Zena Keita
Appearances
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Yeah, I mean, the way that the Bucs came out was exactly what you would expect in an elimination game. But what I loved about the move that Doc Rivers made was that he went young and he went offense first, or offense forward. You got A.J. Green inserted into the lineup as well as KPJ. And obviously... you think about Damian Lillard going out that removes some offense. All right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
And I love that. It wasn't just Jamal though, right? Like this whole entire series has been a conversation around the Clippers have the depth of talent because they can go both ways. They can give, give it to you offensively, but they can also take care of things defensively. But last night,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Between these two teams, you saw not only Jamal Murray go off, but Russell Westbrook give you this vintage game out of his arsenal. And then on top of that, Aaron Gordon and, of course, the Joker. But really focus on Russell Westbrook. What was he really giving alongside Jamal Murray in terms of balancing that two-way attack for the Nuggets?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Now you've got a three point shooter, AJ green coming in there. You needed some defense. You needed some verve to you. And that's exactly what the bucks look like. They got into a 20 point lead early in the first half, 30 to 13 in the first quarter. Like that's exactly what you want out of an offense. Then you, In the second quarter, it all unraveled.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
That's why I'm asking you that question, because I feel as if there was this energy between the two of them, this connectivity that usually, of course, we see with Jamal working off of Jokic. But there was this this attitude, this demeanor, the swagger with the way that Russell was showing up that I think infected his counterpart and Jamal Murray.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
It was like Indiana remembered, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What are we doing? We have more talent on our roster. Our depth is there. And also the minutes discrepancy. You look at what the Bucs had to do in terms of their starters and the minutes that they had to put up in comparison to Indiana. Indiana went five deep out of their bench. That played about four minutes in the second quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I think there's also more to it than just James though. You could look at it from an offensive perspective. There's James, there's Norman Powell who had five of 12, one of five from three, you know, 12 points isn't enough production out of Norman Powell. We've seen him take a lesser load offensively with Kawhi Leonard back into the mix, but still he's someone that could go off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
You can't expect Chris Dunn to go six or seven from the floor, particularly three or four from three. That is not usually his MO, but I think there's more to be said offensively for more players on this scene than just James Harden. But my thing is the defense. This is supposed to be the Clippers bread and butter. That is the fact that, yes, Denver is offensively talented.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
It was still supposed to be harder to score against this Clippers defense. What went wrong? How do the Denver Nuggets in the last two games, how have they found themselves up 22 points late in the game
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
So while the Bucs were gassed, trying to keep up with the pace that they had set in the first quarter. Indiana was like, OK, cool. We got you a whole bench mob coming at you. Obi Top and everyone was just going at the Bucs in transition. It was it was exactly what Indiana has done all season. And they played two way and they disrupted.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Dave, did I say this? That their offense looked like it was flawless?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
It just couldn't miss.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Yeah, I mean, you think about the clutch time to end the regulation, four quarters. Tyrese Halliburton... It wasn't just his offense. Like the sequence was crazy. He gets a block and gets a ball to Neesmith who gets two points. Then he gets a steal that, excuse me, blocked and steal. Then that gets to a Neesmith layup. Then he gets a driving layup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
goes up to 99-101, trying to get everything back in order. He is taking control. Then he gets free throws and he makes it 101-103. Then he gets the driving duck to end regulation. This is all a sequence of Tyrese Halliburton. Then you go into overtime and you go into that iso play at the end of the quarter and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Indiana knew that they had some hot hands around Tyrese, but they also know that Tyrese Halliburton likes to go right. And they went one-on-one against Giannis and Giannis overstepped. He went too far trying to shade him to the left and crossover. It was between the legs, crossover, crossover, right. And Tyrese Halliburton gets the easy layup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
It was surreal that it ended that way, especially after the night that Giannis had. After the night that Gary Trent Jr. had, it was just tough to watch the Bucs go down that way. And I know it hurt to go down that way to Tyrese Halliburton, who I've been talking all series long.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I commend Giannis for the poise that he showed in just staring at Mr. Halliburton as he is taunting him. Mr. Halliburton with a towel with his son's face on it saying, you know, this is what the F we do, et cetera. And it's like, I get it. You're excited. This has been tension building up overall. But guess what, Mr. Halliburton? You aren't playing. You were sitting courtside the whole time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Doing well, Dave. How are you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
So you need to mind the fact that it was your son that won that game. Go hug your son. Go. Y'all ain't won nothing yet, by the way. It's just round one. That's important to note. But I really do commend, you know, not only the restraint that Yana showed, but also the thoughtfulness and the response when he was asked in the presser. The immigrant humility is a real thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I've experienced it within my own family. And I understand when you don't want to do anything to rile others up. And when you have that sort of humility kind of ingrained in you, when you see others contemplate Completely go against that and be brash and be crass and just be in your face and you show restraint. It's just like, oh, I know he was fuming. I know he was angry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
And so I respect him a lot for not elevating it even further to what it could have gotten to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I feel like the Celtics look fine. I feel like they look like the reigning champs that are kind of like, okay, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. We knew it wasn't gonna be a cakewalk, but we still have the chops to figure out how to get it done. And that's what you saw. Like every single game to magic credit to them came out swinging.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I mean, almost in every single game, they found a lead in the first half and their offense was flowing. Everything was going. And then at some point in every single game of this series, you saw the difference between experience and, And of course, Franz Wagner has talent. Of course, Paolo Bancaro has talent. But the talent won. Their depth was deeper on the Boston side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
But the experience was bigger. Because let me tell you right now, the way that the Celtics adjusted their game significantly Throughout this entire series, it wasn't just that they had less threes. Even in the postgame presser last night, Joe Mazzulla said that they had a higher free throw percentage rate than their regular season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
They also changed the way that they attacked the basket and drew fouls. Every single aspect of their game throughout this series was, we can't just be the regular old Celtics that every season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
all season long what do people say about the Celtics all they do is shoot threes and so you saw experience you saw we know how to get this done um come out and so I'm not too I'm not too concerned about the Celtics we also saw that they can do it without their stars playing Jalen Brown sat a game Jason Tatum sat a game like this is this is what you can expect out of a team that has this level of depth um so we'll see what happens in the next uh the next series but yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
They got it done. They get some rest, which is good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I love the Pistons last night. There was I mean, the two players you just mentioned, great examples of just the resilience of the Pistons. Kate Cunningham had four points. in the first half, couldn't hit anything, couldn't get anything going, but was still active on the defensive end, still involved in getting steals and getting things going for his teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
gets 20 points in the second half, takes the onus on himself to get the offense going and take them to towards the fourth quarter when the Knicks were knocking at their door and saying, we're trying to go up here. Then you look at Asar Thompson. I almost said I'm in because, you know, they're playing the Warriors right now. I'm in Thompson, but Asar Thompson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
He has averaged about seven points against the Knicks this series. He averaged about 10 points in the regular season. He matched his career high against the Knicks last night, all in the paint. He went eight of 10 in the paint and then also shot free throws there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
the athleticism that comes out of the two twins but you're starting to see asar thompson really bloom he already had a late start because he had that clot situation the blood clot situation earlier on this season so i feel like we're late to the story of asar thompson but he is just as athletic just as capable of scoring and just as disruptive as his twin and that is really the core and essence of what this defense in detroit did to jaylen brunson i mean dave
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Jalen has averaged 30 points in the series. Hit 16, 17 last night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
Forty three minutes on that floor and was needed for every single one of them. And you're right. He plays Carl Anthony Towns not only because he's faster and he has the athletic aspect to it, but he's smarter than I think Jalen Duran's. I think sometimes Jalen Duran kind of relies on his athleticism.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
But Tobias Harris plays his angles really well with Carl Anthony Towns and pushes him out of his comfort zone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
I am. And I do want to give credit to OG and Mikael because they did step up. I mean, both of them had like eight and ten points last game. They stepped up there in the teens. They're providing more offense, especially considering the bench was non-existent for the Knicks offensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
But in an environment like that, where Detroit has this chip on their shoulder, I absolutely believe that Detroit is capable of Especially after that call the other night. And you guys played it well. You guys explained it very well. It was like eroding the faith in the institution. I like the way you put it, Dave, in terms of the last minute call and that bad foul.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton’s game winner finishes Bucks + Is Playoff Jamal Murray back?
With that foul and now getting this win and forcing game six, I think Detroit has just enough...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Well, I'm happy you mentioned the league-wide aspect because, of course, Steph Curry's protege, Darren Fox, has been a new name thrown around. Not necessarily someone I would think of as a number two in Golden State, but particularly someone that definitely shakes up the market overall for a lot of folks. I know you've got that news and Sam Amick's been talking about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
What's going on with the Darren Fox situation and the destination we're hearing that he might want to go to?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
I'm curious about what your thoughts are on. You mentioned the 7'4 reason. What do you think the fit will be for De'Aaron Fox out in San Antonio?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
In comparison to what?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
I mean, just imagine what that pick and roll would look like. Someone with the first step of De'Aaron Fox having the opportunity to go off of a big screener like a Wemby and then have Wemby popping out to the three or the short roll as an option. I mean, it's dangerous what could happen for the Spurs offense specifically.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
And then on top of that, I mean, we can't act as if there's not all these other pieces around Wemby that could also spur something. Pun intended. Spurs have been going for the Spurs. Stephon Castle is so exciting to play with right now. Imagine De'Aaron and him in the backcourt. There's a lot of good that can happen from him particularly going to the Spurs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
But right now, Dave, my thoughts are with Sacramento. Because when you think about what De'Aaron Fox has meant to the Sacramento fan base, what he's meant to that team since he was drafted in 2017, right now, DeMontis Sabonis would not be with the Kings if had not been for Fox. DeMar DeRozan wouldn't have signed in the offseason if it wasn't for Fox.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Malik Monk, his Kentucky teammate, signed for less money to stay with Fox. That's right. And now they've been 10-4 since Doug Christie took over at the helm and De'Aaron wants out. That's demoralizing for Sacramento overall. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
They just never stop fighting. I really love the fact that- Literally and metaphorically in the game. I was just going to say, Bad Boy Rockets were on display a little bit during that Atlanta game as well. But I love the fact that this is now two games in a row that Ahmed Thompson gets to display just how crucial and valuable that he is to this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Obviously with that big scoring career high game against Boston. And then also in this game, really showing up more defensively in this game. But then the switch off was Jalen Green.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
It was like, if you want to showcase who's the most athletic on this team, is it Ahmed? Is it Jalen Green? The way that he was getting to the paint, finishing above defenders, above the rim. I mean, it was fun to watch him. Now, Houston does have an issue of blowing leads. Right. They blew a 16-point lead, and it came down to the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
But luckily for them, I mean, Atlanta went on a four-minute drought. Then Houston went on a four-minute drought. But again, luckily for them, they had Jalen Green to kind of pull them out of it. Dave, I... I don't know. I'm looking at the fact that Houston took care of business against the Celtics. They took care of business against the Cavs twice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
And now, you know, yes, this is now six games in a row for Atlanta that they've lost. But Atlanta is a good team. Yeah, they're tough. They're tough. And I'm looking at Houston like they're pretty formidable second seed in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Yeah, we're doing something a little different. I mean, typically I go on with our writers. We talk about what's going on in college, what's going on in WNBA, whatever's going on around the world of women's basketball. But we like to have these kind of athlete all access type of additions that we're doing something really new and different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Right. Right. Playing in the G League. Yeah. You know, they've got pieces. Yeah. Yeah. I think Imei Odoka like proved how much he's rocking with his team by the fact that they just played a crazy game against the Celtics and were clearly tired tonight. And Imei Odoka was like, play through it. They were still having to play through in the first half. But I think there's something that's.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
going to be apparent against the Memphis Grizzlies. And that's going to be Houston's ability to disrupt. We've been talking about Memphis's offense being a lot more read oriented this year than ever before. And when you look at what they did against Atlanta, they kept Atlanta to just 19 assists last night. Atlanta averages 29 assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
They've got the wings to be able to wrap those passes through and get through, but not against Houston. So I think that will be Houston saving grace against Grizzlies is just being able to disrupt whatever offensive rhythm they're trying to get going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Yeah. I mean, Philadelphia had a career high or season high, excuse me, in points in the second quarter and points in the first half. And that was also Tyrese Maxey's high of points in the second quarter. But what happened in the second quarter? First quarter, AD goes out. Your rim defender, your rim protector goes out. Abdominal strain.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Second quarter, top of the second quarter, your best second defender, Dorian Finney-Smith, had four fouls. This is going to be an issue that is recurring for the Lakers. If AD is not in between Dorian Finney-Smith and Jackson Hayes, the defense has to be better. It's got to be less sloppy, especially on the second night of back-to-back. I looked this up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Dorian Finney-Smith averages about 1.8 fouls per game on any given night. When there's no days of rest,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
three fouls a game right so it's just like that's significant that's not a small number like you got to clean it up especially because this this is not going to be your last back-to-back there's going to be games like this in the playoffs right so you got to make sure that you're clean about it and it was so obvious that philadelphia was like oh you don't have any defenders go at the basket all day long it was easy we had another blowout by the way unexpected
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
We have actually a narrative story coming out about a pivotal player. Notre Dame being one of the top college women's basketball teams in the country. And right now in the center of their whole thing is a freshman post player named Kate Koval. And she's a top prospect going in and already making her mark, but she's got a crazy story.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Isn't Portland's motto is keep Portland weird? And I do find it weird. They're keeping it weird, okay? Because I do find it strange that we're not talking more about Danny Avia. The way that he is a floor general and also with size, he can push the ball up in like less than five bounces, gets into the paint and then distributes well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
And what was so pretty about his game tonight is that he kept setting up, even though he only had two assists, which was crazy, he kept setting up his teammates and particularly Anthony Simons, who looked like Damian Lillard out there. The way that he was pulling up in traffic and transition and just hitting some shots. I mean, he had Chris Middleton.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Yeah, he was going at Dame, too. And it was crazy that at the end of the game, he was saying to Stephanie Reddy that he works out with Dame in the summer and that a lot of his success could be attributed to Dame Lillard. I'm like, sir, you look at his game on the court. It's crazy. It reminds you of someone. It reminds you of Agent Zero. And it was really fun to watch the two of them go at it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
It's been fun to watch that entire team. We also haven't even talked about Toumani Kamara. And that is my Malian West African brother showing up. OK, putting all of his athletic ability on display. He's one of the best defenders in the league that no one's talking about. That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
He's constantly disrupting things, hands in passing lanes, making things difficult for the best opponents across from him. I mean, he is so much fun to watch. And that's the entire team. Shaden Sharp, Tumani Kama, DeAndre Ayton, Donovan Klingin coming off the bench. I mean, I'm having a lot of fun watching the little hidden gem up in the Northwest. That is Portland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
Pay attention to them on League Pass, y'all. Y'all have fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kings open to De’Aaron Fox trade | Maxey’s 43 rocks Lakers
She's actually pursuing a pro career after leaving her home country of Ukraine as it's in the middle of a war, obviously with Russia, many of you know. And we spoke to her exclusively about what her experience has been, what her family struggle has been like. And it's a really touching story and a really special story. And I'm excited for you guys to listen to it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
You know, these guys have like so much money. You can't. I mean, you know, like I don't know if you really have to think about it. It's more of a how do I make sure I'm not bored? when I'm done. Right. And can maybe buy a yacht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And Tim Duncan just wants to do jujitsu and wear like big jeans. Yeah. People have different dreams, but Tim Duncan never has to worry about the cost of jeans going up. Because all that money, right? Like, so inflation doesn't affect them, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Well, the Knicks did it too. Actually, it's been fun in the playoffs. It feels like... That was cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
You made fun of me for wanting this series because you called me old. Because this is like... The 90s series. But all these guys that you're loving to see are from the 90s, right? Hey, I got my early 2000s. They should do an old-timers game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Night of the Dragon. Yeah, everybody. Luka and Jokic on the same team. It's a sick game. Pretty fun. Yeah. Everybody was there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
between the two. Cause it's not like Paul George for sure. What do you mean, worst market? Worst market for what?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, trade market. I mean, it's probably Paul George, right? I think it's because of the contract.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
A good team might be more likely to trade with Paul George.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And like, that just wants to hang out in the play-in, you know, who would like that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I'm done with that game. I'm done with that game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
This thing, though, where you can have... Sabonis at the four with a stretch five like we've seen it. We've seen multiple iterations of it. It just does not work. It doesn't. He has to play the five and he has to stretch. And then the thing is they just haven't figured out, no coach has figured out a defensive scheme where he can be average.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
So like, like with Jokic, you know, there's a lot of talk about him protecting the rim. I actually think he protects himself from fouls, right? He plays the ball low and things like that instead of playing up at the top. He also, you can have him hedge and jump out on a screen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. And yeah. he's seven too. Right. And, and, and just as good, or if not better of a rebounder, um, you know, Carl Anthony towns, even like we saw last year, like there is a way that you can have him guard and you, you know, he does work with, with that roaming big behind him. Yeah. Um, but with Sabonis, you just, I haven't seen him be able to defend in space.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I haven't seen him protect the rim. I haven't seen him, you know, strip the ball. Like he doesn't have great hands. He has awful feet. I mean, it's like he plays in motorcycle boots. They don't really flex, right? Like at the ankle or snowboarding boots would maybe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And it's, it's just, you can't like, he's a, he's a backup big at this point, in my opinion, for a team that's trying, if you're trying to win a title or, or be like a home court advantage around that guy. And it's funny. Cause the Kings have like three of those guys right now. Wow. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, but if they spread, I think actually the Kings are in a position where they, they could maybe read, they could retool their team a little bit. Like they've got DeMar DeRozan. I think some teams could be interested in him. So bonus, like there's a home for him somewhere.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
That is impressive. It's like small market baseball teams where they're – Yeah, it's like we're going to win on the aggregate. The Pacers are like the Marlins but with stable ownership.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And now I'm thinking about this graphic because Atlanta has sort of done this, but without the stability, uh,
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
and and they haven't really landed like I mean Trey Young is is a really good player right like they have Trey Young they had Clint Capella um they found Jalen Johnson I mean they they wound up with with Risha Shea but they've sort of done this I mean it's actually this this graphic is very eye-opening um when you consider the dollars spent to the playoff wins like that's a
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
$400 million for that. By the way, we got to start throwing the coaches' contracts in here when they get fired. $400 million on the payroll, yes. But also, how much is Bud getting paid for the next few years? Ishbia, please hire us. Mike Brown in Sacramento. Just walking away with money. That's the move. And then you go get an assistant job or you go do TV. Double dip. It's a pretty good scenario.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
See a lot, but it's really good culture. And I've brought this up quite a bit. Like they almost have this, like, it's like their offense is anarchy. You don't know who's going to do what. The roles even are, are interesting. You know, like think about how much Halliburton he plays off the ball. He's almost playing like 0.5 basketball, but he's the point guard. And that is extremely rare.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
It's like Steph and Tyrese Halliburton, basically.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
How many second guards are trusted to hit that mid-range pull-up? Not that many. And Nembhardt. He kind of kept them in some of these games from the mid-range. The game they wound up losing, the only offense they had going for a little bit was his mid-range. Obviously, Siakam gets to post up. This team has got a really good ego about it, and it seems like they're all in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
It's not as maybe pronounced as OKC with the group interviews and whatnot, but it does seem like this team is pretty tight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Well, it's different than the Knicks, where everyone stands around watching Brunson hoping the ball finds him. I mean, Siakam is such a perfect example of sacrificing for the team. When he's playing with Halliburton, he's spacing out to the corner off, and he's a release valve.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And then when Halliburton goes to the bench, that's when he starts to work for those mismatches and post-ups, and they slow things down a little bit. Guys get their legs back under him, and he's just willing to do anything, including playing defense. He's been guarding Carl Anthony Towns. Like Pascal Siakam is still their best player to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
He gets pushed out of Dallas. Yep. Where he's coaching, you know, Luka Doncic and that whole situation, you know, with the the analytics folks and everyone sniping at each other and he gets handed the keys to the franchise. And this is a team that plays, this is like a Rick Carlisle team. I actually saw someone compare them to the 2011 Mavs, which is, which is interesting, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Like I I'm, I'm on, I mean, Halliburton is really ascending right now, but he's still their best player to me. And part of it is because of what he's willing to give up. Like we know that he's this all-star level, all NBA level player. And, and he, Kind of tones it down, and he brings it up when they need it. I think, again, man, I'm really impressed with this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
It's a funny thing to have watched them, and I was disgusted by them at points last season with the defensive effort and whatnot. But they've changed in that regard. They have changed completely. Like November or December. I mean, Andrew Nembhard really did change everything for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Needs you to do basically. Right. So, I mean, I would say the Pacers scheme honestly is like to, like to credit here. And then the energy and intensity from the guys around Halliburton also, and Halliburton getting himself into the right spots. Like you, you talked with us the other night, so much peel, so many peel switches.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
So many scram switches. They're, they're getting Halliburton out of there. And everyone is locked in and knows their job, knows their assignment. And Halliburton, again, to his credit, four steals in the game. Think about the plays that he was making. He sees opportunities. He's not a big fouler, right? So he's using the opportunity here. He's like, okay, I can be a little bit more risky.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I, I would, I don't think it's a real good comparison, but when you consider the, the, the different pieces that he's using, And especially all the guards, right? Like Ben Shepard getting all this run. That's Rick Carlisle. Like you can imagine if Devin Harris would fit right into this team, right? One-time all-star, Devin Harris.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
They're getting me off the ball. Who cares if I pick up four or five fouls, right? Like, cause he's not going to foul out. You don't worry about that as a coach. So he's able to dive in there, get those steals, you know, get his hands on some balls.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And then also like some of the fouls he was able to make, like, think about like the layup that he saved, you know, where he grabs, I think it was OG and getting a layup, right? Like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
stuff like that i they have really maximized what he can do defensively without exhausting him and so on the other end he's able to do all this hopping and skipping which is why everybody hates him without like turning the ball over it's two minutes left in the fourth quarter and he's like skipping down the court and you just want to like yeah it's like you hate his guts i get it
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
also you just kind of wonder and i know some more of the knicks have played but like how hard it is to be on a team where you just know you don't have a there's no way i'm right no path it's like there's no way you're what getting on the court playing in the game sure sure sure i mean james johnson had his grills in so last night we noticed that right we were like are those just his teeth now or i think they're grills i don't know maybe they're caps i don't think so but that's
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
So I don't know. But he knows his job in there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
He does. He's just an enforcer. Who never has to enforce anything. That is it. He's like Chuck Norris of the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, he came off at the end of the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And so I would start with that. Like Rick Carlisle and his sort of imprint and identity. Like we've said for years, he's one of the best coaches in the league. I think it's time to start thinking about this guy as one of the best coaches of all time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I think that was in the Cleveland series. He did that one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
It's an earned reputation. I'm just saying he's got a great job. Yeah. Former Raptor legend. Just saying.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, there's only been 150, 160 players there. Yeah. Yeah. Probably. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I just assumed everybody's a legend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Hey, Doc's a good coach, man. Doc's got a good track record. He's a good coach.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Rick Carlisle, that's a different thing. And I would start there. I think that landing Rick Carlisle really is what turned the franchise around. I mean, the players obviously win the games, but – You know, having that guy in place for a rebuilt like think about it for for a team that's kind of turning things over that that's extremely rare.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. I also just don't, I mean, I don't want to relitigate Kawhi and Paul George, but man. Yeah, we don't need to do that. Yeah. Like Kawhi wasn't going to sign with the Clippers if they didn't trade for Paul George.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
You can't just form a... I don't know. That's a pretty good Tony Parker, Manu, and Tim Duncan. Well, if they wanted to play that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I knew when I saw him at Hoop Summit when he was coming out of high school. No, I mean, honestly, you know what?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
OKC's development has really paid off with them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
three, 34% from three, I think his entire life up until, you know, like the last two years. And, and in the mid range, he's like been around 38, 40, right? Like that's pretty good. Um, when you consider how they're guarded and then he's a great free throw shooter. So I always assumed he would, he would find the range. It's honestly, it's the feel of the game with the ball in his hands.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
That's the stuff that separates him and differentiates him. And where does that come from? I don't know yet. Like, I mean, I, you know, I've been in a lot of gyms and I, I haven't figured that out. Like where that comes from. I think it's reps and experience and those years where they weren't very good, but they're like, Hey, here's the ball. Go out there and go try some stuff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
He obviously has the skill, right? Like that was pretty obvious that, you know, if he was going to be a secondary guy, like if he was going to play the two, like Andrew was saying, he was always going to be a secondary creator, right? It's just that this next level of being able to get to every spot, even though he doesn't have what you might think by the eye test is an elite first step. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
But John horse only signed a three-year contract. So, you know, just go ahead and do it. You know, like life is short.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
They want draft and stash, right? This is a team that could totally bring back the draft and stash. They've got a lot of options. This is part of what's going to keep them sustainable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
They've made smart trades, and not just the Shea trade. Every single other one, they've just touched the right buttons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
It takes organizational alignment. It's incredible. They're a championship-level team. The coaches are making the difference here because the coaches in OKC, and I think the vision probably comes from Rick Carlisle, uh, myself, but I think in OKC, the vision of Sam Presti is expressed through the way Mark Dagnall coaches. I mean, this is why they're playing so many guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, we're going to hammer depth for the next six months. Um, as we talk, you know, unwrap this playoffs, but it is, it is going to take that like the right coach, uh, for the right team with the right front office, but the coach, I do think it again, Tom Thibodeau is being exposed again, right? Like the same stuff we've been saying for years and years and years, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Like this, but right now is I think when it is the most apparent that if you don't have nine guys, 10 guys in the playoffs that you can trust, it's just going to be harder and harder and harder to win. And, and, you know, you tip your cap to them for winning this way. but it's a difficult way to do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Some of these guys are really good at basketball. And I really like, we've never seen this level of talent is really what it is. They've never played at this pace. They've never had to defend this much space ever. It's again, we can go into how this is also an argument for fewer games and all these other things because yeah, you know, it's going to be more detrimental to these guys' bodies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
But the truth is like the game has never been this intense. And to ask seven guys to go out there and give you all the minutes that you know, it's just unrealistic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Well, if Adam is going to get that job, I think it's just there. That's a continuity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
So it's just continuity. I mean, to the, to the point about coaching, like, and a new guard, I mean, I think everything's become so standardized now that the younger coaches are just a little bit better. Like you said, S at relating to the players. I mean, there is an age gap and I, and there's a point where coaches probably age out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I would guess that gap is getting smaller and smaller just with the way that the world works. And then it's a, it's a very competitive job, like an environment. And there are coaches that are fantastic that you never heard of. Right. At every level. But you look at stuff like what Memphis did. They went out and they found their next coach before they got rid of their old coach.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I think that's what we're going to see even more of. The Bucs did it with Doc. That's a weird way to do it. They didn't go find a younger guy. They got rid of a younger guy. But I think that what you're going to see is, again, more organizations looking for that alignment. all the way through the coach where, hey, you're doing what we want you to do. And that's what we're going to see in Memphis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
They're going to be playing a faster-paced style. They've got to figure it out as far as how these guys are going to survive it. But this is the future of the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Front office is being expressed through the coaches.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Like if it's like 15 coaches now, and that doesn't count support staff that are in the film room, trying to become coaches is an industry. It's why I'm happy to be in this one. It's, it's just as competitive, but you don't get fired as much, you know, it's a, you know, it, Yeah, it is a different world and it is a lot more corporate than I think people would understand.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And but for the guys that get to break through, I mean, I just wish we would get some real revolutionaries breaking through who are like changing the way things are done on the court rather than those guys never get credit. It's hard, right? Like it's it's just impossible. I mean, we'll see what happens again with Tuomas is all in. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
In in Memphis with his because he's got a little bit of a different style offense. But I want to see who's the next defensive guy like the offensive brains always get all the attention. It's a lot like football, right? These guys that were coaching high schools like it was Madden. They started getting college football jobs and now they've worked their way into the NFL.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I want to see where's the next coaching guy coming from? Is it going to be me bringing back the Amoeba defense? Am I going to have to be the one to do it? I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
So this is a team that... This is an ethical title run. They are so ethical. The most ethical title run in NBA history. Well, I'll say this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Jeremy Lamb now running the freaking Kings. Jeremy Lamb. By the way, let's not overlook the Pascal Siakam trade as far as like the thing that kind of – Siakam trade is huge. I think the Siakam trade gets them here, right? Like Halliburton, that's a good floor, and you're going to grow into something. Yeah. But the thing that got them to the present today – Yeah, he was the final piece, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
And pulling the trigger on that, I mean, that was a little bit of a risky move, I think, for the Pacers. Because, again, when you look at their team, it's clearly going to be built on depth and future flexibility, and they kind of gave that up. to put their chips in. And I mean, think about some of the fluke conference finals runs that we've seen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, um, you now say in, in hindsight, the Mavs run, uh, the previous, you know, years now that they, once they made the finals after, okay, maybe not a fluke, but like the Hawks making the finals. I was looking at last year's Pacers team. Like it might've been a fluke. And now all of a sudden it's, you're saying, Oh, well, I wonder how long can the Pacers last? be at this level, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Like maybe next year, this is a, you know, this is a one or two seed if they stay healthy. And I think they would have, I mean, it feels like they would have been in, you know, battling maybe Boston for the two seed if they had been healthy all year. I mean, coming back, like flip the switch for them. So I don't know. It's an interesting world where the Pacers are this good, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Andrew is just trying to tank as many franchises, get as many coaches fired around the league as he possibly can.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
What if OKC didn't pull this thing off? Could they talk themselves into Kevin Durant? Get a reunion? What's the name of the steakhouse he used to own?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. never knew that that's what i learned i wish it was like i wish it was like a a small k big d like
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Listen, I think all these guys – look, athletes have been throwing money into restaurants forever. What is the best athlete restaurant? Can we – does anybody know that? I would never know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Is that my – I know Wayne Gretzky also has some – It's been running for years. Don Shula had a place, right, in Miami?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I have heard about Michael Jordan Steakhouse. We lost Zena.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, there's like Shula's – isn't that – Isn't that a place?
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
I say it like I regret it, but no, I mean, I just.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Really close to the arena there. Yeah. Cool. That's the move, right? Look, to me, it's kind of like Cheers, right? Be the former athlete. Be the bartender. Be sober. But be the bartender. Hang out. Throw watch parties. Start a podcast like it's 2025. You could turn it into – I mean there's a great model for that in Denver. You turn it into like a studio. You can have a nice little thing going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How did we get here? | Morning Shoot Around
Instead – How much do you think there's –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
I had a really great Sports Sunday, you know, just got to watch the French Open all day. And luckily the Knicks Pacers game that wound up being insane was kind of a late start. So got to watch all the French Open stuff that day. I also want to share some exciting news with everybody. We're excited to welcome the Tennis Podcast. Vielen Dank.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Look at the difference in the amount of space Brunson creates when Ben Shepard's guarding him. And even Nembhard, I mean, just, and he's with size also. I mean, he's just bigger and able to lean on him. Yeah, exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
best defense the knicks played was in that third quarter when they started cooking getting to the free throw line and they could set their defense and they kept the pacers in the half court pacers kept swinging but without driving and putting two feet in the paint and they just weren't getting looks i mean it played right into what the knicks wanted them to do um i i just want to swing ahead to game five i mean look it's three one
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
It's rare that we see a comeback. Carl Anthony Towns kind of hobbled there at the end of the game. Any kind of news on that front or we got to wait?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Check out the Tennis Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Probably wherever you're listening to this one, you're going to be able to find that pod. So I'm pumped for that. I love tennis. It's actually one of my favorite sports. So I'm excited to have the Tennis Podcast here at The Athletic. Zena, Pacers are up three games to one. We got the Thunder up three games to one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
could make or break the next season. We'll all keep our fingers crossed. I'd love to see a 3-1 comeback. This would be a great series to keep going. It's been a lot of fun. That's going to do it for the show, folks. Thanks to Fred for hanging out late and staying up with us. Thanks to Zena Keita, as always. I'm Dave DeFore. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
It's looking like we're going to get a Pacers Thunder Finals, just like we all predicted.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
It's gonna be a lot of fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Yeah, there's a lot of people who tend to, you know, they're looking at the NBA and they see these matchups and they're thinking about the cities for some reason. Look, if you're gonna go to these games, I'm assuming that the games are the big draw.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
But otherwise, if you're watching from home, I mean, I don't understand why it matters, whether it's the Knicks or, you know, some other big city made it to the finals. So, Zena, Tyrese Halliburton hatte ein großartiges Spiel. 32 Punkte, 15 Assists, 12 Rebounds, 4 Steals, keine Turnovers. Er ist der beste Spieler in dieser Serie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Look, I've hit him pretty hard for what I find to be his defensive failures, but the guy made plays defensively in this game and has actually held up pretty well in the playoffs for the most part. Fred Katz, after the break, gets into some of the stats.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
The Knicks don't really attack Halliburton all that much, but part of that is because the Pacers keep him out of the action and put him in a position to succeed defensively. They get The guys who can guard a little bit better. You mentioned just the fact that he pushes the ball after makes, after misses, after every single possession.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
He's running down the court, they're looking ahead and this egalitarian offense that they run. Some nights it's going to be
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
andrew nemhardt taking the big shot um they're just when you have a guy who's that good and that willing to share the sugar with everybody i i just think it's like very easy to put together a good office i i thought rick carlisle made a good point when he talked about how he's essentially finding all this stuff in the flow of their regular offense this isn't like they're just breaking things out and it's quite the contrast when you consider the knicks where jalen brunson you know look he has these heroic games where it's just
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Every single shot is, you know, it's seven seconds worth of possession. It's 15 dribbles or whatever it is. And he's taking hard shots. So, you know, it is kind of contrasting styles here too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for May 28th, 2025. Coming up, Zena Keita is back and the Pacers are up 3-1. We're going to talk about it with Fred Katz and Zena and I are going to give our own takes on Pacers Knicks. Guten Morgen, alle. Guten Morgen, Zina. Willkommen zurück. Danke.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Ja, ich meine, wenn das die Finale sein wird, auch wenn es die Finale ist. Ich bin wirklich gespannt auf den Basketball. Leute, steckt nach dem Break. Fred Katz, um die Nicks Lose zu den Pacers zu brechen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Pacers take a 3-1 series lead after a 131-21 win over the Knicks. Fred Katz was there. He covers the Knicks, covers the NBA. Fred, um... Down 3-1, not looking great for the Knicks, looking really good for the Pacers. Tyrese Halliburton did something that only three players have ever done with getting the 30-point, 15-assist, 10-rebound, triple-double, but also did it with no turnovers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
How about Tyrese Halliburton?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Well, I mean, the energy difference down the stretch for the Pacers all year has been a thing. And especially in the playoffs, it feels like the last three minutes, they have more energy than everyone. And let's not discount what they've done defensively against Jalen Brunson, because I think that that's a part of it, too. Aaron Neesmith...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Playing on whatever happened to his ankle in Game 3 didn't seem like it affected them all in Game 4. And not only did he score a bunch, but he also thought his defense on Brunson was excellent. Constantly had a body on him. And again, they have guys they can throw. Even Ben Shepard, who didn't have that great of a game defensively, was just physical.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
always touching brunson i think just by by the time you get to game four of that where it's 43 44 minutes of various guys and especially when they're bigger than you like like neesmith i think that that's got to play into it too
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton triple-double lifts Pacers go up 3-1 on Knicks
Er ist ein guter Start-Stop-Athlet, oder?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
After a pretty dominant performance in game one, the Wolves did not get the outcome that they expected or wanted in game two because the Lakers came out early, hit them in the mouth, and the Wolves never recovered. There for us covering it, John Krasinski. John, you've
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Obviously covered this team for years, and this team has had an odd year, but I've never seen them get knocked in the mouth and not recover in a game. That was odd. I've seen them be down by double digits early, but usually they fight back a little bit more than this one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Well, their their defense has been really good. But let's talk about the offense, because the Lakers threw a lot of different looks at them in game two that they didn't see a lot of zone. They were more physical. You know, what are the counters that you expect to see out of the Timberwolves outside of just shoot better? Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Like we all want to just shoot better, but there's got to be more to it than that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Yeah, Alex Caruso had a great game off the bench for them. So that's, you know, again, it's another tool in their toolbox that's, you know, a knife in their knife case that's sharp, right? Like Alex Caruso needed this big game, in my opinion. And I mean, again, Thunder are a machine. So we're probably not going to learn too much about the Thunder for the rest of this series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Well, especially Rudy Gobert. You know, when they tried to isolate and go against him, he holds Luka Doncic to one of four, holds LeBron to O of four. But then the fouls, you know, it hurts not having Nas Reed out there to get the threes up and space the floor. Dante DiVincenzo also had four fouls. Those guys combined for five three-point attempts.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
I mean, just to circle back to your main point, I mean, looking ahead to game three, they just got to get shots up outside of that and then hope they make them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Yeah, you got me really looking forward to this Minnesota crowd. Oh, man. They're tuned up. They're going to be hanging out. They're going to be having drinks. This is going to be a fun time. John Krasinski, you guys can read him over at The Athletic. Thanks for hanging out and staying up so late for us. That's going to do it for the show, folks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
For Shakia Taylor, for John Krasinski, for Zena Keita, I'm Dave Dufour, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
But there were other games last night, so we should hit those. And we're going to go deep on both of these other games. Yeah. We have Shaquille Taylor, who is covering the Pacers during the playoffs. And she was there last night for their big win over the Bucs. They go up 2-0. What did you think about the Pacers' performance in that game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Yeah. Dame basically a turnstile on defense and the Pacers. I mean, like you said, they targeted him. Tyrese Halliburton was just running past him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Just wait again. How you doing? I'm doing great. Another fun night of playoff action. And I do believe we officially have the first dominant 2-0 series lead since the Grizzlies have lost by a combined 70 points. in their two games against the Thunder. Thunder win last night, 118-99.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Yeah. And then and then we saw the Lakers bounce back against the Wolves. You know, I mentioned after the first game, LeBron needed to be felt more. And I thought that his presence was felt not only on the rebounds and and he scored, but defensively, like he really brought it quite a bit. The whole team did that first quarter. They came out. They really they they hit the Wolves in the face.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
The Wolves never recovered.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
And before we get out of here and go to Shakia, our bet MGM pick of the day. Got to ask you, Zena, are the Thunder going to sweep? Yeah. What about the Pacers, though? That's that's the game. That's what you got.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
And also, let's not forget Damian Lillard needs to perform. Guys, stick around after the break. Shakia Taylor to talk Pacers. Pacers followed up their game one dominant performance with a closer game in game two, but another win here to talk about it. The athletic Shakia Taylor, she's embedded with the Pacers, been following them the last few weeks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
They've been the hottest team this year, maybe in basketball. I mean, when you consider just how good they've been since January. And I mean, frankly, I got to start with. their best player or their, at least their star Tyrese Halliburton, the game, he had 21 points, 12 assists, five rebounds. It looked like he was dancing around out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
I guess I should ask you, is he the most overrated player in the NBA? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
And, Zena, there's not a lot that I have to say that I haven't already said about the Grizzlies over the last couple weeks. They're not really very good right now. They're not very connected. Jaron Jackson, you don't really feel him in a lot of games. Zach Eady basically can't play. I sound like a broken record. You got any thoughts on a Thunder win over the Grizzlies?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
It's a real rivalry, right? Like there's real juice there. I mean, and the whole thing, like you mentioned, Zena, the back and forth in game one when Dame was there on the bench and he's like, oh, I'm coming back. I'm going to get you. And Dame came back and frankly, He got got.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
I mean, I think the Pacers not only not only did they attack him on when he was on defense, but they only held him to 14 points, two of eight from three. I want to hit Andrew Nembhardt and the defense that he played. I mean, the two way game, he had 17.6 assists, hit big shots down the stretch. I mean, this team just it just seems like it has a lot of guys who are built for the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
And Nembhardt is number one on my list to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Yeah, he was out of it. I mean, he was taken out of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, the Thunder dominate the Grizz again. We got Shakia Taylor on the Pacers' big win and John Krasinski on the Wolves' loss to the Lakers and how they bounce back. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Zena.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Well, what about with the Pacers? I mean, and what they did defensively, you know, number one, they picked up Dame early. So they were bothering him. I mean, you know, dead legs. He sat a month. They were trying to wear him down. I think they did a pretty good job of that. They also every single time Giannis touches the ball. You talked about their passion, right? Their energy is just palpable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Zeno, we've been talking about how old the Bucs look. And when they were throwing two and three athletes at Giannis, you know, look, Giannis still is going to be Giannis, right? Like he's Hercules, 34 points, right? You can't stop him even in the paint. But you could see that by the end of the game, they wore him down. And then the last possession where they really clinched the deal defensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Three guys attacking Giannis. They're just not really worried about anybody else. I mean, do you think that can the Bucs score enough outside? Let's say Dame has a great game. Giannis has a great game. Can the other guys pick it up enough to get over, you know, one win in this series? Like, is it going to be a five game series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Luka and the Lakers get physical | Are the Bucks finished?
Yeah, I'm sure Eric Name will write something to the effect that Damian Lillard and Giannis should run some pick and roll, right? Try to figure that out. You know, seems simple. Shakia Taylor, go and read her at The Athletic. Go and read the story about the passion of the Pacers. Stick around, guys. After the break, we'll have John Krasinski after the Lakers and Timberwolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Yeah. He's a, he's a talent that can stretch the floor with size and they could also, and defend. I was just going to say his defense against the Knicks last night, he was keeping Jalen Brunson out the paint. It was impressive. But okay. So you got Cam Johnson, Marcus, you and I have talked about this. Like I actually thought the Warriors were going to trade for Cam Johnson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
kind of close the season out. You know what I mean? But they're getting too good with the D'Angelo Russell ad and now Cam Johnson. And when Cam Thomas gets back from his injury, I mean, they're actually really good. What's it going to take for Brooklyn to be like, all right, we're doing too much. Let's simmer down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
A Nas Reed contract. Just like crazy, crazy value for a player that can stretch the floor, play defense and do everything you need on both sides.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Really? You don't like the way they play?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Yes, chaotic is a great way to put it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Do you think that Zach Levine has the same
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
But the thing is, even if you have these picks, it's a matter of who wants these picks. I mean, they're not necessarily something that's incredibly desirable on the market. And then Jimmy Butler, another team's going to have to be involved in order for Jimmy Butler to find their way to Phoenix. And that's what you got to find is that third team that's willing to move some assets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
I was going to say, Boston, not trying to repeat, got the same exact squad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
May have been in the conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
What are they going to get back in order for Jimmy Butler to find his way to Phoenix? I... I think that Phoenix is doing too much. In my opinion, look in the West. You've already got a blueprint settled out for you. Look at what OKC did. Get rid of your stars. Rebuild. Go through the draft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Look at where OKC is now with the talent they have amassed and the arsenal they have amassed by getting rid of their stars. I really think that Matt Ishbia, bite the bullet on Bradley Beal. OK, that trade was not ideal, especially it's not panned out the way you want it to happen. But it doesn't mean it's over. You can start again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
They now have six first round picks, three of which they're going to try and move for Butler. I don't think so. Move KD, see what you can get for him. Move Booker, see what you can get for him. Stick with Nurkic, stick with Beal, and then see what you can do with these picks that you have in your back pocket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Well, it's just with Bradley Beal, you got to consider it's a lot of money to move. And you also have to consider some of the glaring issues that have come out of Phoenix about Bradley Beal's play. I mean, Fred Katz wrote a really great article about the situation that's happening in the Suns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
And one of the clips within The Athletic, you can go see it, is Bradley Beal, mid-play, less than a minute left on the clock, tying his shoes. And it's happened multiple times. These sorts of things where there's just like... I don't know, mental lapses or just not buy in from Bradley Beal. You got to find now a situation which he's bought in all the way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
And you got to find a team that's willing to buy in to that crazy contract of 160 million over the next three years. Like not not ideal financially.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
There absolutely is. And just quickly to touch on the Shea thing, when you talk about those standings, yes, Denver is now one game back from third, you mentioned? From fourth. From fourth, excuse me. They're still like eight games behind one. So that showcases what Shea Gildas Alexander has done with OKC. So there's still a little significant gap in terms of the best player on the best team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
But the case for the best player... has been definitely made with Nikola Jokic. He has been putting up video game numbers. I mean, you already talked about some of these stats. 19th triple-double last night against the Sixers. I'm going to actually list off some of these. Let me take a second really quickly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
So, as you mentioned, third leading scorer per game, third leading rebounder per game, second lead in assists, fourth in steals, as you mentioned. These are also his career bests.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
in steals and assists per game he's also um second leading in three-point percentage with players that have played at least 20 games also his career best in three-point percentage third best offensive rating fourth in second chance points okay second in points in the paint It doesn't stop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
The list is surreal in what he's doing in terms of being a standard bearer for efficiency, for creation, and just for production for the Denver Nuggets to even end up in this position. You know that Denver would not be in this position without him doing what he's doing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Russell Westbrook wouldn't be having this career season that he's having and where he's reviving his name as being a triple-double king as well. alongside Nikola Jokic that looks for him just as much as Russell Westbrook looks for Nikola Jokic. Everything that Nikola Jokic does elevates the Denver Nuggets. And that is probably the biggest case you can make for what qualifies someone as an MVP.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Yeah, they kept it competitive. I am a little disappointed in the way that some of these big national TV games have played out. I mean, between the Cleveland Cavaliers being blown out by OKC last week and then the beating the Warriors took by Boston on MLK Day. Of all days, we're supposed to talk about unity and good competition and fighting. Yeah, it wasn't pretty for them. And then you see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
So the funny thing is, he won't even talk about it. He was asked about it by TNT. Candice Parker asked him about this potentially being his best season despite his previous three MVPs. And he immediately deflects and talks about the game and talks about getting his team and his team getting in the right position for the season. Humility is crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Uh, you know, no pun included there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
borders more than the actual rivalry at play here because like who's indiana's rivalry actually i mean they said so you know who knows there you go right but the thing is if you look at the actual lineups and these are all rivalry games that are going to happen on national television so right Not necessarily just all the games across the NBA, but particularly on these national stages.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
I mean, you know. Hey, that's not what MLK would have wanted at all. But yeah. And then you see Denver just take care of business against the 76ers. It's just like, yeah, some of these games are not panning out the way that the, you know, these TV outlets definitely anticipated. They got to pick it up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
They split them up between what you're talking about, this geographical kind of setups. Like you definitely see the Lakers go against the Warriors. You see the Warriors go against Kings. But then you have some storyline ones that are team based. So, you know, the Bucks and the Heat are going to play. We know that from the 2020 Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
You know that from the first round of 2023. That makes sense from a team perspective. But then there's also these one-on-one matchups. And that's where I think it gets a little bit iffy. For example, last night you had Denver Jokic versus Embiid. This is going to be interesting, the way the NBA set up. John Morant versus Zion Williamson. And I'm like, is this a rivalry? It's South Carolina.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
I didn't know this was breaking down like that. Number one pick versus number two pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
Yeah. And so I don't know. Which one do you think is actually more legitimate of a rivalry? Geographical, team-based in terms of how they fared against each other or these one-on-one matchups?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
But now, do you also think that this is a ploy by the NBA, which I wouldn't be against, trying to get the next generation of stars? Because you see this kind of like, some of these teams are middling. Right now, Dallas Mavericks aren't playing to the best of their capability because they don't have Luka. And they've got Klay Thompson kind of playing in and out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
You look at Los Angeles Lakers, they're playing mid. Golden State Warriors are playing less than mid. You've got a lot of middling teams within this like lineup of rivals week. But you've also got some teams that are playing well and could be showcasing the next generation like the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Suns making moves for Butler? | Jokić still in MVP mix
I'm wondering, is this a way to kind of shift the focal point of the audience to like look at these new storylines to pay attention to?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Do we finally know that it's going to be?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Yeah, in Minnesota in general. I think they had like 10 points in the paint. That was the only attempt from Anthony Edwards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Ja, ich meine, ich dachte nicht, ich meine, schau, der Broadcast ist immer seltsam, in dem Sinne, dass manchmal das Audio ein bisschen ausgelöst ist. Also ich frage mich, ob es das ist. Andrew, war es da ruhig am Anfang des Spiels?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Ja. Also, ich habe das gerade gesehen, aber die meisten 10-0-Runden in einer einzelnen Saison seit 1996, 1997, Oklahoma City hat jetzt 106 10-0-Runden, was einfach absurd ist.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
The 21-22 Golden State Warriors had 98. So that's the difference. The ability to kind of flip on that switch is what is making the difference in these series for OKC. And they're able to turn on the switch better than basically anybody in the league for the last 20 plus years. Which is just absurd to think of for this Thunder team. But bring more wins until the finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
100%. They just have to shoot better and take care of the ball. I would not be surprised if Minnesota responds in a big way. I think Minnesota deserves that level of credit, honestly. I think they're a good, deep team. This was like the worst case scenario for them tonight. They literally had the worst type of game against OKC in terms of turnovers and missing their shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
in the second like i i've seen them i've seen the defense obviously being able to keep them out of the paint in the second half but julius let's let's start with him because i really feel like he's been having an unbelievable glorious playoff run right now yeah randall was awesome in that first half i mean without him i think uh minnesota would have been in a bit of trouble offensively just because his shot making he i think he was four or five from three in that first half yeah the way that he was able to stretch the floor from minnesota was massive because
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
But OKC ended up making 52% of their threes and Minnesota ended up shooting 29% from three. It's sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, Andrew. And I know we've talked about this before, where it's like OKC will concede a lot of threes, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
But they're so smart at targeting who is going to take that three, where they're going to take that three, and how contested that three ends up being. And I think it's sort of like, Minnesota could walk away. I was listening to the postgame and Anthony Edwards was like, yeah, we got good shots. You know, we should be confident in what we're going to see in game two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
But like, should they approach this series the same way that they did tonight and taking the shots that OKC was willing to concede to them, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
They are a learning machine. They are literally artificial intelligence. The offensive side, they look that way. The defensive side, this was a clinical performance from OKC. They forced Minnesota into 17 turnovers. Tons of points in the paint. They got inside the paint often. Tons of points off turnovers as well. They dominate all of those metrics you look at as a team that just...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Töne von Turnovers sind ständig gefordert. Einer der stärksten defensive Schmiede jemals, wirklich. Ich meine, das ist die Rezepte, die man aus Minnesotas Perspektive verlieren kann. Man kann das Ball nicht so oft wie du es gemacht hast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Hat OKC, wie jemand im Nachhinein erwähnt, den Fakt, dass das so war, wie sie es heute spielen wollten, war, dass sie Turnovers fordern, Dinge rausnehmen und runten? Oder ist das nur die Spielplanung jeden Abend?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Es hat auch Minnesota kleiner gespielt. Also haben sie Rudi Gobert 21 Minuten in diesem Spiel gespielt. Und sie waren so, Mann, wir können nicht Gobert da draußen gegen die Arme von Kaysen Wallace und Alex Caruso. Er hat nicht in der Viertelstunde gespielt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Er hat gesagt, es war eine Make-or-Miss-Legion vor zehn Jahren. Und es ist immer noch eine Make-or-Miss-Legion. Und ich denke wirklich, für Minnesota ist es die Schüsse, die OKC dir geben. Die Corner Threes, die OKC liebt, um zu verabschieden. Du musst diese Schüsse schießen. Dante Di Vincenzo, Nas Reed und Nikhil Alexander Walker haben sieben ihrer 36 Schüsse gemacht. 7 of 36. Ouch, ouch, ouch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
All right. They got the cousin watch on ESPN.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
I will throw Andrew a lob here. Okay. I will just let you guys know immediately that I do not think the reason the Minnesota Turnbulls lost this game was because SGA took 14 free throws. We just listed out a bunch of different reasons why Minnesota lost this game. Three-point shooting, points in the paint, all of the above, the turnovers. Those are the reasons Minnesota lost Game 1. But
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Die Fouls sind ein Aspekt, das natürlich etwas ist, mit dem man sich beschäftigen muss, besonders weil ihr bester Verteidiger Jada McDaniels aus diesem Spiel gefoult wurde. Ich denke, eine der großen Teile dieses Spiels war, als McDaniels seinen vierten Foul erhielt. Das Spiel hat sich von da an verändert. Jadab hat Rhythmus bekommen, SGA hat Rhythmus bekommen, sogar Cech hat Rhythmus bekommen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Wir haben nicht so viel darüber gesprochen, aber sein viertes Quartier war großartig. Es hat wirklich den Ansatz für Minnesota verändert. I can understand mentally the foul drawing changes and it kind of wears on you. But SGA also, and Andrew, I'm sure you know this, lives in the paint. He took 16 shots in the paint tonight. He averages 11 on the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
He's one of the best, if not the best driver in the NBA next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. There's nobody else that drives like those two. So, yeah, he's going to draw a lot of fouls. Does he do the dark arts? Does he does he know to twist and bend in the right way to get the right type of call? Yes, naturally. Aber, Andrew, ich muss dir das fragen, okay? Weil das ist meine Meinung.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Dismantle Wolves in 2nd Half
Das ist, wie ich mich über die Foul Drawing Situation fühle. Wie fühlen Leute, wie fühlt Shay das? Wie fühlt Shay das über die griffende Konversation, wenn sie zu ihm gebracht wird? Er interessiert sich nicht. Richtig.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
I actually, I, of all the courts, like I appreciate the teams that leaned into their team colors and did like a rich color. So I liked the Mavs court. I liked Boston's court last night when they play against the Cavs. I, I appreciate the Knicks court, that orange, but I didn't, I don't appreciate the lack of ingenuity with some of these teams. There's like five yellow courts. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
I think literally up until today, I would have been on the same page with you. Obviously, Milwaukee, it's looking crazy out there. I have no idea what they're doing. But I didn't even get a chance to ask Jared about this. But his article mentioned how Tyrese Maxey had called him out lovingly about him being late.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
We didn't discuss that it also mentioned that Joel Embiid said in this little meeting that he doesn't know how he's supposed to be used. And I'm paraphrasing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
At all. And this is where I'm like, whoa, that's a problem. They're making moves around Joel Embiid. They're being the organization. And this man is coming back to the fold from his injury and saying, I don't know how I'm being used. Is this a question of because Paul George is there?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Is this a question of, I don't know how to be used now that I'm, I'm recovering from this injury and I'm trying to play with pace. Like I have so many questions as to how the pillar of the organization, the centerfold of everything doesn't know how he's being used. So that to me is a red alarm fire. Like, That makes me think a shakeup is needed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
And I think there's two things that can happen, Dave. Okay. You can either pivot away from the pillar of the organization. Just blow it up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Which would be crazy. I already know. I can see them coming for me now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Yeah, that's true. That's true. So they could pivot away from what they've been doing, which is this like half court, prioritizing the half court, prioritizing Joel Embiid, and really trying to lean into the fact that they've got veteran experience and Maxie and now Jerry McCain. But they blow it up somehow. Yeah. or excuse me, they wouldn't blow it up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They'd lean into that and try and trade for someone that could create shots around Joel Embiid. Again, Joel remaining the focus. Or they could truly blow it up and go young. Lean into Tyrese. Lean into Jared McCain. Go get you some guys from like the Houston Rockets or something. Like go get guys that can run the floor and play with energy. You're seeing the success in Atlanta.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
You're seeing the success in Houston. You're seeing what happens when you've got some dynamism to your game. So there's two ways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Yeah, right. The idea is crazy, especially considering Paul George just got there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Well, that's my thing. There's also a benefit to that, right? They haven't exactly bonded yet. Right. They haven't exactly gelled yet for something to be blown up. And then what do you be getting back? You'd be getting someone that has gelled and bonded with Joel Embiid. You'd be getting a shot creator that plays well in the half court and also plays some decent defense, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
And then yellow with yellow trim, like, Three-point lines are yellow within a yellow court. I'm a dog mom. I don't want to see what my dog puts out every day on the sidewalk on a court, okay? It's just not pleasing to the eye.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
I literally was – I was about to say Monday, and then I forgot I was born on a Monday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Okay. Sure. Sure. Sure. But I'm like, I do feel like there's something special about people born on Mondays. They start their lives like with, with. Yeah. Okay. Um, and that was your argument for getting rid of Mondays. I, well, no, no, no, no. My argument, my argument for getting rid of Mondays was just like, it's such a dread on everyone. Like Sunday scaries don't exist without. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
The knowledge that Monday is going to follow. Um, I don't know. I might still stick with Monday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They just don't exist. That's a good point. There you go. But it could be like the same effect, right? Now you're speeding up the week and you're like, oh, just get me there. And then we ruin Wednesdays. Come on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
It's supposed to be in your face, Dave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
But aren't those the City Edition courts? They are, but just use them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
It's true. And there are some players within the Hornets that are showing off their skills and being able to show that they've got some growth. Brandon Miller playing really well. Trey Mann coming off the bench playing really well. Melo did not have the best of nights tonight. But overall, he's been playing pretty well. I think Charles Lee said it best in his postgame press conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They've got to adjust to the fact that some guys are going to have hot hands. And that's going to require some adjustments. Yeah. on the court overall. And right now, everyone's still getting acclimated to each other. That's what it looks like when you watch the Hornets play, that they're still getting acclimated to their coaching decisions in mid-game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They're getting acclimated to LaMelo Ball being back on the court and how much attention. He looks great. How much he sets the floor, how much attention he draws. The new faces, I mean, it's still so weird to see Caleb Martin in a Hornets uniform for me or Grant Williams. So I think there's still a lot of acclimation going on, but you're right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
A tournament like this is an opportunity for them to be able to say, we're here, we're ready for the moment. Trying to compete. Trying to compete.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They're up for these games. Dalton connect looks good. He looks sensational. 37 points. Most by any rookie so far this season. It's for me, the nine made threes. Like this guy is shooting lights out. He is a phenomenal player. He definitely looks like he should be moving up in the Lakers rotation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
Yeah, is there a path? Like, I'm thinking like almost like... NCAA tournament. Do they have an easier path to this tournament? We need a bracketologist for the NBA Cup. Yes, exactly. Can I get that? I'm trying to figure it out because it does look like they might make another run.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
It's just only year two. Give it to year three, there probably will be somebody breaking it down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
That seems unfair, but I mean, I'm sure LeBron will be very, very proud. I do want to back up on the, on the Spurs though, because tonight's game is a big deal. Like the Spurs, not only did they not have Victor Webinyama, they didn't have Devin Vassell and they also didn't have Jeremy Sohan.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
big win for them even yes the big list okc thunder we understand that there was a size disadvantage that the spurs were able to take advantage of in the paint but still a really big win for them to pull out especially with okc just being so connected with each other regardless of size and of course sga being the beast that he is um in general so Big win for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They should be really proud of themselves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
The reason why I was asked that question, I used to work for the Dolphins. That's the only reference. There you go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
So the question is like exactly what do they have to work on, particularly three point shooting? It seemed like the Cavs, that was their bread and butter all night long. Sixty six to 30 was the differential there, even though the Cavs forced 13 turnovers, getting them 20 points off of that. It seemed like they were doing all the right things, particularly in that second half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Celtics End Cavs Streak + Shake Up Trades?
They just didn't have Okoro or Wade to handle Tatum and Brown. So what else could they be focusing as far as like working on?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors win without Curry + Can NBA referees improve?
At PwC, we build for what's next. So you can get there now. So you can protect what you built. So you can create new value. PwC. So you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Now, of course, he was referencing where the Warriors stand since Jimmy Butler, Jimmy Butler, the third, joined the Warriors. They've been three and one since they closed out a road stint with a win against the Houston Rockets before they went into All-Star weekend. Three and one looks good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
okay what are your thoughts on how jonathan coming is going to fold back into this mix
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Definitely looks a lot better than the ability that, you know, the Warriors had to be able to have a lot of wins stacked up. Still haven't been able to get three in a row. But it's been a while since they got three in a row, but they look good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
I agree with you. And the thing is, so you were talking about Jonathan Kaminga should come back with the utmost confidence because he made it through the trade deadline. He is with this team. They have shown commitment to him. And they said that they're going to pay him. That's a great point that I even think about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
I was thinking he should show the utmost confidence because it is very clear what the Warriors are valuing right now. And that is someone that can get to the line. What he does. And that is exactly what he does. It's like...
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
If anything, if before this trade, you were concerned about my ability to shoot threes, my ability to space the floor, my ability to be that guy that can read and react within this offense and isn't necessarily coming off of pick and rolls or just going downhill. If you were concerned about your bag, not being expanded, you now feel completely convinced that exactly what you have is great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
It's enough. Because clearly that's exactly what they need.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Correct. Exactly. And now you have even more of a green light to pull up in transition or whatever. Remember that three we told you not to take? Yeah, go ahead. Gotcha. We were just playing. We were just playing. We actually love that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
So Marcus, I want to ask you, first and foremost, if you're Steph Curry and you hear your teammate Draymond Green on national television before the All-Star game, make a claim like we're going to win the championship. What's going through your mind?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
He's like the Jimmy Butler whisperer. But yes, agreed. The bad cop movie that you're like, oh, they actually got a little bit of chemistry out there. It's actually a little bit entertaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
yeah that's a really good point i wonder see that coming to me i think it's a it's a reflection of pods wanting to continuously prove himself to the vets right like i think that this has been a storyline in general and the way that he's come out wanting to play well against or alongside steph he's wanted to play well and alongside draymond this is just the narration of that
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
continuing of him wanting to make sure that in any lineup that he's part of, that he helps make that person shine. And right now his focus, it seems, it looks like Jimmy and him are just having a lot of chemistry out there where pods is like, I get to actually be a point guard and direct some stuff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
And here is this shiny new toy that I can play with within the midst of this offense and make them look good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
With a nasty left hook, though. With a nasty left hook.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Absolutely. It's money in the paint. And you think about what Pods was recruited for. I remember him more so being an acrobatic finisher. Just someone that could get in the paint and be squiggly and just creative in there. So it definitely feels cool to see him...
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
kind of stay alongside Jimmy Butler in being able to attack and finish really prettily seeing those floaters that he you know is practicing from Steph but then getting into the paint like he's practicing from Jimmy it's like all right cool all the veteran influences starting to trickle down that's where I'm like and you know you you was a big so maybe you understand me like I need to get rid of this floater stuff bro you don't like the floaters I like floaters for people who can float
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
It sounds like you're saying that a floater is a little bit of avoiding contact. It's a little bit of avoiding the hard. Is that what you're saying?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
I was going to ask you to follow up with that. But I wanted to see Steph's mind first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
To all my listeners, we will be working on a Marcus Thompson coaching segment that is just a little tidbit of what you can expect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
You give that vibe. You give that vibe. Okay, now I got to close this out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
That's fair. That's fair. You really do sound like my ODA coach. That's hilarious. Okay, so closing this out, we're talking about the ceiling of the Warriors. I did want to talk to you about personality fits because everyone had conversation around, will Jimmy and Draymond work? You were one of the only people that were like, obviously it's going to work. Those two are dogs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
And Draymond gets inspired and influenced by people that operate like him and that they want to get things done. So far, looks like so good. You know, what kind of things do you think, particularly with Jimmy having Jonathan Kaminga come back on the floor, you know, do you just see this team vibing out for the rest of the season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
The way they were vibing out to start the year, do you think they can get back to that to close out this year?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
They're also a team full of really nice guys, too. Like, that's not the personality.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Listen, that's another topic for another day. All the hypothetical teammates that would be fired.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
That would be crazy. Okay. That would be fun. I know we are way over time. You probably could go another hour just on the Warriors. But this is why we bring Marcus Thompson, the expert, to come in and give us a little bit of insight. Marcus, plug whatever you got going on right now that the folks can go read.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
You should. And it's wonderful. It's wonderful. But this is why this is a special edition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Tell her to, you know what? I'll let her know that she should share the heated blanket. And so you can get a good night's rest. It's a little one though. It's a little one. Marcus, we got to close this out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
All right, y'all. Go read Marcus at The Athletic. I'm Zena Kata. Marcus Thompson, we appreciate your time. And we'll see where the Warriors end up when the playoffs come. But for now, this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for tuning in with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Good morning and welcome to a special edition of the NBA Daily. I'm your host, Zena Kata, and I'm joined by one of my favorite people in the world, Marcus Thompson. And I don't know if you guys heard over the weekend, but a particular player from a particular team that Marcus and I are very well acquainted with had some choice words about the future of that team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Before the hot start. He's saying, you know. So Jimmy shifted him fully forward.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Yeah. Yeah, right. The person behind the helm of it. Yeah, exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Yeah, that's been the whole thing this entire period of time since he's joined. Jimmy Butler has said directly, I'm still not even in shape. Like I'm still trying to get my win back. Steph Curry has referenced that. he said, you know, even Jimmy will tell you that he's not really to Jimmy's shape just yet. And it's real. He had only played 25 games in the season before he joined the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
And you're seeing him still do the things that Jimmy Butler is capable of doing, getting inside, creating content, getting to the line, which is exactly what the Warriors needed. But you're right about everyone in that program being well aware that they were headed in the wrong direction. That's quite literally what
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Draymond Green said that they were trying to figure it out and they were never figuring it out. And since Butler joined them, they're walking into every game thinking and believing that they're going to win that game. And for me and speaking to people around the organization and also just speaking to people that are consistently watching the Warriors, some people still think that they need size.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
You know, some sort of a move maybe on the buyout market, et cetera, to get some size inside. We knew that the whole Vucevic situation did not pan out. But just Jimmy Butler alone and his ability to come in and change the dynamic of the Warriors offense has got them believing that they're going to win every single game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
When you think about the West, how valid do you think that claim is that they can come in against a Denver offense? without size against Jokic, against Dallas, which, I mean, yes, they've lost their size, but Dallas still was able to pull out a win against them. How feasible is this in the West right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Marcus, did you hear these words that I'm referring to?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
It wasn't Brandon. It wasn't Brandon. But if anything, it's Brandon's mentor, the guy that he looks up to and wants to be like. Draymond Green, always known to be a bold figurehead for the Warriors, made some really big claims as he was part of the TNT. Big claims. Part of the TNT broadcast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
But this is a team at the end of the day that's one game over 500 now. 28-27. They got 20 or so games left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
It wasn't like they were rolling through them. Exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Especially that last Houston Rockets game too. But I agree with you. I definitely think for the Warriors, it's a factor of positioning. It's where they find themselves in the Western Conference when playoffs arrive. Are they in that play-in position? Are they in the top play-in position or the bottom play-in position where you have to win two games versus just the one to be able to go in?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
I definitely think that the Warriors need to play to find themselves, as you mentioned, that amenable first round choice. In the context of what you were just talking about, Steph being able to bring a team to the finals alongside, again, a compromised Klay, et cetera, Jimmy being able to carry a team to the Eastern Conference Finals,
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
How big would it be, hypothetically, if they were able to find a way to climb through the Western Conference and make it to a Western Conference Finals, let's say, against OKC? In the legend of particularly Steph, and then let's add in Jimmy Butler into that, where does this stand? Where would you put it in your mind?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Lean over. Oh, absolutely. No one can forget that. Y'all don't know about playoff Jimmy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
Well, Steph Curry, you know, alluded to how big they were, too, in his post All-Star Game press conference. But Draymond, I'll go ahead and read the quote. But at some point, as he's explaining where he thinks the Warriors are going to be, he said, I'm sorry. I said, I think we're going to win a championship. But I lied. We are going to win the championship. Boom.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
But you know what? What's funny about that is that you think about the all-star game, of course, Shaq's OGs pulling out the win. It was Kevin Hart that said, this is a team of bad knees and bad backs. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
not the point he actually was funnier than he normally is to me my favorite part easily was Shea Gildas Alexander telling him to like wrap it up when he was talking about his Mr. Color sneakers that just dropped this weekend I was like oh Shea has no patience for any of that that was one of the great moments where he just screamed but I was like alright that's pretty funny
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
If you get the cosign from Marcus Thompson, good for you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
I know. And that's like, that hurts my heart for Wiggins to think of just a shift of how quickly the perspective of the warrior shifted after he left. And, but you're right. Like, as you watch these last four games, the pull, like, Steph Curry has this gravitational pull. That's what everybody talks about. The gravitational pull of Steph Curry off ball, on ball. It doesn't matter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
He's pulling two, three, four. If anything, even if he's not pulling bodies, he's pulling eyeballs. Steph Curry goes out there with Jimmy Butler. And now it's like this shared vision. Like there's an actual balance in the way that defenses are thinking about who do we have to lock up? What decision do we have to make on the defensive end? Now, I haven't we haven't even talked about this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What is the Warriors' Ceiling?
We keep talking about, yes, the Jimmy Butler factor. Jonathan Kaminga is on his way back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
I will tell you right now, it felt like half the people in this building were NBA executives, you know? Fair. It is a summit, essentially, for them. And so if you think about it, that actually really got me thinking quite a bit that they didn't really have an event to market until... Saturday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Yeah. Ronnie James, just a grinder trying to, trying to earn a deal like everybody else. Yeah. Stick around guys after the break. Cause there's more than just NBA cup. We've got all-star changes and apparently the nuggets are trying to make a trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Well, as much as we would have liked to only focus on the NBA Cup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
So, there's news. The NBA loves to change things. We're talking about tweaks to the NBA Cup. The NBA has long been talking about tweaks to the All-Star Game. They have, of course, changed it numerous times over the years. And anytime the NBA gets all of their executives together, it seems like there's a rule change or something happening. And today, no different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Yeah, Andre Jackson had what might have been the fastest pass thrown tonight. He threw a pass from the corner out top to Dame. And I remember I said to you guys, wow, there's a lot of zip on that. You know, I thought the Bucs energy in the game was fantastic. And you mentioned it just from the jump. Giannis was dealing. I mean, he nearly had a triple-double in the first half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Zena, there were changes to the All-Star Game. I've been running around here all day. So, you pulled it up. What do we got going on? What's it going to be now? So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
point situation it's the first team to reach or exceed 40 points okay so that's a good score yeah well it feels like hoops you know and and look um you play 21 right this may not stick but i am actually cool with a format change i think they could have done like a fun three on three tournament you know it's 24 guys right so eight
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
teams of three do a three on three tournament make it to half court style whatever i think you could do stuff like that and just make it more of an event so i'm i'm open to this i'm willing to to see it out and i hope it's good um the early returns on the idea though from players yeah so kevin durrett said he hated it yeah uh which is not the best kind of debut to this thing who wants to compete in an all-star game i kind of see this point but it's also like
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
What we really want is king of the court. We're never going to get that. Yeah, no, it's never happening.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Okay, other news coming out today at The Athletic. Go and read the article from Tony Jones and Sam Amick, our own athletic insiders. They're reporting that the Nuggets are trying to make a move, which we have been talking about since the preseason, guys, that they need some help. Jokic needs some help. Murray has obviously not been great. S... Zach Levine would maybe fit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
I see the vision because it's a guy who can get his off the dribble. Yeah, I was just going to say, he can create better than Michael Porter Jr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
I mean, we were calling it in the first quarter. I was like, every single time that OKC threw a second body at him, Giannis knew who was opening.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
And see, that's the interesting part of this. But there are other guys. Who else are they interested in?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
The one thing that I would say is that if you look at. Michael Porter Jr. 's career. He's not been the most healthy guy. He's not been the most reliable defender. And what you may be saying if you're the Denver Nuggets is, Zena, we could sell high. We want to get out of the business.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
He's under contract. His deal is actually reasonable. He's under contract for two more years. And the last season is only partially guaranteed. So that's a contract, Zena, people might be into. I don't think I knew that. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
That's going to do it for our show, folks. That's going to do it for the NBA Cup. Our time here in Vegas is thankfully at an end. For everyone that helped us out while we were out here, Andrew Schlecht sitting on the ground producing this episode right now. Shout out to Andrew Schlecht. I'm Dave DeFore. This is S. Baraheni. That's Zena Keita. And this has been the NBA Daily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
And OKC certainly helped them out missing shots. But, you know, and as you actually made this point, the Bucs really struggled or the Thunder really struggled around the basket, too, which is not what normally happens with them. But they were blowing bunnies. Brooke and Giannis, man. Too big. Yeah. You know, this was a game where we haven't been worried about OKC's size to a serious degree yet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
You know, of course, they had to play with no centers for a while. Yeah. And I'm not sure if Chet makes much of a difference against the Bucs in a game like this because Chet's not big enough. They almost needed like a second Hardenstein out there at times. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for December 18th, 2024. Coming up, we're here to respect the cup. And we're going to talk about some news. Zach Levine might be on the move. Good morning, everybody. Good evening. Ask Zena. We are wrapping up the NBA Cup. The Bucs did not stop. The Bucs rolled. Darvin Ham, 14-0 in NBA Cup play as a coach. Torian Prince, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Well, look, Eric Name said on the show yesterday. The big thing to come out of this, if the Bucs win, we're all going to start saying, are the Bucs back? Guys?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
They're on a great run. They're 8-2 in their last 10 regular season games. They just won the Cup. The Bucks are back. Yeah. They look like the Bucks from maybe even two years ago, not pre-Dame trade. They were figuring out how to do things. I think Doc Rivers deserves a ton of credit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
For the ways in which he's getting- And Darvenham. Yeah, and Darvenham, of course, because they're not undefeated without him in the NBA Cup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
But for the way that they're getting Giannis the ball, And also for the chemistry between Dame and Giannis that we're seeing more and more of every single game, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
I thought Doc had a funny line about them, you know, talking about how much they enjoyed Vegas, but staying in Vegas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
And not drinking. And spending time together when you're... Look, Doc Rivers is not a coach who's ever been big on practice, right? And even with a new team, I'm sure they've practiced way more than he's used to doing. But he's got... This thing is a coach where he can get chemistry built. He's a pros coach. Yes, exactly. I mean, he's done it before, right? And the players trust him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
He's a former player. He obviously has a great coaching track record. But this is, I think, proven out that Doc has figured out how to get these two guys to coexist, which not like there's a personality conflict, but on the basketball court. And now, Zena, look, the big thing that they've got to answer is, can the defense hold up? Because I think that they can score.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
So there's... That's why I'm like... That's a caveat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
I will say this. I think it was about eight and a half minute mark in the fourth quarter. Let's swing to the thunder. All right. Eight and a half minute mark of the fourth quarter. They're down 17. And, you know, there's a three-shot foul or, you know, they get the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
And I said, you know what the funniest outcome here is? After shooting, you know, 2% from three is for them to just get hot for the last eight minutes and wind up winning this game. But this is the sort of team that can do that. And I will tell you that my opinion of the Thunder throughout even just this season where I already was high on them, even a game like this, those guys stuck with it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
They didn't lose this game because their offense stunk. They missed open shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Let me ask you. Okay. More memorable... Now, we're in the building for this, and this is the NBA Cup. It's not an elimination game. But think about this. This 5-for-32, what would you rather do? 5-for-32 in a Cup game or 0-for-27 in an elimination playoff game? So it's not that bad. And again, the offense itself looked pretty good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Hardenstein was excellent in this game, especially that first quarter. Did he miss a shot? No. And just was active on the glass. Their DHO game out top I mean, really special. He was creating open looks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
All right, guys. Let's jump into it. The Bucs. They win this game kind of running away. And I think I want to get to the Thunder and what their problems were. But let's start with the Bucs. We got to celebrate the champs. And I think when we do that, Zeno, we got to start. You big on bigs. Giannis was huge.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Single-handedly creating open looks at the top of the key. It's impressive. Yeah, and just they were able to get into that and get those looks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
This is the sort of game, and it reminds me of last year in the playoff series against the Mavs. This is the sort of game where you want Jalen Williams to be the guy that can step up and take over. Because the defense was just completely glued in on Shea. And again, look, it's one game. And to be fair, they've missed so many shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
You know, we talked about it on the show with Andrew and we talked about, hey, is this when America is going to kind of get really interested?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
So one of the biggest characters in the NBA Cup group play and the tournament has been Las Vegas. Everyone wanted to come to Vegas. The $500,000, I'm sure, was nice. Yeah. But really, it was the vacation time in Vegas. Doc Rivers talked about how much he loved it. We know he loves a tea time, and it's been...
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
pretty decent good golf around here um but i wanted to talk about the vibes here um the the talk on the internet obviously is that hey the arena's dead we were in the arena it's pretty dead the loudest it got was for the dunkers during during our time out and prior to that it was when the arena host told everyone to tell ronnie 2k oh to shut down yeah to sit down oh my goodness yes so yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
And look, understand that for the audience at home, the in arena crowd really can set the scene. And so I actually think these are valid complaints. And what I would like to do is just get your opinion. What was the feeling in here? Did you feel like the folks that were here, was it a lack of investment? Or was it, I don't know, did they not understand what was happening?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
I mean, well, that gets me to what I wanted to talk about. Like, what would you guys change? And I'll just go first because that's actually what I would change. That semifinal game should be a Saturday. They do a big blowout Saturday NBA event. Do it in the home market. Mm-hmm. and then wait a week for the championship game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Still do it in Vegas, but allow fans a chance to get their flights, get their hotels. Because we actually saw an influx of OKC Thunder fans and Bucs fans for this Tuesday game. So I'm not willing to say that this Vegas experience is undoable, but I think that that's the big move I would make if I were the league, is make that a home game and then let fans come out. Because it can be really cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
Realistically, is Tuesday night primetime when you want to slot this thing that you feel is a big event? Personally, I doubt that that's what they want. But, Zena, look, we've covered the NBA Cup as tight as you can. What would you change from the whole thing? I mean, group play, anything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Bucks Respect the Cup | Zach LaVine to Denver?
You know, they do the NBA con at Summer League. What if they moved it to December? Do it around the cup. That'd be super cool. Maybe you get people to come out. And, you know, if you wanted to make it more of an industry thing, you've got the G League Showcase coming up right after this. So you would have, I mean, a lot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
And that that means you missed Jack Sawyer. Big old boy from OSU scoop and score. I mean, it was an exciting game. Texas versus OSU actually locked in on that one. A lot of fun, but OSU has had quite the journey to this championship game. So it'll be fun to watch them take on Notre Dame.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
It's hilarious that you bring up the Warriors because that's exactly what we were talking about with the Warriors being stuck in a hard place. But the Bucs do have a better record, 21-17. So they are pulling out wins a little bit better than the Warriors do. But on the topic...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
of the Warriors on that parallel between the two, the two timeline thing, you keep talking about the Bucks being old and we're starting to see, you know, some of the younger players, particularly like a Ryan Rollins, former warrior, find his way into the rotation a little bit more in it scattered. One game, it's three minutes, one game, it's 20.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Like what are the Bucks doing to start to incorporate some of their younger legs into the rotation?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
told Stephanie Reddy, sideline reporter with TNT after the game, that it was more about just playing their game and getting back to who they are as opposed to a revenge game. But let's be real. Donovan Mitchell came out 19 points in that first quarter, 27 for the half, a career high, not a season high, a career high, most points scored in a first half. It was clear that
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
he wanted to get his get back against the Pacers. And he did. They were in this game because of the work he was putting in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
But it was. That was the part that was so strange is that it was so clearly he hit the opponent's hand. It was so clear. But what was particular about that third technical foul is that as he was arguing it, he bumps into ref Natalie Sago. And you can't do that, folks. You cannot touch the refs in any manner. But he did say that after the game, he went up to referee Natalie, apologized.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
He said the next time they see each other, they will be friends. So.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Yeah, he was playing lights out, locked in, kind of like zen basketball. When the game just comes to you, you're taking what the defense gives you. You're making the right reads based off what the defense gives you. This is the play that his offseason extension is based off of. And we've seen spurts of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
throughout this year um but what was particularly impressive was that he was doing this with that right knee soreness that he's been dealing with we saw him have to come out of a game against brooklyn two games ago where he only scored seven points only played 16 minutes because of that right knee so he said it's a it's a game of tolerance he just has to play through this pain and tonight holy crap
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Did he play right through it? He looked amazing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Which is crazy, considering how they started this game. But the thing about it is, too, you do have to look at the competition that they played against tonight with the Mavericks. And, you know, this is a game they just played against the Mavericks as well recently, but...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
The Mavericks were all over the place and losing Derek Lively, I mean, basically within four minutes of the game, definitely had them a little bit discombobulated. And it took the Mavericks a little bit of time to get back into rhythm because they started making a run towards that third quarter. But by that point, the Denver Nuggets had control of this game. But you're absolutely right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
It is more players are starting to step up with more depth being added to the Denver Nuggets. That's what's been the key. Once those starters come out for the Denver Nuggets, who's picking up the slack? Is there a significant drop-off? And that's been the difference lately from this portion of the season versus the beginning portion.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
That drop-off had been significant, where the Denver Nuggets were 19 points better when Jokic was on the floor as opposed to off in those first 15 games, versus more recently, you're seeing that depth of... and just being able to produce not be as significant. And so 15 points, even before Jokic puts up anything. Okay, Denver, you're moving on. You're moving forward. And I mean, three games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
How many games behind Memphis? They're a half a game, half game back of the three same.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Are you saying they're back? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
I think the 31 shot attempts. I mean, six threes. Also got himself to the free throw line for 14 shots, made 11. But it's the ability to shoot outside, to get inside, create contact, and get yourself to the foul line. Trey Young does it all. And the thing about it is that I think people sleep on Trey Young because...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Remember in the 2023, 2024 season, he had that hand injury that forced him to sit out for like 23 games. But he was doing this like he's got 10, 30 point, 30 plus point games this year, seven of those with 10 or more assists. It's crazy to think that he had 10, 30-plus point games just in the month of December last season. This is what Trae Young does. He's actually behind schedule in this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
And so without his big wings like DeAndre Hunter and Jalen Johnson, he's still able to cook and still able to facilitate for his teammates. I mean, yeah, Trae Young... I think he definitely needs a little bit more attention in that MVP conversation, for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Give those young guys a little bit more time. And I say, when I say MVP, not this year, obviously. But give those young guys a little bit more time to catch up with Trae Young. Give them some wins. And then Trae Young absolutely can be in the center of that conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
I think a bunch of people within the Warriors are probably starting to raise the white flag on the two timeline theory that didn't work ever since James Wiseman was drafted to the Warriors at the number two pick. It's, it's,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
clear that trying to get these young guys that jonathan kaminga brandon pajemski moses moody trace jackson davis trying to get them to play to the level of play you need around a steph curry in order to capitalize his stardom his level of output and also make a run for the title isn't working.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Jonathan Kaminga has been out with a right ankle sprain and it is clear that the Warriors have struggled to find another score alongside Steph Curry consistently. Andrew Wiggins is doing it, but not to the level that they need. Not putting pressure enough on the rim. The shooting has not been good. Buddy Heald is in a slump. Don't know when he's going to make it out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Steve Kerr believes he's going to make it out, but don't know. He's not shooting well. Dennis Schroeder, not coming in and performing in the way that he was expected to perform in terms of being able to score at will and shoot. He's doing the defense, but not enough offensive output.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
Everyone's realizing, oh, snap, we don't have much time left with Steph Curry and all the people around him that were supposed to fit in, mold into what is needed alongside him, aren't doing it at the timeline that we expected. So I think that's what the white flag is being raised for. And I don't know about this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
You've seen what the Kings were able to do in the last few games, go on a run. I think the Warriors definitely believe that they're capable of doing something like that. but they're stuck. And I think right now that February 6th deadline is looming over their heads, but they don't want to make any moves that make them feel like they're giving up their future.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors waving the white flag? | Cavs bounce back
And they don't want to make any moves that make them feel as if they're losing out on the output of Steph Curry by not making moves, right? So it's just, they're stuck right now. I think everyone feels stuck.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
They have their starters distributing the ball, distributing the amount of field goals they're making. They're doing the same thing in the playoffs. They have not veered away from what got them success in the postseason. Now, some teams... have picked up some new skills in the postseason, which is great. But a lot of teams have completely changed their identity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
I think also like this is the second game in a row that we've seen Lou Dory a part of it. OKC get the boogeyman off their back and kind of mature in a way. I'm happy that Andrew, you brought up last season and how it ended, because this is the moment where you're seeing the shift. You're seeing the fact that OKC can get it done in these clutch moments.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And of course, you're seeing it against another monster provider for their team in the Jokic, right? Last time it was Doncic, but now it's Nikola Jokic doing unbelievable things. 44 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and he's doing trick shots to keep his team in this. And yet they were so focused on
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
I think Dwight Howard asked Jalen Williams on Inside the NBA about like, how do you guys use his energy, Shea Gildas Alexander's energy towards the end of the game? And I was like, I don't even know if it was just Shea. Like this entire team looks so laser focused at the end of the game. And this is a sign of where they are now, how they've shifted.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Like, is that, does it feel as if they've like, like babies growing up in front of your eyes, Andrew? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Made the mistakes. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And it's been their downfall, including the team that Indiana just took care of in the Cleveland Cavaliers. So I look at Indiana and I say, shout out to you for staying consistent, being efficient and staying true to who you are and finding success in that, because that's exactly what's gotten them here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And shut up the haters.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
I told you he was going to have a great Luke. I knew he was going to have a great line for Lou.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
I love the fact. Oh, go ahead. No, go ahead. No, I was talking to Dave earlier, Andrew, about how these Denver has seemingly along their playoff journey, picked up all of these talents and skills from their opponents.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
You saw it in the Clippers series where they became this defensive powerhouse that was getting deflections and they had these veterans stepping up the way you expected James Harden Kawhi to go off. And now you're looking at this series and I even look at the, the,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
offensive rebounds there were possessions where denver was getting three two three four offensive rebounds in a possession uh 16 to 8 was the final number there that is usually okc's thing they use their youth they use their length they use their athleticism to get to the ball get those 50 50 balls and give themselves more opportunities denver ended with 97 field goal attempts versus just 82
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
For OKC, all of these things feel as if Denver's like zapping power out of OKC. How do you think OKC is going to respond to that in terms of are they looking at it like, you know, we're good. We don't need to try and match what they're doing in order to beat us. Like, it's good. They're up. They're playing at our pace.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Or do they feel like we need to step it up to where we were during the regular season that got us in this position?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
You know what? I did not expect to hear as much this year. We've been talking about this all playoffs long is insert team has really struggled against this zone. It's just like, we keep hearing it. The zone has been such an issue. And the thing about it is I said it in the last part on my Monday's pod is like the way to beat the zone, at least to be smart,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Back then, the reason why they didn't play zone is because they could pass out of it. They could play really well through it. And I feel like tonight you really saw that from OKC. Like they were finally doing the swing, swing again that you saw them do all season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And that allowed that zone to completely break down because not only were they passing well, they were also doing the other way to break out of a zone, which is shooting them out of it. Yeah. The good news is that even if you can't shoot out of it in game six, you're getting that motion back, that activity back, which is what also disrupts a zone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Now, Denver is going to keep trying to rock with that zone because they're older and they need the rest in game. Absolutely. You know, did Mark Dagnall or anybody say anything about that zone and how OKC is going to try to get them out of it sooner? Or do they feel like, OK, we figured it out this game. Let's let them do their thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Let them use that as a crutch and we'll just exploit it next time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
I just said what I wanted. Everybody knows it's not scripted.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
How many people is like ripping people off of his rebounds? Like just like.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And I'll follow that up with the fact that outside of Jamal Murray, Jokic, and Gordon, the only three players for the Nuggets that were above 10 points, the rest of the team combined for 7 of 32 from the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Facts, facts. I literally can tell you the numbers. I mean, we can go down the list of the actual players, but let's look at from a team perspective. The Cavs had every opportunity to get this done. It's just a matter of who could execute in those opportunities. The Cavs attempted 47 more free throws than the Pacers, and they made 39 more. That's awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
But then when it came down to their actual scoring, do you know that Donovan Mitchell in this series attempted 125 field goals? The next highest number, 57. On the Indiana side, it was Tyrese Halliburton, Miles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, all were at about 100 or more. Evenly distributed, right? It became this ISO show for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And again, that's not what got them there. It was ball movement. It was pace. It was running. And of course, yes, the injuries definitely made an impact, but they were healthy in this game with their backs against the wall. And again, what you saw was the game had to be carried by Donovan Mitchell. And I got to give him credit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Because that man was exhausted in this game and still was making tough buckets, was making sure that he made up for the three free throws that he missed at the end of the game, got that big bucket to keep it open for them. And still, Darius Garland goes on the other end of the court, makes a foul, gets Indiana back to the free throw line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
There was just so many moments in which they could not execute in the opportunities that they had.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
We've been talking about depth all year long, right? This is going to be the biggest test when it comes to the playoffs is who can play small ball well, who can shoot threes, and who's got some serious depth. And you saw that absolutely in the backcourt of Indiana in Tyrus Alliburton be able to play off of Andrew Nembhard, who required just as much attention on defense as...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
as a Tyrese Halliburton did. So they could share that load. Whereas Donovan Mitchell, it was too predictable of an offense. You knew he was going to be the focal point. And so Indiana could really kind of focus in on that. I don't want to discount just how versatile Indiana's defense was as if it was just Donovan. They had to card because Evan Mobley was huge in this game too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
But then that shifts my attention to the depth again, because the big men for Indiana showed up in a way that all year long, I was one of them. I talked about the two-headed snake in the backcourt and the two-headed snake in the frontcourt for the Cavs. And in this case, it was the two-headed snake in the frontcourt and backcourt for Indiana that showed up. Miles Turner hitting some big shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And then again, you could go down the roster. Even Chris Bryant. making some really big plays down the stretch. I mean, they had, they showed up, they executed. And again, they stayed within character of themselves. Like you look at the way, the way they distributed the ball in this series, Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Halliburton, between the two of them, 139 assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Donovan Mitchell and the next best assister on the team was Max Struess, 70 assists. Like the connectivity that we saw all season long with the Cavs did not show up in this moment when they needed the most out of their players. And I think that is so indicative of why Indiana can go far is because they could –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
in the moment of pressure, in a moment of trying to end someone else's season, such a big game on the road could stay true to who they were and execute and get the win. It was really impressive by the Pacers. Honestly, it's going to take them far. We'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
And on defense. But his run pressure has been great, obviously.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
They got some gaps. They definitely have some gaps that they need to fill, particularly on their wings. I think DeAndre Hunter joining the team midseason was a positive, but they didn't have enough time to really integrate him as being someone that could –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
In the moments that Donovan is putting up 125 field goal attempts, DeAndre Hunter to come in and kind of take off that load like he was doing in Atlanta for Trey Young. I actually think that they've got the pieces, especially with Darius Garland. This is his real first run at it. Right. Like in the sense that last year he was dealing with some injuries and he wasn't able to play the full season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Like now he knows. And we've seen this, whether it's, you know, Anthony Edwards or Shea Gildas Alexander or and I'm not comparing him to those players. But we've seen it where players need to go through this in order to know what it's like, in order to know what it takes. to get there. Donovan's been through this. He's literally been to the playoffs every single year of his career, which is crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
But Darius hasn't. Evan hasn't. Jared Allen hasn't. They all now, they see what it takes. I think it's worth running it back, but you definitely have to fill out your three-point shooting because there was no support out there. There wasn't enough, excuse me, out there for them. And they've got to find another...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
Release valve for Donovan, the way that TJ McConnell could come in for tie out Tyrese Halliburton. They got to get another release valve.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
They deserve it. Dave, I think if you're looking at all the teams in this playoffs, I think Who is the most consistent to what they look like during the regular season? It's Indiana. They were an offensive team focused in terms of being able to get the ball around. They averaged about 30 assists during the regular season. They're doing the same thing in the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
I'm looking at how they finished these last five years, going back to the 2020 season. Even go back to, yeah, 2019, 2020 season. Five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers advance to Conference Finals + Thunder survive Jokić
in the league fifth or fourth then third then two years at number two and then finishing at one with the 64 and 18 season they're ripe they're due like they are in prime position and i can imagine a lot of teams will see that as a great destination yeah and a lot of players like they built it they built it from the coach of the year kenny atkinson like come on yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
NBA Cup, baby.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
Now, people listening to this might be like, man, that crazy play. Like, that's awful that the Bucs lost on that play. But there was way more to this game that went wrong for the Bucs rather than just that play. One, fast break points. 31 fast break points for the Pacers to just three for the Bucs. And then the bench, Indiana Pacers bench outscoring the Bucs bench 42 to 30. I mean, this...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
Unbelievable shot, unbelievable poise, especially when you're up in the air and fading to the side. I just cannot believe that Giannis did not allow him to land. It was just like one of those moments where you're like, whoa, no, no, no.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
was bigger than just that play in terms of their offense, in terms of their pace, in terms of just keeping up with the Pacers. And you can't blame Bobby Portis. The Bucs have been pretty okay without him in his absence. What happened tonight and just their ability to match up with the Pacers?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
And also the amount of space that Tyrese Halliburton had to be able to maneuver in that corner between Brooke Lopez being on top of the ball, the person that was taking the ball out of bounds and jumping in. to the opposite side, as opposed to where Tyrese Halliburton was going. He jumped opposite, as opposed to ball side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
And then that allowed a little bit more space, so just enough time for Tyrese to catch the ball. And then Giannis wasn't close enough. As tall and as long as Giannis is, he still wasn't close enough to touch Tyrese Halliburton immediately as he got the ball, which allowed him to get the shot up and then a foul because he couldn't land.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
And you think about the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks still have not been able to establish themselves in the Eastern Conference. They haven't beaten the Knicks, they haven't beaten the Cavs, and they haven't beaten Boston Celtics. And you're not going to have a meddling offense be able to do that, to be able to surpass or even be thought of in the conversation of who's coming out of the East.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
So now... My my question is break down this like tiebreaker situation because it's Milwaukee, it's Indiana. And then remember, Detroit got the win over Washington. So they're in this conversation as well, really by point differential. So how does that all break out?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
And shout out to Tyrese Halliburton for hitting that three, I mean, the four-point play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
hitting the free throw because they iced him. As they were viewing that play, it took a significant amount of time to see if his feet were inside the court in order to get up. And also, were they in that three-point range? So, oh, what a tough, tough finish for the Bucs. And ultimately, you know, it's a tough day overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
They lost the legend within their organization in Junior Bridgman and then losing that game. I am very curious to see what Eric Nam has to say about this play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
thank you so much for reminding me that slipped my mind. It's one of those things that lives in my, of course, obviously. Uh, yeah, no, get the central division championship, shout out to them, but also yes, the first team to do that two 15 game win streaks in 20 years. So making some history in that again, including the LeBron years, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
Like they did not do that during that period of time too. And also they've been scaring us the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last few games have consistently gotten behind. They haven't been able to get ahead of teams and dominate from the start of teams. In their last seven games, they've had four games in which they got down 15 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
In the three games in which they weren't down 15 points, they were still down seven points in the last fourth quarter. They won all seven. So for them, it's not about necessarily winning the game, but it's like, all right, can you put games away a little bit sooner?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
Do you have to have these Herculean efforts from Darius Garland in the fourth quarter, which he stepped up 18 points in that fourth quarter. He had only 12 points for the first three quarters combined. Cleveland didn't shoot well either. Right. 10 of 42 from the three point line. I think Brooklyn had 10 threes in the first half and, So Brooklyn really showed up and gave them a test.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
Good morning, Dave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
But again, Cleveland continuing to show us why they are the champs of the East right now. And they're sitting on top and sitting comfortably because of their their size inside. Jared Allen, Evan Mobley have great games on the glass. They were down three big players, Donovan Mitchell in their starting lineup, and then DeAndre Hunter and Ty Jerome both out as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
So they had to turn to Greg Porter Jr. to be a ball handler alongside Darius Garland. Everyone stepped up. Isaac Okoro was great on defense. The bigs were great on the glass. It was a tough effort for the Cavs, but it showed the rest of the league. Yeah, regardless of who we've got on the floor, we can still pull out wins.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
Wait, are you saying domination?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
One of the craziest stats, just looking at his last 10 games, he has either scored or assisted on 40, almost 41 points a game in the last 10 games. New Orleans has averaged 113. That's over a third of the points in their last 10 games he is either directly putting up or contributing to. This is a Zion Williamson that most people would say, of course, he's an offensive powerhouse.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
He's supposed to do that, et cetera. But when you talk about knowing his role with the ball in his hands now, it's not only his particular output on offense, it's his creation. He had a career high 12 assists against the Clippers as well in that triple-double. Everything about what Zion is doing is bouncy. It's aerial. It looks easy. He looks fleet footed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
He's going through defenders with ease, creating just so many decoys in the way that he's supposed to come off screens. He's splitting right through them. And you wouldn't think you could do that with the size of Zion Williamson. But he's doing that with ease and then taking two dribbles and going up for the hammer. You even saw him stop and pop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Haliburton 4-point play drops Bucks + Cavs win 15th straight, again
And you think about the weight that Zion Williamson has had to lose to be able to have that quick of an elevation up in the air, get his whole body aligned for a nice stop and pop. Like this is, this is Duke level Zion, right? This is what everyone expected when he came into the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
Dave is coming. No, I see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
He's got a motor to him and a relentlessness to him. I mean, when you think about one of the most... advantageous things that he does for his game, it's the O boards. And when you think about offensive rebounding in the game of basketball, it is all about having a motor. It's all about having a nose for the ball. Everyone is in position to block you out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
And somehow six, four, Josh Hart is getting tips is getting the ball in. He's getting rebounds. He's getting put backs. He's getting points for his team and opportunities for his team. And he's, it's not like this is a new thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
aspect for him he was doing this at Villanova like this is just who he is as a player and it is it is I agree with you in that when you think about players that are impacting winning those type of plays and the types of plays that he makes absolutely do that for the Knicks
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
I was just going to say the Thompson twins give me a similar vibe to them. And I think that's why we have an appreciation for their game. And it's exciting for the Thompson twins because they're just going to continue to build that. But Josh Hart is obviously, he's operating at a championship level to me, I think. Yeah, for sure. In the way that he approaches it. It's cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
Did you finish the article with any hope that there could be a solve for this?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
Couldn't have gone worse. He looks like a shell of himself out there. You're absolutely right. In that play, you expect Joel Embiid to take a dribble in and take that jumper, that free throw extended jumper that we know he can hit, that mid-range easy swish, but no. it's like he second guessed himself. We all saw it. We all felt it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
And I think that that's the thing that is resonating with all of us about this season is that we're all seeing this decline for Joel Embiid in the way that he's coming out there and trying to get back into the shape and the player that he is. And yet it's not manifesting out there on the court. And right now, when you look at Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, this
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
big three that so much emphasis was put on in the East. This was the group that was going to challenge Boston. This was the group that was going to be the new big three in the East. They've played 252 minutes together this year. 13 games total. Now, a lot of that is out of their hands. It's quite literally their bodies that have been fighting against them. The injuries have been an issue.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
But even with the time left in the season, there's not enough time for them to coalesce out there on the court to really make an impact. Tyrese Maxey's body has been run through the ground. I mean, Dave, what are we hearing out of the Philadelphia Sixers? All All right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
I'm of the board of yes, shut it down. Mainly because... it feels as if they're already doing it and providing a disclaimer, right? Where you kind of get that warning label of just in case this goes south, we told you that there's a surgery to be scheduled. We told you that Tyrese Maxey isn't feeling 100%. We told you these things.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
And so I feel as if we're all supposed to be almost prepared for some of this to kind of blow up in our faces in terms of this big three not coming to fruition. With everything that Joel Embiid has put on the line for his body, shut it down, allow him to rest, allow him to come back. Same thing with Tyrese Maxey. He has done a phenomenal job of trying to keep this boat above water.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
And it's just not coming to, it's not getting to a level where they're going to position themselves well for the playoffs. So why, why push it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
Is it PG? No, it's James Harden. James Harden. Yes, James Harden.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
It's so crazy to think that when you watch posters of the three of them together, people are going to be like, this isn't a real poster. This is AI, right? They were really together on one team. Wow. That is actually surreal. And it is really crazy that we're getting to watch Kevin Durant and LeBron James just still be in their primes, right? And tonight, it was not just the offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
It was the defense you mentioned, Dave. Yeah. When he hit his 26 points in that third quarter, it felt as if not only was he energized, the team was energized, the arena was more energized, and all of a sudden, they started making the Grizzlies speed up. Everything was in the favor of the Phoenix Suns. And it was like, all right, cool. Kevin can still do this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
He can still be the center point and the focal point of an offense getting going, of a defense getting going. It was cool to see the dog come out of him. He was...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
handling jaron jackson jr i think that's important to note like who his assignment was towards the end of the game was tying up jaron jackson jr keeping him off of the boards and you could just see how hungry he still is even after hitting that 30 000 milestone it's it's really a lucky thing we get to watch
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
And he hit a big three at the end of the game, too, to put them in a good position. So, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
But you have to say the stat, Dave. What was the stat to start the game for the Bulls? They started the game...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
In today's NBA, folks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
I respect anyone that finds their way back into the NBA. It is so competitive, especially when you're not a stretch big. You're a more traditional post. Jaleel Okafor, we're giving you your flowers. Good for you. Welcome back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
It's only been a week, Dave. I know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
There's so much that you just listed out there that I want to kind of branch off of. but one particularly stands out. And I think it's related and it's related to Carl Anthony towns because of course he had a phenomenal game, a 40 burger, 12 rebounds, also seven assists, which is something that we have to give him credit for this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
He has been a phenomenal distributor, but there was also plays throughout the game that you saw that if he was in transition on defense, or if he was in the pick and roll on defense, he kind of got burned quite a few times. And when you think about the New York Knicks and their, strive to be contenders, the defense is the problem.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
S, you know, our teammate, if you guys listen to the show, noticed a tweet that said, Nick's defensive rating versus opponent offensive rank. If a team is in the bottom 10th, then the Knicks are eighth overall in their defensive rating over them. Handle the bottom 10 really well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant reaches 30k career points | Sixers lose 4th straight
But if they're in the middle 10 or in the top 10 in terms of offense, the Knicks are 25th and 27th in defensive rating against those types of teams. They can't defend good offensive firepower type of teams. What is the answer to that if the Knicks want to contend?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Bucks & Thunder advance in NBA Cup | The Athletic’s Front Office Rankings
He was watching that game like a psychopath in parts of it, too. I feel bad for him not knowing he was on TV.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Bucks & Thunder advance in NBA Cup | The Athletic’s Front Office Rankings
Eric, you just send that over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I don't know. I do think he, he leans into being the villain, but when you're putting up shots like this to close out games that people are feeling like really excited about and feeling confident about, and you're killing dreams like this. I mean, yeah, you, you, you must, you must get something out of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Now, you talked about the Thunder's defense. I'm actually curious about the Thunder's offense being led by Shea Gildas Alexander, averaging about 31 points and also providing for his teammates, averaging six assists as well. When you think about the way that the backcourt of Cleveland, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, they have to carry a lot of load on the offensive side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Someone's got to carry that load on the defensive side in terms of guarding Shea. Who do you think Cleveland's going to put on SGA?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I love that you call this a chess match because that's exactly what I think about when I think about these two teams coming up against each other. And after watching the way that OKC adjusted against both the New York Knicks and the Celtics, particularly in the second half,
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I'm thinking, what do the Cavs have up their sleeves to be able to switch in the way that OKC can go small ball and then they can bring in Hartenstein and be big. They can bring in Ken Richard Williams and be big. I don't know if the Cavs have the same flexibility and malleability. Do you think that the Cavs have something up their sleeve in terms of being able to give a different look to OKC?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Just adjustments.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Yeah, right. I mean, the body fat percentage is down. The beard looks great. All of his fast twitch muscles were on a faster level. It was unbelievable watching him. It was so clean to watch him not only on offense, but particularly on defense. How he was in those passing lanes. Julius Randle got some really tough buckets tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
And it's because Zion really made him work for every single bucket that he got. But yeah, he looked strong. He looked long. He looked active. And most importantly, I'm looking at this entire Pelicans team And I don't know if you remember, Dave, we said early in the season when DeJounte Murray was hurt with his hand, we said that Atlanta may have won this trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
The Dyson Daniels have been balling out in Atlanta. But now that DeJounte Murray is back and you're looking at a team with DeJounte Murray, 6'4 with a 6'10 wingspan. Zion Williamson, 6'6 with a 6'10 wingspan. Eves Missy, who is... 6'11". You got Herb Jones. I mean, the length on this team is unbelievable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
But with DeJounte Murray being long and fast, and then you've got Zion strong and fast, it's chaotic right now out there for the Pelicans just agitating their opponents.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Yeah, there was a really great play. Just thinking about how fast Zion's looking, but particularly how the Pelicans are playing into him. There were two different plays in which DeJounte Murray and Zion Williamson choked up Julius Randle and choked up Edwards, and it led to breakaway dunks. for Zion and for DeJounte Murray, easy points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
There's one play in which DeJounte, excuse me, Zion Williamson and Julius Randle were both running in transition. And it was like he, like Zion Williamson turned on the speed when he saw that his teammate was ready to give him the outlet pass. This is what,
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
new new orleans pelican ball needs to look like they're young they're fast they need to connect they felt more like a team that's been together for a lot longer than zion williamson who's only played with them for six games uh you know this season it was fun listen xena you play in the post uh let me tell you a secret about guards and wings when we know we're gonna get the ball
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
We absolutely would. Had there not been some drop-offs in their performances, it's just been a kind of up-and-down season for Minnesota. But I would say in the second half of this first portion, it's definitely looking more positive. The adjustment that Anthony Edwards has made since he publicly said that he's not sure of how to handle the double teams. This was that Boston game four games ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Now had 15 points against the Celtics. Since then, he's dropped 53 against the Pistons. He dropped 37 against the Clippers and now 32 against the Pelicans. I mean, Clearly, something got into his head. Someone got into his head. He got in his own head. Who knows? But they're clearly making the adjustments to ensure that he gets the ball and he's getting the ball in the right places.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I didn't like the fact that he closed out the fourth quarter, mainly only shooting from the free throw line and get some points. Definitely want him to be consistent all the way throughout.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
That's been the main thing about his game is consistency from first quarter to fourth, but overall getting to his spots really nicely in the first portion of the game to get the lead in the comfortable space from the Pelicans to get the win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I agree. And especially when you have Devin Booker one point away from 40, and the fact that two of the superstars combined for 65 points, that is not something you want to throw away. It was the supporting cast that was non-existent tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
And if you look at the fact that Bradley Beal comes off the bench for the second time since 2016, definitely an adjustment, but he played well in the night before, having dropped 25 points. Next night, 10. But this was the performance that Devin Booker had the night before. He had 10 points. So they basically switched performances. They can't do that. They're superstars.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
They're big three for a reason. They got to be consistent, especially when you're big. Mason Plumlee's not providing much. Ryan Dunn didn't provide much in the starting position either. It's just – it's inconsistency from Phoenix. And I know it might have felt, you know, just a little bit hard for Charles Lee, who had spent nine seasons with Mike Brunholzer. Mm-hmm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
And, you know, this is his protege. He wanted to maybe show out in front of his mentor. And, you know, I think Charlotte Hornets definitely did that. I'm sure Budenholzer was proud of his boy, Charles Lee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
If you ever watched the Lomelo Ball highlights from Chino Hills, you know he's capable of this. He uses the backboard as another offensive option, another teammate to be able to just open up the space. This is a different definition of playing above the rim, right? Being able to use the backboard in that way. But yeah, I mean, having plays like that, scoring at will, and then 10 rebounds. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Let's not forget the other things that he added. Seven assists as well. I mean, this is maybe we're not so surprised that LaMelo Ball is leading the fan vote for guards in the East. It makes sense. He is entertaining to watch. So much fun. And he's playing ball like he's balling out with his teammates, making sure they're incorporated as well as making sure he's getting his own bucket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
So I love the pass. I hope we see more. He's definitely going on the top 10 highlights for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
There are two things that I think the Lakers could not have predicted tonight. And I think both of those factors were sitting on the bench. Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy. Quentin Grimes is capable of putting up big numbers. I still remember the 26-point performance he had against Cleveland. But he's so efficient, and he's such a quick sharpshooter, and he's got a solid unit kind of body.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I mean, he was coming across screens really nicely. And also, Jaden Hardy, also another sharpshooter. Both of them adding 30... 33 off the bench, basically additional 30 points that the Lakers could not have predicted with three starting players out for the Mavericks. This is where the main points were lost for the Lakers. And overall overall,
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
You got LeBron James still doing everything he can, including dunking on Derek Lively II, who wasn't in the league when he entered the league. It's not enough. They need more out of the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
He switched hands. He went up with his right and realized Derek Lively was there. And in midair, switched the ball to his left hand and dunked it on top of his head. Guys, the core control... The jump you have to have to be able to have that much time to make a decision in split timing. Oh, unbelievable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
Dorian Finney-Smith is finding his steps, you can tell, within this team. But overall, yes, this was a number five, number six matchup in the Western Conference. This was important. That's why these games, you cannot throw these games away because this matters of playoff position versus play-in position.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
He's insane. And then after he hits the shot with a defender fully in front of his body, he hits the shoulder, like the shoulder rub of like ice tray. Like it's chilly in here. It's frigid in here. I mean, he, it's between him and Steph Curry, between the disrespectful shots to close out games for some cases, close out seasons in Steph's case, and then do the most disrespectful celebrations. Like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
The last test for Cleveland | Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Zion’s return
I don't know what's worse, the dice on the Knicks court or this like frigid. I don't know. It's pretty.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Steph just said this. He literally said on, I think on Sunday night after they finished with the Rockets, or excuse me, maybe it was on Monday morning on, I can't remember. But either way, Steph just said that having had the series go to seven and basically at the end of that series, click. They're clicking now. They're in a rhythm now. They know who they are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
They do to some extent, but they still had a lot to figure out because let's just be real, Buddy hadn't been playing the way he played in game seven. Moses Moody has been in a scoring up and down kind of funk or whatever. There's been a lot of factors where they don't know who they are outside of maybe Steph's contributions and Jimmy's contributions, but in those two, particularly those
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Last three games, they had to get in a rhythm of how do we fix our defense? How do we ensure that our defense doesn't, you know, kick us out of the series? And so they roll with that same rhythm and that same momentum into Minnesota. And to your point, Dave, I don't know if it's about practice, but it's definitely from a perspective of like, we haven't been playing in rhythm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And to your point, Andrew, we haven't been playing in a circumstance, you know, in a Petri dish of tension, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Everything, anything we've been doing has been walkthroughs, it's been film, it's been, you know, four on four shell drill, like against each other, but it's not the same as Steph Curry just walked through the door or Jimmy Butler just walked through the door or Draymond Green just walked through the door. So I do agree that, you know, There's benefits to being able to rest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
But all of these teams that we thought would be tired, New York after Detroit, Nuggets after Clippers, Warriors after Rockets, we thought would be exhausted because they just went up against some defensive powerhouses, literally all three of them. If anything, they just got practice to get into the second round and start strong.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah, that's smart. Do you know if they do that, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I thought you were alluding that that is something that you can do. I was like, oh, I didn't.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I think that, yeah. And I think that's, and the reason to your point of how you're breaking that down is they've been dealing with this all season, all season, right? It's like the West has just been consistently put through the grinder because everyone's been really good. And so it kind of naturally raises their capacity for,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
tough games clutch moments um you know being able to have to adjust or whatever it is there's there's also more superstars to have to handle in the west um in comparison look at the teams that just didn't make the playoffs you know or look at like the Grizzlies like what would the Grizzlies have done in the east I don't know 55 wins
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Right. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. The bar is just I mean, that's a weird thing to say, but the bar is higher in the West. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Mm-hmm. Right. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
That's a good point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
wait explain in the chat i'm sorry i just said that wait wait wait wait no i want to break this down i want to break this down i don't know now people is incredibly steady i was going to say and one thing he is also good for policy great great policy but also one thing he is good for is very calmly reading you for filth and just like completely
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I don't know, exploding whatever concept you have in your mind. He does it in a very clean, very sharp, very snarky way, but also very politically savvy and correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Is that Mark Dagnall?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I feel like it could be. funny comp. He doesn't need to raise his voice to do his damage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
He raises his voice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I see that. I do see that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I'm, I'm looking Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, everything over there is. Yeah. Yeah. Going straight down, all the way down to the boot. To the east. Everything else over there?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
There you go. The Great Plains.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
But here's the thing. I mean, yeah. I'm looking at Tennessee. Actually, I'm getting more and more upset as I look at this map because how the hell is Indiana and Tennessee stacked on top of each other and one's in the east and one's in the west?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
So on the opposite end then. Yeah. Cavs are on the super duper. I mean, I feel like whoever they're going up against, whoever you're so comfortable with, whoever they're going up against should be absolutely super duper. Actually, A is for absolutely, S is for super duper. So Cavs, you are super duper worried. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Do you drive a Mercedes? Are you driving a luxury car? Because that's the only thing that could come up in your mind with S class. Look at you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Okay. Um, For absolutely worried on the same breath or in the same breath of injuries, the Warriors should be absolutely worried. Not because of where they are in the series, but because their star is questionable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I agree. I agree. I don't want to either, but hamstrings are crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Or Jimmy. Or Jimmy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
He took a lot of shots. That's the difference. Exactly. He took a lot of three-point shots. And I would say that the Timberwolves were very happy with the fact that he kept probe dribbling all night long yesterday, going into the trees, not finding anything, and then coming back out and finding a way to get it to Buddy, get it back, and then put up a three at the end of the shot clock.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, in comparison to what we saw in round one, absolutely. I mean, he had meaningful minutes yesterday. I think that he's going to get more comfortable in these environments and there's a lot less pressure on him. I mean, there were some really interesting lineups that Steve Kerr threw out there last night to combat what was going on. And again,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Jonathan Kaminga, I think, should feel very confident that he's going to be a part of those very strange lineups. And all he has to do is go out there, try to get somebody to foul him, cut to the basket when he should, and hit his outside shots, which he literally did all three things. So, yeah, absolutely expect to see more JK and someone to pressure the rim. Ask someone to pressure the rim.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Oh, don't get me started. I was in the green room yesterday being like, Festus and I, Festus Azealia and I were just watching like, what's happening? What's going on? But the thing about pods, you can always trust he's not going to be like this for long.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
He's going to he always has some sort of big bounce bounce back game, whether it's offensively or, you know, offensively in an assist distribution rebounding type of way. He's going to show back up again. So that I'm not gonna say it was weird because he's capable for that. It's definitely on track for him. But yeah, he's gonna have to show up big time. Big time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. The thing, what's interesting about this is that there's not a ton of time between games, right? They literally play tomorrow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
But it is enough time for one Minnesota to be like, well, I don't know what we were doing the other day. Let's get our shit back together. Oh, inside the arc because Minnesota kept pushing them out and they could not find anything in the paint. So it'll be interesting to see, regardless of Steph, the adjustments made by both teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I have more word for the Warriors to have a Minnesota team that's adjusted as opposed to the other way around.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Buddy played tremendous last night. I wouldn't even say his offense was – I mean, yes, huge. It ends up being the leading scorer for the Warriors. But it was really his first half. I said this yesterday on DevStock Live. If I look through the play-by-play, and I literally did control find, Buddy healed. And I looked at that first half, and I kept seeing the missed be healed, missed be healed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
But every little bit between those shots –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
be healed assist be healed offensive rebound be healed steal like he kept producing despite not shooting well and that's what you really need in the playoffs is f your game if you're off your your game in your you know capacity of what you're supposed to bring to the game what else can you bring what other intangibles and he did well on defense he was really good on defense so
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I agree with you, and I'll agree with Walsh, the comment we just saw. Because Steve has to play chess now, and I called it a desperation game of chess, he's still one of the best gamers in the NBA, and he went through 12 players to find a way to win that game. And so, yeah, I absolutely think they could do something a little crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I mean, it might be, but if you ask anybody in the Warriors organization who shows up in practice on the same level of consistency in terms of like playing it, Pat, Pat. And I, you know, we were talking about this too. Pat Spencer could go somewhere else and be a solid two guard. I mean, a solid backup point guard, like not somebody that's sitting on the bench, not somebody that records DNPs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Like he could legitimately play. And every time he comes in, he attacks. Guess who was pressuring Rudy? Pat! No fear.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. Yeah. Mark Jones tweeted a picture of Tyrese and Buddy together in sack. And he was like, it hits different. And I was like, yeah, that makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
That is poorly. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I think I'm, I'm trying to come up with the tier names as well. We have super duper. Absolutely. Bet you're no, I'm joking. I don't know what would be, be, um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I'm wondering if there was an emphasis from the ownership to get an agent or someone with an agent background because they know how hard it is to recruit players to Sacramento. So they needed a GM with that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
knowledge of how to communicate to athletes that this is a destination spot this is a good landing spot it could be i mean like some of those guys have done well in the past like there's there's a handful of guys that have bob myers bob myers i was just going to say bob myers is one and that's what the thing is people talked about bob myers being a player whisperer um in the way that he was able to massage some of these big egos into one place
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
For them, it wasn't mediocrity, right? The Light the Beam era was like, even though incredibly short, it felt amazing. It felt like, I don't know, just enlivening. And then they were like, how do we sustain this? And instead of, how do we elevate this? Because I think that if you look at their NorCal comparison, the Warriors are the best comparison in terms of
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
In the 2014 year, and Steph is coming up and coming up behind Monte Ellis, and they're feeling it a little bit. Don Nelson eventually, I think it was 2015 season, goes towards Steph and says, you're going to be our guy. That's elevation. We're not going to just stay here because it's cute and it's fun and we're winning a few games. We are going to make the jump.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
to change whatever we're doing but i don't know if that's a don nelson thing was it larry um neil that was a gm like i don't know if it was dawn or larry that made that decision in like how they're going to elevate past the success that they were finding right but that's where you found sack is stuck and you can't really make that decision if you fired your head coach
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
multiple times in the last five years. And you can't really make that decision with the same thing with your GM. It just feels as if there's not enough stability in SAC to understand what elevation means as opposed to sustainability.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. Elevation didn't do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I would say they're at a D. I think they're definitely not worried. They stole that game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And you still have Nicola Jokic. If you've got that guy, you're really not worried because at the end of the day, he will carry you to the water and help you drink and then also teach you how to take it back. He'll do it all. And then shout out to Russell and Aaron, people just playing hard in general to kind of cover up the gaps. Yeah, I think they're not worried. I would not be worried.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
They just have to be smarter. They have to move on the flight of the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Well, let's go OKC next. Would you put them at concerned or baseline worried?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
OK, OK. Just a little concerned.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
So I said I would not be too worried if I'm OKC because the issues that they had in game one are fixable. And they have the personnel to fix them. Like, one, Mark Dagnall is one of the most reflective, self-aware coaches I've seen in the NBA. He's capable of being able to see the mistake that happened in calling for the foul and how it was executed, right? Because...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
He didn't think calling the foul was the issue. It was just the execution of it was the issue. So that's something that is fixable with his team to be able to communicate that. The players now see the end result of that. They hadn't been through that situation. As Dave said earlier, they haven't played a real tough game since February.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And so this is an opportunity for them to be like, ooh, okay, the playoffs. Got it. This is what it looks like. Let's adjust and ensure that we're in the right positions at the right time. We're talking about moving on the flight of the ball. Who has the personnel to do that incredibly well? Okay, see. And who is definitely watching film to adjust for that the next game through? Absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I'm looking at the minutes, right? that the Nuggets put up in order to even get that win or even to be in that game. Yes, the Nuggets came back from a 20-point-something deficit. Still got 14. Excuse me. Thank you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
63 to 43 rebounding count is, like, that's a problem. But I just feel like all of that is adjustable. Be more physical. Box out. Send more guards. Expect long threes. Like... you know, rebounds off a long three. He's like, I think all of that feels like something that OKC can handle. And that's why I feel less. I don't feel like they they should be concerned, but not super concerned.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And I want to see the longevity of these vets in Denver because it's a long season and OKC is younger.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And there was several – there were several players that didn't off the bench. I mean, Isaiah Joe had a quiet night. Like there was, there's players that you can expect that 20 point game that Caruso had that did not show up. And I can't imagine that's going to be all series. I said, it's a long season earlier. I meant a long series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
So yeah. Well, both.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
They're running off the adrenaline from the Clippers, so that's going to wear off eventually.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Yeah. I don't even know. Like I have literally tried and I can't comment. Like, I guess I haven't been on Reddit long enough. Sorry. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Reddit is so legit though. I do appreciate the fact that anything in your entire life, any situation, you could pop that stuff in Reddit and someone else has experienced it. Somebody's experienced it and they'll tell you exactly what happened. So anyways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I kind of like how we've done this in the pairs. Okay. Okay. If I am the Knicks... How worried are you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I'm going to say I'm concerned. What do you think, Dave?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
that you got there correct i'm looking at the knicks probably are like oh feels nice to win that first one but my goodness boston celtics going what 15 of 60 was it is not not realistic so um i think that they're probably like yeah that that probably can't happen again but we'll see I don't know. We say this sometimes. Same thing as the Nuggets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
The Knicks put up some crazy minutes, crazy numbers. I mean, Josh Hart, what, 51, 53 minutes? I'm not doubting that he has the ability to do that, but I don't know if that's sustainable. That's crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
With that, I would put them at baseline worried.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Okay. I would put them at baseline worried because, as Walsh mentioned, pretty sure they're awake now. Adjustments are going to be made. And I cannot imagine, one, that they'll shoot as poorly as they did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I think you can count on Jalen Brunson going off the way he did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
OGN and OB should not have been as free and as productive as he was in that first game. And I feel like they're going to account for that. If Kristaps comes back, That spreads your floor way better than what the Knicks were giving them. Because if you saw, and I said this on the show with Dave, the Knicks shrunk the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
They made the Celtics feel as if they didn't have space to operate inside the paint. And so all they were doing was jacking up shots. And I really do feel as if Kristaps coming back, if he does, will help them spread things out a little bit more. Will pull potentially, I guess, Cat would be on him. Would we expect that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Either way, I feel like very similarly to OKC, Boston is going to make adjustments. They're going to wake up. They're going to play better. And again, the difference though with OKC is that Boston's been here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
They know what it takes. And that I'm learning even how valuable that is. I think that game seven of the Rockets and Warriors, I ain't going to lie to you. I did not expect that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Not just finals, but Eastern Conference? You don't see that at all? Oh, Eastern Conference finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Does it feel like the year that Phoenix went up against Minnesota? Because if Indiana makes it, that... Oh, against Milwaukee. I mean Milwaukee, sorry. Milwaukee. I feel like the Milwaukee Phoenix series was kind of like a weird year. And I feel like if the Pacers make it, that would be a weird situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
We were talking about us, how there are certain teams that lose the games that they're supposed to win. Like the Indiana Pacers almost losing that game, despite Cleveland having three stars sitting out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
We've seen this all season long where, you know, even, I mean, look at the Warriors, even having played against the Brooklyn Nets and the ilk of that sort of team and still finding ways to lose or finding ways to get it to clutch minutes. And,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I feel like Minnesota could be one of those teams that despite the Warriors not having Steph, they'll find a way to kind of walk through it a little bit too comfortably and end up trying to get Edwards going late as opposed to punching first and then winning, you know, and being consistent throughout the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
be in disbelief wow they just feel like a team of destiny right now so many things going right i don't know well s i'm gonna throw it back to you since we both were like i mean andrew and i also thought it was strange but i told andrew and dave i was like does this kind of feel like the year that milwaukee and phoenix went to the finals if indiana makes it it's just kind of like a oh you
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Not to, you know, crap on you. I don't think I realized you were that good. Didn't realize that things were going that well for you. But it just feels... Like they do. I mean, we all season long, we've been talking about two teams, three teams really add Boston to that mix, but we've been talking about OKC and Cleveland just being dominant, dominant, dominant.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And why has Cleveland specifically been dominant? They've got a great backcourt and they got a great front court and they are balanced, really well balanced. And what have we seen as of late, really all season, but really we're now starting to see it and paying attention is Tyrese Halliburton, Aaron Neesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, but I'll call him the frontcourt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
But really, that backcourt, solid. Add in T.J. McConnell off the bench. Solid, solid backcourt play from Indiana. And then their frontcourt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
pascal um miles turner like we're seeing some obi toppin even off the bench like we're seeing really great performances and a balanced team i'm feeling like we could interchange cleveland and indiana in the way that we've talked about why they're so good at least so far in these playoffs and so Guess what? Cavs don't have the things that have made them good all season long.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
A balanced backcourt, they don't have that anymore. Darius Garland is sitting on the bench. A balanced frontcourt, they don't have that right now. Evan Mobley is sitting on the bench. Even their peripheral players, we talked about Okoro and Sam all season long. Merrill, like, Hunter's on the bench. Hunter's on the bench.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
So all the things that we've talked about for Cleveland, you can literally take all of that and transfix it onto Indiana. And it wouldn't be crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I'm going to wake up on a Wednesday morning.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I was just going to say, you just took some pre-workout or this is your pre-workout?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
It's going well. It's going well, you know. The Bay is happy. Last night, they got to see the Warriors steal. It's one of the craziest things I've ever seen. Someone wrote on one of my tweets about, I basically said, like, you know, great job, Warriors. It is going to be uncharacteristic or just unrealistic to believe that that will happen again for the Minnesota Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
And someone was like, you know, you do know that the Warriors beat them four times, right? I'm like, I do. I do. And I also know that at the time that the Warriors were beating them, this was early in the season, earlier in the season at least. They still hadn't really clicked yet. Minnesota was still trying to figure it out. They were still bickering on the court. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Like you guys remember those moments where they like Rudy Gobert would be giving up on plays because he wasn't getting the ball inside. Julius Randall, Anthony Edwards didn't know who should get the ball at the last second or in the clutch minutes. Like it was still early days for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
It wasn't until the third part of the season that they really started to be like, oh, OK, this is what Julius Randall looks like on this team. This is what the two of them, Julius and Rudy, look like together as a team. power forward center duo, even though, you know, Julius is basically their point guard. It was, it was still early days.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Was it by halftime? That's not real. Those aren't real numbers. I don't think that the Warriors can... There's to a degree that, yes, the Warriors' defense was great because it's been great all season. But there's also a factor that Minnesota lost this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
That's not my point. That's my point is like give all the credit you want to the Warriors. But Warriors fans, let's just be real. Minnesota couldn't even pick up the ball yesterday. It was weird. It was weird. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
Like I almost feel like it wasn't light. I feel like they were just too comfortable because they had.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Thunder should be worried | Morning Shoot Around
I feel like I could see him being intense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
if anything, heartbreaking for Kyrie, watching him take those last two free throws, thanking God. And I believe he's going through Ramadan right now as well. So he might also be fasting. I mean, there was something spiritual in that moment from him thanking God in the most vulnerable period of his injury. It was just surreal. I just hope he gets better soon.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
That's actually, it's stupid. It's just like, it's ridiculous. And I'm happy you mentioned longevity because Yovan Buha also wrote about this accomplishment and he mentioned the longevity. But the word that he used that's really real and I think underscored here is availability.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
We do not talk enough about how much LeBron James has made himself available to even score those points out on the court over the course of his career. And also being able to see his career now, potentially at the twilight, him still playing in his prime, not only from a physical factor, right? We see him playing with the same vigor, the same just...
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
ferociousness on the court that he had when he was in his prime. We're also seeing this elevated level of cerebral play and tactical play and methodical play. And so combining the two of them at the age of 40, hitting 50,000 points, and it's still going like we are still seeing these Herculean efforts night in, night out from LeBron. It's we're so lucky to be able to watch something like this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
And it's a masterclass in leadership too. Being able to adjust through those periods and particularly this new addition of Luka Doncic, you could have said that it wouldn't have worked, especially the way he was rolling in February. And now to see the both of them, you know, coexisting beautifully, it's amazing. it's unfair. It's fun though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
That's a positive. Absolutely. But we I think we all know that Phoenix has the material. Phoenix has the tools and the components. It's about being able to execute and being able to put it all together. Right. I mean, everyone saw that first half. If you looked at social media during the midst of that game, everyone was ripping on Phoenix and also everyone was dissecting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
phoenix looking at every little interaction on the court on the bench figuring out like this team is done there's no chemistry they're not playing hard they're not competitive etc everyone saw it it was as if they went in the locker room in the second half maybe in the third quarter someone passed out phones it was like you see what they're saying about you you see what they're saying they're saying that you're not competitive that you don't want to win a championship this is what they're saying and then they specifically said and colin they don't think you're worth the 409 million that's been on this roster like let's
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
Let's figure it out. And they came out like re-energized. It was actually really encouraging and inspiring, but it still leaves the question of what is the culture of Phoenix? What do they stand under? Because it was funny when Stan Van Gundy said that this team is pathetic. The very next line was due to a turnover by the play-by-play announcer that said, he said, and that's Clippers basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
It made me immediately go, what's Phoenix basketball?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
That's what I'm thinking. That's what I'm thinking. What do they look like out there on the court?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
If anything, what they need is a brand to fall back on so that regardless of if they had a guy, if that guy's not playing well, if that guy gets ejected, if that guy is just not available for that night, they still can fall back on whatever that brand is. So, for example, the Clippers can fall back on their defense, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
They can fall back on their ability to get in passing lanes and things of that sort, deflections, etc., You can go around the association and say, even if your stars aren't playing, this is what you can expect out of this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
The list of everything that's happened to the Dallas Mavericks, particularly since Luka Doncic was traded, is... is surreal. Like it really feels as if the plague has descended upon them. And this is just another notch in that, but it's probably the biggest one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
And I think that right now, if Kevin Durant's not playing well, or if Devin Booker's not playing well, or if Bradley Beal's not playing well, I don't know what it is that Phoenix falls back on. And that's what's missing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
When you think about Kyrie Irving in the story of what this was supposed to be, of course, Luke is at the center, but Kyrie was that next big chapter. And then you add in Klay Thompson and, And now all that's left is Clay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LeBron first to 50k points | Kyrie out for the season
And there's something eerie about that when you think about what Clay Thompson went through towards the end of his time with the Warriors with his ACL tear and him being sidelined for a year. And now you've got Kyrie Irving also not being able to carry the torch on after Luka in Dallas. But it's heartbreaking overall for the story of the Dallas Mavericks. But I think...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
No, that's breaking news. Interesting. There we go. Internet sleuths, thank you for noticing that. But we know that this would be a long shot deal. It would involve some intricate trade conversations with potentially the Lakers, the Suns, as you mentioned, to be able to get maybe Jimmy Butler onto the Suns roster, Kevin Durant in the Bay Area, back in the Bay Area.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Could you break down the moves that could potentially happen in order for something like this to be possible?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
And the first 48 hours after the fact were kind of just like really hard for him to process. We've been talking about it from a process or from a perspective of It's hard to process why the Mavericks would do this. The future of the league, like what does this mean for player autonomy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Right, we're doing our job, Dave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Now, the word desperate has been thrown around. And I definitely feel like the Warriors are that person at the end of the nightclub. You know, the lights are about to come on. DJ's playing the last little bit. And they're trying to find out who's still on the dance floor trying to dance. Who's willing to give their numbers at the end of the night? And I feel as if Teams are noting that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
They've been noting that the Warriors have had their back on the wall all night, and now they're trying to get some action. How do you, what do you feel is the sentiment from other leagues, from the teams around the league?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Like we've been thinking about it from the business perspective, not realizing how deeply this has impacted Luka Doncic from the perspective of how he thought he was going to live out the rest of his career. the relationships he thought he had in that building that he had with his teammates. And it all really was present and felt within that press conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
I was just curious if... If there's been any sentiment from Steph Curry since there's been an added spotlight to him, you know, there was there's been several articles around people asking him in the huddles, like, what do you think is going to happen? What do you think should happen, et cetera? Has anyone garnered any sentiment from him of frustration?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
of the front office wanting to do something.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
And then the same level of emotion was around the fact that he was grateful that he now gets to be alongside LeBron James and gets to learn from him every single day. So you saw him really be human in that press conference. And it definitely added a humanistic aspect that we, I don't think, as fans of the league have really thought about to that depth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Well, now I'm curious, obviously being in this position where you're covering the Warriors and also covering the Kings who have now made their move, you can shift your attention to all of the trades, everything that's happened, all the puzzle pieces that are moving throughout the league. Do you think that the Warriors could get Paul George?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
I was going to use the word betrayal. Yeah, exactly. And that feels really profound of a feeling because, you know, There's some people that would say, fans, these businesses, these businessmen are making business decisions not with your feelings in mind.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
But when you think about these fans purchasing tickets, buying jerseys, supporting these teams, allowing them to have the day-to-days that they have, the front office I'm referring to, you do owe something to them. And if anything, too, you owe something to the players that have dedicated their bodies, their efforts, their skills to supporting this business that you're trying to run. Um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
The biggest thing that was, if anything for the Lakers fan, is exciting, is that in this betrayal, it feels as if, and it was definitely apparent in the press conference, a chip the size of Mount Rushmore is sitting on Lucas' shoulder now. He mentioned the fact that, you know, the conditioning aspect, the fact that there's been this storyline around his conditioning.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
You've awoken a sleeping giant. okay, you want me to get in shape? Don't worry. I've got LeBron James that spends a million dollars a year on his conditioning and his physique sitting alongside me that is ready to give me the game plan on how to become the face of a franchise and how to stay in this league until I'm 40 years old. And better weather out here, too. Better weather in L.A.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
And that's important, that lead being able to be held with the Cleveland Cavaliers that in the last two games against the Boston Celtics were able to put up points in that second half to close the margin of victory. Between the first two wins, there was a win for Boston and a win for Cleveland between their first two matchups. The margin of victory, the largest, was four points. Four points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
So these teams definitely match up against each other well. But last night, Boston made Cleveland look small. You saw Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland really struggle to keep the ball out of Jason Tatum's hand, out of Jalen Brown's hand, running in transition. Derek White had 14 points of his 20 in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Just, again, utilizing his size advantage over the guards on the Cavalier side just to be able to get that offensive boost in the last parts of the game. This is a huge win. And because we're in trade season, we barely talked about it. But right now, the battle in the East, now the advantage is to the Celtics over Cleveland. And so that's there's something to be said there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
And I definitely think that the Celtics are probably feeling a little bit more of a confidence boost. They haven't made any moves and it doesn't look like they need to after this win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Well, they shot 41 last night from the. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
For someone that's only played 14 games this season, he looked great. And Dave, in his last five games that he has been able to play, he scored over 25 points. He's doing what he's capable of doing. You can't deny the talent that is within him. It's just a matter of getting him out on the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Four games in November, nine games in December, and now this is your first game back after a month-long absence. Overall, All that matters is keeping Joel Embiid on the floor and then being able to stack wins. It's wonderful.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
It's actually unbelievably admirable how well Tyrese Maxey has been playing despite the inconsistencies of his fellow stars and Paul George and Joel Embiid and being able to take the floor. But he can't keep doing that. He can't be the only option. That's how you run down your stars before the playoffs even begin.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
So it's great to see Joel back on the floor and take a little bit of the pressure off of him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
i want to talk about luca's part of this because i think luca came across as surprised as we all are xena he was stunned if you looked at his demeanor at the desk there was so many times that he seemed as if he was in a daze um particularly when palinka was speaking but overall the sentiment and and feeling around it was very heavily emotional you heard words like loyalty
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
That was a critical turnover by Amin Thompson in the final seconds of that game. And it's really unfortunate because he's been having some amazing games lately. But this is the issue that the Houston Rockets have. And this is the issue that OKC had back in the day. This is a youth...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Problem, folks, this is a who can be responsible in late game situations, who can make the right shot, who can make the right pass, who can pay attention to the details to make sure that you're ball faking or if you don't have it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
I'm not sure if they actually had a timeout at that moment, but to make sure you don't have it, to get open and make sure you're not throwing the ball back to your opponent. I look this up. In the last four games, the Houston Rockets have had 14 or more turnovers, which is much over their average, which they've had 13 before then, but they've crept up to about 14.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
Overall, they're only 11th in the league in terms of how many turnovers they have per game, just under 14. But when it comes to the fourth quarter, they're in the bottom third of the league. As the game gets close and the time is running out, things get a little bit more panicked for the Houston Rockets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
And these are the types of things that you've got to watch out for if you're trying to make a deep run or a run to the playoffs, period. If players and teams know that they can get in your head at the end of the game and that you're going to rush and that you're going to be made to be felt uncomfortable, they got you. That's an easy lock. That's an easy lock.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
You look at what the Boston Celtics were doing to the Cavaliers all night. Oh, okay, cool. Even if... the Houston Rockets were to make it out of the West, which playing like this, they won't. But if they were the East, it's easy. It's an easy lockup. Let's just make sure that these young men feel uncomfortable at the end of the game. The ball will be ours. They'll literally give it to us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
And you talked about just highlighting that loyalty is a big word for him. And he had envisioned spending his entire career in Dallas. Like you could feel that these things weighed on him. He described the trade like as a big shock. He actually thought it was a joke. He was on his way to sleep and he thought it was a joke.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kevin Durant to the Warriors? | Luka is a Laker
I know the Warriors fan base has kind of been looking at the front office of the Warriors kind of like, do something. Warriors, everyone else has been making a move. Why don't you do something? And sometimes it pays off to be a little patient. Now, I want to thank the internet sleuths that have noticed that Kevin Durant has removed all of his Phoenix Suns photos. Don't know if you two knew that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Some parents out there are probably like, it's probably like watching Cocomelon. Just like quick, quick, like different scenes, colors, everything happening all at once. But it's so crazy. Of course, I think all basketball fans know this is going to be a matchup for the ages because of the frenetic energy both of these teams put out. However...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
the conversation has been swayed and outbalanced in which one team is going to come out on top than the other, where people are literally grasping at straws, myself included, to try and figure out what are the ways in which the Indiana Pacers can overcome, outdo, whatever you want to call it, the Oklahoma City Thunder. And that's the question I have for you, Fred Katz.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
As a person that watches a lot, you know the stats, you know all the insights. I mean...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
uh i'm really struggling to try and find flaws in okc's game and so i'd like to ask you some about the strengths about the pacers like are is there anything that's like really being called out to you of like this is a way that the pacers could actually overcome the thunder yeah so to me the way if you if i if i took a two and a half week nap
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
I feel like the difference between these two teams, because they're so well matched up. I mean, they don't have a Shea, don't get me wrong. I think Tyrese and Pascal kind of go off back and forth as being the guys for the Pacers. But in terms of being matched up out on the floor, they're pretty well matched evenly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Where I think the difference is, is how they play the different zones out on the floor. And we know OKC has tremendous perimeter defense. We know that Indiana's interior defense, the way they guard the paint, is significantly better than OKC. And this is where I'm like, who can take advantage of the zones that the opponent can't guard as well? So I'm looking at OKC, one, transition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Indiana doesn't guard transition as well as OKC does. Can they do better in transition? You're talking about the half court. Can OKC find a way to get their perimeter shooting going? That can be Lou Dort. That can be J-Dub. That can be anyone, really. Let's be real. Kenrich Williams. You go down the roster. Wiggins, Wallace. Anyone can go hot from three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
It's really about the consistency of taking advantage of those zones for me. And if I'm looking at OKC... There's more evidence in their series against Denver of their inability to be consistent in taking advantage of the half court, as you mentioned. I'm not even thinking about taking away Shea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
I'm talking about taking away their ability to shoot the three consistently versus Indiana being able to take advantage of their mid-range game or being able to take advantage of their size inside or even the three ball, which... They shoot a lot of threes. They were inconsistent, I think, against the Knicks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
They can get cold, too. I don't know. It's hard for me to just look at just the individual matchups because Shea is going to always win that. The second you take him off, it gets pretty even. And now it's just a matter of taking advantage of your zones.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Right. Like, let's just be real. When you think about the fact that New York should have won that first game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Right. Like it came down to a bounce, a very tall bounce. But. You never know. It's going to be close. And I think that OKC will find a way to close it out more than Indiana will.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
That's exactly how I feel, particularly the emphasis on the statement. You can say you can justify reasons for why Tom Thibodeau was fired. If you're looking at the offensive rigidity, which I still think that there was more to it than most people would look at and see. You could say that he ran guys to the ground. You could say a lot of different things, but everything you just listed, James.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Having brought them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, being able to literally in that same statement that Leon Rose made to say in five season, you brought us to the playoffs four times. You also got us for series one. You poured your heart and soul into this organization. You led us with classic professionalism. Unfortunately, we had to go a different direction.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
I just feel like it's a it's not you. It's me. Like it's like a bit of a gaslighting situation. Because you can't find in that statement an explanation as to why you're moving on, why you have to move in a different direction, especially because the very first sentence was our singular focus is winning a championship.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
And you fired the guy that got you the closest to competing for said championship in the last, I don't know, 50 years. So I just I am frustrated for Tom. I am frustrated for Tom. But what I really want to know, it's one thing we've seen this before. We've seen it with Michael Malone. We've seen it with some other players, other coaches, not even just in this season, but in recent seasons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
I'm trying to figure out where's this expedition that the NBA overall has had recently on results over the process. It feels as if there's so much emphasis on you need to win now or else you got to go. Where'd that come from?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
What are your thoughts of like in the new regime, someone coming in to take advantage of all of this success essentially that New York recently had, what can they bring to this team that's not already there?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
At what point do you incorporate play calling or timeouts and then being able to create something off a timeout from a Steve Kerr versus allowing them to play and try to develop something, which I thought was happening in the last parts of that game where Steve Kerr, you saw him rolling, let them play, like allowing them to continue rather than stopping the play and setting something up that they have found success with.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
And it did tonight. It's true. He'll just make a shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
You win with hoopers. With players. It don't matter. With gamers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Now, here's the thing. Not everybody's going to shoot threes, but people are still going to play hard. And this is the issue that got them into this position where this is their fifth straight loss. Right. And there's been some losses that were not phenomenal three point shooting or were not necessarily the most physical games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
It was just the Warriors not playing to the standard of Warriors basketball. So now five straight losses. What's the answer? What's the solution?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
I was just going to say, the money is where things got interesting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
I I'm nervous to say yes, only because the Knicks are not fully healthy. And I know what, if you think about Precious Ashua coming back into the mix, I loved his game last year. I thought that he was a bruiser inside. He was a great screener.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
And I'm imagining if you move Karl-Anthony Towns to his rights position as a forward four, allow Precious to be the paint protector, the rim protector, et cetera, that opens up a whole new world for the Knicks. It really, really does.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
I do. Not even just defensively, offensively too. Sure. Particularly for Carl Anthony Towns. And they're now rolling. I think they now have figured out how to get Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns to work together in tandem well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
I think there's another world in which when Carl Anthony Towns doesn't need to be the big on the floor for most of the time. Mm-hmm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Yeah, I am.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Don't get me wrong. In the East, I'm still in the Cavs boat, too. I'm just saying I'm a little tugged between the two. But in the West, I think it gets a lot more complicated. There are some factors. The Thunder, if Chet Holmgren, he's out, right? Hartenstein. If he gets in foul trouble, that's a problem. They now have to play small ball. That can be good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
They're actually quite good in small ball. But how will that look in the course of a seven game series when people are able to dissect you and and game plan for you and wear you down? That's that concerns me. I actually really like the Rockets. Oh, I you were the youth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Yep. So in the East, the Magic are going to go to the Bucks and then the Hawks are going to the Knicks. So you're right. The Knicks were the ultimate villain last night, getting that spot home court advantage and also keeping Boston out in the West. The Mavericks took took care of business against Memphis last night, fell apart, ruined my pick from last week. They're going to be at the Thunder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
The only reason I'm not is because I do think that Fred Van Vliet and Dylan Brooks have enough of veteran experience to get them, those young boys to whip into shape.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Yeah, he's unstoppable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
We're on the same page. I was going to say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
No, I'm just excited for the West. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
And then the Warriors, despite going down against the Nuggets, are still, they already locked in their knockout round. So they're going to be at the Rocket. So lots of still great teams, great matchups, and a lot of competition. And we're getting Trey Young.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Oh, I was just going to say, what? I still vividly can hear the social media clips of people in the streets of New York hating Zena. I mean, the very living breath of Trey Young.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
On his own back, and that's exactly what it takes if you want to be a superstar. If you watched last night's game against the Pistons, they looked good early. They were in passing lanes. They were playing well in transition. Everyone was getting touches. It was great. And then in the second quarter, the Bucs became monsters.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
They like unlocked another level to their offense, mainly by shooting threes. But it was Damian Lillard, Giannis in the pick and roll, Giannis being able to find his teammates. He had four assists yesterday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
in that quarter and that was really the change of the game being able to get in rhythm all led by Giannis and with that that dug a hole so deep that the Pistons could not come back so good job Giannis got the work done early he could sit in the fourth quarter
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Knicks offense took fire again, similar to what you saw in the Bucs game. Orlando Magic started nicely, 14-6, and then the Knicks were like, we're going to take this over. You know what? You could say that they were... in tempo, as Toronto would say. But really, they were physical. They got in rhythm. They were a perfect 20 for 20 from the free throw line, which is huge.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
But I think the biggest stat of all, they were able to take their physicality that you saw all over the court and convert it. They rewarded themselves 15 turnovers 32 points off of turnovers. That doesn't happen in the NBA. You get some transition breaks sometimes, but that often to be able to literally convert almost on every single turnover. Unbelievable. Six players scoring in double digits.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
They're figuring things out in NY.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Especially, you know, with the ankle, you're anticipating two weeks at least. It's going to be tough. One thing I'll say, Devin Booker looked like he was ready to shoulder the load last night. I mean, he took over that game, 29 points, nine rebounds, assists. He actually became the ninth youngest player to hit 15,000 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Everyone talks about the year after players play in the Olympics, they kind of like evolve. They hit another level. A lot of the focus has been on Jason Tatum. and almost talking about it as a, like a revenge tour because he didn't play much. We got to shift our attention to what Devin Booker's also been doing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
And we've been talking a lot about him playing in these different roles, being a chameleon, a chameleon. He absolutely was a chameleon tonight. KD goes down, uh, off that take in the second quarter, Booker takes over. Um, and also good defense overall by the rookies. Again, also the Godaro, Ryan Dunn, uh,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
just pressuring the perimeter, making it tough to get the ball inside and also making it tough for a particular seven footer that likes to shoot outside. When he went one for nine on the night, didn't score in the first half, picked it up in the second, but it wasn't enough. Jeremy Sohan was back for them. Don't know if you guys caught that green hair.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
I couldn't focus on the court or his hair. I wasn't sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
But overall, sons did a great job being able to pick up the slack with Katie out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
That's a great question. I don't know, especially with what this team looks like. It is very clear that everything, not just offense, even defense, everything runs through Jokic when he is on the floor. everything runs smoothly. This team was a negative 19 in the eight minutes on the bench. Yeah. You think this is early in the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Think about the next half of the year, the last quarter of the year, as you're trying to make it to the playoffs, he's going to need a little bit more rest and he's going to be tired and worn down. The team cannot be this tired. Deprived when he's not on the court. And that's what that's what scares me tonight. It was really Jokic versus the Warriors. He is an anomaly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Leave it to the Caribbeans in Toronto to know there's nothing scarier than staying on rhythm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
He is an eccentricity like he is not normal. I don't even know if he fits in the category of bigs. He's like, I don't know. He's got literally Godzilla is a great descriptor because that and then Godzilla with touch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
What's tough is that you watch this game. You thought Jonathan Kaminga was that guy. And at some points earlier this season, you thought Andrew Wiggins was that guy. And when you look at the last play, Andrew Wiggins slipping, falling Christian, excuse me, Russell Westbrook coming to get that ball. You're like, yeah, they don't have a solid, consistent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
You can trust this guy with the ball at the end of the game type of guy. And I'm wondering, can you find one within this roster or do you have to go outside?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
His footwork does look pretty in the paint. He's got it. He's got it right in the paint, but getting past the fender sometimes is where he really is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
Like you gotta be able to finish.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
I thought it was too. I was disappointed with some of the games last night. Lots of blowouts. However, overall, you're seeing an elevated level of play. You're seeing teams run the score up. You're seeing players staying in the game in the fourth quarter to ensure that they got that score up. So overall, everyone's just like bought in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
But Terrence Shannon Jr. is a really big ball-handling guard. I mean, if that guy can come off the bench and give you anything, that's valuable. So these two guys getting a chance to sort of close this game, I mean, this is something that prepares them for playoff minutes potentially. Mm-hmm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Uh, you mentioned that Anthony Edwards was on the bench during the big comeback at the, at the end of this game. And it wasn't like he was benched number one. Um, it was confusing that he wasn't out there, but it was only because we, he, a lot of us missed that big chunk of that comeback. And we were like, wait, where's that? But yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
He made it back into the game in overtime, and he still won this game for the Wolves with a block at the rim on Shea Gildas Alexander. What is it like for this team that their best player just comes up with ways to make plays, even on a night? I mean, what was he, 5 of 15? He didn't shoot the ball that well. He did rebound very well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
He was making plays for other guys, but he's known as a scorer, and here he is making the game-sealing block at the rim.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Yeah. I mean, you start hearing the chatter and it's, The Sixers need to try to tank to keep their pick. Yeah. Right. I imagine as a player, that's got to be pretty tough to go through. You know, they they spend the summer. They bring in Paul George thinking they've got this big three. And it just has never come to fruition through, you know, for health reasons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Obviously, it's like this team has been, as we said yesterday, completely snakebitten.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Yeah, he was on the sideline in a hoodie and he wasn't even like zipping it up and down. He wasn't he wasn't being antsy like a guy who wouldn't jump back in. It was actually I mean, again, that comeback was incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
I think that this could be one of those turning point sort of games, because I was going to ask you if this was, you know, measuring stick, expecting them to lose this one back to back. And all of a sudden now, maybe this is something they can build some momentum on. Certainly, everybody go and read John over at The Athletic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
It's easy if you follow him on the app, you get a notification every time he posts a new story. So definitely go and do that. Thank you, John Krasinski, for joining the show. For Zena Keita, I'm Dave DuFour, and that's going to do it for the NBA Daily. Thank you guys for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Yeah. And overnight Sunday into Monday morning, we kind of got some more news on, you know, what's going on with Joel's knee. And apparently there are multiple options. One of which is micro fracture surgery, which, you know, it's not something that you want to hear. You, you, This guy has already had a lot of surgeries.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
And so the fact that they're considering another one where he may miss up to a year, maybe longer, that contract starts next year, the big extension that he signed. Paul George obviously is in year one of a four-year contract. That's two. That's so much money. Kind of rough contracts for the Sixers going forward. And you get to a point where they basically have to keep this pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
They have to keep this pick. It's one of the few team building assets that they have left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
How much is it going for? Apparently $1,500, but I do not think that it gets security updates, so you probably can't. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Zena. Another night, another embarrassing performance for the Sixers. Just. Zena, is it good to lose to the Bulls who are not necessarily trying to win? And I mean, obviously, this is rhetorical, but is it good to lose by 32 points?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Yeah. Look, we let's let's move to something a little bit more positive. OK, the Detroit Pistons. This has been one of the best stories of the season, a real bright spot. And not just because Cade Cunningham does look like a star. And I will happily eat my crow. Cade Cunningham is a star. Put up 32 points last night, nine rebounds, seven assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
I mean, essentially another like a ho-hum game for him. I believe he's still sizzling, Zena. Jalen Duren was awesome. Tobias Harris continues to just be a better player than Paul George, which, you know, obviously I've been making that joke all year. But another 20-point game for him. The Pistons now won seven straight. This is a playoff team. They are out of the play-in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
They are in the playoffs, Zena. How did we get to this point?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
It also helps that this roster, as you mentioned, the veterans, it helps to have NBA quality players, which they didn't the last couple of seasons. And, you know, we saw this with San Antonio this year. You know, Victor is obviously this huge talent, but you have to have NBA players around these talented guys like Cade, like Victor. Otherwise, you have no idea what they are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
I mean, you know, we said for years, Zena, you know, you may not remember this, but Devin Booker was an empty calories guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
until he wasn't you know until that bubble run where they go eight no and then they you know they make their big run the next season i mean there was a lot of people who felt like you know devin booker yeah he's a really good player but it's good numbers on a bad team and i think that kade was running the risk of you know getting that sort of that that sort of moniker and that label that label and so i think it's been big that they're winning games and also
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
It's not just about their offense. I mean, I think their defense all year long has been excellent. And so, again, just good coach that wants to be there, get some vets that really fill out the roster, and then have a guy like Cade Cunningham that makes those guys better. So they've been so fun all year. And, again, that's a team that I don't know, Zena. Let me ask you. Let's talk playoffs, okay?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Because this is kind of – we haven't done this for the Pistons in a long time. We do this for everybody.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
decade like it's felt like it's been so long since they've been in this conversation sixth place now let's go let's talk about it so if the playoff started today they would be playing the new york knicks i mean how do you size up the pistons versus the knicks i mean do they have a shot
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Awful, awful game for the Sixers. They lost to the Bulls last night, 142 to 110. And my big takeaway, Zena, this team kind of looked like it quit last Last night on Nick Nurse, on the Sixers. I mean, there's just, it feels as if maybe Nick Nurse has kind of lost the locker room a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Yeah, it's the James Edwards Bowl. So that means we're destined.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
He's going to have to cover both sides. Probably, you know, Hunter Patterson and there you go. And we're going to have three guys on this one series. Guys, stick around after the break. We're going to ask John Krasinski why Ant was on the bench for that big comeback in OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
You know, just when we thought the Timberwolves were going to stay down a little bit, they mount a 25 point comeback improbably and beat the best team in basketball. So we got John Krasinski to stay up late and relive this game with us. John, you were in the building. We all thought the game was over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
I was doing a little bit of dinner prep and I come back and 25 point deficit is almost completely gone. How the heck did that happen?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, the Wolves had a crazy comeback last night, so we had to get John Krasinski on to talk about it. The Sixers quit last night, so Zena and I have to talk about the Sixers again. And the Pistons are streaking winning their seventh straight game. Zena, did you know that you could buy Woj's phone that he broke the COVID shutdown news on?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
Also, that's one of the benefits of having those young guys out there. Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. were awesome down the stretch of this game, especially from a defensive energy standpoint. At one point, the Wolves kind of zoned up a little bit. Rob Dillingham's back there running the entire baseline, corner to corner, contesting shots in both corners.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Timberwolves comeback from down 24 to shock Thunder
I mean, this guy was all over the place. And, you know, we just laid out there. No Rudy Gobert, no Randall, no DiVincenzo. But these were two rookies that coming into the year, I mean, at least... From my standpoint, I'm thinking they really want to see what they've got because obviously we talk a lot about Dillingham potentially being a replacement for Mike Conley down the line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
That's an amazing thing to say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Bucks & Thunder square up for the NBA Cup | Shai or Giannis for MVP?
One of the best defenses, if not like the best defense of all time, statistically, OKC. So having a win against them is signature in a lot of ways. Measuring stick makes sense. But I mean, matchup wise, what are you looking forward to? Or what's, I guess, the key for Milwaukee to pull this off against OKC?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Bucks & Thunder square up for the NBA Cup | Shai or Giannis for MVP?
When we talk like three weeks ago, it was about can the Bucks weather the storm, right? And they've done that with with Giannis. But I think a part of it is also like his leadership and what they've been able to do in the locker room to be able to kind of stay even keeled. I know you went into that in the piece as well. What what have you seen from Giannis or what have you kind of
The Athletic NBA Daily
Bucks & Thunder square up for the NBA Cup | Shai or Giannis for MVP?
looked at to, hey, his evolution as a leader for this Bucs team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Anthony, last night when Steve Kerr was asked about his thought process going into this, he mentioned the fact that, you know, play-ins aren't statistically... Real, right? They don't typically matter. They vanish, right? But there are very real implications for the Warriors in this season. I mean, the fact that they've even found themselves in this position.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
When you think about how important it is that the Warriors win this first one and then go on to potentially match up against the Houston Rockets, like. Just the key of it. Like, what is it from your perspective? I know my perspective.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
What's yours? It's all about what the alternative is. And the alternative is you go play a Friday night game at home against the winner of Kings Mavericks with the chance for, you know, theoretically Clay Thompson to come into Chase Center and try to end your season. Anthony Davis, you know, is playing currently the Kings who ended their season in the play in last year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
And it'll be this like tense NorCal Friday night battle, 7 p.m. Pacific time. And OK, let's say you survive that. You're playing game one in Oklahoma City, like, you know, 40 hours later, probably Sunday afternoon on ABC against a Thunder team that just wrapped up a 68 win season, was able to rest its starters down the stretch, has a fierce home crowd. And you almost would have to punt game one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
And then what went for the next six over a team that lost, you know, basically four times every two months. That's that's dangerous. So they talked about after they won the Portland game, hey, three home cracks at getting into the playoffs. I could hear the argument that if they win yesterday, they face the Lakers in round one, Luka and LeBron. Like, that's not that appealing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
You would have got the week off. Maybe the matchup is better than Houston. Maybe it's not. But if they just win Tuesday night, you get four days of rest. You got to prep. You got to face a Houston team that, you know, I think sees a little bit of ghosts with the warriors somewhat. They beat him recently, but I don't hate that matchup for the warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
But as you mentioned, if you do lose to Memphis, it's, it's trouble in either your season's going to end, or I think you're probably going to be in a bad situation with the thunder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I mean, look, he had 17 free throws two games prior. He had, you know, he was 57 of 59 in like seven April games from the free throw line. I think he's upped his aggressiveness lately. You know, his thought process on regular season basketball is like, you know, Pump confidence and shot attempts and usage into some of the role players. Get Brandon Pajemski going. Get Moses Moody going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
He overly passes. There was a play in the Portland game where he had a layup at the rim, and right as he's about to take it, wide open, he just zings it back out to the perimeter for a three. Even Steve Kerr was like, that one you want him to take. But it's how he's always operated in the regular season. And as the stakes rise, he tends to play more minutes, 48 minutes in that game. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
and shoot more uh take it more aggressively uh and i i mean i'd expect that moving forward but he's also he's older he's not quite you know as you know strong a finisher as he used to be the jumper hasn't really been you know with him much with the warriors he did hit in a couple nice mid-rangers yesterday but he hasn't been hitting the three that comes and goes um but yes the version you saw yesterday is the one you want but honestly like
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
The version you've had the last two months is completely turned around your season. He's kind of the least of their concerns. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Well, speaking of the least of their concerns, I think offense has been their biggest concern, especially with him in the mix of it. Just being able to figure out how do you space around Jimmy? And of course, last night we saw Gary Payton II be this option for the offense in terms of ball movement.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I hate that both of these teams are missing very key Jalens. I think that that makes it for not a true Atlanta-Orlando matchup. But overall, yeah, it's going to be fun. You just like to see what Paolo and Franz are going to be able to do for the Magic. See what Trae Young, always capable of making some sort of statement in these type of games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
And that was, you know, per your report, that was the main reason as to why Jonathan Kaminga sat in terms of being able to keep the ball and offense flowing. How is that going to help them set up in terms of Memphis and anyone they're going to face now? Long, athletic, just like the Clippers going into the Western Conference playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Yeah, you know, I mean, Gary Payton is their best perimeter defender. And like John Moran is going to be in the building.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
john like gary payton is their best guy to put on john moran but that comes with issues uh you know finishing issues at the rim spacing you said they sag off now look that sag off cominga too he's more willing to take the three he has not been making it since he's come back steve kerr went away from him for several reasons but you know he's been looking at lineup data lineup data since coming has been back has not been good um i i'm curious if you do see at least maybe a first quarter center coming to see what type of cominga you get because when he's
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
got some verve and he's rebounding uh he can be you know an asset to them you saw it in that lakers win they had in a crypto a week and a half ago he closed that night it was one of his better games um but there's a we could do about a three-hour podcast and like really break down the coming situation but i don't think we have time for that today so uh yeah the question is like who's your fifth closer um moses moody was really good uh in the first half he had
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Three blocks, two steals. He was kind of everywhere. He hasn't been shooting it as well lately, but he's at least more of a threat that the defense has to get out there on. I'm surprised you only saw, I think, three minutes in the fourth quarter in OT combined. It was a lot of Peyton. That was probably a mistake in retrospect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
You know, you have Quinton Post as an option as a space five, but he looked a little bit, you know, overwhelmed by the moment a little bit in that game. I mean, and the Clippers are very good. The Clippers played a really good game. Kawhi was awesome. Zubach was great. Harden had like 38. That was like maybe the best... you know, high stakes game he's ever played against the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Yeah. And Steph had a bad game. You know, I mean, I know he ended up at 33 and he had some big shots, but he was cold early and he had eight turnovers. including some crucial ones. By the way, he has a thumb. I was going to ask you if you're worried about the thumb. Yeah, I mean, he's saying no, but he always says no, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
It's been hurting him all year, and he re-sprained it in Portland, and this one seemed like it's bothering him. But he'll still make threes and everything. Jimmy Butler got kneed by Kawhi Leonard in the thigh. He says he's fine, but he was really limp in postgame in the locker room. And then Draymond Green left the game for like 10 minutes, the locker room after he took a neck thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
So reminder about this team's age and, you know, the accumulation of, of a NBA regular season. So there are concerns in many ways. And one of the concerns is wrapping it back to your question is like who Steve Kerr uses as like the fourth, fifth guys in some of these certain lineups.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
It sounds great in theory, but I'm not sure the head coach is where, you know, pundits are at or, you know, other people believe that, like, you know, at least giving him a shot. He's he's completely dampied him in year four. right before his restricted free agency. We'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I'm very curious with what the thing is going to be for him, but... I personally am wondering if Orlando's size is just going to overwhelm the Hawks, even though we've been seeing the Hawks, you know, find their way to beat some big time teams this season, especially earlier in the year. As we close out the year, they've been OK.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I think, you know, I think if they get into a Houston series, Kaminga has games of 33 points, 20 points to 23 points this season against the Rockets. His athleticism plays historically has played well against like, you know, Houston's. And that's a more of a series where it's like feel out. I think Steve Kerr's concern on these games are these, there are these one game high stakes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
You win, you move on, you lose, you kind of like take a stair step down just like the Memphis game. So yeah, he does not appear to trust Jonathan coming in those type of environments. So like, I don't really expect to see him in the rotation. Maybe I'm, maybe I'm wrong, but, but that's seems to be the head coach's choice right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Yeah, I understand why GP2 comes in from an elevation. I said this on yesterday's pod. From an elevation of understanding how to space, when to space, when to attack the basket, also the ball movement. What I don't understand, I struggle to understand, is how in year four, as you mentioned, Slater, that trust has not been built.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Or the evolution of Jonathan Kaminga to fit this system has not happened yet. But that, again, is another three-hour podcast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I assume I'm going to have a story that details it at some point in the restrictive reagency. I mean, you know, part of it is like he's not doing what they want him to do as far as like they want him to be this like slashing Sean Marion type wing. He obviously wants like he views himself long term is like a 20 plus point per game score. I think the Jimmy Butler trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
you know it created a trickier environment for him where like Jimmy Butler is like an isolation slower standstill guy who needs the spacing coming is no longer getting the ball as much and like you know it's a little bit it's like a mini version of like the Jason Tatum issue this summer where Jason Tatum is getting DMPs and Steve Kerr is getting you know, slam for that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
And it was like, well, Jason Tatum's kind of the fourth or fifth guy offensively out here, and he's not as good as Derek White at being a role player, right? Well, Kaminga is in this environment, particularly in a Draymond-Jimmy crunch spacing lineup. a role player that doesn't do the type of stuff like space, the floor slash and cut, not want usage, defend hard in transition, like all that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Like he does need to defend a little bit better. But part of the reason he's not doing some of that stuff is because he's sitting here in year four. Like you've never believed in me, but again, I don't want to go down this road right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
My question is going to be about Memphis and the Warriors particularly. What are the big advantages you think each team has over the other going into this matchup?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Yeah, I think, you know, Memphis is still very dangerous offensively. John Morant went like 14 of 22 in their last game, had 36 points. It was the, you know, he was celebrating too. I think if y'all remember some of those threes, but he's really tough for them to guard. And, you know, we'll see, you know, Gary will help them a little bit. He was not available in that game. Neither was Kaminga.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
But, Generally, they're going to struggle to stay in front of him. And then when they can't stay in front of him, they're going to have to overhelp. And then how many threes did Jaron Jackson hit? Desmond Bain and some of the others. Santi Aldama. Santi Aldama was like a minus 26 in that game. He was playing a lot of the minutes that Jaron Jackson went off the floor because of foul trouble.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I mean, this is quite literally this is why it's the play and it's the battle of average teams. And I think they've been more average on the Eastern Conference side than anything. So, yeah, Magic Hawks going to be a little bit of a meh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
And then the other thing is, if Jaron Jackson has a defensive player of the year type game where he stays out of foul trouble, he has four blocks and alters. eight other shots and Draymond's kind of hesitation, you know, floaters and Jimmy's kind of passing out because he, he doesn't know if he can finish over him. Like that could, that could change the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
So that's an advantage that they, I would say Memphis kind of has over the warriors, but I just think Memphis is not overall besides Jared Jackson, very good defensively. Zach, he's going to be a target. Uh, and, uh, they're just probably going to try to try, try to run them, you know, around in that building. And, uh, that game, I mean, you mentioned a Steph Curry have 52 points in 12 threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
There was like so many breakdowns by Grizzlies. Uh, and that included what I thought, like Jalen Wells is one of their better options on the perimeter. He was guarding stuff. He's out for the season. So they're just, they, they're going to have trouble with Steph, I think.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Yeah. I'm looking at them both. I really think the Mavericks Kings will be really interesting. Of course, Mavericks, Klay Thompson, AD, you've got people that have championship pedigree that want to get their teams back into the mix. Kings have a chip on their shoulder after the way that their season went, so I definitely think they're going to show up, but
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I don't see Sabonis doing much with Davis in the middle. I think that's going to be a big problem for the Kings in that game, in that matchup. So I think that will be more interesting to see than the Bulls and the Heat, even though Bulls have been one of the most exciting teams this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
OK, I'm going to go from the West first. And I I'm struggling between the Nuggets and the Clippers, just especially because I've seen the Clippers go on a tear right now. Kawhi, James, everyone is fun to watch. And of course, Jokic is just a video game player and he's always fun to watch. And Jamal Murray's been stepping up, too. But I just like the drama and the Lakers and Timberwolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I mean, I don't know if you saw what John Krasinski said that Anthony Edwards said going into the playoffs against the Lakers. He quite I mean, about that particular matchup, he says, we don't give a damn. We ready. And I just feel like that sort of just like dog in them going up against Luca and LeBron. It's going to be fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Exactly. And not only that's the thing about the Lakers, they have size on the perimeter just as much as they do on the interior. And that's good for, you know, Anthony Edwards, Julius Rayner, like you're at Nikhil Alexander Walker. You can go down the line for the Timberwolves. Like it's going to be a big man matchup. I feel like this will be a battle of giants going up against them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
But yeah, yeah. I'm thinking Lakers, Timberwolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
It bounces out. It absolutely bounces out. And the thing about it is it's so interesting when that conversation of best player is in opposite positions, right? Nikola Jokic, of course, he can maneuver from the top of the key. He can maneuver within the post. However... Most of his offense does rely on him to be in the middle of the floor and people operating around him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Kawhi Leonard can maneuver wherever in transition, in the mid post, outside the key, like everywhere he wants. He can get the ball and he could put it up and in a split second. So it's that's interesting. I mean, I know. Yeah, I think the West is just going to be more interesting. I mean, I look at the Knicks and Pistons. The main reason I do like that game is because of the Pistons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I mean, the Pistons haven't won a playoff game since 20... They haven't been in the playoffs since 2019. They haven't won a playoff game in like 17 years or something like that. It's just been a crazy long time since they've been able to find some success. And now they have a Cade Cunningham. And they have some veteranship around them and Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley and Dennis Schroeder and...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
You name it to be able to help support some of these young guys that are kind of getting their first taste of what it looks like to be in this position. And so I just feel like maybe that could be the edge for them to come into this with a little extra juice than the Knicks that do have more veterans that have been in the playoff world.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
However, they don't quite have the same edge as, you know, the Pistons, maybe. I don't know. And Jalen Brunson, as you mentioned, still trying to come back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
That's a great question. I think the Rockets are probably going to be the most vulnerable simply because of their star quality,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
They are their stars. And I would say that would be Alper and Shangoon and Jalen Green are the most inconsistent of the other stars in terms of their performances. And so you look at the Celtics, even with Jalen Brown experiencing or going through his knee injury.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
pain injections that he recently experienced you still have significant star power on that team in a jason tatum christophe's rising is and you can go down the roster the cavaliers have a core a solid core more than just two players that show up and of course we know the thunder already so i look at the rockets and i'm like they're more susceptible to if you shut down jalen green and you or on a given night and you shut down opera and shangoon how will the rest of the team operate
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
And that's what makes them vulnerable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
Actually, you know what? Griffin was a little bit of a surprise. I'm shocked that he went first without Willie Green being a part of it. But yeah, I think that the report was that he actually wanted to part ways with Willie Green earlier in the season and ownership did not approve of that. And basically that probably resulted in this firing. But Budenholzer, no, no.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
I mean, that's a pretty big deal. Yeah, huge deal. Although they have lost a playing game to Memphis in San Francisco before. They're 0-3 historically in playing games. But Jimmy Butler's like...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
playing king right you know he has played his way to the finals from the plan although last year he got hurt in the plan remember kelly uber comes down on his knee that ruins you know the heats playoff chances but also jimmy butler's relationship i think it didn't help that he missed this play and but That is a whole other podcast. But they're favored. I think they're favored by seven and a half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
They just beat Memphis in Memphis. I think they have a lot of stuff going for them in this matchup, including the Grizzlies teams of the past that used to defend them well no longer exist. They're not a very good defense right now. Jaron Jackson still looms back there as the type of rim protector that's concerning for the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
But Jaron Jackson gets in foul trouble every time he plays the Warriors. They bait him into it. And then once he's off the floor, if he's off the floor, it's Zach Eady in action. It's Luke Kennard every time he touches the floor in action. John Morant has his own defensive, you know, errors. And they just they don't have the D'Anthony Melton's of the world.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors, Grizzlies deep dive + Play-in Preview
The Dylan Brooks is the, you know, Kyle Anderson's the guys in the past in this matchup that that gave the Warriors trouble on the perimeter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
Is he going to be riding the hot hand? One thing I know for sure about Mark Degnault is that he doesn't lock in on anything, on any rotation throughout the whole season. He loves to try stuff. And there are lineups where I'll look over at whoever I'm sitting with, whether it's media or a scout or somebody like, all right. They're really trying stuff right now. You know, this is what they do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
They use the regular season as a time to experiment and figure out what they have. And it's going to be to the extreme. The Thunder are actually going to be really fun over the course of these next couple of weeks just because it's going to be stuff that you've really never seen before. And tonight they executed on a really high level. So it's stuff you've never seen before and at a high level.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
I mean, it's pretty entertaining basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
Yeah, they don't really have an option right now. I mean... For the Thunder, it's going to be all about Shea. It's going to be all about J-Dub. Both had incredible games tonight. But it is going to be about Shea. He had 45 points on 21 shots tonight. I mean, it doesn't get much more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
Listen, we don't need to talk about that. He did. He made. 15 of 16 from the free throw line tonight. At least he's making nine assists to one turnover. I mean, he was about as efficient as you can be. And they they needed all of it because the Clippers were on fire tonight from three. There were 21 of 38, 55 percent from three. And the Thunder won this game on the possession battle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
You know, they they turned the Clippers over a ton. And and they that's how they won the game is that they get they got more nightmare for James Harden. An absolute nightmare.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
You know, the Thunder have played this way for a long time. They play this way whenever, even when Chet's playing, like they go small a lot and they win those minutes a lot. So this is not anything new for the Thunder. They love to swarm the paint and recover. And that's been one thing that the Thunder have done for years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
And one indicator of that is that teams often shoot really well from the corners against the Thunder because they do play this scramble style of defense. And so this is something they've been doing for a while. And will teams exploit it? Absolutely. But we also saw them try to get the ball to Zubats in a lot of places where it wasn't successful.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
Zubats did have a great night against the Thunder, but. If we're talking about post-entry passes to big men over and over again that are being double and triple teamed, that's not a good recipe for great basketball. It ended up working out for the Clippers tonight pretty well. But still, the Thunder found themselves on the high side. They turned them over 23 times and converted a lot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
They took 10 more shots than the Clippers. They didn't win the rebounding battle. But they won the possession battle. 16 steals. That's what's going to matter. Don't bury the lead, Andrew. That's what's going to matter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
Yeah, it's it's pretty fun to watch. And not only defensively, can you see these guys taking on a lot of different roles, but offensively, like there's a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. Like that's kind of the blueprint for being a Thunder player. And you see this kind of being repeated in the draft over and over again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
You see that with guys that they acquire, even like Isaiah Hardenstein, who is a big man. I mean, he's a big man with a lot of skill. It's a skill game for the Thunder. They want disruptive defensive players, which they acquired one in Alex Caruso. They drafted one last year in Cason Wallace. They have one of the best in Lou Dort.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
And then they want guys that can do multiple things on the offensive end. And that's what you see throughout the roster. Now they're not big, but as time goes on, you know, I think that they'll probably play like six to 10 games without both Chet and Hartenstein, but they'll get Hartenstein back. Jay will is going to come back shortly after that and then give it 10, 12 to probably 10 to 15 weeks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs stay undefeated | NBA Cup Preview
And Chet will be back too. So eventually they're not going to be this tiny team, but again, probably the next like nine, 10 games, we are going to see like this micro ball from the thunder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Aber was ist so seltsam? Du sprichst von Sloppy. Das war ein wirklich charakteristisches Spiel für OKC, wenn es sich um ihre Möglichkeit, den Ball nicht zu schießen. Sie hatten nur neun Turnovers und erhielten nur fünf Punkte aus diesen Turnovers. Auf der anderen Seite hatte Denver 18 Turnovers und OKC konnte 23 Punkte aus dem Spiel bekommen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Es fühlte sich also an, als ob das ein charakteristisches Spiel für OKC war. They weren't able to capitalize on those mistakes as much as you thought they'd be able to do that because of the foul discrepancy. Now, I'm wondering who's at the tip of the snake that had them a little bit discombobulated? Because I'm looking at J-Dub.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
right yeah jay will like jay williams not coming out and playing in the same way that he probably should have alongside of shakes alexander but then you had alex caruso step up so it's like the the storyline has been all season long that okc has depth even when they're making mistakes in their starters they can go to their bench where to you was the problem of other than execution on defense what was the issue that okc was not able to capitalize on the mistakes that denver made
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Yeah, especially in the fourth quarter, going four of 22. And it's important to note that Celtics took 97 shots in this game. And 60 of them were from three. This is what they do, but they didn't do it well. You've been sitting at home waiting for the Knicks to finish that grueling series with the Detroit Pistons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Ja. Ja. Ja. Ja, du hast ein bisschen über die Erfahrungen der Spieler gesprochen, aber lass uns über das sprechen, was Mark Dagnall nach dem Spiel gesprochen hat. Denn natürlich schaust du dir an, dass der Foul, der Denver verursacht hat, um auf der Rückwärtsspur zu kommen und Zeit zu haben, auf der Rückwärtsspur zu kommen, um einen Rebound zu bekommen und einen Shot zu bekommen, richtig?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Und Mark Dagnall hat sein Team verurteilt, um einen Foul zu machen, vielleicht nicht so schnell, wie sie es gemacht haben. But they ultimately end up fouling in the backcourt, which allows Denver to have that time. But then there's also the challenge call that ends up with Jokic going to the line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
A challenge call that Shea Gildas Alexander told him not to take because he knew he had pulled on Jokic first. War da was aus Dagnall, was er gelernt hat, was er in Game 2 nehmen wird?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
And yet somehow the Knicks enter Boston and find a way to play those Tom Thibodeau minutes. and win playing hardball basketball. Just going after every loose ball, jumping higher, running faster. Every single aspect of their game was just who wanted it more. Shout out to Mikael Bridges. Shout out to OGN and OB.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Yeah, you gotta go do it. I said no, only because I thought that you can't get a game out of Jalen Williams like you got... last night again. But that's interesting. Interesting. Now you're making me think.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
I guess I'm just saying I feel like I don't want to completely discount what the thunder has built up over the course of the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
I don't want to call it a fluke, because it's Denver, and we know that they're capable of doing this, but I'm looking at both these series that we watched last night, New York Knicks versus Celtics, and also Denver versus OKC, and it is the road team that has come in and won, but I'm also looking at the minutes Yeah. Yeah. You might be right. They might need to be worried.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Dropped 29 points alongside what we always know Jalen Brunson to do, who also had 29 points, just cooking in the clutch. It was unbelievable. Bravo, bravo, Nix, bravo.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Absolutely. The physicality is exactly what made Boston uncomfortable all throughout this game, but particularly the way that they played in the half court. It's as if they took a tip from the Pistons into this series because you saw them shrink the floor. Everything that New York did in terms of making Boston feel as if they had to play closer to the basket without Kristaps Borzingas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Those threes weren't happening and they couldn't find any success inside the paint. And I want to say that Josh Hart, 53 Minuten, richtig? Wir können viel Kredit an Jalen Brunson geben. Wir können viel Kredit an Mikkel Bridges geben, der große Schüsse getroffen hat, insbesondere einen in der Überzeit. Und ein Obi in der Strecke, unglaublich auch. Aber Josh Hart mit dem Rebounding.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
mit dem Hustle, 50-50-Ball und der Defense, die er gespielt hat, war der Spielschützer, in meiner Meinung. Wenn Josh Hart nicht auf dem Boden war, was er für die Knicks gemacht hat, dann hätten sie nicht diesen Wettbewerb gewonnen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Yeah, they traveled well. They absolutely traveled well. And that was the part that you felt as if you could see it and read it on their faces. Like the Boston Celtics, they felt and looked defeated and the crowd felt defeated. Even down to the last play when Mikel Bridges gets the steal away from Jalen Brown.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
The crowd that was right before, like the floor seat holders that were right there, they didn't even react. They were kind of like, well, I guess this is it. Like there was no, there was no, you got it Jalen, like get the ball back and get something going. Es war, sie waren bereits verletzt in der Übertragung und wirklich in die vierte Quartier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Nix, du weißt, wir dachten, das wäre ein einfacher Weg für die Celtics. Wir dachten, die Celtics würden kommen und sich aufhalten. Sie haben uns alle als Pundits gemacht, die darüber gesprochen haben, sich aufhalten zu können und dass sie ihre Serie früh gewonnen haben, uns dumm aussehen. because the Knicks came in and they were like, oh, really?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Y'all gonna keep talking about these minutes, these Thibodeau minutes? We're ready. If anything, we're conditioned. We're ready for this. And they went seven deep and killed it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
A lot of teams doing this hack of stuff. It's... I get it. I get it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Ja, es war eigentlich wirklich lustig zu sehen, dass das Spiel sehr ähnlich zu der Art und Weise, wie die Denver Nuggets zurück in dieses Spiel kamen. Du hast Jokic gesehen, dass wir nicht gut in dieser Halbzeit-Defense können, was OKC an sie ausgibt. Also jedes Mal, als Jokic den Rebound hatte, im ersten, dritten und vierten Quartal, er hat es einfach ausgelöst. Dieser Waterpolo-Aspekt von ihm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
und den Ball hochzuhalten und den Ball an die Outlets zu bringen, funktionierte. Und Russell Westbrook war so schnell und so schnell wie er ist. Er war normalerweise das Outlet Pass. Und es war genau das gleiche Spiel, das du am Ende des Spiels gesehen hast. Russell Westbrook brachte aus, fand sofort seinen offenen Mann und Aaron Gordon knallte die drei, besonders die beiden.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Die beiden waren die, die die zwei Schüsse verletzt haben. Das könnte sie im vierten Quartal aufbauen. Also der Fakt, dass sie sich für diesen momentanen Winn verabschiedet haben, war wirklich cool und perfekt serendipitös. Es war einfach alles perfekt. Mein Lieblingspunkt war, Aaron Gordon konnte es kaum zu Stephanie Reddy erklären.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
After his post-game interview, he was as speechless as I was watching it. He tried to gather his thoughts when she said, why did you go for a three knowing you were only down one? And it took him a second to gather eventually that the right guy will find the right shot, essentially. I'm paraphrasing, but that's what he got to. But he looked like a deer in headlights.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
But, but, but, think about how well OKC defended the paint all night. And it's so crazy, we're going to talk about this with Andrew, I'm sure, but this was supposed to be the Caruso game. We were supposed to be talking about Caruso, and here we are now talking about Aaron Gordon hitting another buzzer-beating shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
The first one was a dunk, never before happened, and then the second one now, a three in transition, both kind of out of character.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
No, I'm not. Because there's no way that Jalen Williams plays as bad. J-Dub plays as bad as he did. Du wirst einen Weg finden, aus den Fouls zu kommen, die Chet Holmgren und Isaiah Hartenstein zu Beginn gefunden haben. Du hast gesehen, dass es ihre Möglichkeit gab, den Rimm zu schützen. Und so, in der zweiten Hälfte des Spiels, alles, was Jokic tun musste, er wurde der Denver Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Er hat es einfach selbst gemacht, einen Weg in die Pflanze zu finden. Und du hast sogar gesehen, Denver hat ihm den Ball in die Freethrow-Line gegeben. Und alle standen da mit ihren Händen auf ihrem Körper, wie, okay, ich bin bereit, wenn du es ausfällst, aber lass uns dich machen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Should the Thunder be worried?
Und so those guys getting in foul trouble early, you're going to see Dagnall find some creative way to ensure that those guys aren't in foul trouble. J-Dub's going to come back and play, be the Robin to the Batman of Shea. I'm not concerned. If anything, it's fuel.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
In an L. In a loss. To the 23-23 Warriors. Now 24-23 Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
What I love about this game was it felt a little bit like a big brother, little brother game, like the little brother with being the Spurs, but the pace that they had going, they forced a lot of turnovers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
You saw them running in transition a lot, but the efficiency, the big brother of Kawhi and James Harden and how they worked off of the screens with Zubats in the middle, Norm Powell, like it just felt as if they were calm and comfortable throughout this entire game. I've actually been shocked at how quickly they've gotten comfortable with Kawhi back on the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
Have you felt just a shift in the way that they've incorporated him into their mix?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
Right, yeah. Please score some more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
I'm sure there's a little PTSD on the Thunder side. There's PTSD all around the league when it comes to Steph Curry getting hot. And what's so...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
He's been the most consistent player in all of the starting lineups. If he's playing, he's starting, and he's been that consistent. I think in the things that you mentioned, Law, you didn't even mention the thing that he does the best, the offensive rebounding. The way that I've heard the term, he has a nose for the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
He finds a way off of the pick and roll and just kind of creeps in in front of the defense. As soon as the ball goes up, he's pushing people back. But that's a lot of work. I remember what it was like to O-board and hold down the defense and do all the things. That's a lot of work for, listen, no, no, no. At some point, you have to think about who's coming up behind them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
You just mentioned that there's been no other centers that are clocking 20 minutes. I'm thinking, are the Clippers looking for a big at the deadline? What are they looking for to fill out this team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
obvious is that when he gets hot he injects life into the warriors because not only did he get hot and start making abnormal threes excuse me abnormal for other people not for everybody else um but it also picked up the pace of the game you saw the warriors start exchanging buckets with with okc in a way that most teams aren't able to keep up with okc at one point
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
There was literally 24 points for the Warriors, eight points only for OKC. They end up winning that quarter 36-26, but that's when the tides shifted for the Warriors. They were feeling themselves. There was a crazy dunk, GP2 over Isaiah Hartenstein. I am still out of my body thinking about that body dunk.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
He bodied him, but that was the essence of the way that the Warriors were playing in the second half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
Or maybe no moves because the guy you need is on the bench hurt. Jonathan Kaminga, before he went out, was averaging about 20 points in those last few games, especially in January. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe the Warriors don't need to make a move. Maybe they just need to be patient.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors down Thunder | De’Aaron Fox to Spurs?
There's no Jonathan Kaminga. Yeah. Right? What? There's no scores. There's no... The anchor of the defense is not there. It is wild that on a night where Jalen Brunson drops 30 in a win, Kristaps Porzingis drops 34 in a win, Pascal Siakam drops 37 in a win, and we're not even talking about them. We're talking about... SGA, Shea Gildas Alexander, the phenom out of Canada, dropping 52 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
No, I like I like the thought of it in the sense of it makes me think of the Kobe quote, right? Like business isn't finished yet. That's cute, but that's not the goal. You don't want to get too happy with that, like that hardware. It doesn't mean anything when the real championship is coming. So that's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Yes. Okay, okay. No, listen, Dave. Literally, all I was doing right after the win, because let's just be real. Shea It's like watching music. On offense, he's smooth. It's beautiful the way that he yo-yos with the ball. He makes basketball look easy. It almost is a mockery of the game and how good he can be with the ball in his hands, but then also how good he is in setting up his teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
So that's cool. We've watched it. We've seen it all season. He's the scoring champ. He's the MVP. He's now this conference finals MVP that I didn't even realize existed. I forgot, I guess. But he's done all these things. So I'm scouring X, Blue Sky, all the social media platforms, just curious, how are other people trying to summarize Shea's game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
And it's funny because everyone else is also out of words. So all they've done now is try to compare him to other players in history. So I have like at least 20 different tweets and blue sky, whatever you call them, of different ways that he measures up. I'll take you. I'll give you one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
First, Shea is the first player to win MVP in the regular season and then go on to win the conference finals MVP. Interesting. Didn't know that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
New award. Yeah, relatively new award. First player to win the MVP and then go on to the NBA finals since Steph Curry in 2016. Players to win MVP and reach the NBA finals in the last 20 years. So Steph Curry did that two times. LeBron James did that two times. Kobe Bryant, right? Steph, LeBron, Kobe, now Shea. Okay, that's another one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Only players to record 70 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists over any two-game span in the conference finals. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James four times, Shea Gildress Alexander. Wow. just keeps going don't worry Shea Gildas Alexander first player to have four 30 point or more games in a series closeout games so four series closeout games he had 30 points or more
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Since Steph Curry in 2017, this is all people are tweeting. They're just like trying to gather. How can we explain Steph? Oh, let's just keep talking about all of the greats that have been completely taking over the finals and the conference finals in the last 25 years and just put them in those categories because that's the conversation we're talking about now. All he's missing, Dave, is a ring.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Exactly, exactly. But he has won. He got MVP, first team all NBA. He's done everything. Western Conference MVP, scoring title, all-star, and literally it's not done yet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Dave, this is real. This is real now. Are you ready?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Is he a better Canadian player than Steve Nash?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
Not even in a little bit. Like the fact that you didn't even mention Memphis is hilarious, but yes. Yeah. I was thinking of the basketball team. Took care of Jokic. Now they took care of Ant-Man and they're on their way to the finals. Good for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
I'm thinking about the leader of this team, the person that was supposed to take them to the promised land, had been in this situation last year, came up short, felt as if he had all of the chips possible and the queso and the guac on his shoulder to get them past this point. Anthony Edwards comes up short, 19 points in this loss, one for seven from three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
It was just not the performance you needed when you have your back up against the wall. Post game, John, he says, no one's going to work harder this summer than me. What's the lesson and the takeaway for Ant Edwards? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
It's worth noting that, yes, Minnesota absolutely lacked a consistent, balanced attack offensively, especially from the guard position, while also stating that OKC is just suffocating. They, as Anthony described them, 15 puppets on one string.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
I kind of look at them like piranhas with sneakers, like the second the food comes into the ocean, the food being the basketball, they're on it, they're collapsing, they're everywhere. And this is what has galvanized them. Not even their offense. It's their defense into offense. It's what Shea mentioned, valuing every possession, not thinking about the score.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder advance to NBA Finals
You're looking at this team, John, that's on its way to the NBA Finals and Is there any flaw that you're seeing after what you just saw them do to Minnesota?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Okay, maybe not one team that you're hoping to prevail, but which team was the most fun to be around?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
I have a thought, but I want to know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
I'm thinking Serbia. I'm thinking they were a good time, particularly because as the U.S. and France were battling for their lives, Serbia has been drunk for 24 hours. So I want to know if it was Serbia that was the most fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Like, Asar Thompson, we just talked about him this week. We're going to keep talking about him. Why not? Because he continues to be a pest, a thorn in everyone's side. You know, he did go down with an injury. We're not sure what's going on there. But before he went down, him and his team, All night long in passing lanes, forcing everyone to go the way that they want to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
It was so awkward. I felt I had such cringe in that moment. I was like, this is the president. What are you doing?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
shocking and kind of uncomfortable it's they're both so cool in that moment for creating the moment and doing it and what knowing we were there it's it's a cool i feel like it was a cool moment i mean it is absolutely dope that edwards is as confident as he is as young as he is and a person like president obama doesn't like phase him i think that just like particularly in the black community we're like respect your elders but that's that's aunt's way of being respectful
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
There you go. There you go. Speaking of respecting your elders, I actually did a show with Chris Mullen from the Dream Team last night. And I told him that I was speaking to you this morning, Jake. And I was like, any thoughts on like Doc or any questions you want me to ask? And he was like, you know,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Thinking about The Last Dance, which you also produced, and thinking about this documentary, how much did you... In terms of making a decision of content that you wanted to incorporate, how much of the Dream Team story did you consider... for this story, to be able to tell the setup for Court of Gold?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
They were just making everything sped up for the Boston Celtics. Detroit really showed out tonight and also showed out for the national stage. So anyone that was doubting, oh, is this streak a fluke? Is this? Uh-uh. They showed up tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Because, of course, Last Dance was all in retrospect, as opposed to in-person live content that you could utilize. Outside of interviews, that was all you had for Last Dance. Versus this, you had so much content in the moment. But there is this historical context that you had to set up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So how did you balance that in terms of being able to tell that story and setting up the importance of this particular Olympics?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
There you go. And I got to give you a good idea. And I was actually curious as to if this had been thought of women's basketball, thinking of the women's gold run in the Olympics. Had that been considered for this documentary and using it as a foil to the experience of the men or have that been considered for future documentaries?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
In that seven-game – in that seven game win streak before last night's win 51 from three yeah so he's just continuing that going on but yes that step back getting your own shot looking down let me take a step back and do it again is not only hard it is confident yeah okay the whole you got a reset clock you're all good to go no no i know what's going in don't worry i got you and his team also knew
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Yeah, I think it's the dog days for sure. I also think that the Boston Celtics are a system team. Everyone works within their role within the system. And so that can sometimes be boring when you don't have a superstar that kind of ascends over everyone, when you don't have a Jalen Brunson with the Knicks who we'll get to in a second, right? Yeah. That kind of gets boring.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And we talked about this before this show. When you have a system, that means that on any given night, if someone's off, someone else can pick up the slack. That feels like, oh, man, we don't miss our superstar. It's just like, no, this is the same old consistent, regular play from the Celtics. And so when you see that, that's what I think you get bored because it's a good thing, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
The Celtics are consistent and they also have jack of all trade kind of players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
I was looking this up because it is ridiculous how much Jalen Brunson, one, finds himself in clutch situations, two, finds himself burdening the close of games in clutch situations. But this season, Jalen Brunson has been in 21 clutch games and he's averaging the most amount of points for anyone that's had more than two games at five and a half points in that court. That is significant.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
We're talking about five minutes left in the game. You're scoring over almost six points for your team like that can be the ballgame difference. And so that's the kind of leadership and the type of confidence that, you know, Jalen exudes, essentially. As we like to say, yeah, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
You sure you're not being petty. I mean, I'm just curious. I'm just curious. I mean, yeah, that's, that's a problem. And the fact that, you know, it's been a month since he scored 25 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Maybe, maybe locking in, putting the podcast to the side, allowing the podcast P family to do their thing while he focuses on his Sixers family. Hey, maybe it's going to work because the fight that the Sixers had tonight was surreal. The only reason that I was like, maybe, maybe we can see this is because I feel as if they have a point to prove. And I will give them that credit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Maxie, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George all came out to play tonight. They were the bulk of the points for the Sixers. Couldn't get the win, but put up a serious fight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
It's got to be top two. And the only one that I have above that is Gary Payton II on Isaiah Hartenstein.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
But I will say this. I will say this about the Shadon Sharp dunk. The way that man cocked it back, it was ancestral. He dug into his lineage to get the vengeance and power to come back at the basket. It was surreal. And to do that off of a turnover.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
I feel like you kind of alluded to the conversations that you had in order to get people comfortable with how much vulnerability was displayed on this doc. You know, it's one thing to have access, but to have access to some of the emotional capacity that you captured. When you started this project and you anticipated getting some interviews, did you anticipate Kevin Durant opening up like that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Bam out of bio opening up in that way, just being able to have these vulnerable moments captured?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
They are. And the crazy part is, is that Boston was also here for Detroit. I mean, they shot 43% almost from three. So it wasn't a factor of the Boston not being themselves. It was just a factor of Detroit being better at being themselves. They were slicing up the paint, ended up with 62 points in the paint. They also played tremendous defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
And also coaching change. Yes, I think that was a huge upgrade in Cleveland. I OK, we've had two shows now straight that we've we've made club references and I'm going to try and make it three in a row. OK, because this started with Marcus Thompson talking about Cam Johnson. Be in the baddie in the club and everybody trying to buy our drinks. Okay. And everybody trying to figure out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
That's a great question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
The club is closing. It's 1.59 a.m. Everybody's paired up. They're walking out the door. And the girl that everybody was looking at all night is somehow walking out alone. In this case, it's Cam Johnson. How the heck is Cam Johnson still in Brooklyn after this trade deadline?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
Yeah. We got Sam Amick to say baddie on the pod.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
Now, we talked to Marcus Thompson a little bit about this on the live stream today. And I asked him about the timeline because you bring in Jimmy Butler at 35 years old. You're paying him $60 million a year about to make a move now. But at the same time, you're keeping a young core in Jonathan Kaminga, Moses Moody, Brandon Pajemski, Trey Jackson Davis, Quentin Post. I mean, the list goes on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
It does seem as if... The priority doesn't seem to be clear between this team. Are we trying to win now and take advantage of the star power that is left in Steph Curry and pair him with a big time score in Jimmy Butler right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
Or did we do just enough, especially considering they didn't make any more moves past that, to keep our young core and really focus on keeping this thing entertaining until the young core is ready to take over?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
Well, that's interesting. You talk about Houston. When I think Houston and Phoenix, I think about Booker. And right. That was a conversation that happened to what happened there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
It's interesting how you have to play the game of chess as a team of, let me not give this team too much because we don't want them to also come back and beat us. But I feel like the Mavs within the West just gave the Lakers exactly what they needed to level up. My curiosity, I think about when Boogie Cousins came to the Warriors and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
Now, what I felt when I worked in the front office, I was singing boogie-oogie-oogie. I was feeling it, right? I was just like, this is going to be perfect. They're going to be monsters. And Dave, Sam, I don't know if you guys remember, it was not easy getting that team to gel on the court. I mean, yes, they made it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
to the finals but that was due to another very tall person out in phoenix alongside steph clay and draymond not necessarily the addition of boogie i'm curious if there's other teams that you've can you you can think of in like recent history that have added major players and it's not worked out as well just to level set because i think right now everyone's like including myself the lakers just leveled up they might win a championship like they might do this sure
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Hunter and the Trade Deadline
What's a good way to level set around this?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Look, it's the concept of like, it's good to be big in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
So they gave up a pick swap in 2028, and they gave up A.J. Johnson, who they just drafted. So it's basically two first-round picks plus Chris Middleton just to be able to get off of Middleton's contract and take on Kuzma and said – they do shed salary, like you said, which is cool. That's fine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
But, man, is it really a heartbreaking story that this is the way Chris Middleton's career and tenure in Milwaukee ends because this guy has been there from the start – him and Giannis together developing both guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
I mean, Middleton was a guy who was in the G League and then worked his way into the squad and became a guy who was dominating against the Hawks in the conference finals for them to punch their way to the finals. And so you think about all these stories of how he got to the level that he is. Really unfortunate, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Really unfortunate that the way it goes is like he's being demoted to the Washington Wizards. It's tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
kind of mind-shifting type of moves to happen and it is really sad that chris middleton is in his tenure in milwaukee is now a casualty of this of this can i just say one more thing about the kuzma thing because it was reported that yannis was signed off on kuzma sort of being here but sure okay let's say that that was the case inevitably middleton and him were really close
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
I really do think that this is the beginning of the end for the Bucs because ultimately they tried. I mean, A.J. Griffin was a guy Giannis signed off on. Okay. A.J. Griffin out the door. Doc Rivers in. Okay. Damian Lillard, obviously that trade doesn't go down without Giannis' say so. Now Damian Lillard is here. They've been here for two years. Nothing has happened so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Injuries have forced them to lose first round outs. Now they're making moves to trade the core guys that they have been a part of this thing for a very long time. Moving Middleton. OK, the faces are now changing around Giannis. And you start to think about like how much longer can this happen for a guy who's like a perennial MVP candidate basically every year he's healthy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
So I just heard him the other night and we heard him the other night say, man, look at look at all these moves. And so I don't know. I do think this is a domino effect. And like. how many more big bets are they going to lose basically? Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Well, you can't cut off the black woman or black history. Go ahead, Zena. Yeah, you go ahead, Zena. It's February. We in this building.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Okay, so desperate, thirst, right? These are the words we're kind of using to describe the Warriors. And I know there were reports.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Water in the desert vibe, you know what I mean? If we're working about this kind of context for the Warriors and how they're approaching the situation, it was reported beforehand that ultimately the chemistry was something that they were worried about in incorporating a guy like Jimmy Butler in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Now that they have him, how do you think that is going to work with a guy like Draymond and Steph and Steve Kerr and the egos of all that kind of situation?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Most of it, yeah, because it's a million moving parts. Exactly why I asked you. There's a lot of movement here. So basically, the gist of this trade is that Jimmy Butler, as we know, is headed to the Golden State Warriors. What the Miami Heat receive in return is Andrew Wiggins. They also receive Dennis Schroeder, which they're trying to reroute.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
They receive Kyle Anderson, which they're trying to reroute. PJ Tucker is also headed to Miami because Utah is getting Dennis Schroeder. And so there's a lot of moving parts here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Before we even get into that, I just- By the way, Kyle Anderson is staying in Miami. Just got a new update. Oh, okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
More than I could say for a very long time, honestly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Apparently they're waving Sissoko. Oh, no. There's a lot of moving parts here, man. I'm sorry. But you know what? I did have a funny stat here. If they kept City Sissoko, they would have had 20% of all French players in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Yeah, backup. Yeah, some size. I mean, Lithuanian guy next to DeMontis Sabonis. Those guys played internationally for years. So those two know each other very well. Obviously, Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan know each other very well. They played eight seasons with the Toronto Raptors. So a lot of friendship going around.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
In Sacramento, you know, between Zach Levine and DeMar, it just seems like they're trying to get guys who have good chemistry with each other, understand each other on the floor. Sure. Add some size. Add JV. Kind of works. Can they get Kyle Lowry? Sure. Why not?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Traded to the Warriors EMERGENCY POD
Get Danny Green to come back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
19 fouls in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, which is just... The game became a slog at that point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
That's going to be awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
The answer is no one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I'll throw one back at you, OK? Who's going to guard Giannis? Because, yes, OKC's defense is incredible when it comes to guarding and defending guards. Yes, they have a heart in Stein. Yes, Jalen Williams will take on that assignment. But, like...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Yeah, team effort.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Yeah, it's not going to be Dame.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I don't know. I honestly don't know how it could get worse. Can you guys figure out a way that it could get any worse than it is right now? Paul George misses a bunch of games. He's come back, hasn't really gelled or looked like the Paul George you'd want him to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
In terms of how bad it could be?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
But also, I don't think, I mean, we could talk about the Embiid of it all. He had the rarest sinus fracture of his face.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
recorded for the NBA and he's had all three types correct so it's just the rarity of Embiid hurting his face dealing with the knee issues McCain getting hurt while having a rookie of the year season Paul George getting hurt multiple times on the same knee Maxie having a shoulder the load and not being able to do it also being hurt also being hurt yeah losing that the hamstring injury so it's
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Can you find a good spot from the Philadelphia 76ers? Maybe the only bright spot is that they can tank.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
It's not even fully – it could be an OKC draft pick. It could be an OKC. Top six protected, as Mr. Schlecht mentions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Look, think of the expectations the Sixers had before this season. $60 million in cap space. We're signing Paul George. It's going to be the year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
They're coming out of the East. This is finally the year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
We've signed everybody we possibly can.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
And to have this type of season, it was the worst possible scenario.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Internal development. What if we play pods way more?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I think he's the best. I think that's the part that's underrated to me. He's going to be an awesome defender, and if you think of what Melton brought on the defensive end, he matches so well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Well, when he was on the Lakers, Schroeder, that was the reason they made it to the Western Conference. Wait, I have a question for you. Sure. Does Schroeder start, though?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Okay, so pods to the bench. Pods to the bench. Okay, got to do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
He's not going to play. And think of what they got Schroeder for from the Raptors. Basically it was a throwaway. Raptors wanted to walk away. Now they're getting three second round picks in return, which is, that's a great deal for Schroeder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I would bet they didn't want to do it because they're waiting to see what happens with the Jimmy Butler situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
That's amazing. It's more than amazing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
$800. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
We really like Rockets and Hawks. Yeah, I know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I think the way that they can hang with them and email Doka's, coach them. You guys had that podcast great with Sam Emick was, you know, basically talking about the dog mentality that these Rockets have established for themselves. I think that is what separates them from every other team in the NBA when it comes to the mentality that they bring. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Like Shangoon, he's starting the game off, setting the tone. They had that little scrap bumping.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Look, the game was over, and they got into a scrap. And that was Case and Wallace, too, getting into it. But, like, ultimately, not backing down from that type of thing, that is what makes Houston so feisty and frisky.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Oh, wait, wait.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I think part of that is how well coached they are by Mark Dagnall. He keeps them even keeled. You go and ask him a postgame question about expectations or, you know, do you think this team is a championship contender? He's not going to jump out and give you a yes, they are. We're still trying to build. We believe in this process. We're trying to work every single day to get better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Like, that is the type of mentality he's trying to instill in his team that, like, we can't grab what we don't have yet, right? Right. And I think that's the best part about OKC. You mentioned the youth. They're not actually that young, in my opinion. Like, yes, they are one of the younger teams, but they have experience in a Caruso, in a Hartenstein.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
And we saw that tonight where those guys made huge plays in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
So I agree that there's no one in the West that I think I would take over OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
No, it is right. And I think that's why people bring them up in these Jimmy Butler conversations, the star conversations, because that's what they're missing. It's the closer that can finish off these games for them. Their defense does such a great job for 36 minutes. We need someone to close out games for that last 12. Jalen Green hasn't been able to do it so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
yeah the reaction on social media definitely mirrored what we saw in person too because it was quiet some people talked about how it was like you mentioned a high school match right it felt like an AAU game sometimes it did give off summer league vibes which is fitting because we're in Vegas and that's the home of the summer league I think
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Him and Fred VanVleet combined to shoot 8 of 30 tonight. And I think part of it is they rely on Fred so much when it comes to the pull-up shooting that if he's not hitting his shots, it's sparse.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
This is what's going to hurt them in the playoffs ultimately. They're a really special defensive team, Amand Thompson you mentioned, but it's the offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Yeah, the shooting, too. They could use the shooting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
That also, like, they have the depth to do a consolidation trade eventually. I don't know if that's necessarily Jimmy. Yes, they do. Maybe it is. Maybe they end up going for it. I'm not necessarily sold on that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Get someone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
It got better towards the end of that Rockets-Thunder game, and maybe we've kind of overcorrected here on the bad vibes, the quietness. It was actually pretty good. I thought the vibes were what you would expect for a game, by the way, that they had to organize in 48 hours. No one had any, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
He had that incredible block in the fifth. Oh, my God. The timing on it where he's going up, catches the alley-oop. Both him and Brook Lopez get a contest. Like, those are the type of plays that, yes, they show up on the box score. They end up on the highlight reel. But it's like he's not only a great offensive weapon. Yeah. He is a two-way star, which is what makes Giannis so special.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
They did, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
I'm glad you're crediting Doc.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
17, 18 free throws.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Roll Rockets | Bucks tame Hawks | Schroder to the Warriors
Well, that's the whole game. The free throw contest they were having was basically the fourth quarter of that game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
He's gone. And he's like, you're joking. You're effing joking. I was like, no, no. For Luka Doncic. I mean, we could have pulled the car over. He was like, there's no way. There's no way. I'm like scrolling. It's one of those unbelievable moments. I'll say this last thing too. As I'm scrolling through Twitter to figure out what the heck is going on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
I'm Blue Sky trying to figure out what is going on. I see David Aldridge's tweet. Did you guys see it? What David Aldridge just tweeted? I feel like it's worth reading out, but David Aldridge is historic, right? He's covered a lot of the NBA for so many years. I'll read exactly his tweet. Quote,
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Deals, free agent signings, coach hirings and firings rises to the level of, as the great Ben Bradley used to call them, holy shit stories. You just get used to the unexpected. This is a holy shit trade. Nothing shakes David Aldridge. This is shaking him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
So one, you just referenced the first thing that is, I guess makes sense to the Mavs, but everyone's, you know, everyone can have their own opinion on that. Defense wins championships. I agree with that. Do I agree with the team that they've created to play that defense to win championships? Not necessarily. But the other thing is it does open up some money.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
in the sense that Luca doesn't get that five year extension this summer of the five years, 345 million super max. That's an opportunity. Um, Does that matter? I know, I know, but I'm trying to make sense of it here. Hey, I'm trying to make sense of it. So I'm thinking, hey, defense, cool. Money, awesome. But this doesn't make sense. And Alex, you mentioned this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
You're talking about shortening the window. I think that is the greatest way to put what they just did. It's not just that you're getting someone that's a little bit older. Don't get me wrong. Yes, Anthony Davis is an all-star. He's an amazing player, but he's also injury prone. And when you think about fitting this you know, fitting this guy into this team, Derek Lively is hurt right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
He's only going to be out for a few months though. But if you're looking at the makeup of this team, you've got a five and either Gafford or lively. Um, and then 80 can finally play the four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Um, PJ Washington, maybe slides to the three. Cool, cool, cool, whatever. But that's still a lot of now pressure on Anthony Davis to produce in that four position. Um, And I think that that's actually bad for the fact that he is injury prone of just how much activity is going to be necessary for him to play in that position. So can't make quite sense of it, but money, defense, maybe that's...
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Both camps didn't know. according to reports, allegedly, that both camps didn't know. And now, what's interesting, too, is the players involved. Luka playing alongside LeBron is the big thing, right? And when you think of the track history of the Lakers, and you think about the moves that have been made, S, you and I have had this conversation in the chat, LeBron is usually not not privy, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
He's usually not not involved in
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
in these type of conversations or these types of moves what also makes me think that he's usually not not privy to something like this is him and ad have the same agent right like the fact that they just got through finishing beating the knicks like two hours ago just finished exactly on prime time and everyone's like yeah like shout out to the lakers so i'm imagining like if ad's camp is shocked
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
And Luka's camp, exactly. This is very strange. Very strange. And Tristan Thompson, I mean, he's not going to be our marker of news.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Right. That's the number one response on all of these posts about it is other teams, fans specifically saying AD was available. Luca was available. Like not even realizing that these people were apparently on the market or capable of being moved. These are the type of people literally the other night when the, I think it was the, the, yeah, the warriors were playing against not maybe. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
See, but Bob Myers said, well, There are certain players on certain teams that are not movable. As a GM, you're just not up for conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
And you would think that Luka is that person on the Mavs of anyone. Now, there's two things that are being speculated. A lot of people are saying this has to be deeper. The fact that it happened on a random Saturday night out of nowhere, the fact that it was specifically just to the Lakers, that's very, very strange. People are also speculating that maybe there's something more to the injury
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
I'm laughing that you couldn't – I'm just laughing that you couldn't even get the trade out clearly. Like you even were like in disbelief as you were listing it out. And I feel that that's – it's one of those – I was literally on my way back home from a baby shower. Then we went to dinner and – I said it out loud to my boyfriend, who is a huge Lakers fan. And I go, Anthony Davis just left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Now that that's out of the way, let's get into last night's action law because it was a fun night of basketball and we're going to play a little game called by the numbers. Okay. And the first number I want to give to you law is the number nine. Okay. That number take a wild guess as to what it is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Yeah, no, that makes me think of a conversation that Cam Johnson had with Sue Bird on, I think, The Young Man and the Three. I think it was still The Young Man and the Three at that point, not The Old Man and the Three because J.J. Redick has now left. But Cam Johnson had this conversation with her about tanking and how uncomfortable it is in the locker room. It's like, we're competitors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
We don't want to lose. That's not what's going on here. And at the same time that you understand the process of a rebuild and That is also there's such a disconnect, I think, from the locker room and these players being competitive pro athletes and then the fans being like, we want to cheer you on and root for you. But we also want a bright future for this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
So let's dive in a little bit into the fans aspect real quick, because. If I'm a fan and I'm spending on average $200 a ticket and I'm expecting a certain product out on the floor and then I get there, especially in March, and there are players sitting and the product is not necessarily as good as it could have been.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
There are still tough players playing hard out there, but it's just not what I expected. You know, do you think that the NBA is going to do anything about this in terms of making an environment in which fans don't feel as if their products has fallen off in March because people are gearing up for the playoffs or they're gearing up for the draft?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Because that's how they ended up getting Derek Lively II.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Correct. That is how many points the Lakers allowed Chicago to get in the final 12 and a half seconds of the craziest ending of an NBA game I've seen in a long, long time. The Lakers were up 115-110 when Chicago had an out-of-bounds play that ended in a swing swing to Patrick Williams, who hits a corner three. Now the score, Lakers up 115-113. LeBron takes the ball out of bounds on the baseline.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Yeah, not every fan base is the Utah Jazz, which I learned through your article, have had sellouts regardless of what's going on with their season and regardless of the product and the people that are out on the court. So shout out to the Utah Jazz for setting that standard. But not every fan base is like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
So before I let you go, I got to ask you, if Adam Silver throws you into a room and says, listen, we've seen March. We know it's bad. Fix it for us. What's your solution?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Definitely in March. And I'm sure there were a lot of athletes that probably agree with you, especially on that second point of shortening the season. The injuries tend to pile up closer to playoffs. So thank you so much, Eric.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
I really appreciate you breaking down this article, breaking down the context of it, because I know a lot of people have had March basketball in their minds and not the fun collegiate side of it. This NBA mugginess on the way to the playoffs. So you guys go read Eric's at Corrine over at The Athletic. Thank you for joining us. Thank you to LaMurray for joining me earlier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
And thank you all for waking up with us. Until next time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Josh Giddey steals it on the inbound pass, quickly tosses it to Kobe White on the wing for another three. Now Chicago is up 116-115. After a timeout, Luka inbounds the ball from the sideline to Austin Reeves, who drives it in. On a bum ankle, by the way, for a quick two at the basket. That was two of 30 points for the night from Reeves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Lakers up 117-116, and then Giddey, with the Bulls having no timeouts left, takes it out of bounds, inbounds it to Williams, who gives it right back to him. Giddey takes one dribble, gathers before the half-court line, and heaves it at the buzzer. Swish. Bulls win it 119-117. Law. Giddey particularly. The Bulls in general have been phenomenal. 9 of 11.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
But Giddey particularly has been on a tear lately. And the Lakers have been on the brunt end of it. What is going on?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Think about what that could be. What could that be, Law?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Okay, that's true. 106 apart. In this case, it is how many field goal attempts the Spurs attempted in last night's goal to beat the top team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is a season high for the Spurs, and they almost did it. They were within three points of the Cavs with 141 remaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
And the Cavs showed at the end of the game, while they're number one in the clutch, Darius Garland put up two threes, Jared Allen hit two free throws, and they ultimately got the separation winning 124 to 116. But the way the Spurs showed up, I mean, rookie Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, 22 points apiece, and they didn't have Wemby. Like, let's remember, this is Wemby-less Spurs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Of course, Cleveland also did not have Evan Mobley, and they needed Jarrett Allen to put up 29 points and 16 rebounds, his season high, 29 points, and 19 points in the fourth quarter. And then Donovan Mitchell had to put up 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists, which is a career high.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
These are crazy numbers that the Cleveland Cavs had to put up against the Spurs, who are not even in the play-in law, okay? How did they stay in this game, and what does it reveal about Cleveland?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Coming up on the NBA Daily, Josh Giddey and the Bulls stun the Lakers. OKC and Cleveland survive some tough opponents, and we break down why the NBA experiences some March badness. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Law. Thanks for joining me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
There you go. Don't give him that NBA daily curse. Come on. OK, got to be careful with that. All right. Let's keep it moving to the next number. The number is 46 law. And this is how many times Shea Gildas Alexander has reached 30 plus points this season, including in last night's win over Memphis 125 104. He had 37 points, three rebounds, six assists, three steals, and he made no threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
okay see officially set the franchise record wins at 61 but 125 104 folks don't let that score confuse you okay this was a tight game the grizzlies and thunder were literally tied at 99 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth and john morant was on the bench this is his fifth straight game with a left hamstring strain so this is this is the time of the year where they really need him ultimately in this game
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Law, OKC's defense, their rebounding, their scoring ability, like, won out. You could see that. You could see why they're also a clutch team, similar to the Cavs. But Memphis had a great showing. I'm thinking about Scottie Pippen. He almost had a triple-double, 17 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
But Memphis' offense struggled late in the fourth, and I cannot think of a better player that could have helped them than John Morant. Like, how much do you think he could have impacted the outcome of this game had he played?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
And that's going to be huge, especially with the Grizzlies and the Lakers right now trying to battle in that third, fourth, fifth spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Big game Saturday, exactly. All right, my last number. We'll close this out quickly. The Pacers... scored 162 points on the Washington Wizards. Yeah, correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Of course. Now, before we get started, for folks listening, I got a favor to ask. We want to hear from you. We're actually asking you to figure out a quick survey because we want to hear a little bit about you and your podcast habits. So go over to theathletic.com backslash athletic backslash survey25. Three lucky entries will win $100, £100, depending on where you are, a voucher for Amazon.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Right. There you go. It's a franchise record for the Pacers in terms of points. And it's a franchise record for the Wizards in terms, excuse me, of points scored. And it's a Wizards record for points allowed. They lost 109-162. Halliburton was the person that poured it in, 29 points in the month of March.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
He is three-tenths of percentage points away on his three-point percentage from shooting 50-40-90 while averaging 20 points. a game and dishing out 14 assists law. This is what we would call one of those bad games in March where teams that don't have much going for them other than potentially draft positioning clearly look like it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
But for the Pacers, this is potentially something that could impact, you know, their home court advantage in the playoffs. Like why was this statement when needed? Of course, other than trying to make up for the night before. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
It doesn't get split up. It doesn't get split up. Now we at the NBA Daily, we know that all the games aren't created equal. And tonight or last night had a lot of great games, but we've seen a lot of bad games in March. We've seen a lot of players resting. We've seen a lot of no calls on out of bounds plays. We've seen a lot of weird things happening in the month of March.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
And after this break, we're going to break down why that is. Don't go anywhere.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
All right, joining me now, I have Eric Koreen, writer at The Athletic, after he wrote a story with a headline that definitely stood out, March Badness. This month shows the worst of the NBA, but would the league ever change that? It was a wonderful read, Eric, and I'm so happy that we're here with you to break it all down because...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
Lots of folks have thoughts on March being the worst of NBA action. And some folks think you could say that about a ton of months throughout the year. But I want to get your thoughts first and foremost. When did you first notice that March was a particularly bad month in NBA action?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
So definitely go figure it out so you can get some money for Amazon. So whether you're a longtime listener or a new time follower, we want your feedback. Again, theathletic.com backslash theathletic backslash survey25. All of these details will be in the show notes, but we thank you in advance. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
You talk to Garrett Temple of the Raptors and he called this system and referring to the system of the draft and draft lottery, you know, BS. And, you know, he's a veteran. He's the Players Union VP. And he still can't stomach what March has become in the sense of what people are actively rooting for their teams to lose or lose.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giddey Game Winner + March Badness
not having players be competitive and wanting to win so that they can fit into this system. Well in the draft lottery, like what did that quote and talking to Garrett and also talking to anyone else about what March has become, tell you about how the players connect to March and how they see March if they're on one of these teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Thank you. I'm so excited. I actually wore my orange on behalf of, you know, the special invite. So thank you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
You know, I actually knew you were going to ask me this question because I feel like that's just been like the theme across the entire NBA. No one saw this coming. I've always been a person. If Steph Curry is on the team and he's healthy, I'm not counting them out. And I'm particularly not counting him out when he has his buddy Draymond Green.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
The way that Draymond handles the defensive end of the things and Steph handles the offensive end and the two of them kind of act as maestros offensively as well together is I was, I'm not that surprised. I will say what I am surprised by this defense did not expect them to come out and kind of age backwards in the way that they have shown up on the defensive end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
But I'm not too surprised, but I am impressed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I think it comes down to defense. When you look at the 2022 series versus what we saw the other night against the Celtics, the Warriors' defense has always been their bread and butter against this team. But I think it shows up differently between the two circumstances. Throughout the 2022 series, you think about who was out there playing defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney. players that had been together for a very long time, playing in series for a very long time, adjusting to teams and their schemes for a very long time. So their defense was kind of like a mature defense in that they had each other's backs. They kind of knew where they were going to be on the court at the same time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Like there was an experience factor to their defense. And then you add on the fact that there was Andrew Wiggins who was just playing lights out defense on one of their top scorers, Jason Tatum. Now what's been consistent between 2022 and what we saw the other night against Celtics, Andrew Wiggins still putting on the clamps on Jason Tatum, but the defense still a factor differently though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
This time it was just about the fact that this, the Warriors defense today is more active. They're younger. They've got a lot more bodies to throw at the Celtics. So their physicality was increased. And in both cases, the Celtics did not respond well. I'll say the other night, first half was bad for the Celtics. They did respond in the second half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
So I think it's always going to be defense as to why they struggle against the Warriors. And then that aspect of experience. Steph Curry said in game four, you won't win another game. he didn't lie. So like, you know what I mean? Like he has the experience he's been in these situations.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
He's been in, um, these type of matchups where he knows how to score against them and he knows how to derail them and, and, and really completely confused everything they're trying to do. So he, The Celtics don't have that quite just yet. They did win a championship, not taking that away from them, but they don't have the experience factor of how do we derail a team like the Warriors?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And I think that that's why they're always such a tough matchup against the Warriors because that defense is there, but then also that aspect of we've been here before, we know how to do this. That's something that the Warriors have on the Celtics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
That is a good question. I just think that if he continues to be used in this offense, the way that he's being used, which is being free. Right. Like in all the other places that he's played, whether it was with the Pacers, whether it was for sack or the Sixers. I mean, he's been a journeyman.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And in every single situation, I don't think he was set up to be able to come off screens and play off ball as well as he's been set up and with the Warriors to do so. And when you've got Steph Curry on the other side of the court being a gravitational pull, it allows you to have the space to have some fun. And that's what you're seeing Buddy Hill do. He's playing so energetically and so actively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And cutting harder and everything about what he does, I think is just a reflection of him playing in this system with a Steph. You can't be in the warrior system, seeing Steph at 36 years old, cutting as hard as he is setting up his defenders as well as he does off ball and coming off screens in the way that he does and not match that energy. It just, you can't.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And so I think it's, it's, it's sustainable only as long as teams are, Figure out who do we want to shut down tonight? Do we want to focus on Buddy Hill? Do we want to focus on Steph Curry? You know, Pajemski takes that mask off. Hopefully the threes go up again. Do we want to focus on Pajemski? Like, I think once teams start to lock in on him, that's when it'll go down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
But for now, the way the Warriors are playing loose and free and spacing the floor, I don't think it's going to stop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
No, I'm waiting. OK, see, I'm waiting for this road trip. OK, because here's the thing. Last year, the Warriors were the road team. They had a better road record than they did at home. So we know they do play well on the road in general. We've seen one team that has been a contender in their lineup, right? Utah, Houston...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
New Orleans, like, you know, you can't get too excited about that. Now, Boston, definitely a statement win. But now it's going to be about the sustainability of being statement type of players because you've got to go play Boston, turn around, play Cleveland, who's undefeated. Yeah, yeah. And then turn around and play OKC. If you can keep this up on the road, OK. Yeah. Now you can't be denied.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Right now there's a little bit of room of like, eh, it was one game. You can't be denied if you win out this three. And remember, they go home and play against Dallas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
So it's just a great stretch. It's a great stretch to really test, like, are the Warriors who we think they are? Well, some people don't think they are, but who I think they are in being championship contenders could come out of the West type of thing. I'm going to wait until I see this OKC game in this whole week finish out. You know, talk to me on Tuesday. We'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
What about the offense against Cleveland's back line, right? Like Jared Allen and Evan Mobley? The Warriors haven't really had a true back line test yet where there's not just one player that's good in the big position. It's two, and they play together, and they run the floor. So we'll see what they do against Cleveland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Oh, I know. Shut this trade stuff down. need people to let it go. I appreciated this in the preseason. Draymond Green said, you know, before all this started, before the 71 run and everything, he said he appreciated Mike Dunleavy's patience and his ability to not have a trigger finger. And because he talks about how teams will make a decision hastily,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And it will set them up for failure five, 10 years down the line. And so this is why I'm looking at the Warriors. You're right now playing 12 people successfully. Everyone's getting in and doing good things for the Warriors. There's no need to ruin what, what, what, what's the saying? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Folks like let's chill on the, on the trade rumors. However,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
What I do think the Warriors need is for Trace Jackson Davis to get an extra year. They need an active big. They need a paint protector. Right now, Buddy Heald is doing a great job of being someone that comes off the bench and gives them an offensive boost. I would be remiss to say that they don't need a wing score. It makes sense that they went after Paul George. It makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
They went after Lori marketing. You know, people have talked about Zach Levine. It definitely seems that they need that. But right now I'm impressed with what Andrew Wiggins is doing. I like what Jonathan coming is doing, coming off the bench and buddy healed, adding on coming off the bench as well. So I'm saying chill. Enjoy this 12 man rotation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I don't know how long it's going to last, but just enjoy the moment right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Yeah. I mean, the Grizzlies have been the number one transition D transition offense in the NBA this year. And by far, like they they're on pace to be one of the best transition offenses in NBA history. And so put that next to a team that likes to scramble on defense. Oklahoma city is like an incredible transition defense as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
You put that in a playoff series, seven games of them trying to game plan against John Morant game plan against Jaron Jackson, junior game plan against Desmond Bain, who eventually will try to shoot the ball better. I, I really like this as a matchup. I will say, though, we're kind of disrespecting Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Luka's out for a month, but he will eventually come back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
And that's a team that beat Oklahoma. I'm just saying. I'm just putting it out there. You know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
He should have more than the one that he has, by the way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
People are terrified of him. That's that's the way it's incredible. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Yeah, he's played 20 games. So he's missed 10 with that ankle injury. And I think that's part of it. You know, he hasn't really necessarily played or flashed that much brilliance. He had a great game against the Raptors where he just absolutely dominated. He's had a few really, really dominant games, especially against teams that are smaller. He just can impose his size and dominate that way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
I don't know. This rookie of the year race is kind of mid to me. You know, I think there's been a lot of really talented players who will end up being role players like Zachary research is doing his thing and he's going to figure it out. Alex are in Washington will do well. Dalton connect. We've talked about on this pod a bunch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
But I still feel, and Yves Misi, by the way, another guy I would have to mention, Pelican's big.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
That's incredible. That's an incredible stat. But just nobody is popping off of the page. Jared McCain was, but then he got hurt. And so now this conversation has changed. I feel like Jalen Wells might be a better candidate than Zach Eadie because he's been starting and dominating. But it's tough to say who really is rookie of the year. To your point, who wants it, you know?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Well, Stephen Castle is moving up the list.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
With Luca missing out time, he'll be first team all NBA probably.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
I agree completely. And I think if you look at SGA's last couple of games, I mean, he dropped 41 against Washington, 45 against Indiana, had 36 tonight. He's been on an absolute tear. The Thunder have won an 11 in a row. They've been dominating and doing it without Chet Holmgren. J-Dub has struggled recently and they've leaned on Shea to be that guy for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
So when you weigh the whole, you know, like wins, domination, leading your team to W's versus what Jokic is doing, which is like, a marvel in itself, right? Like he's doing everything for the Nuggets, leading them, trying to get them to wins, but the team isn't just getting it done. How do you weigh that? I tend to agree with you, Dave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
I think that, you know, winning and doing it in a dominant way like OKC has done should be SGA winning it. Now, maybe that's my own Canadian bias, you know, because I got I got a little, you know, I hope that happens for my guy. First Canadian MVP since Steve Nash. Just want to put it out there. There you go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Yeah, I think this is one move that has to follow another. whether that be adding another playmaker or I know they've been looking to add more size next to Anthony Davis. You know, they've been poking around with Jonas Valanciunas and the Wizards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
So maybe that's something they address together, like maybe about Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas kind of package to get the ball handling responsibilities and a big man coming to, you know, Brogdon has that veteran presence. I would be interested in something like that for what it's worth. I think from the Lakers perspective,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
when you have a player like Austin Reeves that is stepping up the way that he has, I thought he'd been great as a pick and roll ball handler. He had six game winner against the warriors on the game winner against the warriors had 16 assists the other night. So I think he's really stepping into his own this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
And so maybe shifting away from D'Angelo Russell, you're now giving more opportunity to Reeves to really blossom and stretch his legs. So I think the Lakers are in a position to really take another step here. They're, they're like, they're a game and a half away from fourth in the West. which is crazy to say because it feels like they haven't been that good or good enough to do that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
But OK, well, if we're talking about
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
coaching Jamal Mosley willing to game was a great it was a great coaching match yeah yeah yeah you have to pull Jamal Mosley off the court I mean no Paulo Bencaro no Franz Wagner Jalen Suggs gets hurt hurt again yeah it's incredible to watch the match you just will it out but yeah to your point Jordy Fernandez also very good coach also helps when you got my guy Goga out there putting up 19 and 11 all right let's move to much sadder situation than than either of those teams the Nets have some clarity
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
It's the first domino in everything else falling apart for the Sacramento Kings. That's what this Mike Brown firing is. It's only delaying the inevitable when it comes to De'Aaron Fox asking out, when it comes to them changing their roster, when it comes to them eventually potentially trading DeMontis a bonus and just completely restarting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
It's just delaying the inevitable because ultimately this team is deeply flawed. They haven't We have a lot of one-way players, one-dimensional players, guys who operate in similar areas of the floor with De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan. And so what is the easiest way to scapegoat all of those issues? The coach. And often in professional sports... It always ends up being the coach.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
So it's just part of the way sports works nowadays. You know, front office members don't want to put the blame on the roster construction and then players. You can't be blaming players who make 50 million dollars a year. It's very easy to blame it all on the coach. Would Mike Brown have changed this team or any other coach change the results for this team? I'm skeptical of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Have a little champagne or something.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Yeah, De'Aaron Fox made sure to mention that, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Until they trade Jimmy Butler. Until they trade Jimmy Butler. They're not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Isn't it funny that they played the Rockets tonight? You know, well, a guy who might end up going to Houston, the little scuffle. I don't know. Seven guys getting ejected is nuts.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
I'll also just say, can Tyler Hill retire the sunglasses post-game? That just is not a vibe. Not a good look.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
Please. That's always a great resolution. Don't get hurt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
The Clippers are also a great defensive team this year. And when you add a guy like Kawhi, who we know what he can bring on the defensive end when he's fully healthy, that just takes them up a different level. You talked about the mid range scoring. That's an added level. The one thing I'll say is like maybe Kawhi is their midseason addition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers land Dorian Finney-Smith | Kings fire Mike Brown
You know, the Clippers always end up doing a trade, making some kind of acquisition. But ultimately, like just adding Kawhi might be enough to catapult this team. Right. Keep it in house. Just bring the guy back who we know is the all star, potentially all NBA player that we love. Like, yeah, look, you won't I won't contest ever to Kawhi Leonard being healthy because he's awesome. And we need it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Got to get these guys on national TV more. What's great about Jaren, and you mentioned the injuries, like last year he was their most healthy core player. Correct. I think last year experimenting, trying to create and like be, you know, this offensive hub for them has really lent into what he's doing this year. I think it's like 55% of his buckets this year are assisted. which is a career low.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
So most of his shots he's creating on his own now, which is a really, really cool wrinkle to this whole thing where it's like he is the offensive option for the Grizzlies. And they play really unique basketball, which is really cool. So I agree with that. Nobody is talking about the Grizz. It helps that he cleaned up the offensive fouls too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Yeah, I'm glad Zena brought up a versatile big, okay? Because I have someone who might be next up on the versatile big category, okay? He's a rookie, 15th overall pick for the Miami Heat, Kal-El Ware. And you know why it's Kal-El? He is Superman, okay? Kryptonian. Literally, his nickname is the Kryptonian. And it's so cool to watch him because he has that swag to him as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
He can do it all on the floor. He can shoot the ball. He blocks shots. He's a great rim runner. Good screener. Great cutter. Works really well in Miami's offensive system. And he works really well next to Bam. Perfect for Bam. Perfect player for Bam out of bio. Actually, I saw this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
So it's a small sample size, but in the minutes where Bam and Ware are playing together, they're plus 12 on the floor in like a very, very small sample size, which is great. It'd be a very, very good combination. With Bam and no Kal-El, they're minus four. And with Ware and no Bam, they're actually plus four. They're winning their minutes. So there's something there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
He's only played three games as a starter, but in those three games, 16 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks. Only guy as a rookie to do that since Wemby, which is not a crazy thing. But before that, it's Giannis, it's Duncan. It's a very, very impressive list of players who have done that consecutively in their rookie year. And I think he's just really, really useful to the way Miami plays.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
And if you want a guy to pair long-term with Bam in the frontcourt, This is looking like it's him. By the way, he just became the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year. So we're getting ahead of this. And so nobody talks about Kal-El Ware. Not yet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Oh, Meecy is really, really good too. And look, the Pels, they needed a big. He stepped up in a massive way. Honestly, it's fun that you mentioned that because there's a few bigs in this rookie class between Donovan Klingin, Zach Eady. You talk about Ware, you talk about Meecy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
These are guys who are stepping in and winning their minutes almost immediately, which is rare for a rookie to do at the big. It's usually the guards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Well, I know Xena is the Cavs believer here. How do you feel?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Oh, they own the Grizzlies. They've beat them twice. They have their number, and it is the two versus the three, so I would like to see that in the playoffs too because that seems like a really fun series, but I got the Rockets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Regardless, it's going to be a good game. It's going to be a playoff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
OK, I have I have a weirder, more sick game here for you guys. I have the Blazers facing off against the Orlando Magic on Thursday. And the reason I have that as a sicko game. Yeah, it's a rematch from last week. Blazers absolutely smoked them in Orlando. And it was the night where Franz and Paolo came back. Everybody was healthy. Let's see how they look. They got destroyed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
OK, so it's a bounce back game for Orlando. But also the Blazers have been playing pretty good basketball recently. Scoot Henderson has been picking things up. Tumani Kamara has been fantastic. He's like one of the most slept on defenders in the NBA. Donovan Klingin also, like we mentioned, like another rookie big who's doing well. So Blazers playing good basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Magic trying to bounce back and be healthy against a team that they lost against. It's a sick game, but it'll be a fun one. Who's going to win? Oh, I'm going to actually say the Magic. They'll bounce back in a big way. They have to. They know that they got destroyed the week before against the Blazers. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Yeah, they are doing some stuff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
No, you're not. You're not a Cavs fan. And you know what? I called you a believer, but we're all believers. Yeah, we believe in the Cavs. We all believe in the Cavs. They're a good basketball team. Yeah, absolutely. They're a very good team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
And it's expected for them to kind of come down to earth a little bit, given the crazy shooting that started off this year, like they were the number one shooting team in the league. I also think a big part of this, quote unquote, losing streak is not having Evan Mobley for two of those three games. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
especially their first game against the Rockets, you could feel the physicality of the Rockets kind of battling with them. That probably leads into what you're talking about when it comes to the free throw disparity because they couldn't handle the physicality.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
When Mobley came back on Saturday when they played, just didn't look like he was kind of getting back in rhythm, didn't have the most effective game. And I think, man, when teams can throw out size against Houston and their guards, It can be against Cleveland, excuse me, and their guards. It could be a really, really long night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
So maybe that's a matchup thing that they have to look forward to, which might poke. It's not a big issue right now because they're a really good team, but something to look forward to for the postseason if they're trying to make that deep run. Yeah. Well, the teams that have bothered them, if you look, it's Houston, Atlanta.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
dispersal of talent so many teams have stars right like there's not a lot of big big three right i'd argue it's better to get punched in the mouth in the regular season a hundred percent and have to deal with the adversity then go unscathed and you know i feel like that was probably what happened to those 73 and nine warriors a little bit yeah like yeah
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
They're not bad enough to get to bottom six because the bottom six is pretty established right now between, you know, Toronto, Charlotte, Washington, New Orleans, Portland, Utah, Brooklyn in the mix for that. Like that seven team race right there for the bottom six. It's hard to get into the mix for that. And Philly is sandwiched right in between that and the Eastern Conference playing race.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
And you think about that plus Maxie's load, Paul George in that article saying, you know what, like my priorities aren't necessarily to lose. My priorities are to try and win basketball games. So I don't think it would go well with the players either if they decided to pull the plug on this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
And for what it's worth, I think given where they're at, it probably makes sense for them to try their best to do this. But the whole Embiid equation of this thing is what makes this interesting because is he going to come back in time? Will they be that feisty playing team that we've seen in past years? Remains to be seen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Again, you know, the meme of Jimmy Butler, like lying down on the floor. That is, you know, right now with the amount of. Yeah, it's crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
it's like it's this weird situation where they're not trying to tank but they might be thrown into a situation where they will be because the next 10 games look like yeah this next stretch of basketball they play the lakers they play the kings nuggets celtics mavericks heat pistons bucks again they play the celtics later that month they got a couple games against the nixon warriors so like that's rough their schedule
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Totally. And we talk about like margin of error. Like when it comes to no Embiid, when it comes to this team and the veterans, like older guys, you don't have that margin of error. Tyrese Maxey is second in the league in minutes per game. they are trying to win these games and doing it off of their stars. But yeah, it's going to be tough, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Nurse is very to the doian in the way he is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
That's historic. It is absurd. That's absurd.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
I am fascinated with the way they're using Kawhi right now. You know, as a guy who loves soccer, I see the super subs. Right. And a guy who just plays for 20 minutes at the end of a game or throughout a game to come and just give you that extra boost. And he's incredible. He probably could start if he wants to. Obviously, Kawhi starts in this case.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
But yeah, like he gives you 20 to 25 minutes of excellent basketball. And then he's like, all right, cool. My job is done. I'm going to plug out. You know, punch out and I'm good. You know, I'm not sure how that formula goes long term. We'll see how the Clippers manages minutes and if he ends up getting, you know, playing 30 minutes and 35 minutes eventually.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
But it's really cool to see how they're using him sort of as this like closer or innings eater on offense, which is really, really fun. I mean, it helps when you have James Harden dropping 40.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
That's all it has. They have the wall. S maybe. Hey, maybe the new home court advantage changes things, man. Maybe. I hope. I hope.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Shea Gildress Alexander. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers refuse to tank | Kawhi & Clippers are back
Yeah, he needs more respect. He needs way more respect. I agree, man. Let me ask you guys this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
And it's like, hey, guys, have you looked at Tyrese Halliburton's stats?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Well, that sounds like a role, a role player split to me. Role players play better at home right now. And maybe it's just what is he eating? What's his routine like when he's at home? You know, there's there's something maybe it's he's got like a Casper mattress at home and on the road. He's just stuck with whatever they've got in the hotel.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I'm not sure, but they got to figure it out because the expectations are extremely high.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
But a lot of his misses are just front rim. And, you know, I'm not sure. I mean, again, he looks like a guy who's hurt. And then our last bit of news, again, more bad news. Grant Williams from the Hornets tore his ACL. The other night when LaMelo scored 50, which again, it puts a damper on what has been really like, I think a promising start for the Hornets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
They're not winning a ton of games, but LaMelo has looked amazing on offense. And Brandon Miller looks like a guy who was the second best player in the draft last year. I mean, he's been incredible, but a tough loss for them, Zena, especially they don't defend all that well anyway, Grant Wood. is at least one of those guys who's out there, you know, mixing things up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
He's been a good screen partner for Lomelo. So, you know, I'm not sure where they look to improve internally. They really just need some guys to get back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
They'll be OK. We need some guys. They need some bigs, big time. Stick around after the break, guys. We'll tell you about the biggest upcoming game in the NBA Cup this week and why it matters.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
week three of the nba cup group play it's basically elimination week because we're gonna know who is advancing by the end of the week the warriors were able to move on because the mavericks beat the nuggets i mean this is like it feels like basketball playoffs to a certain degree when you're getting into all the group play stuff and you know the courts are growing on me a little bit but i still think there's a bit of a miss here uh s i know that you know
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
were you in the building for the Raptors court with the, it was beautiful. That's a beautiful court. How come those aren't the NBA cup court?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I think that we're going to get that, especially with the Raptors. But anyway, I want to talk about the cup guys this week on Friday, we're going to get thunder. versus the Lakers. And it could be to move on into the elimination round and to win that group. That, I think, is going to be the single biggest NBA Cup game in a group play setting in NBA Cup history, guys. The defending champs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
The defending champs. The short history. Can they make it back?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
and go and and have a chance to go back to back don't forget guys we're all we're gonna be there i am i am thinking i think the lakers have a really good chance to do this they're built for this guys you know anthony davis they are built for the cup and they're going they're gonna gun for it don't connect it's been amazing uh but that game i've got it circled it's a big deal um and and then we got to get to our picks because you know we've been doing pretty well guys
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Have we? I don't know, man. I've been doing pretty well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I've been doing pretty well. It's more the royal we if you're me. I'm like six and two this season. It's a pretty good run. Now I'm picking my spots. But I picked this week's game. I picked the Suns over the Lakers on Tuesday night in the NBA Cup. And the reason that I did is because I actually have this feeling.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Just due to various social media rumblings, you watch the Suns and their Instagram account, their Twitter account. They're starting to show KD in the promo, KD in the video at practice, passing the book. I think KD's coming back on Tuesday, guys. I'm taking the Suns over the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
you know also that defense matches up well and can cause a lot of problems for the wolves who when they've run into issues you know like against the celtics it's when the offense bogs down and scoring stops and man with the way that they can switch and they can swarm i mean can tarry eason guard anthony edwards in space can amend thompson like that's that's 48 minutes do they have to
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
throw at these guys. That's going to be a great game. Guys, stick around all week. We're going to cover every single night in the NBA like we always do. For S. Baraheni and Zena Keita, I'm Dave DuFour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
But the thing is, though, Zena, look, they're beating up the punching bags, and that's a step in the right direction. What happens when they get into the meat of this schedule coming up, you know, and they've got to play some really good teams? Like, are they going to have enough in the tank to do it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Finally. Oh, yeah. Wow. And they need him big time. Nikola Jokic. He's on the all weekend team and basically going to be on every single weekend as long as he plays games. He missed a few games last week for personal reasons. Came back Friday night, put up a crazy stat line, 33, 17 and 10. And they lost to Dallas, who didn't have Luka. That team has been doing some fun things. And then he puts up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
you know, a big, almost triple double, but they blew out the Lakers 25 points. So Jokic and S did you see the, the tap, the 77 foot punch. This is one of the greatest shot attempts in NBA history. Nicola Jokic way to not be a coward. He's coming up with new ways to play honest and fun basketball. I love that so much. Franz Wagner also on the all NBA weekend team for us, 67 points over the weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
we i think right now i every time i'm seeing his names you know i'm thinking about his big close out in that victory over the lakers and it's just this guy was pulling up it kind of felt like halliburton last year you know before he was hurt it was like every shot he was taking it felt like it was ready for the big moments and that's huge considering the hole he's trying to fill for the magic right now i'm just thinking like if i'm mo wagner like i'm the coolest big brother alive like
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
It's actually funny you say that. Those guys are really great and really, really close. Their parents were with them the whole time in the World Cup and all this. We talked before the season about Franz and the lack of the jumper. Well, the jumper's fixed. And we don't even think about Mo in the same way anymore. And he's been huge off the bench.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Orlando in this run without Paolo, I think they're kind of finding out that they've got a little bit more juice than we thought.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
They're good. I don't know what else to say. They're, they're pretty good basketball team. And when you can defend like that, you're going to be in the mix for a lot of wins. And they just, what they need is a guy, whether it's Franz Wagner or it's, or it's Jalen Suggs, that's going to get hot. And that's happened for them, you know, quite often early in the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I, they're fun ass team to watch. It's been a lot of fun to follow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I think so too. I think Franz is definitely an all-star in the East. Speaking of Jalen Brown, also an all-star. He started out the game on Sunday, guys. This was actually electric. Five for five from three in the first four minutes. And the last one was just this moon ball that he shot over Rudy Gobert, who was really contesting. Because, I mean, look, the hot hand is real.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
And Jalen Brown was experiencing it in the first four minutes. Now, the game kind of went off the rails a little bit for Boston after that. And it was actually a really fun game. And the Wolves, you know, they played them tough. But Jalen Brown, pretty good weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
We had the big NBA Cup games on Friday night. We're going to get to that later on in the show. The Warriors have moved on to the elimination round. They're the first team to do so. The Raptors already been eliminated. Is that right, S?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
And there's too many tools. Derek White is one of the best players in the NBA that no one ever talks about. This guy, I haven't seen him miss a shot in two years. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Al Horford, super scary in transition shooting threes. It's just that they're, they're a great team. It's too much. Yeah. Jimmy Butler guys, Jimmy Butler made the all weekend team. Did you guys know that Miami just took a week off?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Weekend at Bernie's type of thing. He launched a new, yeah, it was a whole thing in the middle of the season. So Jimmy Butler, they have a great game. They go to OT and they beat that tough Mavs team. And Jimmy Butler was, I mean, he looked really good physically. So, you know, hopefully for them, you know, Bam hit some threes in this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I need to see it more often, S. I know you keep, every time he makes a three, I know about it. I do text you. Every single time. Guess what? He's not making any threes in the woods because S is making sure I hear about him. And finally, guys, we got a six man on our all weekend team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
chris paul love it three wins in a row for the spurs that you know they won some games without victor women yama and thus far xena like this is kind of if you would ask us to predict and just spell it out line for line this is what it would look like right first 15 games i think chris paul has been the perfect guy to to put out there with these young guys and with wimby he's
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Interesting. Hey, you know what? Andrew Schlecht definitely listened to the show. I think he would agree with you there. That OKC bump, you know, that was real. Guys, stick around after the break. We got some news and, of course, bad injury news. It seems like the New Orleans Pelicans don't get good news over the weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Anyway, well, you know, the weekends, guys, there's so many games. And, you know, one of the easy ways to catch up, we're going to make our all weekend team, which is basically just the best of the weekend, the folks that stood out. And I think that we got to start with the Bucs because we've been worried about the Bucs since basically the season started.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Like every Friday, we seem to find out something negative about their team, and it's usually bad injury luck. And unfortunately, once again, the Pelicans are steadying themselves to be without Zion Williamson for an extended amount of time. We already talked about this last week. The expectation is maybe four to six weeks. People are saying he's nowhere close.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I'm guessing six to eight weeks, eight to ten. Might as well say three months at this point with Zion because he just has a hard time staying on the court. And this team has just been hammered by injuries over and over again. And maybe it's just a coincidence, but Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram both fired their agents on the same day. And so I'm not sure what's happening.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I don't know if any of it means anything, you know, but I'm just saying, guys, that's something to watch out for because the Pelicans, I mean, that's just. That's a disaster. Speaking of disasters, and again, more bad news. It's what we do here in this B block, unfortunately. Joel Embiid missed a couple of games over the weekend. You know, the Sixers split those. They go one and one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
We got a good game out of the young guys, and we got a much rougher game out of those young guys. But they had no Paul George. They had no Embiid. And honestly, guys, when you look at the tea leaves here, Joel Embiid, after every single game, dealing with swelling. It's keeping him out now multiple games in a row. I don't know, S, what kind of timeline any of us could expect him to be on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Or even if you're the team, what kind of timeline couldn't you put him on?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for November 25th, 2024. Coming up, we take a look at the best of the weekend. We pass the panic baton over to the Pacers and we take a look at the upcoming week in NBA Cup action because it's heating up. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, S. Good morning, Zena. Huge weekend in the NBA. It feels like, again, every single night something's happening.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
I mean, it seems like they need to start the process.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
You need a member game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
If Andre Drummond was playing half as well as he did last season, maybe they don't lose as many games. But, you know, Drummond has not been good. A lot of the other role players haven't been able to step up. You know, Gershon Yabusele has been a great signing for them who has paid off like huge. And you can see where the fit with Embiid and with Paul George would be great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
But if you don't have Embiid and you don't have Paul George, this team really is just in a bad, bad place.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Even before, if you're me, we've been calling them old. And the one guy that we said was kind of not old and actually doing his job, Giannis. He took it up a notch over the weekend. And the Bucs have now won four in a row. Like, we're no longer as worried. I still think that there's glaring issues with this team. But there have been some positive signs, guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Honestly, none of us would have been willing to predict that this is how bad it would be.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
You know what? I can make a promise to you right here. Right here. I will never bring up his TikToks. Thank you. We also, another thing, something we love around here is when referees apologize. It has been happening all season long as we've been all on top of it. Zena, this time, Fred Van Vliet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Was owed an apology right after the game. Again, right after the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Quite the rhyme. I thought we had a half-baked situation. I didn't know what he was saying, but I'm glad that we had Cena here to lip read on that one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
Guys, we got to talk about the Pacers just a little bit, you know, scuffling a little bit. They're not the team that we expected them to be. They did pick up a win on Sunday against the Wizards. But I made a joke about the panic baton, not the panic button, because it feels like when the Bucs beat them on Friday, we instantly passed the panic baton right to the Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
And, S, look, they get the big NBA Cup win the other night. You know, they knocked down the Pacers and literally throw the panic baton right to them. So, I mean, the Bucs, Giannis had a great weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Ja, es fühlt sich an, als ob Jugend ein großer Teil dieser Rocket-Saison ist, aber es fühlt sich an, als ob die Leute ihre Post-Saison-Chancen durch diese Jugend auslösen. Wie siehst du das intern?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Ja, ich wollte gerade sagen, vier oder fünf Teams ist viel. Du wirst versuchen, das zu beurteilen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Ja, absolut. Ich meine, die Saison ist bereits ein Erfolg. Zu Ihrem Punkt, wie Sie es gesagt haben, ist die Playoff-Serie und potenziell ein Zweiter-Sieger nur ein Pfeil auf dem Topf. Sie gehen in einen wirklich wichtigen Sommer, potenziell für Van Vliet zu re-signieren. Es gibt offensichtlich die Gerüchte, dass sie potenziell nach Devin Booker oder Kevin Durant fangen, die Sonnenpicks zu haben.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Ja. How much does this next month of playoff basketball determine how aggressive they are in the summer for going out and maybe making an upgrade?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Es ist gut, wenn man in den Mund geschlagen wird, wenn man ein Team ist, das Ja, genau. You know what I mean? Okay, we'll see. The Cavs are fine. Don't worry about the Cleveland Cavaliers. They're alright. Team that's trying to be alright is the Phoenix Suns. They are winners of three in a row. One of those wins against the Cavaliers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Yeah, I feel like it won't be the first last time we talk about the Houston Rockets this summer. That's probably what's going to happen. Go read Kelly Eco at The Athletic. Always great, great work. Kelly, thank you so much. Zina, thank you very much. Thank you to Andrew Schlecht for hopping on with us as always. Thank you for listening to The Athletic NBA Daily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
As always, we'll see you guys next time. Peace out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
They also beat the Raptors and Bulls, which again, not the greatest wins, but still wins. If you're the Suns trying to get into that 10th seed in the play-in, they did. KD dropped 42 points. Yes, he did. Is that something? Nichts oder alles. Sind die Söhne, die Dinge herausfinden?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
It's kind of expected, right? This is exactly what they're supposed to do against those teams. We're spoiled like that. Right, yeah, exactly. I think it is something just for the fact that they're playing their rookies again. Oso Iguodaro is finally playing back in the rotation. He played 44 minutes against Cleveland. Ryan Dunn also back in the rotation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
And it's clear that their defense is better because of those guys. So I think it might be something. I don't think it's too much of something. I'm going to give it like a 25% something on the something meter. But this is something for sure. LeBron James back with the Los Angeles Lakers. He returned versus the Chicago Bulls. They didn't have the greatest game, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Guten Morgen und willkommen zu der Athletik-NBA-Daily. Kommen wir auf, wir haben Kelly Eco hier, um über die Rockets zu sprechen, die sich auf dem Nugget verletzt haben und nicht mehr so auf dem Nugget verletzt haben. Wir werden ein Spiel von etwas, nichts oder alles machen, seit Dave nicht hier ist und wir wollten die Show übernehmen. Good morning, everybody. Zina, how you doing?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
The Lakers gave up 146 points to the Chicago Bulls. LeBron played 31 minutes, had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Rui Hachimura also returned. So LeBron coming back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Yeah, that two to five range and six range kind of for the playoffs right now in the West is the best playoff race there is for the next couple of weeks between the Nuggets, Rockets, Lakers, maybe even the Warriors creeping up in there, depending on Steph Curry's health. We'll see what happens there. But yeah, this game versus Chicago just felt like. Ja. Ja. Ja. Ja.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
I kind of want to talk about it from Chicago's side too. So the Bulls are ninth in the East now. They've been in that 9-10 for pretty much the entire year. They love that play in basketball. And Madis Buzelis, ihr Rookie, der, wenn ihr nicht wusstet, die Bulls Broadcast versucht, Lil Boozy Vert zu nennen. Ja. Nein. Lass es uns passieren. Ja, lass es uns passieren. Ich mag es.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
credit to that because i thought that was awesome uh he had his career high he had 31 points against the lakers uh a lot of bulls balled out kobe white had 36 points josh giddy basically almost had a quadruple double uh 15 points 10 rebounds 17 assists and 8 steals so the bulls and this this is a little bit different of a something nothing or everything because there's no take here but
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Das Bulls-Team, viele ihrer Fans wollen sie immer tanken, ausbauen und rechtlich so. Um ehrlich zu sein, denke ich, dass sie einen Fall haben, dass sie einige schlechte Entscheidungsverhältnisse für das Team über die letzten drei oder fünf Saisonen haben, richtig? Is that something, nothing or everything? Can a team just be fun, Zena?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Good morning to you. No, Dave, it feels feels a little strange here, but I know we're going to try to keep it similar to the vibes. Right. Because we're bringing back a segment everybody loves, which is something, nothing or everything. Let's recap this weekend by doing that. OK, so the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sie haben die letzten vier von ihren fünf verloren.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Ja, ich denke, es ist etwas, weil wenn du ein Bulls-Fan bist, musst du dich freuen, dass du diese Mannschaft spielst. Sie sind lustig. Wenn du ein Bulls-Spiel anschaust, wie wenn wir League Pass Ranking machen, würde ich wahrscheinlich die Bulls in meinen Top 10 haben, weil sie einfach lustig sind, offensiv zu sehen. Sie laufen wie verrückt. Sie sind einer der besten Transitionen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Teams in the league. And to your point, Buzelis is a big part of that because he's this athlete and he can utilize that athleticism in transition. He's also great at driving the ball. He needs to get stronger. That's the one thing about Buzelis, but he'll get there. Very, very intriguing. He's a rook. Yeah, he'll get there. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
The one game from Sunday night that was awesome, which was the Clippers losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder. No Jalen Williams, no Chet Holmgren for OKC. They now move to 59-12, one win away from 60-12. They've never had a 60-win season. That is, to me, that's crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
That's everything. Absolutely it is. I want to talk about the Clippers side, though, because before this loss, they had won five in a row. Kawhi in his last 11 games is averaging 24 points, six rebounds, six assists, doing so efficiently. And Xena, I kind of feel like the boy who cried wolf here, because every season I go in saying, am I going to believe in the L.A. Clippers?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
But are they going to stay healthy? And I have thought, oh well, Kawhi is back, the Clippers are back every single year. And I'm at the point where I've just accepted the fact that I'm the boy who cried wolf. And I have to ask you this, because I think it's something. I think the fact that the Clippers are playing good basketball recently is something.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
And the fact that it's leading to the playoffs and they're fighting for the sixth seed in the West and all that type of stuff, that is something to me. Their defense is something to me. Absolut. Ich will in diesem Team glauben, aber die Gesundheit und die Schmerzen halten mich zurück. Glaubst du, es ist etwas, nichts oder alles?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Sie haben den Utah Jazz am Sonntag gewonnen, aber das ist keine wirklich großartige Sache, wenn du willst. Das ist kein Pfeffer in deiner Kappe. Also, sie haben vier in der Reihe verloren, außer am Sonntag. Sie haben die Magie verloren, die Clippers, Kings und Sons. Ist das etwas, nichts oder alles?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Ja, die Defense ist interessant, weil sie nur gegen OKC heute Abend gewechselt waren und mit den Folgen lebten. Und das ist eine Mannschaft, die du in Nick Batum triffst. Du hast einige ihrer anderen Winger erwähnt. Du bist in Ordnung mit Dunn, wenn du auf jemanden wechselst. Und er hat heute Abend einen tollen Job gegen SGA gemacht. Also Clippers, das ist sicherlich.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Es waren nicht 60 Wins für OKC. Sie haben 60 gewonnen. Sie haben nie mehr als 60 gewonnen. Also wenn sie 61 gewinnen, ist das historisch für sie. Ein guter Winn für sie heute Abend. Okay, kommen wir. Wir werden mit Kelly Eco über die Rockets sprechen, die die Nuggets verloren haben. Mit Jamal Murray und DeAndre Jordan?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Cavs slide + Houston’s Playoff Prep
Well, Zena, the NBA Daily Curse struck again. It was, and I'm sorry, Kelly, the Houston Rockets. We thought we were going to talk about a 10-game winning streak here, but they lose to the Denver Nuggets without Nikola Jokic. It was the Jamal Murray and DeAndre Jordan show. What happened tonight in this game? Do you think that that kind of forced the Rockets to lose this one?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Shoutout zu den Leuten, die diese Spiele sehen. Sie klatschen wahrscheinlich in ihren Räumen jetzt. Wie? Ja, ich verstehe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Maybe deserves it the least. Can we rewind back to like a year ago for the Sixers and whenever the Suns acquired Kevin Durant two years ago, right? Can you imagine the excitement of Suns fans when they're like, we now have Kevin Durant next to Devin Booker. This is all we've been waiting for. Suns fans toiling in mediocrity, all that type of stuff. We finally are back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
We just went to the NBA Finals. We can battle and become a new title contender. It blows up in their faces. We're this close, exactly. Sixers fans, okay, we have all this money, all this cap space, 60 million dollars. We're going to spend it on re-signing Tyrese Maxey. We're going to get Paul George. We're going to add all these veterans. We're going to have an incredible season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
And it just falls flat on its face. The level of excitement to drop off, I think, is what is causing this downturn, where you just see this tendency terrible situation where there's a Mr. Beast and the $600,000 and it doesn't even look bad because there's still the Phoenix Suns who look lifeless, who genuinely just don't work.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
And it's been two years of them trying, adding a different coach, working through the machinations of how to plug in this player. Let's bring Bradley Beal back. Let's start this guy. Okay, Yusuf Nurkic doesn't want to play anymore. Let's bring in Nick Richards. None of it has worked. None of it has worked. Nurkic looks pretty good in Charlotte.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Because look, Philly can at least say injuries ruined us. This season was ruined and decimated by injuries. To your point, Xena, like the Suns have been pretty healthy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
God, I wish it was home. I wish it was in Dallas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Die Farben sind verändert. Sie haben auch Grün. Die Mavericks haben auch Grün drin. Mavs ist auch eine sehr verwirrende Farbensituation. Ich erwarte ehrlich gesagt viel Liebe von beiden Seiten, weil es nicht in Dallas ist. Ich erwarte AD zu kommen und ihn auf der Seite zu sein und auch die steigende Ovation und all diese Art von Sachen zu bekommen. Tributvideo, sehr gut verdient.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I think from the other side, you'll probably see Luca and Kyrie embrace. I bet you his teammates are very excited to see him again. I don't think we'll see any sort of animosity other than if we do see a GM pop up. If Nico Harrison... I don't think Nico is going to make the trip. I don't think he'd come. That's the only time where there might be a little bit of craziness.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
But otherwise, I actually think it'll be a pretty lovely evening. I think Luca will be mad. He'll have answers, but...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Hey, can I just say one more thing? Yeah. Do you guys remember how Jimmy Butler wanted to go to the Suns?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Es ist nicht immer das, was du willst. Miami saved him. Es ist nicht immer das, was du willst, Jimmy. Ich sage nur, es hat besser so funktioniert. Es hat definitiv funktioniert.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
I will say it's something in a lot of ways. To bounce back from the way that they lost against the Hornets and then to come and completely dominate the game plan against the Nuggets, especially defensively. They forced Denver into 20 turnovers. They caused a bunch of bad plays from Nikola Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
They forced them into a passer, which is technically not what you want to do with Jokic, but they just made it a situation where he was rushing defensively. He was getting into places where he didn't want to be. And to do that against the best player in the NBA is no easy task. So I think it's something from the defensive side of the ball. And if they're generating turnovers the way that they did,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
So it was like the Vando, Dorian, Finney Smith. Like those guys were hounding them. And even Luca was doing well defensively. Like he really answered to LeBron guarded him a little bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Es ist wie die schlechteste Version des täglichen Verlustes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Ich meine, er hat wahrscheinlich nicht viel von seinem Schuss. Ja, du hast es nicht. Ich kam in diese Saison mit ziemlich hohen Erwartungen für die Knicks, je nachdem, was sie gemacht haben. Sie sind alle in, so alle in, wie man es möglicherweise kann. Und du addest Karl-Anthony Towns, die Offense, der Feuerkraft dieser Offense sollte groß sein.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Ich meine, es war alle Saison, aber es ist einfach, zu schauen, wie die tollen Teams dieses Team entfernen können. Kat und Brunson in Pick and Roll konsistently on the defensive end just gets torched. And that is I mean, maybe Mitchell Robinson comes in and helps that a little bit. But I don't think there's a solution that can make them compete with these three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
And then on the offensive end, like teams are starting to figure out how to guard and game plan for Brunson and Kat. So I agree. I think it's everything. Es ist auch Jahr 1 für dieses neue Team. Sie versuchen, die Identität herauszufinden. Vielleicht ist es nur ein Fehlablauf. Nächstes Jahr ist das Jahr, in dem sie gehen. Und sie sehen sich wie die Gegner, die sie sein könnten.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Aber gerade jetzt, für diese Saison, stimme ich. Es ist alles.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
The defense is the part that I love for this team right now. Dave, you shouted them out early in the season. You're like, this is going to be one of the best defenses in the league. They were for like a month and a half. They were a top five defense. They fell off a cliff. But now you add Jimmy into this equation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
The off-ball awareness, the connectiveness that he has on that end, getting into passing lanes, the steals that he can pull off. It just completes everything for that team defensively. They're so good when they're like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
You can be chaotic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Yeah, so with the Grizzlies losing to the Cavs last night, there are only three teams that will get to 40 wins before getting to 20 losses. The reason that's important.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Yeah, yeah. So Phil Jackson had this thing where it's like if you want to be an NBA champion, you have to get to 40 wins before you get to 20 losses. And if you go back and look at history, 76% of all NBA finalists did that. Und dann haben 90% aller NBA-Champions das auch gemacht. Also der 40-20-Club ist ziemlich beeindruckend, wenn man sich die Geschichte der Teams anschaut, die es gemacht haben.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder, Cavs continue dominance | Sixers & Suns in turmoil
Es gibt eine Chance, dass OKC und Cleveland die 50 vor 20 machen, was ein weiterer Niveau für das ganze Ding ist. Aber es ist ein Test, wie dominant alle drei dieser Teams waren. Und um ehrlich zu sein, sind sie wie ein Kuss über alle anderen. Es ist jetzt sehr klar, dass es eine Gap gibt, die mit diesen dreien geschaffen wird.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Steph Curry had himself a game against the wolves, 31 points, 10 assists coming back off that embarrassment against Memphis Xena. Like, I mean, that was the worst game I've ever seen from Steph and Draymond combined.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
I'm going to start getting some of these Law Murray sayings put on T-shirts for the show. I think we're going to do that. That was awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
We do got to take them to Wicked. No, I mean, go see it on London. Go see the live performance. I just think it's worth seeing. I'm not going to the movies. It's too expensive, as I talk about all the time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
end of the show here time for our picks our christmas day picks brought to you by our friends over at bet mgm guys christmas day the games are hmm i'm not gonna say not compelling but they're the injury report is kind of getting in the way of christmas day so as we're looking ahead and making our picks i'm thinking Who's going to be available for the Phoenix Suns?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Devin Booker's got this groin issue. Obviously, Bradley Beal's been dealing with stuff and they're going to play the Nuggets on Monday. So I'm just like, what kind of gamesmanship is going to go on when you've got a back to back and that second game is on Christmas Day? So as we go through this, guys, what are your picks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
That little upset. I think the NBA would love that. And it's early enough that they could be watching it in France, which, of course, they love. Yeah. For me, guys, I actually a little bit of a curveball here. I think the Sixers might beat the Celtics. And it's because of the things that we've laid out in this very episode. I've talked myself into this. The Sixers getting healthier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Joel Embiid getting back healthy. to looking more like Joel Embiid. Yeah, he'll get up for that game too, right? Boston can miss some shots. I mean, Zena, you said it in our pre-show. What if Boston shoots 10% on Christmas Day from three? And I just couldn't get that out of my head. So I'm taking the Sixers over the Celtics. Joel Embiid. Wow. Going to do it. He's going to get it done.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
That's going to get it done for us, guys. We'll be back with a Christmas Day preview tomorrow. In the meantime, though, for Law Murray, for Espera Henney, for Zena Keita, I'm Dave DeFore, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
It just, we've been saying this for over a decade S and nobody's figured that one out. That is true. That is true. Somehow Steph Curry, Curry still gets loose. I don't know. But you know what? Officials blame the officials. Well, that's the reason you lost. Yeah. If we had an all not weekend team, I think Julius Randall would maybe be on that one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Let's go down to San Antonio because Victor Wiminyama is the scariest guy on the planet. 42 points in an overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks. Accurate. I mean, 7 of 15 from three. Zeno, do you remember that night that I said he needs to stop shooting threes? Yeah, you know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for December 23rd, 2024. Coming up, we're going to recap the weekend and name our all-weekend team. I think Scottie Pippen Jr. made it, guys. And we've got Law Murray sitting down with Zena and S to talk about his shooting rankings and Kawhi's comeback. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Zena.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
He's a video game character. Look, when we were kids, or at least when I was a kid, I'm much older than you guys, but the video games, you could break the physics of the game by making a guy who was like Victor Wiminyama and he's breaking the physics of the sport. And it's fun. It's fun to watch. But what I'm interested in is as he gets better, I want to see what teams do to throw him off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
And definitely like they try to get into him and stuff to try to just mess with his jump shot. Guys, he got, he got right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
That's an absurd stat. Jason Tatum had himself a game against the Bulls. Not the game that they lost, by the way. Did not have himself a game in that game. Zach Levine had a nice game in that game, but Jason Tatum had, had a great game on Saturday, kind of a bounce back for, for the Celtics against the bulls to get a win 43 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
But I think that what we're really going to take away is that poster. I mean, he just absolutely just destroyed them. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Also, Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs guys, 25 and four. Donovan Mitchell had 27 the other night. We're getting to the point, Zena, where the Cavs have become so solid and so good. We're not even talking about him. Remember when they lost that first game? We were doing a segment every night and now they're still 25 and four. This is still a championship level start to the season for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
And it's because they got Donovan Mitchell.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
That's a team that should maybe get three and possibly four All-Stars. They've been that good to start the year. I think they're the story in the East, right? Yeah, they might. I mean, the fan vote, if it carries any sway, I don't know. That's tough because it's Cleveland. Guys, we have got to catch up. on Joel Embiid. Because I think, is he back? I mean, he had 34 points, nine assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Look, people are going to discount it and say it was against the Hornets. I don't care. He made our all-weekend team. He's got these bad knees. He's got a broken... He's got a face mask on. Right. The most unique sinus fracture you have ever seen in the NBA. And he puts up 34 and nine. So, S, all I'm thinking to myself is... he might be feeling a little better outside of his face.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Or maybe the face just hurts so bad that the knee doesn't pop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Oh, They're getting the guys that they expected to start the year with. And, you know, no Jared McCain, because obviously he's out with that knee injury. So they don't have the special surprise, but at least you have the team that you thought you were going to have to start the year. I'll be it. It's it's it's early in the gelling process. Guys, we added a new spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
To the all-weekend team this week. Rightfully so. Scottie Pippen Jr. got the start the other day. John Morant missed a game against the Hawks. Scottie Pippen Jr. has been having himself a really nice season, and he was great in this game. Look, what Memphis is doing, Zena, you can say, okay, yeah, it's John Morant. He gets two feet in the paint all the time. Jaron Jackson, we know what he does.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
But it's because they found guys like Scottie Pippen That can come in and play. I mean, it's kind of amazing. They're blowing teams out of the water. Java ran or not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Good morning, S. I don't know why my voice just cracked like that. Is this leftover Vegas in my voice? Still recovering from the NBA Cup, but we had a full weekend of basketball, although a couple of nights with three games. I mean, three games on Sunday. Kind of weird scheduling for the NBA, but everybody's back. We got back-to-backs for the Thunder and the Bucs, so they're looking tired already.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Memphis has done such a good job over the years of finding the guy who can play when Ja is out because Ja misses time. That's true. And this is another guy in a long line of these guys that that they just managed to pull out of the woodwork. Although Scottie Pippen has been around for a minute and is really improved as a player. Guys, stick around after the break.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
Pistons beat a team that doesn't have an injury report like a CVS receipt. Please, guys, stick around after the break. Zena and S sat down with Law Murray to talk about his shooting rankings and Kawhi Leonard's imminent return.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Stomps Wolves | Shooting Rankings
But... Guys, we also had some pretty amazing performances over the weekend, so I thought we could catch up on what we missed and kind of get our feet back into the regular season after our NBA Cup. I'm trying to avoid this NBA Cup hangover that the Bucs seem to have. Oh yeah. It's not been great. Yeah. So guys, I think we start with the best player ever.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Warriors Thrive and Lakers Panic Time? + Game 2 Adjustments
He's so good. He always boxes out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
jeez i mean put you on the spot first yeah you did that's all good i'm just thinking about the fact that we were horrifically wrong about that denver okay c series i mean we were right about denver pushing it but we were not right about who would win the final game um i was just saying oh were you okay my badass yeah we were all super wrong about boston coming back so we were very wrong about that's maybe what i'm thinking we were wish casting there let's be honest um
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
The thing about after having seen that team up close, Minnesota, against the Warriors, and just how well they have figured out how to keep Anthony Edwards in the game when he's not scoring in the first half, and Julius Randle kind of taking ownership of the team while Anthony is getting revved up, and the length of their defense on the perimeter... I do think the series is going to be long.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I don't think it will be a cakewalk. But what I'm trying to think about is the fact that I think OKC has finally realized who they are in the playoffs. They definitely did it in the regular season, but today you saw them do what they did in game two comfortably and show the variety of scoring. And I don't know if Minnesota has that variety of scoring to the same degree. So I'm thinking...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yeah, that is a close series. I mean, it should be close. I do think it's going to be close. I think that there's enough talent on the Minnesota side between Julius and Anthony, but also particularly the star power of Anthony being like, I finally got past the Lakers, the Warriors. Y'all took care of Denver. Cool. I'm here now. This is my opportunity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
That's where I'm thinking that he's going to will seven games for this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Right. Because if Julius wants to go down and post, he can do that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
If he wants to go out and shoot, it can't be Chet. Exactly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Or Alex Caruso once he's put in the slot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yeah. I... I love what New York is doing. I love the grit. It is so New York of them, the way that they've shown up to these Eastern Conference finals, as much as I would love mayhem in Manhattan. I think that Indiana, on top of all the things that S has mentioned, Indiana also has depth to continue to put pressure on New York.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I don't see campaign or Landry Schammett or anyone that's coming off the bench Even McBride. Is it McBride? Yeah, Deuce McBride. I'm not seeing them come off the bench in the same way that I'm seeing TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin, come off the bench and produce. And not only produce on the defense, but also produce on the offense and run in transition and all the above. And so...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
At some point, the Thibodeau method is going to keep up and catch up, right? It's going to be a long series or longer series than maybe New York would like, but I do think it's going to be Indiana. And I probably am going to say Indiana in six. Did you say Indiana in six?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder had four 17 turnovers and gotten 22 points off of that. And I definitely want to credit the defense. I think that was the start and the onus of everything for the Thunder. But also give credit to the Thunder for finally winning
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yeah, no offseason. You laid it out perfectly. We cover all women's basketball, but right now focus is WNBA. And the whole purpose is like it's me and three writers, specifically two for the WNBA season, talking about what's going on around the world of women's hoops. Particularly as the season goes on, we're going to have a mix of analysis and also what's the cultural story?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Because that's the biggest thing about the WNBA. I think that's even... Deeper than any other league within the country is that you can't tell the story of women's basketball without the cultural elements around it and the stories of all these players. This year in particular is unique because it's the year before the CBA has to be negotiated, which is like in October 2026.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
And so you have all these players in new places and they've signed these one year deals because next year, almost 95 percent of the league is like free agents.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Get the bag, right. And these players are not playing when it comes to making sure that they get what they want in the CBA. But in the midst of them actually playing out on the court, that means you are now seeing teams have a lot more parity. And it's so interesting that the WNBA is gearing up for this type of season after what we just saw in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
has been such a fun year for the NBA because the talent has just been so spread out and well-matched. And that's exactly what you're seeing in the WNBA as well. So we talk about it on No Offseason. We kick it. If you've never watched women's basketball and you're curious, it's a safe space. We don't gatekeep. We don't make you feel bad because you don't know who won the championship 20 years ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Yeah, it's cool for casual fans. Come hang out with us. It's very chill.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Oh, and so you answer your question about who I think will win. Yeah. Don't say the Valkyries.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
You never know. You never know. No, I'm joking. I really do think the Minnesota Lynx are primed. After what happened last year, they lost in a thrilling five-game series against New York. It was insane. I was there for every game. And to the point that they literally feel as if it was stolen from them in an overtime matchup from what they call a bad call.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
really confidently breaking the zone and we hadn't seen that really since game two them finding ways around the zone finding the gaps finding a way to take advantage of that and you knew that Aaron Gordon was going to be trying to be you know hidden on the back side of that zone and the swing swing you saw so many of that dunker spot opportunities Hartenstein Chet getting up and the guards being able to take advantage of that because they knew who was in that position
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
When you have that sort of situation and you basically return everyone, plus people off the bench like a Diamond Miller from injury,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
um yeah it's a revenge tour it's exactly you're set up for a revenge tour wow is this a lynx podcast i love this okay but i mean and then nefisa collier is the best player right now in the world like she's she was the best player she was number two in mvp voting last year she won mvp of her league that she started unrivaled but she was phenomenal in unrivaled and now she's bringing that same i mean she started the season with a 34 point game against the wings she looks like she hasn't missed a step and she is ready
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Let's roll with the Lynx. Why not? Now picking the two-peep from New York?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
well she was at unrivaled and i do want to call that out unrivaled has allowed a lot of players to unlock different parts of their game whether it's leah boston's midi dribbling angel reese's ability to facilitate bring the ball up the court like we saw so many different examples of that throughout the weekend yeah but to your point s um the fever are retooled they got a new coach and i do need the wmba to stop acting like
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Indiana versus Chicago is a rivalry. It's not a rivalry. No, it's not. That team is significantly better right now than the Chicago sky. So I'm going to hold my breath on the fever until I see them up against New York, Minnesota, or even Las Vegas. We'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Early in the game, you thought, hey, maybe attack him directly. But they were so tactical about the way that they exposed this zone. And I think that that's going to carry them well, especially going into the Western Conference finals. Like talk a little bit about their offense. Like what did it look like out there for you to see it? It looks very energetic from TV.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
I'm trying to figure out if you heard from any of the players about returning to themselves in the sense of OKC look like the OKC we've seen all season tonight. They won the deflections in the steals game by plus 10. They won the points off of turnovers. They won the fast break battle. They won the assist battle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Like everything that we've expected OKC, how they got to that number one seed, how they got to the playoffs, cookie cutter mold of who they were tonight but it felt it took to game seven for us to see that consistently throughout a game even though they got down early they did that during the season too a few games where they got down and were able to come back very quickly and very fervently
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
did anyone talk about that post game about like, we were just, we just played OKC ball and it felt normal and natural. Or do we do, do we give that much credit to how much Aaron Gordon was hurt? And that's why they were able to play themselves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder roll to Western Conference Finals
Cause if that's the case, if the latter is the case, then maybe I am a little still concerned about OKC going up against a Minnesota, but if they just stick to who they were all season long, they should be able to walk through to the finals. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Last week, it seems like we kind of broke the seal off the 50-point games. We had Victor drop 50. We had Giannis drop 59. Is this something? Is this nothing? Or is this everything, guys? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
You know, 30 is a magical number in basketball, right? Like that is a number of the 30 point game. That's when you know you did something. Plenty of guys average 20 that are good players. 30 is usually where we say, oh, that guy's a great, you know, like you're going to lead the league in scoring. I think it's something. But I'm with Xena. I think that this is a parody thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I think coaches are getting smarter about, you know, guys aren't they're not able to stat stat pad. Their points late in games when they have blowouts.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I mean, Steph Curry sitting out fourth quarters, you know, I mean, it's just if you if if you extrapolate it a little bit, you figure out pretty quickly that these guys, there's a lot of guys who are capable of doing 30 points a game that are held back a little bit by circumstances.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Yeah, and the teams that you mentioned, look, that 94, I don't actually know anything about that 49 Washington Capitals team, but that 94 Rockets team, right, is Hakeem Olajuwon. You had a great interior presence. You had a lot of good guard play. That Warriors team, right, had a great defense. You had Steph Curry. You know, obviously that team is in our recent memory.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Guys, stick around. After the break, we're going to look ahead at this week's biggest NBA Cup matchups. The NBA Cup continues this week. Second week of group play, guys. What did you think about the first week and the courts? Did they throw you off?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I get the thing there where you're flipping channels or you walk into, you know, you walk into the sports bar and it's like, oh, that looks different. It did catch my eye. And I think the paint is actually better this year. Some of the courts look pretty good. Portland especially. That court looks great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Maybe that was too much. Can't do that. And again, no red, no blues next year. Hopefully those are all gone. But but overall, a week one of group play was was really, really great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Super competitive. And so really looking forward to this week. Guys, let's jump into our picks because we got to get out of here. But Zena, you want to take the first one?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Even though they just lost the game here without Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
That's right. What's your other pick for this week?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I understand completely because when you look at what they've been doing, they're four and nine right now. I just don't trust the Pacers with the emotion on the line. I'm actually going against both of you, and I'm going to say the Bucs are going to beat the Pacers on Friday in the NBA Cup because I think Giannis is going to give us an all-timer if he has to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
We saw him do it the other day with the 59 points where he just put them on his back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
But he was plus seven in his minutes. And so that's what matters. I think we might get 48 minutes or 53 or whatever it takes from Giannis. But this Pacers team, you remember last year, there's bad blood. There's bad NBA Cup blood between these two teams. I just don't think there's any way. Counting out the finalists. Wow. So you've got Pacers Bucks to ask, well, what's your other game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
And, Zeno, look, there are a lot of things that kind of make you think about that Warriors team from 2015, right? You've got a couple of guards who are, I mean, Darius Garland and Steph Curry, the comp there is pretty clear, I think. But also the coaching staff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I hate to tell you wrong again. My second favorite. I'm taking the Celtics over the Cavs to hand the Cavs their first loss. The game's in Boston. And look, the Celtics are the champs. Have you guys felt like the Celtics have gotten up for a matchup yet? They almost did for the Raptors. They did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Think about the speech that Joe Missoula is going to give in between watches of the town to these guys to get them fired up. Nobody believes in them all summer long. He told us, and look now, no one believes in the Celtics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I'm just saying right now, I feel sorry for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but I think your run is over. Our run is over today. That's going to do it for today's show, folks. Thank you guys for listening. For Zena Kata and S. Baraheni, I'm Dave DeFore, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Kenny Atkinson moves over from the Warriors and we know that he was with Budenholzer down in Atlanta and he did his own thing up in Brooklyn. But it feels like he's picked up some tricks, like he's pushing all the right buttons with this team. And like every single night, it seems like they have a different role player step up when they need it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Well, Jerry Stackhouse is overdue. Look, when you when you look at the way the Cavs are doing it, they are they are making so many shots. We talked about this the other day with Carter Rodriguez from the chase down pod. You worry about the sustainability of the shooting. But they should have more shooting coming, like when Max Shrews is out there healthy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
And maybe they're going to be a team that's able to hit the market as, you know, like maybe not the buyout market, maybe the trade market. Like they've got some assets. They might be able to go get a guy. I'm especially looking like Larry Nance Jr. down in Atlanta. Can we get him home?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Just a stretch big, some guy that can maybe close sometimes, you know, can start for you when you need spot start, something like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
He's done nothing for him. You know, De'Aaron Fox guys had a huge weekend. This is sort of the headline portion of the show on Monday. De'Aaron Fox back-to-back games puts up 60 points in a loss, 49 points in a win. Zeno, which one of those is better?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
We're going to circle back to that one, too. We also had a couple of crazy game winners over the weekend. I'm going to ask you guys a question. You got to pick one of these. Which was the least egregious violation? OK, was it Jason Tatum's? I don't know. Four stutter steps into his three pointer to beat the Raptors. Or was it Julius Randall's, you know, Bo Jackson forearm shiver?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Oh, to Josh to set up his three point make for the Timberwolves. Which one was least egregious to you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Good morning, S. Good morning, 15-0 Cleveland Cavaliers. They said it couldn't be done, guys. They said, no, they didn't. No one ever said that. This is the best story in basketball. The Cleveland Cavaliers, they beat the frisky Charlotte Hornets, who had a big win over the Bucs. over the weekend to move to 15-0. Hey, it was not an easy game for the Cavs. They didn't have Donovan Mitchell.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I'm in favor of just pretending like, look, we never made any mistakes. Let the fans argue amongst themselves. Controversy creates cash. Also, in the late game Sunday night, the last game, James Harden moved a second on the all-time three-pointers list. Now, as I know that... Typically, we associate him more with free throws than three-pointers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
You know, we know that he had those years in Houston playing with Mike D'Antoni, the Maury ball stuff. But it does feel insane that James Harden is second on this list.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I noticed you didn't say Victor Weminyama, who's trying to hit all 5,000 three-pointers this year, right? Fine, mention Wemby. Look, I've been saying this for a few years. Anthony Edwards, with the three-point volume he already had, was going to be a guy who was tracking top 10. And, you know, you see he's got 850 already, which feels absurd.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
But with the increase in three-point volume for a lot of these guys, I mean, this list This top 10 list might be full of guys, Zena, that are all playing right now. I agree.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
He's going to be like the 15th guy on the list in a few years. Guys, stick with us after the break. We're going to play a little game of something, nothing or everything with some early season trends. All right, guys, it's time for the game that's sweeping the nation. Something, nothing, or everything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Something that we just made up before the show is to take a look at some early season trends that, you know, things that are happening right now, okay? It's a way to catch up on the news, you know, just so you know. Put a little twist on it. The Lakers, the Rockets and the Magic are now all on five game winning streaks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
And I'm going to give you guys a chance to answer on a team, but I'm going to jump on this one first because I'm the host and nobody can tell me no. Guys, the Lakers five game winning streak. Is it something, nothing or everything? I have to tell you. It is nothing. They are beating nobody.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
You know, they had to scrap and fight there down at the end, but they did pull it off. Guys, every single team that has started 15-0 has made the NBA Finals. What do you think about that, S?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
They beat the Philadelphia 76ers, who we've been talking about, have been struggling all season long with injuries and everything else. Jared McCain, the lone bright spot. They beat the Toronto Raptors, who not very good, not necessarily trying to win. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies, who have been banged up pretty bad. They beat the Spurs, who just aren't very good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
And they beat the Pelicans, who, again, another team that banged up. And it has taken some overwhelming efforts from LeBron James. I mean, he had four triple doubles in there. Crazy. And this guy, I don't know how long this guy can keep doing this. Anthony Davis is averaging 30 points a game, which we'll talk about shortly. But, you know, they're getting insane production.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
But these wins are not that impressive. But that being said, they're not totally nothing. But they're not something.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Rockets, Magic, you guys grab one of those. Let me know. Something, nothing, or everything on this five-game winning streak.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for November 18th, 2024. Coming up, the Cavs are still undefeated. We had a couple of game winners over the weekend. We take a little look at some stuff and ask if it's something, nothing, or everything. And we look ahead at the big NBA Cup matchups for this week. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Zena.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
S, go ahead and tell me why the Rockets win streak is everything. I know that's what you're going to say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
But it is something. It is something. I do like the Rockets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
right now, and we're not talking about them enough yet. We're going to get Kelly Eco on the show tomorrow. They're going to play the Bucs, so we got Kelly coming in to talk about the Rockets. You know that they're good when they're in Giannis trade rumors. That's how you know that a team has some good young players. Okay, guys, next question. The Blazers...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
They're now 3-0 without Anthony Simons and DeAndre Ayton. Is this something? I'm jumping in, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
These guys have just stayed up all night. Zena, you feel the same way? Is this everything?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
I think this is something. And again, it's a team that we don't expect much out of. So, you know, to go 3-0, period. I mean, when was the last time that the Pistons did that, S? I mean, it's been a very long time. That's right. All right. Last one for this one, guys. Right now, there are only two 30-plus point-a-game scorers in the NBA. It's Giannis and it's AD, Anthony Davis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game
Those are the only two guys averaging over 30 points a game. That would be the fewest since the 2021-22 season, right? Okay. Now, last year, it felt like we just had all of these guys. Remember all these individual scoring performances? So many that Zena said, hey, somebody's going to score over 81 this season. Well, we just got De'Aaron Fox with 60.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Playoff Brackets + March Madness
It has to be. Well, you would think that they would be. Yeah, right. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
I felt like there were moments, if we're just talking about the All-Star Game Sunday, I thought like there were some cool moments throughout today. I thought the worst part, and when we're talking about energy and atmosphere, I thought that when there were a lot of stoppages, and this is my commentary, this is also some player feedback, those stoppages were really difficult.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
There already are stoppages in between the games themselves. Sure. When you're transferring two teams off, two teams on. These intros are long. This weekend was long. I did not expect. after the score was 11-1 in the final game, and you're already playing that game to 40. This wasn't like Friday night. And there's no clock. So that was hard. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
You know, I felt like that was a 10- to 15-minute stoppage. You had the handover, and then you had the tribute. Yep. And then you had another commercial break after that because it was a TV product. Right. And you had to actually put commercials in there. Those guys, it was like the halftime Super Bowl with no Kendrick. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Yeah. It sounded like the opposite of Saturday night. Saturday night, there was feedback where it's like, this doesn't sound like this is coming through. But the energy was great. I thought it was really good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
First one. And the most important part of that is he had to follow two very... Two contenders, two contestants who weren't good. Matas tried this dunk and he kept failing. I don't think he completed it. Andre Jackson Jr., his vert is amazing. His actual ability to dunk the basketball was not. And the crowd was... That was creative, right? And Andre was frustrated.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
After a while, he gave up and didn't want to be like Matas and get a 40 for not dunking. So... when that car came out, there was some gross. Cause it's like the last time you saw that was Blake Griffin. We know that Mack McClellan plays sort of magic who happened to play in the Kia center in Orlando, Florida, but. Oh, Kia executives were very happy. I'm sure they were, you know what I mean?
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
But you know what? That dude cleared that car and didn't face plant. And I thought it was incredible. When I saw the athletic feet of that human, uh, I was, I was, I was in, you know, I was thinking, okay, this is about to be awake. And instead it woke the crowd up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
He's an interesting story because he's the exact opposite of who everybody wants to see. You know, people will talk about we need a star to carry it. And I think people only say that because of what it looks like 25 years later. You saw Vince, you know, and cannot talk about this, you know, like.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
The setup, I thought, was about to do those guys a disservice because so much of it was about Vince Carter and what he did and reminding people in the building. I don't know if this came through on TV. Reminding people in the building, this is what y'all haven't turned down. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
It felt like the wrong kind of church. I was really concerned about how that was going to look.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
to see and and you know what matt couldn't do this alone saturday night stefan castle absolutely there are guys unreal we celebrate aaron gordon for not winning but setting a bar that zach levine had to clear i'm old enough to remember andre goddard got robbed of a dunk contest that nate robinson won in the 2000s you know that is a part of this matt can't just be good by himself and it's
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Like he's clearing everybody that that's Stefan Castle wins that dunk contest most years. Right. Yes. Agreed. And that conflict, that idea of, you know, Stefan Castle could easily be a star in five years. You know, let's talk about that. He's got to clean his jump shot up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
He's got to, you know, obviously develop that chemistry with Victor Wimbanyama, but he can easily be the number two to Vic's number one, you know, or the number three to, Like, depending on things. That guy could be your quote-unquote star, but his ability to compete and to entertain was needed for Mac McClung to have the impact that he had. You need a foil. And the crowd felt that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Was it, though? We're going to your phone's going to remind you that we did this a year ago. You know, I'm saying it's going to ask you politely. Do you want to see this memory? Right, right, right. And we're going to laugh. You're going to hit me. We're going to laugh like, OK, I will say this. Shout out to Mac McClung. Shout out to the young guys. They were all young guys. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Mac was the oldest dude doing it. Yeah, yeah. He's been in the year for three two-way contracts. You know what I mean? It's crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
He did it three years in a row. Like, there's been a three-time winner, but he's the first to three feet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
That was my highlight. What was your highlight? Of the weekend or just today? The weekend. The weekend. My highlight of the weekend, honestly, I wanted to see how this was going to look.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
overall I mean and I probably got the most excited for the dunk contest but I did want to see if if things were going to look a certain type of way like I'm glad that Steph Curry got his moment like yeah you're not you're probably not going to get another Bay Area all-star in his playing career and that's a and that's a great thing for him um you know Damian Lillard got to come back same thing he played hurt yeah you know that was cool LeBron did not play
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Yeah, that's cool. For me personally, I didn't get to cover the NBA like this until the 2020s. So that means that I never set foot into Oakland Arena formally. Oh. Until Saturday. And that was a great moment for me. I took the BART to get there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
Heck yeah. He's now, he's a native. Yeah. He took the BART. If you survived the BART, you're good. I did not realize that the Coliseum was literally connected to the arena. Like you had a sports complex. That reminds me of my city in Philadelphia. Like that's what it looks like in South Philly. It's that locked in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
I'll tell you what, it's going to be in an arena that has never had All-Star in terms of Intuit Dome, a place that I live in now. And I think there might be some incorporation of the forum. That's going to be cool if that's what winds up happening. That's history. Yeah, that's cool. I think the ease of access needs to be able to work for people.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
I think LA Metro, if you see this, get your step up. Start stepping up right now. Plan this thing out. Agreed. And as far as the basketball goes, it's LA. It's a Clippers thing. It's LA. And it needs to celebrate the city and not just the Hollywood part of the city. Sure. you know, bring some culture, some legitimate culture in and don't make it a caricature.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
And NBC, if you're watching this, be ready. People are going to want to see a different kind of coverage. And this is an opportunity to make a great first impression in what might be the biggest event that NBC has before the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
My expectations were quite low. I was not a fan of this format at all because I felt like... I've seen targets score things. I just felt like there wasn't going to be a lot of basketball. I think that this was going to be something that was to just get the quality to hoop up because you just couldn't get the quantity right. Yeah, right, right, right, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
All Star Weekend Decode | Stephen Curry named All Star MVP
So this year it's like, yeah, the quality is not going to be there. At least what you do see, you're hoping for more. I thought there were pockets where you saw that. Yeah, but there was a little bit of competition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
They're starting buddy healed. They didn't start Draymond Green and they got off to a really bad start in the first and third quarters. Maybe that's criticizable, right? I mean, part of the reason they were poor defensively is their best defensive player on their team is coming off the bench all of a sudden. So, yeah, again, I think I would probably just credit mostly really the shot making.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
It wasn't like, you know, a lazy all-star game type atmosphere out there. It was just a lot of guys making shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
They're talking pick and roll. You know, the age old Warriors question. Steve Kerr is saying he wants them to run more pick and roll. I mean, Steve Kerr had a stat pregame when he was talking about it, that they were dead last and pick and roll efficiency over the last 10 games. And they were the worst offense in basketball. I mean, like they.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
It's crazy because, again, the game that we're talking about this off, they just gave up 143 points. But his point pregame before that happened was they feel confident that they are a top five defense. A third of the way through the season, they have this kind of defensive backbone. but they need to at least be like a league average offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
And he said, this trade is about juicing up the offense and getting Steph Curry, you know, an extra pick and roll ball handler out there to play next to him. Steve Kerr wouldn't go fully committed that he's Dennis Schroeder is going to be the starting two guard on Thursday in Memphis necessarily, but it's clear. That's the plan. He said he thought he would be a perfect fit next to him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
I chatted a little bit with Draymond postgame. He seemed to kind of think like, yeah, Dennis Schroeder probably going to end up being the starting two guard. He's averaging 18 a game. He's hitting 38% of threes right now. Again, they are saying that they're going to allow him to play like Dennis Schroeder. They're not going to say, hey, come in and try to do a lot of the off-ball movement stuff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
Steve Kerr actually compared it to Chris Paul last year, saying if you look last year, they let Chris Paul run a lot of pick and roll. They were seventh in offense last year. Defense was the problem. His point was, we've corrected the defense. We're bringing in a pick and roll ball handler. We need him to run those pick and rolls, which I think will help Aminga and will help other guys too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
He might be their number two. You mentioned it, but this is about their starting shooting guard spot. When they were in Hawaii for training camp, it was this three-man competition that felt very competitive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
It was the Anthony Melton, the offseason signing, who fit perfectly and played six games for the Warriors and seemed like they had kind of completed their starting lineup from a two-way perspective, as you mentioned. Obviously, Terrence's ACL, which... in a lot of ways sent the Warriors into this little mini spiral.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
And then Brandon Pajamski was the young upstart who was like, you know, I think for the future, they wanted him to grab hold of that starting spot. He's just having a bad season. He's shooting 38% overall. It's like fourth worst in the league among like volume shooters, 25% from three. He was bad in the 16 minutes tonight. You guys probably saw the embarrassing play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
Yeah, that was kind of like the low light of the game. Like Steve Kerr was talking to him post-game, you know, arm around him. Like, you know, like we've seen it, right? Draymond's had the five-minute speech about Pajemski on the podium. Kerr ripped him after a Denver loss. Like his second season has not gained any traction.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
When Melton went out from injury, they tried to give him that starting spot. And part of the reason they made this trade as soon as they did was, number one, because Brooklyn lost.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
gave them Dennis Schroeder for not that much because I think Brooklyn Brooklyn needs to lose games I think that was the appeal to Brooklyn like get him off the roster he's winning too much he's too good actually right yeah which is I mean the Warriors are fortunate that that was the situation but you know
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
Buddy Heald was the third guy in that three-man competition, and Buddy Heald's actually been starting ahead of Pajemski lately. But Buddy Heald, I think they view as kind of the bench shooter score, not the starter. And I think that's what paved the way, the fact that that three-man competition really kind of whittled down, especially the Pajemski struggles.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
And now you see Schroeder, and you mentioned it. I mean, I think he's going to be like a 30-minute-per-night guy. He probably will be their second-leading scorer, which is crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
I think some people are viewing it too much as like they're like, oh, this is fully to showcase them because they're 100% going to trade. I'm like, no, they need information on him because the league needs information on him. You know, rivals do, but they also do. Kaminga needs to know about himself. Like they've waited too long to find out who he is in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
And this isn't just about, like I said, showcasing him. If he grabs hold of this and he matters more than anything they can get on them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
market and like they need him to blossom they'll extend them yeah so but yeah i mean we know that the the log jam in the front court and the the lack of fit between he and draymond um that i think at the end of the day it's going to be coming at the four draymond at the five wiggins at the three like that's where they're at their best but you know they're kind of playing this dance where they're trying to keep draymond's body intact right i mean
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
He's already dealt with some health stuff lately and you don't want to overuse him at the center spot. So it kind of makes sense to maximize coming as minutes to have Draymond come off the bench. That's what they've said. But then you watch a game like tonight and it's like, man, you're getting battered defensively out of the gate and Draymond's over there on the bench. So that's...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
That's where it's this weird tug of war, but that's their front court issue. I think they've kind of solved their backcourt issue. Dave, I mean, you seem like you were alluding to it, but like, you know, the vibe out there is maybe they're not done trade wise. And while I agree with that, I could see them being active come deadline. I can tell you they're not like, you know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
trying to hunt down Jimmy Butler in the next couple of weeks. From my understanding, Mike Dunleavy in this front office, now that they have Schroeder in tow, want to see what this team looks like over the next six weeks or so before they decide what is or isn't needed or if this team is even going anywhere before they make a potentially huge move.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
Yeah, no, I mean, it's been patient. It's been kind of rearranging their financial situation. I think they're in a significantly better, more flexible financial spot than they were a couple years ago. You know, post-pool extension, you didn't know where the clay money was going to go. The Chris Paul contract, all that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
Like, you know, they've repositioned themselves where, you know, they can stair-step themselves to a lot of different deals. They still have all their first-round picks because they didn't spend them this summer because the marketing and Paul George trade didn't go down. They got Schroeder without having to use a first-round pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
which i think was very important and can still aggregate him in a trade if if it doesn't work out yep now they're they're hard capped at the first apron which which makes stuff a little bit complicated uh but yeah like you said i mean that's like the entire league is is basically handcuffed in a sense with this apron stuff but you know that stuff's too complicated to discuss in detail
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
Well, the crazy thing is the Warriors were coming off 91-90 game in Houston. That was real NBA Cup defense. Maybe this was just the disappointment of actually not being in the real Cup. But honestly, I didn't think they were horrible defensively. I mean, even talking to Steve Kerr and some of the players, Luka was unbelievable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Mavs & Warriors shoot the lights out | Lakers & LeBron reunite
And beyond that, like, you know, all the shooters are hitting shots on both sides, by the way. I mean, you mentioned it, but 27 made threes for the Warriors in the loss. That's an NBA record for a team that lost 18 was their franchise record in the first half of the round, seven at halftime. So just hit a bunch of shots. I think the Warriors leaned more offensive with their lineups, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
He was absolutely convinced it is Draymond's award, but he's, quote, a little biased.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
The funny thing is, is that, yes, even though the Clippers did look like they were executing their game plan more, the Warriors technically won three out of the four quarters. If you're not counting overtime. And that's where things really shifted and tilted towards the Clippers is because they had James Harden, the Clippers did, and the Warriors didn't.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
I love when The Athletic just shows up in different arenas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Right, and that's the biggest thing. I think if you're looking at Denny Avdia, Shaden Sharp, Donovan Klingin, kind of building around those three players. Anthony Simon's in that conversation as well, but he might want to explore. You never know. He might not want to follow in the footsteps of Dame.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
But I think that's the biggest thing is you have a core of size, athleticism, and scoring, particularly in those three. And so you have something to work with. But honestly, shout out to Chauncey because every single one of those players whether it's Anfernee, whether it's Scoot Henderson, like Tumani Kamara, like they all got better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
And we're playing really well and connected and defensively, especially to close the season. So shout out to Chauncey Billups. I think he really did a great job of making something, not necessarily out of nothing, but something out of something that was a little bit disconnected.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
James Harden outscored the Warriors on his own 12-8, I believe, in the overtime period. But it was such a true playoff atmosphere. And guess what? I will raise my hand as one of those people that was wondering, where's playoff Jimmy? I know he's coming. Where is he? And it just seemed like you needed an atmosphere.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Not worried about any rust, Zena? You think he could just take the first round? No. I mean, Jalen Brown's so athletic. It's like, you know how kids can just run a mile in five minutes after never... I feel like Jalen Brown is very athletic where he could pop right back and not have any issues. It does... I mean, S, I didn't really think about that, but yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
What is the worst thing that could happen if you sit Jalen Brown... I don't know. It's going to be the Hawks, right? I mean, maybe it's the Bulls. I didn't even consider that. But now, yeah, I think that's smart. It's an interesting idea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
I'm on the same page. I mean, we started the season with that Boston Celtics, almost record making, almost record breaking, record making or breaking. I don't remember. But in the threes that were everyone starting this narrative around all basketball is broken. And then a few months later, you fast forward that season. first Cleveland OKC matchup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
And then just a few weeks later, I mean, you saw the evolution of the season happen right before you where it was like, absolutely not. It's not just three balls going up. This is legitimate competition. And on top of it just being great basketball, the stars have shown up. There was a lot of conversations around people taking their time and load management and not playing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Oh, the amount of the stars battling in the matchups they needed to. You saw it very much on the last day of the season as well today. but people actually playing, like feeling like they're playing for something and they really care to get better. And I really saw that this season for sure. Last but not least, thank you NBA for the drama. This is the Luka trade year. Oh, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
You needed people chanting MVP in the first quarter and all these cheers and raucous arena. That's when playoff Jimmy showed up. Unbelievable performance from him tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Yeah, that happened. We covered this league during the craziest shift of events in NBA history, maybe?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
So thank you for the drama.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
David Aldridge wrote a piece that I suggest everyone writes about, about all the teams that are kind of in the middle. Some teams are going to go win championships and some teams are tanking, but there's a lot of teams that are in the middle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Tyrese Halliburton had a really great quote in it, talking about the fact that his team can only be together for a certain amount of years because they have to get paid. And so they're just trying to take advantage of it. That's my point in that. I think I saw teams this year, truly trying to take advantage of the team that they had in front of them. The, the,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
It looked like there was no energy quarter for Steph. That was.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
I mean, the lack of size is real. However, the pace is what I'm hoping the Warriors exploit for Memphis because we've seen in the last few weeks that Memphis' bigs can't keep up with the pace with which their guards play. I would say that the way that the Warriors are playing small ball right now, they probably will be able to keep up in that way. So that's the only hope for the Warriors' side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
If I'm looking from a Memphis perspective... perimeter attack the paint. That was the key issue in the fourth quarter and in overtime in terms of why the Clippers were even in the game while Steph Curry was putting up ridiculous numbers. Paint penetration was wide open. They just kept going inside and being able to score at will. So if I'm Memphis, I'm just like, Pick and roll. John's at.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Let's go. Let's go eat. But yeah, it's going to be a good playoff atmosphere again because Memphis and Warriors definitely have some history. A little bit different. Of course, they got a new coach in the situation, but it's funny. Steve Kerr said in his postgame interview, asked about the play-in, particularly the Warriors' history in the play-in, which... Not very good. Not the best.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
He finally said he was like, I have no recollection of the play in because there's no stats. There's no evidence of the play in. So he's like, yeah, that experience has vanished from my mind. And you hope that for both teams to enter in this situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Yeah, I mean, this is what Anthony Slater, shout out to The Athletic, of course, Anthony Slater got that information from Steve Kerr pre-game that during their walkthrough, he told Jonathan that the rotation in the first quarter is going to be different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
We're going to shift away, which basically the minutes that Jonathan Kaminga had had in the first quarter coming off the bench went to Gary Payton II. And you see that and it makes sense, particularly from a defensive perspective. But one thing that Gary Payton II does really well is not only, let's see where he finished out tonight, added What? Three rebounds. OK, three assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
But the big thing that Gary Payton does is defense. Yeah, that's huge. He can guard your best player on the other side of the ball, but he also spaces well. And another thing that Steve Kerr said at the end of the game or in postgame today is that Jimmy Butler is so good that you don't have to run anything for him. You could just throw him the ball and you just make sure they're spacing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
And that's something that Jonathan Kaminga and Jimmy have not quite figured out yet since his arrival and since Jonathan Kaminga's return to the court. And so it makes sense that, you know, Steve shifted away from them. But he didn't say it was going to be a whole game situation. He told Jonathan just expect a difference. And it ended up being a DNP.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
I don't think Gary Payton is the right call here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
And just for clarity, like I want to make sure I'm not saying that Gary Payton II is a spacer because he's not like a religious shooter in that way. He just, as S was saying, he has the heads up play to say, let me get out of this space. Let me cut in at this moment. Let me get to the short corner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Like he finds a way to read the plays, I think, in a more elevated way than Jonathan Kaminga does right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
I do want to say, though, before we I know we spent a lot of time on Jonathan Kuminga. We got to give props to Kuminga. Brandon Podemski. Yeah. Great game. Huge. Like, especially considering the bad game that he had against, was it the Spurs? Just like have been having some great games, fell off for a second and came back big time. I think that's a huge factor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Had some interesting moments as well. Had some turnovers himself, but still really great shooter. Big time plays. I think he's ready this time around for the playoffs. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
It's still wacky.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
This is going to be based off the fact that when Cleveland played the Pacers this week and basically sat all their starters, the my entire like X feed was like Tristan Thompson still in the league. Like a lot of people were fascinated. especially because Kenny Atkinson got ejected out of the game, standing up for him. Well, he showed his worth three points and 20 rebounds on Sunday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
OK, he's still in the league, y'all showing up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
Yeah, I was in the building and I will say everything lived up to the hype in terms of the atmosphere, the energy, the games, the battle of the Titans. I mean, everyone stepped up between both of these two teams. Six players had 20 or more points. Like, I mean, it was legitimate battling out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
He deserves some sort of recognition because... As much as we just pour it on for LeBron and Seth, being able to be available 82 games in a row. Y'all, we weren't even available 82 games in a row. Like, that's crazy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
He's still playing well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Clippers clinch playoffs; Warriors to play-in + NBA Regular Season Finale
We might have a surprise appearance right now. You want to come behind the camera? Is it Marcus Thompson or is it LaMurray?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
You know, you think of the Wolves-Warriors series and Steph being taken out of that one. And then, obviously, with this Cavs-Pacer series, the injuries looming big for Cleveland. It's just – it's kind of taken the life out of the second round a little bit. But at the same time, the hoops have been good. Yes, absolutely. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And they've got back to that. And also it was just about closing out games. And, you know, game one and game two was like in the third quarter and fourth quarter. New York had a run and they weren't able to kind of withstand those runs in game three. You saw them withstand a run and just kind of deal with it because of the shooting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Seems like it's going to be the case in game four, too. So I got Boston as well. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I love it. Really? No, I am going to say. You know what? To Zena's point. And you know what? It's a fair point. The Wolves haven't necessarily been world beaters here, right? No.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They haven't been blowing the doors off of these games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
So I can see a world in which Jimmy does what he did in game three. Kaminga comes through and then you get a pods and buddy game. And now you're 2-2. I could see it. Fine. All right. I'll go with Warriors as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
No, wait, can we, can we agree that if Minnesota wins this one, then it's done?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Ooh, I do like Washington. That would be fun. Cause Bilal and Alex are correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah, I like that. I like that pick a lot, actually. Yeah, I could sit here for the next five minutes and pitch to you why it's so important for the Toronto Raptors to win this lottery. But I will be objective here and tell you guys that I actually think it's the Philadelphia 76ers. So desperate, so wild to think about the fact that if they win the number one pick...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
they might have just saved themselves because Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, it would be one, it would be a great trade chip. But at the same time, you get to draft a potentially quote unquote generational prospect that you have, control of for the next nine years, given the contract extensions and all that type of stuff, that saves this Sixers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
That feels like it's not really going to go anywhere because of the injuries of Embiid and whatnot. Philly, I think, is the wildest answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah, the 3-2 zone that Cleveland threw out in Game 3 with Mobley in the middle was such a massive point to how they stopped Indiana. And zone has been a big part of the playoffs in general. I'm sure you guys have noticed this. Like every team is throwing out a zone defense at some point in time in the series just to muck things up for the other team offensively. Cleveland did it in Game 3.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
And then in Game 4, I thought Indiana really countered well, running some slip action, like really basically slipping out of screens. Who knows? You can see. can screen against the zone. You can screen against the zone and get some openings. But yeah, Indiana did that and just it opened up so many opportunities for their bigs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
So Siakam, Miles Turner, Obi Toppin just absolutely destroyed Cleveland in this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I will say, though, I want to give us a little bit of credit because I think we both we all kind of said Indiana could win this series. Now, granted.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
We can do the credit podcast. This could be very horrible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah, no, but Cleveland has also dealt with injury. So that's part of this equation. You know, Garland and Mobley clearly are not 100, 100 percent. Mitchell didn't play in that second half, which was another kind of caveat to this whole situation. We'll see how that looks. It's just it's tough that a season for Cleveland where they were awesome all year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
dominant offensively, great defensive team. Mobley wins defensive player of the year. It sucks that that season is resulting in an ending that's just injury riddled for them. It's over because of injuries, right? And you look back at game two with the Halliburton shot and how the NBA basically said that the Neesmith offensive rebound was supposed to actually be a lane violation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
This series could have been technically 2-2 instead of 3-1. So it's hard not to feel a little snake bit here if you're a Cavs fan. It's a little anticlimactic too, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
Yeah. Not being able to put them away was bad. Sorry. Go ahead. You know? No, no, go ahead. Yeah, I just think like you have a team in Oklahoma City that what is the one thing we've talked about all year with OKC? The depth, playing nine, ten guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
And genuinely, I think throughout this entire series, we've noticed like Denver's depth popping up and like the six, seven players that they play, every single player is impactful. You think of Russell Westbrook, you think of Aaron Gordon, obviously making timely shots, Michael Porter Jr., all those guys, they've been able to step up in major ways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
When it comes to OKC's depth, I think the big question that comes to me is like, Lou Dort ended up 2 of 10 from 3 in this game, did not play in the fourth quarter. And I think that was a big, big part of OKC swinging this game totally. Because... Denver is basically saying we're allowing Lou to shoot. Nobody else shot more than six threes in this game on OKC other than Lou Dort. He took 10.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They're funneling it to him. And it's very similar to the OKC Mav series from last year where they were doing the same thing with Lou Dort and Josh Giddey. And it just seems like they adjusted in a major way in that fourth quarter. And to your point, Dave, I actually think we should credit Thunder for that. Because they rolled with Alex Caruso in the fourth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
They had a lineup with Caruso, Wiggins and Isaiah Joe that really spurred them on in that fourth quarter to take the lead and then roll with it. So to me, that that felt like a an important shift in the series where they actually figured out like, hey, this is the way we have to win this series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
If we're going to have to play in the mud, we have to play this certain way to pull it off over the next couple of games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
I know there's one guy, and Dave, I remember us talking about this when it was Clippers Nuggets and it was 2-2. There's one guy that can kind of turn the tide here for Denver, and it's Jamal Murray. Jamal Murray, yeah. He's always the guy. He's always the X Factor. He's always the wild card.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder save their season + Cavs in big trouble
If he has a game where he goes off for 35 or 40, which he's capable of doing, he can switch this series around. And that's the guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
is wrong it's funny because like we talked about voter fatigue so much with the mvp award especially when it comes to yokich right but now we're in a situation where i think this is the last way that he can win the mvp which is he has to do so much more for his team he has to carry this load that he probably has never yeah exactly exactly yeah he has to make it so it's almost ridiculous for you to consider another person
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
Well, I have another young team for you here, sir. I think this will be a very, very big theme of these picks that we have here. I have the Toronto Raptors beating the Milwaukee Bucks, who are bad vibes right now. The vibes aren't the greatest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
on the road in milwaukee the reason i say that is because one i actually think the raptors have been pretty feisty and competitive in a lot of games making things interesting um you know even the slam and jam guys on saturday we're talking about how fun this raptors team looks and so i think they have an incentive to by the way win their first road game of the season they haven't won on the road yet this is gonna do it during the nba this is an insane kick ass i'm leaning into it man i
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
I love it. It's insane.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
Yeah, I mean, look, I know that they blew a lead, a good first half lead, but I think that was partially because of the Celtics shooting. Like they just struggled in that first half. They got hot and, you know, the Celtics have a have a way of figuring things out even when that jumper isn't going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
And so when you get into a fourth quarter, hey, we got to out execute this team type of basketball game. The Celtics know exactly what they want to do on every single possession, and they are going to hunt Damian Lillard. That's been the M.O. pretty much all season against the Bucs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
And especially if it's in a close game, if it's, you know, even if it was the Cavs game or the Knicks game, whatever. They've been hunting Dame at the pick and roll, getting him switched on to whoever they want. And it's just tough because he is objectively been really, really, really bad on that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
Yeah, totally. Yeah. And so I think it's just about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
I'll just say that Giannis Jalen Brown thing was extremely lame, like corny. And it's not corny because like, I think Giannis is generally a funny, you know, dad joke. He does it. He does the dad joke bit, which is fine. Yeah. But not when your team stinks, you know, that's the issue. Like, yes, Giannis has been incredible. You look up and down the box score. He is doing exactly what he needs to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
But I think also based on what you were saying, Zena, about, you know, that mentality and being ready, like you need to,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
kind of be prepared on the court and be focused on the court as well because like you can't be doing jokes on the court when your team is two and eight man i i just i don't see it you know and also i'm especially in that in that scenario where he just caught the guy with an elbow i mean it just yeah you know uh just jaylen brown was right to call him childish that was the wrong way too just really quickly i don't remember did the joke happen when the bucks were up
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
And we just got the update that Chet Holmgren suffered a right iliac hip fracture and a return to play protocol will be provided in eight to 10 weeks. So just really brutal news for the Thunder. Not great news. They had for very large portions of this game. They were running five guards out there. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
Like, what is it in your mind that's actually driving this thing? Man, it's interesting you say that because before the show, I was kind of digging into the numbers to see what exactly it was. The defense has always been there for them, right? They're ninth in defense right now, and they've always been a top 10 defense with the Evan Mobley, Jared Allen pairing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
That's kind of we already know that about them. It's the offense that's been surprising. at the number one offense in the league so far this season. You mentioned the 11-0 start. First time since 2000 that a team has done that. 12th team in NBA history that has done that, which puts them in a historic category. Of those 12 teams, six of them made it to the NBA Finals. Three of them won it all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
So, like... I don't know how much of this is shooting, though. It is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
I think, yes, the shooting is absolutely a part of it. We've talked about how much Kenny Atkinson has unlocked Evan Mobley. They're moving fast. And I think that's part of the offense too, right? It's pushing in transition. It's grab-and-go stuff that can get him being like this monster in transition for them. But it's also Darius Garland, who is shooting the lights out this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
47% from three so far this season. And if there was a person who would be like a comeback player of the year for me, it would be Darius Garland. Because... This man fractured his jaw last year, went through a lot of personal stuff. He lost 12 pounds. He lost 12 pounds in the middle of the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
And so for him to have a really rough year last year for the Cavs, bounce back in a major way, he's been one of the most clutch players in the league to start the year. I think he is such a massive part of what they do with everything that they want on the offensive end. And it's not just the three-point shooting. It's him getting downhill, being like this quick twitch guard who can make plays.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why are the Bucks struggling? | Chet Holmgren's injury
Yes. finish around the basket that added 12, 12 pounds of muscle back. It's helping him finish.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
statement i think yeah that was that was like the picture-perfect celtics game uh and i we've been talking a little bit over the last couple weeks of like oh are the celtics bored are they really entertained with the regular season when they get up for contests like this when they're competing the way that they did like that's the mark of a real championship team they they were so locked in for the entire game that you were like man this this team can absolutely still defend their title uh from the lakers side
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It's just brutal that this injury comes now to LeBron because they're already dealing with Rui Hachimura being hurt. Luka has this back spasm soreness thing that he's dealing with as well that we'll kind of have to monitor over the next couple of weeks. And they were climbing up the standings like they're second in the Western Conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
And how does that look over the next couple of weeks when they have a daunting schedule like this? It is a tough schedule for the Lakers moving forward, too. So dealing with LeBron being out for a couple weeks, dealing with Luka, maybe dealing with something tough, tough, tough outcome for the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Yeah, it's tough to say because their next little bit is interesting. They play the Bucs. They play the Nuggets. They play the Nuggets twice, actually, over this next two-week stretch. So those are very important games when you're thinking about the 2-3 matchup in the West. So that's kind of the part where I'm looking at. I actually don't think it matters for the Lakers right now, the two weeks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
For me, it's how LeBron looks once he comes back from injury because we've talked about it before. He looks like an all-NBA player. He was looking like a guy who could be in the top five of the MVP conversation over the last little bit that they've played. Can he get back to that off of a groin injury? You mentioned him being 40 years old. Body doesn't recover the same way it used to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It's just tough to see him getting back to that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Crazy game. My goodness. We'll talk to...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It's getting more than weird. It's getting toxic. And this will happen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
As you guys know, I am terminally online. Very, very online. So I see the conversation often. And it just feels like any time one of these guys has a really incredible performance, the other fan base is quick to discredit that performance immediately. Actually, funny enough, when Shea dropped 40 today, Nuggets fans were like, oh, the foul baiting. It's foul merchantry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
It doesn't matter, you know, even though Shea only took eight free throws tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
And so like the. The way that this conversation has went from two guys having historic and by historic, I truly mean historic seasons, an MVP race for the ages. Instead of just appreciating that aspect, it's come to tearing down the other guy. And that is something I don't understand. I mean, to your point, Dave, yes, Jokic putting up 30, 20 and 20, which no one else has done.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Not even Wilt Chamberlain has done that. That deserves love. that deserves him being thrusted back into the MVP conversation, rightfully so. SGA putting up 40 against Jokic also rightfully has its place. It's a statement game. The way OKC's defense has been all season and Shea's impact on that defense, also a part of this conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
The fact that they're 11 games above everybody else and if Minnesota loses later today, they clinch a playoff spot. That is an exclamation mark to this SGA MVP. So I just, I saw a quote from Alex Caruso.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Yeah, it is virtue signaling. So Alex Caruso was just like, hey, just decide. Just pick who the MVP is. We don't need to go through this back and forth of this guy can't do this. This guy can't do this. These two dudes are the pinnacle of the sport. We also still have 20 games left. And it's that. You know why I'm smirking? I'm heated on this. I'm heated on this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
Robbed by somebody who's having just as good of a season. A great season. Yeah. Yeah. Look, it's it's going to always snub than a Rob. OK, that's what I'm trying to say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
If we if we went about the MVP, like who is the best player in the league? You know, LeBron would have way more. Sure. Right. Steph probably would have a couple more. Jordan probably ends up having a couple more. Jokic probably ends up having a couple more, but it's about the season and it's about the teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
And if you're going based on the incredible runs individually, both of these guys are having, I think it's fair to bring up the team factor and how their teams are performing in comparison when trying to be the decision maker on this thing. Anyways, there's still 20 games left, doesn't it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Shai goes for 40 as Thunder drop Nuggets
I mean, OKC really played well against Boston in Oklahoma, got the W. I think Boston answers back. I think Boston gets the W in Boston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
when you look at Mark Williams, I mean, this is a talented young player who I think the Hornets, when you look at where they're at as an organization, it probably wasn't the easiest guy for them to give up. It's not like he's a bum.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
All right, guys, it's time for our picks of the week brought to you by our friends at BetMGM. And it's our favorite games this week. The game of the week, undoubtedly to me, guys, Warriors at Rockets Thursday night, right before we go into the all-star break. Jimmy Butler, obviously going to be a big part of this team going forward. We get to see more of him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
The Rockets, every single game they're in is crazy. I think the Warriors here, they need to get A really good win streak going into the All-Star break. So I think the Warriors probably win this game on Thursday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
yeah uh our sicko games of the week uh the portland trailblazers look like they're on their way to the western conference finals i don't know they've just been so good absolute revelation and they're gonna play the nuggets monday night um head to head with luca versus the jazz and luca's debut for the lakers guys the sicko game is blazers nuggets this is basketball it's so good
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
I mean, we watched him do 73. I think that if they wanted to engineer this, if LeBron James just said, you know what? I've been playing like a top five player in the world for the last couple of weeks, which he has, by the way, we're going to get to the bottom of this. I don't know what's going on with LeBron, but he has been insane. I think that if they just wanted to do it,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
very easily could get luca 80 points in his debut so uh the huge week actually for all-star week usually these games that you know it's like bumbling or you know a guy makes a trade you know guy gets traded and it it seems kind of weird but everyone has kind of hit the gas fully accelerated going you know zero to sixty as fast as they can heading in the all-star break so should be a good week of basketball every single night there's a good game even
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
The NBA pivots a Saturday early game Lakers-Pacers to national TV. It was a good one. Luka doesn't make his debut. LeBron James is out. And that game was awesome. Austin Reeves is apparently the third star.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
This is every single, the flattening of the NBA skill curve makes it so that every day that there's a really fun game. So anyway, it's going to be a great week. We've got some special things planned for this week, which I will not spoil, but man, they're pretty special. So we hope you guys enjoy the show this week. For Zena Kata and Espera Henney and Christian Clark, thanks for stopping by.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
I'm Dave DeFore and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Yeah. Jimmy Butler made his debut. Zena. We've been talking all year long. Looks good. I said, look, they're going to have a top five defense and things have fallen apart there. But they needed a number two. I think they found him. He put up 25 points. The fit looks good, Zena.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Free throws. Look, Kuminga and Butler, Zena. All right. That's a free throw machine. Now, can they play together, though, Zina?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
But still a lot of good reporting from Christian Clark on the ground in Dallas. So here's the show. Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, we have a rescinded trade. AD and Jimmy Butler made their debuts and Christian Clark is here to talk about the fan backlash for Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
You know, down in Santa Cruz, we've got Christian Clark coming up in a little bit to go in depth on the entire saga. Xena sat down with him and talked about, you know, the trade and the fans protesting and stuff. Guys, Anthony Davis made his debut in a basketball game and he was awesome. I mean, he put up a first half that had never been done in the box score era.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
by any player crazy that's a way to show out but then also the anthony davis roller coaster also arrived in dallas so he puts up this amazing this amazing stat line they look really great around him i think defensively you get it But then he leaves the game with an injury. And S, you traded a guy that you said wasn't in good shape. Obviously, by now, everyone knows about the owner's comments.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Again, Christian Clark really went deep on this. But you trade a guy who has some injury concerns, for sure, for another guy who kind of has some injury concerns but is older. And I think that this was a perfect storm for, wow, look at this wonderful trade I made. Yeah. And oh, no. Did we make a huge mistake all in one game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
And again, as we wrap up sort of the headlines from the weekend, Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a buyout. And Ben Simmons is now a Los Angeles Clippers. Zena, this is actually a really good fit. If he's going to be the backup five with Zubac, this works pretty well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
It's a good weather city. Good for Ben Simmons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Listen, I think the West is going to be such a fun playoff race now with all these moves. And I think Ben Simmons is going to be a part of what the Clippers do. I love him for this team. And we've been high on Ben Simmons this year. He's put up some interesting numbers, but yeah, it's going to be fun. Guys, stick around after the break.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Zena is going to sit down with Christian Clark and get to the bottom of the fan reaction to Lucas Traylor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
good morning everybody good morning guys uh morning not very often i get to exclaim the reverse of a trade usually i'm hey we've got a trade we have a rescinded trade this is very rare uh but unfortunately this trade has fallen through uh the lakers and hornets their trade for mark williams uh and dalton connect has fallen through because mark williams has uh
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
Good morning, everybody. Quick addendum to the show. Anthony Davis is going to miss a little bit of time with his injury that he suffered in his debut. You're going to hear us talk about it a little bit. And we weren't sure when he was going to be back. We got news late on Sunday that he was going to miss multiple weeks with an adductor strand. So keep that in mind when you listen to the show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Davis’ roller coaster debut | Jimmy Butler cooks with Curry
They found multiple issues on his physical. The Lakers did. So failure to satisfy a condition of the trade. The trade has been rescinded. Dalton Connect is going to go back to the Lakers. Mark Williams returns. And, by the way, the Charlotte Hornets put out a really nice statement about Mark Williams and how excited they are to have him back. And I would even say this, S, like –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
They are frisky though, Zena. Are they going to win the NBA Cup? Oh, I don't know. We're going to have to stick around for the next segment to figure out where I chose them in the Cup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
frisky it's funny because you know when you think about frisky that means you're holding on to something and trey young is doing the opposite this season he's not only putting the ball in the basket he's also giving the ball to his teammates and that is so cool to see like trey young has had this unbelievable burden of having to be the score in atlanta and now he's getting to have fun with his guys around him being able to distribute the ball
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Und lo und behold, er ist verrückt großartig. Es ist viel Spaß zu sehen. Es ist also cool, noch einen anderen Niveau seines Spiels zu sehen, ihn zu entlasten und zu laden. Und jetzt, andere zu lassen, den Schein um ihn herum zu bekommen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
depends back to what when they went to the finals or back to what we expected them to be just because they have yannis and damian lillard and chris middleton that's where my question lies but i do think they're in a great position because as of late these last 10 games they have higher offensive production higher effective field goal higher true shooting percentage and what that tells me is they're taking better shots overall
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
It's just crazy. He played 43 minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
It wasn't just you. I remember Isaiah Thomas was on NBA TV saying that LeBron James is now beating people with his intellect, with his cerebral capacity. Mehr so als seine physische Kapazität. Ich paraphrase, aber trotzdem.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Jeder hat ihn in diese Kategorie gelegt, dass er nicht mehr die Möglichkeit hat, die Möglichkeit zu haben, die Möglichkeit zu haben, die Möglichkeit zu haben, die Möglichkeit zu haben,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I'm with you. The Bucks have all of their folks back. They're rolling on all cylinders. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic seems like every month or so having to readjust to something significant happening to their team. Bucks right now are going to win just by circumstance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I ain't even gonna lie to you. You almost had me switch in like two seconds. back to you know just how much the maps have been rolling pj washington is getting get me real hype but sga and jaylen williams have been way more i think they're so much fun to watch and their defense has been phenomenal i'm taking the thunder
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Their defense has still been pretty decent, higher than top of the middle of the pack for the NBA. But overall, you've got another person to handle the ball in Chris Middleton. Damian Lillard's coming off screens, hitting his shots. And then Giannis has just been Giannis'n, if that's a verb, all season long anyways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Und ich bin mit dir, S, und ich benutze das letzte Hawks-Lakers-Spiel als Beweise für den Fall, weil in diesem Spiel nicht viel Defense gespielt wurde. Und im Endeffekt kam es darum, wer den Ball in den Basket stellen konnte. Also, ich gehe mit den Knicks über die Hawks hier.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Come on over, the water's warm. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And now listen, Dramon didn't come off the bench on Sunday night, even though they said he would. And they were able to play him. And then Andrew Wiggins told Mark Spears of Anscape that he wants to play. Am Dienstagabend. Also, wenn Andrews auf der 3, Jonathan auf der 4 und Draymond auf der 5 spielt, ich weiß nicht, aber es ist nicht wichtig, ob Draymond auf der 5 kommt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Wenn Kavon Looney auf der 5 ist, hat er in Alpi Shanguns Kopf frei gelebt. Also, wir werden sehen, wie sie mit ihm auf dem Boden performen, besonders in dem mittleren Bereich des Korps.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Okay, so this is the Looney Fan Club.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Cool, cool, cool, cool. I have no problem, guys. The Looney Bin, if you will. We're the Looney Bin! Yes!
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
So I think they're in a great position. I don't know if they back though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
This team is built incredibly well. We keep talking about that team in the East, right? The Cleveland Cavaliers built well with two guards in the backcourt. Then you got the frontcourt that's big in size. Everyone's capable of scoring. They're cohesive. Same thing in the West. Don't sleep on Memphis. Don't be distracted by all the shiny lights out in the Western Conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
John Morant, if you forgot because of all the antics off the court, yeah, this guy is still a beast. And his antics on the court erupt stadiums. He still can score at will. And he's just essentially an offensive...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
powerhouse generator for them jaron jackson jr unlocked another level to his game not only is he this defensive stopper but he's also capable of scoring inside and outside and then their supporting cast has just come in together and gelled beautifully around those two and yeah i like the fact that people are kind of sleeping on memphis it adds to the chip on their shoulder
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
it makes sense that he has confidence especially when you consider the entire narrative around this start this particular start on on sunday against the timberwolves was about maximizing kaminga it was actually shocking to me that it wasn't about we're trying to maximize wins we're trying to just get out of this slump that we're in no there was an entire conversation around we need to unlock this kid so you imagine going home after friday night after even having or you know not a great
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
game and you're like no we need to unlock you you come into this game locked in knowing that people want you to succeed and that's what you saw jonathan cominga he actually spent most of his defensive time on julius randall who ended up going four for 14 on the night that's amazing when you think about the strength that julius randall has and plays with bully ball the way that he likes to go through the paint and you've got jonathan cominga
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
constantly moving his hips, getting in front of him. You saw him locked in on defense. And what did that translate to? Energy for the offense. When he's confident on defense, he goes into this offensive game like, you can't stop me. I'm getting to my spot. And that's what you saw out of Jonathan Kaminga. And I absolutely believe you're going to continue to see this. This is what the Warriors want.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And yes, he will continue as a starter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Now the question is, how much longer does what have to go on? Him continuing to score at ridiculous rates or his team not being able to support him in that score?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
Because that's where the struggle is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I've had conversations with folks around the league and I remember speaking about Evan Mobley's contract and saying that he was worth every dime. And I think that this game proves to everyone what he's worth. Someone that is capable of running the floor, spreading the floor, defending the floor. I mean, everything you need in a big Evan Mobley can provide it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
And as soon as he goes down, you see what happens. The offense gets a little bit more stifled, a little bit more congested. And then the Miami Heat have more of their way inside the paint. So, This just goes to show how valuable Mobley is. 41 may have been a surprise, but I'm not that surprised. He's worth it and he's capable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Grizzlies contenders? | Nikola Jokić’s MVP weekend
I gotta hear this whole frisky meter another day.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I might be selling. Yeah. In the last five, only one. And then I'm looking at the stats actually right now. Like Atenta Kumpo is your only reason that they're in these games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
That's crazy. When you look at all the tools that they have at their disposal, like, I might be selling this one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Ooh, I might also be- Wait, when you say you're out on them, is that buying or selling? I'm selling. I'm out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Look at us making money over here, Dave. Me and Damian Lillard, both out on the bucks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Oh, yeah. And the Thunder haven't lost to a team in the Eastern Conference yet, which is impressive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I'm buying. Okay. I'm buying a lineup change because what will it hurt you?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
You might as well. You've got to think about what's going on in Minnesota. You just recently had Anthony Edwards out loud say to the media that he doesn't know what to do in double teams. This that's not a reflection, not only a reflection on maybe Anthony Edwards personal game and him trying to figure that out, which he quickly resolved the very next night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
But it's a reflection on your coaching staff. You're not providing me the intel or you're putting me in situations in which I feel I can succeed. So how about let's do something about the lineup to see if this team can be put in a situation in which they feel like they can succeed. Hey, if it doesn't work out, guess what? You can go back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
There's a ton of other teams in the league that are doing a ton of different changes. Why not? It's a shame.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Technicalities. Game doesn't count. Yeah, you're right. You're right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I know. I know. I know. We were there, but it never happened. No, I mean, there's this is something to be said about just like their resilience. And the last few games that we've seen them win, they've been down and came back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
The Dodgers aren't up there? Enjoy. Enjoy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Listen, I appreciate them making the decision to change their starting lineup. With that, I am buying the stock that they should stay or selling the stock that they should make a move. I say, no, no, no, no. You spent all that money. Make it work.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Make it, figure it out. It's a sunk cost, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
yeah I mean look Bradley Beal has that no trade clause unless this change makes him decide to you know take that away then that might change the story right we didn't mention this young guys guys we cannot forget that Iguodoro and Ryan Dunn have been phenomenal for sure for the Phoenix Sun this year like let's see what the Suns can do if they inject that youth in it and maybe the older guys the vets Bradley Beal Devin Booker KD will get inspired I don't know something
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Like they that's a big factor of a championship caliber team of being able to have some resilience and have tools in your pocket. That means your defense or your offense to be able to come back. Oh, yes. I see a long season for the OKC Thunder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
That's right. He suffered a high ankle sprain on his right ankle. He had an MRI on Sunday. He will be reevaluated in three weeks. He was at the game on Sunday night saying that he feels good and that he still feels in a good position about his future. But absolutely, his future is inextricably when it comes to the Warriors tied to this Jimmy Butler conversation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Well, I will say this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I'll make it very simple for you, Dave. Anywhere he can be happy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Miami was supposed to be, right? And usually players would die to go to Miami. He's already there and says he wants to see where the grass is greener on another side. So anywhere he can be happy, and I'm not sure what that looks like. Is it the fit? Is it the city? Is it the style of play?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Who knows? Is it state income taxes?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Whoever he can be happy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
His brother. That's right. That's a lot of good music. Yeah, it's the first thing you see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
like historic defense in the league too so yeah give it to them man i'm shocked right now that both of you guys keep talking about the celtics thunder game i'm just a finals preview as if we didn't see that new york knicks game on friday night right that was a right i mean what that would be an amazing finals actually like stylistically you know what i mean Yes, exactly. The different strategies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
Oh, there it is. So, yes, we've seen the Thunder in two back to back final preview type of games and they have been able to succeed in both. That's why they've cemented themselves as, in my opinion, definitely the best team in the West, potentially the best team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I actually agree with you. Because guess what? Guess who's been on the Cavs train since we started this thing? You saw it. I saw it. I saw it. And again, both of these teams being perfectly built for this sort of longevity in this league. You talked about Lou Dort being able to be thrown on anyone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
It's crazy to think that you've got not only him, you've got to spare Alex Caruso to also come off the bench and throw on someone. Yeah. This is both of these teams have spare tools, whether it's you need a bucket, you need a three, you need a defender, you need a big. They've got spares to go around and they all come in and there's no drop off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
And I think that that's why these two teams are built to be championship contenders.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
I got to agree with my boy S. I'm buying two. And I'm not going to lie. That game against the Hawks very much feeds into why I believe this. Kawhi being back only helps the thing that's been helping the Clippers all season long. And that's been their defense turning into offense. Like they are a team that's huge on deflections, getting the passing lane, agitating their opponents.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
And when you look at how they ended up in terms of the score, 131-105 was the final score. But they had eight players. end up in double digits. That's wild, period, across the NBA. Like that's a crazy stat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
And it was because a lot of what they got was coming off of transition points and transition baskets, their defense being made so much easier by their offense and making their offense, excuse me, so much easier. So honestly, I'm buying that stock and they got their leader back. I like it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
It's kind of like AI, right? The more experience, the more opportunities. Yeah. Well, I'm just saying, and the more information that you give it, it produces better output, right? I like the comp. And I absolutely believe that. He integrates every single part of his game. I mean, even from game one against Jokic to game two, I mean, it feels as if he just, it's like an amoeba.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
He just absorbs it all. But I was so impressed. And the reason why I'm going to buy this stock 21 years old, folks. Wemby is 21 years old going against Jokic like that. There's a fearlessness about his game and a confidence level and invincibility level about his game. And I don't know if that comes with being 21 years old.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder; Cavs first to 30 wins | Kawhi Leonard is back!
maybe that's like a maturity factor that he has even at just 21 years old. That's why I'm buying this stock. If you are that confident and that fearless at 21 to go against Jokic the way he was going in the paint, bodying up against them, even though he's pounds down on Jokic, like this is what makes him top five. I'm buying that stock.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
doesn't know what it is they're like wait we run this but we don't know how to break this ourselves how do we penetrate the zone how do we pass into the pipe like the post like they don't know what to do and so yeah it was fascinating it was really cool to see just how well the veterans on um on the warriors were able to rotate in this zone because that was really what the key was
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
The last few games, you kept seeing the Warriors look old, look tired, not hustling to the 50-50 balls, et cetera. And then tonight they put on a masterclass of we know how to move efficiently. You saw crazy backline rotations of Draymond Green disrupting interior post-passing because he was rotating in right at the counter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
class Draymond right it was a master class of Draymond being able to rotate you saw the amazing communication people switching off on the perimeter again in the half court conserving the energy of these vets that played 40 plus minute games and that zone that Houston didn't know what to do with it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Ooh. It's funny that you said we're moving past the Rockets because it's the same sort of familial series that's about to happen where these storylines are running through. For a decade, the Warriors have terrorized Houston. And now this is an opportunity for them to go to Minnesota that hasn't. been directly terrorized in the same way, but feel the same vicious need to take them down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
You're thinking about Rudy Gobert. You're thinking about Ant Edwards wanting to be the Kingslayer. But in regards to what they're going to throw at them, you're going to see very similar things like Houston threw at them. You're going to see a dominant defender like an Ahmaud Thompson and Jada McDaniels.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
I anticipate Jada McDaniels being the forward person on Steph Curry, if not Ant Edwards, because both of them They want that assignment. They want that ability to shut down a big-time scorer like Steph Curry, and also to be the person that is dismantling everything that the Warriors want to do offensively, which we know starts with Steph Curry. But
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
anticipate the same level of throwing two at them. The thing about the Minnesota Timberwolves that will be just a little bit different than Houston Rockets that also threw two at Steph is that they have veterans on those rotations, right? So when you throw two, if you throw a Jaden and an Ant or a Jaden and a Kill Alexander Walker, you've got a Julius Randle on the backside.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
You've got a Nas Reed on the backside. You've got a Dante DiVincenzo on on the backside, right? You've got some really smart defenders that can pick off those passes and things of that sort. So I really feel as if it's going to be a very similar look. The execution is where it's going to be a little bit different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
are they going to start Moses Moody again? I would say it's probably going to be Moses mainly because you just don't want to tire out a Jimmy. Well, yeah. Or you know what I mean? Like you want to make sure you have somebody young on him, especially, and then also someone that relishes that opportunity. And Moses has been doing that all through the regular season and into the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
As you bring up a really great point in that there wasn't a guy in in Houston in the way that Houston, I mean, in the way that the Timberwolves have it. And I'll say this, the guy is Ann Edwards, but particularly against the Warriors, the guy is Nas Reed. He's a problem for the Warriors. You know, in that Lakers series, I think he was 56% from the floor, 50% from three. That's insane.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
You're thinking about if Draymond has to guard someone like a Nas Reed, that pulls out your main rim protector. And that's where you're going to have to see the likes of a Quinton Post come in. And I like that because if Quentin Post is hitting his outside shots, that means Rudy Gobert is pulled away from the basket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
But then I have to think on the defensive end, like how well is Quentin Post going to be against the Rudy Gobert or anyone like an ant driving to the basket? This is going to be a spicy series and it's going to be a really great X's and O's battle between these two teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
Now, remember, the Timberwolves are capable of going small ball, right? With Nas at the five. And that's where I'm thinking about Draymond on him. But with Rudy, they're going to have to find a way to get him. I mean, I don't think it's going to be have to find a way. Draymond's going to find a way to get him off the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
we haven't picked any other series i'm just putting you guys on the spot oh man okay wow um it's a tough pick it's honestly a tough pick yeah only because the warriors just went through this incredible battle with the rockets but they also pulled it out i'm gonna go Wolves in six. Wolves in six. Okay. All right. Okay. I agree. I don't know. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
I feel like after seeing game five and game six with the Warriors, I was like, whoa, what's going on here?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
But Draymond said he wanted to play better, and he did play better. 16 points against the Rockets in Game 7. So I think that will extend things a little bit. But eventually, the athleticism and the youth of Minnesota, I feel like, may win out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
I know it's really hard for me to bet against Steph too. That's why it felt like I was pulling out my hair saying that, but we'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
It was unreal. You know, it's so funny you say experience. We always talk about the Russell Westbrook experience. And I feel like an underrated experience is the Buddy Heald experience. Because we know him over the course of his career to be a streaky shooter. But we also know him to be similar to Russell Westbrook. Someone that puts the work in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
And so there is this consistent trust that regardless of what program he ends up in, coaches consistently find opportunities for him to shine. And tonight, starting Buddy Heald, after he went zero, zero points in game six, went two of six from the field in game five, that was some serious trust that Steve Kerr had for him to start tonight. And it paid off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Can the Warriors beat the Wolves?
I thought it was hilariously tactful that the thing that had disrupted the Warriors all series long, that they could not figure out how to penetrate and blow up. They finally blow it up with Buddy Hield's three-point shot. And then Houston...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
No, and rightfully so, because I don't think writers usually say things that cross the line in the way that this one particularly did. I mean, it had nothing to do with the point that was trying to be portrayed, which is this player should be playing, etc. Feel how you want to feel, but I have no idea how someone's child and late brother has anything to do with that topic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
Whether it's Kentucky men's basketball, whether it's the Toronto Raptors, you've seen him on sidelines cheering on his favorite teams. sometimes the cheer goes a little too far and he gets a little bit too deep into his feelings about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
And we saw Drake after the Sacramento Kings came to Toronto, DeMar DeRozan, who was famously on stage with rap rival of Drake, Kendrick Lamar for the pop out concert in LA doing his thing. Okay. Great dance moves by DeMar DeRozan. And in the music video. Right. And in the music video. That's right. And in the music video. Um, clearly hurt some feelings for Drake, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
They were friends, I believe. And so he's walking away on the court and Drake had some choice words for him. Some vile words I won't repeat here, but either way, it was as he was walking away. DeMar DeRozan was asked about this in the post-game press conference. And he seemed real chill about it. He was like, you know, Drake has a long way to climb and kind of let it be.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
But then he came back on his Instagram story. This is DeMar DeRozan and quoted a really good line out of Friday about how, you know, Debo's not in the room. People have things to say, right? When he's walking away, people have things to say. You could definitely go check it out. I don't know if he'll be on his story still. Point is, Drake, DeMar, have a little bit of beef.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
I think it was incredibly corny for Drake to say something as DeMar's walking away. Yeah. But I ain't gonna lie. I kind of think it's corny that DeMar DeRozan came back on his Instagram story in the way that Drake would typically.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
Zena, who you got? I got Mavs over Pacers. We've seen the Pacers kind of lose some of their inside presence. And the Mavs, complete opposite on that end. Inside presence, big. Grizzlies over Lakers. Same with you. Like their depth. But most importantly, love their pace. And I don't think the Lakers defense can handle that. And then, oh my God, I just realized I chose Mavs twice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
But Mavs over Suns. I think, again, their size inside and just their ability to shoot outside. I don't think the Phoenix Suns can match up against it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
There's a difference between protocol in the professional workspace and what happens when you F-A-F-O. If you're way too online, you don't know what that means. But that's exactly what happened. And what's so ironic about this, and this has nothing to do with it, but it's similar. How many people had grievances with this whole fatherhood storyline with LeBron and Bronny, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
And just bringing that up in general. And... wanting to celebrate that, but people being like, no, we don't want to talk about it, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And then people realizing like, no, it's actually way out of line to bring up his fatherhood and bring up Joel Embiid's fatherhood in relation to his basketball times.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
And it's just, they kind of have all these pieces, right, Zena? Absolutely. And we've talked about this. When you talk about a playoff team build, you want a strong backcourt. Typically, two-headed snake, decision makers, playmakers, and shot creators. In the case that things go left, they need somebody to clean things up. They've got that in Mitchell and Garland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
Then you want some people coming off the bench. They've got that in Karis LeVert. And more than anything, you want a deep bench. You saw Sam Merrill. come in, hit five of nine threes against the Bucs. He's been doing that. You've got Jared Allen and Evan Mobley playing well against each other on the interior as well. It's a well-built team to sustain any sort of attack from any sort of team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
I particularly was looking at the extra possessions that their interior players provide them. Whether it's contested shots, whether it's offensive boards, whether it's just loose balls recovered, Jared Allen and Evan Mobley continue to find themselves in the top 20, in the top 10 of players in the NBA in terms of providing those extra possessions. So,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
All of that put together gets you a really nasty basketball team, and that's what the Cavs look like right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
I agree. And it's because of the development. You've seen it across their roster, really. This is what they've been known for from their G League to their top players. Even Shea Gildas Alexander made a comment about being traded away from the Clippers to OKC and saying, yeah, I worked on my development and I think I've won out that trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
But Chet Holmgren has been surreal, especially now being able to come off of screens, being able to take his defender on his own. And he's just...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
bigger this year and not necessarily physically i'm not gonna say he looks bigger physically but he is a bigger presence in the way that he attacks the basket and imposing more imposing that's a perfect word for it way more imposing this year and you just you love to see that swagger increase uh from a year to year and they're rolling with it yeah he just doesn't disappear
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
I think what's being like underrated here in this game, as fun as it was to watch, it was really a heroic effort out of Denver, right? Like Aaron Gordon had his best game in like the last four years, not like the like this season. Like this was his highest scoring game in several years. Michael Porter Jr. Best performance this season so far. He's been awful. He's not been great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
And this this is what they needed in order to be in this game with the Timberwolves. That's an indictment on just how tough the Wolves are, but also just how tough it's been for the Nuggets trying to play with this bench. They have not been able to find any sort of reliable source of additional offense, additional pace outside of Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
And yeah, this game really showed me, okay, it's going to take everything for the Nuggets to show up in the West this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
I wonder if the NBA has alongside investigation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Embiid has beef | Thunder & Cavaliers rolling
Now, you can't erase Drake like that, okay? We understand that he's been having some conflicts in the rap world. Taking L's. He's been taking some L's, but he's absolutely still done a lot within the space. Now, another thing he's done a lot is hitched himself onto sports teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I really, really like that. The Thompson twins as an option. I'm obsessed with the Thompson twins. I feel like on the Amen side, Tari Eason would have a feeling about that because they commit their terror together. The treacherous twins out in Houston. It's twins out of the way. It's twins out of the way. Exactly. Exactly. The reason why I'm going to choose Chris Dunn
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
is because of all of the players that you could put in this perimeter defensive category. Dyson Daniels, et cetera, everyone we mentioned. And I'm adding in Alex Caruso and Tari Eason into that conversation. He fouls the least. while having like the second highest coverage difficulty overall. Like he is so versatile in who he's guarding.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I feel as if anytime I watch the Clippers play, he can be on any spot on the floor. I know this is a perimeter conversation, but he could be anywhere on the floor, getting you passing lanes, deflections, making people rush, how important that is. And that's not a stat you can like really count. And he's really good on ball screen navigation. And for someone his size, I think that is key.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And being able to do that without fouling, huge. So I'm going with Chris Dunn.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
The win streaks, like there was so much on the line this early in the season. And when you think about the narrative that's been around the NBA about not having these type of big- Big regular season game, yeah. Yeah, I was gonna say pregnant in that sense, but like these pregnant moments, right? Like these big pregnant moments where there's so much anticipation, et cetera.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
That was really dope to be able to see something like that midseason before All-Star break, before the playoff push. So really fun for all of us to see two teams really bought in. And then it's been continued. This level of excellence has continued.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
man this is so hard especially considering how you define supporting because are we talking stars and starters and who aren't in that group right are we talking about people that are coming off the bench yep uh reserves and you know that's kind of how i looked at it if like someone that's not starting but they're coming in and keeping pace they're coming in and keeping the status quo for their team and it's leading to wins and then they're also coming in and being a game changer
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
and doing something and elevating the play of their team. And Ty Jerome has been doing that all season long, including in this recent win over the Portland Trailblazers. I don't know anyone that feels as fearless as the person they're coming in for. Which Ty Jerome comes in for Darius Garland and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Having seen Ty Jerome up close and personal from the Warriors perspective and coming in behind Stephen Curry, I think that season was so discombobulated that a lot of people discounted just how poised of a guard and also a straight assassin that Ty Jerome can be and is. And so now we're starting to see that competitive juice come out in Cleveland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And he's really elevated that reserve play, but also just being able to close out games too for Cleveland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I've got a late edition. Oh, okay. Oh, secret. The envelope just came to the stage. I apologize. We've just added in. I'm adding in Draymond Green. Oh, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I'm adding in Draymond Green because... One, great guests. Two, really honest criticism and critique of other games and other players and also his own game and his own team. And just the efficiency of getting it out. Like these podcasts are turning out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
yeah they have both teams have something to prove yeah right now you're you're looking at warriors that just lost to the philadelphia 76ers they should have had that handedly right but jimmy butler was absent and so now it's going to be a factor of you know is it really the jimmy butler effect he'll hopefully be back in the rotation for that game they need to figure out if this was that a fluke when jimmy butler arrived and they were winning you know handedly or is this something that they actually can sustain towards playoffs and then the knicks
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
we've seen them lose games that they should have won in these last few weeks. And their offense has been looking sluggish. They've been looking like they've been dominated on the, on the inside. When you look at warriors, they don't really have that much of a space person in the middle of the paint that can dominate. So maybe this is a racer from Zena there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Time out, time out, time out. I'm talking about scoring. If you look at Quentin Post's number, he shoots more threes than he does layups, which is crazy, but it's just truth. So now we'll see. And Mitchell Robinson's back for New York. He played pretty well over the course of the weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
We'll see if he can pick up and have an impact against the Warriors that have Draymond Green and Quentin Post in the middle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And they lost to the Thunder. The Trail Blazers lost to the Thunder by only 10 points last time. They got to within like five or six in the last few minutes of the game. I think it was seven, actually. This is going to be revenge tour for that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
So I think this Boston-Cleveland game told us a lot about both teams. Of course, Cleveland continues their run, 50-10. It's awesome. But on the Boston side, I'm looking at their ability to actually crush teams, you know, especially when you're talking about the playoffs. If you look at the three teams that we're thinking are poised to come out to the NBA finals, OKC, Cleveland, Boston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Of those three, Boston has blown eight more leads this season than the other two with a total of 18. The other two have 10. They've also lost eight games where they've had a lead of 10 or more points in the game. Cleveland has only lost two. OKC has only lost four. So OKC. That tells me a lot about their ability to be resilient and to be kind of true killers out in the playoff era or the space.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Now, don't get me wrong. We haven't seen Cleveland or OKC get to that spot that they've been in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
I mean, I think I think there's a difference between not being locked in and being bored. But on the Cleveland side, like we keep talking about Cleveland from a larger perspective in the league. Fifty and ten is huge. But I also want to give credit to this organization. This is the second 50 season win since LeBron left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Like that's a really big deal that they've now kind of turned the corner from the LeBron era and have gotten behind Donovan Mitchell and really been able to find a lot of success behind the surrounding pieces. Not only Donovan Mitchell, but of course, their presence inside their six men off the bench. DeAndre Hunter adding into that group like it's been a lot of growth for Cleveland overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And kudos to Kenny Atkinson and the group for putting all that together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Yeah. Jalen Brunson is like a Clutch Time cheat code. And I love this. I love this Western battle with the Clutch Time because Darren Fox and Stephen Curry have been kind of keeping that title hostage since the inception of the award. True. Jalen Brunson with his 52% in clutch time from the floor is taking it back to the East this year. And yes, as you mentioned, he's running away.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
We've talked about this at nauseam on this podcast of how many points he's been scoring in clutch time, but it's crazy to think it's not only just points he's scoring, but also what he's creating.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Obviously the addition of Luka Doncic has just been night. I don't want to call it night and day. It's like they were already like at dusk and now they're at night officially, but they were rolling already and just been adding. It was crazy to watch Luka Doncic consistently get into pick and roll situations where Zubats ended up on him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
against the Clippers I'm like Ty Lue Jeff Van Gundy all season we've been talking about this defense from the Clippers what is going on but no Luka Doncic being able to take advantage of those situations and also becoming the creator that LeBron was earlier before he could you know join the team it's been really cool to see LeBron gel into this role where he doesn't have to do as much and Luka Doncic has really been the orchestrator and the producer out on the floor for the Lakers
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
And this is what my breakdown was. So I looked at the top five scores in the league right now, just based off points per game. It was simple. But then I went... to be ball reference. And I started looking at some stats between all of them. Now, if you look at Shea, you look at Nikola in this group, Nikola. I don't know why I said Nikola. If you look at Shea, you look at Nikola.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Shea is statistically the best scorer, one-on-one. among these top five scores. He's also the best overall with his shooting ability and he has utilized the most in his team's offense. He's also heavily utilized and the most utilized on defense, which I actually think makes his offensive ability even more impressive. However,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Nikola Jokic also plays a ton defense and he is the best playmaker in that group by and large. Okay. So he has his office and he also creates for his other teammates. He also has the best shot quality in that group outside of Giannis, but that's biased because Giannis is mostly finishing under the basket. His shot, you know, diet is very limited. So with that,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
Putting the fact that Nikola is playing defense as well as putting up high offensive numbers and is the best playmaker and offensive rebounder, I'm going with Nikola.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers get 2 seed, Cavs Win 50th | NBA Awards
It was nice to see him in good spirits with Quentin Grimes, his 42 point game after the game, like hyping him up and such. So he's still going to obviously be a figure around the team. But yes, it's the off court stuff that you just want to make sure that not only is he getting better in a physical way, but mentally in a good place as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Zach Levine, DeMar DeRozan back together again. Reunited. And it feels so good. Does it feel good, though? Is it going to move the needle for the Kings?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
I felt so bad for the Kings when De'Aaron Fox announced that he didn't want to be there anymore. I feel even worse now that they got Zach Levine back. Because don't get me wrong, Zach Levine, DeMar DeRozan, absolutely known for their scoring ability. What they are not known for is winning a lot of playoff series. What they're not known for is getting to the finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
What they're not known for is being the duo that's going to elevate teams to the championship. And so I'm looking at the Kings and I'm like, I'm so sorry. You've lost here in Fox. Sure. You got Zach, you got some picks. Those picks are, Our smoke and mirrors, folks. And so I just – I feel bad for them, really, really bad for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Dave, I'll just say one more thing on this. It is very clear from this move, Kings are moving away from defense. You got rid of Mike Brown. Right? That whole thing was defense. Doug Christie was supposed to elevate this defense, and now you gave him a smorgasbord of scores.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
I just think it's so scary how when you look at the Spurs depth chart, the top name that the Kings got from the Spurs is in the fourth position for the center. Fourth position for the center. It's crazy. They got away with so much in this trade. Shout out to the Spurs. They're set up for success.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Dave, you deserve this space.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
As the fan base was, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Well, the thing is, what about Carl Anthony Towns? Because I feel like there was a baby version of that happening this offseason, of Carl Anthony Towns being traded, not having caused any issues, literally having been in the playoffs, being on a contender team. And then you have the next level. Exactly. Go ahead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
Dave, what you're stating about this player empowerment is huge. And the thing that I think was indicative of what could be the bar or the marker moving forward for management is the way that Nico Harrison used the word tumultuous. Mm-hmm. in the way that he said, basically paraphrasing, he wanted to avoid a tumultuous summer. I look at the situation in Miami, I think that's tumultuous.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Traded to the Spurs EMERGENCY POD + Luka with the Lakers
There's no way we could have seen anything in Dallas as tumultuous other than this money aspect. And now, as you mentioned, as the stress test, this aspect of money being tumultuous, all of the players are on notice. Paying you is now considered tumultuous.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Ich habe so viele Gedanken, aber der, der kam, That's good. No, the first thought that comes to mind is I feel like this is going to be the series where we determine if you need a guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
And the reason why I say that is I look at the way that the Pacers closed out their series and we literally just spent five minutes talking about the fact that Pascal Siakam as a number two ended up being the MVP of their Eastern Conference Finals. But look at the split in the voting. It was 5-4. Tyrese Halliburton, Pascal Siakam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
versus how Oklahoma City finished their series and it was a clear, clear decision that Shea Gildas Alexander was the MVP of that conference finals. Now,
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
I'm almost curious, what's more important, having a guy like a Shea Gildas Alexander when your team's not doing well, not doing so hot, because these teams are going to be really well matched up against each other, or is it going to be more important to have guys? And that you have a Tyrese and a Pascal to kind of share the burden. I like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
So this is something that's going to be interesting to see how that manifests in this series, because these teams are perfectly matched to undo what the other does really well at. Indiana is a team that runs. Guess who's the best at transition defense? You know, the Thunder. So it's just like there's so many different layers to it. Pacers don't turn it over. Pacers don't turn it over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Das ist eine perfekte Möglichkeit, unsere YouTube zu pluggen. Weil wenn du auf dem Podcast liest, hast du nicht die Möglichkeit, diese unglaublich gut befestigte Kanada Jacket zu sehen, die Esch einfach aus seinem, ich weiß nicht, es war einfach auf der Seite. Es ist immer da. Es ist immer auf der Rückseite der Schere. Wir wissen nicht, es ist einfach da. Das ist großartig.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
I was going to also say, okay, C and six. But you know what's so funny? You did such a great job of telling me, hey, I might be underestimating the Pacers. And if we don't get a first half defense, like we saw the Pacers have in game six, which was questionable. And also, you know, Aaron Neesmith and that injury, like he is going to be a major factor in
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Na, I'm gonna go, okay, see you in five, baby. Oh, wow. I thought you were gonna do it. Oh, wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Die Leute finden keine Fehler in diesem Team. Und trotz von Schmerzen, Knacken auf Holz, sehe ich keine neuen, die auf diesem Niveau, auf diesem Stand für OKC Thunder auftauchen. Sie fühlen sich sehr komfortabel in diesen Momenten.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
I thought that the Knicks did a great job of finally trying something different at the end of this series. The last two games, you saw Tom Thibodeau go into his bench. I can't say Tom Thibodeau. My gap is not letting me say that. Okay. In den letzten beiden Spielen sah man Thibs in seine Strecke gehen, seine Dämpfe benutzen, um den Pace der Indiana Pacers zu halten.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Es war nicht lustig, bis ich gestern die Spiele gesehen habe. Ich glaube, einer der Anwesenden sagte, dass der Pace der Pacers ist. Und ich dachte, ich habe das bis jetzt noch nie gedacht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
I'm derailing us, I'm derailing us, I'm sorry. But yeah, no, I was impressed the fact that, you know, you saw DeLon Wright, you saw Landry Schammett, you saw them early. And you saw a lot of Mitch Robinson before you saw Josh Hart. And I was like, okay. Tipps, your understanding that legs can run dead towards the end of games. Here we go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Let's get some breathing room between the first quarter and the fourth quarter. But I also saw what we know to be true about the Indiana Pacers. And that is, remember last show, Dave, that I was on, I was talking about the snap. Ja. Ja. Ja. Viele der Schüsse, die er gemacht hat, waren nicht in der Halbzeit. Es war in der Transition, es waren Laufplätze, es waren offensiv.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Ich meine, das ist, wie die Pacers den Knicks gewonnen haben. Es war nicht in diesen Setup-Situationen, es war in ihrem Pace.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
It was less Mikael Bridges, less Oje Anunubi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Ja, ich denke, wenn du Pascal Siakam anschaust und ihn als Zweimann mit Karl-Anthony Towns vergleichst, zum Beispiel. Schau dir den Weg an, wie Pascal Siakam den Ausdruck dieses Pacers-Teams verändert, an jedem bestimmten Punkt im Spiel, gegenüber dem, was Karl-Anthony Towns kann.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Es ist so viel richtiger, in Bezug auf die Kreativität, die du mit einem Katzen oder einem Katzen-Guy haben kannst, gegenüber einem Pascal, der den Ball nicht in seine Hände braucht. Das kann die Art und Weise verändern, wie du spielst, nur weil er hart läuft, weil er hart auf den Boden geht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Das ist, was Tib gesagt hat, dass er ein hartes Cover ist, weil er so schnell ist und so bereit ist, das für sein Team zu sein. Und ich denke, das ist, warum viele Leute an ihn geschaut haben und gesagt haben, ja, er verdient das. Ja, du kannst die Stats schauen. Er hat mehr Punkte gewählt als, ich denke, 24,8 Punkte versus Tyrese, die in der 20, 21-Jahre sind. Und die Leute denken natürlich,
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Tyrese Halliburton, wie du es erwähnt hast, war der Galvanizer. Er war der Distributor. Er ist derjenige, der den Ball auf die Flur drückt, um diese Punkte für Pascal zu bekommen. Aber ich schaue auch auf die Zeit, in der Pascal was er bietet. V.a. schaue ich auf Game 6. Als das Spiel in der ersten Halbzeit, in der ersten Quartier begann, und die Knicks sahen gut aus, ich meine, bis ich dachte,
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Es funktioniert, dass er nicht der erste Thought ist, weil er kann sein, der unter der Defense, hinter der Defense, vergessen, trailing hinter der Defense Person, dass du sagst, oh, schau mal. That's Pascal Siakam coming up to pull up three or shoot in the corner. That's why he's such a good two-man. He takes advantage of the fact that he is not the first thought.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Ich glaube, du wirst anders sein, als was Dave gesagt hat. Ich gehe jetzt einfach zurück. Das ist das Gleiche, was ich gedacht habe. Ich dachte, du würdest New York endlich sehen, wenn du am Ende dieser Serie wachst und sagst, oh mein Gott, es gibt mehr Leute, die uns vorhanden sind, als die fünf, die wir die ganze Saison runtergelaufen sind.
The Athletic NBA Daily
How to fix the Knicks + NBA Finals preview
Und also finde einen Weg, um diese Erläuterung in die nächste Saison zu nehmen. Und lass uns weitergehen, Nix.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
What I love about Memphis's entire ethos right now is its growth. It's a growth year. John Morant, it's a growth year from Mentality's perspective. All of his highlights have been on the court. That's what we like. When you talk about Jaron Jackson Jr., he's the leading scorer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
on this team and he's averaging the same amount of points as he did last year but he's doing it more efficiently he's taking less shots he's shooting at a higher percentage both in the two-point and the three-point game you're seeing scotty pippen step up from the g league coming on to this team as a good backup point guard setting the floor jake laravia playing well then you look at the rookies
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Jalen Wells, was anyone really putting him on the radar as a top rookie performer playing 25 minutes for the Memphis Grizzlies and being a solid defender, being a solid score?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Starter, exactly. And then Zach Eady, of course, when he's healthy, playing well as well. So all around, you're seeing growth in this Memphis team. They're blocking out the noise and really focusing on what they do, which is having fun, playing well together, and apparently winning games. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Point differentials matter, folks. That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Full day competitive basketball. Key word, right? And that's what the NBA Cup brings. Speaking of competition, just like the comebacks. We talked about that Cavaliers-Boston Celtics game. Folks, remember, Cavs were down like 20 points at one point in that game. So the comebacks have been great. Individual performances, so far, the most fun one had to have been the Dalton Connect 9 three-pointers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
To the point that we were about to go to sleep. He had to come back and talk about it. It was so electrifying. And you keep seeing these type of performances on this big stage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Zena, who's your pick this week? I'm choosing the Memphis Grizzlies over the Dallas Mavericks. Grizzlies just got their very first NBA Cup win, and I think they want to go on a little streak, even if it doesn't matter. I bet they like Vegas, too. Yeah, but, you know, kind of kill the Mavericks' chances of getting in. I don't hate it. I like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
I'm not even sure why you're asking me this question because I have believed in them since the start of the season. I have told you that this team is set up to win championships. And I did not put too much credence into that loss earlier in the season when the Cavs broke their winning streak. There's been so many good things about the way the Cavs have bounced back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Darius Garland did have a task in front of him, having to be smaller and trying to guard a Jason Tatum and also score. But who made up for that lack of ability on offense? Donovan Mitchell. And also, Isaac Okoro. Don't look at the stat sheet, folks. The way that he was able to influence the defensive game and get them in transition, get them going...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
was huge and a lot of people like to sleep on donovan mitchell in this mvp conversation i will never forget guys i texted it in the group should donovan mitchell be a part of mvp dave defoe said the numbers don't add up i don't know about that folks i don't know about that she just directly quoted me from the group shots taking shots that's crazy
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
The way that the Cavs are built with Donovan Mitchell, he tried to dunk on Luke Cornett, seven-footer. Okay, he's got something in his chest, and I really like him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Dave, what comes with youth? Activity. Activity, yeah. Movement, length, just being dynamic. And that's what you saw in these two teams. They're the top two defenses in the West, top defenses in the league overall. And what was really cool tonight was being able to see teams being able to capitalize on defense. So Houston Rockets being able to notice defense. Hartenstein wants to block your shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Lou Dort wants to get a steal. So you saw them going at them and being able to capitalize on the fact that they have an aggressive defense. And in this case, between the two top defenses, the Rockets were able to capitalize better and they got the best of OKC overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
If it's a dagger three, it's the slowest thrown dagger you could possibly ever imagine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
He had 19 points, 13 rebounds on Sunday's game, and then also has had 10 points and 10 rebounds in each of the five games that he's played since he's come back. So he hasn't missed a step at all. He immediately came in and became a floor-setting big, which...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
If you know Nikola Jokic, if you know an Alperen Shingun, you know how big it is to be able to have someone that has the highest vision on the floor on your team be able to find you, whether it's on the weak side, whether it's skip passes, whether it's inside the paint, high-low situations. He has been phenomenal for them, not only defensively, but also as another offensive threat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Especially consistently, right? You would have imagined a dip, but they've now won six games in a row. And Franz Wagner has been the catalyst behind this. He's had such balanced performances. He's able to score and create consistently on the offensive end. He's had seven. This is the 17th outing with at least 20 points this season, which is unbelievable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
But on the defensive end, guess what his defensive rating is?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
103. Yeah. Okay. 102.8 to be specific. So being able to defend well, keeping to under three fouls a game and also creating a godsend for a coach. You want to be able to have somebody that can consistently provide. And let's not forget. His brother has been showing up ever since his little brother has been playing well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
Mo Wagner has improved in every category, added two more points to his game with better shooting percentage. You're also seeing Jalen Sugg step up, Tristan De Silva step up. I mean, this entire team has risen to the occasion, the occasion being the hole that Paolo Bencaro has left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
is a credit to yannis it's a credit to dame for kind of steering the ship even though things were getting a little rocky yeah can i add one thing about this absolutely triple double game yeah yannis talked about this in his post game after that game and said that before that game he was supposed to warm up and play in the miami game he warmed up didn't feel good fell out of rhythm so he sat the very next game is when he had that triple double okay right
The Athletic NBA Daily
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
This is a superstar. This is someone that on any given night, regardless of what happened the night before, what happened two games before, he is stepping in the kitchen. He is cooking you a full course meal like he is in his era. And this is huge for the Bucks to be able to capitalize on right now. Yeah. It's so crazy right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Yeah. Yeah. I was so surprised when he took the free throws, too, because he had to be helped up by two people that were helping him to the locker room. And he's told basically, hey, you can't come back in the game unless you take these two free throws. And he... He clearly did not ever come back in the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
I didn't really think there was a chance of him coming back with the way that he was moving, but he wanted to at least give himself a shot. So he went and took the free throws and then was able to just gingerly walk himself back to the locker room. Won't know more about the injury probably until tomorrow, but it does not look good for Ja.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
At least, I mean, I'd be pretty surprised if he played again in this series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Yeah, I mean, it's all about shot creation there for Memphis after John Moran goes down because who's getting downhill? Scottie Pippen was not able to generate points in the second half. He was one of six from the field. And then it's like a lot on Jaron Jackson had 12 points in the second half, but they only had 31 points. total as to OKC 63 in the second half. It's really tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Like they got a lot of like really nice complimentary players like Desmond Bain is one of the best complimentary players in the league. I think Pippen's had a really good season as well, but nobody else can really generate a shot. And then on the other side, you have Chet, like you said, going for 23 and Shea scored 13. He struggled in this one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Another kind of weird game from Shea, who had five fouls for a vast majority of the fourth quarter, but still hung in there. And then you have shot creation from J-Dub as well. And then that paired with the eight steals they had the second half and the three blocks. And just like the hustle plays, like everything was back for OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
And there were still times where you thought, man, this may not happen for them. And I think one of the crucial plays that maybe won't get talked about, I think Caruso is going to be talked about a ton. And I think the play of Chet will be. But there was a challenge call from Mark Degnall. on what became a moving screen on Zach Giedi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
But had he not challenged that, that's three free throws for Scottie Pippen Jr. going to the line. And I think the Grizzlies were up three at that point. And so if that turns into a six-point game, you know, maybe the Thunder still win it just because the momentum had swung so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
But, you know, that's one thing that Mark Dagnall can do to affect the score is to, you know, win challenges like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
They're all these just like intense perimeter defenders. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Yeah, I'm not sure that there's a real answer. I think that this game three was the one. I think this was the one for Memphis to get. They had the crowd behind them. They had the energy. Like you said, they socked the thunder in the mouth to start this one and really probably should have won this game. I don't know that the Thunder, quote-unquote, deserved to win this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
But I think, honestly, the talent deficit just got... down so far for Memphis. I mean, whenever Scottie Pippen Jr. is playing as your best player and your best creator, and there's no shade to Scottie Pippen Jr. He's had a great season, but on the other side, you have the MVP and you have the second pick in the draft in Chet Holmgren. I just don't... I don't know. I mean, I think there was...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Clearly the Thunder are a really good team, but also the talent deficit is part of why they had the second largest comeback in the history of the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Yeah, I mean, if you're Memphis, I think that you have to try to focus on game four as much as possible. But I think that you can't help but think about the roster moves that need to be made. Now, I don't really expect them to make any big moves with Ja or Jaren. I expect Jaren to get...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
that supermax deal or bane but you certainly just have to go find other nba caliber players i mean you can you can look on the bench for the thunder of the guys that were sitting on the bench at the end of that game and it's like hey we'd probably take three of you out here on the floor you know like john conchar so deep is not the guy you want taking that corner three at the end of the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Like that's a very, very important three and a guy that was clearly not ready to, to take or make that three. And so they need to find guys that have the ability to take and make those kinds of shots. You know, it's about finding those role players. It's about finding like the, the Anthony, another D Anthony Melton, like a guy that was really good for, uh,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
Memphis back in the day you know Kyle Anderson like they've had a lot of really good role players but they've let them all kind of slip through their fingers and you know now they're left with a lot of young guys and guys that have proven to not be guys that you can play in those spots so yes you don't want to look to this you don't want to look to the summer quite yet but I don't know how you could look at this roster and not and not be in that place
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Make History + Knicks and Clippers Go Up
I'm still trying to figure out how I'm feeling, to be honest. I think anybody that watched that game kind of felt a little bit of everything as the Thunder fought back and John Morant goes down. I mean, it was just a range of emotions from that one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Magic make Lakers streak disappear | Are the Timberwolves in trouble?
Ich habe das Gefühl, dass Shopify ihre Plattform kontinuierlich optimiert. Alles ist super einfach, integrier- und verlinkbar. Und die Zeit und das Geld, das ich dadurch spare, kann ich anderweitig investieren. Vor allem in Wachstum.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
it's like, you're not supposed to be able to do that in this lanky body that you've got. And he entertains us all with everything that he does out on the floor. And it's really unfortunate that now that has come to an end, but you're right in that it's good news that this was caught because deep vein thrombosis is an incredibly scary thing that if not caught could have fatal circumstances.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
I'm curious where obviously the focus is on Victor and making sure that he's going to be OK. And of course, the Spurs are kind of rallying around him and rallying around his health in general.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
But in terms of the implications on the rest of the organization and maybe even other players around the league looking at what's going on, like what are some of the things that you're anticipating that you might see as a result of what's going on with Wembley? a superstar that takes care of his body, elite care of his body, ending up in a situation like this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
Because of the circumstances and what should set it up? Absolutely. Because it's one thing to have a block just because it's just nasty and disrespectful. But it's another thing because it actually set them up to be able to go on and win the game. So, yeah, shout out to Mikael Bridges for the athletic play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
I was wondering if you were going to only give some love to the guard. Don't worry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
Yeah, I mean, 18 rebounds tonight. And what's the crazy part is he's getting the rebounds and he's leading the breaks. And that's what makes the Knicks so scary is that you've got your stretch big being able to get the glass and not stop the pace of the Knicks to get up the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
Karl-Anthony Towns all year long since he's joined the Knicks has been exactly what they needed out of an Isaiah Hartenstein. Same thing in terms of being able to be that pivot in the offense that Isaiah was pretty well and offensive rebounding as well and defensive rebounding. But now it's also being able to shoot threes consistently and keep the pace of the Knicks up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
And that's what he did all night long. He was also finishing through some serious contact, taking the ball off the dribble on the wing. I love the way that his game has just blossomed in New York, especially alongside of Jalen Brunson. But yeah, he was doing everything to keep the Knicks into the game. It's weird that he didn't score in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
And then it was Jalen Brunson that kind of woke him back up in overtime to get the win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
Bruh. That Bobby Portis situation is wild. You take a pill from your friend who mistakenly told you it was one version of a medication that's actually allowed, and you take a banned substance? Like, we all got that notification being like, what has Bobby Portis been up to? What's happening in the locker room? And it turns out to be a mistaken pill. Fellas out there in the league,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
Anyone, any athlete, don't take pills from your friends. Zena, hang on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
And I would never.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
And it sucks because Bobby Portis was... Bobby Portis. Bobby Portis was putting up significant numbers for the Bucs, especially in Giannis' absence. He was on the boards. He was putting up some serious shots. I mean, there was two shots that he took in his last five games. He had 20 shots a game coming off the bench. This is a significant loss for the Bucs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
And so that's why Kyle Kuzma sliding into this role of being the younger legs, pushing the ball in transition, being able to attack the basket, that is going to be what Kuzma's role is forever. perfectly timed for Bobby Portis to be absent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
You know why you weren't early? Because you peeped that Russell Westbrook-Jokic connection. Now, I'm not going to lie. Russell Westbrook wasn't great last night. But that was kind of the spark that got things going for the Nuggets. And of course... Jamal Murray getting into the shape of getting into the bag that we know he has.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
He has been cooking from the free throw line, just being able to take his defender. And also the bench has stepped up. I've been screaming Julian Strother's name since the top of this season. I knew that once his three ball got into shape, that the Nuggets would be in a better position. And right now, Michael Malone has things rolling with the rotations that he's putting out there. They look good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
You referenced your hat, Sam. The number one thing that comes to mind, especially with Wemby, is not even All-Star. It's this documentary that's dropped on Netflix. I know you had also taken the time to watch it. What were your thoughts of how you watched that documentary leading into this story breaking?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wemby out for the season | Nuggets take 2 seed in the West
Yeah, this sucks. Like for basketball fans, not only for the San Antonio Spurs, but universally, like this guy was the face of the league to be, right? When you think about what Victor Wemenyama, you talk about levitational player, a guy that's crafty, that's wily, that does these methodical moves on the court and blows your mind because he's 7'4".
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
Yeah, I don't think I I was watching the game started with a solid like, oh, look, Timberwolves got it together. They're showing up. And I think I fell asleep towards the third, woke up at the top of the fourth. So, yeah, it was tough. It was a tough watch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
The Keontae George dunk. You know what I'm happy we didn't have time for? The 51-point loss by the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
It was so awkward to see the way that Kat showed back up in town. 30 points. I think he was the first player in NBA history to do what he did against the Timberwolves. Like, perfectly fitting. And then on the complete opposite side of the ball, we have to remember there was a trade made. And Julius Randle walks off the court, does not shake hands, does not engage with his old teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
Like, the complete opposite experience, right, for the other person on the end of this. The Wolves have to answer to they lost the trade. And today they put it on national television. What is the answer for what we just saw, especially offensively, a.k.a. what we didn't see?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
See, that was going to be my question is like, I, I'm also in the same boat of like, I saw five capable teams being held under a hundred points by the Minnesota Timberwolves. There is some credit to be given for that. And I'm wondering if, How much does how much of the Timberwolves believe that their defense can shape up like this was an aberration? This isn't what we're usually doing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?
We're capable of playing enough defense that even if we're not scoring, it still will balance out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
Yeah, I really think that it's going to be a game of runs between these two teams. Particularly led on the Denver side by Jokic, of course. But Jamal Murray is going to have to lock in. And not only offensively working with Jokic, but he's going to have to play some serious defense. And we know he can. We know he's capable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
But that's the problem that you've seen with the Clippers, especially as they close the season. It's not that their defense is just great, but they also led the league in the last 10 games in their three-point percentage as well. Yeah. They they are led in their offensive rating like they just have found all of this offense. Thanks, Kawhi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
And now it's a matter for Denver to be like, all right, we we know we can be monstrous in the paint. We know that, you know, we can pick and roll you to death. We have Jokic. That's, you know, a game changer always. But what's going to happen on the other side for them defensively?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
Yeah, that's kind of fun. The part about this matchup is that there's a little bit of history between them. Even though, yes, Luka was with Dallas back then, it still feels as if they have to have some redemption in the way that they handled him last time. And the problem now is that Luka is not alone. He also has LeBron James and also all of the size around them. But I'm looking at this matchup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
I do feel good about Minnesota's defense. That's what picked up at the end of the regular season. They found some confidence in themselves. And also, Anthony Edwards has a little bit of redemption to have last year. I feel like he was just on the cusp of being a superstar in a series, being able to adjust.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
And also, he said last year, the number one thing that he struggled with was his conditioning. He just wasn't in shape to be able to handle a series against a Luka and the defense that Dallas could bring. He has, in this one season, been able to adjust up to double teams. He's been able to pick up his offense in general, just being able to condition up and down the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
I do feel as if Minnesota can put up a great fight against... The Lakers, but again, LeBron and Luka are championship caliber players. One has won a championship. Actually, no.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
They got much better this year. And their size inside has been great. Miles has been... Yeah. And then has been back. And that's the big thing. Last year, the Pacers had no perimeter defense forcing miles turner to have to be the person inside. And now you've got an M heart, you've got knee Smith. And I mean, even McConnell does a pretty great job of at least directing traffic out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
Like I think they match up pretty well and they'll, they'll they're pesky enough outside of the perimeter. That's going to make things uncomfortable for the bucks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
And it's not even just in the half court. It's also in transition. That's the biggest part.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
I agree with everything Fred Katz said. If you look down the roster, you just can't match them up evenly. The biggest thing that comes down to all of these series, but particularly the Pistons-Knicks, is that this is a series. It's not a one-game situation. In a one-game situation, you could potentially see the tenacity with which
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
the Pistons play to outdo just the energy that the Knicks bring out. But over the course of seven games, I'm trusting Kat. I'm trusting Brunson. I'm trusting OG to be clutch, to make decisions, to make adjustments necessary offensively to get the win on that end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
I do trust the Detroit Pistons on the defensive end at the end of the games in terms of just, you know, Isaiah Stewart making things tough. We saw that most recently with the Knicks, but still at the end of the day, I trusted a Jalen Brunson. to get it done more than I trust Kate Cunningham.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
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-Anahme-Stelle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
Good morning. It's going well. We're taking a little break before the playoffs start. Shout out to the play-ins being... I love this pace.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
I mean, you literally kind of describe his dolphin-like sonar abilities, which was really fun to learn about. I was shocked that at one point you said that people think that Jokic doesn't watch film. And I'm like, who thinks that? You can literally see that in the way that he dices up defenses and pre-reads screens and different plays and blows them up in that way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
If you're looking at Jokic in the grand scheme of players, greatest, right? Greatest of all time. Do you think that he is just more efficient in the way that he does film or watches film, etc.? Or is he like 10 times more studious than anyone that's come before him?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
I feel as if he's not putting in as much effort, but he's still getting the same result in terms of just being able to watch film and dice things up or dissect things. Excuse me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
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
Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump
Yeah, the biggest thing that I'm looking at the Clippers is that they just have bodies. They have consistent bodies that you can come off the bench and just throw at folks. And all of them are long and athletic. Whereas Denver is limited in their ability to, one, just throw bodies at you. And then also to find additional offense when their defense isn't working.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Yeah, and OKC deserves all of the esteem. Their play tonight was not only... dominant, it was good. It's the type of game tape that you show young kids on how you should play defense, how you should play in transition, how you should play as a team. And they officially put the Cavs in a position to prove that their win over OKC just a week ago was not a fluke. They have depth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
What was the overall sentiment following this game? I mean, we can sit here and say that, is this a game to get concerned for the Cavs? But sometimes teams are like, ah, you got to rip the box score up. We're not too worried about that one. What was the general sentiment from the team after the game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
I mean, you saw Brandon Carlson, some undrafted rookie out of Utah, come in in the Give some buckets. You saw OKC have legendary buy-in into their defense, into playing fast and responsible. They made the Cavs have to force threes up. This is the Cavs that have played an inside-out game all year long, and they made them look like they couldn't... Couldn't win shell defense drills in practice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
It's interesting. We talk about being able to get into the paint. They were actually even in paint points, which was surprising. And yeah, the final score, 134-114. But it makes you think, okay, even in paint points, not ridiculously out-rebounded. There was a differential with three-pointers particularly, them not being able to get theirs off as much and also not being great at the line. But...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
I'm now wondering if you're throwing away the box score and you're looking to the rest of the season, how do you bounce back from this game? How do you make this game look insignificant in the grand scheme of the season to say this was a fluke rather than looking at last week's win against OKC as the fluke?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
6'8", 210. There you go. There you go. And shoots outside.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Like, it was tough for the Cavs to be able to find buckets inside. And OKC, good on them for showing up in this game and getting that revenge win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Absolutely. There's a really cool account on X, OKC Thunder stats, and they do these like random assessments of stats that OKC, current OKC Thunder have in comparison to former players. As of last night's game against the Cavs, Shea Gildas Alexander now has more 30 point performances in his career. than Paul George.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
And we just took time a few weeks ago to talk to Marcus Thompson about games we like to watch, right? Games that mesmerize you. And when you have a Shea Goldis Alexander performing in this way amidst the team performance that is OKC, and he still stands out, that shows you just how much of an impact that he makes offensively and how much his game...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
is different than anything else we're seeing in the league yes i think he absolutely is mvp and if anything he is now sitting in a seat where someone has to come and take it from him as opposed to him having to fight for it from someone else yeah and the thunder have such a big lead in the west that at this point it looks like they're going to be the one seed by the way i didn't even mention
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
I agree with you. First of all, Dave, were you a Boy Scout pulling out Leatherman? I mean, no, but they wish.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Wait, but that's a perfect analogy. He, and I'm talking about Jalen Williams, unbelievable player and defender. Yeah. And when you're talking about a team that has such team contribution is so high, there's so much talent on every corner of this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Individual performances like what J-Dub puts up every night can kind of be overshadowed because you're looking at it as, oh, this is just the product of everyone contributing, everyone buying in on defense, everyone buying in on offense. But what Jalen Williams has done this year is, is undeniable. He's improved in almost every statistical category of his game. He's better in points per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
He's better in rebounds per game, assists per game, three-pointers made per game, free throws made per game. He's getting to the line more. The only reason that his shot statistics in terms of his field goal percentage and his three-point percentage have gone down is because he's taking more shots. He's taken on more of a burden in this offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
All year long, we've been talking about Cleveland being this two-headed snake And it's because when you compare Cleveland to OKC, OKC feels like a five-headed snake. Everyone's contributing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
But when you really look at it, Jalen Williams alongside Shea Gildas Alexander absolutely is probably one of the most lethal because both of them play offense incredibly well, but also they lead with their defense. I mean, this is what allows OKC to get teams caught up and get caught up early in games. They punch hard offensively and defensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
The last thing I'll say about Jalen Williams when it comes to being an all-star, the factor that's going to get him there, not necessarily an all-star starter, but an all-star reserve, is this Draymond Green-esque defense. He can guard one through five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
He can be a person that if Lou Dort's out because of fouls or Alex Caruso's hurt because of his hip injuries and things of that sort, he can be put on your hardest opponent assignment. I think that to deny him an all-star position going from rising star last year to now all-star would be a disservice to what basketball should look like. And that's what Jalen Williams plays.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Well, first, let's get to the show. Comes out every Tuesday morning and Friday morning. So I love on Fridays. You hear me on NBA and you hear me on the women's basketball show. But Unrivaled. Such a smart product launched by Brianna Stewart and Afisa Collier, well-known players within the league, but also players that were tired of going overseas in order to get developed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
And the thing about it is, is Brianna Stewart even said this about Unrivaled, like the whole premise around this league is a three-on-three league that's set to launch in Miami tonight. And the whole premise is player development.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Give these WNBA players a space in which they can focus on their skills and really hammer in some of those aspects of the game that you're not going to get in the five on five space. Because in a five by five game, some players skills aren't going to be utilized. They're going to be hidden a little bit. When you're on three on three, you're constantly doing triangle type of pick and roll.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
I so things, you know, triangle type of offenses. You're working on the skills that you then can bring to the five on five WNBA game. There's so many aspects of this league that have nothing to do with the basketball aspect, but are helpful. The fact that, I mean, Angel Reese just tweeted that they've got the Sephora deal, so they have this amazing media day. They have childcare. They have...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
facials that they can get. They have unbelievable gym and conditioning workouts and all these different things and access to all these resources that they don't typically have in the off season or have to pay an egregious amount of money to be able to do that. So they've done a really great job of launching something that is attractive for WNBA players. They have a star studded roster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
So people are going to want to tune in. This is the best of the best in the WNBA going up against each other. And you're going to see everyone get reps. It's only three people on a court. So they're going up and down. There's going to be great conditioning. A lot of one-on-one skill work is going to happen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
And a really cool thing about this league, the players also get equity in this league, which is not something they see in the WNBA. Unrivaled overall hopes to be something that is additive overall. to the WNBA. The people behind it are all player development folks, people that really focus on getting the players better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
So they want to see it as the WNBA leans on them to get players in better positions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
Well, it definitely won't be a one-off. I mean, they already signed a multi-year marquee media rights deal with TNT Sports. So if TNT is expecting it to work for more than one year, it's definitely going to be in the works. But again, with them, you hit it on the nail, like why this won't work as smoothly, in my opinion and yours, for the NBA. The NBA takes up all the time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
They've got 82 games, right? Whereas TNT,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
the wmba is it's 40. so it's like it's not as many games they do need time to fill uh in that off season and so it's going to work a little bit more differently there and again the the leaders of this this organization nafisa collier brianna stewart alex bezell which is collier's husband and luke cooper the president of basketball operations they've all said they want this to be additive
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder strike back | Cavs on the trade market?
to the WNBA. And by the way, I almost forgot. Definitely tune into the podcast. But if you're on the site, Sabrina Merchant has written about this extensively. Ben Pickman as well. They have covered this. They're going to be covering this league really well in the written form. So definitely tap in for that. Absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
Yeah, that's I absolutely think it's going to it's going to seven. And I'm happy you brought that up, Kelly, about the ballots attack, because I was I was just trying to see if I could look it up really quickly. What Boston's like, what Boston's paints in the point this series have been, I think it's been trending downwards now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
this entire time, but you saw them in the last game finally beat New York in terms of their points in the paint, which I think opened up everything else around, but it was just for the first time we're seeing Boston not settle for three-pointers. Right. You saw this inside out, outside in, like it was just a true, I mean, that's how Luke Cornett has the game that he has.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
So I think finally we're getting a variety of defense and offense in Boston matching up with the variety that New York has somehow found. Yeah. in the midst of the playoffs, and it's going to be a little bit more evenly matched. It's going to be gritty. It's going to be good. It's definitely going to Game 7. I'm going to hold my prediction for after that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
That feels so crazy to say, considering how tired and gassed the Nuggets looked in Game 4 and Game 5 when they lost leads in the fourth quarter and the Thunder were able to kind of pull it out. And now you're seeing the Thunder, even with a gassed Nuggets, still allow the Nuggets to get back. I'm wondering if...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
the Thunder can rely on the fact that they're a little bit younger, a lot of bit younger in some cases, but they have a little bit more depth, a little bit more athleticism to kind of push them over the edge into game seven because Denver just looks tired, even though they're more tactically sound in execution. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
I do think that the fouls, the early fouls, stunted everything that OKC was trying to do early, especially with the fact that Shea Gildas Alexander had four in the second quarter, three, excuse me, four by the second quarter, three in the second quarter alone. And you saw Denver immediately go on that end of first half run.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
That I think, I don't want to say the white flag was thrown in there, but the uncertainty started to sit in to OKC. I think, you know, Dave, to your point of what are the adjustments? Number one, Isaiah Hartenstein, Shea Gilgis, like they can't get those type of fouls so early in the game. And a lot of them were stupid fouls. It wasn't even like... trying to get after the ball, et cetera.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
It was, I made a mistake and I'm retaliating trying to, you know, make up for it. So I think that's the number one thing, something that really shined tonight. I mean, case and Wallace was gorgeous for them in terms of just getting easy buckets, going coast to coast, you know, not having to battle against that zone, but literally turning defense to the offense or just getting out ahead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
I feel like maybe, you know, tapping into him sooner and more often in, in game seven will be an adjustment as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
There's no way after everything we've seen, even if they have a terrible series, I know the resume. I know what they're walking into the series with in terms of their shooting capability, their depth, everything. And Denver has truly I don't even I don't I don't want to call expose them. But Denver's held up the light to just how deep this actually is in terms of talent and ability to execute.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
Yeah. So I'm looking at what Denver did tonight in terms of, you know, Julian Strother's 15 off the bench. Cool. Great. I don't know if that's capable in a game seven on the road, but I know Russell Westbrook is capable of that. At least that. Now, the next person I'm looking at is Christian Brown. Christian Brown having 23 points. Double double with 11 rebounds. Oh, possible. But also.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Nuggets survive to force Game 7
On the road, don't know if he's going to be able to step up on that, but I do know Michael Porter Jr. is capable of that on the road. So I just feel like Denver, again, we talked about the heart of the champion, like Denver with their back against the ropes could be capable of pulling this out and might be able to win this game. So I think I'm going to vote Denver might be able to pull this out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
Now, thinking about that defense, you know, it's anchored in the paint, at least by Evan Mobley. I mean, this guy, you've talked about this on your most recent podcast. I listen to Draymond Green's podcast as well. Just talking about how good of a player Evan Mobley is. I have been quoted on this podcast to say, I think he was worth the money.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
And he's growing in that direction of just being one of the best bigs, most active down the court bigs like ever. Is this the year Evan Mobley is making the leap? Has he made the leap?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
I feel like actually that's just right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
You know, they are an offensive focused team, but that offense has not been as highly productive as it used to be. Ty Halliburton hasn't been producing the kind of games that we've expected out of him. Benedict Matherin has kind of cleaned up a little bit of that by having some high off high octane games, but their defense has always just been lackluster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
Absolutely. Do you guys remember the NBA Cup last year, the in-season tournament before it became the NBA Cup? Like those Pacers were high flying action. It didn't matter if you came to see a competitive game like you came to see the Pacers just go crazy and just high fly throughout the entire arena. So, yeah, it's not the same. It's not the same energy this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
So I think three and a half negative three and a half fits.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
Yeah, I'm going to go with that. Yes. They've had a lot of close games and Jokic has had to pull a lot of these out. That's exactly what I was going to say. That that positive is going to be Jokic at the end of the day. And he's also positive from a defensive perspective around the paint. Not so bad either.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
But overall, their defense on the outside, I think, hasn't been as strong as they probably would have liked, particularly in that second unit. When you're thinking Russell Westbrook comes out there and Dario Sarge comes out there, et cetera. So Jokic, high producing on offense, balanced out by the fact that their defense has been a little bit Safe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
Really? That actually, I did. I didn't know that. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
again, but when you think about it, when you actually break it down, it's true. Did Carl Anthony towns had for it 40 point game the other night, like he's been putting up some crazy numbers. It feels like he's finally fitting into the offense with the Knicks. Uh, Jalen Brunson is always going to just have a rough game, but he's going to get his points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
It's just not going to be easy that he's getting his points. Um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
You're the perfect person to talk to about this because I think you were the person that wrote that article about the Bucs changing course this year, right? Changing perspective. Giannis changing perspective. Doc Rivers being excited about the team. Dame Lillard saying he's finally settled into Milwaukee finally. So he feels like this is going to be a change of course.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
And then most recently, you wrote a piece with Eric Nem about what's going on with the books and the context leading up to this point. Guys, if you haven't read the article, go read it, because I think it's important to put this into context. In terms of accountability, who do we look to to blame for this situation? Because
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
It's been a lot of lipstick on a pig since that blockbuster summer in which Chris Middleton, Lopez get resigned. Dame Lillard gets traded for. And it's just been lipstick on a pig, lipstick on a pig. Like internally, who who do you look to to try and fix this and take accountability for this?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
That's kind of like how I try to listen to podcasts on 2X so that I can retain the information a little bit faster. And also, as you mentioned, Kenny Atkinson playing a 10-11 man rotation. I wonder where he may have gotten that from. Sounds like his counterpart in the West is just leaving remains all around the NBA. But you talk about that pace and you talk about Darius Garland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Were we wrong about the Nuggets? | Chasing down the Cavs
He is the catalyst behind the way that they're running, playmaking in transition, being able to find his bigs. How much of a growth has been attributed to his own personal growth versus him and Donovan really figuring it out in terms of working together in the backcourt?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Es war absolut elektrisch und ich wünschte, dass ich einen Weg finden konnte, in die Telefone jeder Medienmitgliedin oder wirklich jeder in der Gebäude, für die Anzahl von Clips von den fast. Oh, nein, nein, das wird nicht die drei sein. Nein, okay, sie, oh, Turnover, nein, okay. Ich meine, alle hatten ihre Telefone für so viele verschiedene Momente, um zu denken, okay, wird das der eine sein?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Wird das der eine sein? Bis zu dem Punkt, dass ich mein Telefon nicht für die echten drei hatte, aber ich konnte die stehende Ovation aufnehmen und das war surreal. Das fühlte man, man konnte die Liebe fühlen. Ich meine, literally, die stehende Ovation ging von diesem Spiel durch die nächste Position für die Könige, durch die nächste Position für die Krieger und dann sah man sogar die MVP Chance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Also es war... It was pretty cool, just the love that was shown for Steph. And I do wish that they had timed the video differently.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
They did a video montage of after he, you know, had the three-point success. And then I think it was like a few possessions and a timeout. They played this video in which... Andres Biedrins, der derjenige war, der ihn an den ersten 3-Pointer unterstützt hat, war in der Videobeschreibung, um zu sagen, du kannst mich später bedanken. Und dann waren die Rest seiner Teamleute in der Videobeschreibung.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Aber es war während eines Time-Outs und die Warriors waren nur um 10. Also war es eine so sensiblen Part des Spiels.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Es war für einen Moment schrecklich. Er sagte 20, sie waren 23. Sie waren sich in Ordnung. Und das lustige ist, es fühlte sich an, als ob das ganze Ziel des Spiels war, Steph dieses 3 zu bekommen. Und schrecklich genug, Dramon Green öffnet das Spiel mit Back-to-Back-3s. Er erreicht 3-3s, Quentin Post erreicht 3-3s und Gary Payton II erreicht 3-3s, bevor Steph das zweite 1 bekommt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
So it was just funny how the script was set up. But through the second quarter, so everyone was really excited because there was a lot of great offense happening. But in the second quarter, when Steph came back for his regular minutes, it was very clear that the main focus on everyone's mind out on the court for the Warriors, get Steph the ball. Ja, genau.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Es war perfekt, aber natürlich haben sie den zweiten, dritten Treffer, den ersten Treffer, er hat den 4.000. Ich denke, das ist, als es sich um die Warriors konzentriert hat. Oh, warte, wir haben noch ein Spiel zu gewinnen. Und sie gehen weiter, um ihr sechstes Spiel gegen die Jungs zu gewinnen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
I loved the way that he showed up tonight. And I think, you know, we say the words 31 games and it still doesn't put into perspective just how long that is. Think January 4th. Where are you right now with your New Year's resolutions? That's where you have to think of how long it's been since John the Kaminga last played. And he came back still not even in the best shape he could possibly be in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
came back bouncy, attacking the basket, aggressive, still just in a way that you need him to show up. The Warriors have always needed this aspect and that's what they brought Jimmy for. Being able to attack the basket and being able to play above the rim. Jonathan Kaminga hatte einen Dunk heute Abend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Dave, er war durch die Baseline gegangen, hat den Ball getroffen, kam runter, fast wie ein Doppelfest, wie ein Pumpfakt in die Luft und kam und beendete durch den Dunk. Wenn du überhaupt keine Sorgen hattest, über Jonathan Kaminga zurückzukommen, verliere ihn.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Seeing the success tonight, I absolutely think it's going to happen more. There is something to be said about the fact that there wasn't a Domantas. Domantas was not out there for the Kings and let's just be real, when he is out there, he's not necessarily the best rim protector anyways. But seeing this against the Knicks come back into town, I want to see this against Mitchell Robinson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
I want to see this against Kat even. When there are bigs that have more presence inside, essentially. But I'm even, I mean, we can talk about the Jimmy and Jonathan connection. I'm thinking about Draymond and Jonathan picking back up on what they left off, like where they left off. There was a point tonight in which Draymond and Jonathan were guarding the ball handoff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Ein guter, einfacher Ballhandel zwischen zwei Waffen. Ich glaube, es waren Zach Levine und Keyon Ellis. Und es war einfach, switch off, switch off. Und du hast Draymond in deinem Gesicht gefunden und Jonathan Kaminga in deinem Gesicht gefunden. Das ist schrecklich. Kamingos sind geschlossen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Right now, I think they have all the tools possible, but they just have to make sure that when they get into games where there might be another celebration happening or something big around the game, that they focus on not losing leads.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
And again, you do what you're supposed to do in coming out, stepping on the jugular of another team, 23 points up against a team you're supposed to be up by that many points. And because you're focused on making sure that Steph gets a three, or maybe it'll be a focus on making sure that Quentin Post can store inside, or whatever the focus might be for that night, you get derailed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
And teams take advantage of that and find a way to get points off turnovers and find a way to get back into games that they shouldn't be in. And so right now, I think that Warriors have every tool that they possibly need to be successful, especially trying to make... Zena, bevor wir hier rauskommen, bist du einer der busiesten Menschen in der Sportmedien.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Erzähl mir über die neue Athletik-Womens-Basketball-Show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Well, yes. So we have the Athletic Women's Basketball Show, but we're refreshing it. We're revamping it a little bit. And it's going to be the same host as myself, as well as our women's basketball writers at The Athletic. Ben Pickman, Chantel Jennings and Sabrina Merchant. However, you can expect new segments. You can expect more interviews that we've been doing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Steph Curry first to 4,000 3-pointers
Just a little bit more of a different vibe, different sound to it. It's going to be a lot of fun. Ja, ich bin gespannt. Glückwunsch. Ich bin glücklich für euch. Danke. Hey, glücklich für Steph Curry auch. Glückwunsch auf 4.003. Eine neue Meilenstunde, die wir heute entschieden haben, war wichtig. Ja.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
You can't. And the thing about it is like, if we remember earlier this season when Luca was still on the team, I know it feels like so long ago, but when Luca was still on the team and was hurt, the Mavs were still winning. They had a winning record with him out. So they have a brand of basketball that allows them to be resilient and still figure it out without their star players on the floor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
But you said it. It's crazy trying to be dominant in the West without size. And you've got no Derek Lively. You've got no Daniel Gafford. You've got no Anthony Davis. So it's tough. It's really, really tough. And so I'm looking at the Mavs as much as they can play this like kind of gutsy, punchy basketball and get some wins out. It's about sustainability.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
And if you've got your bigs coming back into the mix right when you're trying to make pushes for playoffs, it's going to be a tough road ahead for Dallas overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
Wait, can I just say one thing? Yes. One thing that we are sleeping on in terms of the road ahead for Dallas. That's Christy. Max Christie was the name that we kind of been, you know, sleeping, tucking under the rug in this whole trade. But he's been awesome these last five games with Dallas. I mean, he's pulling 30 plus more minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
This is the role that they brought him in to be a defender on the wing and a scorer as well. 15 or more in every single one of the games that he's played. Yeah, I'm liking the way that Max Christie is showing up in his new assignment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
I don't know if I would use the word perfect, but things definitely look a little bit more dynamic for the Warriors overall. Like they have a different look to them. It's not them just trying to pull things outside from the arc.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
They have an ability to have someone like a Jimmy Butler go in the middle of the paint, whether it's getting to the foul line, getting, creating contact, being able to create some wrinkles out of their split action and run it from the post, which is incredible. What Jonathan Kaminga typically used to do. Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
And maybe something that Andrew Wiggins could do, but not as consistently as a Jimmy Butler. And so you just like the fact that they have a different look to their offense. And most importantly, the looks, the looks are going to Jimmy Butler more than they are all on Steph Curry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
And so I know he's happy about having that burden off his shoulder or at least be able to share that burden with Jimmy Butler alongside him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
Right now, I'm looking at the team that did something at the trade deadline, and that's Cleveland. You add DeAndre Hunter, and you already have the fundamental aspects that you need in a championship team to make a run of it, particularly at Boston. You got size inside, and their bigs are healthy. They're running well. They're moving with no problem.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
And then you add size on the outside and scoring ability. DeAndre Hunter had been killing it in Atlanta, being able to create his own shot. get to the basket, et cetera. And you just added that to your arsenal. I'm looking now, you know, Chet Holmgren is back in the mix, but Chet Holmgren doesn't add size or a lot of physicality inside.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
Maybe he adds physical height, but in terms of being able to impose himself with size and weight and, and, you know, brute effort inside in the paint. He's a little light in the behind. You can say that. Yeah. I respect that. I guess that's what Cleveland has right now over OKC. I'm thinking Cleveland's looking a little better right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
Game was not pretty, but the Warriors pulled it out, and that's really what matters is you close out the All-Star break. Yeah. All right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
I absolutely agree with you. You said it. The fact that the Clippers closed with Ben Simmons speaks a lot to what they see him doing for this team, how they see him elevating. It's one thing to choose a new team or not choose, but be traded to a new team and be utilized, start, maybe come off the bench.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
But them automatically using him in situations where they must win, they're trying to get the dub, that's huge for Ben Simmons. It's a confidence boost for Ben Simmons to be able to be put in a situation like the Clippers that have significant size inside with the Zubats, right? Ben Simmons played 27 minutes. Zubats only played 25. That's not a big difference. But guess who closed the game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
Simmons over Zubats. So now the Clippers have a different look. for their ability to close the game with some size, but also someone that can score on their own and distribute the ball. Ben Simmons having six assists last night definitely gives you like exactly what he can do for the Clippers. I'm excited. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Wolves handle Thunder | Roundball Rock with John Tesh
I mean, the Clippers were already cool because of Kawhi coming back, but now Ben Simmons in a new home on the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
I was going to say that. I was like, Dave, I think it had to do with the curse. I mean, the front of the Houston Chronicle quite literally had a titled article, Breaking the Curse. I think that definitely fed into it on top of the NBA Cup. But hey, we ain't taking nothing away from the league. We ain't going to take nothing away from them. Sorry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Let's get riled up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
It's actually perfect timing that this is actually coming out right after the executive front office ranking, because I feel like this sort of move from the Mike D'Antoni, like, you know, James Harden, Chris Paul era of the Rockets going to this era of the Jalen Greens, the long six, seven, six, eight, nine wings that you've got now, the two way players. This is going to be respected.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
I feel eventually this move is going to be respected. Yeah. This is giving bad boys pistons. And I wasn't around for that era, but they found success. The issue with being so defensive-minded, though, is that you need offense. The bad boy pistons did have some offense, but the Houston Rockets are struggling right now to find that side of the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Was there any conversation around what that's going to look like and being able to develop that alongside the defensive prowess?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
They were seven, eight percent from three in the first half against the Warriors. Like that's that. How do you win a championship like that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Just really quickly, the parallel between Jalen Green and his GLE Unite teammate, Jonathan Kaminga, has been fascinating.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Like their stories align so closely in the way that they show up in their different teams. But sorry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
That was going to be my question, too, is just because they're finding success at this point in the season. You mentioned, you know, don't be too surprised that it's taken a long time for them to get here. Now, Jimmy Butler's engaged. How is the rest of the team kind of looking at their win streak? Is it a matter of like, let's win so we can keep our team together?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Is it let's win so that we can, you know, maybe there's been other conversations of other players I've seen. interest around tyler hero even being involved in some of these conversations is it let's win because we all need to kind of showcase what we're capable of in the market like what is the vibe on the team around these trade rumors and this also recent success
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
The cool thing about OKC is that they represent all of the factors that I would imagine go into this vote. So as you mentioned, you know, having a cupboard full of assets, whether it's young talent, whether it's first round picks, there was also aspects within the article about people talking about cap space that front offices were able to generate for their teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
And then there's aspects of winning, being able to be a memorable team or being actually a championship team. So as I'm reading through these different explanations for the different teams, I'm wondering, did you see a trend in the way that people voted? Did you see that most people voted nearsighted in the sense of did someone recently win? Did they recently get some good draft picks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Or was it like the whole product overall, the history of the team, the legacy of the team was just so undeniably good that overall this front office deserves a vote?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rockets ready for takeoff in the NBA Cup? | Jimmy Butler’s hair raises Heat questions
Yeah, I saw that. That was great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
I'm happy you brought up, you know, the fact that the Thunder are well represented on your list. And if you could expand it, you probably have even more. I look, there's another team that's got multiple representation on your list in Minnesota. And I'm wondering how much, you know, you take teams like the Thunder, number one defense in the league, but how much does having a team scheme matter?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
help boost folks on your list or, you know, being a part of this conversation versus someone that's kind of like on an alone Island and just happens to be a great defender, but isn't on a team that overall is a good defensive team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
No, I mean, it was talk about the Grizzlies not meeting the moment. They were back and forth for a moment to the point that we were saying, you know, it's great to see how many big game players are available for us to watch, especially this late in the season. Yeah. John Morant, Desmond Bain, both going back and forth with Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
felt... Keon Ellis probably doesn't feel the same.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
I mean, it was really exciting to watch, but it was very clear that the difference became that the bigs for Memphis could not keep up with what the guards were trying to do. I mean, there were several plays in which you saw John Morant, Scottie Pippen, Desmond Bain, deciding, Santee Aldama even, like, we're just going to go do this on our own right now because Jaron Jackson Jr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
is still coming up the court. Zach Eaddy's still coming up the court. And don't get me wrong, those two guys can run the floor. It's one of their most underrated skills, particularly for Zach Eaddy. But
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
After the game just started going back and forth and it was bucket for bucket for bucket, you saw Memphis bigs get exhausted and that caused silly fouls and that slowed the momentum down for Memphis and it ultimately derailed them and Minnesota took advantage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
You know what I mean? Right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
They are. I mean, you talk about that 52 point quarter and you also talk about the Bucs in that game against the Bucs in the fourth quarter. They scored 13 points. That's the lowest in the fourth quarter they've had all season. Like, this is just the ups and downs of this Minnesota Timberwolves team. And it's so frustrating because you know what they're capable of.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
I mean, you saw the way Julius Randle came out last night against Memphis, quickly finding his shots, quickly getting to his spots. You know, also finding his teammates really well, too. Yeah. there's times where there's no point of attack defense. And, you know, the Memphis Grizzlies or whomever can just get right to the paint.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
And it's like, if I'm Chris Finch and you saw him on the bench last night, just... Rubbing his chin. Like, how are we going to get some consistency? I don't want to see Anthony Edwards in the playoffs because he blacks out, as he mentioned in his postgame interview. But it's the consistency of the team effort. Right. Like, can you get 44 points out of Anthony Edwards in a series every game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
Maybe not. Maybe I wouldn't. I wouldn't put it past them. Right. But it's a matter of can you make sure that, you know, Rudy Gobert doesn't get in foul trouble and get tangled up with the wrong folks? Or can you make sure that Mike Conley is more than just a passing point guard and make sure that the pace is good and all the spacings?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
He's had a ridiculous season. Let's just put this out there. He's had a ridiculous season. And if it wasn't for DeAndre Hunter joining this Cavs team, the clear sixth player of the Cavs was Ty Jerome and potentially of the league. But also, there was a statement mentioned on the broadcast. People, don't be surprised. by what Ty Jerome is doing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
Like when you think about Kenny Atkinson said this after the game, he hasn't had a body of work to be able to prove that he's capable of this. When he was with the Warriors, 45 games, didn't spend a day in the G League or maybe like a few days in G League. Average seven points was coming off the bench behind Steph Curry. And so it makes sense that people are like, eh, Ty? No, he's competitive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
He's tenacious. He's capable of scoring. He's capable of getting to his spots. Like he has had a season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
So there's a few ways to look at this. One, if you compare how the Knicks did against the Bucs or how the Pacers did against the Bucs, Pacers only won one game of four against the Bucs this season, whereas the Knicks won all their games so far against the Bucs. So you're like... OK, don't want to match up against the Knicks for that reason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
Morning, Dave. Welcome back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
But if you look at how the Pacers have been playing their eight and two in their last 10, they're on a roll and they're also picking up their defensive efforts. Top 15 in the league in terms of defense, but also top 10 in offense. And they're clicking on all cylinders right now. And sometimes that momentum is a thing that you don't want to face heading into the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
But if I'm talking about a series who can show up night in, night out after scheming for you, adjusting for things, I put more trust in Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns to show up and pull games out because we've seen it. We've seen them do it before. Yeah. I think you don't want to face the Knicks. I prefer to go up against the Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
Final Four was unreal. UConn took the natty with, I mean, with a statement win in both Final Four and the championship game. Really, really fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
Anything really could happen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
That's what I'm thinking about mostly. I'm thinking about the Clippers and the Warriors because right now the Clippers are scary. And after that terrible loss the Warriors just had, I feel as if they're going to be galvanized to step up and close out the season. But... The biggest thing that the Warriors struggle against is tall, athletic, long teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
And that is exactly the epitome of what the Clippers are. So I genuinely don't know, Dave. I don't know. It's kind of crazy. How many spots did you say are up for grabs this weekend?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
crazy very fun i still how dare any of you say this season was boring or the nba is no absolutely not take it all back anyone that said it take it all back because this is crazy this is exciting it is uh speaking of exciting fred katz guys stick around after the break he's here to talk about his all nba defensive perimeter team
The Athletic NBA Daily
Anthony Edwards’ big game + All NBA Defensive Perimeter Teams
This is cool because I think there's been similar complaints on the women's side. Just the bigs always being represented as overall blocks being overrepresented within the statistical category. But I'm happy we're bringing up how these things are measured up because sometimes the stats don't tell the full story. So, Fred, walk us through what did you consider? How did you formulate this award?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
Everyone is still going to be in their same position. Steph going down completely changes the anatomy of what their defense looks like, what the rotations of that zone looks like. And people forget what they're supposed to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
It's a house of cards. Exactly. House of cards is the best way to put it. He's a house of cards. He's literally, if you remove Steph, now everyone's out of position. And the biggest thing about their defense, if you want to win by defense, you can't let these role players go off. Like Dante DiVincenzo cannot be that wide open.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
Nikhil Alexander Walker, he had both of them had 19 point, 20 point games during the regular season. Like we know they are the key to making sure that Minnesota doesn't go off. And tonight they were three of eight, both of them from three wide open threes. So I'm looking at this, Marcus, and I'm like, I'm kind of, if I'm the Warriors, I'm encouraged. Like, this was their best showing so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
And, excuse me, Nikhil Alexander-Walker went four of six. Nas and Dante went three of eight. But if this is their best showing so far, we, the Warriors, should still have a chance in this. What are your thoughts on that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
What about you? I'll give credit, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
12 days don't really necessarily solve. Unforgiving.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
Are the three teams that are behind the eight ball the Warriors, the Celtics, and Cleveland?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
Yeah, I think that that was like the main focus I had tonight. And I mentioned this on my social media. And I know a lot of people had comments around this. And you asked this question to Jimmy in the postgame presser about the weight and the expectation around playoff Jimmy. But I think that everyone thinks of playoff Jimmy and they only think of points produced.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
Oh, I guess the Cavs. Yeah, I don't know what's going on with Evan Mobley. Maybe Boston. All them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
I would say I feel the best about Boston because they haven't even, they haven't, been then.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
They think about the 50 point game. They think about the three triple doubles in his playoff career, the 20 double doubles. But.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
What it seems that the Warriors need right now out of Jimmy isn't tons of point production as much as it is better decision making within the offensive flow of the half court, clock management, understanding communication about what he's about to do and how that might open up things for other teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
When you ask him that question of the expectation of playoff Jimmy, one, what does that expectation look like to you observing him? And then two, what do you think Jimmy, because his response felt as if he's like, I play hard basketball, I play basketball the right way. It felt as if it was kind of flippant in terms of the concept of playoff Jimmy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
But what does playoff Jimmy mean to you and what he needs to do for this team right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
There's a whole wide open space right here. There's a mid-range. There's a mid-range. Get there. That's what it's called. Some people forget.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
That's the part that is fascinating to me is the consistent amount of fundamental basketball rules being broken of passing back into the defense, jumping in the air and mid air making passes. Like it's, it's like you have to get back to the let's jump stop folks or the
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
Let's pull up before the defense like it's it's it's weird aspects of Warriors basketball that's not being shown or that is being shown. That's like this is so uncharacteristic. And I'll say this, like Chris Mullen made a great point tonight on the Warriors postgame show where he said.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
if majority of the season i'm paraphrasing but if majority of the season you've played and practiced motion basketball and the last two months you've had to basically learn how to integrate iso that's not what you're known for and he really said for the last decade this is who warriors basketball has been and so you're seeing this weird morph of iso and motion happen without what you're saying marcus the gravity that has even allowed the motion
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
to be as effective as it is, which is Steph Curry for the last 10 years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
I'm trying to make it easy. Put Pat Spitzer on Gobert.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
I feel like tonight, like, I mean, I don't think that Minnesota has yet to play their best game. Like, I don't think tonight was a great Minnesota game. Was Minnesota good? Stop, wait, let me finish my thought. So tonight the problem was the two people you just mentioned, Nas Reed is always a problem, let's just be real.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
He's constantly scoring about 53% from the floor, 40% from three, like he's a thing. In these playoffs, Dante DiVincenzo and Nikhil Alexander Walker have both been shooting 30% from the floor, 18% from three, that's Dante DiVincenzo in the playoffs. Nikhil Alexander-Walker, 24% from the floor, 20% from three. Until tonight. Tonight, Dante DiVincenzo looked all world.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
And the funny thing is that he went three of eight, which is like 37%, but how many were wide open? Nikhil Alexander-Walker, same thing. It was swing, swing, and the Warriors forgot rotations. And we saw in game one, The zone worked. And we particularly saw in game seven of Houston that the zone worked, that 3-2 zone that they're doing works.
The Athletic NBA Daily
The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy Butler
But I think there's some truth to, and I believe it was Kenny Smith that really laid this out beautifully. When Ant Edwards went down and people had to kind of fill in around him, You're not filling in different roles, new roles. Nas Reed is still Nas Reed. Dante DiVincenzo is still Dante DiVincenzo. And you can go down the roster, up and down the roster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
Like, I mean, this is something that you almost were scared was going to happen to him. But knowing the fact that they already had two superstars out with injuries, it's awful to see. Now, what's good for the Sixers is that they do have Paul George trickling back into minutes, right? Even on his restricted night, he played 32 minutes in his first game out. Joel Embiid coming back. So it's not as if
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
I love the fact that in the article, you kind of talked about these teams as they do become many Disneyland's, like in the way that there's so many different revenue sources from fans, from merch, from food, from everything. But I think that's the part of the conversation that often gets forgotten, the fans and how they interact with this team and these teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And I'm particularly thinking about the media landscape. You're talking about that big deal that's coming. Everyone knows it's going to shift over next year. How does this impact the way that fans interact with their favorite teams? Because it's hard to watch. Like you're seeing people subscribe to one service to be able to see the rest of the league NBA league pass.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And then they have to have a separate subscription to be able to watch their team locally. That doesn't make sense. Like, how is this all going to come together where folks are being able to keep the value of their teams, but also keep the value of the fans that help drive that value up?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
This is going to be a long stretch of period of time with the Sixers not having any stars. It's just going to be really tough because what Maxie brings in terms of intensity, energy, general fun to what the Sixers do is so important for their chemistry on the floor. So yeah, it's going to be really tough and you're going to definitely see Kelly Oubre having to step up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
having a good time. You saw him like literally physically get into comfort mode. The first play of the game where he basically gets the ball from Collin Sexton, uses his activity up in the perimeter in his grill, gets a steal, takes it the other way, dunks it down. On the way back, he literally like adjusted his shoulders and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
It's if you're a basketball player, when you make that first shot and you're running back, you're kind of like, yeah, OK, I really did. You know what I mean? You physically saw that. And then he had that crazy chase down block. This is how you introduce yourself to a starting lineup. And I was really impressed with the way that he showed up. He did not cower in the moment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And yeah, it was a nice boost for how the Bucks have been playing. Y'all don't get too excited. I mean, this is the Utah Jazz.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And it wasn't only that he didn't have a lot of love. I mean, he did fall short in this game. Didn't quite have the comeback game that you probably want when you kind of see your ex, right? Sure, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And I look at the 76ers, I look at your article, looking at the way that Paul George has started, of course, with this injury, having to come back, trickle into it. If you're looking at this trade, you're like, all right, Clippers, maybe this was a win-win that they were able to get him off of the books and also not have to deal with an aging star.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
Do you think that the Clippers are still looking at this as a win-win situation? And is there a chance that they're regretting not getting assets in return?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And it was also like right before they re-signed their big players and came up against the second apron. They're going to start seeing some penalties because of that. Given the penalties, the potential financial constraints of re-signing those players. What's the challenge for whoever they do sell to?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
Like, are they going to be interested in taking on that much of a financial burden on top of potentially paying $6 billion for the Celtics?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
And they don't even own TD Garden, so they have to also pay for a place to play. This doesn't feel enticing. Is that coming up with you, Mike?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Clippers didn’t want Paul George | Celtics potential sale
Yeah, and this has been the discussion all season long of the fact that Tyrese Maxey has had to carry such a load without the superstars beside him in Embiid and George. Knowing that he's already at a usage rate of about 30%, that's a lot to carry on his own. He's had several games this season where he's playing 41, 48 minutes, even that overtime win. right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Absolutely not. Or maybe absolutely yes. I stayed home. I watched Red One. Guys, wonderful Santa movie that's actually an action movie. It was great. I clapped at the end. I was very impressed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
No, it's clear that he's adjusting to the game. The game's slowing down for him. That all makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
That's a whole other thing. But I know we just kind of slightly touched on Trace Jackson Davis. He's been exciting. I think his ability to just grow in aggression overall... I mean, he is now dunked on Rudy. He's dunked on Wemby. He dunked on Joel Embiid last night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
yeah what he's he did he banged on right i'm i want to see this like young man just grow into his game and he's so respectful about it even how he came down after mb he kind of just looked at him looked at the bench and went right back down the court he doesn't do too much like what do you think is the growth potential here for trace jackson davis within the warriors
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
It's a family show, Marcus. On that note, though, guys, if you haven't checked out Jonathan Kaminga's last Instagram post, go do it. The yellow suit is fire. Pictures in the passenger seat of cars. He needs more swag.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Yeah. Y'all are silly. There were so many plays that Joel Embiid was just out of position defensively, like not in help, not hugged up on his man, not in a lane, just like floating around, not doing what he was supposed to do. And I felt like that kind of had a ripple effect for the rest of the defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
But speaking of people that aren't necessarily always in the right position or may not be the right fit even, Paul George. What a setup. Yeah. What a setup, right? I mean, I look at this Paul George, like this has been the talk of this team since he returned from his injuries. Does he make sense on this team? You've now seen him over the course of this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
I would be very curious, Marcus, what you think about Paul George's fit with the Sixers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
I remember the Paul that played against the Warriors with the Clippers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
problematic enough that you probably rather see another team than them because i do think they can upset somebody but they can also lose you know in the gentleman's suite too like yeah or maybe they're playing and they lose to the chicago bulls or something weird like that happens i don't know they have to be christmas day 76ers that's it the team that beat the celtics like that's the level that they've got to be able to they can they can they have that little
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Now, Tyler Halliburton, we can't say might be back. Like, he's absolutely back. Particularly, November was a good month for him. But in December, he's shooting 10% better from the three. He's shooting way better from the floor. And also, his assists are up. Almost 10 assists per game in the month of December.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Listen, Giannis has all of Greece backing him right now. Greece is a small country. I don't want to hear that. Guess what? They're using VPNs. They're doing whatever they need to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
I am shocked. I shouldn't be shocked, but I'm shocked how much the fans have not put enough onus on winning. And I say that and I'm looking at this list and I see Donovan Mitchell at number two under the guards. But I'm like, where's Darius Garland? at all on this list. And I'm also wondering, Evan Mobley being so low and no Jared Allen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
So I'm just looking at the Cleveland being this like juggernaut going through the NBA and the fans being like, hey, let's get some of these guys who haven't been all-stars yet. Let's get them up on the list here. And no, no love.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Already, yes, it's been a few games in January, but already at 15 assists per game because he's just dishing them out as soon as he gets the ball. I'm loving the fact that he's back in his element. A lot of people had some questions after the Olympics of like, this guy was on the team. Like, was he one of those guys that got an A on the group project and didn't contribute?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
The Philippines, you guys got to wake up. I'll say the ones that help the voting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
The rest of the world's got to come in here. Come on, guys. We got to get this vote going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
He even said that about himself, right? But now you're starting to see this is why they put him in a Team USA jersey. He has been contributing. The Pacers are 7-3 in their last 10 games. All right. Yes, he's on the map.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Now, I'm going to give him a little bit of grace. He had a stomach illness. He was he's missed five games. His last game was his first game back after missing five games consecutively. And it was clear December 20th when he came back that he was still kind of dealing with whatever it was. His team put him down as return to competition conditioning.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
And as a person that remember what conditioning felt like after Christmas break. Yeah. Yeah. you're not going to immediately get back into it and feel up to date. So I'll give him a little bit of grace on that. He also said in his post game press conference that he doesn't want anyone believing that. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Even though he's putting up a lower volume of shots, that this indicates that he is not playing hard. He said, basically miss me with that. Like that's not the truth. And that's not the case. That is I can imagine that is hard to believe, especially considering the turmoil around him, this narrative around him that he wants out of Miami.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
As you mentioned, saying to reporters that he wants to be anywhere essentially than Miami. So it's it's tough, but. Let's be real. Him playing poorly is not going to help him in his case to get out of Miami. So he's got to pick it up some way, somehow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
And I think that once he gets back to his conditioning level and also now that this story is out there, I'm sure a lot more eyeballs are going to be out there and I'm sure a lot more conditioning is going to be happening for Jimmy Butler.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Now, Dave, come on now. Jason Tatum, clearly. Yeah, it was a rough game for Ant. But yeah, Jason Tatum. Let's start with the Celtics. Missoula ball. You can play Missoula ball when you shoot like you do. It's unreal. I mean, yes, Jason Tatum killed it, but his supporting cast between Derek White, Peyton Pritchard. I mean, everyone was just putting up numbers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
I just recently found out that Sam Houser going into the game against the Wolves was fourth in the NBA in three point percentage. You want to guess who was the top two and then number three? I think, is Torian Prince up there? No. So number three was Sam Houser's teammate, Luke Kennard.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
And then number one and two are the Curry brothers. Like when you've got that level of shooting on your team, just casually sitting around. Right. And this is coming off the bench. This is what Missoula is working with. Of course, it does. It makes sense to just keep putting the ball up from outside the arc.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Now, on the other end of the things, the Wolves, they don't quite have the same level of shooting. And that first quarter, they try to disprove that. Right. The amount of shots, how many threes were put up in the first quarter?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Alexander Walker, Breed. I mean, Breed hasn't really been struggling, but yes, the entire roster outside of Anthony Edwards was able to get their shot off, whether it was through their self-creation, whether it was dribble, drive, and kick out. There was production overall, but Anthony Edwards was doubled. I mean, Joe Mazzulla and crew, they played that amazingly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Jason Tatum continued to find another Boston Celtics teammate to trap around Anthony Edwards, leaving Julius Randle to do whatever he was doing in the post, figuring out shots in the corner, which was wonderful for the other players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
But it is not good when your star player, Anthony Edwards, is saying, it is hard for me to stay engaged because I'm passing the ball and having to retreat to the corner. Having to figure out what to do when I don't have the ball in my hands. Him saying that out loud is one thing. And then another thing to be able to see it on the film.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
That's the entire league be able to see like, OK, that's the game plan. Double Anthony Edwards and force the rest of the Timberwolves to figure it out on their own. Luckily, in this game, they were able to do it for a long time. But you're going up against the Celtics, so that's tough. But there are other teams out there that can figure out this double team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
You said Jordy Fernandez knows something about the Bucs that the rest of the league doesn't. I also think that Jordy Fernandez has something with the Nets that the rest of the league doesn't. And that's Cam Thomas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
cam thomas has been a factor in every single one of these games against the bucks and particularly he's just been cooking since he came back period he is so frenetic in the paint the way that he goes at the perimeter defense of the bucks who let's be real unless they have andre jackson jr out there or ryan rollins out there a little bit slower a little bit less of a first step than a cam thomas
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
He can get in the paint and he could put a shot up. And most importantly, he can get fouled. He can Laura Brooke Lopez out. He can do the things necessary to get his body into defenders. And that's what the bucks have not been able to handle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
It is scary. I've always said this. I've said this about John Moran. I've said this about any real big, like Steph Curry, you could say this about any big time NBA player. Anytime a player is smiling as they go to the bench or if they're going down the court, it's scary. You know what's scary about OKC? They do it as a collective.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
It was defense to offense, their perimeter defense, their activity, hands and everything, just being able to turn the ball over for the clips over and over again and then immediately Score that. And they're laughing. The bench is laughing. They're smiling down the court. Isaiah Hartenstein is getting dunks coming off of an assist from Jalen Williams. And they're smiling. They're laughing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
They're tapping each other up. This team has everything it takes to win big, to play a long season. And it comes down to the fact that they do it as a team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler has lost his joy | Steph Curry & Warriors roll Sixers
Well, you talk about the supporting cast. I think it was exciting to see Dennis Schroeder hit some shots. That's a big factor that he was able to get some offense going within what the Warriors do in the movement of the ball rather than having to set up half-court sets, pick and roll, sticking to the ball. What did you make of Schroeder's game tonight?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Brunson sends Pistons packing
At PwC, we build for what's next. So you can get there now. So you can protect what you built. So you can create new value. PwC. So you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Brunson sends Pistons packing
At PwC, we build for what's next. So you can get there now. So you can protect what you built. So you can create new value. PwC. So you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Brunson sends Pistons packing
At PwC, we don't just deliver ideas. We make them work. With the expertise and tech you need to outthink and outperform. And we work with you, alongside you, from start to finish. So you can stay ahead. So you can protect what you built. So you can create new value. We build for what's next. So you can get there now. PwC. So you can.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Brunson sends Pistons packing
PwC refers to the PwC Network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
on Biggs. Yes. Oh, I like it. Big on Biggs. Xena is big on Biggs. Yes, this is going to be like a love letter to Biggs because I feel like there's such an underappreciated part of the game these days. If you're not passing like Nikola Jokic or shooting outside like Joel Embiid or taking the ball up the court like Giannis Antetokounmpo, it feels as if they get forgotten and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
And you don't know how important a good screen being set is, Dave. So yes, big on bigs. Let's talk about my favorite bigs of the night. Starting out with Wimbinyama. And not just because he's French and I'm also French. No, no, no. But my Frenchman showed up tonight and he did not the previous night. I know you and S talked about this against Chet Holmgren.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Everyone had their eyes on that performance and he didn't perform. What I love about this game tonight against the Utah Jazz, in which the Spurs got their win. He came out and had a redemption game, a five by five game. Folks, five scored against points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, five steals, and four made threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
It's going to be really interesting to see if Franz Wagner can finally have like an all-star campaign and make up for all of the usage that Paolo Bencaro has. Apollo's averaging about a 30% usage rate and Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner are both under 30%. This is their opportunity to step up, start making some big shots, stop, start taking and filling the gap essentially that Ben Carroll's leaving.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
He is only the third person in NBA history to have multiple five by five games. This is a big impacting every level of the game. Of course, I'm going to pour out my love to him. Yes, he had an off night, but he bounced back. And no, his talent did not disappear overnight, folks. I've seen the comments. No, I absolutely have to give Webinyama his props. He showed up as a tremendous big.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
And yes, it's against the Utah Jazz that don't really have a big presence. But hey, doesn't matter. He showed up, did what he needed to do for his team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
He clunked some tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
It makes sense. It makes sense. When you're that big, you want someone trying to throw off your center of gravity. And that's exactly what Caruso is doing, being so low to the ground. And it makes sense. Sohan is not a shooter. So they're putting their center out on him and making Wemby have to handle ball, you know, ball picklers right under him as he's trying to dribble.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
And he's dribbling five feet high because he's so tall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
I know they got the loss. But Avisa Zubats. And he's been standing out to me. I think that's what you probably picked up in our group chat. Yeah, he's been great this season. He's been great. Just an amazing pick and roller with James Harden. You can see they've got their connection really going strong right now. He's a great finisher inside. You know, you actually pointed this out to me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
He screens well on the inside as well. And just a really clean player. Solid, typical post player, back to the basket, nice moves, and also really well conditioned. He plays a lot of minutes and is always efficient throughout the entire game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Uh, Xena, did you have any favorites? I have to go with Pascal Siakam. And he's been pretty good. He always like chooses like a musical act. This year, I know he did 50 Cent previous years. This year he did Andre 3000. The wig was wigging, had the full outfit. Also did like a music video to go with it for Hey Ya. I loved it. Great job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
You know what's really scary, Dave? Seeing a John Morant walk back to his bench early in the third quarter, smiling, laughing, having a great time, having a ball. That's exactly what he was doing out there. I mean, at one point in the game tonight, Dave, from his bottom, John Morant threw up an alley-oop to Zach Eaddy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Like, it was surreal how much fun and how quick-paced the Memphis Grizzlies were playing. They just fully overwhelmed the Bucs with their athleticism. And not always is that going to work, but it did against the Bucs because the Bucs looked disjointed on offense and defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
But it's nice to see that the Grizzlies are taking advantage of their youth, and they're absolutely taking advantage of their pace and their size. That two-man game, whether it was Aldama or Edie, Morant being involved, they couldn't stop it. There was nothing you could stop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Absolutely. And I would say that it wasn't just, it could have been just this game because yes, it is hard to track Morant and a Zach Eady in a pick and roll or an Aldama in a pick and roll. But we've seen this in their few games. We saw this against the Celtics. We've seen this throughout the season already where they just do not know how to stop head down dribblers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
And so I'm not sure what the adjustments are going to be, but Damian Lillard is going to have to pick it up. Gary Trent Jr. Is going to have to pick it up. Got to make a shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Devin Booker, 25 points in the second half and did it from all over the court. Mid-range, under the basket, outside, just found his shot. And it was surreal. I don't know what the history books say on being able to make that many shots in a row while also down. Remember, this team at the half allowed Clippers to score 70 points on them. That can hurt the ego. That can hurt the ego.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
So for them to come out that focused, that energized, that locked in to be able to hit that many shots, I mean, they deserved this win. Sucks for the Clippers that this is the second heartbreak that Phoenix has given them in their beautiful new arena, Intuit Dome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
I'm happy you brought up Jalen Green. We're going to talk about this, the decision to go small in a second, but Jalen Green has been a topic of conversation in terms of making the leap. Is he making the leap this year? Because it's one thing. Sure. You're averaging 28 points, et cetera. Your team isn't winning, but now you're averaging those points. You're closing out games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
You're making the big shots and you're getting big wins for your team. Is this the year for Jalen?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
I'm wondering if Alperin can potentially become a new Nikola Jokic in terms of being able to be a great passer. Because you talk about him being on the block. You want to have an inside-out game. He has the ability to pass. We saw it tonight. He averages about four assists a game. Do you think he can make that jump?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Facts. And sometimes he gets robbed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Booker scores 40; Suns scorch Clippers | Wembanyama 5x5
Yeah, Paolo Bencaro is really at the core of everything that the Magic do offensively. Not only is he a shot maker in his own right, being able to get dribble drives into the basket and find a shot outside. He also is a playmaker for his team, averaging almost six assists.