WEBVTT - Eastern Conference play-in tournament preview 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:13.640 On this episode of the Heat Check, it's playing time. 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:16.720 We've got two down, two to go. We're bringing in 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:19.119 some heavy hitters to help us shake things out for 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:22.240 the Sixers versus the Heat Game. We're joined by my guy, 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:28.080 Spike Eskin, my former boss at WFAN in New York 0:00:28.680 --> 0:00:32.640 and currently the drivetime host on WIP in Philadelphia. I 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:34.760 think he might be the only guy in Philadelphia who 0:00:34.840 --> 0:00:37.320 actually likes me. He also hosts the Reis to Ricky 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:41.320 Sanchez Podcast, a very top NBA pod in the market. 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:43.280 He'll also give you all the tea that you want. 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:44.120 About the Sixers. 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:47.320 We also grab my also guy, Lawrence Holmes, the top 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:51.520 rated Bernstephen Holmes Rido show on WSCR The Score in Chicago. 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:54.040 He will help us make sense of the Hawks versus 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:57.360 Bulls game. So much to get into. Let's not fuck around, 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:15.520 Anthony drop that motherfucker beat should be Well, the Western 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.360 Conference just got a lot more clarity after the Tuesday 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:21.720 night games. The Lakers took down the Pelicans in the 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.600 seven eight game and what was an absolute awesome battle. 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:28.560 Lakers ran off to a huge lead. Well first and foremost, 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:30.640 it was very back and forth. Pelicans went up then 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.920 the Lakers had a huge lead, up by thirteen fourteen points. 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.880 Then Zion and the Pelicans battled back and made it 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:41.400 tight down the stretch. We were fucking tied with under 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:43.959 a minute ago, and then I don't know, it was 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:46.440 like a phantom injury. Zion ends up going to the 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.240 locker room, scored his fortieth point, and then all of 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:51.440 a sudden goes to the bench and then I'm seeing 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:53.400 him walk to the locker room. The Lakers did not 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:56.960 look back. It took a four point win in New Orleans. 0:01:57.120 --> 0:01:59.360 They have booked a date for the second straight year 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:04.240 with the Nuggets Night Night sleep mask Probably Nuggets in four, 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:08.200 not gonna lie Lebron was incredible. Anthony Davis was pretty clutch. 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.520 Delo looked like the best player on the court for 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:11.320 long stretches. 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:12.079 Who could have. 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:14.760 Thought thought was gonna happen in the nine versus ten 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:19.800 Also magic, we saw, not like the Orlando magic, but 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.160 we saw magic. We saw the Warriors take on the 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:25.520 Kings in a door die battle. Loser goes home and 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:29.200 licks their wounds. Lots of people were hyping this Warriors 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.560 team as if they played great basketball in the last 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:34.560 of the season, but guess what, It's not one of 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:37.720 those situations where it's the seven game series. Baby, Let's 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:39.560 see how you play on a night to night basis, 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:41.720 and let's see how you play at the Golden One Arena. 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:48.320 Klay Thompson was fucking horrible, the worst adversity vibes I've 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:52.880 ever seen in the NBA. Oh for ten maybe his 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:58.600 last game in a Warrior's outfit Warriors uniform. Steph Curry 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:02.960 was absolutely swallowed by Keon Ellison, Davion Mitchell, Keegan Murray. 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:07.960 Keegan Murray came to Playboy hit eight threes. Kings turn 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.040 a tight game at halftime into a runaway, laughingstock twenty 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:16.840 four point win. Oh my goodness. The Kings exercise the 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:20.640 demons and they now face a Pelican's team that they 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:23.280 have not beaten all year. They're zero to five against, 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:27.200 but they are reeling, and the chance is there is 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:29.200 to take on the OKC Thunder, which is a team 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:32.679 that I think the Kings can actually compete against and 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.119 maybe even be if they continue to shoot like they're 0:03:35.160 --> 0:03:35.960 shooting right now. 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:37.560 Unreal shit, unreal shit. 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.360 This Wednesday, we see the Sixers and the Heat faced 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:42.680 off and the Hawks and the Bulls, So I brought 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:45.320 on Spike Eskin, who is my boss at WFAM for 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:48.680 the past two plus years before he decided, Oh I'm 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:49.880 coming home. 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:51.840 I'm coming home. 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:55.920 To take the two to sixth spot on WIP along 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.680 with his friend Ike Rease. Spike has the highly rated 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:02.760 rights to Ricky Sanchez pod on the Sixers. He breaks 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:05.880 down everything about the team and their chances against the Heat. 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:09.240 Spike joined my other show bet MGM tonight, which airs 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:12.120 seven to eleven Eastern on the radio in most major 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:14.880 markets and live on YouTube and switch Let's get dragging. 0:04:14.640 --> 0:04:19.440 Into seventy six ers four and a half point favorites 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:22.040 against the Heat total in that game two to eight 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.240 and a half to talk about that and the new 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:28.080 show afternoons over on ninety four WIPI we welcome on 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:30.520 now Spike asking Spike, thanks so much for giving us 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:31.760 some time tonight. How you bet man? 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:33.400 I'm great? How are you? 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.800 We're good man, probably uh, not as good as you. 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.280 Congratulations on the new show. What are you going to 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:44.320 miss the most about leaving or what are you gonna 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:45.440 miss the most about New York? 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:47.480 New York the city? 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:52.440 Not much I was I've lived in New Jersey man. 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:55.080 Like my experience in New York the city was mostly 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:58.000 just driving through the Hollandune and then driving home. I 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:01.880 will miss the camaraderie of the people that I've you. 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:04.159 Know, build a relationship with New York. And it's a boring, 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:05.560 like sort of personal answer. 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:09.360 But but that's what I'll miss most. 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:13.680 That and whining Jet fans and whining met fans. I 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:15.480 think probably our top. 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:19.039 Yeah, those are those are fun. Totrol over to the Sixers. 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:22.159 I took back and I gave this out in February 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:25.640 and then took it about a week ago. Sixers to 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:28.159 win the East in right around the Super Bowl was 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:31.920 fifteen to one. It's plus eight point fifty now I 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:32.800 am look right. 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:33.560 Yes. 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:37.839 Third, I've been scrolling through your Twitter. The excitement level 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:41.200 from you, as I think a chronic pessimist as about 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:44.200 as high as I've ever seen. Like, where are you at? 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:47.080 Why are you so stoked about this team versus the 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:48.640 other teams that we've seen in the past. 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:52.839 So I think I'm getting older and I don't want. 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:56.320 To be pessimistic anymore. It is just like is part 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:58.920 of it, is genuinely part of it. But I would 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:03.160 say two things. One, when Joel has played this year, 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:06.000 they're the best version of a Joel team that we 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.960 have seen. I think numbers like numbers show that. I 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.840 think they're thirty one and eight, but also they won handily, 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.280 like they look really good when he played. I think 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:19.720 the second thing is normally when they go into the 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.680 playoffs and he gets hurt, it's a lot closer to 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:26.320 the playoffs, so when he comes back, there's this sort 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.800 of like you're getting sixty percent of him, and you 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:30.520 just sort of know how it's going to go in 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:34.400 your mind. But this time he got hurt like two 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:37.320 and a half three months ago, and he was out 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:40.119 the entire amount of time. They said six to eight weeks. 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:42.039 He was out for more than eight weeks, and he 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:46.600 came back and he looked good. So I think, you know, 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:49.400 it's not optimal to be in the play in obviously, 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:52.840 But I think the reality is is that you look 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.960 at them as a forty six or forty forty seven wins, 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.200 whatever it was, forty seven win team, that's not really 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.080 what they are. I think if Joel plays sixty or 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:03.360 sixty five games, they're probably a fifty to five win 0:07:03.440 --> 0:07:05.440 team or fifty four win team and they're the second 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:07.839 seed and a clear second seed. I think they're a 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:11.160 clear you know, Boston's probably minus one fifty and the 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.120 Sixers are probably plus two point fifty to win the 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:17.200 East something like that. So I think that's genuinely what 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:20.480 we're dealing with now. They've been they've been favorites going 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.640 into the playoffs before, but they've always had a giant 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:27.040 question mark aside from Joel giant question mark, Ben giant 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.880 question mark Hardon. In the playoffs, there's no giant. 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:30.760 Question mark aside from him. 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.600 It's just him, So some sort of at peace with 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:35.760 he'll either play well enough for them to win or 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:37.920 he won't. But at least I won't have to worry 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:41.480 about James Harden disappearing in a deciding game. I want 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:43.920 to put my head throw a wall, you know, Like, what. 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.440 Version of Joel health wise do we need in order 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:48.720 for them to make a deep run? Do you think 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:51.320 because we saw him look a little ding the last game. 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:54.720 He was limping, He played through it wasn't wasn't going 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.440 up for rebounds, wasn't as aggressive as he normally is. 0:07:57.680 --> 0:07:59.400 So I'm a little concerned about his health. 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:00.000 Yeah, I think. 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.400 I think the hard thing that we can't know is 0:08:02.480 --> 0:08:05.760 whether he was being cautious in the second half because 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:09.160 he was nervous about hurting his knee, or whether it 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:13.120 wasn't stable, you know, and I'm playing you know, like 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:15.080 TV doctor or whatever, but he. 0:08:15.160 --> 0:08:15.800 Was grabbing it. 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:19.120 But then when he's walking to the locker room afterwards, 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:22.080 he's walking normal, you know. So so I really and 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:25.240 he's a bit of a drama queen. So so it's 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.880 very hard to tell how much it hurts. What do 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:30.160 they need health wise? 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:31.400 That's tough. 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:35.120 Eighty five ninety percent. I mean, you got to win 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:38.280 the NBA title, right, I mean, and they even if 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:40.800 they beat New York and they beat let's say Milwaukee, 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:43.960 and they still run into Boston or something so and 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:47.200 then Denver. So you're not doing those sorts of things 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.960 with you know, Joelle at sixty or seventy percent, what 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:50.240 do you. 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:53.200 Think about this matchup for MAXI Obviously it's a playing game. 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:54.959 It's a little total in the game two oh seven 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:56.360 and a half two o six and a half, but 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:59.000 he's averaged just twenty one against Miami. His point prop 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:00.600 twenty three and a half. He's going to win Most 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:03.680 Improved Player. You really can't even bet that market right now. 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:05.839 How do you feel about this matchup for him tomorrow 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:07.080 night against the Heat. 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:10.960 Well, they have guys, there's actually it's funny. We just 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:14.200 taped a podcast with Daryl Moray for a podcast that'll 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:17.600 be out later tonight, and he not in a bragging way. 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:19.480 He was just like, there's nobody that can guard Max 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:21.960 He one on one anymore. Like he's elevated to that 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:24.120 sort of level where he can just sort of score 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:28.360 whenever he or get to the rim whenever he wants to. 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.360 And he's definitely, I would say, different in the last 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:33.960 month of the season than he was in the first 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:36.320 three months of the season. He in the fourth quarter, 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:40.240 he has become much more reliable and he he knows 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:43.280 he can get there. So I don't Miami is a 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:48.160 tough defensive team and they've got they've got tough defensive players, 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:50.599 and they're a son of a bitch to play in 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:51.240 the playoffs. 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:54.040 But I'm I'm not worried about him anymore. 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:56.720 I think I think him in the playoffs is a 0:09:57.200 --> 0:09:59.240 twenty five point a game guy, you know. 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:01.760 I think he is that and I think if they go, 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:02.719 if they have a. 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:05.360 Full series or two or three or whatever, you will 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:08.040 see games where he you know, he leads them, he 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:10.800 scores forty points or something like that. So I'm pretty 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:12.319 optimistic about him in the playoffs. 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:15.080 Who's that other guy, like, other than Tobias Harris, Is 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:16.839 it Kelly Ubray? Like that has to step up and 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:18.960 score the basketball, not only in this game, like if 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:20.760 they're going to make a run though, other than MAXI 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:21.800 and Embiid. 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:24.400 Well, it's not Tobias Harris. Let me let me just 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.920 clear everything up. I've I've lost faith. God bless him 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:30.840 if it is. We were just saying if Tobias, if 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.640 Tobias shows out in these playoffs and they win a title, 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.400 he can have another Max contract, you know, like I 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:41.040 don't care sure or whatever. So I think it might 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:44.000 depend on the game as we've seen it from a 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:46.720 bunch of different players. I think if you were to 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:51.040 be hopeful Healed playing with Embiid, Heal's not creating any offense, 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:54.839 but Healed playing with Embiid should create a bunch. 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:55.640 Of open shots. 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:59.120 But they've I know it sounds nuts, and I was 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:00.960 not a believer for the first three quarters of the season. 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:04.080 But Kelly Ubray has been has been pretty awesome and 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:09.600 he's won me over and I think sometimes mentally, like 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:11.720 it takes a while for your brain to catch up 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:14.679 with what you can do physically. And Kelly Ubray had 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.920 been selfish in other places, played selfishly. He played selfishly 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.040 in Charlotte, they didn't like playing with him. In Golden State, 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:24.680 he played selfishly out there, you know he but something 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:28.439 happened and he has kind of figured it out and 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:33.040 he goes to the rim with reckless abandon He is 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:34.679 unafraid to shoot. 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:35.640 Even though he's not a great shooter. 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:42.520 He competes defensively, so scary enough. I would say that 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.720 the third guy on the team, if they need a guy, 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.240 is a minimum contract guy, Like I think it's probably Ubra, 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:53.480 And I'm sure my guess would be he loses US 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:55.040 a game and he wins US a game in the 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.800 playoffs is probably what all happened. But the wins US 0:11:58.800 --> 0:11:59.920 a game night will be fun. 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.640 There'll be a big d Anthony Melton game too. We've 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:06.240 seen him come up for Memphis. Is he healthy though, 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:10.720 Like it feels like there's kind of some opacity in 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.640 terms of like where he is health wise. 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:15.280 Yeah, I'm not optimistic. I'm not optimistic. 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.240 He's had a back thing for months now, and this 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.400 is twice that they've tried to bring him back. 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:24.679 They brought him back once, he was. 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:27.160 Out again for two weeks or a week afterwards, and 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:29.120 then when they brought him back against Orlando, we played 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:31.360 five minutes and then didn't play the next game, and 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:34.959 Nurse was not optimistic. So I'm not optimistic about Mountain though. 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:38.199 I do think, you know, Kyle Lowry is not cooked. 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:39.800 You know, I thought he was cooked. I thought that's 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:41.880 why Miami let him go. He's not cooked at all. 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:44.199 And I think it's not like you're going to see 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:46.600 him score twenty five points. But I think there's a 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.800 twelve point six assist game that if you're watching it, 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:51.959 you're like, he's the reason they won the game. 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:53.520 I think that could happen though. 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:57.480 Yeah, especially in this playing game. Kyle Lowry revenge spot 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.719 obviously gets waved by the heat. It seems like that 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:03.840 story didn't end the way that they wanted. Now, say 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:07.160 you're playing against the Knicks. Obviously, the Knicks have been 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.040 looking really, really good when they got ogn Andobi no 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:12.600 Julius Randall for the rest of the season, but they've 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:16.960 got Mitch Robinson back Hartenstein. Hartenstein has been much better, 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:19.760 not just coming off the bench, but as a starter 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.600 as well. What do you think about that matchup, because 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:26.199 I feel like you're more confident than I've heard many 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:28.319 Sixers fans in terms of that matchup. 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:32.200 Well, I mean, I understand why they wouldn't be confident, right, Like, 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:37.040 they compete very hard. They will be a tough out 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:39.600 the Knicks, for sure, and Jalen Brunson's really good, and 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:43.200 they beat the Sixers senseless in all but one game 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:46.560 this season. But I guess I've just feel like I've 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:49.560 seen this kind of team before that has a small guard, 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:54.760 a small high usage guard who dominates during the regular season, 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.000 and a team that tries harder than everybody else during 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:59.400 the regular season. But then when the playoffs comes hard, 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:01.680 it comes around and everybody else is trying hard. All 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:03.560 of a sudden, the advantage that they had during the 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.760 regular season doesn't exist in the same way. And I 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:09.040 just I think Jalen Brunson's really good, but he works 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:10.200 hard for those points. 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:13.240 He's not particularly good at creating for other people. 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:15.720 The way that the other sort of like heliocentric players 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:19.640 are the Hardens, you know, Luca blah blah blah, and 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.240 even those guys have trouble getting a team all the 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:25.080 way because it's hard to do that as one player. 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:28.360 And I just see him, like who else is scoring 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:30.760 points on that team? You know, how are they getting 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:33.920 to one oh eight or one ten every It sounds basic, 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:36.920 but like, how are they scoring enough points to do that? 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:39.960 And where's the offense coming from? And I just I'm 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.560 skeptical of any team that does that. And Brunson is 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.680 like a level below the Lucas and Hardens. 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:45.800 Of the world. 0:14:45.920 --> 0:14:48.360 So I'm just I'm not worried. It would be a 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.360 tough series, but I think the Sixers would do in it. 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:53.360 Sixers and seventy says, I like it. Spike, Thanks so much, man, 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:54.800 good luck on the new show will be glad Es 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.040 Brother tomorrow afternoon two pm. 0:14:57.160 --> 0:15:00.480 Right, Yes, yes, yes, sir and them, Thank you very much. 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:06.600 Thank you to Spike for this. We now turn to 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:08.680 Lawrence Holmes from the show, co host of the Dan 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:11.880 Bernstein co host with Dan Bernstein of The Bernstein Home 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:16.160 Show on WSCR. The Score in Chicago again. Lawrence showan 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:18.480 bet m Jim tonight he really got into the Weeds 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:19.760 and the Bulls and what they need to do to 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.640 win tomorrow night and in the future. Let's get right 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:23.120 into him. 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:27.080 Tomorrow night, the Bulls are three and a half point 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:29.720 favorites over the Atlanta Hawks and the playing tournament to 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:32.040 talk about that, maybe some bears as well. We welcome 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:33.760 out now Laurence Holmes. You hear him ten to two 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:36.360 on six seventy the score, Lawrence? What's going on? Man? 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:38.280 What's up? Fam? How y'all doing? 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:40.040 We got a playing game? 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:43.520 It seems like the Bulls and Billy Donovan didn't want 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:47.080 to rest a single soul against the Knicks to simulate 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.320 a playing game. They are what three and a half 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:52.240 point favorites, four and a half point favorites, the line 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:53.400 keys moving all around? 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:55.040 What you think? 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:58.720 I think that we need to pay real close attention 0:15:59.120 --> 0:16:04.600 to the injury report tomorrow because Io Desumu has been 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:08.200 on the injury report and he is Trey Young's kryptonite. 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:09.920 When when he plays and. 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:13.000 Guards Trey Young, Trey Young doesn't do all the magical 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:16.720 stuff that we're used to him doing. So's that to me, 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:18.920 is like one of the major factors of the game, 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.520 as weird as it sounds, because Io's not really a 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.000 player that you talk a ton about. But if he's 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:27.600 not available tomorrow or he's limited, that could spell a 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:29.040 lot of trouble for the Bulls. 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:31.640 Yeah, how do you feel about tomorrow? Not only like 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:33.960 player props tomorrow, because I feel like everybody's going to 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:36.040 bet tomorrow Rosen, But I just I didn't understand and 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:37.840 get I guess what they were doing against the Knicks, 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.200 but he played forty minutes they go into overtime in 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:43.800 that game. Any concerns about him, like, you know, I 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:45.440 guess they've had a couple of days to rest here, 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:47.560 but just his status going into this game after playing 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:48.240 so many minutes. 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:52.120 No, No, I mean they've done this all year with Tomorrow, 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:55.440 he's leading the league in minutes. Yeah, which is ridiculous 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.840 at his age. But have you guys heard the secret 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.240 weapon is going to be in the house tomorrow. Who's 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:02.800 that Dumar's daughter? 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:04.240 Oh yeah, yeah, I. 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:05.920 Saw that on a sleeperm page. Yeah. 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:08.640 Yes, Dumar's daughter is going to be in the house 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:12.159 over at the United Center. So that get ready for 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:15.000 this all the screeching and everything else that she does 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.800 to disrupt people who are shooting free throw. 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.480 So that'll be I think it'll be good. I'm looking 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:21.200 forward to it. 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.080 Lawrence, I'm kind of a hater because I feel like 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.760 fans should just boycott the UC. Like every time I 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:29.800 go home, I spend a tremendous amount of money on tickets, 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:31.840 and I'm just I'm sick of like the playing tournament 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:34.000 and I want to go back to the nineties, and 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:36.439 I'm kind of like sick of this current roster. So 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:39.160 what happens after this season. Let's say maybe they even 0:17:39.160 --> 0:17:41.880 win the play in, they sneak in into the NBA Playoffs, 0:17:41.880 --> 0:17:44.560 they're going to get bounced in the opening round. What's next? 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:48.000 Because I don't know what's next for Lonzo Ball, happy 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:50.359 that he's working out again, Zach Lavine, it seems like 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.239 nobody wants to take on that contract or that trade. Like, 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:54.879 what's the future for this team? Are they just going 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:56.760 to keep running it back with this current roster and 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:58.640 winning thirty seven thirty eight games every year? 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:02.120 Well, Ryan fel like, you're on it, man, Like this 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:05.440 is just kind of how they roll. And it's really 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.800 disappointing because you could see what the vision was when 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:11.879 Lonzo was healthy. Yeah, you can see that that that's 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:14.560 what they were trying for, and to a certain extent, 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:17.679 they got it that first half of the season that 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:18.560 they were all together. 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:21.359 Everything worked great. But it's been a long time. 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.480 It's been basically three seasons the Bulls haven't had a 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:27.240 point guard and that doesn't make any sense at all. 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:33.080 It feels like they're very content as an organization to 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.240 be leading the league in attendance, which is crazy. The 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.720 ninth place team in the Eastern Conference is leading the 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:43.080 league in attendance, and look the United Center be popping 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:44.840 like it's a fun time. 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:46.760 It's fun to go to a game. 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:51.440 All of the end game stuff there is great, their 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:54.439 stadium ops great, all of it. It would just be 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:58.840 nice if the basketball caught up with the entertainment value 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:02.920 of what they do, and it's it really does feel 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:05.280 like they're going to run all of this stuff back 0:19:05.560 --> 0:19:08.920 that they're they're going to have DeMar back there with 0:19:08.960 --> 0:19:12.280 this this group and hope that Zach's healthy and hope 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:18.000 that Lonzo can do something for them next year. We 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:21.879 had LeVar on our station last week and Yeah, he 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:22.679 was out. 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:24.520 Here quoting the rock. I don't know if y'all saw it. 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:28.000