Worst loss in years? Clippers fall 119-177 in Phoenix - podcast episode cover

Worst loss in years? Clippers fall 119-177 in Phoenix

Mar 05, 202526 min
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Episode description

After a 4th quarter collapse, and an overall 23pt blown lead, Adam tries to pick up the pieces and break down a devastating Clippers loss in Phoenix. Clipper Nation offers their thoughts on the phone lines, and Chuck Mockler of the Clips n' Dip podcast stops by.

Transcript

Speaker 1

Quoting in we're taking your calls on the LA Clippers right now, this PCE Clippers Talk on Aaron.

Speaker 2

On Demand, the Clippers show up, record your chance to react to everything.

Speaker 1

Clippers Clippers news happens.

Speaker 3

Let me guess it's about Kawhi.

Speaker 1

Here we are and.

Speaker 2

Now here he is the host of your LA Clippers free and postgame.

Speaker 1

At follow Adam a Adam Owsley. It's like there's rock bottom fifty feet of crap. And then me to quote Rachel Green Jennifer Aniston from Friends, as the Clippers just blew a twenty three point lead in Phoenix to the Suns and they lose one nineteen to one seventeen, and they have lost six of their last seven games coming out of the All Star Break. And it's not going to get any easier with this schedule. Welcome into Clippers Talk.

Eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy eight six six ninet eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number. We'll get to a couple of calls. We'll have Chuck Mockler in the very next segment. I see you guys in the chat at Clippers Talk on the YouTube side. I understand your extreme disappointment, frustration, and agonizing pain from what you just went through and have been going through over the last couple of weeks. There is no way to dress this pig up. There's no There's

not enough lipstick, Mary Kay. There wasn't like, you know, a truck that spilled lipstick all over the freeware, So there's not enough. There's no way to cover up this loss. But well, we have a moment. Let's pause ten seconds for station identification. Here on a five seventy LA Sports.

Speaker 2

This is LA Clippers Basketball AM five seventy KLAC Los Angeles, ninety eight seven KYSR HD two Los Angeles, an iHeartRadio station.

Speaker 1

We got Coach lou audio coming for you in just a little bit. Daniel West is working on that. Our producer here back in the bank. This is one of those times where I was okay not traveling with the team. I'm glad I was here because I'm glad I didn't have a live feed going. And you could see every hair follicle being pulled out after every bad shot in the fourth quarter and hero shot three pointer one. If he's a Zubats is right there, he's right there. Look

up on the jumbo tron. I'm sure there's some digital box score that shows there's a guy that looks unstoppable in this game. He finished with the career high thirty five. He went fifteen to nineteen from the field. Is that enough? If they can't stop him, no, keep feeding him. Speaking of lipstick and pigs, Rock Rivers used to say. His saying of if it ain't broke, don't fix it was

feed the pig, just keep going. They never adjusted. They got on the ball some of the fourth and he might have gone five of seven, but there were times he had Devin Booker sealed and James Harden settled for a three pointer on the left wing. I'm sure the video clip's going around and it's mind boggling. To me,

it's baffling. The process was awful. Do you know how many things have to go wrong for you to blow a twenty three point lead in the second half, for you to be dominating in that fashion against a team that had given up on the season, that was lifeless, the Zombie Sons. They just lost to the Zombie Sons, the Walking Dead. I thought they wanted to be on a beach and Cancun. The way they were playing defense.

They couldn't care less about playing for one another. They just gave them their best victory of the season now, and they gave it to them with poor defense, not being able to defend without failing, and poor offensive process in the fourth And look at the tape of the Clippers team in the second quarter. Moving the basketball, everything's assisted, everyone's touched in the basketball gives energy. They played with pace. What I Kawi say last post game, we got to

move the ball more and play with more pace. That second quarter they went seventeen of twenty two from the field. It is one of the best quarters of the season. For them to fall apart in that same game a half hour later, it is inexplicable and excusable. This is this is one of the worst losses I've ever witnessed since I've been with this organization. They needed it. I thought both teams would be desperate to start the game. The Suns weren't. The Clippers were. They let them up

off the mat. The Sons didn't want it. They let them hit a couple of shots. The Suns started to feel good. Now they're setting their defense and the Clippers offense turned into one pass at most. Let's hear from coach Lou postgame. Yeah, I need to shut up before it's safe harbor hours. I can swear now, right, okay, Coach Lou.

Speaker 2

How do you overcome the mental and just play through the game.

Speaker 4

Play the game in the right way, Play through the game. Whatever works, whatever the defense gives you, take it, and not force not do dumb shit.

Speaker 1

That's something I told you could swear.

Speaker 4

I never talked after the game.

Speaker 5

Uh, kind of in the first half of the second quarter, specifically when you guys were flowing.

Speaker 2

What did you see?

Speaker 5

You see.

Speaker 4

Pace ball movement, attacking the right matchups, making the right pass, making the right play. Simple game if you play it the right way.

Speaker 1

What you're hearing in the background there maybe a little bit distracting, but that's the alarm. Because the Clippers just blew a twenty three point lead.

Speaker 4

Yeah, same thing, same same team, having beat three times. It's the fourth time up double dig digits and lose the game. Like same thing. Kadie and Book plays the whole second half. Whatever they come down. They make shots early in that quarter, we turn the ball over, lose ball in the back court. We can't get it. Flair three come back, turn over, done, five points in thirty seconds, and then now you got a game because they feel comfortable.

But just for us, you know, you can't give up forty three points in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 1

We know that.

Speaker 4

But just my biggest thing just playing through the game and when the game they're gonna make a run because they're a good team, but just played through the adversity, play the right way and the game will take care of it. So I know a season has flows to you.

Speaker 6

Is the lowest point it's been.

Speaker 4

As far as what this game where you mean just a stretch. No, I mean, you know, we got guys in and out of the lineups, and so that's you know that's gonna happen. We played some pretty good teams, but this one was like, you just can't get this game away. It's the same thing the blueprints, the same way all four games. You know, up double figures, up big, and they come back, storing back in the fourth quarter and make a game of it.

Speaker 2

Coach, I know you're talking about and played the whole.

Speaker 3

Fourth quarter, but.

Speaker 6

Was really infected.

Speaker 5

He was huge.

Speaker 4

Yeah, came in you know, I thought his pace was pretty really good, you know, got into the pain made a couple of out and then he made a big three, you know, at the end of the game. But I thought he came in, did a good job aggressive, picking up the floor, you know, being aggressive defensively.

Speaker 6

Mission guys have been in and out. How challenging is it to for a game like this to find bench groups that can be affected. Obviously the best minutes were struggling.

Speaker 4

Now, I thought we had a good flow in that in that first half. You know, the bench, you know, really came in, did a good job in that second quarter, and then you know they got aggressive in that third quarter, I mean early fourth quarter. You know, like I said, we turned the ball over, they was able to push it out in transition, we didn't score the basketball, and so they kind of gave him some life.

Speaker 6

And then you said the other night that the schedules not getting into easier. You want guys bee a little bit more down, kind of gotta push through it. Is there any thought beyond Kawhi of guys being limited or out tomorrow on a second.

Speaker 4

Back today, Well, Kawhi be out for sure. I don't know about everybody else.

Speaker 2

Should How do you get them back on track to where this stretch just doesn't mentally take a toll.

Speaker 4

Like I said, we gotta be the harder playing team, which I thought we were for three quarters, you know, and it's gotta do stuff the right way, you know. To me, like I said, if if we don't you know, get things, do things right, we know what the hell we need to do. You know, if we don't do things right, then it's gonna be games like this, you know.

And so give them credit. They came back, they kept fighting, they kept competing, but there was times they were ready to give me in as well, you know, and so we just didn't do that able to capitalize on that and and put 'em away, you know. But we've had some good spurts, some good moments, but we haven't put

it a full game together in a long time. But but when you do tell them over and over to kind of play the right way, play through the tape, you know, all this stuff, and they consistently don't do it.

Speaker 1

I know, you say, you know, you don't get frustrated, but it's.

Speaker 4

I'm frustrated now. It's about that. Yeah, I'm frustrated now, but you know it is what it is.

Speaker 1

Understandably frustrated. Their coach flu post game after the Clippers blow a twenty three point lead in Phoenix to the Suns. We'll take a quick time out. We'll come back. We'll hear from Chuck Mockler. Just a completely inexcusable and costly loss as the Clippers drop down to the ninth spot in the Western Conference and are dangerously close to falling out the plan. A month ago, month and a half ago, we were talking about can they be a top four

seed in the West. Now we're talking about can they just finish top ten? Unreal? More Clippers sock next turn M five to seven, LA Sports Clippers.

Speaker 2

You're listening to LA Clippers Basketball. Take us with you wherever you are on the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1

You're of twenty three against a team that was four and twelve their last sixteen games, is looking towards the offseason with reports of them trading their top guy, and you blow a twenty three point lead to that team. That's what the Clippers just did, losing in Phoenix to KD and the Suns. One nineteen, one seventeen. Welcome back in I'm out a Moslin. This is Clippers Talk. Join the show right now. Because he knew it was going

to be a loss. He said he was gonna come on the show earlier today He's like, I hope this doesn't, you know, bode poorly for us. But uh, Charles, where did this go wrong? In your mind? How did this happen?

Speaker 3

I don't know. I don't know how it happened. Where it goes wrong. One of the things that got me the most upset, and you alluded to it, was the hero ball in the fourth quarter. We had Kawhi and Harden go two for nine in that frame, and I know we all loved the dunk from Kawhi. What was that the second quarter and things were just rolling and it was great. The energy was great to begin with,

and then it just stopped. And I know Zoo had thirty five that were playing through him and stuff like that, but it just like it just didn't it didn't work. They were tired. I don't know.

Speaker 1

For me, it feels like they won Zoo's minutes by twenty two points when he was on the court. How on earth do you lose that game? It's so shocking it is, And I still felt like in the fourth quarter you mentioned the hero ball, Zuo's got Booker on him. You got the switch you wanted, Maybe dump it into him at that point. I don't know. Let him get forty. If they can't stop it, then he gets forty. That's how it works if somebody's cooking like that, but it doesn't with Big Zoo.

Speaker 3

Ever, Yeah, I'm fine with that if it let him get forty. We watched Drew Eubanks come in, and I understand that plus minus is not an individual stat. It is difficult to play eleven games and go minus twenty four or eleven minutes and go minus twenty four. That is difficult. That is so bad. That was not ideal. We also saw, and I know we were down two very key guys. I understand that part of me is probably gonna remember that tomorrow feel somewhat better. I'm still gonna feel terrible.

Speaker 1

Don't you dare remember that and feel better? Chuck? Don't you dare remember that and feel better?

Speaker 3

That's fair. But we saw, and we've seen this happen before. I love Chris Jones defense. I love it a lot. Teams are fine with him taking threes. He took the third most threes tonight and.

Speaker 1

Again in the fourth quarter. He's wide open.

Speaker 3

He's wide open. He should have swung that other one to Zoo. I love Chris Dunn's defense, but this is what happens when a team that has so many specialized parts around it for two or one specific guys, when one of those guys is out, the system breaks down because it's not built to withstand absences like we have in terms of how important guys are right like, it's just it's so frustrating and they can't do anything but try and win if you're the owner, if you're Steve Ballmer.

But there needs to be if there's a trade out there to make things a little easier in this transition period after this season, I hope they explore it because next year, if you look at the contracts, it is shaping up to be exactly the same as this year personnel wise.

Speaker 1

What I keep thinking about, what I keep thinking about Charles is how a month and a half ago we are legit talking about if they can be a top four seed in the West. You get Kawhi back match them with this defense, all you need is a better offense. You have a top ten offense and a defense. You're one of the best teams in the league. And now we're here they're ninth in the West. This is no one could have foreseen this.

Speaker 3

Ninth in the West is crazy. I know we kind of talked about before the season over on Clips and Dip. We talked, Hey, let let's be the high let's be a high playing team. Let's be six twelve hours ago we were all we were feeling pretty good. And now we're watching a team we're watching fatigue and we're watching they brought Nico back, and everyone was very excited because Nico was great on the Clippers a couple of seasons ago. We're seeing what fatigue and what miles can do to

someone like Nico. I'm not knocking Nick Watum. He's wonderful, but he is not what he was two years ago for the Clippers. And I think maybe we we thought it would be similar to that, but that is not there.

Speaker 1

It's not like he's even been playing that much. He's probably the least of my way wish.

Speaker 3

But that's what I mean. That's indicative right of the roster, you know, like it just Harden was. It was the hero ball stuff, and I know two for nine from three is brutal. I didn't realize it was two for nine until I looked at the box score. I knew we weren't shooting well, but twenty six percent from three is brutal. We lost. We just lost the game where Bogie made three threes. That's true game.

Speaker 2

You gotta win.

Speaker 3

If you've seen how Bogie and this team is play, it's in the trade deadline like this is It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and it's completely fair. And tomorrow we just might get we might get run out of the gym.

Speaker 5

Chick.

Speaker 3

I don't know.

Speaker 1

Bogey had all thirteen of his points in the first half. He had thirteen in the first half. Zubas had fifteen. I think Bogey took one show in the second half and he played thirty seven minutes. You talk about stagnant offense and what happened to the ball movement. Are you in agreement that in the second quarter the Clippers look like a damn well oiled machine, like this is it, this is what we need, this is how we need them to play. And then they completely went away from it.

Speaker 3

Yes, they were feeding off of the combination of the suns, not caring until the fourth quarter. And I tweeted this out on the Clippers pod account I said, does this game say more about the Clippers of the Sun? A lot of people said it said more about the Sun because it showed how bad their defense was. YadA YadA.

That was before they came back, and now it went, oh, right, this is what the Clippers look like, down rotation guys against the team that decides to lock in and has better top end talent.

Speaker 1

Coach lu said postgame, they look like a team that was willing to give in. I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but he said something to the effect it looked like they were ready to give in and we couldn't put them away. That's so wild to me. A team that couldn't be more that couldn't have more of a foot out that they got a groin out the door.

Speaker 3

Like throwing out the door, and there's only one of those. This is also the same Clippers team that couldn't put away a Bucks team that had Yanna sitting for the last half of the fourth quarter. I don't that tyleru presser was. I haven't heard a presser like that since the I don't know what our identity presser is. And that was at least before the trade deadline. So they can make some moves. Now, I'm a little worried about

the locker room. That wasn't really an issue before. Now when things get tough, obviously, that's when you know the locker room it's a little more tested. But and listen, I'm not some of these people in the chat who are going to call in and say let fire, let's fire everybody today or anything like that. We got to deal with this for another year because they're not gonna go all in next year.

Speaker 1

The only hope I have, or the only possibility with them going all in, is if Atlanta wants to trade Trey Young this summer before he puts pressure on them to one out. That's the one guy that could be attainable. But yeah, I agree with you. This is, for the most part, the most likely roster we're looking at again with more of an emphasis in the youth movement. Maybe next season, but I don't want to think about next season. There's twenty one games left. How do we get here?

All right? Charles, thanks so much for doing this, waiting patiently to help me out and pick me up here on Clipper's top post game after their worst loss in what loss honestly is worse than this. Yeah, well, at this point, it's like you might get used to these if they keep happening. This might be the tipping point loss. But the Lakers lost last season where they blew a twin on one point lead was egregious. But he didn't have the ramifications of this loss.

Speaker 3

No, I don't know. I can't. I can't think about other losses because this is the only one we're all going to think about for a while.

Speaker 1

Yeah, blinded by the loss. Okay, Charles, thanks so much for doing this.

Speaker 3

Appreciate you, man, Appreciate you. Here's a full episode on Thursday.

Speaker 1

Let's go clips and Dip on Thursday for you guys, hopefully after a bounce back tomorrow. Quick time out here on NI seventy LA Sports Clippers blow twenty three point lead in Phoenix to the Suns. They lose one nineteen to one seventeen coach who brought up the very start of the fourth quarter a five zero run by the Suns, which was pretty detrimental, the KD three, then the KD steal on the Tuomen layup that got them right back

into it real quick. More Clippers sock next year on MPI seventy Ola Sports.

Speaker 2

You're listening to La First Basketball. Take us with you wherever you are on the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1

Clippers blows twenty three point lead, lose one nineteen to one seventeen in Phoenix to the Suns. Perfectly calm, dude. Let's get to a phone call Demetrius in Manhattan Beach, who is an eternal optimist. Demetrius, how are you feeling after this one? You got thirty seconds?

Speaker 5

I'm sorry, my friend, Well, five seconds gonna be a morning sound. I will say this, Adam, this is what I took away from the game tonight. It's gonna, like I told you, we need the whole core, the whole group. We're not built for these type of games, especially coming back.

Speaker 1

They're not built to hold on to a twenty three point lead. They're not built for that.

Speaker 5

Well, well, I will say this, Adam. That and I'm going to give you some really good pinners here so you can wrap it up. The only good thing that I can take away from game. As bad as I feel like we need Paul Barrows tonight to finish this season off, I will take some good notes. Leaving off, I think tylu Is gonna be up to Tyloo now to put a very good rotation together. You got Zubac averaging almost twenty five to twenty six and it last six games. Okay, you got Norman Powell coming back, you

got James Harden, and you got Kawhi. So you got your four scores. You need to move forward again. It's going to take a whole team effort to do what we need to do. It's the devastating loss, but I just thought I heard you know you speaking the night missing that I have to take something good from it. And the good thing that I have is that the Clippers can have four scores in the next twenty two

games to have will double figures. We got to limit the turnovers, you know, and Tylu listen, we got to put pressure on the upper management and Tylu, I mean, I know we've given him a break and he's saying, you got to play the right way. But he's been saying that that. You know. I love Tyler. I just got to come up with a game playing down the stretch, Adam. We gotta stop letting you know, we gotta stop letting them off the hook.

Speaker 1

Look, I've been critical of Tyler Demetrius. I totally understand that the overplaying of Marcus Morris towards the end of his run, but it's the same tylo that got him up twenty three points.

Speaker 5

I don't know, but again, we played, we played falls. I love the pace in the second quarter. I think when we lost the game in the last two minutes in the third quarter, we both again centered on He took three shots in the fourth quarter, so you know, and Bogie didn't take any shots, so you know. James Hardy took some in advised shots.

Speaker 1

I was wondering how many shots Kawhi took in the fourth you're telling me it was three. I'm gonna double check on that during the break, but I believe it three.

Speaker 5

Yeah, I think three shots of done. I mean, it looked like a ghosts out there, all.

Speaker 1

Right, Demetrius, I gotta take a time out, my friend. I'm sorry. I'll put you back on a hold. Maybe we can get you in Clippers talk after dark if you keep holding quick time out. Clippers blow twenty three point lead. I was looking for that number. How many shots did Kaui take? Didn't seem nearly as aggressive. Then Clippers blow a twenty three point lead lead and lose one seventeen to one nineteen to the Phoenix Suns, who swept them. Were clipperstock next year On the five seventy ELA.

Speaker 2

Sports Clippers, you're listening to LA Clippers Basketball, Take us with you wherever you are on the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1

Clippers losing horrific fashion to a Phoenix Suns team. It looked like they had travel plans to a can Kun. They looked like they were ready to give in, and then the Clippers gave the game to them. They blew a twenty three point lead. I don't know how, but they got to bounce back tomorrow against the Pistons at home. We went from a game where like, hey, I don't even want to see James Harden in this fourth quarter.

They're up big. He shouldn't have to play. Save him for tomorrow because they're not gonna have Kauwhi for that game to need him to play thirty eight minutes in a loss. He did have fifteen assists to one turnover. That's insane, but poor offensive process in the second half and particularly down the stretch in the fourth Clippers blow twenty three point lead, fall to the nice spot in the West. Before you get out of here. I do

want to think the Clippers organization. Ralph lawler'brien Seemen no at Ego, Carlo Jimenez on the call people with Jake Warner. Will see you tomorrow. Daniel West, our producer back here in the bank. Thank you Daniel. Till tomorrow with the pregame show starting at six thirty Clippers and Pistons. Clippers back it into a dome. They need some home cooking in the worst way. I mettam mOsm. We will talk to you then, Yes, Clippers Talk after dark on the YouTube side at Clippers Talk is next.

Speaker 2

This has been Clippers Talk right here on your home for the La Clippers Audio Network. Don't miss a single edition all season long after every game.

Speaker 1

The volume is truly impressive, and.

Speaker 2

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