Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.  The last time the Clippers faced the Spurs.

In 26 electrifying minutes, Eric Bledsoe had 17 points on 8-10 shooting, with four rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block.

In 26 minutes on Monday against Cleveland, he didn’t shoot as well (11 points on 3-10), but still managed to stand out with five rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.

In both cases, the play wasn’t surprising so much as the minutes.

He played more than 20 minutes five times out of 11 playoffs games last year, fewer than eight twice.

But as opposed to his up-and-down role last May, his trajectory this year (17, 14, 15, then 26 minutes) and a real stretch of small sample size projection suggests more consistent playing time could be in store.

We shall see.  Or, at least that’s the hope.