Daily Report - 12/12/2013

You’ve got a big one tonight. National TV audience, lots of beard time, and a bona fide NBA team from west of the Mississippi.

As you know, there are few people in the world who I respect more than Doc Rivers. He’s a head coach who really appreciates a good defensive assistant who gets up from his seat on the bench every now and then. Anyway, like I told you when we played the Clippers in November, it would be unethical for me to reveal certain parts of his game planning. Seriously, I could tell you one or two things and you’d win by 30-35 points, guaranteed. But I just can't do that to my buddy Doc.

Here are some notes, but not the supercharged, top-secret notes that I could be giving you:

- I’m just gonna be totally honest and say that I have no idea what Chris Paul will do on a play-by-play basis. He’s playing Risk and the rest of us are stuck on Connect-4.

- Same with Jamal Crawford. I just love watching him play. Nice guy, too. Sometimes you just gotta sit back and enjoy the show.

- And now, Stephen Jackson’s on the Clips! Add in DeAndre and Jared Dudley and this is just a wacky and fun crew. I’m gonna miss this game if for nothing more than the pre- and post-game banter.

- Everyone loves to talk about how Blake Griffin is soft but I’m not buying it. He’s one hard foul away from totally losing it and, quite frankly, our frontcourt can’t handle that. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but if Blake looks like he might blow, just send Reggie in there. He’ll give him a big hug, whisper something creepy in his ear, and everyone will go home happy.

- These notes look pretty bleak, but the Nets did put up a good fight against the Clips last month without Brook, Deron, KG, and Pierce. So don’t be afraid to give guys like Alan and Blatche some extra PT. But if you let this game turn into some kind of runway fashion show, the Nets will be toast.

I think I’m in the mood for a nice diner breakfast. Have a good one.