The biggest reason I say this is cuz Ty showed that he trusts him, THANKFULLY. 1, he’s more than willing to take his open shots & 2, he’s a better defender than Mann! I feel like I’ve been saying this for years but it’s because I have. He showed & proved himself throughout the yr. He’s bigger & smarter than Mann. What Mann has over him in foot speed, he gives up in strength (even gets bullied by lil guards) & over aggressiveness. Amir plays his angles great (something I’ve always been impressed with zu surprisingly) & doesn’t succumb to pump fakes the way Mann does. The fact that both Luka & Kyrie pump fake alot matters + they’re not gonna bully Amir, Ky def ain’t. Luka can & will at times but he’ll face alot more resistance & length against Amir.

Mann will still get some run but I expect Amir to start ahead of him eventually. He should be the starter with Kawhi out. Opting for Norm, would go comically bad. You’re basically inviting Dallas to put up 40+ in the 1st qtr & face a HUGE deficit. The only respected defender with that lineup would be PG & even he isn’t great on that end anymore. He can still be very good, but the days of him being great defensively are over with! This will shock Clipper fans, cuz they think he’s an elite defender LOL, but teams do not fear zu one bit, especially PNR heavy teams. It’s no secret Cato said he expects them to attack zu, at will, early & often. Same goes for Mann & we already know Norm & Harden put zero fear into defenders. Harden atleast provides sz & won’t get bullied but Norm provides zero resistance. I will say, Norm has shown signs of some decent on ball defense, when engaged, so we’ll see. His off ball defense is a joke though.

Ultimately, the biggest factor (outside of Kawhi’s health) is gonna be if PG can stay out of foul trouble. It’s been an issue in the past (not entirely on him, considering his bullshit whistle) so it’ll be something I’ll keep an eye out for. This will become even more problematic if Kawhi misses games or is limited. Can’t have PG being Luka’s primary defender & being the #1 option offensively. I feel Harden can help here a bit but alot is gonna come down to how Dallas defends the PNR. Adding to that, Clips NEED to feed zu in the post!

Speaking of zu, there’s no secret I’m not a fan of his but he’s gonna be vital this series. He’s gonna get picked on defensively which is why they have to return the favor & exploit his sz & touch around the rim on the other end. If they don’t, they’re better off not playing him. On top of that, Mase hasn’t looked the same since his injury. Theis, a huge fan of his also, will be key to a title run but I’m not sure if this is a series for him either. He’s the best big to switch onto Luka on the perimeter but Luka will have his way against him too. The fact that he’s battle tested & has been really good in the playoffs is encouraging but you’ll get more out of zu offensively, assuming they actually feed him, than Theis. Theis making some shots will go a long way though. We’ll have a better idea of how they all fare once the games start. There’s gonna be alot of adjusting though, that’s for sure. This is the biggest reason why I’m not suggesting what they should do, scheme wise, defensively.

I’m sure the real PJ (Washington is & always has been overrated by this damn fan base) & Russ will get their min as the small ball 5 &/or alongside Theis. The pairing with zu has looked better but it’s not one I’m ready to see, especially without Kawhi, but playoffs are different so we’ll see. I will say, Russ & PJ will have some huge moments in this series & their energy will matter. They’re the only 2 guys on the roster that provide that extra edge that no one else provides & you NEED that in the playoffs! There’s a reason why I’ve always been positive on PJ, the lone member of the PJ bandwagon! The narratives that everyone has put out there regarding him have been BULLSHIT all season!

Had Kawhi been healthy, I was ready to pick the Clips in 5, a big reason being Russ & PJ. Them two dudes ain’t gonna let you ease into games/series. If Kawhi misses 1 game, Clips in 6. If he misses 2, Clips in 7. If he misses more than 2, Mavs in 6. Regardless, I’m expecting a TOUGH series & the toughest they’ll have on the road to 16! Yup, I believe this will be a tougher series than a potential Mavs, Wolves &/or Boston series. That’s not to say those will be easy, by any means, but they match up a lil better with those teams. The 3 level scoring that Luka provides, especially against us, is scarier than facing Joker & the Nuggets. I know that sounds ridiculous, but having faced this dude twice already, brings back nightmares!

LFG!

But, for Utah and Dallas fans, the Clippers inspire nightmares in the past Playoffs.

Agreed that this first round is going to be tough watch.

If Kawhi can play, even on a minute restriction, to supplement PG and the Beard, I like our chances.

Both Dallas and LAC both have completely different looks in this round.

Both teams have much better defenses now.

Is Dallas’ length going to bother our passing lanes?

Will Norm have enough room to operate against their second unit?

Many questions.

Assuming that both stars on each side cancel each other out, how are each team’s support players going to perform at this pressure level?

T. Mann and Coffey are pretty solid. Having a veteran bench with PJ, Theis and Plums will help in some limited roles.

What version of Russ? Focused Russ — big advantage to us. Not so much focused — will lead to 8-point loss.

Russ will be amped up for this series.

No one has mentioned Norm. I expect Norm to have his way with the Dallas bench players.

Let the games begin.

https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1781140708499616059/photo/1

I don’t think we’re completely evenly matched. I think we’re the better team and a much worse matchup for them than they are for us IF we play near our best. But that includes great defense and an offense that moves the ball and the opponent.

While your point about the best player is valid, how many of the second to 7th best players would be Clippers IF we play well? Our chances are good but we need to show our good side.

Me, I’ll have my bottle of Pepto handy.

We’ll know when we know and we won’t know until Sunday morning.