Our biggest threat rn is Portland knocking us down to 9th and that’s a very precarious spot to be in — assuming we do get knocked down. Reason: lose one and you’re out. But you have life if you lose the first game from the 8 spot. So, I don’t think it’s wise, given this format, to angle for the 8th spot (by falling to 9) so we can face OKC (who I agree we have a better shot). I’d just rather not play Russsian Roulette. I’m sure the entire organization is talking about how we should play this out.

The most encouraging thing about this game was the play of Benn Mathurin. This was the best game I’ve seen him play as a Clipper, and the reason for that was the balance he showed with his footwork. Everything looked more in rhythm and the game had slowed down for him when shooting or looking to pass. That toe injury he’s had appears to be something he has dealt with the whole season and the Clipper training staff have put in some work to get him in a much better place physically. He moved like a different player today.

It was a weird game, though, without Jordan Miller on the floor. I had gotten used to him putting his imprint on the game.

It seems like it was weird for a lot of the role players as Collins, DJJ and Dunn had a combined 2 pts, while old man Batum had 9.

The Lopez loop is back again. He’s been very uneven all season, but tonight he was in rhythm and aggressive.He did a decent job battling Poeltl as well.

Garland dazzled the Intuit Dome crowd again and the fans are very excited by him. He’s getting more effective scoring at the rim because his dancing and shooting behind the arc has the defense fully stretched out to the logo. I hope he can play this free in the playoffs and deliver those bombs. He’s been playing like Damian Lillard in a Clipper uniform, but does he have a ‘Dame Time’ playoff switch? That will be key. I also hope we can use the remaining games to get other guys in rhythm when teams like Phx, SAS, GSW, OKC throw bodies at Garland to shut down his dancing.

Next 2 games should be fairly easy wins before the showdown with Portland and San Antonio. We do need to improve the defense before the Portland and SAS games, as Clingan and Wemby are probably going to shut down a lot of action at the rim which will permit guards to be more aggressive with Garland.

After the next 4 games, we should be at 39-38 or 40-37 with 5 games to play. The goal is to lock down the #8 seed, keep Kawhi healthy, and get players in rhythm given all the changes in personnel and style of play since the AS Break.

Zu hasn’t played much but looks like a perfect fit for that system in Indiana. Their folks are raving about the things he’l be able to do that they haven’t had at the center position.

The thing with Garland is that he’s just a better fit for the Clippers given where Kawhi’s game is today. Last season, we needed Harden to be a diesel engine given Kawhi’s long rehab and ramp up. But with this year’s version of Kawhi, pace matters a bit more. He scores at an exponential level if the pace is right. Garland fits that model a lot better than does James.

What’s different about Garland in a Clipper uniform is that he doesn’t have the responsibility to get a whole bunch of other guys involved or fit in to what Mobley or Mitchell need. Ty Lue just tells him to go play the game, be aggressive behind the arc, be a Damian Lillard 2.0, and he’ll space players around him.

Whether the draft picks work out or not will remain to be seen.