The schedule has been relatively kind to the Clippers to start the season.

It is about to become unkind.

Beginning Sunday the Clippers will play 10 games in 16 days including three back-to-backs and one stretch in which they play on three consecutive nights.

Oh, and did I mention eight of those ten games are on the road?

If anyone is wondering why the Clippers played it so safe with Chris Paul, the upcoming schedule is why.

Paul could have come back earlier than he did, but the Clippers understood the importance of buying some time with him knowing the schedule was about to go from tough to ridiculously tough.