Clippers begin preparations for upcoming play-in game
The Clippers have checked their baggage, gone through security, and they're holding their boarding pass for a flight to Minnesota — unless, of course, they get rerouted to Denver.
They're in for a long layover, though. A 670-hour or so layover.
At this point, the question isn't whether they'll finish the season as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference standings; for the No. 9 Lakers to leapfrog the Clippers, the Lakers have to go 8-6 — and the Clippers 0-11.
The real issue: How does coach Tyronn Lue's team kill all that time before the play-in game against the No. 7 seed on April 12?
They'll have some games they can play. Eleven of them, spread out over 26 days, including those against Phoenix, Milwaukee, Utah, Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver, who are a combined 262-147. Also, Oklahoma City, Sacramento and New Orleans, teams that are a collective 73-133 — but 6-2 against the Clippers.
And the Clippers, being the Clippers, whichever version of them is playing, will try hard to win all of them — including tonight, when they'll attempt to even the score with the Toronto Raptors, who beat them, 116108, at their place on New Year's Eve.
Lue suggested Monday that the “spaced out” nature of their remaining schedule will allow him to resist resting players very often on game days, although he also suggested that they'd have work to distract themselves with between games too.
“It's definitely coming at a perfect time,” Lue said. “Going into the playin game, being able to implement some new things offensively, some different things defensively, and just kinda go from there. We'll get a chance to experiment with our small lineup, which we gotta get better at once we get everyone healthy and get everyone back and then kinda see how that plays out.”
So the Clippers — hammered by injuries this season, including to All-Stars Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and Paul George (elbow), neither of whom has been officially ruled out for the remainder of the season — will tinker with their small-ball looks once they've gotten “everyone (everyone?) healthy.”
Ivica Zubac says he's energized after playing 102minutes in the Clippers' last three games.
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They'll also rehearse those all-important aftertimeout sets, especially those involving sharpshooter Luke Kennard, whose timing coming off of screens could use some fine-tuning, Lue said.
“When we get a chance to practice or have shootaround, we can go over them and the timing of everything, but, for the most part, they've been doing a lot better job,” Lue said. “We just gotta get our timing right a little bit more with Luke's ATOs.
“Just the reads. Like, not waiting for the screen — when his man turns his
head, just come off. Because they're not gonna go under the screen on him. When he sets the back screen, coming off quicker so they don't get a chance to read it and top-lock, certain things like that, just the timing of everything and exactly what we're looking for.”
For his part, Ivica Zubac, who just logged 102 minutes in three games over four days, insisted his battery is sufficiently charged and he wants to prepare for the play-in by playing in as many games as he can.
“To be honest, I like playing every game,” the 24-year-old center said, via Zoom. “I like being out there. I missed a few games this year and I didn't feel good sitting on the bench or sitting at home watching
the game from the sidelines or a TV, I didn't like it. I like being in the games and I like playing.”
Of course, “it's up to the coach.”
Terance Mann logged a career-high 45 minutes in the Clippers' short-handed 120-111 overtime loss in Cleveland on Monday and then told reporters much the same: It's Lue's call, how the Clippers use their time over the next threeplus weeks, whether they lean into rhythm or rest, and who does what.
“To be honest, I don't know,” Mann said. “I have to talk to Ty about that and see what he wants me to do. Whatever he asks me, I am going to do. I'll talk to him and see how we handle it.”