WEBVTT - Who is the Finals MVP, Game 3 Adjustments, Lakers Coaching Latest 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:08.080 Welcome into NBA Pulse production of iHeart Rating in the NBA. 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:11.000 I'm Sarahustak, NBA analyst for the Yes Network, and today 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:15.400 is Tuesday, June eleventh. From our extraordinary core group of 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:18.240 NBA journalists, were joined now by NBA dot Com Senior 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:22.120 writer Steve Ashburner. Ash, you've been on planes. I don't 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:24.520 know if you've been on trains, but you have been 0:00:24.600 --> 0:00:28.560 covering this final series going from Boston. Now you're in 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:32.520 Dallas getting set for Game three that will take place 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:37.920 on Wednesday at eight thirty pm Eastern on ABC. ASH 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:41.200 Boston with this two oh series lead, they have been. 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:45.000 They were dominant in Game one and pretty much the 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:48.320 same there despite a little bit of a run towards 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.520 the end by Dallas, but overall they have very much 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:56.560 looked like the better team right away. Let's get to it. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:59.320 There's been a lot of talk. We know about Boston, 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.160 how good they been in the regular season, what they've 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.720 done in rolling through the postseason, about the completeness of 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:07.920 their team. They are a complete team, but do it 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:09.920 on both ends of the floor. We're seeing it offensively, 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.600 we're seeing it defensively, We're seeing it from multiple players, 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:18.200 everyone contributing in a way that it's not just about 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:22.959 star power, it's about balance. So who is your MVP? 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.640 I know we're only two games in, but Boston two 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:29.560 games away from closing this thing out. Who is your 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:31.759 MVP at this point of the finals? 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:35.000 Yeah, Hi, Sarah, you know it's it's not too soon 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:39.400 because this is a constant topic, whether it's a finals 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:44.720 MVP or a Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP, or 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:47.560 just over the course of the season, which is who 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:50.160 is the most valuable Celtic. It seems like it's a 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:53.680 big deal. There is, And maybe that's a byproduct of 0:01:53.720 --> 0:01:57.240 a really deep, talented team, is that people want a 0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:01.560 pecking order. And you know, Tata and Jason Tatum and 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:03.720 Jaylen Brown have been together for so long. I mean 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:06.960 they are, in essence the pillars of that team, and 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:10.640 people have always measured one against the other. And so 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:15.120 I mean even Jason Kidd just did that, and I 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:17.840 look at it. You know, sometimes the media tries to 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:20.560 be too clever by half. I'm the kind of guy 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:23.000 who looks at sort of the inner game and the 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:27.560 impact of a of a player more than just his stance. 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:31.200 And if I were casting a vote at this point, 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:34.079 I would vote for Drew Holliday. I think that in. 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:36.639 Both those games, as I was hoping, we maybe had 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:37.560 different answers. 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:40.519 Oh well, maybe we should just for the dynamic here. 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:44.120 But you know, great mind stake alike. I just think 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.400 that you know, when you when you drill down and 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:49.200 you look at what they needed in any given moment. 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:53.160 In Game two, particularly, it was the scoring and Tatum 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:57.960 shooting was off again. Drew Holliday makes, you know, very 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:02.760 clutch baskets. He can bail out possessions. There was a 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:06.520 stretch in the third quarter where I wrote about it 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:08.919 on our site as the turning point of the game. 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.480 Jason Kitty called the time out with about five minutes 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:14.720 left in the third quarter. His team had gone from 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.400 down two to down six, and then over the next 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.359 two minutes out of that timeout, Dallas went down from 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:24.600 down six to down twelve. And you know, Drew Holliday 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:27.200 scored two of the buckets during that stretch. He got 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.360 it on a break after Jaln Brown steel And then 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:35.080 to finish that stretch, Jason Tatum was doubled and sort 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:36.960 of in no man's land, and all of a sudden 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:39.800 Drew Holliday cuts to the basket, Tatum shovels the ball 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:42.360 over and it's a layup, and Jason Kidd is calling 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:45.360 a second time out in a matter of two minutes, 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:48.119 and it just seemed like the lead went to double digits. 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.880 That gave the Celtics control enough that they could weather 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:55.240 that fourth quarter run and still be five points up. 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:58.720 So Drew Holliday knows what it takes. He won with 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:04.240 Milwaukee back in twenty twenty one. He's he's important at 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.840 both ends. I mean he started out, you know, on 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.040 well defensively, I mean they can put him on anybody, frankly. 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:16.360 So to me, he's my he's my MVP because he's 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:20.040 a role player, because he willingly sacrifices. He calls himself 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:22.920 a utility man. If you're if you're going to look 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:28.159 at the so called stars, I think Jaylen Brown probably 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:30.480 would would would win that award if he came down 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:32.880 to him and Tatum right now. But I really think 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:39.039 the criticism of Tatum has gotten rather silly. You know, 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:43.880 he's playing a well rounded game, he seems willing to sacrifice. Yes, 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:49.160 he's shooting has been very bad, but you know, Kobe 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:51.920 missed a lot of shots too. I'm not comparing him. 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:54.400 I'm just saying that a guy can can achieve a 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:57.960 lot even as he misses shots. And so I just 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:01.760 think the you know, there's still opportunity obviously in this thing. 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:04.080 The Celtics have to win too. It could go five 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:09.720 more games for Tatum to straighten out a shot. But yeah, 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:11.320 that's how I would rank them. I guess right now 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:15.279 is Holiday Brown. And you know you can't ignore a 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:16.800 guy that has the ball in his hands as much 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:17.440 as Tatum. 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:21.240 I'm one hundred percent with you on the rankings. And 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:25.039 I can't say enough about Drew Holliday. Have always been 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:28.560 a huge fan of his, the disposition he brings to 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:32.760 the floor, how he obviously competes not only defensively, but 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:35.240 we're seeing it offensively. And you look at the fact 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:38.760 in game two, twenty six points, eleven rebounds, had zero turnovers, 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:42.080 he was highly efficient from the field. I think there's 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:45.680 so many aspects of his game that he has impacted 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:50.240 why they're up to oh so, without a doubt he 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:52.840 at this point would get my vote. But to make 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:54.400 a little bit of a case to your point about 0:05:54.839 --> 0:05:58.320 Jalen Brown in Jason Tatum. A lot of what they're 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:01.280 doing is opening up the floor for teammates. You know 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:03.840 that so much of the defense is predicated on trying 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:06.360 to slow them down, in particular Jason Tatum, And I 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:10.960 agree with you on the Tatum dialogue and kind of 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.240 dissection of how he's been playing. Has shot then off. Absolutely, 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:16.720 Is this a time when your best players and one 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:19.640 that you think is all NBA should be on the 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:23.200 biggest stage at their best. Yes. However, you look at 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:26.640 Dallas has been double teaming him, you know, Jason Kidd 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.360 and the coach is tossing doubles on him, blitzing him, 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:30.760 trying to get the ball out of his hands. If 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:33.240 that doesn't tell you just the respect they have for 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:36.360 what he can do offensively. And Jalen Brown his ability 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:38.960 to get downhill, get to the front of the rim, 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:41.719 open up the floor. I think there's so many things 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:47.360 that he obviously is contributing and orchestrating in why Boston 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.640 is playing the way that they are and also defensively, 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:52.960 same type of deal. But I am with you at 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:54.920 this point. It'll be interesting to see how things play 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:58.080 out in this next game, Game three, and also just 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:02.039 as a series continues. But with that being said, there's 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:04.520 another piece to the starting lineup, ash that we know 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.880 has been hugely important, and we saw it in Game one. 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:12.400 Kristaps Porzingis, after missing ten games in the postseason with 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:16.560 a calf injury, made his return. He put on a 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.560 show quick. He has twenty points in twenty minutes in 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:22.680 that game one. Game two comes away with twelve points. 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:25.440 He did play twenty three minutes, but it appeared that 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:30.600 he reaggravated his calf after the game. Joe Missoula, as 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:33.640 you would anticipate, said he has zero concerns. He'll be fine. 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:37.200 I think Kristap said something about the effective He'll die 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:39.200 on the court and they'll take a look at it. 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:42.000 But he'll be playing in game three. But that is 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:44.680 still something and whether he is available to play he's 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:49.200 been coming off the bench or otherwise. A lot of it, too, 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.600 is just how he looks, how he's moving when he 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.000 is out there, if he is out there. So do 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:59.080 you have any one perspective on his impact? But two 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:02.280 just an in general, if you have any updates or 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:05.600 information on how he will be and what the prognosis 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:06.040 looks like. 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:11.040 Yeah, no updates you know, there was no media availability. 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:14.600 The teams weren't available to us yesterday. On a travel day, 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:18.160 we will head over there, you know, you go over 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:21.720 there this morning and then find out what the latest is. 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:26.440 And even that, I mean you're talking thirty hours until 0:08:26.960 --> 0:08:30.560 the game, however long it is, and you know, a 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:34.240 lot of healing can go on or therapy whatever. Now, 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:36.600 obviously the reason they kept them out as long as 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:39.560 they did is because it's a serious injury, that initial 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:43.920 CAF strain, and if this is an aggravation of that, 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:49.400 it could reset the clock. That would be sort of 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:52.599 the worst case scenario for the Celtics if it's the 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:54.480 kind of thing that he can get back to where 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:57.640 he was for the start of Game one, if not 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:01.760 by Wednesday night, maybe by Friday night. I mean, they 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:04.600 have a two game cushion right now, and if you 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:07.000 were going to air on the side of caution, you know, 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:11.200 maybe you don't use him in Game three. They went 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:15.520 nine to one without him in the postseason while he 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:19.480 was out in the in the previous rounds. I mean, 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.480 the hand people talk about. You know, Boston had a 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:24.959 little bit of an easy road right as they missed 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:28.040 Jimmy Butler in the first round, Donovan Mitchell was hurt, 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:30.240 he got hurt for a couple of games in the second. 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.440 Then it was Tyre's Halliburton well. Throughout a lot of that, 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:37.320 Boston was playing without Christoppas presented, So if you want 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:39.520 to downgrade what they accomplished, you have to factor in 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:41.600 that they were missing a key part of their team, 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:44.720 and we saw in game one what a difference he 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:48.080 can make. He's particularly important against Dallas because of their 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.600 bigs and the ability to clock things up in the 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:55.200 in the paint. Certainly, Derek White had a nice block 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:59.800 at the rim late in game two of PJ. Washington, 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.800 But if you have Prezingas on the floor, he's a 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.640 natural rim protector, So that matter is there as well. 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:10.920 You look at Dallas's lob dunks way down from what 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:15.760 they're accustomed to winning with, and when they don't have 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:18.400 that going, when they don't have the corner threes, you know, 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:21.080 it makes a big difference in their office. So we'll see. 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:24.160 I mean, you know, these calf strains have become sort 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:31.920 of the the second most important or concerning injury because 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:34.880 we've seen we saw with Kevin Durant that the calf 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:37.720 strain led to the Achilles tear. That was the concern 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:41.040 with Giannis when he didn't participate at the very end 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:43.440 of the season and in the in the books first 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.640 round is that you know he had a calf strain 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.800 and they weren't going to risk the Achilles. So same 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:52.719 thing with porzingis. I mean, if they think that it 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:56.880 could be a domino from calf to Achilles, I'd hate 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:58.760 to think we've seen the last of them. Obviously, the 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:02.880 rhetoric after game was that, like you said, he said 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:05.040 he would die on the court. Achilles doesn't kill you, 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:10.240 So I think could kill the Achilles, but it would 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:13.760 be okay, I guess if he's willing to take that chance. 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:16.200 But I'm sure they don't want to do it. And 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:19.959 if it's a different numerically, you know, being up to 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:23.520 zero versus being down oh two, So we'll see. 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.000 Yeah, And that's the question. And I think to the 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:30.080 point about that there's different injuries that playing through is 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:33.480 one thing, pain tolerance is another thing, but actually putting 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:37.640 yourself in harm's way of a very severe injury that 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.120 not only can I pact you right now in this series, 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:43.200 but you think about even next season and just big 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:46.800 picture looking at it. I'm sure that's something that obviously 0:11:47.040 --> 0:11:49.960 they will be taking into consideration. But you said it game, 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:53.199 this is a big game. This isn't a game that, yeah, 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:54.960 Boston is sitting here with a two to zero lead, 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:59.040 but the tenor of those series shifts in the final 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:02.120 shifts very quickly if this becomes three to zero as 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:05.480 opposed to two to one in Dallas getting an opportunity 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:08.600 to come back home. They have not shot the ball 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:12.800 well short of Luka Doncic and Dancic has had a 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:16.839 lot of seemingly uncharacteristic turnovers. His numbers have looked good, 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:19.760 but overall he just needs help. And the guy that 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.000 you anticipate, you hope, you expect to help him will 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.520 be Kyrie Irving a huge part of why they got here, 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:28.480 and he has struggled and whether you want to look 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:32.160 at the history between him and the Boston Celtics organization 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:34.200 and if any of that played a factor in the 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:39.240 environment in TD Garden, but it's it's been a tough 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:41.880 sledding for Kyrie. In Game one he had twelve points, 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:45.160 twelve to twenty six. He was zero five from three. 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:49.480 Game two, sixteen points, didn't hit a three point shot 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.600 as well, seven of eighteen from the field. You can 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:54.719 probably say that about both teams though struggling from the 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.679 three point line. But it's looked at he has not 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:00.080 looked like himself. He has not looked like how he 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.920 has looked throughout the course of the postseason, in particular 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.160 for a player who has talked about a lot of 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:09.000 having been here, having done that, having that experience, needing 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:13.640 to help the others along the way, what do you 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:18.240 think the biggest concern should be and has been about 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:20.360 the play of Kyrie And how do you think that 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:21.880 changes here for Game three? 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:24.800 Well, I'll tell you I want to almost cut him 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:27.200 a little slack because, you know, for everything we heard 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:32.440 about Luca and Kyrie being the best offensive backcourt in 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:36.440 NBA history, right now they're making Boston look like it 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:40.840 has the best defensive backcourt in NBA history with Holliday 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:43.800 and Derek White. Now, those guys did finish on the 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:47.440 second team All Defensive Honors, and they could have been 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:49.720 first team. You know, the way voters voter could have 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:54.800 easily flipped that makes a difference. But yeah, I mean 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:59.199 this is this is Kyrie's time he has said it essentially, 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:02.400 and it makes total sense. They would not be here 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:08.400 without the symbiosis of Kyrie and Luca and how they 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:11.760 learned to play off each other, and how what a 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:13.520 lot of us thought was going to be a battle 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:16.520 for the ball and a my turn year turn situation 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:23.920 has become much more cooperative and room for each Luca 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:29.440 being willing to indulge Kyrie's hot streaks and get the 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:31.480 most out of those guys. They wouldn't be here now 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.280 if that wasn't the formula, and if that's not going 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:36.160 to be the formula now, they're not going to win 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.880 a championship or even extended, you know, to six or 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.760 seven games. Kyrie, I thought for sure, would bounce back 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:48.040 better in Game two. He's he seems to have a 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:52.120 knack for not stacking up bad games. He can have one, 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:56.000 but then he's he's pretty much on point. Didn't happen. 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:58.680 He got a credit Boston's defense for that. I think 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:02.920 the switching coverage and everything else they're they're throwing at 0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:06.160 those guys has has taken away some of what Kyrie does. 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:08.880 He's still a great finisher. He still can make plays 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:14.040 that that dazzle you. Know, creative shot maker, but he 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:16.960 hasn't hit a three pointer yet in the series, and 0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:20.400 so you know the pressure is going to grow on him. 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:24.480 Being home will help until it hurts, because at some 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:26.440 point the fans are going to get a little bit antsy. 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:30.360 If this becomes three games that Kyrie's off, it's going 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:31.960 to be off the hard to turn it around then 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:36.640 if Dallas obviously, if they go down three, nobody's won yet. 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:38.960 And while that is going to happen one of these years, 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.480 I don't see this Dallas team as being the team 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:43.320 that's going to dig out of an O three hole. 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:47.240 So it puts so much pressure, so much attention on 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:48.280 the Wednesday night game. 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:53.680 With that being said, Ash, what are your predictions for 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:55.400 the outcome of Game three. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.600 I actually think Dallas will win Game three. I think 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.520 they will get a bump from being home. I think 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:05.640 Kyrie will play better. Uh you know, we saw we 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:10.320 saw Luca walking around pre game two like a mummy. 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:13.800 I mean he had re wrapped, he had his torso wrapped. 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:18.120 You know, if two days uh two off days by 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:21.920 Wednesday night, that should help. There's only one day in 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:26.000 between Games three and four, so better to use the 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:29.880 rehab time now, and I think I think the role players, 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:35.680 guys like Derek Jones Jr. And And Derek Lively, Daniel Gafford, 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:39.360 those guys will be much more comfortable at home and 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:42.360 and two one series. I mean, it's it's so important, 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:44.560 you just you can't dig into that O three hole. 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:47.960 And I think the urgency for Dallas will will mean 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.240 a lot. Now that said, I would expect if that 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:54.920 happens for Boston to Game four. Boston hasn't lost on 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:58.280 the road in these playoffs. Uh, They're able to handle 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:03.240 that stuff very very well well, and you know that 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:05.159 that might be enough if they come in that they 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:07.360 you go and expecting a split, they could they could 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:10.679 go for the sweep. But if they do that and 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:14.640 drag Dallas back to Boston for game five minutes three 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.440 to one, Like I said, I don't think this Manvericks 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:22.760 team is capable of flipping the script to that degree now, 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:24.680 not based on what we've seen so far. 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:29.320 As I'm with you, I would go with Dallas. I 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:31.479 don't think this will be a sweep. I think they 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:34.120 end up getting this one, but I do think Boston 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:38.960 will ultimately close it out. However, I think this is 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:41.680 going to be big games on the side of both 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:45.400 Kyrie and Jason Tatum. I think those are two players 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:48.600 who historically, and you look at how they play, have 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:53.680 not stacked together as many games of shooting inefficiently and poorly. 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:55.800 I mean, you could even say that about Boston for 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:57.760 as much as we're talking about Dallas, and I do 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:00.399 believe this is going back home, especially some of the 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:04.680 complimentary players, role players, bench players coming in and being 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:06.480 a little bit better. I do think that will happen, 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:10.720 and shooting better and all that. Game two, Boston shot 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:13.560 just under twenty six percent from three. They're not a 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.120 team that ten to thirty nine from the three point line. 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.639 I anticipate that will be better. But I do think 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:23.080 that Dallas will ultimately find a way behind Luca and 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:27.000 behind Kyrie to pull off Game three. But I think 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:28.560 also you're going to see I think it's going to 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:30.679 be a tight one, and I think that's where it 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:34.199 goes back to us talking about closers and having closers 0:18:34.240 --> 0:18:36.800 and what Luca and Kyrie can do. I think we'll 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:42.440 see more of a closely played game and Dallas just 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:44.920 pulling it off at the end, being there at home. 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:47.880 But I do think this is where we've talked about. 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:50.959 Tatum does so many things on the floor, and despite 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:53.439 not shooting the ball well, I think this is a 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:57.720 game that he will come back to knocking down shots 0:18:57.720 --> 0:18:59.680 in the way that we are accustomed to seeing him. 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:02.800 It's a great point, serily, because I think the conventional 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:06.400 wisdom on this series going in was, you want, if 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:08.760 Boston is going to win, they're gonna need a bigger 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:11.920 cushion late in games. If the game is close, then 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:15.520 you know you're gonna fear what Don't and Irving can do. 0:19:16.080 --> 0:19:18.280 And while Game two got down to five, there wasn't 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.720 much time left at that point, it was just about 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:21.320 a minute. 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:25.240 Don't as Dallas fans talking about that that push from 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:28.919 behind Jaylen Brown, Derek White on PJ. Washington But no, 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:29.960 but I feel you, and I. 0:19:30.080 --> 0:19:33.439 I think Boston has had enough of a lead that 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:35.560 they haven't had to worry so much about those late 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:40.800 game heroics, and just a closer game would bring out 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.280 the best I think in the Mavericks. 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:47.000 Yeah. I think we may see that in Game three. 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:50.720 Some other news, we've had some other news happening about 0:19:50.760 --> 0:19:54.439 the NBA in regards to a team not still playing 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:56.480 in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers were going to 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:59.160 get to their coaching search and the latest right after 0:19:59.200 --> 0:20:11.639 this welcome back to NBA Cal Sarakustak joined by the 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:15.560 great Steve Ashburger and Ooh ash Oh Lakers trying to 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:18.760 put it together get a head coach. We've seen reports, 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:23.240 We've heard reports. This has been ongoing since their season 0:20:23.359 --> 0:20:26.679 ended and they decided to part ways with Darvin Ham 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.920 and the latest was that Danny Hurley was their guy. 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:33.640 They had been targeting him. He flew out to Los 0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:38.400 Angeles over the weekend and made a decision on Monday, 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:42.920 and his decision was to stay at Yukon to go 0:20:43.000 --> 0:20:47.360 for that third straight national championship. He's built just an 0:20:47.359 --> 0:20:51.600 extraordinary legacy already, it feels like with the Huskies. But 0:20:51.640 --> 0:20:54.080 that leaves the Los Angeles Lakers back to the drawing 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:58.879 board and been some names that have still been out there. 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:01.480 We've heard about James Rego, We've of course heard a 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:04.719 lot about JJ Reddick, some others that they will bring in. 0:21:05.119 --> 0:21:08.399 What's your What was your reaction I should say to 0:21:09.280 --> 0:21:12.240 Hurley deciding to stay at Yukon and more so on 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:16.119 the side of rejecting the Lakers offer and what's next 0:21:16.119 --> 0:21:17.080 for the Lakers. 0:21:17.680 --> 0:21:19.439 Yeah, it was interesting, Sara, because I was on a 0:21:19.480 --> 0:21:22.560 flight with a lot of NBA media people yesterday and 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:25.080 while there was a lot of sleeping going on, initially, 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:29.119 once somebody, i mean there was Wi Fi available, So 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:34.119 once somebody saw that news of Hurley's decision, all of 0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:36.720 a sudden, the laptops are coming out. People are firing up, 0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:39.800 you know, their ex app and and trying to figure 0:21:39.800 --> 0:21:41.800 this out. And then of course a lot of chatter too, 0:21:41.920 --> 0:21:46.600 because let's face it, there was skepticism about the whole 0:21:46.720 --> 0:21:51.080 thing from the get go. The fact Adrian Wojnarowski who 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:55.199 broke that story of Hurley being a candidate and breaks 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.200 all kinds of stories which are you know, very much legitimate, 0:21:59.320 --> 0:22:03.480 but he has a particular relationship with the Hurley family. 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:06.800 He had written a book about Bobby and Danny Hurley's dad, 0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:12.000 you know, a renowned coach, high school coach out in Jersey, 0:22:12.440 --> 0:22:16.200 And so it seemed like, wow, almost like an almost 0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:18.600 like an inside job, and you wondered whether this was 0:22:18.920 --> 0:22:22.600 and coming on the heels of Gino Arama getting a 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:26.320 contract extension, it seemed like maybe this is a little 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:28.600 bit of leverage for Danny Hurley to make sure he 0:22:28.680 --> 0:22:33.080 gets the deal he's seeking from Yukon. So a lot 0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:39.040 of skepticism, and yet I mean, the pieces all seemed 0:22:39.040 --> 0:22:42.679 to have proven out that the Lakers did look at Hurley, 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:47.000