Es Baraheni
Appearances
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
We'll see what happens there. We've seen, obviously, numerous cases this season of the similar thing. Victor Weminyama got ruled out this season. Asar Thompson had to deal with it throughout the year and came back second half of the season. Christian Coloco, another example, who missed all of last season but now came back and is playing for the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, look, it's, it's been not smooth to like you mentioned, but what is it that's making it not smooth from him coming back from injury?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
And man, you know, you mentioned the future. That's what makes this very interesting for Jonathan Kaminga. It's an important summer for him. And like, how much is this next month, month and a half, whatever it is of basketball for Kaminga going to determine what the future looks like with him and the Warriors?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
So it's obviously one of those common things, but it's unfortunate for the Bucs because – Man, they've had some really, really unlucky injuries over the last couple of seasons between Damon Giannis last year, Giannis the year before with the heat run to the finals. It's just it's unfortunate from the Bucs side of things.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Right. Yeah. And look, the playoff race is going to be very relevant to how they finish here because the West playoff race is all about matchups, right? Whoever you get matched up against in the first round. might kind of determine whether you're going to make that deep playoff run or whether you're going to be a first round out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
And the Clippers, the Wolves, they're knocking on the door for that final playoff spot. Losing this game now kind of makes it a little bit unclear if they're going to be securing that sixth seed. What kind of urgency is there for them to just keep trying to climb the standings? And I guess the other side note to this question is, who do you think they want to face?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Who's that team they've got their eyes on?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah. They're safely in the two seed right now, but yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah, I mean, we're getting to that point of gamesmanship also from from kind of like maneuvering in the standings and whatnot. I wanted to bring up the piece you had on Jimmy Butler, a full sit down piece with Jimmy on basically everything that's happened with the Miami Heat breakup and kind of looking forward in the future with Golden State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
If you haven't read it, by the way, go out and check out this article. It was incredible in the piece, though. It felt like there was a massive level of confidence from Mike Dunleavy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
uh vouching for jimmy and and his situation and kind of letting him be jimmy i think mostly all of the warriors are kind of letting jimmy be jimmy it feels like the warriors have that as a specialty letting stars just be themselves um is that part of the equation in looking long term at keeping this guy around for for the foreseeable future however long it is
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Well, look, the marriage has worked so far. They're 16-5, one of the best defenses since Jimmy joined. Go and read Anthony Slater at The Athletic, one of the best in the business. Also, go and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Leave us a five-star review whenever you stream this podcast. Thank you for listening to The Athletic NBA Daily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
For Anthony Slater, Andrew Schlecht, and myself, thank you for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Absolutely. Yeah. And Chris Haynes did report that like, you know, him and the Bucks are taking this seriously and that he's in, well, you know, kind of good spirits through this whole situation. So definitely hope everything is okay for Dame. Okay. So crazy night in the NBA. A lot of stuff happened as it usually does in the association.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
We wanted to do a little moments draft before I talked to Anthony Slater about the Warriors getting smoked to the heat. Okay. Yeah. Do you want to start this draft or do you want me to do the honors? How do you feel? I would love to go first. Okay, take the first overall pick. Tell me the number one moment from last night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Good morning and welcome to the Athletic NBA Daily. Coming up, some bad news for Damian Lillard and the Bucs. Myself and Andrew Schleck play a game of Moments of the Night. And Anthony Slater comes on the show to talk about Jimmy Butler's return to Miami. The Warriors got smoked. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Andrew. Good morning. Crazy, crazy night as usual. Basketball always great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Of course, it's Wilt. Of course, it's a Wilt record.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah, that one graphic where he had a game where it was like 50-50 and 30. It was like, that's never going to happen. I'm sorry, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah. And look, you could you could kind of pull apart that 1612 record and talk about how they're the youngest team in the NBA to get to 60 wins. Yeah. All that type of stuff. That's definitely there. OK, this is my second pick. I'm going to go a little bit fun here. This is this is an interesting one. If you nobody it's unlikely that you're watching the Utah Jazz play the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Okay. I was close to taking it number one, by the way. KJ Martin took a corner three in the game, and it was an air ball. And you know what? Air balls happen to the best of us. I've shot them. I'm sure, Andrew, you've shot them once or twice in your life, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
But this was so short of the net that it was as if – I don't even know. What was he even aiming for at this point?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
in a way that you yell it when you know that it's like it's like gonna hit the rim or something or whatever yeah you're like oh i know it's it's just gonna be sure i didn't have enough legs in that one well yeah he definitely didn't have enough legs um yeah that's a tough one i'm sorry that's kind of like uh the the shacked in a full moment here but i had to take it it's just so good
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
It's one of the best things. It's one of the best fan interaction things in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Who would every team who would be for the Thunder?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Aaron Wiggins. That works. I like it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
But it has to be the full name, too. It can't just be Lou because that that's happened before. They do the Lou, right? They do the Lou. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yes. I like it. OK, that's a good pick. All right. I'm going to go with the Knicks who beat the Mavericks tonight. A little bit of history there. Carl Anthony Towns and Josh Hart become the first Knicks teammates to both have triple doubles. Josh Hart, triple double machine, by the way, most triple doubles in a season in Knicks history. He just passed Clyde Frazier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
So cool Knicks moment again, a pretty inconsequential win for the Knicks who are very, very firmly locked into the third seed. But a very, very cool historic moment for them. That's a good one. What about yours? Next one. Talk to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
We unfortunately got some pretty bad news out the gate for tonight, though. And that was that Damian Lillard had has been sustained basically deep, deep injuries.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
You honestly, you could maybe do a redraft right now and there would be a conversation for him to be top five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Wow, over Jared McCain. That's interesting. That's very interesting. Okay, my final pick here is Ty Jerome, which I think... I think Ty Jerome needs to be the most improved player. I don't know exactly what the eligibility requirements are for him in the 65 game rule because he only plays 20 minutes a night. He played 20 minutes tonight against the Portland Trailblazers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
The Cavs get a win without Donovan Mitchell, who doesn't play. And Ty Jerome dropped 25 points in 21 minutes. I just thought. He is awesome. He has this swagger to him, this confidence. Those are the type of players we should be rewarding for most improved because that's the essence of the award.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
A guy who was basically not in the NBA or on the fringes of the NBA to a guy who, how many teams would Ty Jerome start for today? Think about it, folks. Maybe that's something fans should think about. How many teams Ty Jerome would start about today?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah. For days. Yeah. OK. Anyways, look, that was your moments of the night. Andrew, appreciate you playing this little game with me. Look, coming up, we got Anthony Slater talking about the Miami Heat Jimmy Butler reunion game. It was a lot of theatrics. The game not so theatrical.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
vein thrombosis I want to get that right because it's essentially a blood clot that was found in his calf and he's out indefinitely for it he missed three games with a calf strain so the Bucks basically found out that this is something more serious obviously all the best wishes to Dame and obviously the Bucks situation is really tough but from Sam Amick and Eric name of the athletic they both reported that there is some optimism that Dame is going to come back this season obviously
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Jimmy Butler returned to Miami for the first time since being traded from the Heat, but the Steph Curry-less Warriors get absolutely smacked by a motivated Heat team. To help me break this down and talk about the Warriors, we're joined by Anthony Slater, who covers the team for us here at The Athletic Slater.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Not the game Jimmy or the Warriors probably wanted out of this one, but just generally, how was the atmosphere, the vibes coming into the game, the tribute video, all that type of stuff? How was the atmosphere in Miami?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Half-hearted booze. It felt like they were half-hearted, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Yeah, you're right. And, and I think, you know, the, the tribute video, I kind of mentioned this in our group chat too, but it was just weird to go from tribute video to booze and then to cheers and booze. It was just mixed feelings all around. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
Look, I mean, the game itself was pretty underwhelming, too, especially from the Warriors perspective. I mean, there were some really great moments from the Heat who probably played one of their most inspired basketball games this season. But from the Warriors perspective, it was bad all around. I mean, they couldn't hit a shot whatsoever in their starting group.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT
And, you know, obviously without Steph, that's definitely a part of it. But how much are you concerned about the lack of creation outside of Steph and given this team's aspirations going into the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
puts the game in peril i thought that was a little out of character to be honest he's got the he's got the you know it's contagious he's a warrior it's funny you say that because i did feel like they played with their food throughout this game especially in that second quarter a little bit in that third and fourth two uh and that's sort of been a quality over the last couple weeks with this warriors team you think of that spurs game you think of obviously losing uh in
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
in the Clippers game to be able to get to this point in the first place. What is it about this team that has, like you said, Marcus, like such highs and then the lows can get really, really low too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
heavy in rotation right everything is rotation Draymond says the goal is to put a defense in rotation and the Warriors live in rotation so the more they rotate the more mistakes they they create yeah there was there was a time in the game uh where obviously second quarter start of second quarter it was the Jimmy Butler lineup no Steph Curry right uh and that fueled the game for them like they they went on a massive run it was actually against the
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
They're finding an identity there without Steph. I think free throws is a big part of it. Like they took, Jimmy took 18 free throws tonight, which is a huge part of how he got to his 38 points. What is it about this team? Actually better question that than that is the, Does the free throw merchant ability of Jimmy Butler give a change up for this Warriors offense? Oh, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
It's a Barry Zito 12 to 6 curveball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Yeah, this was a gritty, gritty loss. For the Grizzlies. You know, we talk about grit and grind. They really embodied that tonight with the way that they fought. I thought that part of it was awesome to watch between jaw coming back from the ankle injury. I thought Zach Eady sort of figured it out as the game progressed. I want to talk about that for a second a little bit more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
How much mood, how much loony do you think we end up seeing in that series? Cause the rockets really none. Just cause like the rockets are massive and yeah, Memphis is massive tonight, but Edie, again, very different type of big than like Steven Adams. Yeah. But you can't play Steven Adams against Steph Curry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
So just play small all the time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
But Desmond Bain, the way that he was shooting the rock, the way that he was basically like – leading this team on the offensive end. They got contributions from a couple of different rotation guys, too. It was just a gritty way to try and grind out this away game to try and get to seventh. They couldn't do it because of a few different things. So people are going to bring up Zach Eadie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Because in the first half, the Warriors constantly went at Edie in pick and rolls. They constantly went at him basically anytime he was guarding anybody. And the thing was, basically, they went Jimmy Butler on Zach Edie, which was the matchup the Warriors were going for. Warriors were completely comfortable with Zach trying to attack offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
That part of it, 100% a growing and learning experience for a rookie who's still trying to figure out how he can be impactful. Second half, I thought he really figured it out. And the Grizzlies did a better job of pre-switching certain actions to make sure that he stays around the paint. The Warriors did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
I mean, the Grizzlies did a great job of kind of walling off the paint in certain areas with Edie in the middle. He had 17 rebounds, which is seven offensive rebounds. Seven offensive rebounds, which is huge for this Grizzlies team with the way that they struggle in the half court. And he was a plus six in 32 minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
So I think Edie, yes, there were moments where you could say, man, why are they going to him in the post? It doesn't make sense for them to try and force the situation with him offensively. And defensively, there are moments where he was getting hunted. Yes, you expect that from a rookie. My question is, Where was Jaron Jackson Jr.?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
See, and this is actually part of why there's so much pressure on Zach Eady because the Grizzlies struggled with going Jaron at the five. And so they were forced. He doesn't rebound. Exactly. He had six rebounds in this game. He is the second tallest player on either roster. And there were five guys who out rebounded him tonight. So like that's. a very, very persistent issue with Jaron.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Obviously the fouls are, are another aspect, but generally they couldn't go to him at the five because they were just getting destroyed on the glass when Edie wasn't on the floor. And so, yes, we can blame Edie for rookie mistakes and kind of learning curve and all that type of stuff. But I honestly thought the, if you wanted to blame a Grizzlies big for tonight's loss, it would be Jaron.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Absolutely. Yeah. And like the way this Grizzlies team has played all season was to figure out how to play without jaw. and to lean away from what jaw could do in the pick and roll. And so I wasn't surprised that their offense was able to sustain when Jeff went off the floor with that injury. And the fact that Bain kind of sees the moment, the driving tonight was awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
You mentioned the shot making the three point shooting, but generally like creation off of drives was really impressive for Bain tonight too. Yeah. It was a huge game, a massive game for him. It's just, it's tough because now you're, you're either going to play okay. See, or your season's done. And so a little bit tougher of a circumstance for the Grizzlies with the season finishing, if you will.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Just a weird start to the game. It was honestly kind of how the rest of the game played out, too. He was 4 of 13 throughout. He took 11 free throws, had 7 assists, finished with 17 points. I thought it was interesting because...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
he really struggled from the field in that mid-range area you know paulo likes to get into that mid-range bag was just not hitting any of those shots but the playmaking like atlanta was shading and throwing tons of bodies at paulo uh and paulo was doing a great job of kind of just manipulating the hawks defense getting good looks for basically anybody else um and orlando did enough to make the hawks pay in
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
this one. It was about as simple as that. It was too aggressive of a defensive scheme from the Hawks. Paolo was able to make them play. And then in the second half, Cole Anthony and Wendell Carter Jr. Massive nights for the Magic to get them this win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Yeah, I thought that was funny. I honestly thought that was just a funny thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
For that. It was silly. And the reasoning after the game, the ref explained and said it was conduct detrimental to the game, which is like, what are we talking about here? He's making a mockery of the sport of basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
I'll ask you this, Dave. I'm curious because now we got basically Orlando-Boston, right? And we know Boston is dealing with the Jalen Brown issue. We'll see how healthy and available and ready he is for game one and moving forward. But do you think Orlando can make some noise? Do you think they could keep up?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
I mean, I just don't. I think Boston is too good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
Yeah, I think it's Paolo versus Jason Tatum, which I think will be the matchup throughout this game, throughout this series, right? And Tatum is such an underrated defender. He's huge, by the way. People don't really realize how big Jason Tatum is, but you see him in person. He's like, this is a large man. And the same thing applies to Paolo Bancaro.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
So it's like two guys who can just go at each other and two guys who like to get into their one-on-one game, two guys who like to mismatch hunt. I think, again, Orlando with with Paolo, they're going to have some troubles offensively getting to that and how much they lean on Franz Wagner to be a driver and pick and roll player. All that type of stuff is is, I think, important to their offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
But defensively, they might be able to pose a challenge. You know, you think of like their size, their length on the perimeter. You mentioned Anthony Black. He's he's a great point of attack defender. But you also have Jonathan Isaac cleaning things up on the inside. Makes me think like maybe they could steal a game. But that's that's as far as I'm going to get hot. And that's the thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
This is why we like to play it. Oh, yeah, absolutely. You know, there's there's the you ever watch The Lion King and, you know, Mufasa is explaining to Simba. He's like, what's that dark side? That's the Eastern Conference play in tournament. We don't go there, Simba. That's that's how it feels like with the Eastern Conference. But shout out to the Hawks, man. They're going to win the consolation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Gritty Warriors win play-in + Orlando moves on
He's he's spot. No, I think it's going to be the Bulls.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
The Bulls were close to winning the lottery. The Spurs had the best odds at one point to win the entire thing and get number one overall, which would have just been terrible. This is why I don't gamble. Yeah. Would the Spurs have been worse than the Mavericks for you guys?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. i think ace could drop do you think i feel like ace could drop just because a lot of people thought he was like the 610 you talked about measurables people thought this this guy was like a 610 shot creator mpj type and measuring out to be like six seven you know looks pretty regular compared to what people thought he was so maybe there's a chance he drops you know
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, he's either the best or second best shooter. I think I saw one game this year. Yeah, I like him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
He would have been a great pick for OKC if they had kept that pick. That would have been...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think wingspan is more important than height.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You never get it. Poku was a high hips guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Let me ask you guys this. There's been some conversation about Cooper and how he would fit in Dallas with what they do. I think he would fit really well next to Anthony Davis, obviously. But there's also the question of like, all right, where does that leave Lively? Where does that leave Gafford? Where does that leave P.J. Washington?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Do they make more trades because they have to extend or pay a few of those guys? You think Cooper can play the three? Can he play the three and have AD be the four and then Gafford or Lively be the five?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
And then it's with the Lakers. I feel like the Lakers would at least consider it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
That's what I'm saying. They should make a – like they should – I would say – I would call Rob Palenka and be like, hey, Derek Lively for Austin Reeves. There you go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, I, I actually really love that argument, but there's just no way. There's just no way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You know who AD would be sick with? The Pacers. My God, would the Pacers be awesome with Anthony Davis? Keep Miles Turner? No, take Miles Turner. Whatever you want to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Nope. Yeah, that's kind of tough. That's where the issue is. That's the thing, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
If I'm looking at the east... Brooklyn. Brooklyn would do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Right. And Giddy, you know, give Giddy. To your point, if someone in the East is like, man, we're one piece away, you know, we're like. That's my thing. Orlando. I don't know. Orlando's like, hey, let's get.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, it is. But like, I'm thinking of a team that's decent enough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I would want Maxie. Give me Maxie in Dallas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
We don't want Maxie, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Okay, look, look. This is funny you guys bringing this up, though, because the East – The East is wide open next year, right? Absolutely wide open. Cleveland's probably going to run it back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
The Pacers might win 65 games next year. Yeah, maybe. Possibly. The Knicks will probably win a lot of games. Yeah, if they keep it together, they'll win. Those two are probably the two best teams other than Cleveland, right? Cleveland's going to do the same thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. Especially cause you just need one year, you know, like, yeah. Well, I think the Celtics are in an interesting position, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, it's hard to trade that contract. How are you going to get a player that's as good as Jalen Brown? I don't know. Giannis. I mean, Giannis. Jalen Brown, all your picks for Giannis. That is a thing. That is a thing. It is a thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I don't think that would happen, but I guess to your point, like that's the type of upgrade to make.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Well, wait, let's do a Boston version of this. The Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade gave them Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Okay, what if they pivot a different way? What if they trade Porzingis, trade Drew Holiday, Tatum is obviously out next season. It's Derek White and Jalen Brown next season with Peyton Pritchard and – Xavier Tillman and whatever. And that's probably like – you're probably like a play-in team, maybe a little bit better than a play-in team in the Eastern Conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
But what if they don't be a playoff team? What if they do the Mavericks thing or the Warriors thing, you know, the gap year, right, where it's like let's go get Steph some help. Now they went and got James Wiseman.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. And next year's draft is great, too, and you get a chance at, you know, we just saw Dallas do it. Why not the Boston Celtics?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Bring a Cooper flag. You could really sell yourself on this, by the way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Honestly, no one. Nobody? No one, yeah. Like maybe Walker Kessler, like a bad first-round pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Does Keontae George net you a first-round pick?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
That's the other guys last year. It could be okay though. Like Filipowski. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I'm trying to throw them a bone here. I'm not, you know, he's a Plumlee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Well, it's the same thing as Keontae George. It's like both those guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They need to be bad again next year. They have no other choice. Go through the exact same process that they did this year, and it's going to stink for Jazz fans to watch that. But it's just – that's the world. I don't know, guys. I actually don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They should. Yeah. You know what? Minnesota is going to move at some point when the expansion happens.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
It's either Minnesota or Memphis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You're a Memphis guy? How about New Orleans?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You know what? The one type of player that I think could make something interesting is like if they go for LaMelo, Trey Young, John Morant. One of those guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, it's... it's a huge chance there was what 1001 different combinations that could have happened yeah and that was the comp it's people do bring up the basketball gods in this situation and we we talked about it on the pod it's like they work they work in mysterious ways this was some sort of weird no one's working in a mysterious way people are pulling strings come on basketball i do i
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
It's just keep tanking until you get your guy. That's all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. Maybe that's the lesson to take here. It's like tank harder, commit as hard as you possibly can.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Chicago Bulls. The first team I thought of.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
That year was a wasted year. Can I just say before we make our second pick here that I will pitch that it should not be the Washington Wizards. I do not think the Washington Wizards are the second pick in the worst thing draft. No, they're fine. I think it's like they have a pretty decent group. They will. They draft pretty well, actually.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
And at six, they'll be able to find a guy, whatever that guy could be for them. So I'm actually not. I'm not that sad if I'm a Wizards fan. I am sad. I'm a little bit sad that I don't get one or two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
And they're probably going to do it again next year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Riley Beal contract. I like what they're doing now, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
you're picking up what I'm throwing down, Andrew, you know, get a guard in there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You don't, it's all good. You got the other guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
So Jordan pool for, I don't know, I guess Gafford, PJ Washington, someone, one of those two. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
What if, what if Jordan pool was in Orlando? I would like that as well. I think that would be fun. That would work. You don't like, I say get any guard, anybody who could dribble on the Orlando.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
But he can't be the starter. No, he's not a full-time starter, yeah. Poole could start there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Oh, I completely forgot. Also, they have Marcus Smart and Chris Middleton just like there. So that's also... No, they're not going to be there. You think they'll trade him? Yeah, probably. Yeah, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, this is... Washington is not second.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, they're doing the Utah thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Claxton? Is he young still? Maybe Noah Clowney.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
No, they don't have any talent. Young player? Does Cam Thomas still count as a young player? It's Cam Thomas and a bunch of scrubs. Okay, Cam Thomas, Nick Claxton, Zaire Williams. That's my final three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You can sell yourself on that, but I think that would be more dumb than just tanking another year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They play so hard, though. They play wildly hard, which is what their quality was last season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Nobody really. Yeah. They weren't competing against anybody. They were just being nice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I think they have, I think, you know, the Brandon Ingram trade to me is an indication that they have a lot of pressure to become a playoff team quicker than they probably want to themselves. Like they, the, there's probably pressure from ownership to get them to a certain level, be a playoff team next season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
And I think now, especially with the rest of the East, you could probably sell yourself on this team being like a top eight team in the East, just because of the way it is. Yeah. I think you could. I mean, look like, They're going to get another nine pick here or whatever, ninth overall pick. That's going to be a guy. I don't know if he's going to play. We'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
But their starting five plus whatever rotation players that they have next year is decent enough to be able to be a competitive team in the East next year. I think that's their goal, at least. That is their goal next season. Who's your guy? Who's your guy at nine? I don't know. I'm like whatever falls to them at this point. I think Derek Queen would be a lot of fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
That would be a lot of fun for me. I am starting to sell myself on this Colin Murray Boyles guy. Yeah. But the dude for me would be Derek Queen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I agree that is perfect, the fact that that happened. That also felt, you know what, that you could believe literally anything. You could just believe anything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yep. Yep. He's just fun. I think he's just a cool player. They like to run a lot of high post stuff with the playmaking with the Jacob and Scotty. He just fits exactly what they need from, from a big man spot. Even though I know there's a lot of like, come on model watch talk. Cause it's ginormous. And he's obviously like very specifically like a Messiah type guy. But I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They became too sentimental with like Fred, Pascal, OG, those guys. They held too long for that. Right. Like Andrew Nembhard was on the table for Pascal Siakam last summer. They decided, or two summers ago, they decided not to trade him. And now you look back and you're like, Adrian Emhart would be pretty great on this Raptors team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They had an option to trade for DeJounte Murray, which was another thing. I'm not necessarily in love with that, but that's whatever. That was an option. They had an offer for three picks for OG Ananobi, three picks in Boyan Bogdanovich from the Knicks before they traded him for RJ Barrett and Emmanuel Quigley. There's like Fred VanVleet. They had an offer for first and a second.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Like those things were there and they didn't necessarily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, it does. It totally does. You have to be so good at drafting and you have to be as opportunistic as possible. Like you have to train – Yeah, and you have to be ready to trade at all. I think that's one of the things that's helping them here is they have a lot of salaries that they can trade, and they have all their picks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
So if there is a dude that they like, they can try and go out and get him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, I don't know what the trade would be unless you're including Scottie. It has to include Scottie. Yeah. And Milwaukee. Yeah. Um, and so it's like Scotty and your picks or whatever. Yeah. That's, that's the version of the trade. I just, I don't, I don't know if the Raptors would be down. Honestly, I don't know if they'd be down. Because it's like the Nets thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
It's like, are they close to competing if they trade? Do they have enough? They're way closer than the Nets. They are way closer than the Nets, yes. But are they close enough? Are they like, do we feel like we have a chance next season with Jason Tatum out and all that type of stuff to trade? Maybe. I don't know. I mean, maybe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Because they just want to make the playoffs. They just want...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
His ankle, man. Yeah, there was some stuff. What does that mean? He was out for months and it wasn't the tanking. It wasn't like they were just holding him back for tank purposes. It was like, we need to build out a long-term plan for this guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I have a conspiracy for the Andrea Bariani draft. You really? Yes, absolutely. They knew that the draft was going to be terrible. They're like, you know what? Let's give it to the Toronto Raptors because we know this number one pick is not going to be anything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They're going to be a playoff team next year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They are weird. They are undeniably a strange basketball team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. And then hope that they become a little bit better so that they can trade them for quickly a five year, $130 million contract.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They're going to pay Josh Giddey more than Emmanuel Quigley, by the way. They're definitely going to pay Josh Giddey more than Emmanuel Quigley.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
$32.5 a year? $32.5 a year, they will pay more than Emmanuel Quigley.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Immediately bad. They're going to sign him for like a five-year, I don't know, 80. What is that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Are they going to? Are they going to trade Kobe White is my question because they probably.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
We talked about how fun they were. Kobe White and Lonzo Ball, sign me up. That's must watch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Wasn't that a thing at some point? Him to Chicago?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Hey, before we head out of here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Cooper Flagg. I have a really wild idea. They have talent. What if instead of a lottery, they did these pitches? I don't know if you guys have DECA in America. DECA is like a business thing where kids go out in tournaments and they pitch these ideas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. Come on. And he's done it a bunch. He did it to the Lakers a couple of years ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
They're another team that feels like they've got to make something happen this summer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, who's running the show?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, you get up in a little suit and tie and you're like, well, this presentation. NBA teams should do that for the lottery. Can I expound on that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I've seen a lot of people bring up the Pistons. They're like, well, look, the Pistons the last four or five years got the fifth pick. Right. Every single year. It's like, well, it's not the fifth pick that is making them what they are right now. It's the number one pick. the Cade Cunningham that changed their situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I don't think anybody's going to go around saying, Oh, well the Spurs with Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson and these guys were anything. It was Victor Wembanyama who changed their franchise. So I'm like, I'm like looking at past drafts, even 2022, which is like the Paolo Chet draft. Right. Top of the draft is great. There are gems in the first round.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You think of Jalen Williams, obviously, was in that draft for Oklahoma City. You know, Tari Eason for the Houston Rockets was in there. Christian Brown was 20th. Those are good players. Jalen Williams obviously became an all-star, but it's few and far between compared to the top 10, which was Paolo, Chet. You know, obviously, Jade and Ivy will see what happens.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. They're like the sixth most, seventh most interest. I don't even know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Dyson Daniels, Shaden, like the caliber of player. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Man, LeBron, you know, I think Anthony Davis. Oh, well, not for their team. Not for the team. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Kyrie is probably 2011, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, that's they just have to draft better, man. They just have to hope that like, I don't know, Derek Queen or Trey Johnson or whoever they end up picking at five, six, seven is better than Dylan Harper or.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. No, I mean, lottery-wise, I don't think they're – I mean, seven and nine is not that big of a difference to me. Yeah. It would have been nice to jump to one or two. Yeah. And I know there was that whole thing yesterday where – There were a bunch of reports coming out where it was like, oh, if it was this combination and they were one number off or one number this way and whatnot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
There are certain teams that thrive on that. The Grizzlies do a good job of that. The Heat do a good job of that. Unless you have the top players, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
You know, man, clearly got to it. Top five picks. And that's what I'm going to say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Right. That's fair. They traded for Jared out. They were opportunistic in the Jared.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
It's true. Yeah. I mean, look, Lamello and Brandon Miller. It's like it's cool, but they have not nailed it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
I haven't done any drafts. I think for them, it's like you pray that Vijay Edgecombe is there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
He's a two-way defensive monster, crazy athlete. Not a crazy guy who can create for you offensively, but that's Lomelo and Brandon Miller's job anyways. He can take advantage of the...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
openings that they create you know um people have done like the victor oladipo comp i'm not necessarily there yet i don't think he has the like creative juice offensively off the bounce but like as a two-way guy at minimum he can be like a really really good wing can he can he be a finisher yeah and a slasher absolutely because that's where oladipo was at his best like when you put the ball in his hands it actually wasn't great yeah only like that indiana j-dub right like you want j-dub to be able to play off of shay
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, right? He was like – Do you have small hands? Maybe. I don't know. Man, the combine, there's been so many numbers. Do you guys think the NBA teams believe in that type of stuff as much as we – 100%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, I remember when the Raptors were drafting Scottie Barnes, they dropped a video after they drafted him. And it was them measuring his hand. And it was the largest hand that they had measured since Kawhi. And they were like, that was a big thing for them. It's like, the dude has massive hands. Which is apparently a huge thing for finishing at the basket. Like you said, with Vijay Eshkone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
Maybe he has small hands. Maybe that's it. I'm going to ask, actually.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Lottery Fallout | Morning Shoot Around
But that could be, that could also, that could also be like a Maury guy, you know? Cause Daryl Maury likes is like two way type defensive guys. And that would work really well with Philly, you know? So I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
Oh my God. That's funny. Well, there's going to be a lot of fans tomorrow for Luca to deal with as well. That's going to be a part of it. But this game was absolutely nuts. Like the shot making throughout the first half was just absurd. It was something like, I don't know, 80% on threes for the first half between these two teams, which was kind of a mirror of the first game for the Lakers and,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
What is it about this matchup that makes it such an offensively crazy game? And what do we see tonight from that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
Andrew, as a guy who obviously has been covering the Thunder team for a long time and now you watch the Lakers back-to-back games, there has been a conversation of should they be worried about this Lakers team in a postseason series? And it's tough to say that for a team that now has 65 wins, the most in franchise history, being worried. But is there any sort of concern?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
Is there any sort of a bad matchup here between the Lakers and Thunder from the Thunder's perspective?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
Yeah. It's sort of similar to the Taylor Jenkins situation in the fact that the timing is bizarre. You're not you're not surprised by the actual firings more about the timing of it with their only being, you know, a week until the NBA playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
To me, it just feels like the Nuggets are trying to squeeze as much juice as possible out of this roster and then changes to come in the summer, which I'm sure Mara's gets into for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
It's funny that they did this against the Timberwolves because these two teams are having very similar seasons in that they are extremely confusing, but they have the high end talent to be able to compete against anyone in Giannis and in Anthony Edwards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
And I think when it comes to Giannis, like the way that he can control and manipulate a game, it just it's up there with one of the best, you know, if, if, It wasn't a historical MVP season for Jokic and for Shea. It would be a three-man race between these three guys. It's just the way that it works. But this game was nuts, Dave. They were down 20 in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
To start the fourth, they went on a 20-0 run. There was this kerfuffle thing between Rudy Gobert and Kevin Porter Jr. that ignited the Bucs to A.J. Green and Gary Trent Jr. were hitting shots. The Wolves got hit with a zone shot. And they just had no idea how to do anything. There were a bunch of turnovers. Anthony Edwards was turning the ball over Mike Conley, et cetera, et cetera.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
And the Bucks just pull out a massive win. This is a huge loss for the Timberwolves that needed this win to kind of stay out of the out of the plane. But it seems like unless they win out, they're probably going to be in seven or eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
It seemed like the Wolves were also putting things together. It seemed like it was slowly but surely making sense. And every time it does, it just ends up becoming more confusing with this Wolves team. One of the most fascinating teams this season because of that, for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
0-9 versus Cleveland, Boston, and OKC. They're just one step below those guys. That's just it. There's nothing wrong with that. Three teams that are having pretty, pretty good seasons, all going to have 60-plus wins once Boston wins another game. But at the same time, they're just not at that level where they're going to be competing for a championship against these teams necessarily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
Maybe that changes in the playoffs. I thought the Knicks played a really good game tonight, but the Celtics also dealing with their own things. Jalen Brown only played 20 ish minutes for them, was dealing with a knee thing throughout this one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
And so that's sort of the question moving forward from the Celtics side of things is how does Jalen Brown look over these next two weeks as they prep for the playoffs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
You know, obviously they missed Kristaps Porzingis last year in the playoffs for the most part, but health was a big reason this team ended up in the finals just because their other guys, their core guys were able to stay healthy, right? There was no real issue for Jalen Brown or Jason Tatum throughout that postseason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
I think this team though can probably win their first round series without Jalen Brown. And so I'm not saying they're going to do that. I don't think they're They would do that. But there's there's a pretty decent chance that if it's, you know, Atlanta or Orlando or whoever, they're probably going to win that series even without Jalen Brown. And so do you do you start to consider that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Michael Malone out in Denver + Thunder get revenge on Lakers
I don't know if you would, but just throwing that thought out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
And it's because the Cavs made so many mistakes in that fourth quarter. I'm thinking about the the fumble of the inbound pass. Yeah. That led to the Nemhard. You know, Nemhard got Steele, and then they went down, and I believe it was Halliburton who got fouled. And then offensive rebound, Halliburton hits the game winner. And he also did the big balls celebration. I don't know if you saw that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Yeah, 29 is not enough. Now that you look at it, it's like 29 opposite of the Boston Celtics curve here of three-point shooting. I thought Nas Reed also brought a bit of shooting and firepower in that second half, which was massive for them. How much do you think this team, the size was a question going into the series. You know, Minnesota is so much bigger than what Golden State can provide.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
But how much do you think Golden State's, I guess, small ball lineup affected any of what they were doing on the offensive end?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
yeah neesmith draws the offensive foul and you know what like i i love the defensive effort from indiana all night this is this is a crazy because you think about like donovan mitchell folks had a crazy same game we thought we were we thought this was going to be the max streus show and we're going to talk about how playoff donovan mitchell which we still will because they were great but but i i thought indy turned it up in the second half they got out and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
transition more I thought Halliburton gave them tons of juice in transition and part of that is the turnovers forcing more turnovers in the second half pushing it and then to your point Neesmith making tons of awesome shots five threes in that game massive shot making right well
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
You saw Donovan Mitchell towards the end of the game, like every stoppage, hands on knees, looking exhausted. And dude, you take 30 shots in this game. You play 35 minutes. He had a usage rate of 47 and a half percent, which, by the way, to contextualize what that means for everybody. Right. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the league this season in usage rate at 35 percent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
That means he held on to the ball 12 and a half percent more than Giannis does on a regular basis. Like it was just he was the guy for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
He took 23 shots that were twos. 19 of them were in the paint. Basically, 15 of them were in the restricted area, which is just absurd for a guy his size. He took 21 free throws, but I don't think anybody can call him a free throw merchant here tonight because he was just barreling his way to the basket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
ran out of steam and the Pacers made the bigger plays down the stretch that yeah plain and simple yeah I think the Pacers also adjusted to the switch heavy defense Cleveland started switching in this game more often especially early to not let Halliburton and Siakam get downhill more often uh but the Pacers adjusted really well by like moving Hallie off the ball getting him to
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Like attack from a different angle. And it worked really well because he was just cooking. I mean, look again, this is a guy who is just incredible. Also, Andrew Nembhard, 13 assists tonight, you know, the playmaking ability. That's what comes with getting Hallie off the ball, getting Nembhard to be your facilitator and then working and trying to get those other guys to score for you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Like they like they have some dog in them, you know, like the fact that they were down 20 very early in this game. Then clawed back, kept chipping away, kept chipping away. It kind of reminded me exactly of Denver versus OKC in the sense that how did Indiana somehow make it a five-point game? How did Indiana somehow make it an eight-point game? But it was just there in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Especially without Garland and Mobley and all those guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Was Max Struess in the Matthew Delvedova role?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Are you saying... I mean, look, it was it was impressive enough from the Cavs where you're like, all right, maybe they can go into game three in Indiana and put up a competitive fight. Right. That's their season on the line right there like that. You you have to win that game because going up, going down three. Oh, you're basically done. That's it. Right. Do you think they're done?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
You know, you know what's I'll just I'll mention one more thing about Indiana. Obviously, Cleveland is missing three rotation players. Right. Which hurts their depth. You know, Ty Jerome is having to step up. He he was really bad tonight. One of 14. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
I think you look at the Pacers' depth, and it was somehow underrated in this series because I thought Ben Matherin had a really great game, 19 points. Most of that was in the second half. Again, forcing it in transition allows these guys to thrive. They just find answers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
And to your point about them being in the championship consideration, you look at the Eastern Conference and you're like, why not? Why can't it be the Indiana Pacers to make it to the NBA Finals?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
Right now. Yeah. I mean, they're up to, Oh, I think they're in very good position. You know, the play, the playoffs can move really quickly and things can change and we'll see how the Halliburton wrist thing goes and all that. But right now, yeah, they look at hotels in Indiana, Indianapolis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
It's so funny that we have back-to-back game winners based on terrible execution from young number one seeds in each conference. I heard you and Zena talk about OKC and the bad communication, the fouling up three, all that that led to the Gordon game winner. Right. And it's funny because now Halliburton has his second game winner of the playoffs to like Aaron Gordon.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
What was being said postgame about the slow effort and slow start for this team between Chris Finch and Anthony Edwards?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers down Cavs again + are the Warriors done without Steph?
You can't say there's going to be some positive regression here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
Yeah, it's funny how that snowball effect happens. Right, Dave? Sorry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
Yeah, I think, man, for Jaws perspective, staying on the floor is going to be a huge part of this next bit. Like being able to be available is half of the problem here when it comes to being able to play the basketball you want to play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
I wanted to ask you about, you know, Zach Kleinman post firing Taylor Jenkins talked about the urgency and having that level of urgency to what they wanted to do decision making wise, making this decision of firing Taylor Jenkins or parting ways at this juncture. Feels urgent. And I guess the question I think a lot of people are wondering is, why now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
Why not 10 games from now when they're out of the playoffs? Why not even last summer? Why make this decision now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
Yeah, I thought it got him on his arm. I think it did. It felt a little soft for that moment. Yeah, that's fair. I didn't like it. That's probably fair. Yeah, it's kind of a tough one. I think it's the Russell Westbrook experience, right? They're going to call that because it's Russ because in those type of situations, he's prone to making that type of mistake.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
And I think that's part of the situation here. You saw the 10-second experience of what it is to have Russell Westbrook on your team. Incredible hustle, makes the hustle play, gets a good defensive stop, but then hustles too hard to blow the layup and then foul the guy on the other end. I mean, yes, that's going to be the storyline, but...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
Nikola Jokic put up one of the best games I've ever seen in my life, live. It was incredible to watch him just surgically carve. He played the entire second half and overtime, put up 61 points, was just unstoppable. Didn't matter what kind of defensive coverage they threw at him, whether it was double teams, whether it was single coverage. It just didn't matter. Slater, I have to ask you,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
Jokic in terms of like offensive weapons to face and try to tackle throughout a game. One of the best that you've ever seen. Yes. No, maybe so.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
This was a really good Jimmy Butler game, too. I thought just the way that he was working in two-man actions with him and Steph and then the Draymond connection, those three in clutch were just able to get constantly good looks. They got a moody three off of it, which was awesome. The Pajimski offensive rebound was big. It feels like things are coming together for the Warriors at the right time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić and Curry make history + Ja Morant on the move?
And now they have that potential Lakers-Warriors game on Thursday, potential playoff playoff. preview between the 4-5 matchup. Yeah, 4-5 matchup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes that works. Sam, I wanted to ask you, you know, outside of the Kings, we're now officially approaching, you know, trade deadline season, if you will. We're like five weeks away from the trade deadline. You talk about the Lakers trade and what they just did. You know, Jimmy Butler is obviously a big name that comes up. You just mentioned Cam Johnson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Is there anything, I guess, bubbling up in the trade world or rumor world that you can maybe give us information on, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Jimmy's as old as they are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Not a young guy, but yeah, he does help today. Yeah. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
And especially because Boston has looked a little bit more human as of late, you know, over the last month. And so that indestructible scheme feels a little bit more destructible. And now you have this very, very worthy opponent in the Cavaliers that are firing on all cylinders.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
I'll take the stat, Monica. Why not? Look, you know, most people know he is the points leader, right? 41,131 in total, right? Counting, actually. He'll probably get to 42,000 pretty easily, which is crazy. He has more points combined. then Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh together. Wow. Yeah, and that's not just it. You could probably go ahead and actually pick more of his teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
It's likely for Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving and all those guys, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah, absolutely. Okay, I'll give you another one. This is the craziest one, and I can't take credit for this. This is Todd Whitehead from Synergy who posted this one. I think you'll really enjoy this, okay?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah, yeah, yeah. About 2.8 billion people have been born since the last time LeBron missed an all-NBA team. That's more than a third of the global population. And 2.5% of everybody who has ever lived can't remember a time when LeBron James wasn't a top 15 player in the NBA. That's a great stat. I think that's the one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
It's like there is a large majority of people who ever lived on Earth that now enjoy LeBron James and have watched LeBron James.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Like the way that they exploded offensively against the Warriors and then what they did to the Nuggets the other night, it was surgical offensively. Darius Garland was out there just carving everybody up. And then, you know, once Garland kind of switches off, it's Donovan Mitchell taking over the show and absolutely feasting. The three point shooting from both of those guys is incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah, I think probably, you know, the truthful answer is whenever the NBA signs off on expansion, that's probably the answer. He'll get notified and, you know, Vegas will be his essentially. But I think...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
One of the interesting things about the Cavs in this start is that it puts them in like a historic category. Right. You go and you look up like winning percentage over the first 32, 35 games, basically like 40 percent of the season. It puts them in rarefied air like they are. If they continue winning at this pace, they are on pace to win 70 games, which is that's laughable. That's absurd.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
It's absurd. So, I mean, yeah, it's hard to stop believing or maybe maybe not believing in this Cavaliers team. It's just hard to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
They will be there. Yes, absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
at all they are one of the weirdest offensive teams in the league and they have Steph Curry you know it's just a very bizarre team around him because there's not a ton of ball handling not a ton of creation around him buddy healed has fallen off a cliff here when it comes to the offense and the shooting that he provided especially in transition for them at the start of the year
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
But the other side is it's had a dual effect on their defense. Their defense has not been the same over this stretch either. And so they've been trying to play. Steve Kerr has been trying to play with different lineups to see what works and what doesn't. They've given Jonathan Kaminga more of a leash. And we've seen, you know, I think tangible steps from Kaminga on the offensive end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
but it's also bled into them not having as effective of a defensive team. And so you couple that with the fact that they're struggling on, Oh man, it's a tough stretch for the warriors. They were 12 and four a month ago, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
What do you think the solution is moving forward for this Warriors team? Because they got to clean things up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah, 37 points had nine rebounds plus 26. Again, it's against a Blazers team, but I love the fact that he's getting to the line like he was before. It took 13 free throw attempts tonight. That's a patent area of Joel Embiid's game. And I think ultimately when it comes to how mobile he is, how physical he's able to be with other defenders.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Also, one of the biggest tells for me for him on the defensive end is how physical and aggressive he can be there. His lateral movement has been better over the last couple of games. I think that has helped tie together a lot of defensive lineups for the Sixers. So over the last 10 games, which the Sixers have been seven and three, they've had the 14th best offense, 14th best defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
which is really good compared to where they were before. And he's worked well with Tyrese Maxey. I think Maxey and Embiid have a really, really great combination. But now it's about figuring out what Paul George can do, right? How does he fit into this? Yeah, you know, it's funny that you say that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah, it also is different for Paul George because, you know, usually it's he is a high usage guy. He's a guy that's getting tons of touches, tons of on ball reps. And we haven't seen him in this off ball dominant role as much since maybe his Indiana days. You know, so it's a big role adjustment for him to go back to where he was before.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
I do think it'll take some time, but I actually I think eventually he'll start to get acclimated to what he needs to do offensively for the Sixers. It's just be an incredible off ball player. And we've seen that Paul George can do that in times. But yeah, it's growing pains right now for him in Philly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
Yeah, you remember the Kevin Love with the Cavaliers thing where it's like, don't fit in, fit out, or whatever it was.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
It'll be great. Just fit in with Joel Embiid.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
It's a it's a star driven league. And I think I've been mentioning this a lot when it comes to the situation. But, you know, you've heard De'Aaron Fox speak about it now a few times and how he felt about the Mike Brown situation. I think even in the article, you guys mentioned that it wasn't directly something that had to do with the players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs on cruise control | Mike Brown’s final days with Kings
But although, you know, at some point there was a loss of the locker room, if you will, quote unquote. Yeah. So how much do you think that factors into the King's calculus when it comes to making this decision? Because now there's the Fox rumors of it all, too. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
But I have an inkling that he may have enjoyed both NBA playoff games tonight, if you know what I mean. But, yeah, 40-12. the Cavaliers, by the way, at this point in this replay. But yeah, I mean, Jimmy Butler, to me, like he said, I talked to him just a little bit at his locker postgame. He talked about how painful the injury was.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Steve Kerr is saying he probably would have missed one to two weeks. Jimmy kind of confirmed that like it was a regular season. And he kind of tried to play game three, but admitted that like it was it was a good decision and he would have like basically been waddling on the court if they had allowed him to play game three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And tonight he mentioned, he's like, look at me running in the first three quarters. He said, remember when he had the chase down hard foul on Dylan Brooks? He was like, go rewatch that play. I'm scooting up the court. Because he said, not only did he fall hard on the, you know, kind of ass, I guess we're just going to say that on this podcast, but...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Yeah, his like hip kind of like tailbone area kind of came up and it's made it really hard for him to like lift his left leg as he's running. I guess he loosened up in the fourth. He was really good in the fourth. The five free throws that clinched the game, right? He gets fouled on a pretty bad Dylan Bryce court and foul in the corner for three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And then the rebound was a lot of people were talking about postgame. Draymond Green gets to stop on saying good late. But Adams has, you know, he's muscling. He has great position. Yeah. He does. Adams gets that rebound if there's 99% of wings in the league are the one protecting the corner. Jimmy Butler.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And Rockins are at one with five seconds left. I agree. Instead, he gets the foul, hits both free throws, of course. Again, 12-12 from the line. In a series, by the way, that you could say maybe he's partly decided at the line. Houston's missed now at this point. It was 35 free throws in the series at one point. 12, I know. They missed 12 last night. Yeah, 12 in a in a one possession game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
They missed 12 free throws. I mean, like and again, that's partly who you're dealing with. Right. This is a lower skilled kind of like offensively deficient, tough team that I think, you know, we are seeing their flaws in this first round series. And we are thinking we are seeing the things they need to go into the offseason and potentially try to correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
You know... Taking Steven Adams out with like, what was it? Four and a half, five minutes left because the Warriors started hacking and they're making it clear. Steven, you know, we're talking about free throw misses. I think he's 46% from the line. They hacked him twice to get all the way up to the bonus with Looney. So Looney and an email you don't could took him out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And you know, I get it right. You don't want all your offensive possessions to suddenly be Steven Adams free throws, but he was so good leading up to that protecting the rim. Unlike I've seen him since massive. I covered him in Oklahoma city like a decade ago. And then, yeah, obviously the rebounding, the toughness, all that. So, I mean, maybe that's a mistake you could look at.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
You mentioned the challenge. I think sometimes the, the ability to challenge really tests like the, the patience of coaches and like, you know, the cautionary. Cause you know, and again, I, it's not like you can then look at a call that wasn't made in the last three seconds and say, Oh, what if they had a challenge? So maybe that didn't kill him. How about just the foul by Dylan Brooks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
That's a mistake. Like that was like, that was Jimmy Butler. Didn't want to take that shot. It was like three on the shot clock. It was, it was like a prayer and he wasn't going to make it the game. Like Houston might win if Dylan Brooks doesn't commit that foul.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
So Dylan Brooks has also actually been pretty good on the floor this year. I think he should get some credit. Like the Warriors view him as a shooter they need to get out on. He's not the guy. Back in the Memphis series, he's the guy that used to be funneling the ball through. That's no longer the case. I actually think he's played well. But yes, got Draymond Green going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And Jimmy Butler even just said postgame, get me on record. I don't like Dylan Brooks. You know how Dylan Brooks laughed when Jimmy Butler was curling some insults?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
somebody it was it was presented to jimmy butler in the post game like look like you two were having fun out there and he's like no no no no like he i think he respects the competitive level of dylan brooks but he's like that was not fun and i do not like dylan brooks get that on record so uh maybe i don't know you know how like it's like competitive championship level athletes sure it's like that's
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Sure, Dylan Brooks is the reason you got going. Like, no, game four is the reason you got going. Like, you need to win this. Jimmy Butler, you're 35. You do not have a championship at this stage of your career. Like, this is your moment. That's why he played.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Well, it's two or three years, they believe. You know, they think they can win next year. Honestly, I'd say in this Jimmy Butler era, which we can now call this, like, last stage of the Warriors, I think they've always viewed the second season when they can maybe make some roster tweaks this summer. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
As though the one to go after, I say that while also knowing the fact that they chased themselves all the way up to the seventh seed and got the path that they got, which is a very beatable Houston team at the two. And then, you know, probably the wolves in the next round, if they advance, like this might be the year, even if the roster maybe is not as sharpened as they want it to be.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
He ate some really bad seafood in Houston before game two and said it basically had to go 72 hours without eating again. It was that bad. Tried to play game two. One of the weirder moments of the series was Jimmy Butler comes down on that wild foul, like really nasty fall, obviously. And I went to the back, right? You know, especially how the Houston arena set up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And I'm sitting there trying to watch Jimmy Butler. He'd stretch it out. He goes to the x-ray room. He's walking at like 0.1 miles an hour waddling. And like, that's the, it feels like the Warriors entire season is like resting on what's going on in this tunnel.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
All their doctors and trainers are coming through and Brandon Pajemski suddenly looks like he, you know, he's ghost white and he's coming back followed by one of their kind of like middle or tier trainers because everybody else was worried about Jimmy Butler. Yeah. And I was like, oh, man, Pajemski looks horrible. And it was like nobody cared at the time because it was like Jimmy Butler.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
He didn't like to just break his hip. But that was like lost in the game to loss was like, yes, Pajemski was good in game one. Really good. Has been their fourth best player for two months now. And then was like horrific in game two because he was just like.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
really ill he went 0-5 shooting I don't think he hit rim on the five shots and then was benched down the stretch you know he took an IV at halftime trying to play anyway to your point like he's he said he felt a little better in game three right I mean everybody's been through a sickness like that where okay two days later you're not as I don't feel as horrible as I did it like you're not 100% I just went 72 hours without eating I've now ate for 24 hours but I'm not quite myself tonight he looked like himself again
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
And what did he finish with 28? That's huge. There are completely different team when he's playing like that. Pre-game sushi, not the Houston seafood.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Well, I'll tell you a few things. He had a really bad stretch. I would say that late second quarter, after all, like just the dust-ups and mix-ups, they threw four straight pick-six turnovers to put Houston up 57-50. It happened. Steph was bad during that stretch. I would in no way say Houston has figured anything out. Now, they did do more double-big. They did a zone with the double-big.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
They've got a lot of long athletes against them. Houston's here for a reason. They won 52 games. They're a two seed. We clearly see it's not their half-court offense or their star perimeter scoring. Or play calling. They're very difficult to deal with for Steph Curry. Now, he's found ways and found cracks and success in this series. Again, I'm not
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
like he'll probably have a productive game five, game six, whatever. As far as game five is concerned, like the Warriors, I would favor Houston. The Warriors show this in the championship season. They get up 3-1. Oh, okay. Not for the series, but for game five, right? Y'all remember the Memphis series? By the way,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
There's been a lot of on the ground from the Warriors and from people around comparing this Houston series to the 22 second round Memphis series. Really physical, bruising young team that just want, you know, Dylan Brooks heavily involved. And that series was a game one Warriors win in Memphis. Game two loss. Come home. Squeak to buy. Go up three. One.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Go to Houston and get blown out like the heat got blown out tonight. Right. I think they're around 55 in that game. and then come home for game six and close it out. So if this is going to continue on that Memphis formula, that's what I'm thinking. Do you all remember who was the head coach of the Warriors for game six to close out the Memphis Grizzlies? Not Steve Kerr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Oh, my goodness. What a throwback. Raymond Ritter came in pregame and said, Steve Kerr has COVID. And Mike Brown will be the head coach tonight. Mike Brown has an undefeated record as a playoff head coach of the Warriors. He went like 12-0. Anyway, sorry. I took you guys down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Anthony? I'm going to go with the Cavs because I'm looking up right now and it's 49-19 right now. In the street corner. To Quebec. To Quebec.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs more dominant than Thunder? + Playoff Jimmy saves Warriors
Yeah, it was a great day to be Jimmy Butler for not only, obviously, they won the game and he had a flying rebound, 27 points, 12 free throws. But in front of me right now, I'm seeing a replay of the Heat game, and currently the Cavaliers are up 38-12. And I'm not going to call Jimmy Butler a petty individual, you know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Exciting, man. Cade getting the platform of MSG. Obviously, the Pistons having their nationally televised game a couple weeks ago. They have another one against OKC coming up. And I think that platform is awesome for him to show off his game. Obviously, he's improved so much as a pull-up shooter, as a guy who can create off the bounce. It feels like... No one can really speed him up offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
And that's one of the gifts that he has. He kind of just goes at his own pace. How do you think that translates into a playoff setting when, you know, the defense is basically geared up towards you? They're geared up towards stopping Cade and forcing the ball out of his hands. How do you think his game looks in a postseason setting?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Is that real or is it just March basketball?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Yeah, I mean, like ultimately it'll come down to the supporting cast too, right? And this supporting cast has been electric all year. You think of Malik Beasley, who's having a crazy shooting season. I think Jalen Duren has been great in 2025. They put the ball in his hands more. He's kind of operating as like a dribble handoff hub for them a little bit more often.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Who is that X factor outside of Cade for this team in the playoffs if they want to win a first round series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Yeah, and look, I think the biggest question for me is the defense. It's been second in the league since January 1st, and if you can find ways to win on the defensive end like they've been doing, Schroeder, I think, is a huge part of that because he's a good point-of-attack defender, a guy who can be scrappy at guarding guys and chasing guys around screens. But Durin kind of...
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
completes that package, especially as a rim protector on the paint. I think defensively is where this team can really shine in the postseason and hang in their hat on the defensive end. I'm assuming it's something JB Bickerstaff is going to want to emphasize heading into the postseason as well, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Yeah, that's that's something I'm really interested in. And you mentioned like the defensive effort. You look at this team and, you know, obviously missing Jaden Ivey is a big part of this. And he's he's a huge part of this puzzle moving forward for the Pistons. But I think regardless of the outcome of this season, it's been a success already.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
This turnaround that they've had, the year that they've had, the way that they've developed this identity for themselves as a defensive team. Cade turning into a guy who's probably going to make an all NBA team. All of those things are wins, right? You look at those and say that that's a clear thing that we can look forward to moving forward. What are they doing this summer?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Because now it gets interesting. You've covered the Sacramento Kings. You've kind of seen that light the beam team. And one of those criticisms of that team is they didn't do anything after their really successful season. They just stayed the same, kind of believed in continuity. What do you think this Pistons team does this summer?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Do they just worry and focus on internal development with Ron Holland? Or do they maybe go out and be a little bit aggressive?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
So if Devin Booker, Michigan native, wanted to... Okay, yeah, that's where things... You know, those are the type of opportunities that might come up, right? This is the way the NBA works. It moves quick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
But the Pistons are very, very fun this year, regardless of the outcome. I can't wait to watch them in the playoffs. It's going to be awesome. Go read Hunter Patterson, as always. Great work over at The Athletic covering the Pistons. Thank you to Hunter. Thank you to Isaac Gutierrez, who came on a little bit earlier. Appreciate you guys listening to The Athletic NBA Daily. See you guys next time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
To each their own, their opinion. I mean, the on-off numbers shows that they are actually actively better with Bradley Beal off the floor. And it's worth noting that Ryan Dunn played 30 minutes tonight. He was electric in the second half, had that huge dunk on Giannis. dunked on Giannis. And he had a huge, like baseline cut to off of like a short role play where they finished it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
And like, that was in the clutch moments of the game too. So overall, like he's playing more minutes. Also Iguodaro playing more minutes. They're rookies who are helping them win games to start the year. Also getting more runs. So I, I agree with you. I do think it's real. And now, you know, especially with this 10 year,
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
race in the Western Conference becoming really close because the Kings lost three in a row. They lost against the Celtics tonight. Big news out of that one is that Jason Tatum left with a ankle injury. DeMontis Sabonis kind of went under him and then he landed on Sabonis' leg. Hopefully Tatum is alright.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Obviously, I think the Celtics will be okay with Tatum missing some time here, but obviously we're headed towards the playoffs, so just hope it's not that serious of an injury. Okay, speaking of injuries, Anthony Davis returned First game back since like March 3rd. First game back since his first game with the Mavericks. And he finished the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
So it's real. So, look, I mean, it was against the Brooklyn Nets. It was played against the Brooklyn Nets. They only played in 26 minutes, but he was a plus 12 in those minutes. Did his thing. I thought, you know, the first the start of the game where the Mavericks basically set the tone, he was creating all of their buckets through his gravity. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
The post play, you know, kind of getting to the bucket whenever he wants to, the rim, all that type of stuff was how Anthony Davis is going to be impactful for this team. And again, you look at the race for 10th in the West with the Kings losing three in a row now, it's between the Suns and the Mavs. And so I guess the question I have for you, is it real wise?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Can the Mavs make some noise here now that AD is back?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
I know Kyrie kind of dampens the situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Yeah. You know what, man? I actually kind of like that though. I like the fact that he's, he's mad about this whole conversation around the Luca trade. You know, you look, you're, you're a Lakers guy. So, you know, the kind of conversation around AD for years, it's the injuries, it's the health, it's Kenny get on the court. And so I think this is bigger than just the Luca trade forum. I think it's,
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
being able to get back on the court and prove to people that he can kind of be a healthy player for the Mavericks moving forward. Obviously, he's a huge part of what they got to do even next season. So we'll see what happens.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Good morning and welcome to the athletic NBA daily coming up. We've got Isaac Gutierrez coming on from the deep three podcast. We're going to talk about Devin Booker hitting a game winner and the sun's winning four in a row. We've got Hunter Patterson coming on to talk about the Pistons. Let's break it down. Good morning, Isaac. How you doing?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Yeah. Hey, who knows, man? Cooper flag. There might be a possibility out there. Yeah. AD is back. We'll see what happens with the 10th seed. That is, I think, one of the more interesting races heading into the next couple of weeks of the playoffs and whatnot. Okay. Want to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers. Obviously, you watch the Lakers very, very, very closely. They've lost two in a row now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
One to the Bulls this weekend. And now to the Orlando Magic. Paolo and Franz were awesome in this one. Put up 60 combined. I thought they were electric. They kind of took advantage of the switch-heavy Lakers defense and just said, hey, we're going to feast on all of these mismatches. But the Magic also shot the lights out. 37%. Tonight, they've been shooting 36% on threes in March.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
And it's crazy because Orlando is having one of the worst shooting seasons of all time. 31% from three on the season. They're dead last in three point rate. Do you buy Orlando?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
To your point, I think there is a bit of a fatal flaw here in that switch heavy defense because ultimately you're going to give up a ton of mismatches. And I think we saw two teams in Chicago and Orlando who like to run. Orlando ran a lot tonight and Chicago obviously has one of the fastest paces in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
I think that's the recipe to beat this Lakers team is not face them set and also just run, outrun them because, you know, LeBron and Luka are trying to play a more slow and methodical pace at times. Obviously, LeBron has that transition outlet type basketball that he loves to play, but you got to be 100% physically to be able to do that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
And so that, to your point, it's about getting to the point where you can do that consistently. Want to talk about the Lakers offense? Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Right, yeah, that's part of how they want to play. Look, I want to ask you about something that we kind of talked about off air when we were texting about this game, the Lakers offense in general, because it feels like they're being led by LeBron and Rui, well, not Rui tonight, but Austin Reeves and obviously Luka Doncic, that three-headed monster. They balled out today for the most part.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
They did their thing, but the rest of the team, Was lacking. They weren't able to finish their shots, et cetera, et cetera. Just the shot making wasn't there for the Lakers overall tonight. Is that a concern for you? Is that, you know, if we're going back to the March basketball thing, is that just a March basketball thing or is this really an issue for the Lakers moving forward?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Good morning, everybody else watching a another crazy night in the NBA. I know it's kind of the dog days, if you will, but it's March. It's March basketball. And I thought it'd be a fun way to talk about this night by doing a segment called Is it March or not? Basically. Is it real or not? Do we believe in what's happening on the court right now for some of these teams?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Yeah, no, fair enough. And look, this is, this is going to be really interesting over the next couple of weeks for the Lakers, because this is sort of the trial run with LeBron and Luca and everybody to see how they can play and compete. And they're in the middle of a, of a playoff race for that second seed in the West, which makes this all the more important. Um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Want to talk, I'll just mention this very quickly, but the Bulls beat the Nuggets without Nikola Jokic. And we talked about the Bulls yesterday on the podcast, talking about how fun they are. And look, they've won eight of their last 10 games. Kobe White has had three straight games of 35 plus points. Josh Giddey over the last month is averaging basically like 21, nine and seven.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
And he's shooting nearly 49% from three since February 1st, which is crazy to say about Josh Giddey and all the conversation about him as a lackluster shooter. He's clearly shooting the lights out recently. I'm not going to deny that some of this is March basketball. There's no question that some of this is March basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
So you got to be playing your best basketball at the latest. No, a hundred percent. And look, maybe, maybe this in the whole craziness of trying to find a direction, maybe somehow they've stumbled upon fun basketball. And like that could be for March basketball. Okay. Isaac, appreciate you as always. Thank you very much for coming on the show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Coming up, we got Hunter Patterson talking about the Pistons, the playoff Pistons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
Isaac, I want to start with the Suns. All right. Suns win four in a row. They just beat the Milwaukee Bucks. No Damian Lillard for Milwaukee in this one, but it was the KD show. He dropped 38 points. He was awesome throughout this game. Another great game for Kevin Durant. And then Devin Booker hits the game winner with about like 1.5 seconds left to seal the deal here. So Suns win four in a row.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
The Detroit Pistons have been my guilty. I can't even say guilty pleasure here at this point. They've been one of the feel good, probably the most feel good story in the NBA this season, going from the season that they had last year to now being in the thick of it in the playoff race, trying to get to that four seed in the Eastern Conference. Still a lot to be determined.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
But I am joined by the guy who covers the Detroit Pistons for us here at the Athletic Hunter, Patterson Hunter. Man, it's been awesome to watch this Pistons team all year. And I've been hyping them up to Dave and Zena pretty much every single time I have the opportunity to because they're so much fun. And, you know, Cade has clearly turned the corner. They're locked into a playoff spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is wrong with the Lakers? + Pistons Powering Up
You know, I predicted to start the year that they would be in the play-in range. The fact that they are basically locked into somewhere in the top six is a testament to how quickly they've turned things around. But it... at this point with a couple weeks left into the postseason seems like they're either going to face the knicks pacers or bucks of those teams who do you think they want to face
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
He's a guy that we're going to have to judge by his peak, not by collecting stats. And he's going to be a guy where we say you had to see it because of these sorts of games. Another guy who we're going to judge by his peak, Nikola Jokic. And it's going to be funny when I say this, but weird night for Nikola Jokic. He had a 26-point triple-double, but wasn't very aggressive. And the elbow look.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Yeah, maybe the elbow. But I think part of it, Evita Zubach. And we talked about him all year long. He's having like a renaissance season for himself, like really growing into this, you know, I mean, just top dog defensive center. And then now he's got that nice little flip shot, too, that he just never misses. What do you think about the way that that zoo has been guarding Jokic?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
I mean, it does seem like he might be the guy who guards him the best in the NBA right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
The Nuggets might be in trouble there, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Yeah. Well, the pressure is all on the Nuggets right now. They lost home court advantage and they've got to pick it back up somehow. Law, before we get out of here. You just finished up your NBA player tiers project that you spent all year on, and we're late to that. So I apologize, but I wanted to talk about it. It just came out on Friday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
You finished it up all last week, over the course of the week. And I'm not going to run through the list. Guys, we'll link it in the show description. And it's over at The Athletic, and it's very prominent on the site. But I do want to ask you, because...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
i'm familiar with set part now and the way that he operated when he was doing the tears and i want to know while you were doing this did you have any surprises you know like were there guys that you ranked way lower way higher you know what what stood out to you while you were doing this
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
There's always a problem to solve in basketball. That's the fun part about it. Law and Murray, you know what? You may not have the data experience, but you got the humility to pull it off. So I appreciate you hanging out with us. Go and read them over at The Athletic. And that's going to do it for the show, folks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
For James Edwards, for Law and Murray, for S. Barahany, I'm Dave DuFour, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Yeah, it broke the franchise curse. Come on, man. You win a playoff game. That's a pretty big deal. Let's swing it to the Knicks. Obviously, this isn't how they expected the game to go. Jalen Brunson essentially carrying the offense. What did you see? Was it the Pistons defense or was it the Knicks offense just sputtering?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
This is the James Edwards Bowl, if you guys have been following his career. James, what do you think about the Pistons bouncing back from that 21-0 run that ended their attempt at winning game one?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
The Pistons controlled this game for the meat of it, and the door opened up for the Knicks when Asar Thompson fouled out. I still didn't like what the Knicks were running. It felt like it was disorganized. It was a lot of first shot that was open, let's take it, especially down the stretch. They got good looks and just didn't make them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
What sort of adjustments do you think they need to make going into Game 3 to that offensive game plan?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Well, the teams are pretty similar when you think about how they're just throwing up bricks right now. James Edwards, go and read him over at The Athletic. You know, some of the best coverage that we're going to get in the playoffs coming from James. Guys, stick around. After the break, we got Law Murray to talk Clippers Nuggets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Kawhi Leonard had 39 points to lead the Clippers to a win in Game 2. To even up the series, here to talk about it, Law Murray, live from Denver, where he's got some kind of a weird painting on the wall behind him. Law, this is one of the best performances in NBA playoff history. 39 points on 15 of 19 shooting, 4 of 7 from 3, 5 of 5 from the free throw line, a 92.1 true shooting percentage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, the Knicks got beat by the Pistons, so James Edwards here to talk about that. And Law Murray stops by to talk about Kawhi Leonard having one of the greatest NBA playoff games ever. The Knicks and Pistons are tied at one game apiece after game two. Here to talk about it, James Edwards, a little bit of both sides here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
So it's the seventh best shooting all time in an NBA playoff game. What's it like to see Kawhi when he hits this level? You've seen this quite a few times.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did Kawhi and the Clippers solve Jokić and the Nuggets?
Had those big buckets, big turnaround over Aaron Gordon. Got the deal. 20-footer pull-up. I mean, he just did everything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
On the other side, those Celtics laid a smackdown. Like, they absolutely destroyed them. And I thought this was a really good bounce-back game. You know, losing to Atlanta, going 8-8 in that stretch, which is weird to call 8-8 a slump. But when you're a championship-level team and you have expectations of competing and dominating every single night, it is a slump.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
What is the, I guess, vibe of the team in the locker room after this win, knowing they've, I mean, they just dominated?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I was just going to ask, do you think they like the fact that they're in this rut? You know, I feel like Joe Missoula, the way that he talks, it's like, Hey, we, this is the, this is what we asked for.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
yeah i mean look there's no question that this sucks for the wolves because again the three-point shooting was massive in that starting lineup it felt like that starting lineup change was almost inevitable putting mike conley on the bench because he he just hadn't aged well uh and was really really progressing this season so incorporating dante into that starting lineup hopefully would have sparked a change for this wolf season which has not gone the way we expected it to but
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Well, they, they bounced back tonight, obviously that starting group, uh, but overall, like still hovering at nearly like a zero on the net rating side. And you have them with Horford. They're like a plus 20 so far this season. Uh, Is that a defensive slippage?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Because I feel like over the last month or so trying to incorporate Porzingis, you obviously have to play a specific style of defense with KP out there. Is it more the defense and maybe even defending the three versus getting the shots up on the offensive end? Yeah. Yeah. What do you think it is?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Yeah, this injury is a massive blow. Sort of glass half full approach to this thing, though, is that Rob Dillingham, their rookie, is going to officially get more minutes, will likely be in the rotation. And they need him to be a hit, right? Unequivocally, they need him to be a hit. And so I thought he was great tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Had like 15 points in 15 minutes, punched in, was an effective score, played off of the guys well, had that spark in that fourth quarter that really ignited them as well. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I think giving more opportunities to the young guys in a season that's not going the way you'd expect it to is probably a good use of resources because it's like, hey, if we're not going back to the Western Conference finals, why not try to develop the guy we expect to be the long term backcourt partner for Ant? You know what I mean? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
It's time, right? It's time. And I know the other side of this equation is the Julius Randall problem. And I think this was the game that, you know, the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will, when it comes to Julius Randall, who looked really lethargic out there, had five points in 33 minutes, was a minus nine and a two point loss was just not. a guy that you could rely upon.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
And on the other side, coming off the bench, you have Nas Reed, who again, like you mentioned, bringing energy, shot making, brought them back into the game in the first quarter, hit huge shots in that fourth quarter to ignite them. And he fits so much better in that starting lineup, especially when McDaniels, non-shooter go bear non-shooter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
And so when you have Randall incorporated with those guys, the slower decision-making is not working. And so I think it's not only a time for a lineup change. I think with the deadline coming up in the next couple of weeks, they should find a new home for Julius Randall who has a player option next season, who, I mean, that's a, that's a tough contract to move.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Let's be real because that's, that's the issue there when it comes to trying to trade Randall at his low point. But I don't know. It just feels like this might be an addition via subtraction type of thing for them where they could actually become better if they were to move off of Randall and get anything in return that could maybe fill out their rotation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I just I don't know this game and the Warriors game where he walked off the court, didn't talk to the media. That all adds up, right? The vibes are off on top of the on-court fit not working. So it's time for a change, man. I've held out for this long, but I have to say it now. It's time for a change.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
What about like, and I don't know exactly the numbers here contract-wise and how it would work, but like Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas, right? There you go. Those guys would fit into the Wolves rotation. You get a backup big, you get, you know, some ball handling responsibilities in Brogdon. I just, something like that, right? For the Wizards, you bought that out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I know someone, Sam Bassini mentioned this on Twitter today, but like a Jordan Poole, Julius Randall swap, which would be fascinating for both teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I don't know. There has to be something out there that that might work as a Randall swap, because right now, man, it just makes sense to start playing Nas Reed more. And it's crazy because he played 32 minutes tonight. He's still, you know, like how many he's still not playing enough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
That's actually something I want to bring up here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Did you have a chance to watch any of it? Yeah, a little bit, to be honest with you. I spent some time off, you know, enjoying myself. But yes, I saw the highlights. It looked cool. Very interestingly that they got starting up. So, hey, why not? Some off-season hoops for the W? Why not? Yeah, it's fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Yeah, first of all, the defense has been great over the last couple weeks. That's what's really ignited things. And then you have an offensive star in Cade who is just taking over in certain areas. The offense is clear. The scoring is there. He just looks more comfortable getting to his spots. And a lot of that is because of the pull-up shooting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
He is a top 10 three-point pull-up shooter this season. So he's up there with some of the best three-point shooters in the league. I think he's shooting like 35%, 36% on pull-ups, which is good. on pretty decent volume, right? So that's opened up the rest of his game. He can get downhill more. He can settle into his mid-range shots more often. The turnovers are an issue.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
And I think that goes to show you how much the Pistons miss Jaden Ivey as a secondary ball handler. And why they might try to look at the deadline as a way to improve this team and incorporate and add another ball handler, because there's just so much pressure on K to be the be all and end all offensively, like they fall off a cliff on the offensive end when he's off the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Got to get a secondary ball handler in there. Alleviate some of the pressure as a decision maker for him. Because the offensive structure for the Pistons right now is Cade sees a ton of attention. They slip it to Durant or Stewart in the short roll area. And then there's shooters all around. Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, whoever. Tim Hardaway Jr. That's their structure, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
But it's a lot of pressure on Cade to make the decisions every single time. And that's why you get 10 turnover nights like you did today.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Yeah, you're right. They both have the same level of athleticism, but they use it in very different ways. And so a SAR is more of a screener diver to the basket. A man does that too. You know, he can kind of be that roller for you in the dunker spot, kind of attack in the basket in transition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
They use that similarly, but the way that their respective teams use them as different, you know, you mentioned like the Josh Hart, he could be like a super Josh Hart. A SAR could, a man is like this, I don't know, this like, mutated version of Ben Simmons who could just kind of like all NBA version of Ben Simmons. You know what I mean?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Just roll to the basket, use that athleticism, make plays in the open court. I guess one of the things I have a question for, maybe this is a good problem to have for the Rockets. Yeah. Like when Jabari Smith Jr. comes back, what happens to a man Thompson who has solidified himself as a starter?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Like, I don't think you can take a man and put him on the bench anymore, knowing what he's been able to provide to that starting lineup. I guess that comes with its own offensive concerns. You know, Jalen Green and Shangoon, they struggled tonight offensively. But overall, like those two, both Asar and a man, they have so much athleticism and so much like just innate talent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
That they're kind of like putty in the sense that they could be molded in any way they want to. It just depends on their own court context and how they're supposed to be, you know, developed, quote unquote.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I mean, he's – Both defensive stoppers too, right? Like both of these guys lock into – It's funny you talk about the feel because people usually talk about feel like you mentioned, like the feel of the offensive process and shooting. But they have everything else. And I think that's why they succeed feel wise. It's like they understand the game at a really, really high level.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
Yeah, I think I think the stars are too afraid to get embarrassed. You know, like there is a legitimate argument for that. You could think about like Jalen Brown's dunk contest and what happened with the left hand thing and how for what it's worth, it worked out for him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
But I just feel like there's there's this level of anxiety of like you don't want to commit to something and completely botch it. And if you're not that elite, high level talent, they try to go for those younger guys to be in the dunk contest. That's why you see Steph Castle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Grizzlies maul Wolves in comeback win | Celtics bounce back
I will say, though, I think the three-point contest has taken over as the main event. It's been like that for a while, and I don't know. You need someone. You need a star, to your point, to revitalize that dunk contest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
It's like you have a guy who can raise to a level that I'm not sure anybody else on the court can. But – But I understand if a Pacers fan says Halliburton.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Yeah, yeah, or I would say maybe even the guy who can swing it because I know those other guys have certain pressure points that can be kind of poked and prodded at. Siakam is very good defensively, has raised the ceiling of this Pacers team on the defensive end. an incredible roamer off ball for this Pacers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And so him and them hard, just like a tandem defensively that work really well for them. So I think there's like less to attack when it comes to Pascal. Although maybe you can try to force him to be an outside shooter and see, Akim has had a good year shooting the ball. He's like a plus 40% three point shooter. If he continues to do that,
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
this should be a pretty comfortable offensive series for the Indiana Pacers. And now you're looking at, all right, where else are the Knicks going to attack here? Like, where are they going to, I guess, succumb to the pressure, right? Like, what's the thing they're going to be willing to concede offensively? Is it Miles Turner pick and pops? Is it Pascal Siakam pick and pops? Because...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
The Pacers can bury you really, really quickly when it comes to what they do offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
The double big lineup has been much better for them. Yeah, totally.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Yeah, pace is going to be huge because the Knicks also are like, hey, we're going to we're going to hunt you out in the half court. We're going to try to get Jalen Brunson in some mismatch situations. And then, boom, that's the way we're going to get our offense going. The Pacers on the other side are just running constantly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And you mentioned it like Siakam does a great job of hunting out mismatches early in the clock. So, you know, Halliburton will kind of have that quick pass advantage. In the half court, Siakam has it in the post and then it's just easy money because he has someone smaller on him. Yeah, that's a huge thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I think connected to that is rebounding because the Pacers aren't necessarily the greatest rebounding team. They don't commit to the offensive glass. They're not because they want to get back in transition and deal with their defensive. You know, generally they want to get back. It's like, OK.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
The Knicks can really take advantage of that with Mitchell Robinson and Carl Anthony Towns, who I think their rebounding is going to be really, really big in this series, especially Mitchell Robinson. And so it's like, how quickly do we go to hack a Mitch? How quickly do the Pacers go to hack a Mitch? Because that might be the key here from the Knicks side of things.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
It's like, hey, we are going to generate so many more opportunities for ourselves because we're constantly crashing the offensive glass.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Oh, man, let's start right at the top. Let's start with Anthony Edwards and Shea Gildress Alexander. I think they will be the main draws of the series for any casual fan. But even if you look at it analytically, if you look at it from like a pure breakdown perspective, this postseason, and we've talked about it a bunch, has been about Anthony Edwards's growth as a playmaker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Yeah. I mean, you think of the guys that they have off the bench, OB Toppin, TJ McConnell, Ben Mather, right? And that they could go, but they also have like a separate identity to them. Like McConnell is an offense to himself. Like he just changes the way that the Pacers play when he comes on the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And the way that Toppin can run these like small ball five lineups for them with Siakam and it's just run and gun and like it's a joy to watch, first and foremost. But it adds a level that I don't think New York has on their bench. Yes, they can go to Deuce McBride. Yes, they can go bigger with Mitchell Robinson. But outside of that, it's like, all right, if.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Mikael Bridges is having an off night offensively, or OG Ananobi is having an off night offensively, and they're not hitting their shots. Who are we going to? Like, what are we going to – and we saw that in both the Boston series and the Pistons series, where it was like certain nights when those guys were – two of 15 instead of 10 of 20, that's basically curtains for you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
You're not, because you know what you're getting out of Brunson. You know where you're getting out of cat for the most part, that supplementary group has to show up. They have to. And one of the comebacks out of Dave, I'm sure you remember this game two versus Boston. So Nick's were down. but it was within distance. It was within reach here, but McHale hadn't given them anything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Zero points, right? And in the fourth quarter, McHale Bridges rounded up 13 points all in that quarter. And that's why they won that game. That's why they willed themselves back. His shot making, his ability to put pressure on the defense outside of the Brunson cat things that they run is going to be huge in this series because Indiana just has more things that they can go to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
It's just I will say Brunson had an average 30 and seven against the Pacers last year. And he was just so comfortable getting to his spots. So I don't know if he just likes the matchup, if there's something specific about Nembhardt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
This is also this is actually mostly about both playoff series here. This the next two weeks is a referendum on the cat Randall trade. Right. Oh, yeah. It's going to be how does Julius Randall perform against OKC? Right. And can he be the deciding factor for them to make it to the NBA finals versus NBA finals and franchise history? On the other side, it's can Carl Anthony Towns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
separate himself establish why he is the second fiddle here in new york why he was the right guy to trade for all of these things and why he can be better than he was in the conference finals last year for minnesota i i just think that's fascinating final year of the season and we're talking about the big trade right yeah it's the last referendum unless they meet in the finals and then that will actually be the last the major referendum that's that's it um yeah but yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
It's like the decision making. He's making easier reads. He's understanding the flow of the game, how to get guys involved. There was this great article about how he was trying to balance the scoring and the playmaking punch. And Chris Finch is like, sometimes him just being a score is our best option. Right. And I think that's going to be the ultimate test.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I just don't know if this is the team. Yeah, I think it's Indiana. We'll see. We'll see, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
The Thunder defense against Anthony Edwards is going to be his ultimate test as a playmaker because they are going to pressure him. They are going to force him into tough decisions constantly. There will be openings that evaporate instantly because that's what OKC does on defense. So how does he respond? Because... Minnesota can be turnover prone. They can turn the ball over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And this is basically the biggest test Ant has had in these playoffs when it comes to his newfound playmaking ability. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Yeah. Yeah. He definitely needs to be the version that he was in game seven for them. Had another good game in game three. I believe it was the one that they lost against Denver in that overtime. So like there is a way in which J-Dub can attack this team. Because you look at some of the like you said, Conley is one of those targets, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
You think of Randall, I think putting pressure on Randall defensively and making him work because Randall can hold his own in certain matchups. But just like making him think on the defensive end is actually a big part of getting him tired. Right. So so for J-Dub, it's about forcing the issue a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
and being that guy who can, in situations where SGA is off the floor, where it's the J-Dub and Chet lineups, to take over a game. And that could swing things really, really well for OKC. The other side is like shooting. You know, Minnesota is elite at shooting the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
They haven't been elite that much in the playoffs, but in the regular season, they were a very, very frequent three-point shooting team. I believe they were six and three-point rate this season, right? Yeah. OKC concedes a lot of threes, right? They allow teams to shoot a lot of threes because they crowd in. They're sending tons of help, et cetera, et cetera. They're like, we will figure out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
We will make sure the worst three-point shooter gets the ball, right? Right. J-Dub needs to knock down his threes. Chet Holmgren needs to knock down his threes. Lou Dort especially needs to lock down his threes because they need him to guard Anthony Edwards on the other side. They need these guys to knock down their shots in a major way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And I think more than even J-Dub being the second best player or whatnot, it's like, can OKC knock down the shots that will become available to them because of the way Minnesota guards them? You know what I mean? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
It's going to be important. Yeah. I look like three point variance in general. Like I think, I think OKC got a little bit. Lucky is not the right word, but I'm going to use lucky here. Shooting luck. We just all shooting luck is a thing, right? They also got locked lucky in the fact that Denver is not a very, very good shooting team. Like they're not going to take a lot of threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
They're not going to make a lot of threes. And so Minnesota is the very opposite of this. So it's a good stress test of OKC's defense, too, where it's like this team is going to take a lot of threes. Anthony Edwards is going to pull up a lot. Julius Randle is not afraid to take that shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
They've got a lot of shooters and, you know, Dante DiVincenzo and Nikhil Alexander Walker, who specifically like to shoot corner threes. And OKC is willing to concede a lot of corner threes with their defense. So it's it's a pretty good team to match up against. If you're Minnesota, you're like, hmm, we like our chances offensively, defensively. Can we get enough stops against this OKC team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And I guess that's my third point. It's like. Can they find a way to make life as hard for OKC's offense as Denver just did with its game plan? And to your point, what you just mentioned, like they have more defensive talent than Denver did. They are a more defensively talented team. They're also a deeper team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Nikhil, by the way, knows how he he will tell you this himself. He knows how to guard Shea. That's exactly what he'll say. You know, cousins.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I think it's going to end up being OKC. And I think the adjustment is something that just is very obvious when you watch that Denver series. it's Lou Dort. And if they're going to decide to start either case in Wallace or Alex Caruso or play them more frequently, we saw that in game seven as well, where Caruso outplayed Lou Dort and case.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And I believe outplayed Lou Dort little Lou only played 17 minutes. It became apparent in that series. It's like, Hey, we're going to let Lou do his thing offensively. And while that time that can save you sometimes it saved them in game five, you know, I think that's the adjustment that's kind of like right there. It's obvious.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I don't know. How do you, I have a question for you. Okay. How do you feel about the go bear factor here? Because obviously that's always a conversation with Minnesota. It's like, how much can they keep Rudy on the floor? I think with OKC, they're actually positioned to be able to do that. Yeah, totally. A hundred percent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
That could be an issue for OKC, too. It's like if Rudy just dominates on the offensive glass, now you have to play the double big lineups. You can't go smaller. You know what I mean? So, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I also wonder if the rest factor is a thing here, because if you remember last year, we OKC. Well, actually, Dallas got out of a really, really like they got out of that series early. But Minnesota was fighting tooth and nail against Denver. They went to the wire. Seven games came out a little flat against Dallas. Right. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I wonder if this is an opportunity now for Minnesota to be like, all right, we got our rest. Let's not come out flat against.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
I bet you the Thunder can't believe it either. The fact that it's Tuesday and they got a two-day break until they have to face the Minnesota Nuts. Just wild.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
Man, that's a really good question, because I think it will change. It's very impossible to change. I think it will change on a game to game basis. And I think whatever fan base is looking at this and saying they know for sure that Brunson or Cat or Halliburton or Siakam are the best players in the series. They're lying to themselves. This thing is going to go back and forth consistently.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
And it's going to be about which one of these players carves out an advantage for themselves the most. And that's why this series is so exciting. It's like, all right, can Tyrese Halliburton attack Carl Anthony Towns? Can Pascal Siakam really take advantage of Cat maybe in the post or take advantage of the double big lineups and kind of space them out, if you will?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
For the Knicks, it's Jalen Brunson. Can he attack Miles Turner? Are the Pacers going to drop? Are they going to switch and show against Brunson and force him to be a playmaker? Same thing with Cat. It's just... The answers are – there's not that many answers. That's the way I would say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Conference Finals preview
There's more questions about this series than there are like certain things that I know, which is that – that's why it's so exciting. I don't know. If I had to answer you right now, I think out of all of them, I think Jalen Brunson is the best player in this series. Yeah. And I think that's the Knicks' advantage overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
That's interesting. And. And I think Harper, his game is, like you said, the in-between is so nice. Like he's able to get in and around the basket really well. The mid-range shot, the creation in that level is very fun. So if the three-point shooting pans out, then it's like, wow, this is a guy who can score on all three levels. And that's very, very intriguing from the guard position.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Let's talk about his teammate, Ace Bailey. I feel like he's the most polarizing player in this top of the class. Either you really, really like what he has or you really don't. Why is he that type of player? And I guess, again, favorite fit, where you kind of see him going and what you expect from him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Like you watch some of the shooting. It's like off movement. He is running into those shots. And that's, what's really intriguing as like an off ball player, you know, definitely off ball play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Yeah, I think like one of the intriguing things about Ace and maybe this is a debate of like what you prefer when it comes to the NBA draft. But you talk about like college spacing, like Ace could really, really benefit from NBA spacing. Whereas the there's the other side of the argument where it's like length and the size and the speed of the NBA might actually hurt his ability.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
So where do you land on that for Ace? What what do you think? Do you think he's actually going to benefit more from the space or will it be harder for him to create those shots?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Yeah. So, okay. So you mentioned that Rutgers is definitely not going to be making that tournament, right? Not in March Madness. So there is an opportunity for someone else to jump into those two, those, that top three. And you mentioned two names already in Kasperis and Vijay, but is there anyone that can really make this a conversation over the next couple of months?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
And is it one of those two guys? Yeah. For the number one pick? No, for like 2-3. For 2-3, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Like he's, he kind of like goes at his own pace. It's very interesting to watch. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Right. That's interesting because I think... With Vijay, similar to Ace in the sense that maybe NBA spacing could really help him out. It's like the spacing opening things up. He's such a great athlete. We already saw it in international competition where that extra space allowed him to do some more. I don't know. He's very intriguing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
He's definitely one of my favorite guys to watch in this draft cycle. There are a couple of teams...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
in the draft world right now that are hoping that their teams tank a little bit more to finish this season I'm thinking about the Brooklyn Nets think about the Portland Trailblazers think about the Toronto Raptors where everybody is like all right let's try to focus on losing for the rest of the season now you can agree or disagree with that approach but that's how people feel that's how strongly people feel about that draft is there a player though
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Like, do you think, I wonder if that's like 11 and a half million dollars.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
in the back end of the lottery or top 10 that you think has that star potential to make these fan bases feel a little bit better about their situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Yeah. You know what? Come on is also a guy that from just Raptors people that that's, that's someone that's mentioned often because it makes sense. Obviously they need a big, they need like a big of the future. And so that's why most of the time people are like, come on my luck. Why not?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
That just sounds like an OKC pick. That just sounds like a guy that, you know, OKC. Philly is going to end up losing that pick and going to Oklahoma City, and he's going to end up being on the Thunder and a steal. That's how it's going to end up. Do they... Do they need any more picks? I don't even know. That's a better question for Andrew Schlecht to answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
absolutely yeah look there's there's actually a few teams in this draft where it's like they have multiple picks so multiple kicks at the can brooklyn is a team that i'm thinking about utah is another team obviously okc so the the opportunity for moving up and down we didn't even talk about san antonio that if the hawks lose their pick they have a potential of getting two lottery picks in this draft so there's that aspect of it too of like moving up and down and shape shifting see how happens throughout the rest of this draft cycle bryce simon thank you very much for joining us
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Appreciate you giving us the low on everything the 2025 NBA draft. Folks, check out Bryce, Motor City Hoops at the Pistons Pulse. If you want your Pistons coverage, do great work. Also, co-host of the Game Theory Podcast with Sam Bassini. Talk about all the NBA, everything you can look for. Bryce, thank you so much for coming on, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
I would be surprised too. I would be surprised too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
If there is a program that could, right? That's probably them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
I think this is a conversation, though. I think the fact that NIL has made this an actual conversation where it's like, could he could he possibly stay? Is there the potential for him to do that? That's the interesting part moving forward with the draft. And it's like, from what I've heard, the 2026 draft is incredible, especially at the top two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Welcome to a special edition of the Athletic NBA Daily. I'm S. Barahini, joined by my guy, Bryce Simon, co-host of the Pistons Pulse. You might know him as Motor City Hoops on X or Twitter, whatever you want to call it. Also, co-host of the Game Theory Podcast with Sam Vecini. Look, Bryce. I don't know about you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
So he has to consider, all right, would I even go number one? in that draft compared to some of the other guys. Okay. So, so sticking with 2025, like I mentioned, Cooper came into the year as the number one guy. You mentioned some of his numbers off the top, but is he still in that tier of his own? Has he created a tier by himself where he's just chilling there as the number one guy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Yeah. You mentioned the offensive side, because I think that was the big question mark moving, like coming into this year where it's like, how much potential does he have on the offensive end as a score and a shot creator? Can he create his own shot? And I think more recently you've seen him be able to do that. Like the crazy athleticism is just on another level for him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
And I guess for people who might not be as well versed in Cooper flag and the NBA draft, like. what is the number one overall pick? Whatever team the number one pick gets, what are they getting in a player like Cooper Flagg?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
A lot of people are going to be focused on the playoff race, the race to the top, as some might say. But me, as a person who covers the Toronto Raptors, I'm focused on the race towards the bottom, the cellar dwellers race. That's what I am focused on, which is the tank race. And since you do such a great job of covering the NBA draft, I figured we'd have you on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Yeah, that's what makes him really exciting is like he's willing to do everything else on the floor on top of be this potentially great offensive player. OK, I want you to make one fan bases day right now. OK, let's let's say there's there's five teams right now at the bottom. There's the Wizards. There's the Pelicans. There's the Jazz, the Hornets and Raptors right there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
That's the race really towards the bottom. Which one of those teams would you like to see Cooper flag on the most? whether that be fit or whether that be just like that team deserves a player like Cooper flag.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Yeah, the Hornets are interesting because I think adding Cooper would also make it more viable to keep Lomelo just because of the defensive potential of a guy like him on the weak side roaming around. That just enhances you so much defensively that you actually can live with some of the mistakes that Lomelo has on the defensive end, which is kind of an intriguing fit there. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
So Charlotte, maybe New Orleans. Those are the teams. OK, Hornets fans, Pelicans fans rejoice. Cooper flag for for for those teams. OK, we'll be back in a sec. We're going to talk about the rest of the draft with Bryce Simon, Motor City Hoops.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
To talk about the draft and everything that's happening, March Madness is around the corner. Obviously, you know, everybody's going to be focused on some of the stars that might be in that tournament. But I wanted to start it off with the guy that everybody is talking about, which is Cooper Flagg. And I think general consensus coming into this year was that he was the number one guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
And we're back. OK, so Cooper Flagg done, finished. Very, very great prospect. Can't wait to see him go number one. We'll see how that shakes out over the next couple of months, especially with the tournament. I think the tournament will be a very, very interesting part of this whole number one case. Who is in that second tier, though?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
It's because it's Cooper and then it's everybody else who's in that second tier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Are all these names in the same tier with each other?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
Those are really exciting names. I'm a big Edgecombe guy, especially with... World Cup and then, you know, Olympic qualifiers. He had some really, really nice flashes where you're like, whoa, this is a guy who's already competing against grown men. Very exciting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
OK, let's talk Dylan Harper, because I feel like he he feels like the guy out of that bunch that will likely end up the number two overall pick. What is a team getting in a guy like Dylan Harper? And I guess your favorite fit for where he might go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
And I would imagine so far the consensus is that he's still the number one guy. But he kind of scared a lot of people recently. when he said that, man, maybe there's a chance I could stay and keep playing college. And, you know, I kind of like this. This isn't a bad deal. How do you feel about his comments about potentially staying an extra year in college?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Draft Check In | Cooper Flagg's best fit?
How much of that is combine? Like, do you think teams take into consideration like how well he's going to shoot at the combine when it comes down to it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Yeah, man. I want to ask you about the defense. And I know that this is this has been a huge point for J.B. Bickerstaff and like 18th and defense might not jump out to you as a success here. But after being a bottom five defense for five straight seasons, they've turned it around in a major way. What do you think that's for? because they did a great job against the Knicks tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
I mean, I know Jalen Brunson and Kate Cunningham went back and forth, but for the most part, they posed some problems for the Knicks. So what did they do defensively this season that's been such a success for them?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Yeah, they're, they're incredible defensively. And I loved what a man Thompson did against John Moran in that fourth quarter, making life hell for him. Like the point of attack defense, he was just taking on the assignment one-on-one. And so I thought that he had such a good game to Mount that comeback.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
So much of the conversation around Cade has been context, like on-court context and spacing, especially over the last couple years. It's like, get Cade the amount of help that he needs, the shooting that he needs to be able to really thrive. And we're seeing that this season with a guy like Tim Hardaway Jr., with Malik Beasley, the scoring load of a guy like Tobias Harris.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
And Malik was awesome tonight, too. I mean, he's been great all season, but like... What is the vibes of those older guys coming in and really, I guess, being leaders, but also helping on the court offensively?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
You could tell on the court. You could tell on the court, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Like their defensive effort was so important him in the dunker spot, what he was able to do offensively to like, he connects together so many things for that rockets team. You think about the short roll area where Shang-Goon is so good. And so Shang-Goon will catch it in the short roll, throw it up to a man, a man's there for the lob.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Do you think they should? I mean, especially with where they are at standing wise. Do you think they will be more aggressive to maybe go out and make an addition or do you think they'll they'll be confident and kind of just rolling with what they have?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Defensively, he's kind of quarterbacking their defense at the point of attack. So like he glues together so many things that they want to do. I want to highlight Jalen Green, though, because I feel like people are pretty hard on Jalen Green, right? We could agree on that. Yeah, I agree.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
And you also know what you have now in Cade, right? Like, you know, all star level.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
And so this is a guy that has tons of expectations because he's a high lottery pick, has had months where he's looked exactly like the star that people thought he would. March and April, Jalen Green is well-known in Rockets territory, but he's doing it right now. On a very good team. And he's been doing it for the last like 10, 15 games. He's been putting together a lot of great games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
I think he's been great as a decision maker, selecting his spots, picking and choosing when he wants to be a score versus a playmaker. all of this is coming together for him on a good team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
And so I just, I feel like we need to shout him out when he is playing well, because like he's a guy who gets dogged on a little bit too much when it comes to the Rockets and what potential they have to be good in the playoffs and whatnot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Yeah, I mean, they need a table setter. He had nine assists tonight just off of those short roll actions that I mentioned with Shingun. And I think that him being a – I've covered Fred for basically his entire career now from Toronto to Houston. Watching him grow as a guy who was first off ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
catch and shoot guy working next to Kyle Lowry, and then really learning from Kyle, how to be a ball handler and playmaker developing that to the point where he's like leading and table setting for a really, really good Rockets team. It's funny because that number you put out the grenade number of him kind of having to kill these possessions at the end for the Rockets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
That is eerily similar to his last year with the Raptors where they're offense, their half-court offense was just so bad that they had to pass it to Van Vliet at the end. And like his field goal percentage suffers because of it, but his importance is unquestionable to this Rockets team and what they do, especially as a playmaker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
We could do nine minutes on Chris Boucher right now, who scored 17 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter. That would be my...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Yeah, Steph said that, you know, prioritizing the future after us is just as important. Leaving the organization.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Does he have Raptors? Rakuten stock? What's going on? Like, I don't understand that either. And for what it's worth, these guys are hyper-competitive dudes. Like, we've seen in the past, Steph and Draymond are insane competitors. Same with Klay, right? And so, the fact that it just doesn't – it feels like they're mailing it in at this point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Mailing it in might not be the right word, but it feels like it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Maybe this is reverse psychology. This is like we know the Warriors are not going to make a move. So we're going to say, hey, you know what? It's not a big deal to us. No problem. We understand. I don't know, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
I don't know. I mean, I think – For what it's worth, I don't know if a trade or two saves this Warriors team this season. They've been 25th in offense over the last 10 games. Steph does not have any help. And I know Kaminga is gone. No Draymond in this one. But like... Schroeder, that trade has not necessarily worked out in their favor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
He's working in a shoebox in terms of spacing and just it hasn't worked out. It really does not look good for the Warriors outside of Steph Curry. And he's also dealing with this knee tendinitis thing, which is looming over all of this. So you're looking at a roster that. has a clear flaw outside of Steph on the offensive end to create any sort of shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
And then you're looking at a team that defensively without Draymond craters. So it just, they're relying on these two old guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Like they're crazy competitive. They don't want to walk away from the game without giving it their all. But their organizations, their front offices also got to do their part.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Yeah, they were struggling defensively. I mean, there were tons of miscues at the end of the game where they left Malik Beasley wide open two times and it caused just like way too many breakdowns on the defensive end. Jalen Brunson was obviously great. Carl Anthony Towns was good. He has that thumb issue that popped up during the game. We'll see how serious that is, but
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Josh Hart had an interesting quote after the game where he said that, like, we're not where we want to be and we're halfway through the season. So if we have expectations of being a better team, we need to solve those mistakes. And he's had a few quotes here over the last week about inconsistent play, about kind of leaving your ego at the door. And I wonder what that means.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
Like who what is he referring to? Who is he talking about in this situation? Is there an ego in that locker room? I'm not sure. This is just speculation at this point. But just interesting because it does feel like the Knicks are a bit uneven right now. You know, that huge loss to the Thunder, the win against the Bucs, and now a disappointing loss against the Pistons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jalen Green blasts Grizzlies for 42 | Cade Cunningham in the Garden
And you talked about like the zone. We talk about it with Hunter about the zone defense and how much they're seeing that more often. and the switching. And it feels like the scout is out a little bit on how to beat this team. So it's just interesting to see like what the next 41 games are going to be for this next team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
We should. I mean, look, we're opening the door for it right now for the possibility of it. I mean, if you are the Mavericks, look, this would have been a different conversation if it was the Nets or the Jazz or the Wizards who are all losers in this lottery tonight. If it's the Mavericks, do you trade it for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
two years left you know of pride or whatever that would be insane i i'm still kind of recovering from the fallout of this as we all are sort of reacting to literally like an hour ago as we're recording this so i from your point of view christian and i i guess from yours as well dave How do you look at this situation? And you look at sort of the history of the NBA and the lottery, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
When it comes to Cleveland, LeBron leaves, they immediately get Kyrie Irving. The Lakers trade Anthony Davis. They end up with Zion Williamson. And now this situation, there's going to be a lot of people considering the fact that the lottery is rigged, okay? That's not necessarily what we're suggesting here, but it's just going to be a narrative. How do you parse through that situation?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
in with what's happened with the Mavericks over the last six months.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Yeah, look, the Raptors are not the only losers in this draft. I think a lot of the tankers are losers in this draft. You think about the Washington Wizards, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Utah Jazz, the Brooklyn Nets, all of these teams that, especially towards the end of the season, were methodically trying to lose, lost out methodically.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
The basketball gods, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Well, I mean, the other part of this is the flattened lottery odds and the fact that, look, it's anybody's case. And if you want to have a conversation about tanking in the NBA and the incentive to tank, this is your example for why there is no incentive whatsoever to tank.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Because you look at where the Wizards are in this draft now, the Jazz, the Nets, it's not looking good for teams that really tried tanking.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
The East lost big.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Exactly. Yeah. That opens up the possibility of them eventually trying to get Giannis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
flattened lottery odds more even lottery odds have helped some of these other teams with lower chances to get opportunities to land the number one pick and somehow in a weird basketball gods type of way although you know it just it doesn't make sense how the basketball gods work in this scenario they bless the Dallas mysterious way
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Well, it certainly would have been a more competitive series at the very least. Right. And I think if you look at it from the Warriors perspective, like there's an opportunity here next season. And, you know, Slater, we've kind of talked about it as we've had pods with you. It's like they're looking at this as a window for the next two or three seasons between Jimmy and Steph.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
How do you look at that window now, given some of the information that you have about this team with Jimmy and sort of the ebbs and flows of the offense, the shooters around him, the creation, and then obviously the Steph injury? But how do you look at what they got to do this summer maybe to make sure they look like contenders next?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Where do you lean at this point? Do you lean Kaminga being with the Warriors or...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Do you have a finals prediction now that we're here? Sure. Thunder. Are we here?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Big ass Shea game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
It's just funny that the timing for this worked out that way, right? Where in the morning we got the Giannis news. Hey, Giannis is open to destinations. He hasn't fully come out and said it. It's more of a soft launch of a trade request, but it's here at this point. And then the San Antonio Spurs get the second pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
And you think of, obviously, the assets that you mentioned and what they can offer. What better player to hit your wagon to if you're Giannis Antetokounmpo heading into the second half of your career? Victor women Yama. I think it's a perfect pairing. I think you can build around that beautifully on both ends.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
And it makes sense for the Spurs right now who are in a weird spot in terms of being competitive and can feel the playoff roster next year, but also have the number two overall pick to play with. Same thing kind of goes with the number three pick. And the Philadelphia 76ers, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Yeah. I mean, look, the presumptive number one and number two is Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Right. Right. But number three is kind of wide open. A lot of people are saying Vijay Edgecombe or Ace Bailey, two guys who are on a different tier than Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Right. To that point, I think the Sixers might be open to trading down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
That would be an interesting thing for them to do. Instead of picking at three, pick at 10 and maybe get someone from the Rockets or someone that can help them long term to play with the Sixers. I don't know. It's interesting to think of.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Yeah. I mean, look, this is the NBA. I feel like the Jimmy Butler meme of him being tired during the NBA bubble just because of how much that's happened over the last 24 hours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Unless you love a guy, right? Unless you've fallen in love with someone that you see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
tanking is dead and i think the lottery odds are an interesting aspect of it i also think the plan plays a part here because teams feel like they have an opportunity to make the playoffs earn some ticket and gate revenue but also try to give their young team some experience and you think of the eastern conference now and there's going to be some big implications for the east next season with another thing we talk about in this show um but you think of the eastern conference and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
there's a real opportunity there for a couple of these teams to make a leap, right? If Washington gets the right guys and builds correctly, if Toronto obviously built with Brandon Ingram and Scotty Barnes, there's a world in which those teams start to take that next step and look like a play-in or playoff team. And so tanking, the incentive isn't really there anymore to tank outright. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Well, because right. Yeah. And, and there's, there's basically a package out there for any team,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Yeah, it was really rough. And it was rough given the conversation around Jason Tatum the last couple of weeks. He needs to show up. He needs to have a moment. And he was having that moment in this game, a masterclass of a game. Put up four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
42 points in 40 minutes was surgical, was knocking down his shots, was basically the only guy on the Celtics that was really giving them a chance in this game, especially in the first half. He was the reason for them getting out to a lead and to see him go down like that. be wheeled off, you know, in the locker room gutted.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
You're absolutely gutted for a player like Jason Tatum, who, by the way, Dave, we've talked about this. He never misses games, never gets hurt. So now you're looking at a guy who might be out long term. Potentially, we don't know. Right. But that's just devastating for a guy who constantly plays through injuries.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
I'm really proud of Carl Anthony Townsend and Jalen Brunson because they've been forced to play in isolation and guard in isolation more often. And they've been holding their own, right? There are multiple possessions you see in this series where Tatum or Brown or whoever is trying to hunt out these guys, and they're holding their own.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Now credit the Wingstop trio of Mikael Bridges and OG and Josh Hart who are pinching in and putting their hands and getting involved with deflections and whatnot. But like to those guys credit, they're actually guarding. They're actually trying. And that's such a huge part of defense, especially when you have the offensive burden that those two have. And Jalen was surgical in the third quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Massive. I mean, 18 points in that third. He was going shot for shot with Tatum. And that's what helped him kind of get into that lead. And then Bridges in the fourth was some huge shot making, too. The third was funny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Those four had 105 of their 121 points tonight. Just absurd offensive output.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
There's so much parity. I mean, look, you've mentioned this, that this is like the parody era. And if you have an opportunity on any given season to give yourself even a 10% more chance at winning a championship, you do that. And Giannis is more than a 10% chance. Giannis is, he elevates the Spurs to a different level contender-wise. If the Rockets go after him, he's the missing piece for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Basically is the equation for a lot of these teams. And then when it comes to the Knicks and Pacers, you got your 90s back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
All right, look, I mean, everybody is going to be in their conspiracy theory bag right now because of what the last six months of Mavericks basketball has been, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
The Luka Doncic trade, coming into it, the Anthony Davis injury that kind of opened the opportunity for the Mavericks to quote-unquote tank, and they find themselves in a situation where they have 1.8% chance at Cooper Flagg, and they do it. Now that you look forward... What's next for this team? Do they just draft Cooper? Do they just say, hey, we're taking Cooper Flagg?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs Get Cooper Flagg, Tatum Injured + Where Will Giannis Go?
Or do they open up the possibility of potentially trading this pick?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
What is the good with this Kings team right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
He poured in 34 points on 50% shooting, was just really effective in the non-Jokic minutes, is something that should be highlighted. We talked about how their bench is starting to figure things out. And I think Murray is a huge part of that equation because he's been in rhythm recently. So that's one aspect. And then for OKC, losing J-Dub in the second half was massive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Just no one else other than Shea that could really get things going for them offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
This sounds eerily similar to the Chicago Bulls. Und es ist lustig, weil sie DeMar DeRozan und Zach Levine verabschieden. Und so ist es einfach so, dass du durch die ganzen Motionen gehst, nur in der westlichen Konferenz. Ich denke, eine der Dinge, über die ich mich interessiere, und du hast gesagt, dass das Ziel für diese Saison ist. Aber was ist das langfristige Ziel in Zach?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Was denkst du, ist das, was du möchtest sein? Das langfristige Ziel für dieses Kings-Team, weiter zu gehen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
I can understand that. That's hard to reconcile with because of the playoff drought and just experiencing, tasting that little bit of playoff success has now got everybody bought in on trying to continue this thing and keep it going. I don't hate that whatsoever. It's just that the process behind it is what's failing. And that's the tough part of this. Let me ask you this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Sabonis on the team next year?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
That's the interesting thing. It's like, were the Thunder holding stuff back a little bit? Of course. Both these teams were, right? Because they know they might end up facing off in May. And so you don't want to show off all the cards, show off all the options that you have. I think with Shea, the double team stuff is something more teams are doing often.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
It's not just Denver that's doing it, but they're trying to send two to the ball, force the ball out of his hands. It's what everybody does against Jokic. Ja, genau an diesem Punkt sind auch die besten Spieler in der Liga, die diese Art von Aufmerksamkeit bekommen werden.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Ich denke, das interessantes Ding, das ich mit SGA und OKC im Allgemeinen weiterführe, ist, okay, cool, du hast dieses egalitärische Offensivsystem, in dem jeder anderen auf jeder gewissen Nacht etwas beitragen kann. Du hast Aaron Wiggins, du hast Chet, du hast andere Leute. Hartenstein war in diesem Spiel großartig, um zu beginnen. Wird das genug sein?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Maybe J-Dub doesn't have a great game for you in the playoff series. Is that going to be enough for you to pull out wins? That's the next question with this Thunder team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
This needs to be the Western Conference Finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
I like Hartenstein as the primary assignment on Joke and then you have Chet as the help side guy with his length and whatnot. I think that's what worked. You know, when they played very early in this season and OKC won the game in Denver and Chet was incredible. Like that's how Chet maximized his game offensively. Yeah, I think that's the way to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Again, I need to see this in a playoff series, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Terrible inbound pass by Desmond Bain to lose it and give the Suns that opportunity to... Awful down the stretch again for the Grizzlies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Nein, ich bin nur verrückt. Schau, nein, die Sonnen sind so. Sie werden gehen. Es ist viel mehr so wie es ist. Es ist viel mehr so, wie es früher war. Es ist nicht so, wie es vorher war, wo sie natürlich einen anderen Stil spielen und sie sind am Boden der Liga in Bezug auf die Spiel- und Rollfrequenz.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Ich würde mir vorstellen, dass das ein bisschen erhöht ist, jetzt, dass Jaren und Sideline verletzt sind. Ich denke, Jaws, sie lehnen sich einfach nur darauf hin, was Jaws tun kann.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Before he was barking with him all game, right? But at the end of the third quarter, he knocked down a corner three. Cam Spencer, by the way, had a really good game. This is the 53rd overall pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
for the grizzlies another gem the grizzlies have found in the draft a guy who can score he put up 50 in the g league earlier this i think it was in january he dropped 50. um so look this is a guy who can do a lot of things but in that third quarter he hit a corner three
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
buzzer goes he just starts trash talking kd and this is a guy who already has gotten into a little bit of a beef with the sun's team he was trash talking devon booker a few months ago too i don't know if it's something against phoenix i have no idea
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Yeah. I mean, you could ask that about a lot of things happening with the Suns. Yeah. Truthfully, I think there are more solutions to that team defensively than they're putting out on a night-to-night basis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Ryan Dunn can't get off the bench.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
You're baffled by it. Yeah. And look, this is a team that's also fighting with the Mavericks, who don't have Kyrie or AD, basically anybody for that final playing spot. And like they are Mavericks won last night. And the Mavericks won last night against the Scrappy. So they are the more talented team, given the injuries for the Mavericks. They should be winning these games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Now they do have a really hard schedule moving forward, which is part of this process. But yeah, it just doesn't feel like they're pushing the right buttons right now. It's brutal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Luka also dealing with back stiffness, Austin Reeves just coming back from injury. This is kind of a hobbled team right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Ja, es ist eigentlich ähnlich, wie wir es vorhin mit OKC gesprochen haben. wo Brooklyn immer zwei auf den Ball geschickt hat, entweder den Ball aus Lukas' Händen zu holen oder Luka wurde in einen wirklich schwierigen Schuss gefordert. Er wurde in Tons von Körpern gefordert. Und so gibt es die Situation, in der er es fordert. Er ist nicht 100% und er fordert es.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Aber gleichzeitig sind die Release-Valve nicht da, um sie zu schießen. Austin Reeves hatte eine schwierige Nacht auf dem Feld, obwohl er seine Buckets von der Freethrow-Line bekommen hat. Es waren Leute wie Gabe Vincent, die heute Nacht Schüsse schießen. They need Rui Hachimura. They need, obviously, LeBron James. It goes without saying they need LeBron James.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
But they need some guys around him who can make shots. That's probably the equation for the Lakers right now. This was a game that they, in their current shape, were supposed to lose, to be honest with you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Ja, das ist, ich meine, das ist ein Typ, der wie led, die Hektik zu einem Konferenz-Finals und einem Finals-Rund geholfen hat, richtig? Wie das ist, das ist der Kaliber des Spielers, den sie erwarten, um zu bekommen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Nun, Schmerzen haben wirklich das Aspekt verringert, aber zu Ihrem Punkt, dass man ein zweifachiger Typ ist, wie Schüsse zu knacken, in der Lage zu sein, auf den Punkt des Angriffes zu sein. Ich denke, einer dieser Dinge ist, dass er unglaublich schmutzig ist, sodass er sich aufwärmen kann und Leute aufwärmen kann, die ein bisschen größer als er sind, was diesem Lakers-Team hilft. Und dann
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
The way that Gabe can be a guy in passing lanes and disruptive and cause deflections and force steals and whatnot, that's what this Lakers team wants to do on the defensive end, wreak havoc. He fits in perfectly. J.J. Redick is a big fan of Gabe Vincent. He shouts him out pretty much every post-game press conference he has.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Ja, ja, gut Glück. Schau, es ist immer ein tolles Spiel, wenn Peyton Watson 4-4 von drei geht. Ja, Jalen Pickett schießt 2-3. Also wie die Duggets, wir sind nur auf allen Zylindern gespielt, was Teil dieser Equation ist, dass sie 140 auf die beste Defense in der NBA. Ich denke. From the nuggets, you can take away the fact that Jamal Murray was awesome in this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić playing his best basketball + The Kings are broken
Okay, wait. I want to harness in on the good, because we're going to get into the bad and what's been happening with these lost leads. But there has been some good. Zach Levine coming in has been awesome for this team, really scoring dynamically. And I think generally some of their additions, when it's Jake LaRavia, they've worked defensively to be a little bit better of a group.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
And do you feel like LeBron is working to appease that? He had that don't fit in, fit out quote that's going viral. There's like the him allowing him to play and be introduced late in the starting lineup or be last in the starting lineup. Does any of that play into this idea? Or is LeBron actually trying to make things work with Luka?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Yeah. I don't know about you guys, but I would not want to face LeBron and Luca in the playoffs, regardless of situation. That's tough. And look, Maybe the matchup comes by where the big situation is something that they have to deal with. Like you've got to face Jokic in the playoffs or Zubats in the playoffs or Chet and Hartenstein in the playoffs. That's when it becomes a situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
But ultimately, you don't want to face LeBron and Luka. That's the final point with this Lakers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
yeah uh shout out to christian clark uh from the athletic who who got this statement from the mavs basically saying that in the first incident the guests brought in a sign that broke the following rule of conduct it basically was about you know explicit language using clothes and whatnot and then in the second incident the fan wore a t-shirt that also broke the rules and was also intoxicated intoxicated disruptive and uncooperative
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
all listed as things you can't do in an NBA arena. So that is the situation in Dallas. I mean, I don't think it's going to get any better from here, to be honest with you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
It might be the first time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Yeah, I don't understand the process behind this because you can clearly tell that Mavs fans are angry and to respond with anger like this to kind of kick out fans, that doesn't feel like the process to regain that trust and that goodwill that you need to get from your fan base again. You know, I think part of the AD experience in his debut game was like, I'm here, I'm ready to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
It was giving excitement back to fans. And then to take that away and also add on to it with, you know, fans getting ejected. There's obviously like a security presence, if you will, with the protests and whatnot that happened in the first game the Mavs had back home. I think it's an interesting aspect of what the Mavs have to do moving forward. Like, how do you even move past this?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
You know, knowing that this trade will live forever and you can't you can't rescind this one. You know, you can't go back on this one. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Awesome. It was really fun to watch offensively. I thought the passing, like the ball was flying throughout the game. And honestly, like you said, it was the jazz. So you have to take it with a grain of salt. But like the way the ball was zipping, it shows you the offensive potential of this Lakers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
The fact that Luca had a pretty mediocre offensive game himself, he wasn't hitting his three point shots, wasn't really getting to his spots, looked rusty because he had missed six weeks of basketball. But I think overall, you look at the
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
playmaking chops of all these guys and and the other guy I gotta mention is Austin Reeves who has been playing unreal basketball especially as of late obviously had that career night against Indiana and now you look at a guy who is stepping into a role next to LeBron and and Luca where he's like all right I will get all the easy buckets I possibly can playing next to these guys but
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
I can take advantage of it as a tertiary score. I'm also a good playmaker, so I can hunt out situations in the second unit. It just feels like a great opportunity for Reeves. And so like offensively, the potential of that trio is through the roof. We'll see how it looks defensively because that's the question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
How is it? I, first of all, I love connections generally. Uh, me and my wife play it all the time. So having a sports version of this, where we can kind of just rack our brain over different categories is exciting for me to do. So yeah, shout out to that connections. Very, very cool. That,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Yeah, he was he was next up in terms of fan voting anyway. So it made sense that they picked him. And then if you look at like the rest of the East, you could maybe argue Jared Allen getting in there and the Cavs run. But what you want to see Trey Young in the All-Star game. Yeah, he's an all-star game player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Yeah. No, you're right. Yeah. Look, I think Kyrie, you could have argued, should have been on the original list of the 12 guys on the West. So I think for what it's worth, if you look at the way – and by the way, Kyrie also, like Trey, next most fan votes. So they clearly just went with the fan vote aspect of this. So bonus – is always going to end up being that guy who gets snubbed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
I just don't know why sometimes he gets disrespected from the all-star conversation. I don't know what it is about his game, but I find his game entertaining. It's a fun game to watch, but again, Kyrie, clearly a little bit more entertaining. The Flash... Hey, think about it like this. They took away two forwards in the East and the West and picked guards to go with them in Trey and Kyrie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
So it's a guards game. Yeah, they're going to try to speed that up a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Leading up to this moment felt special, too, because it like there was so much anticipation. You thought he was going to play on Saturday versus Indiana. Did it end up happening? And now he plays tonight. And so there was this like kind of commotion building up to tonight. Yeah. And now he had that debut.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
There were so many components to it where it felt like they kind of made it feel like home to him. Obviously, the jerseys were a big part. I don't know if you guys saw the Gatorade thing that they had the Hollywood sign. They flipped it with the two L's and made it 77, which is very cool. Trying to make it feel like more home.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Was there anything else that the Lakers did that you noticed in Arena that made it feel like home for him?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Was there anything from JJ or, or Luca tonight post game that they mentioned sort of the offensive fit and what they see potential wise with this team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka makes Lakers debut | Mavericks give fans the boot
Claire, you've covered this team for the last couple of seasons now, and like LeBron is no longer the guy on the team. And it's crazy to say that because they it's Luca that is the guy. And so do you there feel that there's it is a feeling of like, should they try and prioritize both of them? Is there this sort of riff that could possibly happen there?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Yeah, it will, you know, especially with the garden, like how loud it's going to be when there will be booze for Trey Young. But he is going to love those booze. Right. It's just going to be embraced. It's going to be one of those like things that you see in the garden. You're like, I love this. This is what basketball means. This is what the cup is about. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
But yeah, look, ultimately, the thing with Trey is, yes, he's had moments against the Knicks. He obviously had the playoff series against the Knicks, has had great, great moments, buzzer beaters, all that type of stuff. But ultimately, if you look at his stats career-wise against New York, pretty inefficient, gets guarded a little bit, struggles with the defense. Does that matter?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
But I think there will be some trouble there compared to their series last year where, look, Derek Jones Jr. was the main assignment and he was sticking lateral with SGA. His length was really bothersome. And maybe you can consider Najee or PJ to be one of those guys. But I don't know, man. I think in single elimination, like you mentioned, that's going to be tough to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Great shooting team, too. DeAndre Hunter has been playing really well for them off the bench. Bogdan Bogdanovich, great shooter. Jalen Johnson has been unreal as this transition-dominant player who can make plays for them, too. We love the Hawks here on this podcast. There's no denying that. Can they win this game? That's the question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
They're also like, you know, we talked about this with Lauren Williams, but they're giant slayers. Like they've beat Boston. They've beat Cleveland. They rise up to the occasion when it comes to these moments.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Yeah. Yeah. So maybe there is a world. Maybe there's more worlds where the Hawks win than any other underdog team in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Maybe that's it. Right. Yeah. I don't know. It's going to be fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, they're playing more. They're moving more. I'd imagine if you were to calculate distance traveled across NBA history, we're probably near the top right now. Pace actually is interesting because pace in the 70s was way faster than it is now. But again, to your point, possessions, the amount of space that they have to occupy, all that is part of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Also would say that guys are playing much younger. They're not playing as many sports anymore.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
right they're they're uh what is it their kind of interest it's much more specialized it's way more specialized of the basket like they're playing basketball yeah year-round off not that many multi-sport athletes right so you're not working those i actually talked to an nba doctor about this in in summer league um you know when i was talking about injury management and load management and he said you know especially at younger ages you tell people to play multiple sports because it just teaches quick twitch much
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
muscles that you really can't develop if you only play one single sport, even if that's basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Two days, two games in one day in AAU and whatnot. Like that's part of it, right? Yep.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
You do like that, though. You mentioned that about the Bulls the other day, too. Try to win. I hear you. But they have this timeline where I think they have their picks for the next two years. And they need to get some talent in there on top of that. So I wouldn't be surprised if the Cam Johnsons and Dennis Schroders and maybe even the Nick Claxtons of the world end up on the trading block.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Because... Yeah, they need to pivot quickly. How is everybody going to feel?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
I think you get into some weird competitive stuff. when was the last time that happened though? Like I, I can't think of, I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Well, I would say that the last 10 games, they've had a few where they've missed Andrew Wiggins. They've missed Draymond Green. I will say the first 10 games, Buddy Heald was shooting the leather off the ball. He kind of went cold in those last 10 games. So contextually, like, I think that's why that happened. Yeah. Which one is closer? Yeah. Probably the first 10 games. That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Yeah. And we'll see how long that's last. I know they're trying to chase after like a secondary player to build with Steph, but like at what point do they go out and say, Hey, Brooklyn Nets, what's going on? Hey, you know what I mean? Like what kind of additions can we make to, to get Steph another championship? Yep.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
On the opposite side, people will talk about, okay, well, who guards Luka Doncic on the other end? Well, OKC has... Who doesn't? Who doesn't? Exactly. And by the way, one of the guys Luka constantly mentions as one of the best defenders for him, Lou Dort, on the other side. So I don't know. I guess...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
When you look at what the Mavericks can do, and you think of Kyrie, you think of Klay, the offensive firepower, maybe the size advantage, right? I think that's a factor with Gafford and Lively and not having Chet Holmgren. What is the one advantage the Mavs can have?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Either one of you guys, whichever one of you guys thinks, but like, what's the advantage for the Mavs here in a single elimination game? I mean, do you take their top two over the top two for OKC?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
It's also not surprising that like J-Dub, his best basketball is being played with Hartenstein in the lineup. And I think that's a huge aspect to this game because he's going to be battling in there with Lively and Gafford. And who wins that matchup, I think might determine who wins this game. We'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
It matters more. The Cup matters more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
I believe he played well in one of their games, right? It was a career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
yeah i well that's actually part of this he's been playing the best basketball i think over the last week or so of his career yeah defense dominant right engaged on that and more selective with what shots and what he wants to take how does that look in a single elimination game when it's okay steph is is seeing tons of coverage from the rockets and amend thompson and tari eason they're going to need that release valve to get someone else going
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Can Kaminga step up? How do you feel about Kaminga's play over the last week or so?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
ready for the play and oops somebody like comes off a dho and hits a three before he even fit like there's still a lot of that to his defense so i'm not sure how how easily that's going to be kind of you know eroded from you gotta go through that routine you know can i just say one thing you know with mavericks thunder we know it's going to be a battle between two guys sga luca who could be the best player in that game we don't know right toss up for most situations in this game
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
it's clear who the best player is. It's by far Steph Curry, and that might be a factor in a single elimination game. Who else are you going to trust? He just did it in the Olympics for Team USA. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Yeah, I would say who guards Shea Gildress Alexander on the Dallas Mavericks? It's a simple question, but I think that's one question that I have for the Mavericks perspective. Because, yeah, you can say Najee Marshall or P.J. Washington are the first guys that at least pop to my mind of guys who can maybe guard SGA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
Their defense, which is resilient as hell, like one of the best defenses in the NBA, I believe top five probably in the last two weeks, one of the best, if not the best. And that is what carries them. They find a recipe against Giannis Antetokounmpo. They limit him. They build the wall, as Stan Van Gundy has mentioned before when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
So that is the recipe for the magic. How are they going to do that? How could they successfully do that without two of their main forwards, who, by the way, are also a big part to their defense? That's the question, man. I mean, you also need Jalen Suggs to go nuclear. And for what it's worth, maybe that happens. It seems like he's taking this opportunity. He's going to run with it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Cup Preview | Who are the real Warriors?
But we broke it down last time. Schedule's tough for the Magic, and this is one of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Remember the quote, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yes and no. They didn't start out the game as good as you'd think they would. The Clippers just absolutely dominated them, especially in Kawhi's minutes early in the first half. But that being said, I think it was the right decision to bench Conley and bring Dante DiVincenzo in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
I'm glad you asked that, Sam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Look, there are not a lot of avenues for this team to get better. They have that pick very, very far away from now. I believe it's 2031 that they have a pick that they can give out. Salary-wise, Bradley Beal's no trade clause is really holding down their flexibility to be able to make some moves. Yes, there's the Jimmy Butler trade. Yes, there's what they can do to grab Jimmy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
But is there anything else outside of that? Do you think that they could try to do to improve this roster heading into the trade deadline?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
This is wild. This is wild to hear.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
One, it gives them another ball handler, and I know Conley is supposed to be that, but he just hasn't been the same this season. Father time, undefeated when it comes to Mike Conley. But Dante...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
is a three-point shooter can stretch the floor a guy who can like viably knock down shots next to edwards and a guy who can put the ball down make some plays for you so i think it works they're they're positive in their minutes together too as a backcourt uh when they made that carl anthony towns trade it was with the idea that dante would eventually start so i don't hate the move at all we'll see if the randall shoe drops as well though you know maybe that's the next thing that happens
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
I'll give you some other stuff here, just some fun facts about that 2018, 2019 season to make you think how long ago that really was. Make us feel old, right, Dave?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
I mean, look, Paul George was on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Luka Doncic was in his rookie year. Blake Griffin was an all NBA player. Victor Oladipo was an all star. Kyrie Irving was on the Boston Celtics and Kevin Durant was on the Golden State Warriors. So life has changed a lot since the Detroit Pistons have been 500 or better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yeah, it's funny you mention that because we were talking about Anthony Edwards in the A block of how the context around him doesn't really work. I think you could look at what Cade Cunningham is doing this season and looking at how the context works incredibly well with what he does. He had 32 points tonight, was efficient. He's been doing stuff like that all season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
His turnovers are down over the last 15 games. He's shooting the lights out from behind the arc. I think he's hitting 38% of his threes so far this season, which is a massive improvement for him as this pull-up shot creator type of guy. Cade is looking like a shoo-in to be an all-star on the Eastern Conference. And to take it a step further, I actually think he might end up being an all-NBA player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
which is a huge step to make from what he was last year as a guy who we weren't even sure was a guy who could lead a team to the playoffs and now is looking like a guy who, like the Pistons, are well within playoff range. So kudos to Cade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
I think that goes to show you how important context matters to these younger guys because you add the Malik Beasleys, you add the Tobias Harris of the world, shot creation and scoring next to him. It makes his life a lot easier. is of it. All right, I got to ask you, because you were hot on the Pistons when we came into the year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Man, top six is tough. I'm going to say no.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yeah, yeah. I'm going to say no to top six. Indiana's been playing some really good basketball, so I'm going to say no to top six. But top eight? Top eight, Dave, I'm buying. Yes, I think they end up being a top eight team. I'm doing it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yeah, I think it's really important to contextualize the spacing around. And like you mentioned it with Gobert and Randall, but it's not the ideal spot or the ideal type of offense that a guy that is that great of an athlete should be working in. Right. I remember a couple of years ago, people started to compare him to Jason Tatum in terms of his evolution as a playmaker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
And Tatum is like well beyond that now. He's an elite playmaker in this league. But You can see contextually what kind of guys needs around him. It's great floor spacing. It's guys who can put the ball down and make decisions. And I'm not sure this Timberwolves team right now currently constructed is the way to do that. So he's just trying to shoot them into games, which is...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
I think part of the equation here, it kind of reminds me of like those middling Kobe Lakers years with the Smush Parkers and Chris Mims of the world. Although the Timberwolves are much more talented than that. Yeah, please tell me. I mean, we would all love to know who you're calling Smush. I'm not calling Smush. I'm not calling anybody Smush here. Maybe. No, no, I'm not going to call him Smush.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Okay. But either way, I think in the sense that like, his pull-up shooting has been incredible this year. His scoring has been incredible this year. His evolution as a shooter, just because the team requires him to be that guy for them, I think it shows you just the incredible talent that Ant is. And the playmaking will eventually catch up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yeah, that's why Nas Reed makes a lot more sense, man. The three-point shooting, the creation off the bounce. He's a lot faster with his decisions than Randle is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yeah, totally. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, look, I think that's understandable given how long he's been out. And I think for what it's worth, he's made their defense look a lot better, too. They're already a great defensive team. But, you know, you throw him in next to Chris Dunn, next to a guy like Derrick Jones Jr., add in a Nick Batum. These guys are guys who can really guard on the perimeter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
And it just makes them a lot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
more fun on the defensive end this is already a really entertaining defense to watch night in night out you add a guy like kawhi who like you said is leaner he's moving a lot better um that part is what's really intriguing to me the offense will come i i'm very very like confident in the fact that you're adding kawhi leonard to this defense by the way that yeah i mean exactly the clippers clippers are good um a little bit of news uh from dallas
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Oh, no, it's because of Jaron Jackson Jr. He's I mean, look, Jaron is putting up an all NBA year. I think he's on his way to being an all star, especially with jobbing hurt. Thirty five points, 13 rebounds, five assists. He's the first Grizzlies big man to do the 30, 10 and five since Jonas Valanciunas in 2019, which is crazy to think about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
But Jaron is just the guy who kind of keeps this ship going when all of these injuries are really hurting the Grizzlies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
i i kind of want to see what the mavericks end up doing in this situation though because no luca no kairi for probably this next month how are you gonna survive in the western conference do they start thinking about a panic trade s like i mean there's you know there's a guy out there that you could maybe plug in and he's a ball handler and you know he plays on the way i look i
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Yeah, it was a quiet night, you know, a pretty quiet night for Victor. I'm a 23 points, 14 rebounds for us. It's just eight blocks. Just so quiet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Vucic too. I mean, Vucic is having a career season shooting the lights out. I feel like they could find a trade partner for this team and what Levine and Vucic can do. But even outside of that, they have talent like Kobe White dunked on Wemby tonight, which could have been that is a poster. Absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
When it comes to Wemby, I don't know what this Bulls team will do, though, because they they're in a position where they need to get their first round pick. if they don't end up with bottom six odds, it's likely gone. So this is where it comes down to tanking and being good enough and whatnot. And I know you hate that conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
They should be good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards carries Minnesota | Beal benched; Suns win
Why do you think I mean, we can probably talk to about the recent struggles, right? The defense has fallen off a cliff. But why do you think this particular lineup change was necessary? Or do you think it was necessary at all for them to make this lineup change?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
That's exactly what I was going to ask.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
There's no rhyme or reason to the lottery anymore.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Yeah, man, my heart goes out to Mavs fans also. I mean, like, obviously, Kyrie is having an incredible season. I think it was worthy of an all-star nod. He got the all-star nod, being able to, like, be an all-NBA type of guy for them this season. Really, really excellent, just all around, really leading this Mavericks team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
And then crazy to think it's been four years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Another team might want to do. Also, like, you know, if you look at the life cycle of a team, like over the last four or five years. Right. There have been teams in the second half of the season that make a run. Right. The Grizzlies in the bubble. Then there was the the magic and thunder. Last year was the Rockets. And now we're seeing the Rockets really pop off. It feels like it's the pre leap.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Right. And actually, some of those situations ended up being a coaching change in the rocket situation. Email Doka coming in really helped them galvanize defensively. Do you think this is the pre-leap for the Blazers, where next year we're looking at a playoff team or a play-in team, or is it the other way around?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
And so for him to go down with injury, it's like, what else do the Mavericks fans have to deal with, you know? Yeah. Ticket prices going up and you got Luka Doncic. And even on a serious note, like there's just so much happening in Mavs world right now where you can't help but feel bad for every single aspect of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Well, give more opportunity to the young guys, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
It feels eerily similar to another team that I cover.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
And then you got to wake up every day reminding yourself that Luka Doncic also got traded from this team. It's tough. Really, really tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
So I have a bunch of OKC stats right now. The first one, I have to say, SGA, by the way, to our conversation about most offensive player, best offensive player yesterday, SGA has the most 20-point games, most 30-point games, most 40-point games, and most 50-point games this season. So he's doing it all, which is unbelievable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
But on a team perspective, so the 50-15 club, I'm making a new club here, right? Phil Jones. Jackson said 40-20. Let's do 50-15. The Cavs did it the other day. Thunder now just did it. And before this season, there were 20 teams that made the 50-20 club. Basically, 80% of those teams made it to at least the conference finals. 10 of them made the finals and eight of them won the championship.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
So if you're in that group, you have about a 40% chance of winning the NBA championship. It was pretty good. One other stat about the Thunder. So they're now 11 games ahead of the second seed in the Western Conference, which is crazy. Unreal. The differential, the gap that they've created for themselves in the West, it's absurd. But there are a lot of teams that have done that in history.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Actually, 19 since the 1979-1980 season. which is the year Larry Bird and Magic Johnson came into the league. Only 19 teams have done it since then. 16 of those 19 teams have won the NBA championship. And all of those teams have either made it to the conference finals or made it to the finals. So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Thunder fans like this is a pretty good indicator for what might happen in June because the odds are in your favor that this Thunder team probably makes its way to the conference finals, probably makes its way to the finals. And most of the time, teams that are this dominant win the championship.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
Yeah. I mean, I wish that this becomes more opportunity for him at the NBA level. I think he definitely has an ability to score the ball. I mean, the defensive side of it will absolutely have to come along, but it's just hard to see him getting consistent run in Houston with the way that this team is progressing. There's so many guys on there and Cam Whitmore had a good game tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
And that's another guy who's kind of like in and out of their rotation, depending on how healthy they are. Just a team that like, This is not for this season, but obviously for this summer and moving forward, some sort of consolidation trade because these guys clearly need opportunity. They clearly are good enough to do so, and Reid is chief among them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
I mean, look, they didn't have jaw and Jaron got hurt. So all those caveats. But at the same time, like you got to be able to close out these games regardless. If you have if you're touting the depth that you have, the versatility that you have with the Grizzlies, like you got to be able to close out these games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
And I think the fourth quarter execution has been something we've talked about a few times with this team, where when the game gets a little bit slower or. when the fast break transition offense isn't always accessible to them, they kind of just get stuck in the mud. And so that doesn't work well in the postseason. That's a question you've got to have moving forward.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
And I think it's a fair question to have with this Grizzlies team, even at full strength. Hopefully Jaron is healthy. Hopefully it's not that big of an ankle issue and they can get fully healthy for the playoffs. But as you said, like they're fourth in the West right now and they could potentially end up being fifth. They're only a game and a half behind the Grizzlies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
That's incredible. I mean, in a bad way, in a terrible way that I mean, like injuries suck. They're the worst part of it. It's just part of the way the NBA works, unfortunately.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
So let's actually focus on a couple of these young guys. Scoot is the guy that I think most people will come to and say, all right, well, an inconsistent start to his career, but is starting to figure things out at the point guard level. Me and Dave have talked about this before, where it's like, it's so hard to be a point guard in the NBA. And so that learning curve for Scoot has been there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kyrie injures knee | Thunder & Shai get 50
What have your impressions been of his second year and sort of how he's got his legs under him now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
It's always tough to give DPOI to a wing, and I think that's what Jalen Williams was talking about a couple months ago when he was like, it should be two different awards. Yeah, the value of a rim protector and what Draymond honestly brings to the Warriors is a little bit different than what Dork does. The value proposition is crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
But I wanted to ask you about the Warriors because they're facing the Grizzlies today, and it's going to be a massive game given the play and implications, given the fact that the Grizzlies are kind of falling off right now, Warriors are climbing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Yeah, you usually and look, this is just the reputation Luca has ended up getting. But, you know, he's usually complaining for a foul call or he's like jogging back. But honestly, ever since he's been with the Lakers, I've noticed that he's actually getting back in transition on defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
And maybe that's a testament to the Lakers coaching staff and kind of pointing that out to him or motivating him to be that kind of defensive defensive player. I think Luca can be a pretty good defender when he locks in like that. So when he's doing that, it's a bonus. Honestly, the thing that stood up for me was Gabe Vincent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
To think that he shot 20% from three in the first 20 games for the Lakers and is now basically a 40% three-point shooter for them. massive, massive game changer just because he's also a guy who can defend really good point of attack defender. So you have that combination playing next to the three headed monster. You mentioned that's a guy you like to play in a playoff series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Yeah, I think so. I think so. I think it's more of a competition. We talk about it with Slater, but it's more of a competition between the Warriors and Grizzlies and Timberwolves and Clippers for that five seed, really, compared to the Lakers trying to lock in four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Not necessarily. The only thing I noticed was there were these wild shifts of defensive drop-off. So first quarter, they locked in. They played excellent defense against the Celtics, were really, really bought into the game plan. And then second quarter, it just kind of turned off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
And I think part of that is part of the defensive consistency issues they've been dealing with over the last couple months. You look at the way that this team –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
tries to limit transition opportunities tries to pack the paint uh they kind of fall apart when a team is so good at three-point shooting like the celtics are and like they just they blew the doors off them in the second half yeah the celtics got up 62 threes and it's just it's impossible to keep up with the math there um you know with the celtics al horford
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Yeah, look, I think more than anything, they've just found their rhythm at the right time. And there is something to peaking at the right time. You look at the Thunder right now on a win streak doing their thing. Thunder been peaking all season. Yeah, they've been peaking all season. But I think offensively, they're starting to hit their shots more often, the three-point playoff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
percentage is going up and you look at the Celtics same thing is happening so shots going in at the right time is actually part of the equation here for Boston but it works so well when you have a trusted offensive system you know what you're going to on any given night now it's just the shots are falling
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
You know what? It's time, Dave, we highlight Luke Cornett. I think he has been awesome for this team over this last month. Doesn't really have to do with the three-point shooting. Actually doesn't take many threes at all for them, but allows them to play these double big lineups well. Horford, Cornette, Porzingis, Cornette, it just works really well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
And you see sort of this trend in the NBA now of throwing out these double big lineups to get on the offensive glass to win extra possessions. It's something the Celtics love to do just because they love to get up as much threes as possible, win that math battle. So then Cornette completes the equation there. He's had an awesome season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
I just wanted to highlight it because it flies under the radar when people talk about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
So they've been pretty good defensively since January 1st, which is about a 35, 36 game sample for this Pacers team. Now they're tied for the fifth best record since January 1st, have the ninth best defense. And if you look at those numbers a little bit more, look at what happened around January 1st, Andrew Nembhard returned to the lineup in December, like mid-December and then mid-January and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Aaron Neesmith returns to the lineup. And you look at that starting lineup with Neesmith, with Nembhard, Halliburton, you know, Pascal Siakam and Miles Turner. That is the second best lineup of all five-man lineups that have played more than 300 minutes together this season. OKC is number one. They dominate their plus 15 net rating. But that lineup right there is plus 11.4.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
The second and third best lineups are the Pacers. So they've just been awesome. And they dominate teams when they have that starting lineup. Ben Matherin is a part of that other lineup, too. But they just find ways to win. And I think defensively, you think about this Pacers team last year and their struggles on the defensive end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
You can outscore the other team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Yeah, I agree. Yeah, and look, that is a recipe for postseason success. And I think there's a world in which the Pacers can be a bit of a dark horse here in the East. Maybe give either Boston or Cleveland a run for their money. I think Cleveland...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
I mean, like you look at the adjusted defensive rating for this team. Historically, they're like one of the five best defenses ever. And so that's part of it. It's the points per possession. They swallow up teams on the defensive end. Wanted to ask you, Slater, if you thought about this, like given all of the historical context, the numbers, the records, everything like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
Mark Dagnall and the Thunder typically like to temper expectations, right? Love to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Thunder the best regular season team ever?
100%, right. So now with all of these records, is there like an added pressure? Do you think they are still going to try to temper expectations heading into this postseason?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Celebrity boxing matches in the works, too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wanted to get your opinion on this Lakers team, but just generally the end of the game for them, too, because it was... all over the place. This game in general was very back and forth. Lakers had a 17-point lead. Pacers ended up with an 11-point lead at some point. It was back and forth, and it was a really fun game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
I think there is a conversation for Risa Shea. And I think over the next couple of weeks, he can make it closer than people are saying right now. I agree with you. Do you think there's any chance for some of the guys on the peripheries, like the Jalen Wells of the world or Alex Saar, Kalel Ware, been playing pretty good basketball recently too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Do you think any of those guys can get into the conversation here for Rookie of the Year?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
And it's, it's tough. That's why SAR is a guy who's like, he can put up big numbers on any given night, even though the offensive efficiency is just not there right now. And so that, that's a big part of his game. But like, I think ultimately when you have a guy that's shooting 40, 32, 72, in terms of shooting splits, like it's tough to,
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
to parse through that and talk about him being in the rookie of the year conversation, even despite this class, not being, you know, the, the class that it should be should also mention, there are some, a couple of guys recently that are playing well, the might force themselves into a first team, all rookie situation, Maris Buzelis, who we've talked about ad nauseum here this week has been awesome for the bulls recently, uh, really popping as a driver, as a guy who has looked better as a shooter overall, uh, has the size to eventually be a pretty good defender too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Uh, Another guy, Ron Holland, I think has gotten some opportunity here with Detroit, had a really big game against the Pelicans earlier this weekend. So those are a couple of guys who are popping. Also should be noted that we're not talking about Jared McCain here because unfortunately he got hurt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
And so this rookie of the year conversation looks completely different if McCain is here because he's He was special. He was an absurd shot maker, a guy who looked incredibly in rhythm, probably the only bright spot for the Sixers team this season. And so there's a lot of guys that you can look at and say, well, this conversation could change.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
And it's very, very fluid because we're only a year into this draft class. Wanted to ask you, speaking on the fluidity of this draft class, if you were to project forward five years from now, who do you think you would take number one in this draft class?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
But what was your thoughts on the finish?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
He has that it factor. If you remember, he was trash talking during the NBA draft. He was calling guys out one-on-one. The fact that he was like, I'm willing to be in the dunk contest. All of those things... make it feel like he has that a factor in terms of the superstar qualities that you're talking about here that he could dive into.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
And then from a skillset perspective, like great cutter, a heady driver, obviously crazy athletic, The shooting is coming around. Obviously has all the tools to be a very good defender. The Bulls nailed this pick. I agree with you on that. The Bulls absolutely nailed this pick. And if he turns out the way that he's supposed to, could change things. Didn't get a chance to talk about my Raptors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
We'll talk about Jacoby Walter, Jonathan Lobo, Jamal Shedd, Jameson Battle at some point. I don't know. Mix these guys in for all rookie second team. There is actually a lot of talent. here in this 2024 draft class. And I think that's what I wanted to highlight. Just tons of guys who will have long NBA careers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
You think of like Zach Eady, Yves Misi, Bub Carrington, guys who even Quinton Post, who's playing really, really impactful basketball for the Warriors, right? Alex, appreciate you, man. Thank you very much for hopping onto the podcast. Very fun to talk about rookies. Guys, check out Alex Hoops on YouTube for sure. One of the best at breaking down some of these guys and their skills.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Folks, as always, thank you for watching and listening to the Athletic NBA Daily. Thank you for waking up with us. Hit us with a five-star review if you can. We will see you guys next time. Take care.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Yeah, no. So the craziness of it was, look, the Pacers didn't call a timeout when they had an opportunity to set something up, run a good play. That didn't happen. I believe it was either Aaron Neesmith or Ben Matherin who chucked up a shot. And it was a really great late double by LeBron to contest on that. Then the Lakers go the other way. Luca misses a floater for the win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
And then LeBron tips in the shot and it's just, you know, fingertips type of thing. By the way, LeBron James became the oldest player in NBA history to have a buzzer beating game winner. It's just, there's going to be multiple LeBron James stats with him being the oldest guy. It's going to be like Wilt, but for old players, you know what I mean?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Right. Very nice. Very nice. Yeah. The, the funny thing about this, this Lakers game, I thought to your point about them getting exposed a little bit defensively at the end there, their small ball lineup was awesome throughout this game. You know, it was plus 17 and five minutes for them with their lineup of, you know, Jared Vanderbilt, Dorian, Finney, Smith, Luca, Austin, LeBron, that lineup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
is something they're going to lean on a lot. But the drawback of it is some of these defensive lapses, you don't have that anchor, that paint protector, a guy who can basically contest shots around the basket. And so you only have one line of defense to work with. And so that's what Halliburton was doing. He had a really, really clutch shot in that fourth quarter to keep things close. Do you...
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
for this Lakers team believe that the way that they're constructed right now, they can make a deep playoff run given, given kind of the warts and everything we've seen over the last month or so with the Luca LeBron experiment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
They have the guys in those moments that you trust and rely on. And so you're right. I think they they have kind of like the good, the bad and the ugly with this. Like, actually, this game was really the definition of that because you saw them go through flows where their offense was clicking. They dropped five. 40 points in the second quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
And that was because LeBron and obviously LeBron actually didn't end up scoring a field goal until the fourth quarter. That was a, another subplot. His 10 point streak is alive, but the LeBron's playmaking Luca and Austin getting shots and being tough shot makers. All of that is a recipe to be a really good offensive team, but sometimes that gets bogged down in the tough shot making process.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Good morning and welcome to the Athletic NBA Daily. Coming up, LeBron James has a very eventful day that ends in a game winner against the Pacers. Nikola Jokic returns to the court and my guy Alex Hoops is here to talk about the Rookie of the Year race. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Alex. What's going on, my guy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Same thing with the defense. It exerts a lot of energy. And the way that they have to play, they have to play on a string. They have to communicate all the time. They have to be crisp on their rotations. And that is asking a lot. LeBron postgame even mentioned he's like, I need I need my energy for the defensive side of the ball more than more than the offensive side for this Lakers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
We'll see what happens with with them on Indiana's perspective. How do you feel about them potentially making a deep playoff run? Because they've been playing really, really good basketball since 2025 started.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Yeah. Yeah, no, I agree. And I think one of the factors for this Indiana team over this last stretch is the fact that Tyrese Halliburton is back. Like the playmaking pop, the way that he's working in the half court, he's still working his way back from a back injury. So they're kind of taking their time with him. But generally, he looks like he has tons of juice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
The creativity is there in the half court. And the way that they move the ball, Indiana, it's just so it's like you're pulled in. a hundred different directions because of it. So I agree with you. I think Indiana is in a really good position in the playoffs to make some noise. Okay. The other big news from tonight was the fact that Nikola Jokic returned to basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
He missed five games, came back tonight and very, very casually, uh, Just had, you know, 39 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. Ended up having the most triple doubles in a season by a nugget with 30. By the way, that beat his own previous record of 29. So not a big deal there. Jokic looked great. I thought he was engaged. Looked great actively, too. Like he...
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Span around one time, drove the ball and dunked. Anytime Jokic is dunking like that, you know he's feeling good. Had a crazy, potentially pass of the year type of pass to Aaron Gordon where he kind of flipped it behind his head while he was in the post, which was awesome. Jokic, back. Alex, how you feel?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
No, no Giannis, no Dame. That should be mentioned for this box team dealing with some injuries right now. But yeah, look, that's definitely part of it. And I thought Christian Brown was great in this game too, especially in that third quarter had a massive run to flip it. Uh, Yeah, Nuggets pick up a big win here in that race for the two seed or like the two to five, which changes every single day.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Speaking of changes, the Suns about to lose to the Celtics very, very badly. It was a very tough game for them. And, you know, the Suns now in a position where they, you know, battling for that 10 seed in the Western Conference. On the seeding side of things, Knicks Clippers also a big game for the Clippers. They ended up winning in MSG. Clippers moved to sixth in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
If you guys don't know, by the way, Alex Hoops on YouTube, over 100K subscribers. My guy breaks down basketball. Very, very fun guy to talk basketball with, Alex. Lakers Pacers is the main story here from last night. It was an awesome game. Very eventful day for LeBron James doing interviews, mind the game, potentially back, and now the game winner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Again, very temporarily. This stuff changes pretty quickly. Obviously, no Brunson or campaign for the Knicks. James Harden went off, though, had 16 points in the third quarter, 29 overall. OK, when we come back. Going to talk about the rookies. People think it's a disappointing rookie class. Alex and I beg to differ.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Not a lot of rave reviews for this 2024 rookie class, but there's still a lot of interesting talent here, a lot of players that you can look forward to watching. I think there's boatloads of skill, and I actually think it's pretty deep if you look at some of the players that are starting to produce for their respective teams. Want to start at the top, though, Alex.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
It seems like by all kind of betting sites and whatever you want to look at, Steph Castle, is the guy who's in the lead for rookie of the year. Do you feel that Steph is going to win rookie of the year or is there anybody else that's going to make some noise for you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
No, you're totally right. And honestly, he is the perfect type of wing to pair next to Trey Young because he, like you said, maximizes the possessions that he gets. I'm really intrigued with his versatility in ball screen actions because he can be your ball handler and you can have Trey Young as a screener. You can have other guys as screener being used for him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron Game Winner + Rookie Check In
Or he can be your screener, popping into the short roll, making plays through there. Obviously, he's shooting the ball really well as of late, too, which is a big part of kind of the progression here. But he also wins his minutes on defense. And so when you have that length and versatility, you just have the perfect type of player to pair next to Trey Young. And I agree.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Was it a coming out party?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
I honestly think this game, the way that he answered back was a testament to his ability to get to that level. Right. You see you can get to that height now. Now it's about doing it consistently and doing it at the highest level you possibly can. That's a huge step for him in his career, too, which is massive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
But moving into game three, you know, we obviously know that there's a Jimmy Butler question in this going to gold state. What are you looking for, I guess, adjustment wise from Houston's perspective in this game? obviously given the whole Jimmy situation is up in the air too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Yeah, I mean, look, the Cavs in the first quarter scored 25 points. They scored 25 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter. That's the type of offense that this team can be like. They just exploded with their three-point shooting. They throw Ty Jerome out there, and for some reason, it's just like... It's jumpstart guys just get involved.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
It's incredible to watch their bench unit is so fun offensively. They just they hit a barrage of threes and that's the way Cleveland gets into it. But you're right. The physicality from Miami was the way that they got back into the game. I'm thinking about Davion Mitchell. It's physicality. It feels like I mentioned him on basically every podcast at this point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
But he was awesome in that fourth quarter to get them back up. He did have an all-night. And the combination of Haywood Highsmith, who was knocking down his shots and being really physical, Bam Adebayo, always constantly very physical with the way that he plays in the front court. So it's the defensive side of the ball that these teams, both Orlando and Miami, hang their hat on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
It's tough to compete.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
This was their best chance. This was their best opportunity. And I don't know what Tatum's status will be going forward with the series. Who knows how long that bone contusion in his wrist will be. But ultimately, I think that's more of a question for round two and how healthy he looks. Because it is on his shooting hand.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
That's part of how he's going to be active when you think about facing the Knicks or the Pistons in round two. And I think that's more of a question for the second round. But for this series...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Christoph Swarzingis, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
I think too physical is a tough line. Like it's hard to answer the fact that this is too physical because ultimately we've seen it with every postseason where injuries are a factor. Physicality is a factor. The pace slows down. So teams are playing more half-court offense versus transition offense where there's less opportunities to be as physical.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
I think that plays into the fact that it's physical. The other thing is, If you look at the way some of these teams and especially referees are officiating these games, it's more about letting things go. Does that actually impact – and this is a good question for you because I know you've seen it from a coaching perspective. How much does that bleed into what happens on the court?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Because we saw it in Rockets Warriors, right? Right. The first 10 minutes of that game, five minutes of that game was insanely physical. And it led into tons of scraps in the fourth quarter and hoopla and all that type of stuff. How does it play into the buildup of a game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
I do feel like we've seen more chippiness though. I'm thinking obviously the Pacers and Bucks have a long history, but it does feel like any sort of, if a guy falls down, if there's a hard foul, all that type of stuff, they're immediately jumping out. There was a moment in this Magic Celtics game where Al Horford trips on Contavious Caldwell Pope and he just springs up. Al Horford, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Springs up. tries to chase after KCP. I mean, there's just a lot of these moments now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Yeah, so Anthony Slater mentioned that Jimmy's going to get a MRI tomorrow. He's actually flying back tonight, which is just showing the level of urgency here. The pelvic contusion, like you mentioned, assuming the x-rays were clean at that point. Steve Kerr also said that Jimmy always feels fine. So it's more about pain tolerance at this point and seeing if there's anything else.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
I like that they had, you know, Draymond Green and Fred VanVleet, they had that moment where they were face-to-face. No techs, nothing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
No, I agree with you. I don't think the physicality is the issue here. I think it comes down to how much are the officials going to allow it? Right. And where is that line to your point of, you know, what we're going to decide is physical versus what might end up in some sort of fight for altercation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
But, I mean, we'll see, man. Jimmy, pelvic contusions for the Warriors. Are they contagious? Yeah, what a strange thing. Steph, Kaminga, and now Jimmy dealing with pelvic contusions. Just please wear those pads, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Yeah. And I think this physical play obviously lends to a really it's favoring the Rockets. Right. I think back to a quote Davion Mitchell had when the Raptors were facing the Cavaliers and he said, hey, they can't call every foul, you know, and like that sort of leans into what this Rockets team likes to do. But they also took care of business offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
Jalen Green had a massive bounce-back game, finished with 38 points, did so efficiently. Post-game, he mentioned that he thought maybe in game one some of the lights were brighter than he expected, but he bounced back in game two. What did you see from Jalen in game two?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the NBA playoffs too physical? + Rockets even series with Warriors
And I, by the way, I've seen a lot of talk about like, it was that intentional. I, I, I've seen the replays. I don't think it was intentional at all. It was just hustle and physicality.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
The refs determined nothing happened there. They're like, all right, no play, whatever. On the next possession down, Allen fouls Shangoon on a loose ball. Two free throws for the lead. Shangoon goes to knock down both free throws, makes them both cold-blooded, right? Up two. And then on the other end, the Rockets foul Darius Garland on a three. Tari Eason steps in his landing space.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
They actually upgrade the foul to a flagrant foul. So three free throws plus the ball. But it should have been at that point. It's like Darius Garland. Great free throw shooter. This is the end of the game. But no, Garland misses two of his three free throws. Cavs try to win it, lose it. And the Rockets survive. Insane.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
It's funny because I think when people think of OG's contract extension and consider obviously him to be an elite top-tier role player, they're like, well, why is a guy like that getting that much money and you break it down. Well, it's the defense. It's the other worldly type of defense that he can do off ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
It was interesting because Jalen Williams brought up the idea of two defense player of the year awards, you know, wing defense player of the year and a big defense player of the year. How do you feel about that? Watching guys like OG maybe not get the credit they deserve. You know what I mean? For locking up on the perimeter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Like the Eric Fisher game winner. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Deeply flawed, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Yeah, he said Coach Adoka actually said like, you know, you would rather a fly by close out there than a hard close out, which is part of kind of the the minutia of closing out players who are such great at like three point shooting, especially with not a lot of time left on the clock. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
You would rather have a fly by contest than a hard close out, because at the end of the day, like they're shooting that shot. Right. With Garland, I think the interesting thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
When Eason was going for that, he kind of leaned in a little bit to try to draw the foul, which is what most players do now when they are down three, because they know that teams are typically going to try to foul up three or they're just, you know, there's going to be a situation there where like there could be a foul called and refs are quick to call that foul. So I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
It was it was a crazy ending. I think from the Rockets perspective, I guess the question I have moving forward with this game is like, They got thrown out – like the Cavs threw a zone out at them for five minutes and they struggled to break that zone even though I think Shangun is like a clear zone breaker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Like he's the guy you throw in the middle of the zone, make plays, make plays in the isolation too. It just – Feels like they're leaving a little bit on the bone there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
maybe a better defender than the last two months of Jalen green was great. Right. Cause he was like, Oh, he looks like the guy that could close out games for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
I will say that I watched the Hawks-Pistons game last night, and it was wire to wire. They dominated them. It was like they were showing an unreal level of confidence and swagger. Isaiah Stewart had these two incredible blocks. We talked to Fred Katz in a couple minutes about how great Isaiah Stewart has been, but
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
They have this swag to them now this year, and it's just so fun to see a team that just feels good when they're winning. That's the part that kind of jumps out to me when you watch this Pistons team now. They're like they know how they're going to try to win basketball games on a night-to-night basis, developing that identity, right, which they've been missing for so long.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
They now know how to win, which, yes, confetti. Confetti. Confetti. Confetti. Confetti.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
I think, you know, it's fair to be nervous given the fact that Luca is dealing with a calf issue and then Kyrie has this bulging disc and now lively with the foot. It's like these are serious injuries that they're dealing with that could probably linger. That being said, the injuries are happening at a better time than it being the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
If this was April, if this was May, yes, absolutely it's an issue. But you kind of deal with the fact that it's happening in the lull of the season and you hope that they can actually be healthy in April and May when it matters. And to your point about the standings, if they're sixth or seventh and they end up facing the Rockets or Grizzlies, who are you favoring in that series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Luka is so important to this team, and that's a given, right? Heliocentric offense, all that type of stuff. They're 4-11 so far without him. He got hurt in Christmas. I don't think that's necessarily as terrible as it seems. Yes, they've played a pretty tough schedule here with some scheduled losses. But ultimately, they have a pretty good infrastructure around him. Daniel Gafford playing well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
He's going to step up a lot with Lively out. P.J. Washington, guys like that. Klay Thompson obviously getting involved more. So I think they'll be okay. That's my main consensus with the Mavs. I think they'll be okay. By the way, too much stuff happened last night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Another believer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Yeah, so obviously the Rockets went cold in that fourth quarter. That's what allowed the Cavs to storm back. I think they went like five minutes without scoring the ball. And so a couple of big Fred VanVleet threes got them into it. They kept the Cavs at bay. And it was like a minute six left. Shangoon finishes over Jared Allen, then pushes Jared Allen over. They challenged that call.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Yeah. Yeah, dude. They, I mean, look between the defense improving and the way you mentioned the fun of Isaiah Stewart, like how about him calling out miles Turner about the Legos? That's so over the top, you know, too much on the internet, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
Man, speaking of all defense, you wrote that piece about OG and the defense and breaking down specific plays, showing him specific plays that he had, different kind of plays that he made, whether it's like stunt and recovering or he's getting out into a passing lane and all that kind of stuff. And
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sengun & Rockets stun Cavs | Is Jimmy Butler worth it for the Suns?
The first thing that popped up in my mind from from having covered OG for the second half of his career with the Raptors was how did you get him to say more than five words? Because that is the thing with OG. He's not maybe he's talking more in New York, but he's not the most talkative guy in the world.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
You look at this game against Sacramento. I actually thought they did a really good job defensively against them. Devin Carter, the rookie, was just a pest at the point of attack. I thought Malik Monk had a lot of good moments defensively. So this Kings team that's desperate sort of dug in and played good defensive basketball with no Zach Levine, no DeMontis Sabonis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Well, it's become a conversation recently.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Yeah, Jovan, you mentioned that scalability. And I think that's the one thing that pops out when you watch Austin Reeves play basketball. It's the ability to just morph into whatever the team requires. And pre-Luka, it was, all right, cool. They need a secondary creator, secondary scorer. He's having one of the best isolation scoring seasons of his career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Great pick and roll player who was having a good pick and roll season last year, now having an even better pick and roll year. And you look at how Luka has affected that. You wrote about the geometry of their offense sort of changing when Luka coming into this game and how Luka and JJ have worked to kind of create a seamless offensive function to everything that they're trying to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
How is the relationship between Luka and JJ morphed into something that seems to be already fruitful for them?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
So I think credit to the Kings for locking in and doing what they had to to win this game. They had some electric moments from DeMar and Malik Monk in that fourth quarter to basically seal the deal. But I do think to your point, we are seeing teams be more physical with Cleveland. And when you're not, when you're missing a guy like tonight, the Cavs were missing Darius Garland, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
They are so much the sum of their parts. You know, they are again, like I mentioned, like this egalitarian offense, like, When you take out one of those components, it makes it a little bit easier to be physical with them, take away one part, and then now you have that advantage, if that makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
I'm not trying to, you know, OKC now could potentially get, you know, home court advantage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Woof. Well, I think it's the worst loss would probably be the Mavs because they are officially out of the play in tournament. The Suns winning against the Bulls tonight made it so that the Suns jumped to 10th. Mavs now move to 11th and Suns have a tough schedule moving forward, but they're kind of in the driver's seat because they have the head to head advantage tiebreaker wise with Dallas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
So, you know, to your point about OKC, they kind of just have to keep winning in order to keep their spot here with 10th. When it comes to the game winner, though, like the greatness of the game winner, I think the theatrics of Cade. Sure. National TV. First, I think it was like one of the first times that Pistons were on national TV this year. They got flexed into this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
They got flexed into this game. I think that part of it makes it so much more intriguing because of how great this Pistons season has been. I mean, you you you think of like all the great moments from this Pistons year, the records that they've broken and we've talked about. This was sort of a cherry on top, affirming everything. Right. Yeah. Cade Cunningham, by the way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Good morning, sir. Man, what a night of basketball. Oh, my goodness.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
They should maybe flex them in more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, look, they are extremely confident and you watch them throughout games like it's. Ron Holland talking trash constantly, and he's one of their rookies. Isaiah Stewart, who's just like always in the mode of like defending his teammates. You have these veterans in Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway and Malik Beasley, and those guys are uplifting the younger players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
It just feels like the camaraderie is there for them to like believe in themselves more than anybody else believes in them type of thing. And it just makes for a really dangerous team in the postseason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
I know. I know. It was tough. It was tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
I don't know what that means, but I agree. Garma Joba. Mamu. What a game. So there's so much to talk about here, actually. Honestly. So 34 points in 19 minutes. That is the first time that has ever happened in NBA history. Ridiculous to think of that a player scored 34 plus points in 20 minutes. First time ever. Okay. The other thing. He's apparently a very, very good friend of Flava Flavs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
And so Flava Flav was at the game. Post-game, he joined in on the post-game press conference. Mamou got MVP chance throughout the game, which of course he did with the performance that he put on. But apparently him and Flava Flav... went one-on-one before the game, and they split the games that they played. I think they won one, lost one, and that's what motivated Mamou to drop 34 on the Knicks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Mamou is an extremely nice guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
just fumble the ones they're supposed to win yeah they are they're probably the most confusing team in the nba uh just because you know we've been through stretches where i try to convince you that the timbrels are better than they actually are and then they kind of prove me wrong in moments like this they lose in that weird fashion to the pacers and then they lose tonight to the pelicans and they didn't have anybody on the team who could guard zion williamson like there was just and for
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
For what it's worth, he's a very not a lot of players. Yeah, right. But they just didn't have anything for him. And I think that's that's something to look forward to. If you try to think of like other bigs that in the West that they're going to have to try and guard and defend against.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
And so the Wolves, it's just confusing to watch that team night in, night out, not have a true identity to hang their hat on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Who's the team? Who's got to play the most desperate basketball? Yeah, I think it's definitely the Suns. And it's funny because, you know, Ryan Dunn finally out of the doghouse. Also, Iguodara playing finally minutes. You know, their rookies were actually being really impactful early on in the season. They fell out of the rotation. Now they're back in. in the rotation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Game changer for their defense to have those guys back out there. A hundred percent. And another thing to mention is that in this little stretch where they've been playing better, no Bradley Beal. And I think he has been pretty detrimental on the defensive end for them generally, just not, having that effort to buy in at the point of attack.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
And so their point of attack defense is a little bit better over the last week or so. I'm interested to see how the Suns look because they have a really, really tough schedule moving forward too. So not only are there a bunch of must-wins so that they can stay in the play-in, but they're doing it against some of the best competition. So good test, tough schedule.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Luca nearly outscored the nuggets in the first quarter. He had like 20 plus points in like six minutes of action. He was just rolling from out the gate like they were throwing single coverage at him. And he was just like, all right, I'm walking to the paint and getting buckets. And as soon as they started throwing doubles at him, it was like, OK, I'm getting Austin Reeves involved.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
I'm getting whoever else involved. So really good offensive game for the Lakers and pick up a huge.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
OK, interesting. That's going to be interesting because nice little schedule going there for Lakers. Hopefully they need reps. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
They need as many reps as possible. Yeah. How about Rui Hachimura? Because obviously he went he went down with that knee injury as well. And I thought he was a really important piece for them when Luca was there as sort of a release valve. What's the update on Rui?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Yeah, I mean, look, let me let me try to contextualize the losses. So Orlando, they don't have Evan Mobley. I think some of the physicality that Orlando throughout them outmatched Clippers. They had a fully healthy roster, but also some of that physicality. I think the length, especially Zubats, did a great job in that like fourth quarter to be able to dominate. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers lose 3rd straight + When will LeBron return?
Health over seeding is injury is interesting, though. That's very, very interesting. Like, I mean, the fact that they're willing to concede the injury aspect and letting these guys get healthy versus dealing, trying to go for that two seed. Is that more of a confidence in what they have this year or just the fact that they have LeBron and Luke on the roster and they don't care? Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
State of the League | LaMelo out-duels Luka; Lakers lose
You know what I mean?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Better future: Kings or Bulls? + Mavs move on
Hauptsache schnell, ich kann mein Glück kaum erwarten. Die Lose von Lotto Bayern, zum Rubbeln oder Aufreißen. Glück to go, der schnelle Weg zum Glück. Lotto Bayern, nimm dein Glück in die Hand, nur in deiner Lotto-Annahmestelle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Better future: Kings or Bulls? + Mavs move on
Hauptsache schnell, ich kann mein Glück kaum erwarten. Die Lose von Lotto Bayern, zum Rubbeln oder Aufreißen. Glück to go, der schnelle Weg zum Glück. Lotto Bayern, nimm dein Glück in die Hand, nur in deiner Lotto-Annahmestelle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Well, no, no. Be honest. Be honest. I just want to hear it. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Because they have that player option, right? That they, you know, Jimmy Butler has that player option that he can opt into this summer. It's possible that they can kind of hold out until the summer if they want to. Do they feel a level of urgency given the fact that Jimmy is going to come back from the suspension and maybe they end up extending this extension? Who knows? Who knows?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
So the second apron maneuvering is a big part of this. Look, I think for the Suns, they get a big man and they've been dying to have a big man who is athletic. If you think about what Yusuf Nurkic has not been able to provide for the Suns team, they bring in Mason Pumley, who has not been able to do much either. And you have a guy like Nick Richards, who is a legitimate rebounder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Do they feel a level of urgency to get this done before the trade deadline or maybe even maybe even later than that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
like a very, very good rebounder in the NBA. And the Suns are not a good rebounding team. So being able to close out defensive possessions, crashing the offensive glass so they can win more possessions on the offensive end, I think that's a win for the Suns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Going to be interesting. It's funny. There is a team that knows all about Jimmy Butler and contract extensions. It's the Chicago Bulls because now they're drivers, if you will, which I loved in your article. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Well, they're in a tough position, like a bad driver, I guess. But look, they're good, but probably too good to keep their pick. And now with Zach Levine, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, the contract situation's looming for Ball as well. What have you heard from the Bulls' side and what they might do?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Look, when you're trying to go and work around the margins like this, I'm not going to say it's one of those big splash wins that's going to change the season for Phoenix. But it is important for them to get a big man that they can rely on. And I think Nurkic wasn't working out. Plumlee wasn't working out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Eat cold pizza. Eat cold pizza.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
I like their rookie in Oso, but it just makes more sense to get a guy who's a little bit more trusted in Richards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
The thing is, they don't have much to do. That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Well, they got to find a home for Nurk.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
What do you make of this? Yeah, and the reverse standings race, it's kind of wild to think about, right? Look, they're finally healthy. They didn't have Emmanuel quickly this game. They haven't had him for a couple games, but they are getting back to full strength. And that was a huge part of that sort of tank-a-thon that they had to start this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
They now have Scottie Barnes back in the lineup. They have Grady Dick and RJ Barrett and Yaka Pirtle. And like their starting lineup is good enough to compete on any given night. So they're finally developing a level of chemistry with one another. And you're seeing that. But I think this is more of a Celtics thing than a Raptors thing, which is – Man, Boston lately has looked very shaky.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
You think about, look, they had seven home losses so far this season. They had four all of last year. They're struggling. They're better on the road for some reason than they are at home, which is a weird kind of conundrum for a championship-level team. You think about the loss that they had to Memphis at home a while back, the loss that they had to Sacramento.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
They almost lost that game against the Pelicans. That would have been back-to-back losses afterwards. At home and then to come into Toronto against a team that, again, has their priorities in different ways. It's it's wild to me that they flub on this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
So I'm just I'm looking at the Celtics and thinking maybe the margin of them being the favorite, the championship contender, especially when you compare them to the Cavs and Thunder. It's not as not as big of a margin as we thought.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
to a great shot and i would just love to see what these really good players did with better looks but part of this is a shot quality issue too they'll have possessions where they'll grab four offensive rebounds and all of them will lead to an open three yeah and it'll they'll miss all of them because they're rushed threes they're like not within the flow of the offense or whatever and yeah sometimes by the way like sometimes those are the best types of threes right
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Don't get me wrong, but it just feels like the starters, like the Chris Dobbs and Jalen Brown, Derek White, Drew Holiday, who we know to be a really, really good lineup, have not been performing the way we'd expect them recently. The starters shot seven of 25 from three tonight, which is just not what you need from a team that leads the league in three-point attempts.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
So they got to find something. It is a bit of like three-point luck plus poor defense that's causing this thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Speaking of, I will say Raptors, they might be, you know, I know you like good, bad teams. They might be on the good, bad team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
And it didn't feel like it when I was watching it. Yeah, it's funny because the Warriors are a team that is going through a major identity crisis and the Wolves are a team that like overarching season identity crisis of figuring out who they are and what they want to be.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
So it's two teams that like ended up on this collision course of we are trying not to lose, but maybe we're not good enough tonight. And you could see that at the end of the game, just mistake after mistake. There was a fumble out of bounds play. There was the bad foul calls. There were bad shot attempts from a couple of the players, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
And you're you're thinking to yourself like, man, the this team, both of these teams are trying to lose this game because it just it was poorly executed. I think it was a tale of two halves, though. Right. Warriors shooting in the first half was just awesome with Steph Curry and Buddy Hill just going off. And in the second half, you saw Dante DiVincenzo get back into the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
You saw Anthony Edwards be aggressive and assertive. I think he had, I don't know how many free throws he exactly had, but he was just very, very aggressive at getting to the cup tonight, which I thought was a huge part of it. Will note, The end lineup, the closing lineup for the Wolves did not include Julius Randle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
It was a five-man group with Edwards, McDaniels, Dante DiVincenzo, Rudy Gobert, and Nas Reed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Do I think they need to? Yes, eventually. Do I think they will? No, I don't think they will. I think I think like they unless they somehow find another home for Julius Randall and they reroute him to go and add other pieces and whatnot. I don't I don't think that's what they would end up doing. It is, I will say. not all of it is Julius Randall's fault.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Like this is being exasperated by a fact that Mike Conley is not the ball handler that he used to be. And, you know, the shooting in general between McDaniels and some of their other players is not where it needs to be to have the spacing for Edwards and Randall. But to your point, Nas Reed is a much better three-point shooter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
He works much better defensively and it just makes that lineup make much more sense. So does it work? Yes, it should. Will they do that? I don't know. Hey, who knows? Chris Finch did say, like, this is not the starting lineup change I want to do when he moved Mike Conley. Maybe he does it again. Who knows?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Can you imagine Ja a few weeks ago said he's done dunking? He doesn't want to dunk anymore.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
And then he actually jumps after the whistle is called. So to your point, target on his back for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Cause I think you could argue either way. Yeah. I mean, multiple first round or like disappointing playoff performances. You could kind of blame the buck situation on Giannis getting hurt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
Yeah, both years. I would say both teams have been aggressive in their approach, right? The Suns went out and got KD. They went out and got Bradley Beal. They went out and traded DeAndre Ayton, all that type of stuff. The Bucs also traded for Damian Lillard. So they haven't been shy about trying to go for things. Being a disappointment, though,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
I feel like it might have to be the Suns because they've doubled down so much into what they're trying to do. And it always felt short of what could really be a contender because of the duplication of KD, Booker and Beal and how that core would work together in general. It always kind of felt like fool's gold for them to even go after that. So I would say Phoenix.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
This is a great question, by the way, because I enjoy pizza and I actually had leftover pizza today, funny enough, but it was leftover from yesterday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
My max is like two days. I think two day is a good max. I enjoy cold pizza. I could go for a cold pizza. Do you like cold pizza? I love cold pizza.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics troubles | Jimmy Butler to Milwaukee?
No problem. Not a problem for me. So I do two days. How about you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
It was awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Yep. They flip the switch in an incredible way. I mean, confusing and confounding is basically how I've described them over the last 82 games. That's exactly how they felt. They play with their food often. And the fact that they did not play with their food. in this series is a sign of maturity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
It's a sign of growth on Anthony Edwards's part, who I think generally didn't have like the most outstanding, incredible scoring game. He only finished with 22 points, but 12 assists, which is a career high for him in the postseason. I think he's been incredible as a passer throughout this season and postseason, if you will. He was great against the Warriors. They were showing, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Well, I was just about to ask that to Fred. Like, now the Knicks have a little bit of pressure on them, right? Because you are going to Madison Square Garden. You've got to close it out. You forced Game 7. Then now it's a toss-up. And the Celtics are playing motivated because... You don't have Jason Tatum and you're playing for JT. I saw a lot of Celtics fans wearing T-shirts like that, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Do you think the Celtics can pull this off? Can they pull off the 3-1 comeback?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
It just shows growth from his side, right? Like the development that he's been. And we've talked about this a bunch, but him and Randall headed to the Western Conference finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
But it's in the realm of possibilities just because.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
No, I know. I'll tell you right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Because nothing changes for them. They just they are a well-oiled machine. And the reason you ask these questions is because they they seem obvious out the gate. You're like, of course, they can win this series. But it's just about the JT factor. It's like, can can they win? Do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
But we believe Celtics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Has there been a single player in these playoffs that has changed the way we think about him as a playoff player as much as Julius Randle?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Yeah, maybe not. Right. Because I've seen everybody quote that 15 game sample of when he was in New York and the shooting percentages. Man, I even mentioned them. The fact that he's like he shot 28 percent from three and was barely shooting well in any of those postseason playoff series with the Knicks. He has completely changed that in the first time with the Timberwolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Incredible score, very poised. You mentioned the defensive effort. He's bought in on that. And I think he's been a great second fiddle for the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards, a guy who can create his own shot when they need it to. And that's actually a quality that you'll listen to us talk to Fred Katz about Carl Anthony Towns. That's a quality that is very different than Carl Anthony Towns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Towns needs a little bit more of a setup. to get him going. Randall can get his own shot and he's showing why that's really important for the Timberwolves right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Yeah, I mean, look, this, if anything, from the Warriors perspective, you can look at this and say this would have been a much, much closer series if Steph Curry was playing. That's the obvious.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
I definitely, you know, they probably think they win it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
right yeah that's yeah and so like this was one of the worst offensive series that the Warriors have played and it's because Steph wasn't there now for what it's worth they also need to go into this offseason and maybe add some offense some creation next to him and Jimmy some shooters that can actually knock down should we not do the thing that we've done for every other team when they get eliminated and say hey should they trade Steph Curry no of course they shouldn't trade Steph Curry let me ask you this S yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
I think I've seen enough to go with it next season because they were awesome in the regular season. And especially when Jimmy Butler was healthy, I don't think he was 100% after he got hurt in that rocket series. You could just see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
He did not know. And look, I know the aggressiveness from him wanes sometimes. And again, that's why I think they need to add some shooters and some shot creation next to those two. But generally, they were awesome in the regular season when it was him, those two and Draymond Green. And so that nucleus moving forward into next year, I don't think they should resign Jonathan Kaminga.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
I think Kaminga looked good. Yeah. Really good in this series. But it just makes sense for him to kind of spread his wings. I think Kaminga probably makes sense, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Yeah. And look, maybe that's the argument for bringing him back, honestly, is the fact that like, hey, we have this young guy who clearly can get a bucket. How do we solve this issue? How do we solve the fact that him and Jimmy Butler can't work or the fact that we just really he fell out of the rotation when everybody was healthy for this team? Maybe that's the way they look at it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
But I also think from your side of things, you can probably get something in a sign and trade for Kaminga.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Okay, this is interesting, right? Because I think both teams are going to really be a pain in the butt for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But it's kind of like the devil you know versus the devil that you don't know type of thing because they've played Denver. They know what Denver can be. I think the lack of a rim protector, now you can call Nikola Jokic a rim protector. He's still a big body.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
But the lack of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein Makes it so that Anthony Edwards can get to the basket more often. Makes it that Julius Randle can get his game off more often. So I think defensively, you're like, give me the Denver Nuggets. That said, this Denver zone is pretty intriguing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
And they've done a good job of zoning up on Shea, the box and one, you know, basically saying like anybody else, we're daring anybody else that make these shots. Mm hmm. I feel like I would be scared to face that if I was Ant and the Wolves because they have struggled against the zone. They struggled against the Warriors zone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
They had that 20-point comeback loss that they had to the Bucs, which was all zone defense. I don't know. I think that's part of it that makes me say, like, it's a toss-up. Whoever comes at this point, I'll take it. I feel like they would say Denver, though. How about you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
And it's not Carl Anthony Towns this time as the primary. It's Randall and Gobert helping. So it's a little bit different than last year's Timberwolves team too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
I wish Luke Cornett chased that triple-double. I was looking for it. I was waiting for it. I was like, I just need the stat that says Luke Cornett has a triple-double with blocks. That would be incredible. But look, yeah, this was an all-around effort for the Celtics. From the Knicks perspective, it seems like Mitchell Robinson has been a really important part for them this series entirely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Do you think they have to lean on him more? As I mean, for game six, is that just the equation here for them?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves advance to Conference Finals + Can the Celtics come back?
Anti-gravity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
I know if you look at all the numbers, they've been fantastic during a very small sample size with both Holmgren and Hartenstein on the court. Their offense especially has been just astounding with those guys both in action. But I think for Chet, it's a little tougher because you're guarded by different guys. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
And I think when he's guarded by a big man, and tonight it was a lot of the time Jason Tatum, so that made his work even more impressive. But I think when he's a center and he's involved in more actions and there's more space for him to go, he's just... a different player to me. And they'll have to figure all of that out with Hartenstein available.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
And like I said, the team numbers look fantastic when they're both out there. So maybe it's something they don't even have to worry about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
You know, the end of the first quarter, they come back to tie at 31-31 after giving up the first nine points of the game. And they foul a three-point shooter right at the end of the quarter. The second quarter, they have a chance to go for two for one. Instead, Jason Tatum takes a three with 41 seconds left early in the shot clock. So they give up the two for one to OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
He made the three, but then OKC goes on a 5-0 run the rest of the way because they have the two for one. So it's just little details like that that don't matter most of the time for the Celtics, especially if they make 23s as they did tonight. But against the cream of the crop, the top teams, that's the stuff you can't screw up. And they foul tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
I know Shea Gill just gets to the line all the time. But the Thunder as a team don't get to the line. They're ranked 27th, I think, in free throw attempt rate. They had 31 free throw attempts tonight. So that just shows that the Celtics were not sharp enough where they need to be. Usually they're great at keeping teams off the line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
I think last year, you know, you look in the playoffs, they had no competition. There was no team on their level. And now you have the Cavaliers in the East who have been fantastic. And you have the Thunder in the West who have dominated everybody. Obviously, we don't know right now whether the Celtics will even run into those teams in the playoffs. But the competition level is different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
And the Celtics are going to have to be sharper than they were last year. They had a huge margin for error against the teams they played in the playoffs last season. And that's just not going to be there the way it was before.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
It's hard to tell because... How much of it is just they won a title last year and they are not going to play 82 super sharp games again. They're not going to have the same hunger that you have before the title. But I do think there are some vulnerabilities that have popped up. Chris Sapsporzingas has had a mysterious illness for a while. What what's going on there?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Is he going to be in good enough shape? The playoffs are coming in a month. How is he going to look? Is he going to be able to stay on the court? Drew Holiday has looked old this year. His his three point shot has gone missing. I thought. In this game, especially the smarter teams around the league, they're leaving Drew open. They're giving him space. And there were times he looked hesitant.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Yeah, you've seen some smart teams do it. The Memphis Grizzlies let him shoot 17 threes in a game against the Celtics earlier this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Yeah. A lot of teams have started to put their big on him. The other night, J.J. Redick, after playing the Celtics, said Drew Holiday did not play in that game, and he said they could have sagged off him if they did. He brought it up in the postgame press conference. And so that's a potential vulnerability.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
I don't know if he's going to shoot low 30% forever, but right now he doesn't seem super confident in that shot. He seems a little older. And last season in the playoffs, he was so good. He leveled up, especially later in the playoffs. in a way that helped carry them. And so if he's not the same, then it's a different look for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
They haven't started Peyton Pritchard once this whole season. No matter who's been out, they haven't started him once. They've kept him in that six-man role regardless. They like him there. They like the way that he can come in and change a game. So I don't think that they'll change the starting lineup. It's possible they make a change in closing situations. That Pritchard closes sometimes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Or sometimes you have both Al Horford, who's been fantastic lately, and Kristaps Porzingis on the court. Or... Or even Al Horford and Luke Cornett. Luke Cornett. Depending on the matchup. I think those are possibilities that Joe Mazzulla needs to be thinking about. Because of the way Drew has played. Because of the way they've played without him on the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
And because, like, Pritchard's just... He's gotten better. And Al Horford, the last couple weeks, has just been dynamic. He's been... It's the best basketball he's played all season. And so...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Yeah, I think that was there last year, too. He shot 26% or whatever it was during the playoffs and was still the best player on the Celtics. His shot was missing, and it didn't matter. He was just racking up points, rebounds, assists, really seeing the floor. He's gotten to a point where he can just sort of dissect any coverage. And earlier in his career, it was like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
He's going to lean back into an ISO step back, bad jumper. And now he doesn't settle for that every once in a while. He will. But but for the most part, he's getting what he wants. He's getting his team what it wants. And so, yeah, he's just a really well-rounded guy. There aren't many holes in his game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
there are two awesome guys it's amazing right what a fun season it's been really good it's ridiculous that yokich is averaging a 30 point hyper efficient triple double yeah and and it's like i can make a great case for a guy that yeah exactly i love that so it's been fun for us so you know because we watch the games every night um
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Their defense is just so swarming and so sharp and so physical. Like they, They started small tonight. They went away from the Hartenstein-Holmgren duo that they've been starting with lately. You look around, and they're giving up height to the Celtics at most positions, and it just doesn't matter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
I thought the Celtics actually got a lot of great looks, but the Thunder's physicality was still one of the stories of the game, from Lou Dort to... To Wiggins winning some matchups down low to Shea, you know, it's just player after player on that team. Hartenstein goes right into Cornette and just like bodies him and draws a foul.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Holmgren crashed the glass and was getting offensive rebounds, even though, you know, he's built like a twig. And so you look at that. That roster and you think, you know, Celtics might have a chance to win this game with physicality. And instead it went the other way. And I thought I thought that was the story of the game and sort of the story of their season. Like they have small guards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
They they don't always play a ton of size. Now they have that option with Hartenstein and Holmgren both healthy, which I think is going to be a big deal for them. But they all play up, man, and they all play bigger than they are, every single guy on that roster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Yeah, I think the big one is just Kristaps Porzingis. Right. And and, you know, you talk about how physical those guys are. At some point, it doesn't matter against Kristaps. If he gets the switch, he's able to shoot over the top of you. Doesn't matter how strong you are, because if you push him out of his spot, it's going to be a foul.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
If not, he's going to shoot over the top of you and score a bucket. He's so efficient in the post. It gives him a totally different dynamic. And then obviously he allows them to protect the rim in a way that they didn't, especially in that first half tonight. They were just giving up layup after layup. And some of some of those were.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
And ridiculous shots from Shea Gilgis-Alexander, who does that to everybody. But also, you know, that first half, you know, Celtics hit 15 three-pointers. Normally when they do that, the other team is way behind. But the Thunder just took it to the face and kept on rolling.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
Well, like I said, with, with Porzingis, it's going to be different because you're going to be posting up a lot of those switches. And then the, the, one of the big stories tonight was just Jalen Brown was not good. Jalen Brown did not have a free throw attempt. He fouled out of the game. He finished five for 15. He's the one who really puts pressure on the rim for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
He's the one who scores in the paint and draws free throws and all that. And he just wasn't sharp.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
I think Chet, he's just... So gifted. And for a guy his size, he hit some outside jumpers when the Celtics left him open, sort of punished him for that. And then he's a secondary playmaker. He can hit you with a little bit of creation. Tonight, I thought his work on the offensive glass was great. He was really going after it. But you talk about all the threes the Celtics took.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike Celtics + Mikal Bridges game winner
That's because Chet is in the paint, taking away the paint and making sure that you're not getting good looks from inside the paint. And so Chet is a force. I think it's easier for him as a scorer and playmaker when when he's not playing with Hartenstein. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
It's like Najee has no space to operate in at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
I mean, the thing is, though, to play devil's advocate here. The guy has made some really great moves. I mean, he's like nine for 11 or something like on the moves that he's made. You consider bringing in Kyrie, you know, drafting Derek Lively, getting P.J. Washington. He has done a pretty good job. I think the Luca trade obviously stands out. And then the Quentin Grimes trade maybe stands out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
But if you're the new owner and this guy has just taken you to an NBA finals, you know, with the team that he he built and. And he says, hey, we should move on from this, and I think we can be better. I totally can wrap my head around living by his word. But that being said, the NBA business doesn't operate that way, Christian.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
And so how much of this is new ownership that's not looking at an NBA team as something that's a passion for them, like Mark Cuban was, and it's an ownership that's looking more of it as what does it mean to our balance sheet overall throughout basketball? all of the entities that we may invest in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Oh, yeah, that's a great point. They will talk. We will talk about this when he's inducted into the Hall of Fame. We'll talk about the game. The fact is, he always steps up, it seems, for these big games, and this had a playoff feel to it. Number one, it was surreal just watching the atmosphere inside the arena. It seemed amazing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Essentially, what you've got is that instead of Mavs fans for life, a lot of Luka Doncic fans probably are going to leave that team. I'm not sure. And Christian, you know, I'm not going to ask you to comment on this, but I don't know how a team comes back from a night like last night where the GM is, I mean, essentially openly being called to be fired by, you know, 18,000 people.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
We talked to Christian after the break, and he really describes it in great detail, what it was like to be in the building. But watching at home, I mean, I felt it. It felt like a weight was on this game. And even though the Mavericks, you know, this isn't a team that anyone has any expectations of.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
on national television to the point where the broadcasters have to comment on it and it is the single worst trade in sports history um christian what is the summer like look this is a play-in team it looks like you know i mean phoenix is still alive maybe but um it looks like they're going to be in the play-in i don't think they're going to make a lot of noise for for the reasons that we've sort of laid out but you know what's the summer going to look like for this team
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
The Kevin Durant sweepstakes is going to be awesome. Christian Clark covers, covers the mass for us. Thank you for hanging out. S Barahany. He does this quite often. I'm Dave DeFord. This has been the NBA daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
I thought that they rose to the moment, obviously, like trying to, you know, they have a lot to prove to here, right? Like it's the Luka Dacic trade. But there's a lot of other Dallas Mavericks. So I thought, you know, I tipped the cap to them. They're not as good as the Lakers. What did you see out of the Lakers in this game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Again, this is another big game that the Lakers rise to the occasion for. It could have been a letdown. Look, they had the two big games against the Thunder. Obviously, this is a back to back and they were they were in the game until they weren't, you know, against the Thunder. So what did you think about how the Lakers performed?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
I like even more when they go with Jared Vanderbilt, Doreen Fanny-Smith, and LeBron is essentially the five. And, you know, we saw this a little bit against the Nuggets. LeBron can actually guard some of these guys. He can, man. He's big. He did pretty well against Gafford inside, against the Mavericks. Again, the Jokic stuff, I mean, he is like, I don't know, 275 or something like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Right. And I do think – I'm with you. I think that, you know, look, Jackson Hayes is going to have to give him 25 – good minutes. But between Vando, Dorian Finney-Smith, and LeBron, and with the way that they've been moving on defense, I'd give them a pretty good chance against, even against the Nuggets, like with a center like Jokic. They can fly, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Somehow we're approaching the end of the regular season, and every single night is just nuts from here on out. We've got to start with the big news of the day. Luka Doncic went back to Dallas and just dominated, put up 45 points. Yeah. What did you expect coming into this, S? Obviously, look, it's a huge deal. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
So, you know, He couldn't do that when he was there. Look, we got to talk about the Warriors because they suffered a very bad loss for their playoff hopes. Huge. Look, Harrison Barnes had a hilarious sequence in this game. He intentionally fouls Draymond Green to put him on the line with the Warriors down two with three seconds left. Great move. That is a high IQ basketball play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Draymond nails both of those free throws. Three seconds left. The Kings have advanced the ball. Sideline out of bounds. And the Warriors, look, they know. No one's calling a foul here. Draymond is on his man like a backpack. You got Jimmy Butler grabbing and pulling at Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes breaks free, takes a wild falling back shot, Yeah, it was a tough shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
With Jimmy Butler in his face and it's cash money and the Spurs win. Warriors were just so sloppy down the stretch. But shout out to Harrison Barnes, professional basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
This game is exactly why I don't trust the Warriors in the single game. All right. Steph Curry can win you any game, but also the Warriors have this habit of not necessarily valuing the basketball down the stretch of games. The turnovers, man. Yeah. It was it was brutal. And some of them just they were nonsensical. Yeah. Directly threw the ball away a couple of times.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
So, you know, the Warriors got to tighten this stuff up. I mean, you know, again, this is we can throw this one out because it's just a one off loss. And they're 22 and seven since the Jimmy Butler trade or whatever. But they need to win the rest of their games because they absolutely just I would be very scared if I were them to get into the playoff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Spurs beat the Nuggets last week, didn't they? They did. They did. Yeah, I mean, the Spurs, look, that's the harbinger of doom for your franchise. Speaking of the Nuggets, the Nuggets, they played a game, first game without... Former head coach, Michael Malone, and they won. They beat the Kings. The Kings have been hot, and the Nuggets have not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
And so we've got a little bit of a reversal of fortune there. No Malik Monk for the Kings, and he's going to be out for the rest of the year and probably the play-in. So, I mean, likely just done for the year because I don't think we expect the Kings to make it into the playoffs. But, look, the Nuggets – There's nothing to say. They're not going to make any wholesale changes, really.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
There were some rotation changes that we should get into. But I do want to point out, it took one game for Nikola Jokic, post-Michael Malone, to have multiple times on the sideline where he's got the, you know, he's drawing up plays on the whiteboard. I mean, like, we're borderline at the point where it doesn't matter who the coach is. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
I will just say straight up, I didn't think it was going to be as emotional to start with. I did feel like it was going to feel like a big moment, but I didn't expect what we started with.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
I think Jalen Pickett directly was a point of contention between the front office and Michael Malone. I mean, it is. I do think that that was pretty clear. I mean, the young players in general.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Michael Malone wanted to play the veterans. And just in this game, look, Jalen Pickett, you know exactly how he fits. Plus 12 in the game, 5 of 7 from 3, and in particular when Jamal Murray is out. But the thing is, the hope is you're going into the playoffs and you're going to have Jamal Murray.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Having a Jalen Pickett come off the bench, that's a net positive for you because it's another guy who can do stuff off of Jokic because of his ability to shoot. And you mentioned physicality on defense. Look, Russ has gotten them. to the point where they're at, right? He raised the level of intensity for this team. He has created a lot of leadership.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
I actually think that as they go into the playoffs and they tighten up this rotation, we should see a lot less of Russell Westbrook. And you bring him in when you need a high-energy moment or you've got a nice lead and you just want a guy out there who can be a caretaker because it is Russell Westbrook. He still is an effective player who can change the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
The problem is you have too much Russ and it changes the game in the wrong way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
And we didn't even say this, but Jokic... In addition to coaching the team, put up his 33rd triple-double of the season. Very nice. Yeah. Not too bad. Not too bad. Added four steals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Andrew, I know you're listening right now. Look, if they make the finals... No two traders are the same.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, Luka returned to Dallas. We talked to Christian Clark about it after the game. The Warriors lose on a buzzer beater and the Nuggets play a game with Nikola Jokic as head coach. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, S. Good morning, Dave. We've got another wild night, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Last night, Luka Doncic returned to Dallas and did not disappoint. He put up 45 points. He showed all the reasons why the Mavericks definitely made a huge mistake by trading him. There to cover it and who covers the Mavericks for us, Christian Clark. What the heck was it like in the building? Watching on television, it was electric and emotional.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
And obviously the chants were just out of this world. But what was it like to be in the building for Luka coming home?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Yeah. I mean, look, this was actually my big takeaway is that if you're going to have to go through something like this, that was honestly a really nice moment. You know, Luca, obviously he was never going to leave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
It felt like, you know, when he's watching that video and kind of going through those moments S I mean, you know, we're, we're kind of texting on the side during this and we're saying there's no way, like, how is he going to come tears in his eyes? How is he going to do anything? And then, you know,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
Yeah, you know, the Lakers, I thought they didn't have any flow to start. It seemed like the entire team was actually affected, which, you know, is pretty rare, I would say. They obviously were trying to force the ball to Luka to start, but once they got into the flow of things, that offense started to click.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka’s emotional return to Dallas
You know, for the Dallas perspective, you know, this is a team that obviously they've dealt with injury stuff, but... It just felt like they didn't really have a chance to compete with the Lakers just without Kyrie. No real ball handler out there. And you can see the vision with Anthony Davis and some ball handling around him, but they just don't have it right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
If you love basketball, you will have loved this game between the Thunder and Cavs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Yeah, I think that the Cavs probably have like top three, if not the best shell defense in the NBA. I think that they're a lot different than the way the OKC defends, especially whenever they zone up. The Thunder had a lot of problems, especially in the third and early fourth with that zone defense. And they had trouble cracking it. And you have to give them a lot of credit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
They just play together. And that really defines the Cavs, is that they play together on both ends. But defensively, it just really works. And a lot of it is about Jared Allen and Evan Mobley. Those guys are so difficult, especially the mobility. The mobility of Mobley. The mobility of Mobley is really a thing that changes... Everything for them. He's been incredible on both ends for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
He really had the game ceiling bucket for them as well. He's doing it all. And the fact that he can guard Shea, at least in spots, I think is extremely helpful for them. You know, Shea still had 31 in this game. He had a game high 31 points. He still made his mark. There's no question. But yeah, I mean, the Cavs did a great job on the Thunder. And so like Thunder put up 122.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
They scored enough points to win this game. It's funny because I think you walk away from this game. I think both teams feel pretty good. Yeah. Because this was just like two teams just slugging it out. It came down to just a couple possessions to me. It was one possession where the Cavs got four offensive rebounds and the Thunder just couldn't buy one. And...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
It was the challenge from Kenny Atkinson. And I think this whole thing is just such a nod to Kenny and what a smart basketball mind he is. Because he's taken this team that hasn't really changed and has just reorganized them and put everybody in the right spots. And now they're a title contender. And it goes to show how important coaching is on both ends of the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Yeah, he's going to play in the regular season. Okay. Barring any significant setbacks. Yeah, I mean, my... I think he's going to play in a big chunk of games before the season ends. I think he's going to play in 20 ish games before the season ends.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Yeah. Post all-star break. I think he's going to be close. I think that he's already going through some drills now. And I think that they're going to be extra careful with him, but I think that he will play in a good chunk of games. And this was a game that the thunder of one, They're 19-2 with Isaiah Hartenstein in the lineup. They have not really missed Chet all that much. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Because they've lost two games during that span of time. And tonight was a night where you could look at the team and say, yes, they absolutely missed Chet Holmgren in this game. And I'm so curious to see what it looks like because all of last season, it was Chet as the anchor of the defense. Yeah. And for the Thunder, what does it look like when Hartenstein is the anchor of the defense?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
And you basically get to turn Chet into like super Serge Ibaka for them. Right. Which I think will be, it's going to be interesting for them because there were those moments where the rim protection wasn't quite there. Isaiah Hartenstein had five fouls down the stretch of that game. And you just wonder, could he have been a little bit more aggressive if he wasn't in foul trouble?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
And if you have Chet there, maybe he's not in foul trouble. Jared Allen was, to me, the best player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Yeah. In this game, he affected both ends so much. I thought that he controlled a lot. And, you know, I think that if you have two bigs, like you have two different looks that can maybe throw him off a little bit, the Thunder would have had a better chance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Yeah, for all the hand-wringing that's happened this season about style of play, whether the NBA is a good product or not, this is a great advertisement for the league to show all the general public because this was a great basketball game. Even though it was a high-scoring game, I thought the defense was superb from both teams. I thought the shot-making was just a little bit better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
Yeah, and I honestly think that the New York Knicks may even be next in line as well. The West is obviously very good, and there are a lot of good teams out West. But I think when we're talking about top-tier teams, I mean, do you guys have the Knicks... And next in line, who do you guys have? Because to me, it is the Thunder, Cleveland, Boston, whatever order you want is is probably not wrong.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
You know, it doesn't it's beauty in the eye of the beholder there. But then who's next to me? It's probably New York. I don't know what you guys think.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs vs. Thunder; Game of the Year | Giannis vs. Wemby
I thought it was physical. I thought there weren't too many threes. The possession battle was incredible, which is something that I always look for in every Thunder game. Both teams shot 90 shots. I mean, it was just a battle of two very good basketball teams that play the right way, that play great defense. This is it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Jared, the threes are always going to be a conversation with the Boston Celtics. They have been a conversation after tonight. What do you make of this drought that they're on right now and sort of the shots that they are getting, even though they're missing them?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Yeah, to your point about the Knicks defense, they've been more comfortable switching. They're mixing in some drop every now and then, but they're living with switches with Brunson taking on bigger guys. It seems like they're just more comfortable right now. I guess the question I have for you, Jared, The situation is not good. Down 0-2.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
The stats, the history usually says that the team who loses the first two games at home in a series ends up losing. Is it over? No, no. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Yeah, especially in the second half. And what's been surprising to me about the Knicks defense is how willing they've been to switch. Because that was an issue against these teams, against the OKCs and Bostons and New Yorks of the world in the regular season. It was, all right, cool. Those teams are going to hunt out Brunson. They're going to hunt out Cat in the pick and roll.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
breathers throughout the game and allows them to pace themselves so that they can execute at the end and they don't have that right now yeah you know this is just a bizarre league wide thing that's happening with all these blown leads uh the history of the road teams winning jared have you have you like made anything of why this is how i know you watch the the rest of the lead too have you made anything of why this is happening right now
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
You know, the Cleveland one is interesting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
But now they're sort of living with the consequences of that. They're forcing Brunson to play better defense one-on-one. And... To their credit, the Wingstop guys are doing an incredible job. Mikael Bridges, OG Ananobi, Josh Hart, those guys are pinching in on drives. They're helping in these isolation situations. They're getting deflections. They're getting steals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
OG had four steals tonight, a lot of them on Jalen Brown. I think the activity off-ball from those guys is allowing them to live with Brunson dealing with switches, to deal with Cat in isolation. Mikael Bridges...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Yeah. Yeah. Man, so Robinson and Cat are plus 21 in this series in, you know, 22 minutes together, which is really impressive. I mean, they've just been dominant in the time that they've played together in this series. And to your point, it makes a lot of sense. You know, Mitch Robinson after the game said that like, hey, if they're hacking me like this, that means I'm a threat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
They want to get me off the court. And it's been that way through the first two games. The shot blocking, a lot of people won't talk about it because Mikael Burgess got the game-winning steal, but Robinson switched out on Tatum, contained the drive, didn't let him get downhill, especially after he let Tatum get a layup the possession beforehand.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
It was massive to try and get that stop and force him and shade him into OG. So, yeah. Mitch has been huge in this game, even despite the hack of Mitch situation and missing free throws and all that type of stuff. He's really changed the way this team could be. And, you know, we've talked about this all season where it's like he's the missing piece. He's the thing that they need. Big time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Bridges having zero points going into the fourth quarter and then hitting 14 points. It was just it was an incredible game. I mean, it was one of those things where it's like you had to be there to experience this Knicks team over the last couple of games. It's.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Yeah. To win four in a row is going to be interesting. The Celtics had the best away record in the NBA. So I do that. That is a fair point to make. We'll see. Those guys are not pushovers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
They look like we expected them to in game one. You know, you could we kind of had this conversation off air, but you could have kind of flipped these two games and And it would have felt the exact same way. I expected Denver off a crazy series with the Clippers to look flat. They look flat tonight. And OKC took advantage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
I thought OKC just came out as a team and was like, we're not letting you score. At some point, the game was like... 40 to 13 in the first quarter. And you're like, well, are they going to Celtics this? Is that what's going to happen? No. They stepped on the gas even more to make it to a point where it was just not possible. And look, they had a bunch of guys scoring double digits.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
All of their starters scored in double digits. You talked about Shea, the dominance. They were awesome. 12 steals in eight blocks. 20 stocks in this game. That's how great this defense was. And it's what we expect. Now, I guess I'll throw it back to you. Does the first two games change anything for you when it comes to this series and how it looks headed to Denver?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
It's the only series. No extended break. Yeah. I wonder if that catches up with Denver a little bit, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Good morning, S. Good morning to everyone in the tri-state area. New York, specifically.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
They fired Michael Malone. How many game sevens have this, this version of the Nuggets gone to? You know what I mean? They do let playoff series linger.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
It's good that they responded, though, because that could have been very dangerous. If you look at Cleveland and Boston, it could have gotten very, very dangerous there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
So basically, if they do straight a week, if it's just he's back in seven games, seven days, he could be back for game five. But the likely scenario, given all the kind of information we have, if he's out at least a week, he's probably out for seven to 10 days. And so that puts it at game six.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
Game six is the time because there's 12 days between when he got injured and game six should give him more than enough time to be ready for game six. Now, the Question is, can the Warriors get it to six games?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
They just need one. Yeah. That's it. You know, that's the, and like you think about, all right, maybe it's not game two in Minnesota, right? Minnesota is going to be angry. They're going to want to punch back all that type of stuff. But in golden state in chase, there's a decent chance that you have your role players play a little bit better. Brandon Pajimski hit some shots, buddy healed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
That's sort of the equation here for golden state to steal one more game. And to your point about their defense. Yeah. It's locking in on the defensive end. I will say Minnesota is also one of those teams that during the regular season has played with their food. And so if you have that mental note of, oh, Steph's not in the game. Steph's not in the series anymore.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
You kind of ease up off the pedal. And I wonder if... that will also catch Minnesota a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Celtics come back and beat the Knicks?
They're going to have the OKC response game type of thing. Yes, of course.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Yeah, that lob to Mobley in the fourth too. Overall, man, like I think he fits like a glove. And when you have a guy who can add that little bit of versatility to that lineup, it changes things for me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Welcome to the NBA daily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
He's a three who can be a four. Yeah, that's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Everybody. And you know what? I think like one of the interesting things when you look at OKC for the rest of this season is like, how are they going to mask some of that? And yeah, You know, you could point to a million stats for OKC this season on why they will win the championship.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
We went through it a couple of days ago where I listed like 15 historical stats on why this team probably ends up winning the championship. How do you look at how great they've been in the regular season, how great Shea has been in the regular season and translate that to playoff success? Do you think they're the team to beat here as we head into the final stretch?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
And I guess, are they going to be winning the championship in June?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Look, you just have to be able to have solutions in the playoffs, right? Just other options that you can go to. And if the double big lineup doesn't work, you can go to one big, and Hunter just makes that all the more easier, right? So he's been great for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
They might be able to do it regardless.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
There's no context behind that. Every player who drives as much as he does gets to the foul line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
After watching the Orlando Magic for the last week, they could use Peyton Pritchard. Peyton Pritchard, really? Yeah. No, I mean, look, he's been an absurd shooter all season, legitimately one of the best shooters in the league this year. I think I saw a stat a couple of weeks ago. He generates 1.7 points per possession off of screens, just elite stuff, like ridiculous stuff from a guy who,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
who just has to sit there and shoot, right? He's playing next to Tatum, playing next to Jalen Brown. He can really just maximize his possessions, and he does. And so, look, he's one of those guys who is in the conversation for sixth man of the year, rightfully so. And nights like these are going to put you in that conversation. Crazy that this is the first Celtics duo. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
to get 40 points each. Just nuts. You know, all the legends. And it's Derek White and Peyton Pritchard.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Just got angry. I mean, look, Jokic had a right to be pissed. There was a lot of calls going back and forth. This was a very physical game. Yeah, on both sides, very physical game, and it
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Yeah, maybe another day we talk about the review process for the NBA and how it could be sped up. That's a different conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
On the Kings. Yeah, we should talk about that at some point. On the Kings front, look, I think they found a way to be more successful defensively in this stretch. They lost this one, but in their last 10 games, they were a top 10 defense. I think a defensive playmaker like Keon Ellis, they've been – Finding ways to survive with Jonas Valanciunas on the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
They did so tonight for the most part with camping Russell Westbrook and kind of laying off of him. Russ made them pay in the second half, was just a monster, made shots, was able to cut around the basket next to Jokic. But they've been finding different ways to succeed. I'm interested because the Kings are climbing up the standings.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
And there's now an opportunity presented because the Mavs are hurt. The Clippers are kind of dwindling a little bit. There's sort of this moment here where the Kings might be able to grab like the seventh or the eighth seed, depending on how the rest of the season shakes out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
I'm glad you mentioned it. Zeke Najee, I am here to talk. Okay. So Zeke Najee against the Pistons a couple of weeks ago, or maybe about a week ago, he had a moment where I was like, oh man, he is, he is stopping Cade Cunningham. Like he is making things very difficult for Cade. And then I watched a Pacers game, I think a couple of days before that Zeke Najee making a lot of defensive plays.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
This is interesting. He has gotten the most consistent run that he probably has had this entire season over the last 10 to 15 games. He's finally in the rotation for the nuggets. And if you look at the box score, if you look at the plus minus, he's consistently winning his minutes, the defensive side of the ball. They have now got a guy off of the bench where,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
That's absurd, S. It's absolutely absurd. The fact that they are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, it's just awesome to see from a team that's really versatile. I wanted to mention something about DeAndre Hunter. Because in this game against Miami, by the way, Miami pushed them like Bam had a really good game against them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
who can win minutes as a big man defensively. They've been throwing in DeAndre Jordan, right? That's what they were kind of living with for the start of the season. Now throwing in Zeke Nagy, they have a guy who can guard multiple different positions. Even in this game, he had a moment where he guarded Levine, guarded DeRozan, guarded Valanchunas, three different possessions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
So super impressed with him. I think he kind of, creates a secondary bench group for them with obviously Murray and Porter Jr. being a part of that. But you have Russ, you have Peyton Watson, maybe Julian Strother can be a part of that. The Nuggets second unit is sort of figuring itself out. And I think a big part of that is Zeke Najee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Just, yeah, for fun. Okay, so right ahead of him, anton jameson wizards legend anton jameson yeah tarheel uh yeah he's got a few more points than him which is crazy that's probably the craziest name i've seen on here uh tom chambers right joe johnson wow right joe johnson mitch richmond lamarcus aldridge george gervin david robinson these are all the guys that he's going to pass this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Yes, he will. I think if you look at it, he'll probably get to 40th or 42nd this season. It's just inevitable at this point. Not that many games left, but he can get 200 more points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
I thought in general, they just played a good defensive game overall against the Cavs. But then they went to their lineup. The Cavs did with DeAndre Hunter at the four and Evan Mobley at the five. And so this is what you expected when they traded for Hunter in the first place, a guy who can space the floor a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Yeah. Very. It's like I don't know how to describe it. It's like Pittsburgh. You know, that's that's. Have you ever been to Pittsburgh? I've driven by Pittsburgh. Beautiful city on the river.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
I think that was going to be a question. Do you think it's yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
Obviously, he's shooting like 58 percent from three in his little stint with Cleveland so far. Not sustainable, but something that will be really prevalent in what he can bring to this Cavs team. And then another guy who can bring size, another guy who can just be able to make some plays across the floor. He was in that short roll area to start it. Another guy who can run screens, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
historical season for Jokic offense. Like everything you look at, he's just make is somehow better than the other MVP seasons that he's had. So it's, it's hard to not put him in the conversation here for, for MVP. It's just like, how are you not going include a guy like that in the conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavaliers clinch playoffs | Giannis gets 20k points
I wanted to ask you specifically about something in this piece, because you talked about switching gears and the pace that SGA plays with. And you had this quote from his high school basketball coach, his club coach, where he's like, I'm a nerd. I like to kind of break it down via science. How much did science and using science kind of play into SGA's development to become this type of player?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
And now, let's be real. The Matador defense that's on the outside has not been solved for. But what have you found? A second line that's pretty darn solid in Jonas Valjunas and DeMontis Sabonis. I think that Jonas might help elevate DeMontis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Correct. If you've got the two of them out there. If you got the two of them out there, of course, you may not stop everything, but you're definitely going to defer some folks, right? People are going to think twice before they go into the paint when you got both of those bodies down there. So I think that helps them a little bit on the defensive end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
But yeah, offensively, man, it's going to be a highlight show up in SAC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Spoken like a true coach, Dave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Damn the CBA. It is ruining. It is ruining the legendary stories of some of these players by forcing them off of rosters because of hard caps. And you know what's interesting? Y'all know I work with the WNBA podcast as well, our women's basketball podcast. Yeah. All of these crazy moves that are happening in the women's basketball is because the CBA is coming. Right. Right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
People are just going anywhere to get one year done before the CBA comes and then they can figure out their contracts. I mean, overall, the money aspect, the business aspect, the CBA is what is causing all of these –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
I just feel like he's the opposite of Steph. Like there's no moves around Steph until this one, but also it was like, how long, how much longer can this stay? And then here's Giannis where all the moves continue to happen. How much longer can he stay? I, There are a lot of stars right now across the league in which you're asking these types of questions of like, how much longer can this go on?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
In which moves or no moves, there's just no progress being made and no true use of the star power that these stars can provide out on the court. It's tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
My bad. So my thing is you said somebody that gets to the mid-range. We've been seeing Andrew Wiggins improve his game and being able to do that, especially with the absence of Jonathan Kaminga. He absolutely has become that go-to guy that can get to the post in the mid-post area, make a move, or get to a spot in the middle of the paint. But I do agree with you. Andrew Wiggins is not –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
attract that star power level of attention on defense. But was there not an opportunity to work with Wiggins and move others on the team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Parched. Yeah, like parched.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
No, I feel sentimental too, Marcus. When you think about what Wiggins went through, what this team went through on behalf of Wiggins, the journey they went through together alongside each other, supporting each other, protecting each other, not only the team protecting Wiggins, but Wiggins also looking out for the team when he came back and played well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
I think that there is this like bonded path between them now beyond the championship, beyond the winning days that it makes sense that they're sad. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
All right. There we go. Okay. Before we even get into that, I just want to just take a moment to grasp everything that Estris said. The amount of names that were thrown out. The amount of teams that were incorporated. Yeah. This is a web of a deal. And you would never have guessed that Jimmy Butler would be the name at the epicenter of this tangled story of a trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
If you would have asked me last Saturday and you would have told me this exact trade and it would have been all about Luka Doncic. I would have been like, of course, teams are doing whatever they can to figure out. I just I applaud Jimmy Butler for sticking to his guns about what he wanted. He made some things happen, not only for himself, but about 15 other people as well. So there's that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Now let's get to Miami. Let's get to Miami. Yeah, this team is going to be fun. This team's going to be fun. There's a lot of athletes on it. You do replace a mid-range killer in another mid-range killer. I think Andrew Wiggins has proven his ability to get to a spot in the mid-range, to work in the high post, which Jimmy Butler does as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Not the same size in front of you in comparison of what Jimmy Butler brought, but Andrew Wiggins is still a very capable defender, especially on the wing. It's going to be fun. If anything, Miami basketball is definitely going to be fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
For what it was, exactly, exactly. And from what I know about Andrew Wiggins, especially when it came to the role that he played at the Golden State Warriors, he's going to do whatever the team needs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
He is a Swiss Army knife type of player. He will do whatever it is. If he can't score, he'll defend. If he can't distribute, he'll rebound. Like, it doesn't matter. And so having someone like that alongside of Tyler Hero, alongside of Khalil Ware, and of Bam Adebayo, yeah, this team just got some juice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Yes, absolutely. On the outside and the inside, you've got people that are capable of playing their positions. They don't go outside of themselves. They're definitely capable of doing that. But what's exciting, I think, if anything, last time we talked about this Kings team, we were worried about what? Defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Yeah, look, James, anytime you write about OG, it's an automatic read for me. I'm tapping in. But generally, from watching this man develop over the last, I don't know, however many, six years in Toronto, yes, there were moments, there were spurts where he was able to get shots off the bounce.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
His balance was there in terms of shot creation, getting to the basket, the driving game, the way he's using his strength, et cetera, et cetera. All of that was there. And I think we're seeing that right now. But I guess my thing in the back of my mind is how real is it? Like, can this be something? Is this an actual point of growth for him moving forward?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Or is this just a moment in time where he's thriving at what he's good at right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
You know, 1971 Milwaukee Bucks won a championship. The 96-97 Bulls, the 08 Celtics, 2015 Warriors. That's the type of team we're talking about when it comes to this Oklahoma City Thunder team. That's just how good they've been all year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Cause they, they, they don't have a back to back. Actually they do have a back to back. So you might end up missing one of those games as part of the, yeah. That was my thought too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Yeah, Nick Richards saved the day, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Sean Kemp, Gary Payton, those guys tied them with this win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Wait, so I'll ask you this. Wait, this is interesting now. Do you think there's value in getting to 70? Like – Being a team that won 70, does that matter at any point in time other than the fact that you got to 70?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Also, like this team has dealt with so many injuries throughout the year that it's actually pretty good for them to get some run with their team fully healthy. Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein. Just figure out the fine tune, the rotation and lineups for them as they head into the postseason. That's super important.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Where do they stop? I'm going to say 69. I think they'll get to 69 because they play the Lakers twice. Right. And I think one of those games, yeah, it's hard to beat a team twice. So I'm going to say they get a split there, especially because it's in OKC. I think there's a chance. I'm going to say 69. How about you? I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Even if they rest guys, they could win games, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Yeah, the Celtics shot 27% from three. They were also missing Al Horford, Drew Holiday, and Christoph Sporzingis. This is very clearly, to me, an April-type basketball game. Also, the Heat have been playing better. We should talk about the fact that the Heat have been playing better basketball recently. Davion Mitchell is actually a big part of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
I think he pairs well with Tyler Hero in the backcourt. You have a guy who can guard at the point of attack. Very, very interesting player to pair alongside. Also— Also shooting the lights out. It's like 40 percent from three since he's been with the Miami Heat. But yeah, Celtics, just bad shooting night for them. Got to chalk it up to that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Yeah, it's also funny because it was... It was a great game for Russell Westbrook tonight. Yeah. You know, 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists like he did his thing. He was the only real rotation player other than Jalen Pickett who played in this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
And so knowing what happened in Minnesota, the terrible ending to that and what Russ had to do in that moment and having a good game when nobody else is playing, it's kind of a funny way for this season to end if this is the way this is going to go for Denver. But to be honest with you, I'm not concerned. I think this is just typical.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
They played a double overtime game and we were exhausted after that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
You know what I mean? They they're now third, you know, sorry, they're actually fourth now. Lakers jump into third, which is actually a very important part of this whole thing. We'll see what happens because this this is all fluid. It keeps moving around. You look at the rocket schedule. They play both of these teams. So there's a chance that. either the Lakers or the Nuggets can climb up to two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
And that changes things because you're on the other side of the board versus OKC. You don't have to face them in the second round. Now, if you're Denver and you're in that four or five, you're facing OKC in round two, which is tough. That's tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
I'll be devil's advocate here. They have a top 13 protected pick. And right now it's 13. Exactly. and I'm just I don't think it's a tank because they're playing their guys like DeMar DeRozan ended up playing 40 minutes tonight and they still lost they've also lost seven of their last eight games so I don't think it's a tank I think it's just a recipe that this Kings team is
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Not good enough, truthfully. So it's tough. I don't think this was an off night for the Kings. I think this was a regular night for the Sacramento Kings.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Yeah. Yeah. And look, they have all of their bigs back. So Daniel Gafford is back in there. They're running the double big lineups consistently. I thought him and lively AD and lively had a raw, a lot of great moments. There was a moment where, okay, lively caught in the short roll and you see Anthony Davis go up for the alley.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
There was a moment where, okay, now Anthony Davis is in the short roll and you're finding situations. So like vertical spacing wise, they are creating offense just because of their double big lineups. Uh, which is an interesting thing because you see the trend around the NBA of teams going with these double big versatile lineups.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
You think of the Rockets with Steven Adams and Alper and Shangoon, the Thunder who do it with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Even the Celtics have it with Porzingis and Horford or Luke Cornett and any of those two guys. It's very, very good to be able to go to two versatile guys who are seven feet tall who can do everything. And AD obviously completes that. It's funny because
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
It was one of those bigs that gave him the eye patch. It was Daniel Gafford's elbow that got him in the eye and he bled. But some sort of typical AD kind of game where he comes back in the game and absolutely dominates. It was a good game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
I think they don't utilize slipping as much. Like if you're if one of the best ways to beat a switch is to slip. Right. And Josh Hart is a great guy at slipping pick and roll situations, getting in the short roll, make plays four on three. Right. Like that's the way you can kind of feel your offense through switches and I haven't seen that a lot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
And maybe that's just me looking at it from an outsider's perspective and not seeing them on a day to day. But I think they're leaving a little bit on the bone offensively when it comes to facing switches. James, I guess my question to you is, like, why do you think this team struggles so much when teams just outright switch their actions offensively?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can OKC get to 70 wins? + Anthony Davis’ big night
Yeah, pretty good championships all around. It seems like they're in line for that. I mean, there's there's tons of expectations there for them to do so. You think about the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers did that. They tied with them. That's the team that they they tied with when they got that 50th double digit win. Won a championship. 2017 Warriors won a championship.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
And Ime Udoka goes back to his starters, by the way, which I guess he kind of had to. But then Steph called the ankle braces down and put his ankle braces back on, like, Steve Kerr says he was never thinking to go back to him, but it got mildly interesting for a second. And we had a skirmish, mop-up type of skirmish.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
And now all of a sudden it's all like, is Sangoon going to be suspended? Is he going to be suspended? I know. I mean, so to a certain degree. Is Pat Spencer going to be suspended? No, I'm not sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Yeah, I mean, look, they came out aggressive and desperate, and the Warriors fouled them five times in the first four minutes they were in the bonus. Then they shot free throws better, right? That's been a story this series. They were 13 of 13 from the line at the end of the first quarter. So, you know, just... got the free points that they were handed to them, which mattered.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
You mentioned the shooting. I think at half they were like 69-62-85 shooting splits. Steve Kerr said at halftime they looked and they had an effective field goal percentage of like 95 or something like that. So, I mean, it was like an outlier offensive performance. Defensively, they really pressed all the way to half court. And Ben Thompson had his best game of the series, I'd say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
um and you could tell that their game plan was just like really get in steph even really get in jimmy uh and then the words just didn't come to play i mean that was a no-show by their starters uh to the point that like it almost looked like they were wanting to pull the plug including at halftime steam current draymond green discussed like hey you should what should we do in the second half and they were like it was five minutes to see if there's a mini run and after five minutes you could tell they were all like hey let's like
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
We're good here. And there was clearly plenty of time to come back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Yeah. I mean, there was clearly like the third stringers like made it a game. So it wasn't like it was. Yeah. I mean, look, 29 points in the modern NBA, like obviously you need a great comeback, but it's not impossible. But clearly that's just the mindset the Warriors brought to this game five. And if they go home and clinch it in game six, we'll probably never talk about this game much again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
I mean, it's going to be a while ago just for the fact that I was going to say, because I would almost think maybe that Nuggets first round series of 22 because he came off the bench while Jordan Poole was like really going and he was just fresh off an injury. But clearly he didn't go two straight games without 20 points in that series. So that was not the one. Yeah. What, 2018?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Privately and clearly publicly, he is – not using it as an excuse and honestly i don't really think it's impacting him that much yeah i think it i think it hurts at times and i think it's like uncomfortable uh but he's shooting like he's had huge games he had the huge game three with it yeah yeah he's really been dealing with it all year i mean he sprained it
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
he re-sprained it in portland on the second to last game of the season that's the one he's dealing with now but uh i would say this was like probably a december january thing he's been off and on having to wear that like splint uh so i don't think it's the thumb i think you know it's it's a little bit of the age where he's not gonna have Five straight, you know, high-octane playoff games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
He's had his two big ones in this series. Game one, he was great. Game three, without Jimmy, I think he really emptied the gas tank a little bit there. And I think both him and Jimmy, Jimmy in particular, who I thought was tame tonight in a lot of ways, shot three threes in the opening minutes, missed all three. And, like, that to me is a sign that Jimmy's, like, you know, not –
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
trying to throttle up like they need to deliver one more game in this series uh and it clearly everyone decided tonight wasn't going to be the night and if you don't come to the arena like amped against the rockets that is what will happen because yeah yeah because they're looking for a fight right like i mean these guys want to be physical and and it's hard to be i think it's hard to match that physicality if you're just not into it which they weren't um this is another game yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
That's the best stat for them tonight. 25 Jimmy Butler minutes, 23 Steph minutes, 18 Draymond Green minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Yeah, look, the double big has worked for them better than probably people would have predicted in this particular series. They're even now more willing to use it with Steph on the court. They've zoned, done this kind of triangular zone type thing. Started out a zone, right? Yeah. Early on. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
You know, tonight they got a they got a really good offensive game without needing a Jalen Green explosion. So, you know, it came from a lot of ways. Sengoon was playing, making a ton. I think he had eight first half assists. There's some stuff like Houston's dangerous. Like Houston was in both games in San Francisco.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
They like, you know, you could argue they've probably show, you know, we talked after game four, like they easily could have won that game. You needed a jam about the rebound rate late, some free toes, all that. So I expect them to be in game six and it's going to be very difficult for the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
And not only have they put themselves in a scenario where if they lose that game, they have to go play probably a Sunday afternoon game seven in Houston, which will be dangerous. But Minnesota closed tonight. I'm sure you guys are going to talk about the Lakers. Yeah. Minnesota is now rest. Minnesota, you know, is that going to be a game one Sunday if the Warriors do close Friday?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
That's a quick turnaround. And, you know, that part of it might remind me a little of 23 playoffs for the Warriors. There's always something in the Warriors like dynasty era that compares to, but they...
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Had a game six at home against the Kings and lost it like Malik Monk, I remember, was great that night and pushed it to the legendary game seven where Steph has the 50 points, you know, lights the beam, does all that. But two nights later, have to play game one against the Lakers and lose. And honestly, that's how they lost that series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
They were fatigued and they punted away game one against the Lakers and lost in six. So I say that to say maybe they still beat the Rockets, but maybe tonight, you know, they, uh, they're not going to get the requisite rest that they probably need.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Yeah. You know, they played them well this year, they're three in one, they had the tiebreaker. Um, and the games were like the bad version of the warriors played them well and this year. Like Dennis Schroeder went in there and his second game was like the Dennis Schroeder warriors. What a stint and beat him. I remember there was another game in Minnesota.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Again, while the warriors are in like this nosedive down the standings, they went into Minnesota, had no dream on no coming and no Kyle Anderson who was on the team at the time. So they had no front court. Quentin post was in the G league at the time. And with that, they started G Santos at power forward, I believe. And beat the Wolves who had Randall and Gobert and Nasri.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Warriors went out to a 21-1 lead and hung on. It's a lot of... They seem to, in the matchups I've seen this year, do all their off-ball stuff. And Minnesota gets scattered. It's worked. They defend well. They...
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Yeah, not the worst. Wasn't as bad as Memphis game five, 2022. It actually Marcus made this point to me on our postgame podcast. It was actually a reminiscent of game four of the West finals that year against Dallas. They were up three Oh, and they got blown out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of, like, denser history between the two teams, too, including, you know, obviously you go back to Steph, right? Minnesota passing on Steph twice. Jimmy Butler's Minnesota tenure. You have the Andrew Wiggins trade, which came with the draft pick that became Kaminga.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
That, you know, also, if you, you know, kind of keep spinning it forward, it gets them Jimmy Butler because of Andrew Wiggins' contract, which was D'Angelo Russell's contract.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
That was what I was going to get to where they could have. They were at two at Wiseman and they could have moved up to one with the next year. Minnesota lottery pick. They had added that into the deal, which would become Kaminga. but instead they didn't go up to one. Now people will say, you didn't go up to one and get Anthony Edwards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
The truth is, even if they went up to one, they were going to go get James Wiseman. That's who they liked. Right. But yes, dense history all across the board. But that series is not set in stone at this point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Now that you saw game five. I would – I think I came on this podcast the other night and was warning you all what was going to go down. You called it. You told us exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I would think they'll squeak it out at six. I'm just playing the history.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
I've covered this team so long that I told somebody pregame tonight, I said Rockets by 27, and then they were up 27 at halftime, and they looked at me in the media room. They're like – I was like, I didn't say at half. But this is where my, you know, again, they've done this before. Now, I think it's going to be a good game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
And, you know, it might come down to a late call here, a late foul, whatever. So, again, dangerous game. But if I had to predict, I would pick them. I'm sure Vegas will favor them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Went to the bench and the bench, including Moses Moody at the time, like Nemanja Bialica, played so well that there was a moment in the fourth. It was like, should you go back to the starters? Right. And that's what did happen tonight. There was Steph Curry at one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did the Wolves beat the Lakers?
Well, pretty soon after they pulled the plug with 18 minutes left, took his thumb wrap off, like unwrapped it, took his ankle braces off. And those things are contraptions. I don't know if you've seen them. Yeah, yeah. And, like, gave him to the trainers and whatever. And then it was right around when Kevin Knox hit a three to cut it to, like, 15 in the corner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Yeah, I mean, I think we can all relate. Alex, what was your initial reaction to what is a holy shit moment, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
So you're right. I think a lot of shock comes from the Mavs' perspective and everybody is trying to rationalize like why would Dallas do this? 25-year-old – Luka is going to turn 26 soon. 26-year-old superstar who's a five-time first-team All-NBA member. Third in MVP voting basically every year he's been fully healthy. And so I think everybody's trying to figure it out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Hello and welcome to an emergency version of the Athletic NBA Daily. Emergency wouldn't even describe it the right way. This is like DEFCON 5. I don't even know. It's like the clock has struck midnight. I don't even know how to react at this point. Here with Alex Spears and Zena Kata. Guys, Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Tim McMahon posted that the Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his conditioning issues and the looming commitment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
of another super max contract extension and then Mavs GM Nico Harrison had a quote saying I believe that defense wins championships I believe that getting an all defensive center and an all NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance we're built to win now and in the future still though why why did the Mavs do this Xena
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Anthony Davis finally has centers next door. Cool. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
New ownership, right? New ownership, too. Is this why Cuban got out when he did? Did he know something? Yeah, maybe. Look, at this point, everything is plausible. And I think one of the things that I'm curious about is why did it happen like this? Because reports came out that apparently the Mavs approached the Lakers. Yes. And only the Lakers to offer Luka Doncic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Why is this so specific? Why was this some sort of back alley deal? This doesn't make sense to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
I'm just reeling from this. This is crazy to think of Luka Doncic becoming a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. And only one first-round pick. A 20-29 first-round pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
It's a three-team deal. My head is spinning just trying to wrap my brain around everything that has happened right now. It's incredible to think about this. I'll just break down the trade before we get into this. So the Lakers receive Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markeith Morris. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Well, if they if they had given notice to the twenty nine other teams, I bet there would be a lot better. Offers out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
And you would think Luka is one of them, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Right, because he is dealing with a calf injury right now, and apparently a return date for February 8th is what he's targeting. So that's part of the calculus here, I guess. I have to ask you guys before we kind of get out of here. And Alex is going to talk to Jason Gallagher about the Mavs perspective a little bit more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
When you guys think about some of the craziest trades in NBA history – and by the way, this trade happened on the 17-year anniversary of the Lakers trading for Pau Gasol. Just wanted to put that out there. But when you think of the craziest trades in NBA history, this is number one, right? This is the craziest trade in NBA history.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Oh man. Tough to be a Mavs fan right now. And I'd love to hear about the Mavs perspective. So Alex going to talk to our guy, Jason Gallagher about the Mavs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
The Mavericks receive Anthony Davis, Max Christie, a 2029 Lakers first, and then the Jazz receive Jalen Hood-Shavino, a 2025 Clippers second, and a bunch of whatever. Anyways. How do you guys feel? Instant reactions. Because I'm just – I'm speechless. We're supposed to do a podcast, but I'm still speechless about this entire situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
Yeah, I would agree. I think four is pretty good. I would wager even going five. They have the second hardest schedule in the West moving forward, so not a lot of winnable games here for them. Right. And so there's pressure there to kind of maximize on all the wins that they can get. So, yeah, four makes sense for me. I'm with Zeno.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
It's like a one right now, but it'll be a 15 in June, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
Oh, so they're going to win two in a row.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
How many more? How do you know next year is going to be just as good as this little stretch has been? And also like a week off for those knees for Steph Curry will be massive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
I mean, honestly, I think it's like a one or two because they look, you have Anthony Edwards in a single elimination type of game. That's the type of guy I am relying on. I can guarantee that he's going to be a guy who's going to be ready for them in a playing type atmosphere. Also, they have the easiest schedule in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
Denver and Memphis are the only teams in the West that they're playing that are playoff worthy teams. That's why I think like Minnesota could kind of cakewalk into this if they take care of business. Have they been taking care of business? They're kind of a bit of a roller coaster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
This is just like how much pressure on all these old guys' knees.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
Yeah, and then Lakers-Warriors is a potential first-round series. That's going to be good. The NBA is setting this up. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
I feel like the NBA would want to delay that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
It honestly, it's surprising. And I think us being lost for words here kind of describes the feeling that we have because it's hard to explain the way that we're feeling. When it comes to this Grizzlies team, they were falling down the standings a little bit over the last two months. Since February, they were, you know, under 500. They hadn't beat a lot of good teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
And I think a part of that was just their defense falling off a cliff. They've been 20th defensively since that time too. So it's, They haven't been able to be as good of a defensive team. You see that scuffle between Santi Aldama and Desmond Bain where Desmond Bain is asking to guard. So there clearly seems to be some issues. Yeah, play harder, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
There clearly seems to be some issues on the defensive end. I guess the question, and I think this is what everybody is asking, why not do it Last summer, when you thought you were going to change your coach and you got in the coaching staff. That's the part that doesn't make sense to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
I have more questions for them now going into the summer, though, because... You know, Jaron Jackson Jr., he's going to be getting that extension, definitely going to be an all NBA level player. And like you have that money aspect to it, plus the team building aspect. And now you add on the coaching hire and what you might have to do that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
So it's just more questions to consider for this Grizzlies team moving forward over the next month and a half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
I will put my little stats hat on for a second here. And in March, they've been 25th in three-point shooting percentage. They're shooting 35% from three in this month. And so small variance there, like, you know, you've got 10 games where you're not shooting the ball as well as you have all season. Again, this is the number one three-point shooting team in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
So when you have moments like that, to me, it feels like tired legs, especially the fact that their defense has fallen off a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
here too uh so i i feel maybe they were pushing themselves to get to that certain level to get to 60 wins which is also you know i think it's a big thing for this team to get to 60 because it's the first time cleveland has done that without lebron james uh so it's a big success for them think about all these kind of accolades they've added up on top of this for the last couple of seasons i think it's a big achievement um but now prep for the playoffs get ready yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
for the postseason because you need to have your best game plan every single game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
I think last night we've seen a lot of blowout losses in the Suns home arena over the last couple of years, right? Luka Doncic has been a part of a few of them, but they've been, you know, kind of like these makeshift massive moments for this Suns organization. Every single time they've had one of those massive blowout losses, they've gone out and done something to try and add to this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
The Kevin Durant trade is a huge part of that. And I think this tonight was actually the nail in the coffin. Like this is over. It's finished. It's done. They are going to shift and go into a different direction. I would be surprised if Kevin Durant plays another game this season because of the injury, because of kind of what they might do this summer when it comes to trading him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
You look at their schedule. Milwaukee, Boston, New York, Golden State, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Sacramento. Not a lot of winnable games to go. And so it's done. I kind of think about the 2021 finals run and look at how quickly they caught lightning in the bottle and how awesome that team was in the finals. And to go from that to four seasons later being this is,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Playoff Pressure Meter + Weekend Update
It's just such a massive change when you thought you were going to keep climbing, keep being championship contenders forever, and it just hasn't been the case. Done. Zena, I've got a question for you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
They could have played –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
But at the same time, you saw Luka getting blown by on rotations and the rotations weren't crisp enough on the defensive side. And so that just opened up tons of opportunities for the Wolves offensively. At some point, you got to get these guys just spot minutes here and there. Get Gabe in there. Get Jared Vanderbilt in there just so they can get some rest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And yeah, I think that is the reason you could look at from a Lakers perspective and say that's probably what ended up losing them this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Or not? Yes, I think it is. And look, I just think going to MSG, the Knicks smell blood in a certain way. And this is just credit to the Pistons and how close they've gotten in this series. It's been incredible. But yeah, I would say it's over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I actually don't think this one is over. I think LeBron, Luka and those guys will will end up winning at least one more game to bring it back to Minnesota. And then we'll see what happens.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Yes, it is done. But it's deflating to even talk about this just because it's such a bad way for this series to end, right? Yeah. Dame and what he's kind of had to go through with the blood clot situation coming back and being able to, you know, kind of play in the playoffs and try to be effective only for this to happen to him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
You think about the injury history between Giannis and Dame over the last three seasons and basically every season that him and Giannis have been together in Milwaukee, there has been an injury there. that stop them from getting, you know, really a consistent run going. So that's, that's why this feels deflating.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And now you look at the buck situation and it's like, it's not only over in this series, it might be over. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
It seems almost inevitable, but you're right. We're going to have a summer to be able to basically talk about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
It's going to be the Lakers somehow with Austin Reeves in the second round pick or something. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I do. I do think they're going to close it out in game five. Uh, I think Tatum had a masterclass in game four was just incredible. 37 points, 14 rebounds, three assists. Like he was just surgical, uh, when it came to the game, right? Like just huge. It was massive. And by the way, the Celtics have gotten two games, two massive games from their stars in this series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
You think about Jalen Brown with his big game and now Tatum with this one. I think that's how you lean Celtics will be able to win this series. I will say from the Magic side, they've played it closer than you'd imagine. And I think part of that is Franz and Paolo playing better basketball. It's just you have to find more offensive weapons next to those guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I know they're not fully healthy either. They're missing Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner. But thinking into the offseason, find these guys some offensive help. Give these guys more weapons around them. They need a lead dog. They need another guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Yeah, I agree. Yeah, I don't know who that is. And look, who knows who will end up becoming available this summer? I know there's going to be tons of names floated around, but Orlando should get in the mix because you look at how they're competing against Boston. It does feel like they're one of those types of players away from being really competitive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I feel very, very good for the Warriors just because it feels like they've sort of figured out how they want to beat this team. Steve Kerr coached his tail off in game three. Yes. Credit to Steve Kerr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
for rolling with gary payton the second especially in that fourth quarter uh opened up so many things nina has mentioned this but just like the ability to occupy space a guy who's a roller who can just do a bunch of different things for you he fit in perfectly with that closing lineup and then steph having just like an incredible performance um the rock is amazing to have a six three uh point guard running pick and roll with a six two seven with
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
to the 6-2 center. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. And look, the Rockets, the offense is an issue. We've talked about it all season. It showed up in game three. They shot 40% from the field. Shangoon basically didn't make a single shot around the basket other than a dunk, one dunk that he had. So I think part of that is Draymond.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I think the defensive masterclass that he put up in game three, looking into game four, once they add Jimmy, that spells trouble for Houston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
That's going to be a really fun series. I mean, you think about Anthony Edwards, you think about Draymond, the defense of the Warriors versus the Wolves. Rudy Gobert versus Draymond. Forgot about that aspect. That's going to be wild. But yeah, the Warriors and Wolves still have to close it out. I will say that's still part of this. Who do you got in game four? Like you said, Jimmy's coming back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I think they're going to handle this one. Warriors are going to win in game four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
My goodness, man, if you think about it at halftime, right before halftime, right, there was that fight. OK, Aaron Gordon, James Harden. And that comes back to bite the Clippers a little bit in the butt because it ended up being Aaron Gordon who gets the game winner. And to me, I think about stuff like that when we're only talking about the final 15 seconds of the play. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Final 15 seconds of the game because there's so much more that can determine that outcome for you through the last 47 minutes. To your point, Jokic was incredible in that third quarter, basically carried the the Nuggets to a massive lead. And then the Clippers answered back just because the Nuggets ran one lineup for all of the third quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And they just got exhausted towards the end of the fourth. And that allowed the Clippers to come back. That'll actually be something similar to this. But that's how the Clippers got themselves back in this game. And the Jokic stuff was just incredible all throughout. You saw him being aggressive as a score, the ability to, as Jokic does, get his teammates involved.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I thought Christian Brown was great in this game. And the minute totals for these guys, like, All of their starters played massive minutes because that's what they needed with Westbrook out and injuries and not being able to trust rotations. The Nuggets pulled off a massive win. Yeah. And they got pretty lucky with that Gordon.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
dude massive game that same shoulder injury that he's playing through i've watched both rj barrett and jacoby walter for the raptors miss months because of that same injury and he's playing through it like that is a testament to the amount of fight what the playoffs mean uh and i think it was just a massive gritty performance this man was shooting basically with one arm
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
and made four threes and shot and ended up with 17 points hit some massive shots uh the broadcast like reggie miller was talking about it the entire time it's like this man is shooting with one arm how difficult it is to take the shots that he's taking yeah with without that one shoulder helping him out it it was an awesome like gritty performance from denver and now if you're looking forward to game five you've got home court advantage it's a best of three series
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And, man, you wonder if the Clippers, like, that's it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Instead of ending up being a 7-7. seven game series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
It wasn't even the two-minute report. It was the pool report. The pool report.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Look, you know me. The Pistons have been a very, very fun story to cover, right? And this sucks for Pistons fans all around because you could have been tied 2-2. You could have taken back home court advantage. You could have been headed to a best of three series, right? That's the way you look at it from the Pistons fan perspective.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And from that perspective, you should be livid at them missing that call because ultimately – It just, it completely changed the game. The result of the game could have changed. Tim Hardaway Jr., very good free throw shooter. He's knocking down at least one of those three three-point attempts that he could have made. So from that perspective, yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
The other thing is this game was insanely physical. I mean, it looked like a fight throughout the 48 minutes. And to call that foul would have been sort of out of place compared to all the non-calls that we saw throughout. I mean, there was a portion of this where-
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Tons of physicality. And we've been saying that throughout this postseason for basically every playoff series, but they're letting it fly. Right. And I just don't think that that made sense. That call would have made sense in that moment. But the officials kind of shoot themselves in the foot here by reporting on these things. Right. You can't it feels like a half measure
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
to do the pool report, to do the last two-minute report eventually when they come out with it. Because at the end of the day, what are you going to do? You're not going to give this win back to the Pistons. That's not how it's going to work. To me, it doesn't make sense process-wise. It erodes faith in the institution.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Yeah, that fourth quarter in general from Brunson and Towns was incredible. I mean, Brunson ended up with 15 points in that fourth quarter. Towns only ended up with eight, but those eight points were massive. The huge three-point shots, he had two threes in that fourth that were huge. And then it was very similar to Game 3, Kat, where he hit the turnaround baseline fadeaway.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
It was the exact same shot, but it was just more absurd. It was over way more contact. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
um and i i just thought like this is why they have this two-headed monster offensively that when the going gets tough when it's extremely physical when it is hey you have to get a bucket jalen brunson can do that for you he's the clutch player of the year that's exactly what he's there for and i think carl carl anthony towns cat showed that he could do it too it was it was exactly what the knicks wanted kind of confidence wise heading into round two of
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I mean, it would be amazing to see them play together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Yeah. No, he is taking a leap right before our eyes. And Dave, you actually highlighted this a couple of weeks ago before the playoff started, where you said Anthony Edwards is making a little bit of a playmaking leap. You can see that his decision-making is a little bit better. He's more decisive. He's learning how to leverage his pull-up shooting to be able to make openings for other teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And you see that in this series. Going back to game three, he had some massive plays in that fourth quarter to really separate the Wolves. You think about that kick-out pass to Nas Reed for the three. just constant pull-up shooting to be able to really leverage that as an isolation score to create shots for his teammates. In Game 4, it was exactly the same thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
And to your point, he's also making plays on the defensive end. So not only is he locked in defensively, but he's making those reads. It's not like he's making complex reads like Luka Doncic or LeBron James, but just making the right play and also being this incredible scorer for the Wolves. You can see him...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
leveling up, but also matching the exact same intensity, matching the level of what Luka can get to. And that, from a Wolves fan perspective, that's huge. That's bigger than anything you could have got from this series. He's controlling the pace of the game, and that's what the great ones do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Well, that's what people are going to talk about. It's a fast sport. It's hard to call. There are so many missed calls in NBA games. And I think that's actually something that you can look for with all the three games that we talked about today. Knicks, Pistons, Nuggets, Clippers, Lakers, Wolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
There are so many missed calls throughout that it's hard to look at the last 15 seconds and say, well, that is why we lost the game. Maybe business fans can say that. Right. But for the most part, it's very hard to say that is why we lost that game. There's actually a reason I think the Lakers lost this game. They they had a pretty massive lead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
I think it was about nine or 10 points in that fourth quarter. JJ Redick. Played one lineup for the final 24 minutes of this game. LeBron James rested for a total of a minute and a half in this game. Luka rested for two minutes in this game. Okay? That's right there. And by the way, they were a great lineup. Lakers small ball lineup. We've talked about it. The ability to create shots, all of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Their offense was awesome, especially against the drop defense the Wolves were playing. Once the Wolves went to switch, different story. Lakers offense dried up. But also... their shots started to come short. They were dead. They were, they were, they weren't rotating as well as they used to. And we've talked so much about how the Lakers defense is exhausting. You have watching them is tiring.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
So like in the fourth quarter, when, you know, everything is on the line, it's just, they didn't have their legs under them. They were tired.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Did the Pistons get robbed? + Crazy NBA Playoff Weekend
Huge defensive plays.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Audible präsentiert das neue Hörbuch von Sebastian Fitzek. Stell dir dein schlimmstes Date vor und multipliziere es mit Sebastian Fitzek. Ein todsicherer, kein Thriller. Über Liebe, Lügen und letzte Wünsche. Horror Date, das neue Hörbuch von Sebastian Fitzek. Jetzt nur bei Audible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Audible präsentiert das neue Hörbuch von Sebastian Fitzek. Stell dir dein schlimmstes Date vor und multipliziere es mit Sebastian Fitzek. Ein todsicherer, kein Thriller. Über Liebe, Lügen und letzte Wünsche. Horror Date, das neue Hörbuch von Sebastian Fitzek. Jetzt nur bei Audible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Obviously, the rest of the people are annoyed that they got no money. And everyone's focused on the guy that took $650,000, completely leaving alone the guy that took $223,000. Wow. Who was equally terrible because he took money that people deserved. And everyone's mad. They're pointing at him. They're yelling at him. That is how I feel. That people are looking at the Sixers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
They're like, Joel Embiid's knee and Paul George's trade. And that's so messed up. They're not playing well together. Meanwhile, The completely healthy Phoenix Suns are having a terrible season and no one's talking about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
It's embarrassing. They just allowed the 25th offense in the NBA, in the Toronto Raptors, to have a 19-4 run in the fourth quarter against them. Yep. Das ist das, worüber ich rede. Sie sind die 223.000. Sie fliegen einfach unter den Radar, dass sie so schlimm sind. Das ist eine tolle Vergleiche. Das ist so gut. Ich bin nur froh, dass ich das aufbringen konnte.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
After not talking to the coach for a couple of months. Yeah, it's weird. So I guess, guys...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I don't know. Who's that? Phoenix. Phoenix. Phoenix is worse. 223,000 flying under the radar, not saying anything as everyone is just screaming and angry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Joel has played in 19 games this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I'm anticipating Luca Smirks. I'm anticipating him running that offense, like JJ Reddick mentioned, and making sure that he makes some plays that make the Mavs go, damn. We miss you, homie. I mean, I doubt that they already are. There's no way. I mean, of course. But I just can't wait to see him do some crazy no-look pass or whatever it is, jog back with just a smirk on his face, like, yep. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Oh mein Gott, ich dachte das heute.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I think it's nothing. I mean, literally, if you look at the streak right now between the Lakers and the Nuggets, the Lakers had lost the last five before coming into this game. So Denver was feeling pretty good. Now Denver was also on a nine game winning streak. There is something to the fact that none of the teams that they beat in that nine game winning streak were not a top 10 team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Oh mein Gott. Ich bin so müde, weil wir ihnen so viel mehr gegeben haben. Und dann öffnen sie den Wochenende, uns so überraschend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I'm going to say it's everything. And what I mean by that is this team was built to beat a Boston. This team was built with the purpose of coming out of the East. And right now, when you look at the way that they've performed across OKC, Cleveland and Boston, they are combined negative 19 in the plus minus column. They don't rebound well against these teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
They don't shoot well against these teams from outside the arc. They struggle overall. And what's satisfactory? Coming up right below these teams? No, you want to beat these teams. In the regular season, if you're not able to pull that off, what's to say you're going to do that in a seven-game series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
It's everything, baby. It's everything. I will tell you this right now. The Warriors look like they are aging backwards. Their pace is up. They're not turning the ball over. Their read and react offense is read and reacting. It's doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. You're seeing Brandon Pajemski, Moses Moody playing with the feel of the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I mean, whether they have a shot, they're pump faking and going, pump faking and dishing. Everyone's attacking the basket. It is fun basketball. I literally was in the arena today as they took down the Mavs. Es fühlte sich an, als wären wir wieder in Oakland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Voracle, Oracle, jeder im Publikum, Warriors, wie die Chance, wir gehen, weil das Produkt auf dem Platz war, wie es in den Tagen der Warriors war, running and gunning, diese Todes-Typen-Lineups, die rauskommen und dominant sind. And then, on top of all that, Steph Curry gets 30 points. I mean, yeah. Jimmy Butler is such a key opener for this offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
And it's not even just from what he's doing and making them number one in free throws in the NBA, which is insane in the last 15 games. It's also the fact that everyone is mimicking and fitting in with his type of game, which is a run and go and attack type of offense and also tough defense. Vielen Dank. It's everything. This is a game changer for the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Now, I'm going to play a little fun game here. I think it depends on the conference. I think it depends. If you are in the Western Conference, I think this is everything. I think this is a really, really big deal. If you're in the Eastern Conference, I'm going to say it's something. Okay. I'm going to say it's something. And that's only, I'm looking at the two conferences.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I'm looking at, the Pacers have what, 32 wins? And they're 4th? Wenn man auf den Westen schaut, sind die Leute mit 31 Gewinnen in den siebten und siebten Spots. Es gibt eine Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Konferenzen. Ich wechsle es um. Ich gebe der OKC den Respekt, den sie verdienen. Aber Boston und Cleveland, ihr müsst mich ein bisschen mehr beeindrucken.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Seht ihr Beast Games?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Das ist ein perfekter Beispiel für die Vergleiche zwischen diesen beiden Teams und der Art, wie wir sie bezeichnen. Also in der Penultimate Show von Beast Games, was ein Show ist, das psychologische Krieg ist, in der Art, wie Menschen gegen einander kämpfen, gab es eine Wettbewerb, in der zehn Leute in Ordnung gehen mussten. Es gibt ein Millionen Dollar.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
The first person can choose as much money as they want from the million dollar pile, hoping that the next person gets, you know, leaves a little bit for the next person. So it goes from one person to three, four. So the first person goes and they take $100,000 because there's 10 people. You would imagine that they'll keep it rightfully so. So she takes $100,000.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
The next person goes and takes $223,000. Obviously not the game plan, right? It was their birthday. So they choose $223,000. That's so messed up. The rest of the people are going to get a lot less money for that. The third person goes and takes $650,000 from this million dollar pile. Okay. Leaving $27,000 to be split up for number four through 10. Everyone comes out of this competition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Yeah, I mean... I don't know if it was that the lights were too bright or that Jalen Brunson has just brought sunscreen because he knows what it's like in comparison to Pistons. He was so poised in that fourth quarter. And this is what we've expected. And this is what we've been saying in this matchup between Detroit and the Knicks, particularly for these younger teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
You could say the same thing about Houston versus the Warriors. All of these teams are going to have at least one game in which they are reminded, oh, those folks have been here before. And that's what you saw with the Pistons. You saw Jalen Brunson cook in the fourth quarter, even after doing something weird with his ankle and looking as if he shouldn't be in the game in the third quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Es hat Sinn gemacht, nachdem sie ihre Hauptspieler noch nicht gespielt haben, seit, ich weiß nicht, April, Anfang April, vielleicht März. Sie haben es nicht gebraucht. Und das ist, was sie tun konnten, weil sie das ganze Jahr exzellent gemacht haben. Und dann kamen sie mit frischen, exzellenten Beinen gegen Memphis. Aber wiederum war es ein OKC-Balanced-Attack.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Changing shoes, doing all these things. And he still found a way to produce having 12 points in that last quarter, whereas no one could get above eight in the fourth quarter for Detroit. Ja, die Knicks haben einen Talent-Eingang, ja.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
But I'll say this really quickly though. Okay, so on the point of defense though, all these teams that were amazing in defense or on defense throughout the regular season, it doesn't matter anymore. It's great. It's awesome. Bring it in to the postseason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
But everybody else is going to be really good on defense because everyone else is going to be playing with the desperation and the urgency of the playoffs. So they just got to step it up on a different level. And I don't know what that's going to take for the Pistons or any of these other teams that kind of fell apart towards the second half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
You have one job. You were brought here to produce. Literally do anything. To do anything. And for 21 minutes to happen with Kyle Kuzma having 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists. Nothing other than minutes racked. That's a workout. That's not the type of workout you're looking to get. He just has to do something. And I can't imagine that's going to happen another game in a row.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
So between him providing what he can provide, which is being a volume shooter and putting up shots and making some buckets for them and then potentially getting Dame back, it should be a better game. I don't think anybody anticipated Kyle just literally going goose egg across the stat line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Du wolltest es von der Perimeter, du hattest es von dort. Du wolltest es vom Inneren, du hattest es von dort. Alle waren auf allen Zylindern und was, sechs Spieler in Doppel-Digit-Performance. Ich meine, eine volle OKC-Performance. Nicht eine gute Shape. Ja, nein, nein. Und das ist es. Du brauchst das nicht mit OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
And more physicality. They gotta match that physicality out of the Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
I need to see. Yeah, I just I just want to see a good Evan Mobley-Khalil Ware matchup game. Denn beide waren in diesem Spiel ziemlich ruhig. Und ich meine, das gehört zu der Arbeit, die von Caldwell auf Evan Mobley gemacht wurde und so weiter. Aber ich will, dass sie von Knochen zu Knochen gehen. Ich liebe die beiden jungen Jungs auf diesen beiden Teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Aber ich denke, dass diese beiden Spiele mit dem Perimeter gespielt wurden. Tyler Hero geht auf, natürlich Andrew Wiggins.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
um going off bam out of bio plays like a guard pretty much even though he's a big for the heat but it was very perimeter um driven for miami and they need more than that they need their bigs they need some additional offense alex burke alec burkes was not on his a game uh last night or the other night and so definitely want to see more involvement overall and i think the way you put it cleveland was incredibly well prepared
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Jeder steigt in seinem eigenen Weg, aber sie waren effizient vom Boden und haben wirklich Memphis gefragt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Wir sahen sie als fähig, sich gegen die Defense zu bewegen, besonders in der zweiten Halbzeit, als Miami versucht hat, es zu öffnen. Ja, es war ein großartiger Sieg für sie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Saison tun, um nach der 2. Saison hochzukommen? Ein Wiederholung von dem, was sie in der 1. Saison gemacht haben, nämlich ihre Offense zu diversifizieren. Wenn du Boston nicht in die 3. Saison konntest, sahst du, dass sie herausgefunden haben, wie sie ins Spiel kommen. Sie haben auch einen wunderschönen Job gemacht. Ich meine, einen Textbuch-Job, um den Ball rauszukriegen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Ich wollte fast den Spiel-Tape an die Warriors senden und sagen, das ist, wie du den Trap gewonnen hast. You pass it before it comes to you, before they are able to clamp down. No, it was textbook work, the way that the Boston Celtics were able to move the ball around the perimeter, dribble in, get out. I mean, such great decision making in very small amounts of time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
And yeah, Boston will just have to repeat their ability to do in-game adjustments on the fly. And they are so well equipped for that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Yeah, not really.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Yeah, pretty boring. No, it's still fun. Come on now. It's still fun. It is fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
When you compare it to the West, it's like, it's crazy how much, you know, there's going on in the West. But it is fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Burn the tape from this last game. And try to find ways to make for easier offense. I mean, so much of their offense felt so hard, mainly because the perimeter defense of OKC just made it really hard to get anything going. But particularly find a way to get
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
zack edie and john more pick and roll situations that feel natural um jaron jackson allow him to get in some pick and roll situations as well get some high lows going even occupy isaiah hartenstein and and chet holmgren in a way that they have to respect those two working in tandem on the floor basically this is i think the guard play is going to pick up i don't expect desmond bay to have the game that he had um i even john moran like 17 points he was
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Yeah, on the point of you looking at this, Dave DeFore, and saying old and seasoned, you weren't wrong. You absolutely weren't wrong. I mean, that's how it started. And it was kind of crazy to see the transition defense into offense, because we've seen the transition before. We've seen defense from the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
They also have been one of the top 10 defensive teams all season long alongside the Houston Rockets. What you haven't seen is it translate into a lot of offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
But that's what you've seen a lot more now with Jimmy Butler kind of being the one to lead the pace or having a Brandon Pajemski being a rebounding guard and being able to push the pace and having outlets like Jimmy Butler or being able to set something up with Steph Curry. But yeah, shout out to the Youngins because it
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
In order to be a team like Houston, sure, the Vets are going to have to step up, Steph's going to have to show up, Jimmy, Draymond's going to have to be the orchestrator on defense, but it needed to be extra role players. Brandon Pajemski showed up as a pace setter, made some big buckets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
turned up a little bit of the defense moses moody marcus thompson just wrote an article right now go read it as how moses moody became the head of the snake and you look at that box score you're going to be like really what did he do tonight don't worry about those seven points he was he was a disruptor on defense especially in that fourth quarter so yeah there's a lot of role players that stepped up we'll see how ima hidoka's mind works and the adjustments that he makes
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
I just imagine that Houston's going to come out more aggressive and utilize what they used to erase that 23-point lead that the Warriors had on them. Go bigger. Exactly. Go bigger, faster, sooner, and go harder, faster, sooner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Und eine wirklich kurze Sache zu diesem Spiel und dem offensiven Rebounding-S. Interessant genug haben die Rockets dieses Jahr den größten Differenzial in Bezug auf den Rebounding, besonders den offensiven Rebounding, von ihrem Gegner. Ich denke, es ist so, als wären sie plus sechs von ihren Gegnern auf der Anzahl jedes Spiels.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Das letzte Team oder das naheste Team zu diesem Differenzial, ich denke, sie haben sie tatsächlich geteilt, war der 2015-2016 OKC Thunder. Mit Steven Adams. Da bist du. Der Person inzwischen hier, Steven Adams, zwischen beiden Teams, das ist, wie beeindruckend er ist, auf dem Rebound, dass er das Level von Differenzial erzeugen kann. Und das ist groß für die Rockets zu haben.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
This is redemption for Julius Randall. There were a lot of narratives early on in this season about, is he going to be a good fit? Was this, who won the trade? The Knicks won the trade, so obviously won the trade, etc., etc., etc. Now you're seeing Minnesota with a scoring kind of point guard in in Julius Randall. Er hat viel für die Timberwolves geführt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Seine Größe ist unglaublich schwer zu bewegen. Und dann gibt es den Fakt, dass er seine jungen Jungs, Mick Daniels, Alexander Walker, involviert. Du siehst Julius Randall mit diesen Jungs sprechen, sie gehen, sie involvieren sich im Spiel in einer Art und Weise, in der Anthony Edwards sie ermutigt, etc. Aber
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Julius Randall hat dieses Veteranen-Gesetz über ihn, das mit Mike Conley zusammenhängt, aber er ist auch viel mehr involviert in die Aktionen als Mike Conley. Und ich fühle mich einfach so, als wäre er der Galvanisierer hinter allem. Und während er den Ball handelt und diesen Zeitpunkt der Saison einen viel besseren Job macht, wisst ihr, wer einfach frei spielen und Spaß haben kann?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Get up and down the court, do a great job. And that's Anthony Edwards. 22 points in that game, eight rebounds, nine assists as well. I mean, those two right now are Brando and Edwards are a fun tandem. And the Lakers really struggled.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Out of 40-year-old LeBron.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
Each game in this series, I think each team is going to have an opportunity to show off what they're really good at. So obviously Denver showed off their defense early in that game, but you saw them get a little bit gas when the Nuggets could withstand that and their offense was better and their offense turned up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
And you know Jamal Murray is very capable of having quiet halves and particularly quiet first halves turning up in the second. And that's exactly what you saw, that Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
bread and butter just started toasting in the second half and there wasn't enough legs under the clippers to really handle that they're ready now they now have seen that and they will adjust in this next game and so i think it's just going to be back and forth of who's uh Whose bread and butter all season, whether it's the Nuggets offense or the Clippers defense, is really going to shine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
The advantage that the Clippers have, though, is once they get their legs back under them, which I anticipate will happen next game, they also have offense to back it up. And that's when I wonder what is going to happen with the Nuggets, because they don't always have the defense. They haven't. I mean, they have a 21st in the league defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
So at some point, the Clippers are going to have an advantage because they've had both and they came into the playoffs together. Having both roaring.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
It's going to be J-Dub. I think it probably ends up being J-Dub.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yep, yep, absolutely. Look, OKC has tons of options. I can't wait for the defensive matchup between these two teams because Denver just laid out the blueprint on how to guard OKC for seven games. zone up, force Shea to move the ball, basically a box and one against SGA, right? And force all these other guys to make shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I think Minnesota can do that, but they can do that with... They got better personnel to do it. They have a better defensive team to do that. Exactly, Dave. And so it's like... If they can just copy that and adapt that to what they can do in a seven game series, I agree. It's going to be a long series, six or seven games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I do lean OKC, but the only reason I lean OKC is because I actually do think it's a monkey off their back. I think they learned what it takes to win. You could say the same thing about Minnesota, though, because they I'm going to say the same thing about Minnesota. OK, so you're picking.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Like, tell me, where are you leaning? Look, these teams played last year in the conference semifinals. The Knicks were not healthy in that one. It's a very different Knicks team to Carl Anthony Towns and Mikael Bridges are on the team now. So it's a little bit different of a series. I'm very excited to see Jalen Brunson versus Andrew Nembhard. That's a key matchup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Brunson was awesome last year against him. Very excited to see how the Knicks deal with the Pacers defense and aggression and point of attack. Obviously, the Knicks also switch a lot now because they did it in the Celtics series and they're probably going to do it against Indiana. How can Indiana beat that switching defense? These are the questions that are just like running through my head.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
The thing that – I'm going to lean Indiana in six. And the reason I say Indiana in six is because we have seen the Knicks have inconsistent games. I have not seen the Pacers have an inconsistent game. They've had one in these playoffs or maybe two in these playoffs, one against Milwaukee, one against Cleveland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
New York is kind of on again, off again in the way that they've played some of these series. You think about Detroit. You think about Boston. play with their food a little bit more than Indiana does. And I don't think you can do that against the Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I think the Pacers will take advantage of that very, very quickly, like you said, Dave, with the pace and the way that they're just relentless, the way that they score. So I'm going to say Indiana in six. Indiana going to the finals for the first time since Reggie Miller, by the way. I think we were here. Wow. Zeta.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
It wouldn't surprise any of us if the Knicks win this series, right? Oh, no, definitely not. We're guessing. No, absolutely not. Because I thought they would lose to the Boston Celtics. At this point, it's like they can shine the world again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I mean, look, New York has a very good shot, obviously. I actually think that's probably going to end up being the finals again. But what about those Fever? They look pretty good. They look pretty good. Leah Boston looks really good in the debut. That was awesome. Caitlin Park, obviously. But they look good. They look very good. Leah Boston looks like she's been in a weight room this summer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I also, I want to get on my Alex Caruso corner here for a second.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yeah, everybody get on the bandwagon here for Alex Caruso.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I don't know about all that. Yeah. Look, he played 25 minutes tonight. He was plus 40, okay? He is plus 69 throughout this series, and he's averaging 20.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yeah, very nice. And he's averaging 23 minutes. 23 minutes and plus 69. He guarded Nikola Jokic for massive stretches of this game. There is a 100-pound difference between Nikola Jokic and And Alex Caruso, there's a six-inch difference also. Obviously, the defense is a huge part of it. But to think about them being able to lean on him, I thought he changed the game for OKC. It was 21-10, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
The crowd was a little – you could even feel – actually, Andrew, how that crowd was at the start of the game That was a huge storyline too, but you can talk about that later if you want. The switch, the momentum change that Caruso brought into this game was massive. And I just feel like it has been that all series for them. So shout out to Alec Caruso, everybody here on their Caruso Corner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
His second best nugget player this postseason, for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
It was the OKC script in game two, right, as well. That's the last time we saw it. Forge off the nuggets was the exact same script that we saw in game seven. And I think like you see this progression in the seven game series of these battles, these close games in game five, they pull out a close victory. It was all about like, can they prove it in the clutch? Well, they did. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Can they close out a series in game six? They weren't able to close out a series and they defiantly closed out a series here in game seven. Andrew, I know obviously you cover this team, you watch them and you see them grow up. Right. This was a growing up series for this Oklahoma City Thunder team. You take a look at J-Dub. It was a growing up game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
The lights looked too bright in this game to start, and they turned it around.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I don't trust the Rockets. I do like Fred VanVleet coming back. But I'm looking at, I particularly looked at the Rockets' last six games because they're on a six-game winning streak. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
So I'm like, how much do I want to make of this streak? But interestingly enough, I feel the same way about the Warriors and the Timberwolves. Because if you look at their streaks, Timberwolves on an eight-game winning streak, Warriors on a seven-game, same thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
They've beaten some high-brand teams, but some of those teams either didn't have their star players or teams like even Detroit, it took... The Warriors taking him to clutch minutes or Steph Curry having to score 56 points in order to beat Orlando. Right. So it's just like that's why the West is so wild right now. But yeah, I know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Yeah. I think it'll be the Rockets as well. I do think that three, four or five might switch up, though. And really because right now, both the Grizzlies and the Lakers are hyper-dependent upon a star coming back. Jaron Jackson for the Grizzlies, LeBron for the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And if their absences are extended, I absolutely see the Warriors and the Timberwolves who are creeping up in their defense, who are creeping up in their three-point percentage, and particularly the Warriors who are creeping up in their free throw percentage. Three things that are majorly important in the playoffs – finding a way up into those four or five positions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Well, I was actually going to say, what are those odds? Oh yeah. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Also, I didn't mean to be so aggressive with that. Any pick on the men's side? I do have a pick. I just want to apologize to ask. I was recruited by Wofford, so I feel a little bit tied to it. No, you're good. Yes, Wofford. Now I know. I really like the SEC. And the SEC... is well represented in this men's side of the tournament. Yes. I think it's going to be an SEC team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I think that there's going to be a little chip on their shoulder because everyone's looking at the ACC, particularly Duke. I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to choose Auburn.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
gonna switch it up i'm gonna choose auburn and my cinderella team is gonna be my school too i'm gonna choose yale men's basketball um i forget who they're playing in the first but uh i i believe that they're gonna upset them whoever it is i don't know who is about being a homer yeah i am a homer absolutely i'm not why would i ever root against the bulldogs
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
You would call them South Carolina. USC, Southern California is USC. South Carolina is South Carolina. But yeah, Dawn Staley felt a way about it. Fair. UCLA did beat South Carolina this year. So and when you talk to the selection committee on the Selection Sunday show, they said that the competitive head to head did matter and that they were able to win. So there is that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
However, I think a lot of these teams, whether it's Texas, whether South Carolina, you know, UConn being given a number two seed, all of these teams are looking for some reason to motivate their teams. Exactly. Some sort of chip on their shoulder. So say what you want. It's going to be very competitive, dare I say, very much more competitive than the men's side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
However, I've heard that both years are unprecedented in the level of parity that has shown up across the bracket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Diamond Johnson out of Norfolk State. She came from NC State. That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
She is a scorer. Oh, man. She's a scary scorer. So, yeah, I agree with that. That's a good one. I am going to choose UCLA. Lauren Betts inside is hard to come by. And they have beat some really tough teams this year and found a way to beat USC in the Big Ten Conference title. So... I feel like they're rolling right into the tournament really, really strongly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I think that my Cinderella team, I'm going to choose Iowa State. And really, honestly, because of another big inside, Artie Crooks is hard to move. Big on bigs. And she can get up 40 if she really wants to. So I'm going to go with Iowa State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
It's, I mean, Boston's a nightmare for anyone, but I actually think that this game this weekend against Cleveland gives me hope for what Orlando can bring. Like you saw them displace tenacity in the second half. You saw them, you know, that they came into that game, the top defensive team in terms of the lowest points per game for their opponent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I'm not saying that. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. There will be a chance for Dawn Staley to get her lick back after that loss earlier this year. We'll see what the team does, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And that's why we're launching no off-season starting today. Exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And you go up against the team that scores the most points per game in Cleveland and you're able to get them to commit 13 turnovers. You limit them to 43 points in the second half. Like that's, you're seeing that Orlando has some grit. They got some resilience. They're able to keep up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And also that they were able to match their offensive output behind that defense, because that's usually the problem is a team being incredibly great on defense and not being able to match the output on offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
But you saw them go on a 10 or no run, close that gap against a good Cleveland team, a team that did not have Evan Mobley on the floor, but still had a very focused Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. And, They still played well. So I think they'll match up. They'll do well for a play-in team. I don't know how much further they'll go, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I think there's something to be said about. I mean, yeah, I agree. Pistons right now, to me, the fact that you have defense, it's huge. And you have solid three point shooting in Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. Like that's massive. I'm thinking as I was talking, I was just thinking about the Bucs. In the playoffs, benches matter. your backups matter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And right now the bucks don't have quite the depth that Indiana is showing. You think about TJ McConnell, you think about some of these players coming off the bench for Indiana that not only bring more offense for Indiana, they also bring pace. They like tire down opponents for the starters to come back in and beat up upon. And that's why Indiana doesn't have to have that great of a defense because
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Because it's not necessarily platoon subbing, but it's just that every time that someone new comes into the mix, they don't let up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
What happens – What we saw particularly when we're talking about the game that Eric Name came and spoke with us, you're seeing this actually consistently. You saw this a little bit against the Thunder, too. Their inside-out game is not as efficient as you would think it should be.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
When you think about, I mean, of course, I cover the Warriors, so I see that split action day in, day out, all the time. But the efficiency of getting the ball into Giannis Atetokounmpo should be a score, a foul, or a kick-out. Easy. And yet you keep seeing these kickouts get turned over, picked off, and defenses are reading the books so cleanly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And for the amount of veteranship on this team that should be able to adjust and adapt to, you know, a team like the Pacers, like a T.J. McConnell that goes and picks things off or the Pistons. I mean, if we're going to keep this conversation going of people that can end up in passing lanes, you would think that the fundamentals would show up at some point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
or Giannis and Dame kind of taking things into their own hands. But they just keep reading, reading right into or feeding right into the defenses, switch defenses. They haven't been able to take advantage of as much as they should with the likes of a Giannis and a Dame on Anna Brooke Lopez, a pick and pop big, the pick and pop big.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
So you're, it's surprising that they haven't been able to manipulate defenses more with the level and experience of offense that they have on their team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I like their defense and their camaraderie. I love the camaraderie. If I'm looking at the East right now, if you looked at that game, even with Cleveland against Orlando, particularly at the end of the third quarter, DeAndre Hunter hits a three. And at the same time, they all do the three, like... Ice in my veins.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Darius, Donovan, DeAndre. I'm like, ooh, that's scary. When teams are gelling, DeAndre just joined that team and they're gelling like this. I like the way that the Pistons look for that reason. I like the way Cleveland looks for that reason. And of course, who do we love the most for that reason? OKC. They're boys. And I think that that is a factor that's on the court that you cannot eliminate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I'm fully a believer. Dave, I'm so proud of you. It's true. I know that wasn't an easy thing for you to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I'm happy that you're on the good side here. I mean, everyone can see it. I think MVP conversation is different folks, by the way, let's put that qualifier out there, but agreed. The way that Shay impacts this team is palpable. We can see it. It's tangible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
I don't know if you guys saw the game with the Suns and the Lakers over the weekend, but literally at one point, Kevin Durant takes his towel and wraps it around his eyes. after a turnover. And he's just like, so you can just tell frustrated, tired.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Like it's, it, it doesn't make sense the way that they are stacked with talent, with a Devin Booker, with him, with the defense from the rookies and also like, and also a Godaro and Ryan Dunn, like the height, even now you got Richards in the mix. Like there's so much talent on this team and yet they can't figure it out. There's also like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
And I was just going to say, that's my next point. As much talent as there is, you're not seeing the level of need, desperation that you would imagine a team that's desperately trying to get to the play-in would have. There's times that shots went up. Austin Reeves puts a shot up. Luka puts a shot up. And you're seeing players, one, already 10 feet away from a shooter. But then put just an arm up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Just the hand up. It's like, what is happening? It just felt like they're not there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
Yeah, my concern with the Nuggets actually was brought up by Claire DeLune that's been on this show that covers the Lakers. I don't trust the Nuggets defense. They've got a bottom third defense in the NBA, and it's not their offense. Isn't the same sort of like high octane offense that Indiana has where your team is just getting tired by chasing them around. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
So they operate a lot in the half court. They're not really doing a lot of transition breaks and all that. So it's, If your defense doesn't match or if your defense isn't there and your offense isn't as tiring as it could be, teams can catch up with you. Teams can stay with you. And I think that's what we saw in the Nuggets-Lakers matchup recently. So I don't trust the Nuggets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
30 minutes and 30 seconds of actual basketball action on the three games, three games up to 40 that took 30 minutes and 30 seconds of a two and a half hour broadcast. Yeah, there was at least as much, if not more Kevin Hart on the broadcast as there was basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Yeah. Yeah. Official screen time for Kevin Hart was 21 minutes. But if you add the talking and the broadcast, it's way over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
I'm not going to lie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
What did you just think overall from that point? I love the format. Love the new format. I think they could add some tweaks to it, maybe extend the games, make it up to 50 instead of 40. I think maybe they could do instead of a rising stars team, they could do an all snub team or another all star team in there dividing the teams more. Fine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
All of that, those are tweaks that you can do to the format to improve it. But overall, the format did what it needed to in terms of making it a little bit more competitive. And you saw what the players said post-game. Most of the guys said we would like to go back to East-West, but they talked about the breaks actually limiting their ability to be competitive. So if you want to talk about...
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Who's at fault for this year's all-star game? It's not the players. The players put their full effort in, said, okay, fine, we are going to buy into this format. But unfortunately, there were 17-minute breaks. There were breaks to commemorate broadcasts and to do a performance and all that type of stuff. And I know live music has always been a part of the all-star Sunday night. Totally cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Down for it. But not in the middle of the game. Not to extend time. It actually could cause injury. It could cause more injuries, and that's something some of the guys postgame said too. So it's not just us complaining about this. I think – you know what? One thing, Dave, I'll just say this. The NBA, for all its intents and purposes, overcorrected on the idea that we had an all-star game issue.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Instead of improving what was the actual format, which they did, they said, all right, we're going to go ahead and add Kevin Hart to the broadcast. Mr. Beast is going to do a half court shot contest. There's going to be this fluff that we're going to add to it. Yeah. Not knowing that we just wanted to see a good basketball game. Yeah. Truthfully. And we got good basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
It's just that it was only 30 minutes of good basketball. That's the issue here. The one thing the NBA is supposed to give us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
No notes whatsoever. No, no, it's the perfect way to describe what had happened tonight. Anticipation and then just taking away that anticipation. It was comedy in itself. Yeah, look, Steph was fun. He brought the fun to it. And I think Golden State, San Francisco, the Bay did a great job of bringing in their culture and everything. I thought the performances were great. Steph doing his thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
He even said post-game where it was like, this was awesome for us to host it. But I think overall, you look at the weekend, I mean, the dunk contest was probably the highlight of the weekend, in my opinion, just because Mac McClung dunked over a car and you saw someone do that. The three. Let's talk about it. Let's go ahead and talk about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
OK, and he has a two way contract. He is technically an NBA player, but he has played five NBA games and has three slam dunk championships to his name. That's the that's the truth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
and i understand people feeling like mac mcclung and just being in the game and then winning three in a row right has cheapened it by the way like that that's why mac can do these things right other guys can't because he can risk it for jumping over a car for jumping over this guy getting on a ladder et cetera et cetera like this part
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
is something that Mack can do because it is so much more worth it for him than for Stefan Castle, who's on a rookie deal with the Spurs. You can't jump over a car. Yeah, they're not going to let him jump over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
We become desensitized. Right. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Like if you have stars to it, they're not going to do anything new. They got to give people what they want. It's the one-on-one tournament. Everybody wants the one-on-one tournament. We talked about it with Unrivaled. Unrivaled just did it, right? Doing it successfully. Just bring the one-on-one tournament to the NBA. And I think there's a couple guys who've mentioned that throughout this weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
100%. Man, I'm with you. I think it's just about getting buy-in from the players. And I think if you get players to sign on to do this, to play a one-on-one tournament, it's going to be successful. Look, the all-star format, like the all-star weekend, you don't have to like... change the wheel here. You know what I mean? Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
A one-on-one tournament would be incredible, but for the most part, you can keep things to the tradition of what it usually is. And it typically works skills competition, for instance, right? Right. I enjoyed the skills competition when it was actually about the skills of the players instead of the timing. So go back to what it usually was. Or you remember when they did bigs versus guards? Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
That was entertaining. Change it back to. I don't know. It just feels like they're trying to do too much gimmicks to each little thing that's happening. Let's talk about the skills contest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Shout out to Cavs fans who won. Yeah, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
let him talk let's see what the story is i'm with you i'm with you and look like we still got uh post-game clips from both of them you know wendy still went on to say he said chris paul got booed and not him which he's right about by the way which is true and he said look it's my idea i thought of this entire thing and chris kind of reiterated that draymond green said that it was when yeah so like we still got post-game clips basically of these guys talking about the situation but imagine if we had it live
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
when they were realizing that they were going to get disqualified. And I believe it was like an NBA staff member handing them the paper, reading that they're about to get disqualified. That's funny. It was funny. That's good comedy, you know? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
You know, the crazy thing about this is like we now care about Mac McClung because he is a three time slam dunk contest champion. Right. He has earned the greatest ever to it. Technically, I guess. Technically, yes. Yeah. But, you know, like now it's created this story, this narrative about Mac. If you go to Geely Games, you know, I was at a Geely game like two weeks ago watching Mac.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
The amount of fanfare for him at these games is incredible. Like... autograph sessions, players waiting for him. There's fans waiting all around the arena. He is now a celebrity in his own right because of this dunk contest. He's the dunk king.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Yeah, I agree. I thought the players bought into this. And I thought for the most part, like... the NBA got what it wanted from the players in terms of buy-in. And so I would give it like a seven, seven and a half from the actual game perspective. Everything else is a question mark, but yeah, I mean, that's, that's something that can be easily fixed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
If there's one positive you can take away from this for next year is like, Oh, we now know what we need to fix. You don't have to overcorrect it, but you can fix it and take it away and just make it about basketball. That's it guys. Stick around after the break.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
The broadcast stunk. Well, do you mean the 30 minutes of basketball we got throughout the two and a half hour broadcast? Is that what you're implying?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
You said we couldn't do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
That's true. That's crazy. That's true.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
Oops. We've seen Aaron Gordon space well when Jokic and Jamal Murray were the duo. And he does that thing in the short corner, getting to that short corner position, playing above the rim really, really well. So I think that this is going to be a shift for his game as well. He's not going to be necessarily... As needed offensively, but obviously always useful on the defensive end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
A really cool stat, though, on the last point on Jokic and Russell Westbrook that Andrew Schlecht, our producer, pulled. They're the first duo in league history to each record a triple double in the same game twice in the same season. And it makes me think like.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
I'm going to be fiscally conservative and just wait. Boo! Boo! Boo! I've seen enough games where the Denver Nuggets have not shown up against their competition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
I'm just going to be a little bit more reserved, but we'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
Yeah, the Pacers defense somehow did something to that Cavs offense. Like they did not look like themselves, particularly with their three point shot. They hit a season low 27 percent from beyond the arc. And they were almost held to a season low field goal percentage. Just one game outside of the game they had against Washington. But in that game, they won.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
I thought you were going to say make your popcorn, which I absolutely am.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
Yeah. I want to see them split. I want to see them split. I want OKC, you know, they're going to be at home. They're going to be revved up. They want their revenge on the Cavs that broke their streak and now they have to restart it. Yeah, absolutely. I'm taking the Thunder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
So it was very interesting to see them have these kind of end of shot clocks and one mixtape type of offense situations going and all because Indy picked it up and picked them up full court as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
That's a really, really good one. Yeah, I'm liking that pick. I am choosing Pistons Knicks on Monday night. You've been catching up with the Pistons. Cade Cunningham is a shooting star right now for that team. They are just like killing, just playing so well and clicking so well. They've won 11 of their last 15. And that 15 game package started with a win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. So you can imagine that the New York Knicks are going to come in hungry to get a dub over the Pistons. And so, yeah, I like Pistons-Knicks. Knicks don't want another bounce-back game. They don't want a couple of them. That's what Jalen Brunson said after their win on Sunday night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
So definitely expect them to come in locked in and focused to try to take down Detroit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
I wonder if there'll be any FaceTimes before that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And Indy is also... Oh, sorry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
Yeah, no, just thinking about Indiana, they're also sneakily big. And I'm happy you brought up Jairus Walker. I mean, he was the factor that turned things around. It was 77-73, and then he had a crazy dunk, and then he had an outside shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And between Benedict Matherin, Jairus Walker, Miles Turner, having people that big out on the perimeter or inside that can play both ways, that can score inside and outside, that is a factor that... Cleveland's had all season, actually. And, you know, this you saw Indiana use it against them. And so that was really a huge factor in the Pacers win overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
It is interesting to see that since Christie took over at the helm, the Kings are first in rebounds. They're second in points and third in steals in the NBA since he became the head coach. And it's also really interesting in the ways that the players have reacted to him and how it's translated out on the court. You've seen that their defense has picked up and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
That's not necessarily something that, you know, with Mike Brown leaving, you would expect because that was their bread and butter under Mike Brown. But DeMar DeRozan did something that was really interesting that I read an article where he showed a clip to his teammates of what Doug Christie looked like as an NBA defender back in the day. And that it was kind of like a buy-in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
If Doug Christie is asking us to be in passing lanes, to press up on our defenders, to make sure that we're, you know, head on a swivel, doing all of the things defensively so that we can cough up, make opponents cough up the ball and get turnovers and things of that sort. This is what he did when he was here. Like, let's buy in. And I thought that was really, really cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And the other thing, too, on the offensive side of things, De'Aaron Fox saying Doug Christie has made our offense really simple. It's very interesting in that he even compared their offense to the Memphis Grizzlies and saying that they don't run a lot of stuff now in the half court. But it's.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
cutting hard, it's making sure there's player movement, it's making sure you're playing with pace, and there's a lot of spacing as well. And I'm like, dang, Doug Christie brought that too?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
I think that's what concerns me. Go ahead. No, I think that's what concerns me with the Knicks is that there is such an emphasis on Jalen Brunson needing to do well. I mean, Giannis Antetokounmpo said after the game that Jalen Brunson may be the best point guard in the league, like one of the best point guards in the league, as Damian Lillard is right alongside him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
You know, it was just, that's what Jalen Brunson does. He has a crazy counter move back. He made Andre Jackson Jr., look like a bad defender. And folks, if you've been watching Andre Jackson Jr., you know that is categorically not true. But if Jalen Brunson and Kat have to consistently be the focal points of the offense... Mikael Bridges can't take a night off. Josh Hart can't take a night off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
Like there needs to be a better balance across the Knicks. And I think that that's what the Thunder game exposed. And yes, this Bucks game led like fed into what they do. But that's where they need a little bit more consistency and how they show up offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
That's true. Hey, Mitchell Robinson comes back. Maybe they'd have a little bit more balance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And I think there's something to be said about the fact that his 20 points that he had on Sunday, 15 of them were in the second half. And when you're coming back from an injury and you've got minutes restrictions, you're kind of expected to kind of teeter off in the second half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And instead of seeing his game pick up and you saw that across two games in a row, him just picking up the intensity as time went on, which is a great sign for the Orlando magic. And also great that their team was able to pick up the slack regardless of With Goga going down in the middle of the paint for them, like they had other players, Jonathan Isaac step up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And that's really been the narrative of this entire Magic team all season long.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
Like they are really a really tough team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
It didn't surprise Jokic. This was the thing. In the offseason, when Russell Westbrook signed to this team, everyone was confused as to why this made sense. No one debated it for it more than Jokic. He saw the vision. He saw the vision mostly because I don't remember exactly the word or the quote he used. But to paraphrase, Russell Westbrook is a player that will run through walls to win a game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers stop Cavs streak | Kings win 7th straight
And that's what Jokic wants alongside him. That's what he believes that he needs in order to win an NBA championship. And that is what Russell Westbrook has provided the Denver Nuggets since he's been on this roster. And so it surprised no one, maybe except for, you know, excuse me, it only surprised everyone but Jokic. Jokic is on board.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
All right, Monday night sees a couple of game fours, and that takes us to our BetMGM picks of the day. Guys, we're going to start with Celtic Knicks. The Knicks were up 2-0. They drop a game to the Celtics in MSG. Looks more like the Celtics that we're used to seeing. How are you guys looking at game four for the Celtics and Knicks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Boston's having historic poor shooting, and the Knicks win by one. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
This is actually a commercial for the new Superman film. The problem, right, is the Knicks just can't keep up. It's this huge math problem. And we know it's a math problem when the Celtics miss 45 threes, that it's a problem for the Celtics, but they just don't actually do that all that often. I feel like the magic number for them is like 38%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
If they hit 38% from three, I don't think the Knicks can beat them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah. Yeah. I think we're all on the same page. OK. Warriors, Wolves. Now, this one, I think we're all probably there's no Steph Curry. Yeah. And and try as they might. That offense is pitiful without Steph Curry on the court. And, you know, we saw that in game three where this team just struggled to put the ball in the basket. They almost won the game. Like, they really had a good shot at it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Jonathan Kamingo was excellent. But I don't know, guys. Steve Kerr, I think he's doing a pretty good job considering, you know, the makeup of the team coaching. I don't know what miracle there is for him to work. For them to make it to a potential game six so that Steph can come back. Come on, give me something, guys. I need one more Steph game this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Also, how about more than 29 minutes of Draymond Green? Need Draymond Green to stay on the court. You know, listen, I'm not even saying that the foul out is all his fault. Look, when you play defense like that, sometimes you're going to foul out, especially against a bigger team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Zeta talked us all into the Warriors. The Warriors are going to extend this series. They're going to tie it up tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I just don't think, I don't think, I don't know if the Warriors can win one on the road without stuff. I think it would be tough. Guys, tonight, the NBA holds its draft lottery. You can hang out with Alex Spears and Andrew Schlecht, the hosts of Slam & Jam that you listen to right here on this podcast feed or watch on this YouTube channel.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They're going to have a live stream during the draft lottery over on our YouTube channel. You know, while you're there, also subscribe and, you know, leave them nice comment and hang out and watch the live stream with these guys. They they cover the draft for us every year. And so we're kind of going to lean into that a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I think S probably going to be doing some stuff with them heading into the draft. But guys, with the draft lottery happening, this is a this is a holiday. for a lot of NBA fans.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah, I mean, he has promised that if the Toronto Raptors win the lottery, he will scream for as long as we want into a microphone. Absolutely, 12 minutes straight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Wow, okay. Listen, guys, there's no way that we're going to allow an American named Flagg
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
to he's from it's basically it doesn't matter he's not going to be drafted two hours away from the team in canada i just can't imagine that the nba is going to allow that to happen look we know that i'm not saying that we you know so then congratulations to the dallas mavericks for winning the nba draft lottery you've got cooper flat i want to ask you guys uh which team
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
needs to win the lottery the most? Like which, what's the most desperate team, you know, that, that really just needs to turn it around and have some good luck hit their franchise. Okay. Washington wizards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Well, in the East, it doesn't take much to get yourself into the play-in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Well, speaking of a little bit, the Cavs, guys, second round going a little not great for them. They're now down three games to one after just getting wrecked on Sunday by the Pacers. You know, they bounced back in game three. Had a huge win, and it looked like, hey, okay, they got their guys back, they're healthy, and you think, okay, maybe we got ourselves a series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They've got star players there. I see what you mean.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
It's desperate. There's another team. It's not the team that most deserves it. It's not the team that I think is going to do the best job of building a roster around him. No. It's the Chicago Bulls because they just desperately need any help that they can get from the universe whatsoever. Because ownership doesn't help them. The front office doesn't help them. They're not bringing in good players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They send away good players and they don't get anything for them. So it's the Chicago Bulls. They need this. They need all of the luck because there's no skill behind whatever it is they're doing. Dang, Dave. That's going to do it for today's show, folks. Thank you guys for joining. Leave us a comment on YouTube. Leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
For Zeta Kena and Espera Hedy, I'm Dave Dufour, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
But, you know, even people like me who thought the Pacers would give them a hard time didn't see what happened on Sunday coming. I mean, they just absolutely just blew the doors off of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah, it helps quite a bit that playoff defense is geared toward finding the weakness. Right. So it's like we're going to leave, for instance, like Lou Dort being left open. Right. And you look at the Cavs. Right. Who are they leaving open? I think you pick your spots in the way that they've set up the zone to just completely cut off getting into the paint for Donovan Mitchell.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I mean, it's massive there. The other thing is that the Pacers offense is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
crazy high power they put up 80 points uh on the Cavs in the first half of the game um and it's it's look a lot of it is they hit some shots they hit some tough shots but they were generating easy looks they were creating turnovers I mean this again this Pacers team is built to be in the playoffs Aaron Neesmith continues to just dominate uh Andrew Nembhardt picking up I mean Donovan Mitchell looks dejected by the time he gets to half court because Andrew Nembhardt is all over him uh
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
You know, again, like the Pacers, they made the conference finals last year. A lot of people, including me, chalked it up a little bit as a fluke. Hey, they got some great injury luck. There were signs there that they had this sort of defense. Again, we saw them win that Knicks series because they had just elite ball pressure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
But what we've seen out of them so far, I didn't even think they had this level. This is a team that could make the finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Oh, by the time we get to the playoffs, we were all on. We were on Indy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Right. Like, we're just going to do that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I mean, Benedict Matherin got ejected from the game, and it wasn't even a point on the radar for the Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
All right. You know what? The first half of Thunder Nuggets was awful to watch. Terrible. The Nuggets scored 36 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
in the first half of the game guys uh they had a short turnaround between games they had you know the overtime game on friday night had to play sunday and it was the early game for some reason even though it's the western conference i'm not sure what the schedule makers were thinking maybe they wanted uh folks in europe to be able to watch nicola yokich i'm not sure but it showed on the court um yeah i thought that the thunder
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
at halftime, should have had a bigger lead. They had to have felt like they almost let this game go. They win it. It's a close win, 92-87, and it goes down to the wire. But the Thunder, I think, have to look at this game a little bit disappointed in how they came out, guys, because they're the younger team. And I know, look, it's in Denver. It's at elevation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
you know, whatever the turnaround was being extremely short, but you are the youthful team and you were the better team and the deeper team. Like this is a game where I actually felt like the thunder should have come out and kind of stepped on their neck a little bit and, and demonstrated, Hey, look, we're, we're the young guns here and you're going to have to deal with our energy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, the Cavs might be done. They're down 3-1. Thunder Nuggets is giving us a rock fight of a series. And we're going to make our picks for tomorrow night's games. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, guys. Kind of a crazy weekend. I hope you guys enjoyed the playoffs. Of course. Yeah, always.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I mean, again, back to the depth, you know, Lou Dort not playing in the fourth makes me question how playable he is going forward in the series. Right. Like, do they stick with him? Chet Holmgren not having a great series, you know, looks small. Because it's more than just being tall. So I think the Thunder have some questions there. But you're right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Look, the Nuggets, we already know that they don't have any bench depth, right? Like, we're not really learning a lot of new stuff. I thought Michael Porter Jr., in spite of the injury, was really good for them. He had nine rebounds. The activity was there. You know, in the game, they're plus 15. In his minutes with him on the court, I think his size really helped.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Again, even against him, Chet felt kind of small when he would crash the glass. Where do we go for the Nuggets? Every playoff series is about adjustments, and we've seen this now swing back and forth. Where do the Nuggets go? Where do they find extra offense? Again, Michael Porter Jr., he had three points. Two points from Peyton Watson, six points from Russell Westbrook.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Where are you guys right now after watching this weekend where we got low scores, we got blowouts, we got tight games? How are you guys feeling about the general vibe of the playoffs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They get the Jamal Murray game in every series, and they haven't gotten it yet. Yeah. They definitely need it in one of the next three. Stick around, guys. After the break, we're going to talk about the other series and we're going to look ahead to tonight's draft lottery.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Very small aversion. But yeah, even on the baseline, being able to drive and spin there too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It was really clear that once... Jokic's elbow was off and Aaron Gordon and his calf situation was not looking right. That Denver had slim pickings to go to on the opposite end. It was the OKC bench, the reserves that just kept coming in and wearing down Denver to the point that they had to kind of let go of the rope at the end of the third.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
I'm wondering, do you think that OKC has the deepest bench in the West?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
They didn't shoot well at all. And so to think that there's another level that they can unlock against a really talented team like Denver is scary hours for the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
What I was happy about, though, that this game was a perfect example of why I think small ball really matters.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Without with the Lakers not having Jackson Hayes and then Rui Hachimura is out. And then obviously the size that LeBron James brings, even though he's not a center, it still does dissuade folks from going into the paint. Um. you saw the battle of who could play better without their big Boston didn't have Chris stops either, but Al Horford has been in that five position.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
He plays that incredibly well and is very comfortable in that position. So I thought that this was, this ended up being a battle of who has the better small ball rotation and also who can like sustain. They're still their defensive intensity with that small ball rotation and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Man, the way that Jalen Brown was getting steals, getting lanes, they were making it so hard for LA to get anything in terms of driving lanes to the basket. And so that helps when your guards do their job on the perimeter. That definitely takes some pressure off of the paint protection inside.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
I mean, you saw stretches from the role players like Dalton Connect making big shots, but it's going to have to be, you know, Austin Reeves and Luka Doncic really controlling the pace out there and also finding their shot. We saw stretches of Austin Reeves being remarkable earlier this season, not even earlier this season, maybe a month ago, two months ago, right before Doncic joined this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
And that's why they were already rolling. And so I imagine that that's not going to be an issue. This is interesting because I do feel like the Lakers now, there are certain teams in the West that are in control of their own destiny and the way that they play and they show up every single team. Of course, I think of, you know, Houston. I think of Memphis. I think of the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
I think of some of these teams that are just are trying to keep their position or trying to move up in the standings. Right now, I think the Lakers are in a position in which they're looking around themselves, particularly at Denver. And that is actually helping or hurting their destiny of how they play. Like, obviously, Denver losing to OKC helped the Lakers regain the second spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Like, it's going to be that kind of positioning for the next two weeks until they get their leader back in LeBron and until he's back rolling the way he was before this injury.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It was good. It had me a little distracted from the crazy Warriors Pistons slugfest. Yeah, but it was a little bit more elevated basketball, I think. And it was a good fight until I think that third quarter fell apart for the Lakers there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Am I missing something? Tell me more about this. I'm confused.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
And shot two of 11 from three, but go ahead. Right, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
I'm sorry. You know why I'm smirking? Because, fair, to all of your points that you're saying, it's just hilarious that we opened this conversation with Nikola Jokic may have been robbed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It's so good, right? We're contributing to the toxicity. You can't say robbed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Maybe we use a different terminology.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Oh, I'm actually thinking OKC has been handling business overall. And also their depth looks really good. Of course, I'm not sure what the situation is with Kristaps Rozingis. Most likely we'll be back for that game. We assume maybe, maybe, maybe we don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
but I think that's going to be a big factor, especially with the way that Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are just going back and forth of just being dominant inside and handling business. I think OKC is rolling with their bench.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It's interesting because obviously this was a game not only of the MVP matchup, as you mentioned, but also people talking about this being the Western Conference Finals potential preview between these two teams. But after you saw the way that OKC wore Denver down, you start having some questions about Denver, particularly their defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It was a little bit of matador defense, not only with Shea Gilgis-Alexander, but also Jalen Williams getting to spots where he wanted to in the second half, being able to get the defense to collapse. When it comes to Denver's defense, is this something that can be resolved before playoffs show up? Could they get this fixed before it comes time to potentially get into the Western Conference Finals?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Oh, wow. I don't think I even noticed that watching it on League Pass. But I did notice that Anthony Davis absolutely made himself known out on the court, especially, you know, the first three plays of the game either were an assist from him, him leading the break, leading to assist. Like he naturally very smoothly found himself within the offense and the defense of this Mavericks team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
When you look at the way that he was utilized, particularly in that power forward position, which is where he's always wanted to be, Like, what did you make of his debut with the Mavericks and how this could continue on past hopefully this injury that was sustained in the third quarter?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
I mean, this is one of the concerns that people have about Anthony Davis. It's just his ability to stay on the court, to stay out of injuries. But from the conversation you guys had with him after the game, his sentiments seem pretty positive. He felt really good about where the Mavericks were headed and how his impact would be felt. No? No.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Right. And understandable. I mean, even Jason Kidd, as you mentioned in your article that, you know, saying the fans have a right to be upset. The fans have a right to feel a certain way about the caliber of player and also the health of the player that you traded for. I mean, that's the number one thing. Anthony Davis is an all star when he's available.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
But there's another player that was involved in this trade. It wasn't just Anthony Davis. There was a younger player, a person that you could probably look to for the future of the franchise. Not necessarily the future face, but definitely someone that can help out. And that is Max Christie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
And Max Christie was on a roll at the Lakers, definitely playing well, particularly as a three and D guy being some length on the perimeter, et cetera. And you saw him kind of transition that with Max's approach and his debut in a
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
with Dallas and then particularly this past game, closing that game out with a big three at the end, you know, what's been the sentiment around how Max Christie has already gelled in with this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
When you think about the floor general on this team, outside of Kyrie Irving, what's that second layer for them in terms of how you think they want to set up their team on the floor?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Yeah, and that's the thing. Kyrie's always been kind of like the 1A to the 1, as opposed to just being the star of the team. That's the thing. I'm happy you cleared that up for me. That's exactly what I'm looking at, particularly in this last game of like, if Kyrie isn't available, who else is going to be the one that steps up? Of course... Got to keep an eye out on Anthony Davis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Going to keep an eye out on Max Christie continuing to evolve with this team. But Christian Clark, thank you for making the time with us. I know it's been a crazy kind of turn of events for you to be on this beat right now, but we appreciate you making the time for us. I really appreciate y'all having me on. All right, guys, don't go anywhere. We got our big games of the week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Of course, our BetMGM picks going right after this break.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Yeah, I anticipate Jimmy wanting to show out for Dub Nation. I also want you guys to know the last three games, these are the final scores between the Warriors and the Houston Rockets. 127-121, Warriors win. 99-93, Warriors win. 90-91, Rockets win. Wow. It's been a tight race all season for these two teams against each other. Don't anticipate anything less.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Oh, yes, that's right. I don't know if you guys remember if you've been rocking with us since the start of the new NBA daily. I said that this might be the season that someone beats Kobe's 81 point game record. I think that it could have been Luca said this back in the day. Luca, don't let me down. hopefully makes my prediction come true.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
45 points?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
They needed someone to get to the line. And that's exactly what they got in Jimmy Butler. It was almost like clockwork. Give the ball, Jimmy Butler, do that little cross green action that usually was for Andrew Wiggins before he departed. And now it's Jimmy Butler getting to the paint, finding some contact and getting to the line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
To the point that Jimmy Butler got to the line at one point, turned around, looked at Steph Curry, pointed straight at him. It was like, I don't know exactly what he said, but I can imagine it was to the sentiment of, ain't this what y'all needed?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
right at you the chef has his butler you know it was finally yeah it was really really pretty to see him working there's one play draymond green did an over the defense pass as to a lob jimmy butler just jumps puts it into the basket and it was just like oh draymond walks up to him chest bumps like the sparks were flying for the water we were talking about this yesterday about like we were texting back and forth about steph
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
He's on his way. He's on his way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
This is the thing. Everyone's talked about Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler not being able to play with each other. Excuse me, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kaminga not being able to play to each other. But it was Draymond Green that was the key that unlocked it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
When he was the orchestrator at the top of the key, being able to say, you stay outside, you go inside, you go short corner, you go high level, like whatever it was, you needed someone in there to balance. And now... Draymond Green will need to play a little bit more center position to allow those two to be on the wings and play off of each other.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
I absolutely think they're capable, especially because Jonathan Kaminga has a three-pointer that we don't talk about enough. And if Jimmy Butler slashing the wing and slashing into the paint and Jonathan Kaminga is ready for the spot out, kick out in the corner or on the wing, I absolutely see that balancing itself out offensively. It's okay. They have Quentin Post at home.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Anytime you can have a ball handler as your five is an awesome addition. And I think that's what Ben Simmons right now is the best thing he can offer is just being an extra set of hands in the case that defense gets a little bit sprawling against a James Harden or against anyone on the perimeter, particularly like a Norman Powell or Kawhi Leonard too. I do like this fit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
I do like Ben Simmons getting out of the East personally. Yeah. And just getting away from the drama that has followed him in the East and getting to start a new chapter here in the West. But yeah, I definitely think this adds to the Clippers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Christian, thank you so much for making time in what I'm sure has been a tumultuous period. Coming right on to the beat for The Athletic, covering the Dallas Mavericks for us, Christian Clark. How have the last two months been for you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
That seems surreal, especially to come onto a beat and all of a sudden your world is turned upside down. And we haven't really gotten to dive in other than through your articles, but we haven't actually got a chance to talk to you since all of that happened.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Did you sense anything in the time that you were covering the Mavericks in terms of feelings between Luca and ownership, feelings between Luca and management? Like, had you sensed anything or was this completely a shock to you all as well in the media room?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
OK, now bring me to that press conference, because that was not the normal press conference that you would expect in terms of the comments made by GM Nico Harrison, the comments not made by head coach Jason Kidd. Like, what was it like to be in that room as Nico Harrison is explaining his blockbuster decision to trade away Luka Doncic?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Right, right, right. That's insane. And then you think about the fact that now the ownership has since come out and made some comments regarding this trade. Interesting comments. Catch us up on exactly what was said and what were your thoughts about it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
It was just interesting that in supporting the decision by his front office, he also had some criticisms of folks that have since left. It's like there's a different way of supporting them without having to say basically that Luka Doncic was taking vacations and didn't have a hard work ethic. I thought that was very interesting in the way that he put that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Now, I'm happy you brought up the fact that there were some previous moves that the Mavericks have made that have since worked out despite public outcry. And you were... At the game this past Saturday, when Anthony Davis made his debut, Max Christie now has played two games with the Mavs. But you were out there when people were actually protesting what was going on. Like, what was the vibe?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Were you scared? Because there's been a lot of sentiment around public safety and particularly the safety of the officials. Like, what was it like to be out there amongst the protests?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Wow, ich habe es gemacht, weil ich wusste, dass er die Athletik-NBA-Daily hört. Und ich möchte nur sagen, LeBron, du bist willkommen. Ich wusste, dass das die Motivation war, die du brauchst, um diesen Wettbewerb zu bekommen. Ich wusste, dass das passieren würde, Dave. Ich wusste, als ich es gesagt habe, dass er 40 wird. Er wird ein 40-Punkte-Spiel haben, wenn er 40 ist.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Er wird seinen Triple-Double haben. This is a no-brainer for me. I'm not surprised that LeBron James has answered back my old claims.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
After all the talk, right? We showed on the defensive side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Yeah, oblique injuries, man. I agree with you. Yeah, Bucks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
No, I'm gonna go with the Thunder, actually. I think this means more to the Oklahoma City Thunder, knowing that they lost in the playoffs. Get a little bit of revenge, not too much revenge, but get a little bit of revenge for that loss. Yeah, a little cup revenge. The cup runneth over, if you will. Xena, are you taking Thunder too?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Okay, I like that. I mean, I'm not going to change my pick, but I like where you're going with this. I'm going to take the Knicks. They're the number one offense. I think single elimination basketball, you need to have a really, really great offense. That's how the Pacers made it all the way to the finals last year in the NBA Cup. So great point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I think the Knicks are going to be able to take care of your Hawks here, unfortunately.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
You know what? The way you worded it just now makes me reconsider my pick, but I am going to take the Houston Rockets. No, I'm going to take the Houston Rockets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Okay, you know what? Fine. I'm taking the Golden State Warriors. I can't sell myself on this. Look, you guys know how much I like the Rockets. The defense is great. They're going to do a great job against the Warriors. I think the Warriors' defense is also elite and has been popping. So, yeah, it's going to be Golden State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And then maybe Zena, but it could actually be S, because he's maybe one of my favorite players in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Actually, I hate to be the cop out, but Zena's right here. What is the degree of back that we're talking about? For what it's worth, the last 10 games have been a little bit of a paper tiger in the schedule. Some easy games. They've handled business, though. The real measuring stick was against Boston. I thought their offensive game
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
execution in the fourth quarter was tough there was a couple of bad possession from damian lillard janice settling for that pull up three everybody was talking about yeah uh and he said i'm taking that shot a hundred times a hundred times afterwards gonna miss it what like yeah i don't know 83 times you know yeah But I thought against Brooklyn, the execution was incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Giannis was making plays. They were getting out in transition. Giannis had that incredible block on the defensive end. Obviously, different degree of competition, but they are trending in the right direction. And Chris Middleton, he just plays winning basketball. Very, very effective in the first two games he's been back, has looked comfortable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And if you look at the numbers with him, Damon Giannis, in the lineup over the last two seasons, always positive. Every single time it's been positive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Go and look that up. My favorite genre of NBA photography is the above the rim stuff that they do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Can they compete? Yes, absolutely they can. I'm with Zeno on here. I think if you look at the characteristics of contending teams, right, they have that top dog in John Morant, who can be the best player in any given series. They have a supporting cast in Jaron Jackson Jr., Desmond Bain, who can be like the 2A, 2B. In any given series. They have a top 10 offense, top 10 defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
They can compete on that end. They have an identity, right? Crashing the offensive glass, pushing in transition, scoring a bunch of buckets on the inside. The only thing that kind of makes me wonder is the three point rate and like not shooting enough threes. But it was interesting that they could keep up against Boston. That was the thing that was really intriguing to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And Boston didn't have a great shooting night. They forced Drew Holiday to go four of 17 from three. Put a pin in that, by the way, because I think that's going to be something teams will follow. So I do think Memphis, yes, give them a check mark. There you go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Yeah, I think so. You know, the Warriors are a very common watch for me on late nights because they're like, you know, Steph Curry show. We've talked about this before. It's very easy. But this was the best two-way performance I've seen Jonathan Kaminga put together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I think the defense, the physicality that he was playing with on that end, he had, I believe, three steals and two blocks, like just... die Defender, die Offensivspieler und helfen. Die Länge und Aktivität, es macht Sinn für mich, dass er so ein guter Defender für die Warriors sein könnte, aber für irgendeinen Grund nicht engagiert ist, nicht ablehnt ist, das zu tun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Heute sahen wir, was ein voll engagierter Jonathan Kaminga sein könnte. Und das ist das Erstaunliche für mich. Es ist wie, okay, die Offense, klar, es entwickelt sich, arbeitet, die Defense, das könnte speziell sein.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
So... Okay, I'll just mention one thing here. Shout out to Jalen Suggs. Great stuff tonight. Awesome. He was talking about how he's being empowered more than he ever has been. Very happy for that. I think he's a great player. That being said, this is Orlando's schedule coming up. At Milwaukee versus OKC versus Miami versus Boston versus Miami versus New York. Finishing out the year in Brooklyn.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
That's tough. That's tough. I'm just putting it out there. That's a tough schedule for anybody. Not just the Orlando Magic, but they are fighting well. And Jamal Mosley is coaching them well. So that's all I'll say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I was about to say, by listening to this podcast. We're the answer, Dave, we're the answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Sehr gut. Das ist verrückt. Sie haben den perfekten Plan erzielt, um seinen vierten MVP zu gewinnen. Es ist wie, wir werden ihm mit dem schlimmsten Team möglich sein. He can absolutely win the MVP. I don't know. Look, Nikola Jokic is just he's incredible, guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I mean, every single time he's on the court, the on off impact metrics, you know, the advantages that he creates for the Nuggets, how much they fall off a cliff offensively when he's off the floor. That goes to show you just how crazy he is as a player. And how much longer is this going to have to go on? That's my question. Before what? I don't know. I don't even know before what.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
He even said post game is like, hey, what has to happen? He's like, we need to react somehow, some way. And they did. They beat the Hawks for what it's worth. But yes, maybe react for longer is my thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
They're not frisky, but they're scrappy. I like, scrappy is a good category of the frisky meter. It's better than last year, where they just rolled over and played dead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
We'll figure it out. That will be a segment for another day. But look, Cade, first of all, the Knicks didn't have Karl-Anthony Towns for what it's worth. So that's a part of this loss here. But I think from the Pistons' perspective, Cade is just, he's taking another step as a lead ball handler. The spacing has allowed him to really, really take his time with his decision making.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And the pull-up three is something that he's evolving at. He's shooting it at a career clip this season, which is part of spreading the floor, making his shots. So yeah, shout out to Cade, man. Just developing. I think this year, guys, is the year Cade Cunningham makes the all-star team. Oh, that's a bold prediction. Him and Obley. That's my little take here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Listen, with my buying stock, I could buy a mansion in Wisconsin. All right, shout out T-Pain.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
What will it hurt you? That is a good point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I mean, the NBA Cup, you know. Game doesn't count.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I agree. I mean, look, I think I think part of their problems are spacing issues. And that's why Nas Reed and Dante DiVincenzo just look so much better when Anthony Edwards is there on the floor with them. I mean, of their starting lineup, Rudy Gobert is a non shooter. Jaden McDaniels is not having a good shooting season. I think he's shooting 30 percent from from three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
And then Mike Conley has just not been the Mike Conley of past. So, yeah, switch it up. Let's see if we can get something different. I'm buying stock here as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Man, I think I've thought about this a lot. And the one team that just matches the grit and grind, no pun intended, of what Jimmy Butler can do, it's the Memphis Grizzlies. I think he just has that dog mentality. They have that dog mentality. They need that score also, right? Especially if they have injuries with John Morant or Jaron Jackson Jr. or Desmond Bain.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
adds another defender, that wing player. I think Jimmy in Memphis is, I think it's a match made in heaven. Yes. They'll have to pay money wise. And that's, that's the issue here about dealing with having to pay Jimmy. But I think from a fit perspective, why not? Right. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
What's the happiest in being where he can find his joy? Well, here's the funny part.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I thought it was LiAngelo Ball's song. That's why.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I think what we just saw was the NBA Finals preview. All respect to the Cleveland Cavaliers, by the way, who I think will be incredible. I think they will go through their bumps. They will figure it out. They've been dominant this season, no question. But I just trust Boston a little bit more right now compared to the Cavs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
And the reason I say it's an NBA Finals preview is because I think the Oklahoma City Thunder are a shoo-in to get to the Finals. One, it's because of that defense. And I think the reason for that is like they are so good collectively and they're doing it without Chet Holmgren. That is the wild part about all of this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
This is a guy who's anchoring their defense on a night-to-night basis to start the season, goes out with a hip fracture, and they're missing him. And it feels like they haven't even skipped a beat. So that's why I think, yes, they are the best team in the NBA, best defense in the NBA, potentially the best –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Yeah, I mean, Cleveland's offense this season is really, really close to what Boston was last year as an offense. Right. Just the three point shooting, the the the passing ability, like the ball movement. You saw that highlight of Darius Garland finding Evan Mobley before he even got to his spot. Like there is a connectiveness to having that type of continuity that Cleveland has.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
So to your point, like teams that stick together usually end up making that deep run. We saw it with Denver. We saw it with Boston. We might be able to see it with Cleveland now. I think the main question I have with the Cavs is like, are they as malleable as these other teams we're talking about? OKC has, you talked about throwing the kitchen sink.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
There are a lot of different options with what the Thunder can do. They can go bigger. They can go smaller. They have tons of wings on the outside. With Boston, it feels the same way, too. Can Cleveland be that switchable, that versatile when it comes to a postgame series? And I guess we'll see on Wednesday. We'll see on Wednesday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
That time, I think, like, start of the fourth quarter of that OKC-Boston game, it was... it was without SGA that they took the lead, right? It was Cambridge Williams. It was Aaron Wiggins. It was those guys that were really propelling the team. And then SGA had that chase down block and alley-oop and all that type of stuff that, you know, sealed the deal. But yeah, it's tough to assess right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
He said after the game, he's like, you know, I'm just going through the process of making this beautiful painting. And I'm like, whoa, you're poetic. This is a poetic koala getting this season and hanging out with Jake Plummer. Yeah. Why not? Right. He played, I believe, plus 60 games last season. Right. So, yeah. Now they have 47 games remaining. That gives them a really good window.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
That being said, they're only like two and a half games back of third in the West, which is crazy to talk about. So, yes, I'm going to say bye. I think we could see that happen, especially because Denver is dealing with injuries. L.A. is the Lakers are always kind of up and down. Memphis is dealing with injuries. I could see it. I'm a bye. Zena.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Okay, I'll jump in. I'll jump in. We both had to take a breath. I am buying... I would like to buy so much stock of that. I don't know how much more stock I could purchase. He's going to win Defense Player of the Year. It's going to be a landslide. With Luka missing time, he's going to be a first-team All-NBA player. He's going to get MVP buzz because he's going to push the Spurs to the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
18 and 16 right now. Yeah, 18 and 16 right now. All of that means... that they and Wemby is going to be a top five player. Wemby is a top five player in the league right now. By the way, have a stat for you guys. Crazy stat here, okay? Through 100 games of his career, Wemby has more threes than Steph Curry did. More points than LeBron James did. More rebounds than Charles Barkley.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
And more blocks than Dikembe Mutombo. He is not real. We have to just stop thinking about what Wemby can be. Because Wemby is, like, incredible. This is...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Not yet. Not yet. I'm not ringing alarm bells yet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I'm still buying. Look, the NBA Cup curse has not hit the Milwaukee Bucks. I don't believe in it yet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Yeah. Yeah. They should have celebrated. They should have. I agree. I agree. I totally agree with you. So I'm, I'm keeping the, I'm keeping the stock though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Yeah, they absolutely showed. I mean, the shot creation from Darius Garland, the playmaking ability, just the ability to get out in transition, that's an aspect that he brings in very quickly. And I know Ty Jerome did a valiant job of trying to get similar things going, but he's obviously not Darius Garland, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
I think the size will be an issue. How big of an issue it is is probably going to be dependent on how big of a series Rudy Gobert is going to have. Also, the Julius Randle equation to this all. Randle was awesome against the Lakers. Is he going to be awesome against the Warriors? Are they going to throw Draymond at him? That's the guy I would imagine is what you're throwing at him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
He's more of a bench guard who can kind of do things off the bench against second units for you. Garland is a guy who we've talked about on the podcast, incredible fourth quarter performer, Probably should have been in the clutch player of the year conversation. The way that he's able to elevate them offensively as a guy who, all right, Mitchell is getting downhill. He's driving the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
But generally, it's like, Like, all right, you'd rather have Draymond be against Rudy so he can camp around and roam around and do what he usually does. So that's the question with the size. I will say the difference between Rockets and Wolves to me is the fact that you have someone as a number one scoring option in Minnesota.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
That was something that Houston was desperately trying to find throughout this series. They didn't have that guy. Minnesota has that guy in Anthony Edwards. You can't throw out a zone against Minnesota. They're one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, even though they didn't show it in their Lakers series. And I think that's the conundrum, right, for Gold State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
It's, all right, how are you going to survive offensively and lock down these guys? Zena, who's guarding Anthony Edwards?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
They're getting the defensive rotation. And now Garland has a wide open shot or a wide open lane that he can attack. So that's why they were missing Darius Garland. And look.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Draymond is one flagrant foul away from being suspended for one game. This is going to happen this series, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Okay, okay. So that's another aspect to this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
No, I'm sticking. Xena, stay strong. I'm sticking with wolves. I got the wolves in six.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Yeah, we got to start talking about Andrew Nembhard as like one of the best playoff risers in the NBA. Absolutely. From last season, the way that he uplifted the Pacers defensively and the shot making to get them to the Eastern Conference finals. And now he's doing it again. And I thought he was masterful at like everything. bailing out the Pacers offense when they weren't able to get a good look.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
It was like, all right, cool. Namhar, go ahead, get us a shot. And he hit five threes, two of which were in that fourth quarter and they were massive shots. Cavs were fighting back and he answered. And also the other aspect to this is his defense, the pickup points. He's pressuring the ball. The Pacers did an incredible job of like forcing Cleveland to start their possessions with like
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
16 seconds on the clock or 15 or 14 seconds on the clock. And right. Nem hard is a big, big part of that. I will say the Cavs also shot like 25% from three. That's not going to happen all the time. Right? Yeah. So this was a, this was a game that Indiana like had to win just because of the offensive performance that Cleveland was kind of given up today too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Yeah, I agree with you. Like Neesmith and Emhart, both are those guys for them. It's like we're going to we're going to be just feisty as heck on the point of attack. And I want to shout out Halliburton's defense in that fourth quarter. The Cavs said, all right, we need to start a run. Let's start hunting Tyrese Halliburton. Three possessions in a row. Halliburton got a stop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
He actually got a couple of blocks in this game too. And he was able to – he was just awesome. He can do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Yeah, your era had John Stockton. My era had Steve Nash. But the difference between Halliburton and both those guys is Halliburton is five inches taller than both of them, right? So he can see over top of the defense. He's able to make plays in transition because of the fact that he's 6'7". And that makes it – I mean, look, he had one turnover tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
He's one of the least turnover-prone players in the NBA. And to get you 13 assists – by just turning the ball over one single time. That's absurd, especially against the Cavs defense. So if he has this type of series, it's looking like in the end, especially we'll see what happens with Darius Garland, right? The toe thing, the broadcast even reported it, that it's a serious concern for the Cavs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
And if this was the regular season round, yeah, right. Yeah. If this was the regular season, he would have missed weeks apparently. So obviously a concern. We'll see what happens. But if Halliburton is giving them this, Looks like favor Indiana. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
You know? They've been throwing birthday parties. That's actually something that they've been doing. They've been throwing birthday parties because they have so much time on their hands. I think I saw a stat where OKC starting lineup has played in six games in April, you know, including the four playoff games. That's just absurd to think about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Bad weekend for Rockets fans in general, you know, between the James Harden dud and this game, the game seven that we're going to talk to. Yeah, but tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
You know, that is a great, great job to be able to play six times in an entire month, right? Look, you're right about the depth. That's a huge piece to this. On any given night, the Nuggets have five and a half, maybe six players that they can rely on, right? Russell Westbrook was huge in that game seven against the Clippers. He was huge in game one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
They will need him to be that for every single game. That's just the type of player. And obviously, Russ versus OKC, the storyline there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Yeah. Good or bad. Right. He relishes in these type of moments. And I think like, especially against OKC, he's going to have a little bit of extra juice to be like that. So, yeah, I mean, Russ is going to be big, but let me ask you a couple of questions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
uh best player in this series you can toss it up between sga and yokich the one thing i will say though i think the thunder have many many more options to guarding nicole yokich than the nuggets do for guarding sga there's just i mean christian brown did a great job on james harden james harden is not shea gildas alexander you know that he's 10 years younger And in MVP form.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
So I think it's just tough to think, all right, what? Is Aaron Gordon going to go on SGA? Is Peyton Watson going to be the primary assignment on SGA? Because they don't have as many options as the Thunder do when it comes to, all right, Hartenstein is the primary on Jokic. You've got Chet as the helper. You can throw tons of size. Caruso is going to be in there active with his hands.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
You've got Cason Wallace coming off the bench also active with his hands. It's just... more options for OKC to stop Jokic or at least contain Jokic than there is for SJ. How do you feel about that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
I'll shoot another question at you. OK, so best player, if we're going based on that, like who do you think is the X factor for this series? Who's that guy that might swing it from, you know, if you're sure. Yeah, you know, I agree.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Mm-hmm. Yep. I completely agree. Yeah. I mean, look, I think you look at Jamal and the series he had versus Minnesota last year, the struggles that he had against their point of attack defense. Now you're facing the Thunder team that might be even better at the point of attack with their defense. So this is a huge series for him. I will say I'm kind of interested.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
to see if the Nuggets throw out a zone against OKC, because we've seen this a lot in the playoffs, especially against teams that you might say have some sort of questionable shooters, like funneling shots to Lou Dort. Even though Dort can knock down those looks, it's like you can live with that versus SGA going one-on-one against everybody. Force Shea to be a passer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Force Shea to be a guy who gets off the ball quickly. And to your point, you're forcing J-Dub. You're forcing Chet to be more active offensively. So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
But it was awesome. I love the fact that obviously maybe Gary Payton not playing in this game might have actually helped because Buddy was massive. That's a good point. And this this was like you got Buddy for the first half. You got Steph and Jimmy for the second half. It kind of allowed them to get their rhythm in this game just because Steph and Jimmy were able to dominate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
What do you think about the Warriors zone against Houston in this series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And Dyson Daniels is having a really special season when it comes to deflections. But these two, they're impacting winning in a massive way. And doing it as perimeter defenders, pretty tough to do. Zena?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah, I agree. I don't think there's any other game that's really in consideration. You could talk about Luka's debut or the Mavericks-Lakers game. No, this had it all. Yeah, this was like a head above the rest, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah, I love the Ty Jerome pick and I love the most improved shout for him because I do think that's like the heart of the award when it comes to just thinking about guys that improve around the league. A guy who went from basically like fringes of the NBA to becoming one of the most important players on one of the most important teams. That's the type of guy you want to award.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I want to shout out Malik Beasley because he's I think he was a guy who kind of bounced around over the last couple of years, was on good teams, but never really got an opportunity, like was on playoff teams, too. But he has morphed into one of the most important players for the Pistons. And I think part of that is just off the court, too, because he's been a veteran.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
If you listen to those guys in postgame press conferences, Cade has talked about it, having his presence there. And just the joy that he brings to the game every single night has actually changed their approach. One of the biggest things for the Pistons was adding a winning culture, and Malik has done that. And he's doing it off the bench, like Ty Jerome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
49 games, he's played all of them off of the bench. He's averaging nearly 16 points. He has had one of the best shooting seasons in the last little bit here, like on par with Klay and Steph, which is crazy to think about. Obviously, different types of shooting, but... It's just the efficiency and volume has been ridiculous.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
So I think I'm going to go with Malik Beasley because he's been so important for them on and off the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah. Sort of like the best supporting role player. Yeah. It's hard to get those guys in. So you guys agree with me that it's Josh Hart.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yes, he does. He does podcast. That is true. That is true.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Podcasting is hard work. We do this every night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
You know, this is this is my pitch for Trey Murphy, though. OK, Trey Murphy is podcasting and he's having the best season of his career. So it's like he's doing it on the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah, no, I agree. I think that win over Boston is a testament to just the type of team that they are. Being down 25-3, it just felt incredibly deflating. It was like, oh, here you go. The Cavs can't win. They can't beat Boston. That's it, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I like that. I'm going to go with Warriors-Celtics. Sorry, not Warriors-Celtics, Lakers-Celtics on Saturday. Yeah. Can you imagine like the defense of the Lakers at this point, testing out with the Celtics and the stretch five and kind of like five out offense they're doing? That's exactly the type of test I want to see this Lakers do. So give me that game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
But the way they answered back, there was actually this sound up with Kenny Atkinson saying, hey, like play the way you guys have been playing all season. Get your head back in this. And they answered in a major way. I thought Ty Jerome and DeAndre Hunter were massive off the bench for those guys. And then the way that Donovan Mitchell carried them in the second half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Good Blazers team. Really, really good Blazers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I mean, that's what a superstar is going to do. He is such a big playoff riser. He's done it in Utah, has done it in Cleveland. And I think he'll be able to do it for this Cavs this year. So I agree. I do think that the Cavs will come out of the East. That is the hunch that I have. I mean, being 50-10 is just tough to do, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
But still makes me think a little bit. But maybe that comes back to the conversation you guys were having about them just being bored. They're not locked in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I think some of the injuries from Boston's side is also kind of taking away from these comparisons that we're making right now. This is still going to be a really good team. And when they turn it up, I don't think there's any team that could really beat them. To your point, to both of you guys' point, it's about them turning it up and getting it to that umpteenth degree.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah. Yeah. It's like, it's like they kind of get him to that point. You know, the Knicks do their job of getting them into close games. And then they're just like, here you go, Jalen Brunson, please win this basketball game for us. And he ends up doing it. It's just that's exactly how it's worked all season. This is a crazy stat here. So Jalen Brunson has 139 clutch points this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
The Knicks have 270 clutch points total. He accounts for 47% of all of their clutch points. And he has 22 assists on top of that. So he probably accounts for much more of those clutch points, which means like it's all him in the clutch. This is the runaway clutch player of the year. He's shooting 52 percent in the clutch, which he got MVP chance in Miami. Yes, absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
He is like the you talked about Brunson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
This blows my mind. It's crazy to say that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
He's making a case for himself to be either an all-defense member and 100% an all-NBA player. All-NBA first team, LeBron James, book it. I like it. I don't hate that. I'm with that, yeah. He has a lot of competition. We just talked about one guy, Jalen Brunson, who is making a name for himself right now for that award, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah, they do. Yeah, I think that's the goal moving forward. I mean, Quentin Grimes got them their first win in a while, which was a whole ordeal. It was like the first time since the Eagles had won, which is crazy to consider. Anyways, Quentin Grimes got that win. But to the Joel Embiid point, it's just I hope this isn't anything that's going to ruin the end of his career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
But at the same time, LeBron, I mean, the way that he's doing it and the team is winning. The other thing is, like, how real is this defense? God. We now have like a two month sample. And I'll admittedly, a lot of that has to include Anthony Davis in this, but there is now like a 15 game sample of no Anthony Davis. And then now Luca. So how, how real is this Lakers?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Nobody else counts. This is tough. This is so... I don't even want to go first. I can go first. I can go first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Ooh, I'm going to just hop step over. I agree. I think it's fine to say Jokic. They both have incredible cases. I'm going to say Shea, though. I'm going to fight for Shea here for a little bit. Because I think Shea is having one of the best, if not the best, mid-range scoring season of all time from a guard. Shooting 60%, nearly 60% on those two-point attempts. He is dominating at the rim.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I hope he'll be able to bounce back from this. I hope the Sixers can get a great season out of him moving forward. Because it just this would be a deflating way for an all time greats career to end. That's the way I'm approaching this Embiid situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
So for his position, you could argue that he is the best offensive player. Now, most offensive player, best offensive player in the league, comparing him between Jokic. I actually think the defensive side of the ball is probably part of this conversation because Shea has been so integral to what OKC does on the defensive side that he generates tons of turnovers, gets the thunder out in transition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And they're an incredible transition team. Shea is an incredible transition player and score. He's been a great three-point shooter. He leads the league in points per game. So I'm going to say Shea. But I can take that Shea point and I can make it for Jokic too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
We should separate this from what MVP is. Because MVP will be a different conversation. And ultimately, I think record and winning and all that type of stuff will be baked into the MVP conversation. That's a good point. This is just the best offensive player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I'll jump in here. I'm going to go ahead and say the Thompson twins win it together. They'll just walk up together on that award and just take it. And, you know, they probably do at some point. So I think it's those two. They're both top 10 and deflections per game. They are absolute hounds at the point of attack. They dominate the game in pretty similar ways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Defensively, just with their length, their activity, their size and their speed. They generate so many. turnovers for their teams, which is incredible. And because of their athleticism, they get Detroit and Houston out in transition constantly. I think it's them by far. Not by far. I can't say by far because all of these guys are really good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah, not every team can just say, well, we're the Los Angeles Lakers. We're going to be able to attract these free agents and basically trade for them if we decide to as well, which is the perks of being the Los Angeles Lakers. I know there's been tons of conversation about the Mavericks side of things, but I think the Lakers side is equally important.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
as intriguing because they've gotten Luka now. And so they can start at the starting point of building around this superstar, one of the best players in the NBA. And I think there's a tendency, especially with the trade deadline, you know, in the next couple of days to think about, well, what kind of moves are they going to end up doing in this next week?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
What does this mean for them in the short term and long term? From your perspective, How aggressive do you think the Lakers will be at trying to build around Luka now versus maybe taking the slower approach?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah, that's probably one of the more baffling parts about this trade is that they did not have to move that 2031 pick. And they still have Dalton Connect, still have Austin Reeves as sort of intriguing players that they could potentially move if they wanted to, to make a bigger splash if they'd like to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
I know you mentioned certain positions and needing a center, needing some wing depth in general. Are there any players that come to mind that you think they'd target in the next couple days?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah, that $23 million salary is kind of tough to move around, but it's interesting to see what they'll do, and obviously those names kind of fit the bill of what you want to build around Luka Doncic. It's going to be interesting to see how LeBron gets acclimated to this situation as well. Obviously, this isn't prime LeBron James.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Everybody's talked about how Luka is the heir to the throne, so to speak, and LeBron is at 40 years old, but But after that very impressive win against the Knicks, I kind of thought to myself, well, man, they should probably get some help for LeBron James. And maybe two, three hours later, they traded for Luka Doncic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Joe Varden of The Athletic reported that LeBron does not intend to waive his no-trade clause. He's going to be sticking around, or at least he intends to stick around. What does this mean for… for LeBron moving forward, a guy who is probably going to retire in the next couple of seasons? Does this maybe reinvigorate him to reconsider and continue playing longer?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
I don't know, but what are your thoughts?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah, that's definitely going to be, I mean, I think this is probably the best ball handler he's played ever, right? And so I think that aspect is probably intriguing for an older, you know, think about old man LeBron and how he'd be able to play moving forward with a guy like Luka, put him in the short role as a screener next to Luka.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
That stuff seems intriguing to me, at least from a basketball perspective. You go wide, wide picture on this situation with the Lakers and you think about what the front office has done since acquiring and signing LeBron James. Getting them to that championship, trading for Anthony Davis, and kind of the subsequent moves after that, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
The Russell Westbrook trade didn't work out the way they wanted to. Some signings, not re-signing Alex Caruso. There were some good moves. Obviously, getting Austin Reeves is a massive one. Drafting Dalton Connect, also another one that should be mentioned. Generally... This front office has had some hits and misses, as all front offices do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
But how much confidence, I guess, do you have moving forward in the Lakers to build around Luka Doncic and build a contender around a guy who is very clearly one of the best players in the league?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
It's an amazing moment too because I think in terms of picturesque players to add to this team and to build around, Luka is clearly one of them. I think when you look at the tradeoff of moving a guy who is as important to the franchise as Anthony Davis – And I understand that obviously you do that every single day because of the quality of player Luka Doncic is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
But sort of looking back at 80s time with the Lakers and obviously winning a championship, becoming an incredible player, really important, basically the franchise cornerstone for this team. How is that going to be looked at moving forward from now, 80s tenure? How is that going to be perceived by Lakers fans?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah, it kind of reminds me of the Raptors' DeMar Kawhi trade because DeMar was such a beloved player and then he trades him. Everybody knew that Kawhi was obviously the upgrade, but tough to see a guy who's been with the team that long go. Anyways, Trevor Lane, thank you very much for joining us. It was very enlightening to talk about the Lakers' perspective of this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
They're winning again, as it seems. Thank you to Trevor Lane. Thank you to Zena Keita and Dave Dufour. And thank you for listening to the NBA Daily. Appreciate you guys. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
You know what else they're not known for? Zach Levine and DeMar DeRozan? Defense. Defense. They are not known for defending the basketball. And so now you have a core of Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, Zach Levine, and DeMontis Sabonis, all four guys who are, at best, questionable defenders.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Three of them absolutely need the ball in their hands.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Sabonis definitely needs the ball in his head. So like you're looking at a team that has a pretty skeptical fit moving forward. And so you look at Sacramento and the idea moving forward with the De'Aaron Fox trade is a win now move, right? They wanted to win now. They wanted to keep competitive. I'm not sure in this stacked Western Conference, this is a keep competitive move.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
And you mentioned the pick, Zena. Yeah. 2025 Charlotte pick turns into two seconds. The 2027 San Antonio pick is going to be in the 20s, likely with De'Aaron Fox and Wemby, which we'll talk about in a second, going to be a pretty bad pick. And then the 2031 Minnesota pick, yes, that's good. But it's also, you know, the earth might not exist in 2031.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
You know what I mean? So, like, I don't necessarily see the vision from the Kings side, especially because – On San Antonio, you have Stephon Castle, couldn't get Stephon Castle. You had Devin Vassell, couldn't get Devin Vassell. Hey, even Keldon Johnson, you couldn't get Keldon Johnson. Jeremy Sohan, can't get Jeremy Sohan.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
The Spurs were littered with young guys, intriguing players to go out and get.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Well, apparently a lot of teams could have had the advantage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Yeah, they have their work cut out for them this season. They're 21 and 25. They're two games behind for the 10 seed. So it'll be interesting to see last third of the season how they claw back because I think they will. Adding Fox is definitely enough for them to try to claw back into the playing race. It'll be interesting to see how they can play upset basically for the rest of the year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
I think like you mentioned, the Fox-Wemby gap. pairing is seamless and one of the interesting aspects to this is that fox can now learn from chris paul and i think that's a really cool guy for fox to learn pretty cool because the decision making the playmaking the pick and roll pairing all that type of reunited with harrison barnes
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
reunited yes absolutely yeah they're basically it i think that part is really intriguing to me because fox if anything is a great mid-range creator really really good defender one area where i would like for him to get better at is that playmaking aspect and so when you add that plus fox plus wemby i like it a lot very very good team yeah um dina you got anything else on this
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
It's such a crazy stress test for that Supermax because I think the concept was, hey, Supermax is going to keep these guys in market. They will stay with their respective teams that draft them, especially when they become that caliber of player. Five-time first-team All-NBA member. That's a guy who you can gladly give the Supermax to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
And yet the Mavericks were hesitant to do so, which is very, very curious and very bizarre. And so to your point, yeah, it seems like player empowerment has been shattered and we might be entering a new era. Another example of this, by the way, Brandon Ingram. This is a guy who's a mid-tier star-level player but is not going to get the payday that he wants to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Likely going to happen to Julius Randle this summer as well. So there is more and more cases of guys who are expecting a payday, are expecting something to happen, have that security, and they're not necessarily receiving it. But it's just wild that it's happening to a player who is a perennial MVP candidate. He's at the beginning of his peak, maybe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Even in this Fox situation, it is like the Kings trying to get ahead of it preemptively and understanding, hey, this is a guy who's not going to sign a contract extension with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
They were all in on building a contender around Luka last year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise of superstars, you know, dating back to basically the start of the franchise. You think of, you know, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt, Kareem, Magic, basically anybody, right? Shaq, Kobe. It's just the list goes on and on. And then LeBron and AD. And now Luka Doncic. We are joined with Trevor Lane, host of Lakers Nation and the NBA Front Office Show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Trevor, thanks. We've had a little bit to digest. 24 hours of figuring out what in the world happened yesterday shocked everybody in, I think, the sports world with this trade. How does it feel that Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
It was almost another repeat of a Taylor Jenkins fiasco. And if you go back and watch the footage, The Rockets miss, you know, I think it was like end of the shot clock chance, and we'll get into their late game offense and their flusters. Taylor Jenkins is telling those guys to go, go, go, go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
The official behind him, because Taylor Jenkins is pretty close to him, he's thinking that he's about to call a timeout. And then if you look at the court, half the Rockets just stopped playing because everybody's confused. The Grizzlies are still going. And Jalen Wills, he gets a wide open dunk. And Taylor Jenkins just lights into this referee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And credit to the officiating crew because all night, from both sides, they were getting to their faces, but the refs kept their calm. I didn't see any techs handed out. They were just telling them to calm down, chill out, because they know that this is a high-intensity rivalry. This is the fourth time these guys have seen each other this season. Each game has been pretty competitive. So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
The crew allowed those guys to play out for 48 minutes. But I think the biggest takeaway is that Taylor Jenkins, he got saved because if they would have lost that game, they would have come in and had to apologize for another timeout gate. It would have been crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
He'd never, he'd never seen one for a time. And the ref was saying, like, he was pointing to like my bad, my bad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
It's a number of things. One, they still don't have the requisite shooting to give them some inside-out balance. You know, when you have guys like Amin Thompson, Jalen Green, Fred, who will go to drive into the teeth of defense and look for kick-out options, they don't have enough shooting to give themselves that balance. Then you look at injury history, they're missing Jabari Smith.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
Sometimes they try and Almost trying to put either Tari or Jay Sean aren't the best shooters. Like it's easy if you're an opposing defense to game plan for that. Right. And then you see like they're young, like they're still going through, even though they've exceeded expectations up until this point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
In the fourth quarter, you still see why there's still a bit of a ways to go development-wise for them to get to that tier three, tier, you know, however you want to call it, as an offensive unit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And then tonight, like, they still don't have a hierarchy. Like, I know, like, for tonight, Alpern was out. So that gives them a lot of issues in terms of having that, you know, offensive fulcrum so you can play through.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And, yeah, missing their all-star. And then, you know, now you're relying on Jalen, who was kind of gassed into the game. Fred, you know, it was just a weird. And when you go back to the overall offensive set, the offensive scheme, they still call a 1970s-style offense. Like, they wanted to screen and roll some time. But it's not modernized. It's not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
It doesn't always. It's not always conducive to how the game is going. Right? And so sometimes you run into trouble. It relies a lot, Kelly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
So in a vacuum, a team like Houston is built to run. The reality is they're not the fastest team in the league. They're not even top 10 in pace.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
Yeah, Memphis is a top two, top three pace team. You have a difference in ideologies in terms of Fred who wants to, he's more methodical. He wants to dribble the ball. He wants to get guys in the right spots. You got guys like a man in jail who want to go 150 miles an hour. Alperin is probably more of the Fred mold in terms of patience. And then it's just like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
Sometimes you see these young teams, they get into these sets, and like you said, Dave, they want to run, but by the fourth quarter, there's no time to catch your breath, and then you're playing against another team that also has athletes. Jalen Wells, underrated athlete. Desmond Bain, underrated athlete. Jaren Jackson Jr., underrated athlete. This is probably the best matchup
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
that you could have for Houston in the Western Conference because the Grizzlies are physical. They're aggressive. They might not be as good. They're still a poor half-court offensive overall, but they have enough speed to get them through four quarters. And even though Ja wasn't playing, they're still pushing the ball. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And you have Lawrence Bases, you have Santi, you have Leonardo, who was great tonight. I think he had, what, 22 points? 22 points tonight. You have enough shooting to at least sustain you against a team like the Rockets who can't combat you with that three-point arsenal. So it's really a possession for possession game. And even though tonight they scored like 72 points in the paint,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
It's just rim run after rim run after rim run after rim run, and you can't – there is no play and beat. So your only hope is to see if there's any individual brilliance that you can get from a Fred or a Dylan or an Ahmed. And you saw what happened in the fourth quarter. Or Dylan hit 10 threes. Yeah. And you saw what happened in the fourth quarter, the last two positions of the game where –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
They're trying to draw up a play for a man. Memphis can already see it coming a mile away. They just pack the paint. You have to kick it out to Fred, who is forced to take a step back three or step back. It's just not great. It's not good execution.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And that's going to cause you issues in April, in May, if you don't have enough firepower, if you don't have enough release valves to find you good to great shots in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
The consistent word I keep getting from them is that they want to ride this momentum out. They're fine with their team. They don't want to break up what's been cooking. The problem with that is because of the age of parity that we live in, who's to say that the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to watch the NBA Finals. Like, they're an injury away from this thing being wide open.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
So if you're the Rockets and you never know what next season will bring, you don't know what's going to happen in the offseason, you know, Fred has a team – has a team option. You never know how those negotiations can turn out. You never know what other team in the West is going to come back up. Are the Timberwolves going to finally wake up or Dallas is going to get things right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
This is the best shot you have at having a deep run in the West in years. And it's clear what you need. It's clear as day. Anybody can see what you need. You need a God shooter. And there are a couple out there. Now, obviously, Cam Johnson is hurt. And that's probably going to set things back a while. But there are things out there that you can do with Fielder Rockets. But the issue is...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
are you willing to actually sacrifice some of your young players and your picks and go make a move? You know, it's a two-sided coin because you've gone to this juncture, keeping everything together and retaining your flexibility and, you know, however you want to look at it for the next two to three years, and that's great, but what is your end goal?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
If this is just a feel-good season and you're happy with just getting back to the playoffs and winning a series maybe, then tip your hat. But if your ownership and you're looking at revenue and numbers of what a deep run actually looks like in dollars and cents,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
and you parlay that to a Rockets team that's always been aggressive in terms of scouring NBA, other teams, taking calls, incoming calls, outgoing calls, you make a move. And there's so many things that you can do. Now, I'm not saying break the bank and go get Darren Fox because that's going to cost you an arm and a leg. That was going to be the follow-up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
I was about to ask you, is the guy Darren Fox?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
He's not a shooter, and I don't think he's an email guy in terms of a table setter and a defender that Fred is. Although he is pretty good in the clutch. We've seen he's third and fourth and fourth quarter point scored. That would solve a lot of issues for them, but it also caused a lot of other problems. So it's a pick your poison type of thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And this might be, I might be the only person that thinks like this, but, and this is a domino effect in the event that Darren Fox leaves, goes to San Antonio or wherever. I think they should make a call to DeMar DeRozan. I think now he's not the floor spacer that you probably want, and there are probably maybe better options out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
But if you're talking about half-court proficiency, you're talking about fourth-quarter dominance, if you're talking about leadership, if you're talking about someone who knows how to end a game,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And it might not cost you a lot. It might not cost you a lot. It might not cost you a lot. All right. I'm pretty sure there are better options out there, like maybe go get a – make a call about Herb Jones or Trey Murphy or, you know, one of those 3 and D guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
But if you watch them, it's like their issue – sometimes it actually is their ball penetration at times.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
Like if teams want to wallop them in and he doesn't have the ball handling yet to break that down for a secondary move. Right. Jalen still has to bulk up. And we saw today whenever he tried to go left, Jalen Wells is on his hip. Yep. It's difficult. So you need a guy that's savvy that can get in between the lines and who's kind of an orthodox player. DeMar has been that for years. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Biggest All Star Snubs | Should the Sixers tank?
And I think, Thank you. No, on paper, it's not the sexiest fit because Herb Jones is probably a cleaner analytical fit. But, you know, it's worth a shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Yeah, of course. Steph is incredible. The one thing I saw was that he has the most 20-plus point quarters ever, which is just ridiculous to think about. The Curry flurry, man. It's incredible to watch. I think he's still the number one guy to watch in the NBA. And I don't think that's a hyperbole.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
We're just in a sad place with arena names, period. I agree with you guys that, like, it's always Staples and the new name arena is silly as hell. But the nickname for it is kind of hard. The Crypt. Have you guys heard that? No? Oh, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Yes. Oh, yeah, that's true to the ratings as well. Like it's must watch TV when that guy is just going like that. And it's funny because there was this clip circulating today of him against the Warriors in 2016 and just the flurry that he went on. against that, excuse me, against the Thunder in 2016.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
I was going to say, we could probably get you an assistant coach situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
But it just kind of reminds you of how great he was in his prime and how kick-ass he still is when he gets on that level. The other thing I wanted to mention about Steph, which is crazy because like Jimmy didn't have the greatest offensive game and Steph was just like, no problem.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
I think what people get caught up in is the results versus the actual process of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
People think, all right, it resulted in a three point shot. It resulted in a bucket at the basket. But how did you get to that bucket? Was a handoff? Was it a pick and roll? Was did you cut your way to that basket? And I think law in your piece, you kind of broke down that exact way, like the Cavs. Great pick and roll team, obviously, with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. They are elite.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
They're one of the best offenses in the league. Right behind them is the Memphis Grizzlies, and they don't run any pick and roll. So there's a variety in the way that you can get to things. Well, I wanted to ask you about this because this is something I'm curious about your thoughts on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Is it an education thing for NBA fans to get them to the point to maybe understand that it's not the result or the outcome of a certain possession, but the way at which teams are going through this? And obviously your piece is part of that, but how do we do that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
I got this 22 points in the third quarter, ended up with what four more threes in that fourth quarter to finish it off for them. Incredible stuff, which kind of downplayed a good Paolo game from the magic too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Yeah, he's shooting 44% on threes this season on over four attempts a game. So that's like near the top of the list, if not the top of the list for rookies right now in Quentin Post. And so his size, his ability to shoot, but also, like you said, just be a big body out there for certain lineups has been awesome. And I was looking up some lineup data.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
The Warriors have two looks that they go for now with Jimmy Butler. They have like the Jimmy Butler led lineup, which includes Quentin Post. And that's because you want spacing around him. Jimmy's going to barrel to the basket, et cetera, et cetera. And then they have the Steph Curry lineup, which is, you know, kind of catered towards what Steph can do as an off-ball shooter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
I think they found an identity there with staggering Jimmy and Steph. And to your point about post, like he just adds a three-point shooting element from a big that they do not have. Like they can use him as a guy off-ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Well, first of all, Terrence Shannon is like we've we've kind of described as like bull in a china shop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
But he plays like the Tasmanian devil, just constantly going. And I think that's one of the coolest parts about him. He's an older rookie. So his size and his body is already sort of developed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Absolutely. Which helps in these situations because he can just destroy people at the basket. I think one of the coolest things about him is just like his relentlessness. And that pairs well when you have a team that's trying to come back from deficits because he's not going to give up. He's not going to be a guy who's just going to give up on a possession.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
And so Nikhil Alexander Walker, good two way player. McDaniel's another great defender. They just have guys who can lock in when it's that group. And it causes these weird, funky lineups that force comeback. You add Nas Reed to this situation, and he's shooting and making shots, et cetera, et cetera.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Clark also, the rookie who just got his contract converted, that's another guy who's been locking up. So I really like this Wolves team. They're younger guys. Play these guys more, in my opinion. You know what I mean? Get these guys some reps.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Look, Wolves fans are not going to be happy of you saying that right now because I think that's something. You know, it's funny. They said the same thing. Chris Finch complained about the Thunder getting calls. Well, man, he's going to complain after this one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
It was stuck on the officiating, but I was going to say, yeah, like it's so hard to parse through officiating usually where I just, I sort of disregarded at this point. And I know it sucks to do that, but ultimately it's kind of like the game is the game and you got to play it. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
So if the officiating happens that way, you kind of have to dictate the way you're going to play to what the calls are being made on that. And on any given night that said, like, The Lakers tend to be a pretty good team at drawing free throws anyways, like Austin Reeves attacks the basket. Well, Luka obviously does.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
LeBron is playing the exact same role that Draymond Green does for the Golden State Warriors on defense quarterbacking at all. The anchor safety, that kind of defender for them, weak side rim protector, a guy who's like basically on the backside of everything they do on their switch, everything defense and saying where to go and what's coming from where.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
That is the beautiful defensive acumen of a guy like LeBron. Like he's incredible at figuring out what offenses are going to throw out at you and figuring out how to stop it. And I don't think we've seen it to this level for a pretty long time. Because he's always had Anthony Davis behind him in a Lakers uniform to be able to kind of clean those things up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
Now it's him doing that stuff, which is awesome to see. The other thing I wanted to mention about LeBron, it's like there were a couple times today where I watched him and I'm like, I can't believe this man is 40 years old. I mean, I really can't believe he is a 40 year old man doing this. I've been watching him since I was eight years old and I am nearly 30.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
It's ridiculous to say for a man who, again, 40 years old. I wanted to, to your point about Steph, KD, and LeBron, obviously moving away from the fact that KD and the Suns are not going to be making the playoffs. We're quick to be like, oh, this new era. Oh, this new era. But you're going to get LeBron and Steph in the postseason playing competitive basketball, maybe vying for a championship.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
He's gotten a lot better. Well, yes, not a lot of games under his belt, but also he's gotten a lot better at learning how to create advantages outside of kind of like the double teams that he sees. You know, he's the most double team player in the entire NBA. That stat was going around a little bit earlier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
So just his vision has improved since seeing so many doubles, especially in the post, like draw, kick, you know, corner, easy stuff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph drops 56 | LeBron and Lakers keep rolling
I have so many Luka versus the Clippers memories now that you bring that up. The bubble, the playoff series with him and Kawhi went back and forth, which was an incredible playoff series, if anybody remembers that. How do you feel this, I guess, iteration of it will go with Luka now on the Lakers?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
He hadn't found the three ball yet, but I thought that he had some important rebounds. He protected the rim. They're able to play him at the five exclusively a lot, which I think is really good for them. I believe that was their best lineup tonight was Chad at the five for,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
Yeah, it's funny. He's up for extension, but he's really only played a season and a half of basketball. Pretty good season and a half. There's moments where he looks incredible, and there's others where you kind of see the youth that's there with Chet. But there is something special. He's a special competitor, and I think that...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
a lot of the Thunder success really stems from the fact that he can do a lot of little things for them, that he can turn guys away from the rim, that he can space the floor. You know, he had a lot of good passes tonight. I think that there's a lot of really good things that kind of stem from Chet, and we're just kind of scratching the surface with him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
And I think that, like you said, the best is yet to come for him. And, you know, it's really all about staying healthy, and it's about, you know,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
putting weight on and like that's something that he's probably he's heard since he yeah he knows a kid yeah he knows he needs to do that but that's also something that just comes naturally you know um yeah i know it very well you know as you get older listen We know it just happens. It'll happen. You know, when he's 27 or 28, you know, he's, he's going to be a lot stronger.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
I mean, he's never going to be big, but like Kevin Durant's another guy that kind of has the same body type as him. Kevin never got bulky. I don't think anyone expects him to get bulky, but Kevin got a lot stronger. You know what?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
He's like, I remember when when Shay first got here, he was scrawny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
Yeah. Yep. All defense first team today. J-Dub made the all defense second team. Yep. You know, Shea got votes. Case and Wallace got votes. You know, which, I mean, it all makes sense when you look at this team as what I believe is the most disruptive team of all time. Yeah. Yeah. And it is the, and a lot of people have said this, and it's,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
Showing to be true that like the best thing about any team right now that's left in the final four is the Oklahoma City Thunder defense. That's the best thing that's happening right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
I mean, I gave her a really great engagement ring. Does that count? That counts. We are taking that. I like that. Does that count? Yeah, sure. And in fact, today, it is now my wife and I's 16th anniversary today. Wow. Well, congratulations. Shout out to Amy. Shout out to Amy. The best. Yes. That's awesome. Oh, my God.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
They had the press conference yesterday and getting to see Shea honestly, a little bit uncomfortable because it's, It's weird because you're in this time where there's a lot of intensity and you're locked. You're completely locked in right now to the playoffs, the Western Conference finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
But you're in this moment where you have to remove yourself a little bit and you have to use like you have to reflect a little bit on like what your entire journey has been like. And for the first time since I can remember, we saw Shea cry on stage yesterday talking about his wife. I thought that was really cool. He continues to be completely humble through all of this. You know, it's about
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
Hard work. It's about the people that got him here. He is just continuing to endear himself to Thunder fans, to the city, to Thunder fans around the world with the way that he's handled all of this. And he continues to kind of point to his teammates in which, you know, there's been stories written about these extravagant gifts, like 160K was spent on like every one of his teammates. Rollies, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
They got rollies. They got all this stuff. And he continues to just kind of point to his teammates. He points to his wife. He points to his parents about how he's gotten here. It's been very cool. And it was cool to see him hoist the trophy, to have the crowd behind him. And then he talked about how... he felt like he could actually celebrate what has happened because they won tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
And that was kind of what everybody was wondering about. Like, what's this going to look like? Is this going to give them more energy to go into the game? Or, you know, is it going to zap them? And so they responded very well. And for the Thunder to win tonight, on top of everything else that's happened,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
You know, you could tell that like the most important thing to Shay right now is winning the basketball game. Yeah, because I think it's really hard to celebrate things like that. If you lose and you're going to Minnesota, you know, one one that really changes the tenor of the whole week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
But because it's two heading to Minnesota, I think that everybody's feeling really good about what's going on here in OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
It was a huge game from J-Dub. He had 11 points in the fourth quarter and had some, he had a really big steal. I think that the Timberwolves had cut it to 10. Yeah. And then he stole the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
Yeah. I I don't know how he did that. And then the ball gets up the court, gets in Chet's hands. He misses. Dub grabs the offensive rebound, puts it back in. That was a huge moment. He did miss the free throw. But it was a huge moment in the game because it felt like things were slipping a bit. for OKC and they just continue to find little ways to stabilize.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
I think it was actually a good thing for them because sometimes I feel like you can kind of ride high through a game like this and roll through it and feel like, oh, there's no resistance from this team. And like the fact is, we just haven't really seen the best punch from the Timberwolves yet. No, not yet. We saw a little bit of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
toward the end of the game, I think it was good for them to feel that tension because that's what they're going to feel in game three. This is a desperate Wolves team. If you go down 3-0, you're toast. It's over. It could still go five or six games, but it's over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
I think that it was important for them to feel that tension toward the end of the game and find ways to stabilize and find ways to push it back to 13 again. He had a big 3-2, J-Dub did. It was just really good to see
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Strike Timberwolves + SGA MVP
him play that way and then Chet has been really great at the rim there's been times where you watch Chet you know around the basket and he is kind of going up soft or he can't find an opening and he gets his shot blocked that happened a ton against Denver it just felt like when he got underneath the basket that Jokic was going to block him or somebody was going to block him and he really found you know some dunks tonight he found ways to score around the rim which I thought was really important for him
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
Glück to go. Der schnelle Weg zum Glück. Lotto Bayern. Nimm dein Glück in die Hand. Nur in deiner Lotto-Annahmestelle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
So, you know, the G League is a funny thing because for some players, it's the worst thing in the world. It's like a demotion. But for guys like Reid, it was really a confidence thing. Like, early on, he was playing a bit too timid. Like, he didn't want to...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
have any errors, you know, because, you know, playing for Emil Doka, if you mess up, you're going to be sitting next to him for a pretty long time. So the Rockets brought him in to shoot the ball, right? This was a team that's not a good three-point shooting team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
A big reason why they struggle in the half court, outside of the fact that they run a 1970s offense, is because they don't have enough consistent three-point shooters, right? So sending Reid down to the G League to go play in a similar system, and it was funny, after the game, Joseph Lear, head coach, talked about they didn't just give him the green light.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
A lot of times you see these young players go down and they have the ultimate guns to just be aggressive and take 35 shots if you want. He was playing within the flow of the offense. And I think for Houston, in the times that he's up with the team, He needs to have the same mentality.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
Play within the offense because there are times when you have the ball in half court, they want you to shoot the ball. Don't pass it back to Tariqson or Alperin. Take the damn shot. That's why they brought you in with the third overall pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
So I think it's good for players like Reid to get that exposure and play against lower-level competition just to get the confidence going and to kind of reassure yourself that you can do this because this kid is talented, but... For a long time, he was playing within his head. I just got to say, the mustache got to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
He makes the world of sense in Memphis. When you look at Memphis in their half court, It's Ja and then you have a bunch of tertiary, secondary, like low-level secondary creators and scorers. Like, the reason why they struggled tonight in the last five minutes is because Ja is essentially carrying this entire weight on his shoulders and just begging for somebody...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
That's in the backcourt or the, you know, just to help score. And this was like as much of a playoff style ending that you'll get in a regular season game. And it just felt like they kept running into a brick wall down the stretch. And a guy like Jimmy can take that pressure off of Ja. Like, if not Jimmy, maybe a Brandon. Like, there are guys out there
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
that a team like Memphis should be looking at. This is the age of parity in the Western Conference, right? So if you want to talk about, okay, the Thunder are 1A or 1, it's not a clear-cut finals favorite, right? There are ways that you can improve your team before the deadline if you're Memphis or Houston, right? to kind of shorten that gap. And why not go for a guy like Jimmy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
I understand he probably doesn't want to play in Memphis. Well, I, if you've been to Memphis, you probably don't want to play in Memphis either.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
But it's also a lifestyle. Like, I'm going to tell you a story. I was in Memphis for a game, and I kid you not, the highlight of my Memphis trip was going to Insomnia Cookies on Beale Street. That would be awesome. That's it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
Yeah, and this is more a question for you too, Dave. When you watch Dallas, in their vacuum, they have everything you want from a basketball team. They have ball handlers, creators, they have rim runners, defenders, and they have floor spacers. When you watch them, even the games without Luka, the rate at which they generate good shots in the half court is ridiculous.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
I think they're fifth or sixth right now in half court points per play. they can get a shot off anytime they want to. And I think when you even go back to last year's playoffs, it's pretty much the same Thunder team. I mean, they got a little older, but Dallas beat them in six. And then they added Claire Thompson. Like, I do believe that
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
if these teams were to meet... And as it currently stands, Dallas and Denver is 4-5. I think whoever wins that 4-5 matchup is going to beat the Thunder in round two. That's my hot take. Just because of... You look at, you know, pound for pound, you know, the Thunder are a phenomenal team. I just think that when it comes down to playoffs... You're not going to be able to stop that juggernaut.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
Luka, Kyrie, Klay. I love that so much. And the ex-factor, P.J. Washington. I think it's going to be too much for them. So I do think... I love it. Probably a seven-game series, but I have Dallas edging out Oklahoma City.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
He messed up. And this isn't the first time he's done that this season. You know, when you have a Memphis team that's so good in transition and given how the last five minutes of that game had shaken out, you know, it was anybody's game really for at least a good two and a half minute stretch down there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
I know that Desmond Bain hasn't been playing up to par, but in that situation, and you know, a lot of coaches will talk about the fine line between stopping play and allowing your vets to play, to play on within the set, within the scheme. That one, you could have kept that timeout in the tuck. He didn't need to call right then. I mean, we all saw the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
And after the game, he said, like, I messed up. It was on me. But that's a game you kind of have to win right there at home.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
I think they feel like they have a pretty good matchup with Memphis, considering the fact that if you go athlete for athlete, the Rockets, you know, really win a lot of those matchups. Now, honestly, this is a Rockets team that talks a lot about playing fast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
They don't always tend to do that because, you know, you still have Freddie, you still have Alper and Shingun who like to slow things down more methodical. But tonight... 22 fast break points. They scored 30, I think 31 points off their 20 turnovers. They play fast. They play in a hurry. And playing at that speed for a Memphis team that's still, like you said, trying to incorporate everyone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
They have a lot of depth. You know, you can find your advantages. So I think for the Rockets moving forward, They're going to treat all these games like playoff games. Because right now, you're second in the West or you're third in the West. You're going to be in that upper tier come March, come April. And the game's going to slow down. You're going to have to find a way to get over the hump.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
If you're going to get past the first round series, you probably have home court advantage. There's going to be a lot more eyes on you in April and March than there are right now. But from an internal standpoint, they feel pretty confident about where they're ranked because of the level that they can reach defensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
And that physical, aggressive nature under Yemi Oduke, they want to get into fights, they want to blow it up, they want to get texted, they want to get tossed from the game, they don't care. But they want to be an irritant for 48 minutes. And I think in the playoffs... that's going to come in handy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
I mean, it's got to be Alpern right now, right? If you're looking at... the optimal system for Houston, at some point, it's going to have to be playing through him and allowing guys to play off of him. And I think one thing I've been seeing as of lately, they're using him more as a primary ball handler and allowing guys like a man to screen and roll for him. Guys like Fred to pick and pop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
And just kind of see... If you can use him to get other guys' juices flowing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
Yeah, it's incredible. And like for Alperin, you know, and part of this goes back to the offseason where he had to, you know, get back in shape after being injured for so long. He had to, you know, improve his conditioning because he may talked about...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
You know, if we're going to play this up and down style, you can be the centripetal force of that on both ends of the floor, but you're going to have to be able to run. And if you look at the, I guess, the miles per hour or the distance covered compared to last season, everything is trending up because you're seeing that
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
Alperin understands what's at stake and he understands that this team, for them to get to where they want to, he has to be the beginning and ending on both ends of the floor. So I think given how he played tonight, it was a monster game on both ends of the floor. He comes up with that big block at the end of the game. You know, they're starting to build more trust in him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
I think early on in his career, that was the biggest thing. Like, can we trust this guy that's super talented to kind of take stronghold of this franchise and push us to greater heights? And now you're seeing games like tonight, which are marquee games, even though they're a league pass.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Beal vs. LaVine | Who can beat the Thunder in the west?
You know, this is where you kind of want to take your footing if you're a young player trying to get from point A to point B.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
There's a lot of screening stuff that they do where they'll have LeBron in the short roll and he'll make a bunch of plays out of that. They'll throw him in the post. So LeBron versatility aside, these are two guys that can generate offense at such a high level for the Lakers that they can go on these runs. And we saw we were texting it, you know, while the game was going on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
Yeah, I mean, at the very least, it gives you a different tool to work with. And I think given the playoff situation and like, you know, heading into the postseason, that's at least another look. I'm wondering if you think Deuce also plays a huge part in this equation, because there is some chatter like you should eventually start Deuce McBride just because of that three point shooting volume.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
Is that something you see them leaning into more heading in the postseason, especially now that Brunson might be out a little bit with this ankle injury? Man, that's rough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
Second quarter, Lakers were bad. Like there was no one else that could hit a shot. Austin Reeves, I thought, struggled throughout this game, just wasn't himself offensively coming back from that injury. But they found a way to still get things going in that second half. Part of that. was Dalton connect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
That's what they'll need, man. Look, everybody knows the record of them against the top teams. And tonight was another loss against a top team. How confident do you feel heading into the playoffs with this roster? They're all in. They're all as all in as you possibly can be, basically. Yeah. How do you feel?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
I thought he hit some huge shots, finishing that third quarter, entering the fourth quarter, just being a release valve for the Lakers offense. And that's what LeBron and Luca need, right? They can be all creators in the world, be the best creators they can possibly be, but they need guys on the other end to hit shots. Gabe Vincent did that tonight. Dalton connected that tonight and LeBron himself.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
Right. Like they've come a long way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
yeah it's so easy to play with luca i mean man he can get any guy who can run and jump and just be a solid screener like a lot of easy buckets and that's that's what happens with jackson hayes i think he's been all right defensively too just doing his part uh as a rim protector for the most part i think one of the interesting things for me is like they found a way to be versatile
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
tonight defensively. So they went to their small ball lineup. They went to the big lineup with Jackson Hayes to close, which is like they now have a couple of different looks to what they can do on the defensive side of the ball, which is more intriguing than what we thought initially with this Lakers team of them just being able to go small.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
The Nets were being very physical with Steph, and there was a moment where I think it was Keon Johnson tried to get the offensive foul call, and you could see that Steph was just getting riled up. And he doesn't pull out the night-night for no reason. And tonight, he pulled out the night-night when he hit that dagger shot in the corner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
Jimmy's also an excellent post player. So like a guy who high post area, you can give them the ball and what the Warriors love to run or those split actions off of high posts. Right. So like, In the same role that Draymond Green is in, you can throw Jimmy in there. And to your point, is a much more aggressive offensive player. So you don't have to only worry about the pass.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
You're worried about Jimmy actually trying to go and get a puck.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
He can plug in wherever. And I can't believe people overthought the fit with Jimmy. It's just – He is perfect for everything they want to do because he's so unselfish. He's willing to move the ball. He's a connector. I've heard people talk about him in the same way Andre Iguodala was brought onto this Warriors team, connecting kind of a bunch of actions together. He does some similar stuff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
He's obviously a much better offensive player than Iguodala was back then. But it's just he connects everything they want to do. He elevates their product. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
So the defensive side of the ball, you clearly look at Suggs and missing the point of attack defender that he is. That's clear as day. Right. But I think overall, one of the other things that I look for defensively is their connectiveness on the backside, because they've had moments where Franz and Paolo were great defensively. wing defenders, I haven't seen that as much recently.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
And I wonder if it was because they were so much relying on that point of attack defense and on Suggs being the guy who's wreaking havoc, causing deflections, et cetera, et cetera. So maybe it's just he was compensating so much for some of their flaws on the defensive end that we're now seeing them really blossom and turn into these big issues for them. And
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
Offensively, Dave, I've had the chance to watch this Magic team for the last five games because the Raptors played them twice, and I've caught the last two games for this team. They are so easy to guard offensively. Easy, genuinely easy to guard just because you can dare guys to shoot. They're shooting 30% from three this season. It's just easy to find a solution to guard them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
You can pack the paint, and if they can't drive on you, they can't bully their way to the basket offensively. They're living with outside shots that they're just not making. So it's it's just too easy to guard Orlando right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
And if you're thinking about a play in game or a playoff game where you could be decided by one single game where it's a streaky, you know, we've seen it before in the past where a playoff team will get eliminated because the other team shoots 45 percent. Right. Three. That might happen to this magic team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
You remember when we talk about Jamal Mosley coaching and holding it all together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
What's the solution to that? What do you think is the way that they can fix that with the current version of this roster? That's a great question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka, Lakers keep rolling | Steph goes for 40
They are two versions of the same thing, right? Which is like just these heliocentric offenses that can run everything through them. And LeBron has now added the cool wrinkle of being able to be excellent off of the ball. The catch and shoot three point shooter. Yeah. The catch and shoot stuff like he hit two massive threes in that fourth quarter to help the Lakers get that lead back.