Clippers 2nd Gear Remains Unmatched After Demolition of Rockets

Have the Clippers been sleepwalking through the heart of the regular season? Absolutely. Does it matter in the slightest come playoff time? We're going to lean no.

As the likes of the Lakers and Nuggets race out to the top-2 seeds in the West (until tonight for Denver), Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Load Management Clippers are complacent with whichever spot they receive -- assuming it comes with homecourt in the first round -- ready to hit the proverbial switch come the postseason. It's a strategy that's long been criticized, only to be proven correct, from LeBron's Miami Heat to Leonard's Raptors just last season.

Coasting isn't recommended, but it's practiced quite often. When these Clippers need to flip the switch, they're more than capable. Just ask the Lakers (who are 0-2 vs their LA counterparts) and the Houston Rockets, who received an at-times humiliating defeat at the hands of their Western Conference foe.

This is the second-straight loss for the Rockets, one of which came against the Knicks. The Clip Show quietly rose to second in the West despite seeming, at times, to not really care all that much. Yet, against Houston, the Clippers ratcheted up the defensive effort, headlined by their leader.

Six Clippers scored in double-figures, led by Leonard's 25 and +33 scoring margin while on the floor. He shot the ball just 15 times, making over half his attempts and teaching a course on efficiency. Houston, meanwhile, made just 13-of-40 attempts from three-point land, a mark we'd like to blame on the Rockets inability to deliver in big moments -- but we know better.

This is the Clippers. They'll lose a home game to the lowly Kings, then rip off five straight wins against the likes of Denver, Oklahoma City and now Houston. The Lakers could be next.