So what?

Opening night?

So what?

I need to see Paul George scored 33 closing night, not opening night.

And that's the whole question about this team now, do I like what they've added to the team?

Do I like Ibaka?

Oh, yeah, on.

And we both agreed that Ibaka was an upgrade on Montrezl.

Harrell is a nice player, but Ibaka can also shoot it and can defend.

And he's a veteran with championship experience.

All that.

That's a really nice pickup.

They did not get Rondo.

They did not get the point guard who could organize that offense.

Batum if a dude like that is interested, right, because he got his money and he went to a place where they weren't gonna be competitive and we all forgot about him and frankly, he didn't play very well.

But if he's gonna be interested and has still has some gas in the tank, that's an interesting pick up.

Is that enough to make me think that the Clippers is gonna be the biggest threat to the Lakers when, for example, I saw last year the Clippers got by the Mavericks because and only because Porzingis was unfairly fouled out of the game.

The rest threw him out of a game he should not have been thrown out of.

And then he got hurt.

If Porzingis is healthy Mavericks better than the Clippers Last year I watched it and I picked the Clippers and I said after that, Siri's Mavericks are a better team than them.

Maybe the Nuggets are too right like team.

The Clippers actually lost two.

Let's see what happens with Porter Jr.

I can't say based on day one when when you're not in the playoffs and Paul George shows up, I want to see playoff PG 13 become a compliment.

Not an insult.

Then I'll by the Clippers.

Well, first of all, I can say that the Clippers are the biggest threat to the Lakers because last night had nothing to do with that.

I felt that way coming into the season, and here is the reason why I don't think we'll ever see Kui, Leonard and Paul George more motivated with the acquisition of Serge Ibaka and Ty Lue coaching them and having the cash aid the hold them accountable even more so than Doc Rivers.

Remember when Doc Rivers inherited them.

He was in the sixth year in Los Angeles.

There was questions as to what his future was gonna be as the Los Angeles Clippers coach, because sometimes when you're there and you're in a particular place long enough, sometimes they feel they just need a new voice.

And you have people close the bomber that didn't necessarily want Doc Rivers to be retained.

So as a result of that, he walked in the last season with all of that going on.

Then you combine that with the bubble Andi and the Bubble play because the NBA season was halted.

The reality of the situation is that Tyler, who is in a better situation, and Doc Rivers was to coach this team now your koala.

Leonard.

Unlike your first championship in San Antonio, unlike your second championship in Toronto, you are the face of this franchise, meaning these Los Angeles Clippers.

They mortgaged the farm in order to get you by giving you what you wanted in terms of acquiring Paul George.

So as a result, it's not just co wise responsibility.

Paul George, to a degree, is also co Islanders responsibility because you asked for all of this stuff.

Well, they gave you all the pieces that you needed.

What you gonna do about it?

You're the one that had the commercial.

You're the one that had the crown dangling from the mirror in your car.

You're the one that put everybody on notice with your new balance commercials that you had arrived.

And it was a new day as a result, that had arrived in Tinseltown.

And then you came up short in the game seven.

Now we could look at Paul George hitting the side of the backboard, which we all brought up, and we can't erase that.

But he did drop 33 in Game six.

He did job 26 in Game five.

It wasn't like he was a flat out scrub, for crying out loud.

He had a bad night in the Game seven, which is not excusable, but it was even worse for koala ended because so much more was expected from him.

And he was an absolute no show.

Am I A missing in action couldn't be found while Jamal Murray was giving them 40.

So what I'm saying to you is that with all of that stuff going on.

And now LeBron James being a championship in the same building in the same city, in the same town, which you still having those damn commercials.

I think they're highly motivated, and as a result, we're gonna see the Clippers come at the Lakers.

I think that that's their problem, Max.

They want.

They wasn't even interested in playing anybody else but the Lakers.

The Clippers get up for the Lakers, unlike they get up for any other team in the NBA.

If you're talking about what could happen to them beforehand, find.

But if you're talking about a matchup face to face you against me, the Los Angeles Clippers are the most significant threat to the Los Angeles Lakers because that's the one team they get up for every night.

Well, I I don't know that I don't even know that.

That's true that I would say that they present, like in a matchup, the biggest challenge for the Lakers.

I'm very interested, for example, in our game tonight with sons and the Mavs, right?

I no, no poor Zynga's, But like teams like that, let's see what happens with those guys.

Like as you know, I like the Mavs is my sleeper, but you gotta even watch a team like Phoenix.

Phoenix is loaded, so I don't know that they match up the Clippers matchup best with Lakers simply because of motivation.

I, like Conard pick up like Sham.

It, for Kennard is kind of like, um, the Seth Curry for Richardson trade, right?

Like you're giving up.

Maybe better shooting, although both, you know, obviously cannot can also shoot.

You're giving up better shooting for maybe a better player.

Ah, guy who's gonna get more minutes like the Clippers did improve in the off season.

But I don't know to say enoughto be better or more dangerous to the Lakers than, say, the Mavericks.

When you think of the Mavs, when if poor Zynga stays healthy when they're fully loaded, Just think of Stephen A.

The size and the shooting where your point guard basically point for whatever with the guy bringing the ball up, uh, in Lucca is 6 ft eight.

When you're to guard Tim Hardaway, Jr is what 6667 when you got guys like Dorian Finney Smith, who could defend and bomb from three at least last year's bombing from three at 6768 Whatever he is, Maxie Kleeb, a same thing could defend and shoot from the outside 6 10 and then pour Zynga's at 73 Who could do all those things to?

That might be a tougher matchup for the Lakers and the guys you mentioned.

Or if Portis Jr takes the next step.

He's awful defensively, but if he even gets a little bit better there, but certainly he should be ascending offensively.

I mean, the Clippers couldn't handle those guys, and and by the way, the Lakers could.

But that was still a team in it's embryonic stages developing what's gonna happen this year if they actually come out as a as a more mature, better team with a legit third option?

I don't know.

The Clippers are the toughest matchup for the Lakers.

Just because they're motivated.

I need to see Paul George perform under pressure, period.

Well, if that's the case, I need to see poor Zynga's a little bit healthy.

Can he last?