- Overview of their 2-2 week
- Updated thePeachBasket Objective Power Rankings in the West and overall
- Top performers by average
- A look ahead to week #24
[00:00:00] I'm Jose Salviati, editor of the BeachBasket.net and formally the featured columnist covering
[00:00:17] the Clippers for Bleach and Report.
[00:00:19] This is the show where we recap the week that was for the Los Angeles Clippers and then
[00:00:22] highlight their marquee matchup for the week to come.
[00:00:26] We start like we always do by taking a look at where the team lands in the BeachBasket's
[00:00:31] objective power rankings this week.
[00:00:34] The Clippers finished the week at two and two exactly as I predicted, which is kind of
[00:00:38] cool.
[00:00:39] In fact, I was able to get the wins and losses right for each team.
[00:00:44] It was just a little hiccup but overall a pretty good week when it comes to predictions.
[00:00:50] The only mistake was that I thought the Clippers would beat the sixes at home and lose
[00:00:54] on the road.
[00:00:55] They did it the other way around.
[00:00:57] But regardless, again, good week for the Clippers more or less than a good week for us predicting
[00:01:04] the Clippers week.
[00:01:05] The Clippers started the week by losing to the sixes at home, 1-21-107, then they lost
[00:01:10] to the Pacers 133-116.
[00:01:12] It was after that loss and keep in mind, I mean these were two losses at home to two
[00:01:18] good but not necessarily great Eastern Conference teams that people started to panic.
[00:01:25] And man, I get it.
[00:01:26] It's an understandable panic.
[00:01:28] The Clippers look like two different teams.
[00:01:30] You never know which one is going to show up.
[00:01:32] The team that dominated before the All-Star break, or the team that's been, you know,
[00:01:37] not great at times after the All-Star break.
[00:01:40] But like I've always said, the best remedy to panic is winning and honestly the best panic
[00:01:48] the best remedy, rather, to anything in professional sports is winning.
[00:01:53] Winning just fixes everything.
[00:01:55] So the Clippers knowing that, understanding that, we're not going to beat the sixes in
[00:01:58] Philadelphia in a wild game, 1-08 rather than 1-07 and then in a closed battle they beat
[00:02:04] the Orlando Magic 100-97.
[00:02:08] That two and two week was enough to keep them at number four in the Peach Basket's
[00:02:12] objective power rankings for the ninth week in a row.
[00:02:15] The whole steady at the number five spot seems to me that that's probably where they're
[00:02:21] going to end things in the objective power rankings as well as their standings in the
[00:02:25] West.
[00:02:26] But we'll see, the Pelicans are coming on strong.
[00:02:29] So the Dallas Mavericks actually.
[00:02:32] Top performers, let's take a look now at the best to do it in key categories for the Clippers
[00:02:36] in week number 23.
[00:02:38] Now with the season winding down and the team preparing for the playoffs, we're starting
[00:02:41] to see the same names pop up across all key categories.
[00:02:46] Instead of doing these by category like we've done before, we're going to do it by player.
[00:02:50] And this kind of makes sense, right?
[00:02:52] You're kind of limiting your bench, you're trying to get ready for the playoffs.
[00:02:56] So we're seeing again, the same names pop up over and over again.
[00:03:00] One key name is Kauai Leonard.
[00:03:02] Let's take a look at what he led the Clippers in at number 23.
[00:03:06] He led the team with 23 points per game.
[00:03:09] He was a top shooter, every 9.3 field goals made.
[00:03:12] He was also the top defensive rebounder pulling down five and a half boards.
[00:03:17] Sharing that defense, pardon me, rebounding honor with the Tzu Bats.
[00:03:22] But Kauai wasn't quite done.
[00:03:24] He also led the team in blocks with one and a half again joined in that category by Big
[00:03:28] Zoop.
[00:03:29] And he also led the team in game score.
[00:03:31] We kind of got underwhelming 18.8 in his point in play.
[00:03:36] While George was the best sniper, averaging three 3.3 point field goals made over his 4
[00:03:40] games played.
[00:03:41] He beat Tzu Bats with a top overall rebounder pulling down 8 and a half rebounds for his
[00:03:46] 4 games play rather.
[00:03:48] He was also the top offensive rebounder, grabbing three on average and three.
[00:03:53] James Hardin.
[00:03:54] Once again, the top assist man for the Clippers averaging almost 10 9.8 assists over his 4
[00:04:00] games played.
[00:04:01] Hardin also led the team in steals averaging two in week number 23.
[00:04:07] Now week 24 as we look ahead is a continuation of the road trip that the Clippers have gotten
[00:04:12] off to a pretty good start on their 2 and 0.
[00:04:15] The week starts on the road in Charlotte against the Hornets.
[00:04:19] Then the team travels back west to take on the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, the week
[00:04:24] ends at home against the World Champion Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz.
[00:04:29] The Jazz or a team that looks to be given up on the season.
[00:04:33] We'll talk a little bit about that later.
[00:04:37] I've been pretty lucky right this week, last couple of weeks predicting Clippers wins
[00:04:41] and losses so let's hope it keeps up because I see a good week in week number 24 for the
[00:04:45] Clippers.
[00:04:46] The easiest game of the week is to predict rather is the Charlotte Hornets game.
[00:04:51] That's an 18-win team they should not put up much of a battle but listen this is the
[00:04:56] NBA you're playing them on their home court.
[00:04:59] You're getting to the point now where there's nothing to play for but the dignity of the
[00:05:05] game and teams take a lot of pleasure in kind of messing up team's playoff seating.
[00:05:10] So I don't necessarily anticipate it being an easy win but I do see it as a win for
[00:05:18] the Clippers.
[00:05:19] Traveling to Sacramento and taking on the Kings that's going to be a little tougher.
[00:05:23] At this point in the trip the Clippers would have been 3-0 right assuming they beat the
[00:05:28] Hornets.
[00:05:29] I do see them taking the loss in Sacramento's home court.
[00:05:35] The Thursday game against the Denver Nuggets that's going to be at home and it gives the
[00:05:38] Clippers an opportunity to tie the season series against the Nuggets at 2-2.
[00:05:43] The first game after a road trip at home, off in a trap game but this game is important.
[00:05:50] You want to send a message to the NBA, you want to send a message to the Nuggets.
[00:05:55] This has got to be a playoff atmosphere game and it's got to be a game that the Clippers
[00:05:59] take to the Nuggets.
[00:06:01] I see them getting not win at home against the World Champs.
[00:06:05] The Clippers are weak out against the Utah Jazz.
[00:06:07] Again this is a team that has not been performing well of late.
[00:06:11] They seem to have given up on the season.
[00:06:13] I see the Clippers beating the Jazz to finish the week at 3-1.
[00:06:21] We always do by taking a look at what people are saying about the Clippers.
[00:06:24] Usually I like to take a look at something that's a little off radar, something that you
[00:06:29] might have missed but the big news right now for the Clippers is about extending Paul
[00:06:35] George.
[00:06:36] Kauai is ready.
[00:06:38] He's going to be there into it when it opens.
[00:06:40] We'll PG join in.
[00:06:43] For that information, we go to an article on Belichor Report written by Eric Pinkis.
[00:06:50] Will the Los Angeles Clippers extend Paul George with Philadelphia 76ers looming?
[00:06:55] There's a lot of rumbling about the Sixers wanting to bring in PG.
[00:06:59] Obviously it'd be a great fit alongside at Bede and whatever else they could build around
[00:07:05] that squad.
[00:07:08] What goes on to present what Philly could offer?
[00:07:13] A possible offer of $212.2 million over four years, that's the max which is pretty close
[00:07:19] to what the Clippers could offer.
[00:07:21] They'd have to maneuver a couple of things.
[00:07:23] They'd have to wait on extending Maxi.
[00:07:25] There's some things that would have to change in Philadelphia to make that happen but that
[00:07:30] is what Philly could offer.
[00:07:32] The Clippers could offer $221.1 million with a four year max contract or PG could do
[00:07:41] what Kauai did and take a little bit less on a three-year deal.
[00:07:45] Kauai took about $7 million less.
[00:07:49] What's going to happen?
[00:07:53] Eric goes on to say that the safe money is on PG staying in Los Angeles.
[00:07:58] I kind of see that happening.
[00:08:02] I think a lot of it has to do with how well the Clippers perform in the playoffs.
[00:08:06] That's kind of key but with Kauai being in the fold, and listen, we can't overlook the
[00:08:13] James Harden impact here.
[00:08:15] He was just in Philadelphia Harden and he made a point of saying this and I'm not good
[00:08:20] with Morley.
[00:08:21] I'm not going to talk to him.
[00:08:24] I don't want to discuss him.
[00:08:27] He clearly has made his decision on what he thinks about that Philadelphia 76ers executive.
[00:08:34] This is the same executive.
[00:08:35] He's got potentially maybe a year or has gotten Paul George's year.
[00:08:40] I can't help but think that PG and Harden are going to talk about that.
[00:08:44] That James Harden impact is important because of that and because PG is an LA guy and because
[00:08:51] they've had great success here in LA, they didn't win it all.
[00:08:55] Undeniably, no, they might this year who knows but they didn't have the kind of success
[00:08:59] that they had anticipated having when PG and Kauai took the podium several years back.
[00:09:07] But I think Paul George right now if I'm a Batman, I think at 60-40 he stays in LA
[00:09:14] in part because he's an LA guy because Kauai will be there, the team, the core team will
[00:09:20] be there and also in part because James Harden is in his other year talking to him about
[00:09:26] what life and field he might be like.
[00:09:28] So I do anticipate that happening but I do think the way this season plays out for the
[00:09:33] Clippers is going to be really important in that decision.
[00:09:37] Listen, we were staying on Twitter not too long ago.
[00:09:40] I could see the Clippers bowing out in the first run.
[00:09:44] I could, right?
[00:09:45] To the Pelicans, they've not had great success against the Pelicans, that's very likely
[00:09:48] they're going to play or a really hot Mavericks team.
[00:09:53] Play the Mavericks a little bit better but I could see them losing in the first round.
[00:09:58] Nobody would be surprised but I could also see them winning that round, the second round
[00:10:02] going on to the Western Conference finals even in the finals.
[00:10:04] I could see it happening but that's what this team is right now.
[00:10:09] It's just a crap sheet, we just don't know.
[00:10:12] So will the Clippers extend them?
[00:10:15] I think it's a safe bet but I wouldn't put any money on it.
[00:10:21] That's it.
[00:10:22] Week 23 of the Clippers, 2023, 24 NBA season is in the books.
[00:10:25] Join us again next week after week number 24 when we once again run it back.