Tag: Tyronn Lue

Law Murray: The Clippers Are “Pretty Injury-Proof”

October 3, 2022 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Nearly 14 months after his last meaningful NBA game, Kawhi Leonard has entered training camp with a noticeably more muscular frame. (@LAClippers on Instagram)

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After a grueling, injury-marred 2021-22 season, in which the Los Angeles Clippers clawed their way into the play-in games but failed to advance any further, the Clips have returned for NBA preseason with a clean bill of health and championship expectations. We’ve brought back our friend Law Murray, Clippers beat reporter for The Athletic, to help us delve into the team some are calling the deepest in the NBA. He discusses the highly anticipated comeback of superstar Kawhi Leonard, what to expect from John Wall, the task ahead for coach Tyronn Lue and much more in this in-depth conversation.

5:34-6:11: “We always talk about “if healthy.” We always talk about that being such a big swing factor for all teams, but the Clippers, everyone’s more sensitive because they’re just waiting for something bad to happen. Well, this is a pretty injury-proof team. Obviously you don’t want critical injuries that cost guys months or injuries that guys can’t return from within the season, but you got a minor injury or you have recurring repeated injuries, yeah, that’s disruptive. But this team is going to roll out talent every night; there’s just too many guys.” Continue reading

Law Murray: Clips Have “Not Enough Good” Options Vs. Doncic

May 27, 2021 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Despite Kawhi Leonard’s 41 points, the Clippers were not able to secure a Game 2 win, as the Mavericks take a 2-0 series lead to Dallas (@laclippers/Instagram).

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In an opening-round rematch from the 2020 playoffs, the Mavericks have stunned many by stealing the first two games in Los Angeles. As the Clippers scramble for answers as to how to slow down Luka Doncic and company’s electric offense, The Athletic’s Law Murray breaks it all down. Is the series all but over? If not, how can the Clippers give themselves a fighting chance? If the Mavs do eliminate them, what’s the likelihood that franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard will leave in the offseason? Murray tackles these and many other timely LAC topics.

14:35-15:08: “The Clippers chose a lot of this. They chose their opponent. They chose a lot of the narratives that went into how they got here. They chose health over whatever could have been gained by playing the last two regular-season games. They chose their path. Now they’re in a situation where things are as hard as they can be. Either the Clippers are gonna overcome it and it’s going to be like, ‘Wooh, well, you got through that.’ Or they’re not gonna be around after next weekend. That’s it!” Continue reading

Sekou Smith: “In the West, Everybody is Swinging for the Fences at All Times”

December 18, 2020 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Guest Sekou Smith is “juiced” about seeing an unleashed Zion Williamson in his sophomore NBA season (Erik Drost/Creative Commons).

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Sekou Smith of NBA TV, NBA.com and the Hang Time podcast returns to the show to survey the ultra-competitive West, a conference replete with fascinating storylines ahead of the season’s start. For instance, should the Lakers be considered heavy favorites, what’s going on in Houston, which teams are best primed to squeeze into the postseason and what can we expect from the Warriors following a lost ‘19-20 season? Sekou tackles all these Western Conference questions and more, plus he offers a bonus Giannis extension reaction and Aaron delivers a Spurs-themed Sexy Stats segment coming out of the break.

*Due to dynamic advertising, time stamps may vary:

7:09-7:38: “To me, there’s a built in advantage for (head coach) T(yronn) Lue in familiarity that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. He’s the kind of human being – knowing him as well as I do – and kind of coach who’s going to be extremely beneficial to the Clippers as an organization. You’re talking about a guy who’s had experience with the pressures that come with a win-or-else proposition like he had with LeBron.”

11:16-11:53: “They’ve changed the expectation for themselves in the postseason, which if you’ve built the way that they have – which I think is some of the best front-office work, roster building, player development we’ve seen in the past few years – then you’re right where you want to be. You’re in that conversation among the best teams in the Western Conference. You have young stars who are entering into their primes. You have even younger potential stars, like Michael Porter. Jr. – Bol Bol being an even bigger reach but certainly with an upside that is really incomparable when you think about his size and skill set.” Continue reading

Harrison Faigen: “There’s Genuine Dislike Between (Lakers and Clippers)”

May 11, 2020 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Faigen (in light blue), with other reporters, interviews Kobe Bryant during the Laker’s final season.

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SB Nation’s Silver Screen & Roll writer and editor-in-chief Harrison Faigen discusses the present state of the Los Angeles Lakers as uncertainty swirls around a potential NBA return this season.

Time stamps may vary due to dynamic advertising:

7:56-9:03: “The only way to change this [mental health stigma] and have people be more comfortable talking about it is to have more people talk about it openly and have it not be that big of a deal. And so I want it to not be a big deal when I talk about being afraid to go outside or being afraid to go back to work. These are things we all feel on some level or another…We’re all feeling that, and everyone who’s struggling should be able to talk about that. One of the most insidious things, at least with my own mental illness, was it made me feel like I was weird and that there was something wrong with me and that you shouldn’t talk about it because other people aren’t going to be able to relate. What I’ve found through talking to other people…and the overwhelming feedback to the piece was that there a lot of other people going through these same things, and that appreciated that I was willing to talk about it.”

14:18-15:38: “Nobody was seriously thinking that LeBron [James] was washed [up], but there were more doubts about him going into this season than there probably ever have been…He’s mostly been a really important part of the Lakers defense, he’s been basically their sole competent ball handler on offense, and for him to be doing that at 35 with the workload that he needs to take on and not really load-managing…I think it’s probably as good of a 35-year-old season as anyone’s ever had.” Continue reading

The Golden State Warriors’ Pursuit of Playoff Perfection

June 9, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

LeBron James’ otherworldly series has not translated into a Cleveland win thus far (Erik Drost/Flickr).

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With just over three minutes left in a thrilling Game 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a three-point lead and looked to be on their way to handing the Golden State Warriors their first loss since April 10. Not to be deterred, the Warriors finished the game with 11 straight points, sealing the victory and continuing their quest for an undefeated 16-0 playoff run. Aaron and Loren team up to discuss that heartbreaking Cavaliers loss, what’s gone right and wrong for each team in the series and what the Warriors’ dominance means for the future of the NBA.

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Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod

2017 NBA Finals Preview With Brendan Bowers, Andy Liu

June 1, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Despite having just surpassed Michael Jordan to become the all-time leader in playoff points, LeBron James may be facing the largest challenge of his career against the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

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The 2017 NBA Finals are finally here. And no surprise…the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face off an NBA-record third straight time. These behemoths come in a combined 24-1 this postseason. The Warriors have won at least 67 games each of the last three regular seasons, whereas the defending champion Cavaliers boast a league-leading 120.7 Offensive Rating these playoffs. As if that weren’t enough, the second LeBron James-Kevin Durant Finals meeting will also be a key component, among a slew of fascinating storylines. To help us preview this highly anticipated rubber series, New York Times bestselling author Brendan Bowers and Warriors World’s Andy Liu team up to provide elite insight on these historic teams.

Brendan Bowers 5:57-7:14: “I think LeBron’s in his prime right now. And I’m not saying that prime’s gonna last X number of years. I don’t know how long it’s gonna last…If I was to guess one thing [as to] why is it the prime now: I think part of [it is] getting that championship for Cleveland, breaking the six-decade streak of no championships, doing it for his hometown, completing the redemption story. I think now that that whole thing is off his back, he’s just playing basketball, and he is, I think, playing it better than he ever has despite the athleticism that he had at 22, at 23, at 24. Continue reading

Justin Rowan: LeBron James Is “More Comfortable in His Own Skin”

March 11, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Between injuries to J.R. Smith and Kevin Love and having to incorporate many new pieces, LeBron James and the Cavaliers have had a bumpier road this season than we’re used to seeing (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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Most listeners are aware that LeBron James has consistently guided his teams to NBA Finals appearances (six straight, to be exact), yet this season’s Cavaliers continue to be tested by a number of key injuries that threaten to derail their hopes of repeating as champions. Issues stemming from these injuries have resulted in the team’s recent mediocre play, as Eastern counterparts like the Wizards and Celtics angle for the No. 1 seed currently occupied by Cleveland. Justin Rowan of SB Nation’s Fear the Sword is here to break down those struggles and also illuminate how the Cavaliers can reasonably overcome them. In addition to LeBron James’ MVP case and the importance of the Kyle Korver acquisition, Justin speaks about Larry Sanders rumors, Tristan Thompson’s underrated contributions, J.R. Smith’s outsized role and more.

5:17-5:56: “[Larry Sanders is] definitely going to bring a lot of personality to the team, which can be a good thing. I think they have the right type of culture for that. They also have a history of dealing with players who have suffered with mental illness issues. Delonte West had some public issues with the Cavaliers and has talked recently about how LeBron is still a big part of his life and supporting him and helping him work through that. So having LeBron, who is familiar with having a teammate with those issues and what’s involved there, it could be a supportive situation for him.”

8:46-10:09: “It’s tough because…the extensive pre-game routine that [LeBron James] goes through, which is hours of physical preparation, if he doesn’t play at least 34 minutes, he views it as if he shouldn’t even have played at all. He views it as a waste for the all the preparation he goes through. Continue reading

Conrad Kaczmarek: “LeBron Controls As Much As He Wants to Control”

February 3, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Despite recent turmoil in the organization, LeBron James seems poised to reach his sixth straight NBA Finals appearance, second in a row with the Cavaliers (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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Nearly two weeks ago, the best team in the Eastern Conference fired its head coach. Conrad Kaczmarek, former editor of SB Nation’s Fear the Sword, makes an appearance to discuss the state of those Cleveland Cavaliers. Although they still boast the conference’s best record and are showcasing electric offense under newly named lead man Tyronn Lue, minor weaknesses are discussed. Also, Conrad explores the instrumental play of Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson as well as LeBron James’ impact on personnel decisions.

5:55-7:00: “Even though [LeBron James] is a monster in transition, his teams are never high-pace teams… I think the tendency for a lot of his teams is for them to slow it down, play in the half court, and let LeBron do his thing, which works great a lot of the time… I think there’s a lot being talked about with Tyronn Lue trying to push the pace and have them play at a faster pace, but the numbers don’t really bear that out in the first six games that they’ve played. They’re pretty much playing at the same pace if not a little bit slower at times.”

11:25-12:20: “When Kevin Love is not hitting the wide open shots that they’re getting him, they have a tendency to lose confidence in him pretty quickly… They have a tendency of doing that too much and getting away from Kevin, then he struggles to get into a rhythm later. So I think it’s definitely a process still – this core has not been around together for very long – but I think that’s the next big step: that when Kevin hits a little bit of a shooting slump, they need to resist the urge to go away from him… They need to keep it in the flow, keep running the same stuff and just trust that these are really good players… and the shots are going to fall eventually.”

Tag: Tyronn Lue

Law Murray: The Clippers Are “Pretty Injury-Proof”

Law Murray: Clips Have “Not Enough Good” Options Vs. Doncic

Sekou Smith: “In the West, Everybody is Swinging for the Fences at All Times”

Harrison Faigen: “There’s Genuine Dislike Between (Lakers and Clippers)”

The Golden State Warriors’ Pursuit of Playoff Perfection

2017 NBA Finals Preview With Brendan Bowers, Andy Liu

Justin Rowan: LeBron James Is “More Comfortable in His Own Skin”

Conrad Kaczmarek: “LeBron Controls As Much As He Wants to Control”

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