1
00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,600
Speaker 1: All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the Volume.

2
00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:18,599
Speaker 1: Have you Wednesday, everybody. I hope all of you guys

3
00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,239
Speaker 1: are having a great week so far. I'm actually recording

4
00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:23,439
Speaker 1: this on Tuesday night. We've got a lot of series

5
00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,919
Speaker 1: previews to get to this week, and I was wide

6
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:27,960
Speaker 1: away because I figured, Hey, why not just knock out

7
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,760
Speaker 1: Lakers Grizzlies right now? So that's the series we're gonna

8
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:32,519
Speaker 1: be diving into. You guys know the drill before we

9
00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,199
Speaker 1: get started. Subscribed to the Volumes YouTube channel so you

10
00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,880
Speaker 1: don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me at

11
00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,919
Speaker 1: Underscore Jason lt on Twitter so you guys don't miss

12
00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 1: any show announcements, as well as any other video breakdowns

13
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,519
Speaker 1: that we'll be doing during this playoff run. And for

14
00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:47,320
Speaker 1: whatever reason, you guys miss one of these videos and

15
00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,680
Speaker 1: you can't get back over to YouTube to finish, don't forget.

16
00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,400
Speaker 1: You can find them wherever you get your podcasts under

17
00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,000
Speaker 1: Hoops Tonight. And last but not least, you guys have

18
00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,520
Speaker 1: heard me talk about Game Time, the fastest growing ticketing

19
00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,200
Speaker 1: app in the United States. If you're looking to get

20
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,480
Speaker 1: out to an NBA game or a baseball game or

21
00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,240
Speaker 1: an NHL game, a concert, or a comedy show. Game

22
00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,800
Speaker 1: Time has amazing last minute deals on tickets to all

23
00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,880
Speaker 1: of these. So if you're looking to see your favorite

24
00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,039
Speaker 1: NBA team play in the playoffs, game Time has a

25
00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,559
Speaker 1: deal for you. If your favorite artist is touring around

26
00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:19,200
Speaker 1: the country. My favorite guitar player, blues guitar players, John Mayer,

27
00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,160
Speaker 1: he's playing his last tour with Dead End Company this summer.

28
00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,080
Speaker 1: I highly recommend you, guys check that out. If you're

29
00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,760
Speaker 1: into blues guitar, game Time is gonna find you a

30
00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,680
Speaker 1: deal on that as well. You're gonna get a great seat,

31
00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,119
Speaker 1: You're gonna get a great deal. The app is super

32
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,680
Speaker 1: user friendly. They've taken amazing care of me, and they

33
00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,440
Speaker 1: know they'll take amazing care of you guys. So no

34
00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,760
Speaker 1: matter where you live, get out and have some fun

35
00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:41,600
Speaker 1: this week. Download the game Time app and to your

36
00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,000
Speaker 1: email and or deem code Hoops for twenty dollars off

37
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,800
Speaker 1: your first purchase. Terms apply again and to your email

38
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:53,240
Speaker 1: and the code hoops. That's h Oops for twenty dollars off.

39
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:58,760
Speaker 1: Download game Time today, last minute tickets, lowest price guarantee.

40
00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,160
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk some basketball. So a couple of

41
00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,200
Speaker 1: quick series notes before we get into the weeds. The

42
00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,840
Speaker 1: Grizzlies are a minus one thirty favorite. I had I

43
00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,320
Speaker 1: predicted during our live instant reaction last night that'd be

44
00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,720
Speaker 1: very close, a very slight favorite one way or the other.

45
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,720
Speaker 1: Turns out the Grizzlies are a slight favorite. I think

46
00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:19,680
Speaker 1: that makes some sense. The Lakers are playing some sloppy

47
00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,480
Speaker 1: basketball coming into this series. The Lakers did win the

48
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,800
Speaker 1: season series two to one. All three games were weird,

49
00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,600
Speaker 1: and the first one Anthony Davis was out. The Lakers

50
00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,200
Speaker 1: were playing this weird group with Lebron and a bunch

51
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,800
Speaker 1: of the pre deadline guys, and they had this wild

52
00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,560
Speaker 1: fourth quarter comeback to come back and win. And then

53
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:41,040
Speaker 1: in the second game, it was in Memphis post deadline,

54
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,040
Speaker 1: but Lebron wasn't playing and they didn't quite have enough

55
00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,480
Speaker 1: shot creation. John Morant and had this massive third quarter

56
00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,119
Speaker 1: and the Grizzlies one. And then they played one additional time,

57
00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,840
Speaker 1: this time at Crypto com Arena. No Lebron or John Morant,

58
00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,160
Speaker 1: and the Grizzlies didn't have enough shot creation and the

59
00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:00,280
Speaker 1: Lakers won a low scoring affair at home. Stephen Adams

60
00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,800
Speaker 1: and Brandon Clark will both miss the entire series, So

61
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,040
Speaker 1: there's a lot of pressure on Jaren Jackson in particular

62
00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,919
Speaker 1: in this series to play a lot of minutes and

63
00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,600
Speaker 1: to avoid getting into foul trouble against the Lakers team

64
00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,239
Speaker 1: that is great at drawing fouls. One of the big

65
00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,280
Speaker 1: this is very important, especially as we head into this

66
00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,560
Speaker 1: series because it's a narrative right now. A big story

67
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,440
Speaker 1: coming out of that Minnesota game last night was the

68
00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,840
Speaker 1: free throw differential. I think in the fourth quarter in

69
00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,440
Speaker 1: ot the Lakers took seventeen compared to just three for

70
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,639
Speaker 1: the Timberwolves, which was a Mike Conley foul right right

71
00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:36,520
Speaker 1: at the buzzer and at the end of the fourth quarter,

72
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,200
Speaker 1: right And this has been a theme throughout the entire

73
00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,680
Speaker 1: season this last half of the season, as teams have

74
00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,200
Speaker 1: been hyper focused on the Lakers and their free throw differential.

75
00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,800
Speaker 1: It is extremely simple. The Lakers are the best team

76
00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,840
Speaker 1: in the league at getting to the free throw line.

77
00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:55,920
Speaker 1: They lead the league and free throw attempts per one

78
00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,520
Speaker 1: hundred possessions, and they are the best team in the

79
00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,080
Speaker 1: league gets stopping other teams from getting to the free

80
00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,080
Speaker 1: throw line. They allow the fewest free throw attempts per

81
00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,680
Speaker 1: one hundred possessions. They are the only team in the

82
00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,000
Speaker 1: league that is good at both. As a result of that,

83
00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,120
Speaker 1: they have a massive free throw differential compared to other

84
00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,360
Speaker 1: teams around in the league. There's not a single other

85
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,680
Speaker 1: team in the league who's top five in both categories.

86
00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,200
Speaker 1: There's so at the end of the day, just naturally

87
00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,560
Speaker 1: they're gonna have a bigger advantage there. I thought Ben Taylor,

88
00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,599
Speaker 1: some of you guys know him from Thinking Basketball, he

89
00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:31,159
Speaker 1: did a whole thing on this when this was a

90
00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,359
Speaker 1: big story a couple weeks ago. But it really just

91
00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,840
Speaker 1: has to do with the way this particular season has

92
00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,240
Speaker 1: played out. This Lakers group and their free throw differential

93
00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,960
Speaker 1: isn't even in the top fifteen for teams in this century.

94
00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,960
Speaker 1: So from twenty twenty to twenty twenty three, or excuse me,

95
00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,760
Speaker 1: from the year two thousand to twenty twenty three, there

96
00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,200
Speaker 1: have been sixteen NBA teams that had better free throw

97
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,200
Speaker 1: differentials than the Lakers. It just so happens in this

98
00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,240
Speaker 1: season the Lakers are the only team that are good

99
00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,039
Speaker 1: at both. And that's why it looks funky what happened

100
00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,599
Speaker 1: in that game last night. In the fourth quarter, the

101
00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:10,000
Speaker 1: Lakers started switching everything, which shut down all of Minnesota's

102
00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,680
Speaker 1: driving lanes. They played much better at the point of attack,

103
00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,320
Speaker 1: and so Minnesota was just passing the ball around on

104
00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,680
Speaker 1: the perimeter and jacking up late clock threes. That's not

105
00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:20,960
Speaker 1: going to draw a foul. Meanwhile, on the other end

106
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,080
Speaker 1: of the floor, it's Lebron, it's Dennis Schroder, and it's

107
00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,719
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis just barreling to the basket every single time,

108
00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,960
Speaker 1: initiating a ton of contact. The Lakers have a lot

109
00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,279
Speaker 1: of guys who are good at getting to the foul line,

110
00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,720
Speaker 1: and defensively, they defend without fouling, which is mostly a

111
00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:38,480
Speaker 1: coaching thing. It's something that coaches preach at every level

112
00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,360
Speaker 1: of basketball. So don't buy into that particular narrative. Doesn't

113
00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,120
Speaker 1: make any sense if the league was rigging games for

114
00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,720
Speaker 1: the Lakers. I promise you they call that foul when

115
00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,400
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum is driving, When Lebron's driving to the basket

116
00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:52,680
Speaker 1: and Jason Tatum hacks him, I promise you they call

117
00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,080
Speaker 1: that foul. When Lebron James is driving to the basket

118
00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,760
Speaker 1: and Christian Would hacks him at the buzzer, I promise

119
00:05:57,800 --> 00:05:59,919
Speaker 1: you they call that foul. And Joel embiad Is grabbing

120
00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,320
Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook's arm right in front of the ref on

121
00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,080
Speaker 1: the final possession of the game. If they were trying

122
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,320
Speaker 1: to rig games for the Lakers, they're doing a horrible

123
00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,160
Speaker 1: job of it. It's not a conspiracy, it's just a talent.

124
00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,039
Speaker 1: It's a skill that the Lakers have that no other

125
00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,360
Speaker 1: team in the league has right now, and that's why

126
00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:20,000
Speaker 1: they have that particular advantage Memphis, for example, fifteenth and

127
00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,960
Speaker 1: getting to the line, fourteenth and stopping teams from getting

128
00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,360
Speaker 1: to the line. So guess what, the Lakers are probably

129
00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,880
Speaker 1: going to win the free throw differential battle throughout this

130
00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,560
Speaker 1: entire series because Memphis is extremely average at it and

131
00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,000
Speaker 1: the Lakers are literally the best at it. So it'll

132
00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,320
Speaker 1: be a narrative again throughout this series. But remember what's

133
00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,680
Speaker 1: happening with the basketball. This is a team that is

134
00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,680
Speaker 1: great at this specific skill. All right. Like we did

135
00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:46,440
Speaker 1: with our other series previous, we're gonna focus in on

136
00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,520
Speaker 1: some major matchups that could go one way or another. First,

137
00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,960
Speaker 1: can the Lakers guard Ja Morant? The Grizzlies have super

138
00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,440
Speaker 1: straightforward matchups for Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Right, Dylan

139
00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:01,719
Speaker 1: Brooks is going to guard Lebron probably every minute that

140
00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,000
Speaker 1: he's on the floor. Jaren Jackson Junior is gonna guard

141
00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,599
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis probably every minute that he's on the floor. Now,

142
00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,000
Speaker 1: who knows if those guys will do a good job, right,

143
00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:11,160
Speaker 1: they could get into foul trouble Lebron and ad or

144
00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:13,200
Speaker 1: two of the best players in the league. Right, So

145
00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,440
Speaker 1: they might end up losing that matchup anyway. But the

146
00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,280
Speaker 1: athletically and from a size and physicality standpoint, those matchups

147
00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,440
Speaker 1: make pretty good sense. With the Lakers starters, they don't

148
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,400
Speaker 1: have a player that naturally matches up with John Morant

149
00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,160
Speaker 1: very well. That's just a fact, right. Dennis Schroeder is

150
00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,360
Speaker 1: somebody they have on the bench that can do it,

151
00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,760
Speaker 1: but D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reeves they're not going to

152
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:37,440
Speaker 1: be able to stay in front of John Morand I

153
00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,240
Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised if if you saw if you saw

154
00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,720
Speaker 1: darvinham try throwing Jared Vanderbilt at him on some occasions,

155
00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:47,560
Speaker 1: just to see if he can. But they don't really

156
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:51,000
Speaker 1: have a straight up matchup that can do well guarding

157
00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,240
Speaker 1: John at the point of attack. That's just a reality.

158
00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,560
Speaker 1: So they need to do two things in particular to

159
00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,440
Speaker 1: counteract that. And by the way, John Morand is averaging

160
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,480
Speaker 1: thirty one points per game against the Lakers this year

161
00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,480
Speaker 1: in two games, albeit somewhat inefficiently. In their one big win,

162
00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,400
Speaker 1: which is post deadline without Lebron, John Morand had this

163
00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,760
Speaker 1: magnificent third quarter. I can't remember exactly how many he had,

164
00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:13,880
Speaker 1: you a twenty something in the quarter. But they had

165
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,160
Speaker 1: an extended stretch where they just couldn't do anything with

166
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,760
Speaker 1: John Morand. And so they're gonna have to figure out

167
00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,640
Speaker 1: how to contain John Morand in this series. Again, two

168
00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:23,560
Speaker 1: things that I think they need to do. First of all,

169
00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,400
Speaker 1: play Dennis Schroeder as many minutes as he's capable of playing.

170
00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,880
Speaker 1: He doesn't need to start. And it doesn't even need

171
00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,600
Speaker 1: to come at the expense of Austin and Dilo, because

172
00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,960
Speaker 1: you gotta remember, there's ninety six minutes available at the

173
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,960
Speaker 1: two guard positions, right, So Austin and Dilo can both

174
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,439
Speaker 1: play thirty two minutes and there's still thirty two minutes

175
00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,960
Speaker 1: they're available. So what I would do is I cut

176
00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,880
Speaker 1: Malik Beasley potentially entirely out of the rotation to play

177
00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,800
Speaker 1: Dennis as much as possible, And what I would do

178
00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,720
Speaker 1: is I'd start with your normal starters. I'd bring Dennison

179
00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,400
Speaker 1: as the first sub, like around the six minute mark

180
00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:01,640
Speaker 1: for probably Delo right so you can run Delo with

181
00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,200
Speaker 1: the bench group, and then the rest of the game,

182
00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:08,560
Speaker 1: I would mirror Dennis's shifts with Jah Morant's minutes so

183
00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,240
Speaker 1: that you can keep him on jaw as much as possible.

184
00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,800
Speaker 1: Dennis Router is not some Ja Morant elixir that's going

185
00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,559
Speaker 1: to solve that problem entirely, but he's the lakers best

186
00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:19,240
Speaker 1: point of attack defender. He's one of the better point

187
00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,480
Speaker 1: of attack defenders in the league. And at the very least,

188
00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,800
Speaker 1: he's gonna make things more difficult on JAB and that

189
00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,080
Speaker 1: is a big that goes a big step towards making

190
00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,680
Speaker 1: it so he doesn't get as aggressively downhill into the

191
00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:35,040
Speaker 1: teeth of the Laker defense. Secondly, the Lakers need to

192
00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,360
Speaker 1: find a way to make Ja Morant play in a

193
00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,840
Speaker 1: crowd when he does get downhill. This is a major

194
00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,640
Speaker 1: matchup piece that I like for the Lakers because Memphis

195
00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:46,960
Speaker 1: is one of the worst spot up teams in the league.

196
00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,880
Speaker 1: There are only three teams in the entire NBA that

197
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:55,200
Speaker 1: are worse at converting spot up possessions than the Memphis Grizzlies,

198
00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,120
Speaker 1: the Atlanta Hawks, the Houston Rockets, and the Charlotte Hornets.

199
00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,520
Speaker 1: Those are the only three teams. They are twenty seven.

200
00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,400
Speaker 1: They convert spot up possessions at less than a point

201
00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:05,760
Speaker 1: per possession. Now, they brought in Luke Nard to confront

202
00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,439
Speaker 1: this a little bit, but it goes beyond just shooting

203
00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:10,360
Speaker 1: the ball. We saw this when we were talking about

204
00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:12,960
Speaker 1: Isaac Accorro and the Calves and their spot up players

205
00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,440
Speaker 1: converting spot up possessions. Part of it is knocking down

206
00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,560
Speaker 1: open threes, but a lot of it is attacking closeouts,

207
00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,200
Speaker 1: especially in the NBA, because teams are so dialed in

208
00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,040
Speaker 1: defensively that a lot of times higher level clothes at

209
00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:27,880
Speaker 1: attacking is what allows you to convert spot up possessions.

210
00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,560
Speaker 1: For example, there's a late play I think it was

211
00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,480
Speaker 1: in OT or late fourth quarter of that. I think

212
00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,040
Speaker 1: it was in the OT actually of that Lakers grizz

213
00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:40,200
Speaker 1: Lakers Timberwolves game. Ruey hot Chamura catches in the right corner,

214
00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,559
Speaker 1: He pump fakes, shooter goes by him, he gets downhill

215
00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,240
Speaker 1: into the lane. It takes a step back in the lane.

216
00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:48,120
Speaker 1: He ended up missing it went in and out kind

217
00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:49,800
Speaker 1: of a toilet, bowled around the rim and came out.

218
00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:55,000
Speaker 1: But it was like a high level step back ten footer.

219
00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,080
Speaker 1: That was actually like a pretty damn good shot. And

220
00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:01,040
Speaker 1: the shot that Ruey Hotchimura's hitting at a high clip

221
00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,760
Speaker 1: this season around fifty percent and out of a great

222
00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:08,800
Speaker 1: defensive possession from Minnesota. So you get a pretty damn

223
00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,640
Speaker 1: good shot out of a great defensive possession because of

224
00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,320
Speaker 1: high level of closeout attacking, counting catch and shoot threes

225
00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,400
Speaker 1: and everything they do attacking off the dribble. In those

226
00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,600
Speaker 1: closeout situations, the Grizzlies are converting those at less than

227
00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,640
Speaker 1: a point per possession. That's a legitimate problem for this

228
00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,720
Speaker 1: particular team. That is going to allow the Lakers to

229
00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,160
Speaker 1: load up in the paint. It's also going to put

230
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,640
Speaker 1: it's also gonna put the Grizzlies in a pretty difficult predicament.

231
00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,240
Speaker 1: I'm really curious to see how Taylor Jenkins confronts this

232
00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,840
Speaker 1: issue because they're gonna have a classic conundrum of weighing

233
00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:46,839
Speaker 1: size and athleticism versus offensive skill. My guess is that

234
00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,720
Speaker 1: when the chips are down in this series, Taylor Jenkins

235
00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,600
Speaker 1: is gonna go with offensive skill, especially with how good

236
00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,640
Speaker 1: this Laker defense can be and some of their weaknesses

237
00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:57,720
Speaker 1: at the point of attack. The guards are the weak

238
00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,880
Speaker 1: point of the Laker defense, right, so I expect them

239
00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:06,040
Speaker 1: to go with John Morant, Tias Jones, with Desmond Bane,

240
00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,160
Speaker 1: Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson. That gives them the best

241
00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,800
Speaker 1: combination of keeping their two best defenders on the floor

242
00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,440
Speaker 1: while also having a great amount of offensive skill on

243
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:18,920
Speaker 1: the floor. Right Tyas Jones brings a little bit more

244
00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,800
Speaker 1: of a methodical approach to his high pick and roll

245
00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,920
Speaker 1: attack compared to what John Morant does. Here's the problem there.

246
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,400
Speaker 1: Three of those guys are six five and under and

247
00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:33,680
Speaker 1: Dillon Brooks's six six. As a matter of fact, post deadline,

248
00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,960
Speaker 1: the Grizzlies are twenty twenty fifth in rebounding post deadline,

249
00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,360
Speaker 1: and the Lakers are fourth in rebounding. So what used

250
00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,960
Speaker 1: to be an outstanding rebounding team for the Memphis Grizzlies

251
00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,800
Speaker 1: is now one of the very worst rebounding teams in

252
00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:54,520
Speaker 1: the league. Because that's what happens when you remove guys

253
00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:58,000
Speaker 1: like Steven Adams and Brandon Clark from the equation Brandon

254
00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,000
Speaker 1: Clark in particular because Steven Adams he was gonna be

255
00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,559
Speaker 1: a guy that wasn't gonna play a ton of minutes

256
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,800
Speaker 1: anyways in the playoffs. He's a guy that can be

257
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,440
Speaker 1: exploited in a lot of ways, right, But although it

258
00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,160
Speaker 1: just getting two shifts out of him usually helps, Brandon

259
00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:17,600
Speaker 1: Clark was this other versatile athletic forward, especially next to

260
00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:19,720
Speaker 1: Jaren Jackson. When the two of those guys would play

261
00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,120
Speaker 1: together this year, they were kicking team's asses. I want

262
00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,520
Speaker 1: to say they were like ten points positive per one

263
00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:26,760
Speaker 1: hundred possessions with the two of them on the floor together.

264
00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,280
Speaker 1: Taking him off the floor and having to slide Dylan

265
00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,400
Speaker 1: Brooks down into that power forward position, or having to

266
00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,760
Speaker 1: go with a limited offensive player like a guy like

267
00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,199
Speaker 1: David Roddy or a guy like or going big with

268
00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:40,120
Speaker 1: a guy like Xavier Tillman, which I expect him to

269
00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,240
Speaker 1: start with Xavier Tilman, but it'll probably be a one

270
00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,880
Speaker 1: shift player each half. But it's gonna put them in

271
00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,560
Speaker 1: that conundrum of which way they're gonna go. They're gonna

272
00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,679
Speaker 1: be able to pack the paint, especially against the starters,

273
00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:54,760
Speaker 1: and they're going to even in their best lineups help

274
00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,760
Speaker 1: heavy off of Jaren Jackson and help heavy off of

275
00:13:57,840 --> 00:13:59,800
Speaker 1: Dylan Brooks, and I think that's going to allow them

276
00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:04,360
Speaker 1: to make things more congested for John Morand, but it's

277
00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,840
Speaker 1: going to be at the expense of conceding shots to

278
00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,719
Speaker 1: Brooks and Jaren Jackson. And they've been shooting the ball

279
00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,480
Speaker 1: pretty well lately last fifteen games in the regular season,

280
00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:15,000
Speaker 1: Dillon Brooks thirty eight percent from three, Jaren Jackson forty

281
00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,079
Speaker 1: two percent from three, So they might be able to

282
00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,160
Speaker 1: shoot them out of that coverage. But Battle one, can

283
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,840
Speaker 1: they contain John morand keep Dennis Schroeder on him as

284
00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,840
Speaker 1: much as possible, clogged the pain as much as possible?

285
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:29,560
Speaker 1: Battle number two is that rebounding battle. Can the Grizzlies

286
00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,800
Speaker 1: hold up under the physical onslaught of Lebron James and

287
00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:42,120
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroeder again with those smaller lineups, Say,

288
00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,120
Speaker 1: for instance, you go with the closing lineup that the

289
00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,120
Speaker 1: Lakers went with tonight, So Dennis Schroeder doesn't matter if

290
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,080
Speaker 1: it's Schroeder Dlow, but it's called Schroeder Reeves and then

291
00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:54,280
Speaker 1: Ruby hotchmurro Lebron James, Anthony Davis, that's seven foot six nine,

292
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,840
Speaker 1: six nine. So if you go with Jaren Jackson, Dillon Brooks,

293
00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,760
Speaker 1: Desmond Bain, that's what's Sharon Jackson six eleven six eleven

294
00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,880
Speaker 1: six six six five. That's why that group has not

295
00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:13,280
Speaker 1: rebounded well after the deadline, and so as a result,

296
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,360
Speaker 1: they're going to have to figure out how to weigh

297
00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:17,880
Speaker 1: that gap because if they just like we saw with

298
00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:21,560
Speaker 1: Atlanta Miami today, even if you get more stops, or

299
00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,440
Speaker 1: i should say last night, even if you get more stops,

300
00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:26,680
Speaker 1: if you get bludgeoned on the glass, you will lose

301
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:31,880
Speaker 1: the series. And again, you can go big with Xavier Tillman,

302
00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:34,600
Speaker 1: but he's not a good defensive player and he kind

303
00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,840
Speaker 1: of jinks things up even worse for them Offensively. The

304
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,880
Speaker 1: Grizzlies are five point two points better per one hundred

305
00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:42,280
Speaker 1: possessions this year when Xavier Tilman is off the floor.

306
00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,320
Speaker 1: So Taylor Jenkins is gonna have a challenge on his

307
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:48,240
Speaker 1: hands to try to figure out how to contend with

308
00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:52,200
Speaker 1: that physical back and forth. I want to credit Memphis

309
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,320
Speaker 1: because they've still somehow been eighteen and ten post headline

310
00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:57,960
Speaker 1: despite the loss of those guys, And it really comes

311
00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,840
Speaker 1: down to a handful of things. They're still defending really well.

312
00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,840
Speaker 1: They're eighth in defense over that span. They're the best

313
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:06,600
Speaker 1: team in the league at taking care of the basketball

314
00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:08,840
Speaker 1: over that span, so credit to Ties Jones and John Morand.

315
00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,400
Speaker 1: And they're winning their clutch basketball games. I want to say,

316
00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,560
Speaker 1: they're nine and five in games that have been within

317
00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,200
Speaker 1: five points in less than five minutes remaining, So they're

318
00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,000
Speaker 1: grinding out wins. This has kind of subtly become a

319
00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,960
Speaker 1: team that has a lot of winning characteristics, and again

320
00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:25,960
Speaker 1: that's gonna happen. This is two consecutive years now where

321
00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,280
Speaker 1: the Grizzlies have just won a shit ton of basketball games.

322
00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:30,560
Speaker 1: So as much as we talk trash about them and

323
00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:32,280
Speaker 1: make fun of Dylan Brooks for talking all the shit

324
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,240
Speaker 1: that he does and all the John Morante stuff, these

325
00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,240
Speaker 1: are some winners here. Now it's a different level. They

326
00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,440
Speaker 1: have to stamp that with playoff success, but they have

327
00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:46,560
Speaker 1: some talent there. This particular matchup, though, presents some physical

328
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,520
Speaker 1: issues for them. Again, the Lakers are a team that

329
00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,040
Speaker 1: is going to relentlessly attack you in the paint. They

330
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:53,960
Speaker 1: are going to drive the ball to the rim, they

331
00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,160
Speaker 1: are going to back you down in the post, they

332
00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,560
Speaker 1: are going to draw fouls, they are going to attack

333
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,840
Speaker 1: the offense of glass and so that's a battle I

334
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,119
Speaker 1: expect the Lakers to win convincingly over the course of

335
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,040
Speaker 1: the series because every step they take to try to

336
00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:13,639
Speaker 1: mitigate the lakers physical advantages makes them easier to guard.

337
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,399
Speaker 1: And just ask the Timberwolves who literally the Timberwolves in

338
00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:22,040
Speaker 1: the last eleven minutes of that game made two field goals,

339
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:29,000
Speaker 1: an uncondes an uncontested Anthony Edwards run out dunk, and

340
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,080
Speaker 1: an Anthony Edwards little four foot shot in the lane

341
00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,119
Speaker 1: with less than twenty seconds left in ot when the

342
00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,960
Speaker 1: game was over. Those were the only buckets they got

343
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,360
Speaker 1: in eleven minutes of game time. When this Laker unit

344
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:46,200
Speaker 1: locks in defensively, they capitalize on your lack of offensive skill.

345
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,480
Speaker 1: Taylor Jenkins is going to have to go with his

346
00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,840
Speaker 1: most skilled offensive players. If it's not Tis Jones, maybe

347
00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:55,040
Speaker 1: it's Luke Canard, I'm not sure. But whatever they do there,

348
00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:58,360
Speaker 1: they're going to open themselves up to be exploited physically.

349
00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:02,920
Speaker 1: All right, two other matchups I want to talk about.

350
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,000
Speaker 1: What will the Lakers be able to do to counter

351
00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,040
Speaker 1: the double teams of Anthony Davis. This has become one

352
00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,119
Speaker 1: of the biggest stories for the Lakers lately, and I

353
00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,040
Speaker 1: actually said in the play in preview that this is

354
00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,320
Speaker 1: my biggest thing that I'll be watching with the Lakers

355
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,640
Speaker 1: in this postseason run. When Ad starts to get double team,

356
00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:23,560
Speaker 1: the team just goes away from him. It's a big

357
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,440
Speaker 1: part of why his scoring has been down. And so

358
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,800
Speaker 1: I have three things that I think the Lakers can

359
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:33,600
Speaker 1: do to help Anthony Davis and his struggle with double teams.

360
00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:39,000
Speaker 1: First of all, have Anthony Davis attack quickly. When you

361
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,439
Speaker 1: attack quickly, it's before the double team gets there, and

362
00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:44,560
Speaker 1: there's usually like the double team is gonna come and

363
00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,520
Speaker 1: try to close gaps on you right but it's a process.

364
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,399
Speaker 1: If you catch and go right away, you might be

365
00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:51,920
Speaker 1: able to get through there before the gap closes. It's

366
00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,040
Speaker 1: a reckless move. There's gonna be more turnovers, there's gonna

367
00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:57,840
Speaker 1: be more offensive fouls. But by barreling into the lane,

368
00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:59,440
Speaker 1: he's also going to draw fouls to get to the

369
00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,080
Speaker 1: free throw line, and he's going to collapse the defense

370
00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,879
Speaker 1: and create easier kickout opportunities. When he gets passive and

371
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:08,840
Speaker 1: pulls back from the double team, they pressure him, and

372
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,760
Speaker 1: then he doesn't make the kill pass and he makes

373
00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:12,920
Speaker 1: that easy kickout pass of the perimeter, which gets them

374
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:16,760
Speaker 1: into a more of a traditional closet attacking situation rather

375
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:20,480
Speaker 1: than the pass that beats the double team. So going

376
00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:22,760
Speaker 1: quickly is the first thing that I would do to

377
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,800
Speaker 1: try to confront that problem. Number two will do something

378
00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:31,560
Speaker 1: off the basketball to make Anthony Davis's reads easier. A

379
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,440
Speaker 1: lot of m NBA teams refer to these as help beaters,

380
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,680
Speaker 1: but it's some kind of action or movement to help

381
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:42,680
Speaker 1: your double teams player have an easier outlet. So, for instance,

382
00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,360
Speaker 1: backscreening out of the dunker spot. So what a lot

383
00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:49,280
Speaker 1: of teams will do is they'll ignore the weak side

384
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,320
Speaker 1: corner and the guy in the dunker spot will the

385
00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,560
Speaker 1: guy who's guarding him will be the guy who doubles

386
00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,359
Speaker 1: and he'll go hard at Anthony Davis. So then the

387
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,639
Speaker 1: guy guarding the weakside corner will come into the lane

388
00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,760
Speaker 1: to guard the guy in the dunker spot. So by

389
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,880
Speaker 1: being the guy in the dunker spot and screening that guy,

390
00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,879
Speaker 1: you make it so that he can't close out to

391
00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,480
Speaker 1: that skip pass in the corner. So that's a help beater.

392
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,520
Speaker 1: So having Jared Vanderbilt backscreen that man so that he

393
00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,640
Speaker 1: can't close out to Austin Reeves. Then you tell Anthony Davis, hey,

394
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,160
Speaker 1: that skip passes there. Even if it's looping, he won't

395
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:27,880
Speaker 1: be able to close out to it. Right. Another thing

396
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,400
Speaker 1: is flashing to the middle. Ruy Hatchamurg is really good

397
00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,240
Speaker 1: at this, for instance, and the guys are really good

398
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,359
Speaker 1: at doing it with Lebron because Lebron hits him every

399
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,680
Speaker 1: single time. But flashing to the middle of the floor

400
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:41,760
Speaker 1: is another place where you'll find an opening. And then lastly,

401
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,800
Speaker 1: relocating as a shooter. So when you see Anthony Davis

402
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,480
Speaker 1: looking around trying to find something in the double team,

403
00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,560
Speaker 1: the other three guys defensively are playing three on four,

404
00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:52,680
Speaker 1: so they're not really guarding a man so much as

405
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,879
Speaker 1: they're in a zone ready to close out to guys. Right,

406
00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,600
Speaker 1: So relocating goes a long way towards creating a better

407
00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:04,760
Speaker 1: window for him to throw a pass. Two. But last,

408
00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:10,200
Speaker 1: but not least, just keep going to him. Just because

409
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,480
Speaker 1: he's getting double teamed and you're not getting the easiest

410
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,560
Speaker 1: kickout pass in the world doesn't mean it's not a

411
00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:19,840
Speaker 1: positive possession. There was a play I'm trying to remember

412
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,560
Speaker 1: exactly what happened, but there was a play in the

413
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,560
Speaker 1: first half of this game where Anthony Davis got doubled

414
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,840
Speaker 1: on the left block in the Timberwolves game and he

415
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:29,720
Speaker 1: didn't make the kill pass. He made a kickout pass

416
00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:31,800
Speaker 1: right to the wing, but they ended up swinging it

417
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:37,960
Speaker 1: around and still got a bucket out of it. Anthony

418
00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:41,080
Speaker 1: Davis double teams this year are still resulting in one

419
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,160
Speaker 1: point one eight points per possession. That's solid considering how

420
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,760
Speaker 1: bad it looks. Sometimes AD is not good at it.

421
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,879
Speaker 1: But the reality is is this is a skilled roster

422
00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:55,200
Speaker 1: and if you buy them opportunities to attack close out,

423
00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,800
Speaker 1: so they'll further the advantage and they'll make a play.

424
00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,240
Speaker 1: So even if he does struggle a little bit with

425
00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,400
Speaker 1: the double team, keep going to him. It's worth almost

426
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,280
Speaker 1: one point two points. Don't just go away from it

427
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,679
Speaker 1: just because it doesn't feel fluid and natural to you.

428
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,720
Speaker 1: Last matchup, I have my eye on who can execute

429
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:19,000
Speaker 1: better at the end of close games. Again, decision making

430
00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,000
Speaker 1: is gonna play a huge role in this series. It

431
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,440
Speaker 1: always does. But these are two outstanding defensive teams and

432
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:29,720
Speaker 1: so these are gonna be rock fights and Both of

433
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:32,600
Speaker 1: these teams have winning records in clutch situations this year,

434
00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,920
Speaker 1: but it's really gonna come down to Lebron James versus

435
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:40,320
Speaker 1: Jamrand and who can make better decisions down the stretch

436
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,879
Speaker 1: of these games. Lebron has been a little bit up

437
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,320
Speaker 1: and down in the clutch the last couple of years.

438
00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,040
Speaker 1: It's a product of a bunch of different things, but

439
00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:50,680
Speaker 1: mostly injury. Lebron is is a rhythm player. When he's

440
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:52,639
Speaker 1: like locked in and in rhythm and he's got all

441
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:54,840
Speaker 1: of his little pull up jump shots going, and his

442
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,119
Speaker 1: legs are strong and he's in shape, like he can

443
00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,520
Speaker 1: be a master closing games, and saw that in the

444
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:04,359
Speaker 1: twenty twenty bubble, for instance, and every year before that.

445
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 1: But when he's out of rhythm and he doesn't trust

446
00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:10,199
Speaker 1: his shot and he doesn't have his legs underneath him,

447
00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:13,200
Speaker 1: he can be a little clunky, and he'll make decisions

448
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,159
Speaker 1: similar to the way he would if he was in

449
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,959
Speaker 1: great rhythm, so taking difficult shots or dribbling the air

450
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,560
Speaker 1: out of the basketball, or trying to drive to the

451
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,200
Speaker 1: basket when he doesn't have an advantage like Lebron will

452
00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,960
Speaker 1: make some mistakes like that, and then John Moran is

453
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,200
Speaker 1: just a textbook young player, right, So who's gonna win

454
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,600
Speaker 1: that matchup? My guess, says Lebron, But John Morant winning

455
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,639
Speaker 1: that matchup at the end of games could go a

456
00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:39,960
Speaker 1: long way towards giving Memphis a chance to win the series.

457
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,000
Speaker 1: I'm picking the Lakers and win this series in six games.

458
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,359
Speaker 1: They've been the better team in almost every facet of

459
00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,359
Speaker 1: the game post headline. They have the two best players

460
00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:51,160
Speaker 1: in the series. If your ranking players in the series

461
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:55,440
Speaker 1: or going Anthony Davis, Lebron James John Moran. We talked

462
00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,240
Speaker 1: about this a little bit yesterday when we were covering

463
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,200
Speaker 1: the Warriors, but I'm a big believer in the best

464
00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,240
Speaker 1: player in the series having a swing factor in basketball

465
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:08,040
Speaker 1: games in playoff series, particularly because games are ugly, they're

466
00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:12,760
Speaker 1: rock fights, and having superstar talent that can squeeze advantages

467
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,000
Speaker 1: out on both ends of the floor usually are the

468
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,960
Speaker 1: difference in these games. They also have a massive size

469
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:20,840
Speaker 1: advantage with the loss of Clark and Adams, like we

470
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,240
Speaker 1: talked about earlier, and there are several metrics that bode

471
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,080
Speaker 1: well for LA. I'll read through these again. I went

472
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:28,320
Speaker 1: through most of these in the show, but I'll read

473
00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:30,680
Speaker 1: through them again, the Lakers are the third best fourth

474
00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:32,520
Speaker 1: quarter team in the NBA by net rating and the

475
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,960
Speaker 1: Grizzlies are the fifth worst. So as a team, the

476
00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,280
Speaker 1: Lakers execute better. The Lakers have the sixth best clutch

477
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,920
Speaker 1: defense in the NBA post deadline, the Grizzlies are fifteenth,

478
00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:45,760
Speaker 1: the Grizzlies are twenty fifth, and rebounding post headline, the

479
00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:48,480
Speaker 1: Lakers are fourth and the Grizzlies are twenty seventh, and

480
00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:52,280
Speaker 1: spot up efficiency the Lakers are sixteenth. I think it's

481
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,879
Speaker 1: a good matchup for the Lakers and a good opportunity

482
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:56,480
Speaker 1: for them to tighten up a bunch of things if

483
00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,320
Speaker 1: they're serious about making the title run. I still think

484
00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:00,960
Speaker 1: the Lakers can to win a title. We're going to

485
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,600
Speaker 1: do our picks tomorrow, but I'm leaning towards not picking

486
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,440
Speaker 1: them because I think they just have too many ways

487
00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:10,040
Speaker 1: that this can go wrong, and I don't think they're

488
00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,679
Speaker 1: the appropriate amount of locked in. We'll circle back to

489
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,639
Speaker 1: that after this Grizzlies series. If they win convincingly and

490
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,440
Speaker 1: they tighten up a bunch of things and Lebron looks great, hey,

491
00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,119
Speaker 1: I could be back on board. But right now I

492
00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:23,919
Speaker 1: think there are some safer bets. But this Grizzly series

493
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:25,760
Speaker 1: is a good first round matchup for the Lakers, a

494
00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,680
Speaker 1: series they can win, and a good opportunity for them

495
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,720
Speaker 1: to get back to playing a championship brand of basketball,

496
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:34,800
Speaker 1: just like we did with the other series. How can

497
00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,880
Speaker 1: the Grizzlies win? John Morante needs to be the best

498
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,400
Speaker 1: player in the series. If Lebron James and Anthony Davis

499
00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:42,600
Speaker 1: are as good as they are, the only way you're

500
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,360
Speaker 1: overcoming that is if it's Jaws the best, and then

501
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,879
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis and Lebron. John needs to outplay those guys.

502
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,200
Speaker 1: I think a big factor here would be the whistle.

503
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 1: And I'm not talking about it from the standpoint of cheating.

504
00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:59,160
Speaker 1: We just talked about this earlier. But John Moran's extremely

505
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,520
Speaker 1: difficult to keep in front, and we've seen an NBA history.

506
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:04,600
Speaker 1: My favorite example is Dwayne Wade in two thousand and six.

507
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,000
Speaker 1: But really quick guards that beat everybody off the dribble.

508
00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:11,520
Speaker 1: Sometimes they enter into a phase of just absurd advantage

509
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,240
Speaker 1: creation where the rest just don't know what to do

510
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,600
Speaker 1: with them. And if he just starts beating everybody off

511
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:19,720
Speaker 1: the dribble getting to the foul line NonStop, that could

512
00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:21,280
Speaker 1: go a long way towards him being the best player

513
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,040
Speaker 1: in the series. Desmond, excuse me, Dylan Brooks and Jaren Jackson,

514
00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:27,080
Speaker 1: they need to be able to stay out of foul

515
00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:33,679
Speaker 1: trouble again. Jaren Jackson is throughout his career struggle with

516
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:35,560
Speaker 1: foul trouble. Brooks has struggled a little bit as well,

517
00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:38,520
Speaker 1: and they just don't have the depth to be able

518
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,159
Speaker 1: to handle those guys not being on the floor. So

519
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,000
Speaker 1: they need to be able to defend without fouling. And

520
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 1: they need to be able to shoot the ball well

521
00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:47,680
Speaker 1: from three because the Lakers are going to dare them

522
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:53,160
Speaker 1: to do so. Desmond Baine has to provide legitimate secondary

523
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,600
Speaker 1: shock creation. We found out last year that he doesn't

524
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,320
Speaker 1: really create off the bounce very well in this playoff setting,

525
00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,040
Speaker 1: albeit he was dealing with some back issues. They need

526
00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:04,359
Speaker 1: really good secondary shot creation from him in this series.

527
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,520
Speaker 1: As a unit. Desmond Baine, Luke Nard Ties Jones, and

528
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:12,919
Speaker 1: Dylan Brooks have to compete on the glass because I

529
00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,080
Speaker 1: do think that Taylor Jenkins is going to go small

530
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,040
Speaker 1: and that's the only way they can hang with the

531
00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,840
Speaker 1: Lakers physically is if those guys really compete on that end.

532
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,040
Speaker 1: If all those things go well, Memphis absolutely can win

533
00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:27,320
Speaker 1: this series. I think a big bell weather for them

534
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:28,720
Speaker 1: is I think they need to go up two oh.

535
00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:31,280
Speaker 1: They need to put real pressure on the Lakers to

536
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:34,480
Speaker 1: have to win at Crypto dot Com Arena, especially because

537
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,040
Speaker 1: I think Lebron's gonna get stronger as the series progresses

538
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,119
Speaker 1: and he gets in better shape and he starts to

539
00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,080
Speaker 1: tie off some things with his skill set. All right, guys,

540
00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:43,840
Speaker 1: that is all I have for today. As always, I

541
00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,240
Speaker 1: sincerely appreciate you support. We'll probably have one or two

542
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:51,000
Speaker 1: more series previews coming out in the next before the

543
00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:52,480
Speaker 1: end of the day. We also have that video with

544
00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,560
Speaker 1: Carson coming later this afternoon. As always, I appreciate you guys,

545
00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:22,000
Speaker 1: and I'll see you later today. The volume