You know what? I was asking myself all along if the bricks needed to be smaller, or fewer, or if the screen needed to be larger, precisely to allow a little more room between the paddles and the blocks. Also, I spent so much time playtesting that I lost all sense of proportion regarding the difficulty level. I was actually worried it would be TOO easy. FWIW, it is possible to finish the level. (I promise!)
Anyway, thanks for playing!