consider several things. First why did we fall apart after the All star break? They let faster teams run rings around them and ended up shooting last minute threes. They were lackluster and played with no passion. That which is the obvious is usually the truth. We beat two incredible teams without KL. There is something horribly wrong here.If he is not needed to win that means he is being used in the wrong way. As I have always said-he is a very good role player. Barkley used to talk about putting your foot on somebody's neck. Tonight we did We inposed our will. George stopped that STUPID pull up three sh*t. Thatb should tell everybody something. We did fine without harden's bail out threes. Yes PG was extra dimensional but what if he had had a number two Should Hardwn spend more time with the bench players and Russ with the starters Should we start Coffey. Mann can only shoot corner threes, Clog the paint and he has no offense. Coffey doesHe does play lock down defense. The starters have no heart.

What was Zu's three pointer? It was in the flow of the offense. If he is 30+% from threre another weapon even if they just hedge..Ty needs a re tool

After April 7 games

-Wolves regain No. 1 seed after win over Lakers; hold tiebreaker over Nuggets

-Thunder remain at No. 3 after win over Hornets; clinched at least top 4 seed

-Clippers remain at No. 4 after win over Cavaliers, sit 2 games ahead of Mavs

-Mavericks remain at No. 5 with win over Rockets, sit 2 games back of Clippers, 2 games ahead of Suns

-Suns remain at No. 6 after loss to Pelicans, holding tiebreaker for 6th seed

-Pelicans remain at No. 7 after win over Suns; Phoenix holds tiebreaker for 6th seed

-Kings climb to No. 8 with win over Nets, half-game ahead of Lakers

-Lakers drop to No. 9 after loss to Wolves, half-game behind Kings

-Warriors remain at No. 10 after win over Jazz; Golden State clinches a top-10 seed

-Rockets eliminated from Play-In contention with loss to Mavericks

Currently, there is a lot of movement for seeding in the West... Just wanted to have a moment in time snapshot:

I think we are set up nicely at #4.

If we can get by the VERY difficult Mavs, we have the potential of avoiding Nuggets (we will know more after tomorrow night!)

Also I WANT the Wolves any way, lots of smack talk to answer to.

And if it is not them, it would be in state rivals LAL or GSW.

We own the tie break with the Mavs and will own the tiebreak with PHX with a split pair vs them in the next two games. (We can also strategically drop those games? Mavs own tiebreak over PHX.)

Time will tell.

Who do you all want to see in the 1st + 2nd round? How would y'all want to see the race end - and the playoffs (and road to the Finals) start/play out?

"Not only could [the] Timberwolves-Nuggets game ultimately determine the No.1 seed in the West, it will give the teams in the bottom half of the bracket an idea where Denver will be seeded and set up a weekend of watching teams try to avoid a first-round matchup with the defending champions."

First pref - want to see a healthy Clippers.

Then I don’t care much of Mavs or PHX but preferably Mavs. If we are lucky and get into 2nd and if the seedlings fall into exactly what you said, then Minn (don’t want to face Denver due to their experience and a very good coach Malone) but truly hope and root very hard for GS or the most despised LAL.

Best case for me would be for both the Lakers and GS sent fishing. As it stands now, neither are guaranteed a spot as the winner between them has to play the loser of Pels/Kings game for the eight seed.

#2 is virtually unreachable for us.

This only happens if OKC loses out and we win out. I would bet ALL I have that situation does not play out.

It is also possible if DEN loses out, and we win out... but again I would bet ALL that I have this doesn't play out either.

I even doubt there is much wiggle room for #3, I think we are locked for #4... actually I fear for a slip to #5.

(Another reason these two games vs PHX are important - no KL for tonight's away game.)

I agree, there are some big names and huge experience in those two team... of course they are our in-state rivals.

Also weary of PHX, no matter what their record says, it is DBook and Durant.

I meant to say 2nd round.

In a perfect world, Pels or Kings place #8, beat Minny, and we get homecourt advantage.

Not that we are a great home team (our home crowd/stadium needs to ramp up)

Great read:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39911085/how-russell-westbrook-bench-role-helped-la-clippers

Power Rankings update (4/10)

#6. LA Clippers

2023-24 record: 51-28

Previous ranking: 7

Remaining games: vs. PHX (April 10), vs. UTA (April 12), vs. HOU (April 14)

After being in a malaise for a 22-game stretch in February and March, the Clippers have slowly begun to rediscover the play that had them in first place in the West back on Feb. 6. More than anything else, though, the Clippers need to get healthy entering the postseason. Kawhi Leonard has missed four straight games with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, and the Clippers' title hopes rest on his health. James Harden is dealing with inflammation in his right foot that kept him out of Tuesday's game at Phoenix. Getting those two stars healthy is the most important thing heading into the postseason, especially with Paul George and Russell Westbrook playing some of their best basketball.

-Wolves remain No. 1 with win vs. Wizards and hold tiebreaker over No. 2 Nuggets

-Nuggets stay No. 2 with win against Jazz. No. 1 Wolves hold tiebreaker and hold 1-game lead over No. 3 Thunder

-Thunder remain No. 3 with victory against Kings and stay 1 game behind No. 1 Wolves and No. 2 Nuggets

-Clippers clinch playoff spot and hold at No. 4 with win over Suns. They sit 2 games ahead of No. 5 Mavericks

-Mavericks remain No. 5 after winning vs. Hornets and clinch playoff spot with Suns’ loss to Clippers

-Pelicans climb to No. 6 with win over Blazers and sit 1 game ahead of No. 7 Suns

-Suns slip to No. 7 with loss to Clippers and trail No. 6 Pelicans by 1 game

-Kings remain No. 8 after loss to Thunder. They are 2 games behind No. 6 Pelicans and 1 game behind No. 7 Suns

-Lakers stay No. 9 after loss to Warriors and sit half-game behind No. 8 Kings

-Warriors remain No. 10 with win over Lakers and trail No. 9 Lakers by half-game

*Wednesday's Timberwolves-Nuggets game will be extremely important for the Thunder, as they have the tiebreaker over Denver but not over Minnesota.

Also a fantastic (albeit simialr) read:

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/russell-westbrook-s-new-role-transformed-the-clippers-can-it-help-them-finally-win-a-title/ar-BB1lomEV

Movement update after last night:

-Nuggets defeat Timberwolves to reclaim 1st with 1-game lead over No. 2 Wolves and No. 3 Thunder

-Timberwolves dropped into 2nd after loss to Nuggets; hold tiebreaker over Thunder

-Thunder remain in 3rd despite victory against Spurs via tiebreaker with Timberwolves

-Clippers stay at No. 4 with loss to Suns, will face Mavericks in 1st round

-Mavericks defeat Heat to clinch Southwest Division, pull within 1 game of Clippers

-Suns top Clippers, climbing within half-game of No. 6 Pelicans and pushing lead over No. 8 Kings to 1.5 games

-Lakers locked into Play-In Tournament by Suns’ victory over Clippers; currently 9th

-Warriors locked into Play-In Tournament by Suns’ victory over Clippers; currently 10th

And it happened... Nuggets climb up to #1 seed (and likely a Round II opponent). If we can get past a red hot Mavs, things get trickier. Some other movements as well PHX will land a playoff spot, or remain in the play in? (I really don't care about things on that side of the bracket... I am very nervous for round 1 & 2.)

It could end up, we play harder opponents in the early rounds vs the conference finals (again, assuming we win an advance).

Big games in the West for 6-10

We are locked: "Despite the less-than-ideal fourth seed�"a position from which only one team has clinched the NBA championship since 1969�", the Clippers benefit from knowing their opponent well in advance, allowing them to tailor their strategies effectively."

Not quite yet. We need to win one of the next two or have Dallas lose one to get the 4 seed. We are locked into Mavs though.

That is what I meant bubba - that's why I included the quote.

Not happy cause the Mavs are playing pretty great rn, and we have no clue what is happening with KL knee (again).

via ESPN

LA Clippers

What they've clinched: At least a playoff spot; Pacific Division title

The Clippers have clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference and are on the verge of a top-four spot.

The team was bounced from the first round of the playoffs last season by the Phoenix Suns. The year before, they finished ninth in the West but lost the elimination match to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Celebratory 5-5-5-5 post

What I would do to see DEN drop to 2 or 3!

from NBA

I like ESPNs version better (with %)

I am enamored with utilizing Westbrook properly and the fine line the team has to adjust to so that we can get an optimal outcome... this is a GREAT write up. I don't agree with it completely, but it is well thought out, well documented, and well opined piece. (Not to mention very well written).

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/russell-westbrook-has-found-perfect-chaotic-harmony-with-the-clippers/ar-BB1lwvcU

I do not think it is a coincidence that Westbrook came back and we got over our slump. Properly utilizing Westbrook may be a secret key we hold - the man plays with heart and there is a lot left in that engine.

More like season end panicked with the organization lacks of transparency with a Kawhi

well... it's set

We got a pretty big break, no Nuggets in Rd 2. Sets up a world where LAC and LAL can meet in Rd 2 or the Conf Finals.

Well... Lakers get into the other side of the bracket. This means the only way we see them is if we both make it to the Conference Finals.

I like our chances better than theirs.

In all seriousness, I see Denver coming out of that side (don't we all?).

Our side will be a lot more game 6 and 7 series though.

Lot's of interesting matchups though. Not sure what becomes of Wolves v Suns...

Jason Kidd gave a review of our team as defensive a defensive powerhouse... and I had to ask myself, are we that good? Our season stats don't seem to rank us that high.

I think playoff atmosphere will help us, but let's see. A slower, more physical game may boost our defensive grades (that's why JKidd wants to keep the pace high).

Haven't we gone into the playoffs with that gameplan many times and failed... it is something about playoff basketball that increases half court sets (the way it is called perhaps?)