Get your fall. It's time to react LA Clippers Basketball. This is Clippers Talk all the chat, reaction and analysis hosted by Adam Moslin. You know he's feeling good. Take the show with you anywhere you are and get the podcast. I'm the iHeart Radio are and now your host. He makes everything happen. Adam Mosley, the Clippers blazed their path to victory against the Trail Blazers, and Kawhi Leonard reminds everyone to wear their mask. Welcome in to
Clippers Talk. I'm at Am Maslin eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number or get to me at follow Adam a on Twitter. Coming up, we'll have Bill Horrenda on NBA Expert. He'll join the show. We'll get to your phone calls. You'll hear from head coach sharnlu and Kawhi Leonard, who was the star of the contest in his return, missed the last two games with
that facial laceration. That that's why he was wearing the Hannibal Lecter mask out there. Don't know what his Uh, well, I'm not going to get into some of the Hannibal Elector lines because I'll get in trouble here. I know that movie's rated. Kwi Leonard not PG thirteen also can go rated R. He had twenty eight points on seventeen shots and went three of five from distance. The one shot that has eluded him a little bit at times has been his outside shot, even going back to last season. But he was
seven of eight from the free throw line. And the difference in the ballgame to me was after the Clippers were up by nineteen in the first half, Kawai took control of the game in the third quarter, where he had ten points in the first four minutes of the period. He would finish with sixteen of its twenty eight and the third quarter pedal to the medal, and it
was also Paul George. He had eight points in the third. The two one three connection really closed this game out early they were up by as many as thirty because they combined for twenty four of the Clippers thirty one points in that third quarter. But once again, the ball movement was just impeccable. It was just beautiful to watch, and we talked about it postgame a little bit with Noah Eagle. But for a team that people talked about having chemistry
issues all of last season and then after what happened in the bubble. Well, one way to build that chemistry is to have better ball movement, to share the basketball because it gets everybody involved. It also keeps guys in rhythm, and it helps them. I think it's human nature. If you're more involved on offense, you're going to give better effort on defense. But specifically, I think it's kept guys in rhythm from three, and it's got them
more open shots. They win eighteen of thirty eight after having sixteen made three pointers just yesterday. But eighteen for thirty eight isn't even as good as they were because in that first half when the Clippers had a big I believe it was a twenty one point lead, they were fourteen of twenty one from three in the first half to start things off. So they only hit four more
three pointers in the second half, and it didn't matter. They have a multitude of ways to beat you, and a lot of guys that are contributing right now and looking like they've been playing in tehront Lu's offense for years.
It's unbelievable what he's been able to get so far at a Reggie Jackson, who I didn't talk about enough yesterday, had a really good ball game, had eleven points yesterday, has eleven points in twenty two minutes again tonight against Portland Axon Jackson four of six from the field, but two or four from
distance. He's such a good spot up shooter, and when he's playing the analytics game, when it's a catch and shoot game from him, and then he's also getting to the basket and he had a beautiful reverse layup that you have to see to believe. I believe it turned into an and one as well. But he's just one of many guys that's making a big difference and playing within the offense and getting his while getting other involved. And when the
ball movement is like this, it just makes things so much easier. And you've seen it all season long, and I've told you this stat, but they're passing the ball on average forty more times per game. That is a huge difference for an offense that is a different identity than what we saw last
year. And it starts with Kawhi Leonard and PG thirteen. You're superstars who have taken it upon themselves to make sure to get the others, as Shaq would say, the role players three through eleven, players that are out there right now on the roster getting on court time. Well, Kawhi Leonard I believe this is the second time this season, but Kawhi Leonard and PG thirteen led them an assists tonight. They both had seven. Kawhi Leonard I think
had six of those in the first half. That's the most assists he's had in any half in his career. We saw this transformation last season from him out of necessity because they don't have that tradition, no point guard. They're obviously making up for it right now, but collectively, but he averaged almost
five assists per game last season. Kawhi Leonard and PG thirteen, and we've talked about this a little bit too, but Tehron lou is running a lot of different stuff offensively, a lot more motion out there, a lot more activity. But also because he played under Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers, you're seeing a little bit of that triangle offense. You have Kawhi Leonard in the MJ position, you have Paul George and the Scottie Pippin position,
who was a really good facilitator and PG thirteen. While he is lethal and he is one of the best scorers in the league, he is making that adjustment to also being a really good playmaker. Playmaker p out there. He finished with twenty three points. He was second in scoring for them, and again had those seven assists and was ultra efficient, going four of nine from the outside eight of fifteen from the field. It just looks so effortless when
he has it going. He looks like a six nine Steph Curry at times on nights like tonight, when it's that level of volume of three pointers, and then also the efficiency he is taking and making a lot of three pointers over the last few years off the bench. By the way, Lou Williams follows up his twenty point performance yesterday against the Timberwolves with a fifteen point performance. Again, he shot the ball well seven of thirteen, was a plus
ten, led the bench in the plus minus category. And there's just so many guys sparking the ball club. That's obviously how you get out to thirty point leads. But they come in waves. It's like the second rocket ignition on a shuttle. The first one hits and then the second one takes them even further. And that's the way the Clippers are playing because guys are igniting this offense over and over again, and when they're coming in waves like that,
I mean you're at their mercy. This offense is too good. Sir Gebaka said this before about a week ago, that offense is gonna come easy for them. Defense is what they need to work on, and they've been much better in that area too. They only had six blocks compared to ten last night, but their rim defense was elite. They were well. They had multiple rim deterrence where midway through the third quarter the Portland Trailblazers only had
ten points in the paint. They weren't able to get in there because you have two guys in Serge Ibaka and a Visa Zubots now coming off the bench that not only clogged the paint. They're not just big bodies. They're good athletes and they redirect shots even when they're not blocking them. They're making guys hesitate. They're making the Portland Trailblazers have nineteen turnovers in the ballgame, when
the Clippers only had eleven after just thirteen last night. So they even improved in that area, and they are eleven and oh over the last year and a half. Now, going back to the last season, when they have thirty or more assists in a ball game, and of their forty seven shots, thirty were assisted. That's over sixty percent of their maid shots being assisted.
We just didn't see this as much last season. This is a different offense and everybody is getting involved, and I think, I think for more al I think in the locker room, I think for guys still learning how to play with one another, it's a lot easier when you're getting involved on offense. Luke Kennard, while he had his best game last night with fifteen points, he still looked a little bit hesitant at times. Had a nice jumper late in this one. Had five points on two of five shooting,
but only took five shots. But there's so much firepower on this Clippers team. We'll get more into the defense later and Serge Ibaka and a Visa zoobots. But coming up, we'll take a quick break. We'll come back. You'll hear from head coach toron lou The Clippers win by twenty three. Again, this is not a best of Clippers talk from last night they did it
again, this time against the Portland Trailblazers. They're four and one on the season, and the offense is humming and the masked Kawhi Leonard, it's Hannibal Lecter, it's the mask, it's zero I don't know, whatever you want to call it. It was the mouth part of it. It really looked like Hannibal Lecter and iron Man, as Noah Ego brought up during the broadcast
as well, Clippers win one twenty eight to one zero five. In Kawai's return, you're listening to a M five to seventy LA Sports and the Clippers radio network levels upper boom inside the letter there he erased it at the rim by never had a chance. This is LA Clippers basketball on the official home
of your LA Clippers mother. I'm all right wing with a mount batch you at corner, but two on the Newyor side and back a letter baseline drive gets to the rim, preverse layup, goes down, bust the foul, whooping hard for the man in the mask as he goes to the we throw
a line for one more. You know, Kauhi can't say, no one cared who I was till I put on the mask like Baine because he is a two times final MVP, but it was just so good to see him out there, and he stood out even more because of what he was wearing. But it was really his game that spoke most for him with the twenty eight points to lead the Clippers to a twenty three point victory. I'm back to back nights. Kawhi letter not in the game or not playing last night,
but that was the way to do it. Twenty eight points, by the way, in just thirty minutes. These Clippers, their offense has been off the charts when it comes to efficiency so far, but they were the second best offense in the regular season last year, so I guess they can take one more spot. They can be even more historic if they take over what the Dallas Mavericks did, which was set the old time offensive efficiency record
last season. Maybe the Clippers can do that. With the amount of passing we're seeing from them, it just makes the game so much easier, and so does the defense that we've seen from them. A Visa Zubats, for the first time in his career, has back to back games where he has three blocks in each game. Just seven points, but he only had to play fifteen minutes. Him coming off the bench has really been a revelation and it's something people didn't see coming initially. But this is what Tehron Lou does.
He's a mad scientists. He's a step ahead. He's playing that chess master three thousand out there. He is one of the best strategists in the game today. If you listen to other head coach talk about him and how in a seven game series he will attack your weaknesses over and over again and make you pay for them and exploit every weakness that you have. That's great coaching, and we've already seen in early this season, and I think the
last two games have proved what happened on Sunday was an aberration. I think the rest of the NBA has proved them losing by fifty one is a fluky thing that has happened because of a shortened preseason where they played about half as many games as usual, and then a training camp that has been in about a quarter of the time as it normally would be. You're seeing wonky scores
all over the place. And to epitomize that or I guess the best example of that would be what happened yesterday with Milwaukee in Miami taking on the Heat. They win by forty seven against a good Heat team. The Heat come back tonight and they win by fifteen against Milwaukee. It's just there have been a lot of uneven wonky wacky scores out there so far in the NBA. But the Clippers in their four wins, they have at least been up by
twenty at one time. In their four wins. They've looked dominant at times. It's still early in the season. It's a process, it's a journey. You don't get too high, you don't get too low. But I like what we're seeing from the Clippers, and I like to see a twenty three point win again, this time against the Portland Trailblazers. Were speaking of defense. Damian Lillard, Dame Dolla could not buy a buck. It went three of fourteen, and he has struggled against the Clippers going back to last
season. Now, in that ballgame where you referenced earlier with Noah Eagle, Damian Lillard was blocked in the fourth quarter late by Patrick Beverley. But I believe he didn't even score in the fourth quarter of that one. When it was Dame time. It was a close game, and it was Kawhi Leonard who I think had eighteen points in the fourth quarter to close out that contest. Kawhi is just on another level and he had sixteen points early in the
third quarter for the Clippers to really put this game away. They were up by as many as thirty all right. Speaking of the head coach, Tron Lu and the wonders he has done so far with his offense and also how they're looking defensively. Here was Tahron Lu postgame. Congrats on the win. This is your third game of thirty assists in the season. You've only had five so far. What is that attributed to? What's the under tie system?
Well, we're just playing playing really good basketball, playing trusting basketball. Everybody is on a string. We know we have a lot of guys that are capable, and we're just playing with trust and playing freely. So you gotta give a lot of credit to to Lou in his system. What's been the biggest difference for you starting to season out? You know, shooting very well, they making very well. No difference to me. I don't know. I like to think I've been doing it so, but it's been fun.
I'm I'm glad we'll it's a great start. Guys are playing hard, were locked in, so it's been great. Hey Lou, congrats on a big w you guys. Through three quarters, you guys had a better shooting percentage from three point range than it was over sixty percent. Did you feel that in the game and kind of what would you attribute that to? Obviously not head coach Ron Leo, but this is the underground goat, Sweet Lou Williams post game. Actually, I didn't, you know, I didn't even
realize we were shooting the ball. Well, I thought we were defending, we were communicating, we were talking, we were down, we were engaged in the game and just prepared to play on both ends of the floor. So I really wasn't the pinpoint one thing. But you know, when the balls moving around like that, it's contagious and good things happen. He Lou, you guys really kind of slowed down Damian Lillard offensively tonight outside of him going to the line. What were you guys able to do that was so
successful with him? And did any of that banter stuff from the bubble between Dame and you guys at that factor in tonight at all. No, I literally wouldn't mention one time. You know, that's everything in the bubble is the past. We like to forget about the whole experience, to be honest with you. So no, it didn't go into it. But you know, we know he's a high level guy. He needs a lot of attention from from from our from our team, and you know, we have a
lot of guys that's prepared to take that challenge. And I thought we did a great job tonight. Hey were happy early New Year's thank you. Just one know, Ty had mentioned that every a couple of days he's been running practices where you, Kawhi and PG are the primary playmaker. Is that something that you think has been helping you or do you think it's just been kind of the same for you this year. I think in the long run, it's going to be important for us to get a lot of rips on the
floor together. Usually in practice, you know, you got a black team, you got a white team. The start us make practice with the starters. In the second groups practice with the second group, but a lot of times we would finish the game in the fourth quarter with kind of a mix of the groups, and so he's done a good job of putting us in a position where we know where we're gonna be at certain points of the game, and so that's been beneficial for us. There were sweet Lou Williams post
game after the Clippers beat the Blazers by twenty three points. Lou Williams, it's not just his scoring, and he had fifteen points and he had twenty points last night, but it's the chemistry he's been building with the bigs and setting guys up. And I believe he had a couple of nice passes also to Nicholas Battoon, who one of them turned into an intentional foul, the
other turned into an easy jam. Don't forget Lou Williams has led this team and assists the last couple of years eight six, six, ninety seven, two five seventy Joshua in Mammoth Lakes. Joshua a Mammoth victory for the Clippers in this one, what'd you think? I thought it was great. But let's get serious now, because we know that the Clippers are gonna be in the championship and we have to start sitting these guys before it's too late.
We need Kawhi on the bench. We need PG on the bench. We've invested way too much into Luke Kennard and we got young budding stars like parents Man coming red hot off the bench. Joshua, Joshua, hold on a second. You already want guys to start sitting. It's game five of the regular season. The playoffs start in June. We can't have any risks man. We've been through too much. I've been watching Whipper games Man since they were trotting out Elton Brann and Corey mcgetti. We've gone far too far now
to have something like what happened in the bubble. We need Kawai on the bench, we need PG on the bench. Just start the subs and we can make it to the playoffs. We'll bring these guys in when it comes into crunch time, but we need Luke Knard red hot when playoffs start. We need a Reggie Jackson looking like he did on the Oklahoma City sunder. And I mean these guys ready to go because we know PG and Kawai will be out under a game the second the playoffs start. Joshua, thank you
for the phone call. Interesting strategy. Start the subs and then if the game's close, then maybe bring in Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Look, the two on three connection was out from I think the eight minute mark on in the fourth quarter. There wasn't really any risk of injury and a lopsided affair or what in some people would say is garbage time or when the game got away from the Portland Trailblazers. Kawhi Leonard wasn't out there in the last
minute. I think they were both well managed when it came to minutes. Neither played more than thirty in the ball game. But I appreciate your passion. Joshua, become a regular here on Clippers Talk. You go back to the two thousand and six team that took on the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Coming up, you will hear from the head coach Ron lou But my friend Bill horrenda basketball expert, he will join the show and we'll get back to your phone calls. Jeff Tagus, hold on, this is Clipper
Stock. I'm out of Moslin and you're listening to AM five to seventy l A Sports. You're Los Angeles Clippers start the season off four and one, they win one twenty eight to one oh five at Staples Center over the Portland Trailblazers. Coming up, we'll get back to your phone calls eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy
Also get to me at follow Adam Ay on Twitter. We had some reaction to our last call Joshua and Mammoth, who had an interesting theory, which is just don't play the starters at all unless it's a close game late. Don't start them. They aren't even starters anymore. But all opinions are welcome here on Clippers Talk, including from this man, Bill Horrenda, my friend from the nine to one six. He's an NBA contributor. Follow him on Twitter at Bill A t R E n d A. Bill, thanks for
coming on Clippers Talk absolutely, Adam, my pleasure. Thanks for having me, Bill. I know you followed this Clippers team closely the last couple of seasons. What's the biggest difference you've seen with their style of play now under a head coach Toron lou Well. I think he certainly wants to play faster. He wants to put players in a position that they're comfortable with, and
I think sharing the basketball has been evident, Adam. And this is all without sacrificing anything on the defensive end, which we saw a great defense tonight containing McCollum to a degree and certainly containing Lillard. So to me, when you look at thirty two assists versus Minnesota and you come up again tonight with thirty assists versus Portland, thirty two versus Denver, you are moving the ball side to side, and there is a very magnanimous nature with this Clippers team.
And that also to me speaks to the chemistry and the accountability good in the short term for the Clippers, and this is something that should be sustainable throughout the season and into the playoffs. They've been very generous sharing the basketball, as you say, their bill and something else we weren't sure about early in the season, but Serge Ibacca, when he was announced as a starter, it made some people raise an eyebrow. They thought of Visa Zubots without
Montrez Harold. He's finally going to start and get a lot more minutes under a head coach Tehron Lou But just talk to or speak to how good Serge Abaca has been throughout his entire career and how good he's looked seamlessly now fitting in with this Clippers roster. Yeah, he is a professional, as everyone around the league knows when you look at Lawrence Frank. The two goals stated objectives during the offseason improved the playoff rotation with a range shooting five and also
a rim deterrent. And you have that in Abaka. He spaces the floor. As we know in the NBA you are guarded as much as your range is and he has three point range that opens up passing lanes. He's a proven winner. Of course, he did it big time with Kauai and Toronto. And you know, also the second stated goal was increasing playmaking and they believe they've achieved that with the tomb at Kennard. But again, you know, part of the scenario in the league is that when you are a big
and you know how to win, you know how to prepare. This really fits seamlessly with tylu right. He talks about pace, yes, playing faster, but also preparation, accountability, communication, execution. That's Abaca personified. The Clippers win one twenty eight to one oh five over the Portland Trail Blazers. My guest here on Clippers Talk is Bill Horrenda. Bill Paul George. He took a lot of flak after how last season ended. He came into
this year and he really took ownership of what happened inside the bubble. But to me, this Clippers team, their ceiling is somewhat about what he is able to do on the biggest stage. He raises their ceiling and to me makes them one of the contenders and maybe the team to beat. How do you see Paul George's season going? Because he's off to this hot start and as the Clippers are in this revenge mode. So is he really to prove
himself this year? But no question about it. And you know, I think what you're seeing is even after the Dallas debacle on Sunday, he owned it like you alluded to and recognize that, you know, this is an admiration. After that game, I kind of felt like, you know, Hub Brown, there were three or four games in the NBA preseason, you just turn the page, you move on to the next one, but without forgetting that you must maintain your professionalism and get the job done. So even
from his words and also his deeds on the floor. He has been terrific and I think we cannot forget the advantage to being healthy, even though we had a condensed off season of course due to this pandemic scenario, but to be healthy in training camp both he and Kawhi to set the foundation that certainly
will pay dividends down the road. And I think you know, the NBA in a lot of ways, Wolves nowt to ACBC accountability, chemistry, balance and consistency, and that's really what George has to deliver and what the Clippers collectively have to do is deliver it consistently over the season. I'd be very optimistic there is a very good Foreign one start for the Clippers. Answering a number of questions early on under Ty Low, it's been a very solid start.
Yeah, I'd add another a in there for adjustments because so we've seen a lot of that so far with head coach Ron Lewis, some adjustments we didn't see last season. He is Bill Horrenda. Follow him on Twitter at b I L L H E R E N d A. Bill. Thanks for doing this tonight. We'll have you on Clippers stock again hopefully sometime next week in the New Year, and happy New Year, my friend. Happy New Year to you, Noah and the entire Clipper nation banks Adam eight six
six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number. We'll take a quick break. Zach's on top of things. It's that commercial with Kyler Murray anticipating everything that Tim Tebow is about to say. That's been Zach tonight, his first time on the board, running at all, like he's got eight arms like an octopus. Coming up next, Yes, we'll get to Jeff and Tarzana and tagious. Clippers win by twenty three over the Portland Trailblazers.
They're four and one on the season and Kawhi Leonard is back back. You're listening to Clippers stock here on Am five seventy l A Sports every time I fell in the building. Everybody up and they stay there. The Clippers are six verse seven from downtown and lead at twenty five sixteen four and a half to play first quarter. The Clippers sit the State Will Center to log on the near side cars. He over on Lillard George, No look fat letter,
kitchen shoot left wing three. Oh it's bottom it's GOHI Leonard, welcome to the three boy party. Welcome to the party, pal, Yeah, it's a Christmas movie. Kawhi Leonard goes three to five from distance. The Clippers go eighteen of thirty eight from three. They're shooting I want to say forty five percent from three as a team so far this season, just five games, but it was good to see Kawhi Leonard return. Just his third game so far in this young season. He had twenty eight points. He
led the Clippers in scoring. He had a move I believe it was at the start of the third quarter where he had Robert Covington in a bad place in a phone booth, but Kawai had lost his dribble. He used his pivot to get around one of the better defenders in the league for a little underhand flip layup. It was impressive. He is as skilled as they get. He also had a block immediately to start off this contest, like he saw his teammates get ten blocks yesterday and said, I want to be a
part of that block party. Plus Kawai at three steals, he fills it up. He does it all. He's a two way player. Eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is the phone number. You're listening to clipper Stock. I'm at a Moslin. Let's go to Dan, Dan the Man and Diamond Bar. Dan. What's up? You're on Clipperstock. I just like the sound perspective that your guest gaze. What was his How do you spell his last name? Bill Horrenda? And it is ATR E
N d A. Yeah, okay. As far as commenting, I was surprised that I thought the clips are gonna be over their head and I didn't know that Clay was going to play, and so I thought, I don't know what kind of game is it's going to be. And ye know what's kind of the opposite of what what I accept it, but seeing the ball move and seeing the defense because it was non existent in the Dallas games. But is there any further discussion of still bringing in a point guards for general
to help the team? Well, behind the scenes, who knows this front office? Dan works in stealth. But when you see them, you have another thirty assists game. I mean they're doing it by committee right now, as a collective, collective group, and in some ways that makes you a lot tougher to guard when you don't have that traditional set the table point guard, the guy you know, if you slow him down, you slow down the offense. If you don't have someone like that out there, you have
to guard everyone when they're willing passer. I think they've been really impressive in that respect so far. But to be honest with me, going to the season and not having that key component, did you still feel like are we missing something? Are we going to be okay? Well? Picking up Luke
Kennard filled a little bit of that void. And I appreciate the phone call Dan because he is a really good playmaker and he was actually running point with the Detroit Pistons during their two week training camp that they had for all the teams that didn't get into the bubble. And he's still a young player, and he's going to be with the Clippers, well at least for four more years. You got that extension before the season started. I like the way
this team is playing with the amount of ball movement. It's very different than what we saw speaking of traditional point guards with CP three during the Lob City era. But again, they're making over forty more passes per game than they did last season, and it's the superstars leading them. Kawhi Leonard said before the year started, we played too much isole ball last year. We gotta
change that. I want to play the best brand of basketball I've ever played in my career, and so far, when that many guys are getting involved offensively, you just don't know where the attack is coming from. And you're seeing these scoring outbursts from the Clippers, but it's as a team. Nobody had more than twenty eight points in this game. Nobody had more than twenty points yesterday, but seven guys were in double figures. That's a different style
of basketball, and I'm enjoying it so far. Tagus in Walnut tags what's up, hey, Adam? And in speaking about the traditional point guard, I was I think Tarron Lewis had that early on before the fields started, that he was introducing up just a few triangle sets for Kauai, and I think once they build that chemistry and run the offensive sets that he wants to introduce more of this triangle. What's interesting by the triangle is when the Bulls
won their six championships, they never had a traditional point card. Nope. And the Lakers Kobe, I'm sorry, same with the Lakers were on the same yeah, and That's what I was about to say that with the Lakers Shack and Kobe, they never had a traditional point guard either, So I'm
not sure right now. I think it's still too early to tell. But as the season goes on and they run more sets, they'll be interesting to see, you know, how well they play under the triangle offense, and it might hey, it might just eliminate the need of that point card. But that's why it's so important to get Marcus Morris back. Let him run with the starters, build that chemistry. Let the Toom go back to the bench and play with the bench. And once you build that chemistry, you'll
see kind of management. We'll see where they are as far as if they
need that traditional point Tay, just thank you for the phone call. There are sixty seven more games left in the regular season, and no Eagle brought up an interesting point earlier regarding Marcus Morris that would if, because of how well Nicholas Batoum has fit in with their other four guys in the starting five, that Marcus Morris actually comes off the bench and provides that punch, because he'll be featured more if he's coming off the bench in the same way that
Aviza Zubots has been and Marcus Morris last season before he came over from the New York Knicks, and he lit up the Clippers in a game, and I think that he was showing off a little bit, but he was averaging over twenty points per game while shooting about forty three percent from three. He is very capable of being a two or a one on a team. He's used to that, so I could see that moving forward as well. But I trust in the head coach Sharon lou with whatever move he has made so
far, everything has worked out exactly as planned. Outside of one game on Sunday, jeff In Tarzana, don't bring up that game on Sunday to close out clipperstock now I going to do. That's the end of the year. Adam. You don't be better than that. Adam, didn't I tell you that Kawai would come with a face mask? I believe you did. You said he was going to go with the Casey Jones hockey mask though, and I was looking forward to that. But you don't what I don't understand.
If they put a mask on him last for the night, why didn't they use the mask on him. You know last night. I mean, it's one more day to heal, and they wonder, Okay, they won that game last night, Jeff, Well, you know the way they're playing and they're shooting. Uh. You know that Sunday was just something that just happened, you know. I mean when you look at at the NBA, look at Miami. They get killed by the box yesterday and then they come back
and win today. We don't we don't know what's gonna happen. And the fact is, if you look at the Eastern Conference. I was looking at this today, Adam. You know, the West is always supposed to be tougher, but the East is what like one game under five hundred or something going into the day. We don't know which conference is actually tough for this year. For the first time and maybe twenty years, it could be true.
Jeff. I still think the Crane rises to the top, and it will be in the Western Conference. But the East is more stacked than it's ever been, especially if James Harden gets traded there. But they have five teams that are certainly loaded, and the Brooklyn Nets, to me, are an instant contender along with the Lakers and Clippers. Those are the top three teams to me talent wise and also where I think they're going as the season goes along, as long as Brooklyn stays healthy, and that is a concern
with both Kyrie and KD. Before we get out of here, Kawhi Leonard coming off the facial laceration, led them and scoring with twenty eight points, had sixteen of those in the third quarter. And here he was postgame on Fox Sports Prime Ticket with I believe Jamie Mazio Kawai, thank you for joining me. Six assists for you in the first half. You finished with twenty
eight points. Great to see. If back out on the floor with your teammates, I wanted to ask you just how you were feeling throughout the game and if you had any discomfort because of the injury. I mean definitely, you know, wearing a mask with something new on the floor and you know, you know, my teammate's got me gone. We shared at the ball, we made shots, and we built the lead early. Yeah, you got the lead early and it was a significant lead. Kauai and you guys
really never took your foot off the gas pedal. What was the key in maintaining that intensity? Our defense, sharing a ball. You know, when we're getting stopped for sharing a ball, everybody has energy. Everybody says like being involved and you know, playing basketball and having fun. And you know that's what we did. Yeah, sharing the ball. You guys had thirty assists tonight. The team has talked about establishing a defensive mindset. Damian Lillard
got the majority of his points tonight at the line. He was just three of fourteen from the field. What did you guys to basically make him ineffective from the field shooting? Uh? We just you know, he's a great player. He could shoot from anywhere on the floor. We took we put two guys on him and it's picking rolls and you know, try to make
him pass the ball. He missed some easy ones as well tonight. But as long as we give him a full effort and energy and trying to put it all right, men contested shot to It's great, all right, Quai, thank you for your timing. Regrats on the win here tonight. Kawai and a mask look better than Cameron Diaz in the mask. It's late safe Harbor hours. Kawhi had twenty eight points. The Clippers get the victory they
win by twenty three. There he was post game. The Clippers next game, Game six of the regular season, takes place on Friday in Utah versus the Jazz. Tip time is at six pm with Noah Eagle. Five pm is when we'll have your Clippers countdown pregame show before we get out of here. I do want to thank the callers, the listeners, Bill Horrenda for coming on the Clippers organization, Noah Eagle, Brian Stemen, Ralph Lawler back
at Staples Center. Also big brother Jake Warner back here in Burbank. We had Zach attack like the Clippers. A lot of nice assists to me tonight. I appreciate your Zack well done his first night on the board so flawless. Is that Beyonce's song or a Rihanna? So I forget I woke up like this whatever calling ye also a big help tonight. Thanks to you both.
Until the Clippers take on the Utah Jazz with their pregame show starting at five pm on Friday in Utah. I'm Adam Oslin and we'll talk to you next year.