We’re chatting live below for the Clippers home opener at 7:30 pm PT against the Chicago Bulls. We’ll also have a live postgame edition of ClipperBlogLive right after the game, so watch out for that as well. Let’s get chatty:

Tune into ClipperBlog Live by clicking one of the links below to hear Mark Shore, Jovan Buha and Breene Murphy discuss the Clippers’ 115-90 loss to the Spurs on a live podcast.

We’re hosting on our own chat here at ClipperBlog for the Clippers-Spurs matchup at 5:30 pm PT tonight, so come on in and chop it up with us! Make sure to stick around after the game, as we’ll be taking your questions and comments in the chat (and calls via skype) in our live postgame podcast immediately following the game.  More...

It’s time for the Chris Paul era to begin. We’ll be chatting below in ESPN’s Daily Dime Live during the game, so feel free to hop in and join the fun. After the party is the after-party, so make sure to check out ClipperBlogLive once the game ends so we can take your questions and comments and break down everything in our live postgame show!

The Clippers finish up their 2010-2011 season against the Grizzlies in what should be an underwhelming affair. While the two teams have played some very close games (the 85-84 loss in Staples in December and 82-81 win with the double foul only weeks ago), the season is all wrapped up. The Grizzlies will dance again in the playoffs and the Clippers will get a head start on their vacations and practice.

The strange thing about this year, and I’ll go more into this in posts after the season, is that so few questions were answered. Big questions, like “How good is Blake?” and “Can Eric make the jump?”, were answered, but so many team-related questions remain. In the post-Dunleavy era, can the team play defense? Can Vinny get better as a coach? Can the offense run coherently? Will Sterling spend the money to get the players? How will the young players like Bledsoe and Aminu develop? How will Ryan Gomes fit into this team of youngsters and can he be an efficient starting small forward? Will Kaman stay healthy?

We might lean one way or another, but we don’t actually know what will happen. The Clippers improved slightly in the win column, they have won more games this year, and yet the question marks remain. So much work is left to be done.

Even standard, “Will the Sun come up?” type questions are unanswered. When will this next season start? What will the CBA and the contracts given out to free agents be like? There is so much uncertainty that only one immediate solution exists: watch the game, even if it’ll probably be sloppy. Enjoy Blake’s dunks live. It may be while before you see them live again.

Keys to the Game

- Energy. The Grizzlies already rested Randolph and Allen and have hinted that the core of Randolph, Allen, Conley and Gasol will rest in the final game of the regular season, which means their level of play might not be as high as one would hope. The Clippers, even without the debacle of Houston, are notorious for playing to the level of their opponents (in both the good and bad sense) and this game would be easy to fall into that trap. However, if the Clippers come out and just play hard, that might be enough to beat the resting Grizzlies.

- FREEDOM. No Tony Allen? No Mike Conley? Great. Now, Mo Williams and Eric Gordon are going to have the space to confidently run the offense.

- Go inside, Blake. Without Gasol and Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies interior presence is quicker, but not nearly as formidable. If Blake wants to max out his efficiency, he would be best to try to work on the block on the smaller Darrell Arthur (6’9”, 235) and Leon Powe (a generous 6’8”, 240).

Injury Report

Chris Kaman: knee, game time decision
Ryan Gomes: knee, game time decision
Eric Bledsoe: left ankle (?), questionable

Rudy Gay: Left shoulder, out
Xavier Henry: right knee, out
Jason Williams: sore lower back, questionable

Ah, Houston. Last road game of the season, but I hope that Blake and DeAndre return to visit you soon. If I had it my way, you’d be this year’s summer home for the two young Clipper Bigs. No, your humidity isn’t that alluring, nor the location by the Gulf. It’s something else. Houston, you’re the home of the legendary center, Hakeem Olajuwon.

For some, Hakeem is just a name, even if it’s a great name, so please check out some of his videos. Even if you remember Hakeem, watching him again is a treat.

Here’s Hakeem explaining his legendary “Dream Shake.” Imagine if Blake had this in his repertoire.

And Hakeem was amazing on defense.

Didn’t matter if it was weakside or man on man, Hakeem had that unique ability to get his hand on the ball. And when he did block the shot, rarely was the ball batted out of bounds to be given back to the team.

The Olajuwon renaissance can be credited to Kobe Bryant, who, recognizing his declining athleticism, developed a supremely deft post game to allow him to age gracefully. Bryant, despite playing in his fifteenth season, is posting season averages right in line with his career averages.

But Bryant’s ability to adapt isn’t so much a surprise as manifest destiny. If Olajuwon wasn’t there, Bryant would have found someone else. What has been even more impressive has been the staggering offensive improvement of Dwight Howard. After relying on little more than dunks and a mediocre lefty hook for years, Howard made a significant offensive leap this year.

Dwight is averaging 23.1 points per game, the most he has averaged in his career by 2.5 points, and he has still maintained his efficiency. He still shoots around 60 percent from the field on 13.5 touches per game. Astonishing numbers.

Here’s Olajuwon teaching Dwight Howard. Dwight might be a bit goofy, the whole asian-voiced sensei bit seems slightly contrived, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that Hakeem is, still, a master of post moves.

Book those tickets back to Houston, Blake and DeAndre, because that’s where you should study in the summer.

Keys to the Game

- DeAndre’s home cooking. In three games against his hometown team, DeAndre Jordan has averaged 10 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. That’s a huge improvement over his season averages of 6.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Another one of DeAndre’s big nights and the Clippers will have a better chance to beat the Rockets.

- The quick-witted Blake Griffin. Just like he has done against Tyson Chandler, Blake Griffin has improved his play against Chuck Hayes. In the last matchup, Griffin went for 20 points on 7 for 12 shooting with 14 rebounds and 5 assists, playing a lot out of the high post, which allowed him to get easy shots in the 6-13 foot range, as well as dish out assists at will. Chuck Hayes is a great defender, but with the adaptive abilities of Blake Griffin, especially his new up and under move, it could mean a win for the Clippers.

- Perimeter defense and rotations. The Rockets have two very good perimeter players in Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry. Since the All Star Break (which approximately coincided with the Aaron Brooks trade), Lowry has been averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 assists for the Rockets. Kevin Martin is just as wily as ever. Both players thrive on contact too (Martin averages 8.4 free throw attempts per game, Lowry 3.3) so the Clippers will have to show on screens well in order to stop them from penetrating and disrupting the Clips’ defense.

Injury Report

Ryan Gomes: right knee, questionable

Yao Ming: stress fracture in left ankle
Terrence Williams: lower abdominal surgery, out indefinitely