WEBVTT - Dame Time Begins in Milwaukee, LeBron Turns back the Clock vs Durant

0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:05.520
<v Speaker 1>Lillard gets a start Lillard, it goes and one for

0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:06.680
<v Speaker 1>Damian Lillard.

0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:09.920
<v Speaker 2>Wow, what a debut.

0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:16.079
<v Speaker 3>Welcome into NBA Pulse. I'm Sarah Kustack, NBA analyst for

0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:21.080
<v Speaker 3>the Yes Network. Today is Friday, October twenty seventh, and

0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:25.480
<v Speaker 3>from our extraordinary core group of NBA journalists. We're joined

0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:28.520
<v Speaker 3>now by NBA dot Com senior writer Steve Ashburner and

0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:33.120
<v Speaker 3>Ash you are in Milwaukee. You got to experience the

0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:37.360
<v Speaker 3>thrill of being ad Pfizer Forum last night for the

0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.960
<v Speaker 3>Bucks Philadelphia seventy six ers matchup the debut of Dame

0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:46.240
<v Speaker 3>Lillard in that Milwaukee Bucks uniform. How you doing this morning.

0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.279
<v Speaker 2>Well, I'm doing great, and Milwaukee fans, I think are

0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:54.800
<v Speaker 2>doing even better than me, because you know, every so often,

0:00:54.840 --> 0:00:56.840
<v Speaker 2>I mean, you know, you look at these things on

0:00:56.920 --> 0:00:59.280
<v Speaker 2>paper and you get the quotes, and you hear people

0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:02.320
<v Speaker 2>talk about this sort of stuff. But I mean, this

0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:05.160
<v Speaker 2>played out on the floor as if it had been scripted.

0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:12.080
<v Speaker 2>The atmosphere Adfiser Forum was playoff like the opening Night's

0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:14.880
<v Speaker 2>a big deal, but this was bigger than that because

0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:19.120
<v Speaker 2>of what this potentially means for the very end of

0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:21.360
<v Speaker 2>the season, as opposed to the very start of the season,

0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:26.440
<v Speaker 2>and yeah, I mean it was. It was a really

0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:28.680
<v Speaker 2>good game to be at. I did in Chicago the

0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:31.360
<v Speaker 2>night before, so I know, we right don't want to

0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:34.000
<v Speaker 2>talk too much about the Bulls performance there. So if

0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.760
<v Speaker 2>that was one sort of opening night, this was a

0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:42.000
<v Speaker 2>proper sort of opening night. The atmosphere, the performances, in

0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:42.960
<v Speaker 2>the significance.

0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:46.400
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so let's get into it. One eighteen one to

0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:49.840
<v Speaker 3>seventeen Milwaukee Bucks win came down to the finish, and

0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:54.360
<v Speaker 3>Damian Lillard was sensational. After spending those eleven years with Portland,

0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:58.560
<v Speaker 3>he comes out of this one thirty nine points, eight rebounds.

0:01:58.560 --> 0:02:01.040
<v Speaker 3>He was seventeen of seventeen from the free throw line.

0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:05.560
<v Speaker 3>Giannis had twenty three points thirteen rebounds Philadelphia. I mean

0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:08.240
<v Speaker 3>this was a game of runs. Milwaukee in that first

0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.959
<v Speaker 3>half at some point had a nineteen point lead. They

0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.040
<v Speaker 3>closed things out towards the end of the game with

0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:15.720
<v Speaker 3>a nineteen to two run. Coming back after the seventy

0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:18.800
<v Speaker 3>six Ers had a tremendous showing. No James Harden still

0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:20.639
<v Speaker 3>without the team. We'll get into that in a little bit.

0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.360
<v Speaker 3>But Joel Embiid twenty four points. Tyre Smaxi thirty one points.

0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:27.520
<v Speaker 3>Kelly Oubre had twenty seven off the bench. That was

0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.640
<v Speaker 3>four seventy six ers with at least twenty points. But

0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:35.959
<v Speaker 3>Damian Lillard specifically, there was so much speculation, expectation how

0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:38.640
<v Speaker 3>well he would fit in with this Milwaukee team, with

0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.560
<v Speaker 3>the roster of the personnel, with how he plays with

0:02:41.720 --> 0:02:44.960
<v Speaker 3>Giannis and Tatakunpo, Adrian Griffin as well in his first

0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:48.280
<v Speaker 3>year as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach. What stood out

0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:53.680
<v Speaker 3>to you most about this performance by Dame in this setting.

0:02:55.720 --> 0:03:00.360
<v Speaker 2>Well, I'll be honest with you, I think the the

0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:03.920
<v Speaker 2>confidence of Damian Lillard struck me. And I've seen him

0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:08.360
<v Speaker 2>play you know, uh fair amount during during his his

0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:12.160
<v Speaker 2>long career to this point. But to hear him afterwards

0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.280
<v Speaker 2>and and just it all sort of fell into place.

0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:20.280
<v Speaker 2>Why a guy his size can be can have such

0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.520
<v Speaker 2>a great impact on NBA games and an NBA team.

0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.119
<v Speaker 2>I mean, he is a professional scorer. He can explain

0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:31.560
<v Speaker 2>down to the most minute movement what he did and

0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:35.960
<v Speaker 2>say his last three pointer where he got, you know

0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:38.840
<v Speaker 2>he got I think it was Kelly Oubre junior sort

0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:46.080
<v Speaker 2>of dancing, uh, change direction, change direction, Debbie Lillard reported.

0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:51.600
<v Speaker 3>Flies Debbie Lillard doing what he does.

0:03:51.800 --> 0:03:54.560
<v Speaker 2>What he saw in order to initiate his Just the

0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:59.280
<v Speaker 2>way he breaks that down, it's so technical sounding and

0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:03.400
<v Speaker 2>yet it is all done and processed in you know,

0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:06.680
<v Speaker 2>split seconds. And and to me, I mean, there's the

0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:11.040
<v Speaker 2>books didn't have anybody, you know, capable of that sort

0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:16.400
<v Speaker 2>of professionalism as a late game offensive player. You know,

0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.240
<v Speaker 2>it was a lot of in the past, It's been

0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:21.960
<v Speaker 2>a lot of you take the shot, no, you tell

0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.799
<v Speaker 2>you know, it's like it's a hot potato. And ultimately, honest,

0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:29.000
<v Speaker 2>because of his status with the team, would try to

0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:32.440
<v Speaker 2>make something happen. And now they have this guy, and

0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:35.360
<v Speaker 2>you know they're they're happy to hand over the ball

0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:40.560
<v Speaker 2>to him. That trust in his reputation, his game, you know,

0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.880
<v Speaker 2>it's there from the very beginning. And and that's a

0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.320
<v Speaker 2>credit to Jannis Frankly and to the other the rest

0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:51.440
<v Speaker 2>of the Bucks that they will let this the new guy.

0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.520
<v Speaker 2>You know, we all are around situations where we're either

0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:57.120
<v Speaker 2>the new guy or we're around the new guy, and

0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.960
<v Speaker 2>it's like there's that time where it takes to you know,

0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:02.840
<v Speaker 2>yet let him be a part of the group, or

0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.320
<v Speaker 2>or where he just naturally feels a part man. That

0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.160
<v Speaker 2>has been fast tracked. Damian Lillard is ready to go.

0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:11.640
<v Speaker 2>They are ready to have him, and it all showed

0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:14.560
<v Speaker 2>up on the very first night of the season for them.

0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:20.880
<v Speaker 2>So that to me is just professional game closing, offensive master.

0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:25.480
<v Speaker 3>Without a doubt. And Yannis even said this is Dame's team,

0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:28.320
<v Speaker 3>which you know, see how that plays out, but just

0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:32.640
<v Speaker 3>an example of the unselfishness. It's gonna be interesting to

0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.520
<v Speaker 3>watch you easing Chris Middleton back in. He played sixteen

0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:40.320
<v Speaker 3>minutes and had six points, but sacrifices he will make.

0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:43.280
<v Speaker 3>How Adrian Griffin continues to work that in and as

0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.280
<v Speaker 3>you mentioned, you know, the ability to have someone to close,

0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:48.760
<v Speaker 3>put the ball in their hands and understand how to

0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.240
<v Speaker 3>finish games. That's exactly who Damian Lillard is and that's

0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:56.040
<v Speaker 3>exactly what this Milwaukee team needed. With that being said,

0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:58.719
<v Speaker 3>are they the title favorites in your mind?

0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.839
<v Speaker 2>Well, I don't. I don't consider them the title favorites.

0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.520
<v Speaker 2>I think Boston because of the addition to Drew Holliday

0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:10.400
<v Speaker 2>and obviously with prazingis prior to even the Lillard deal.

0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:15.640
<v Speaker 2>I think Boston got every every bit as much better

0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:19.599
<v Speaker 2>as the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee got what he needed, he

0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.520
<v Speaker 2>needed offense, he needed it, needed a sense of what

0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:26.719
<v Speaker 2>happens late in close games. But you know, Drew Holliday

0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:31.760
<v Speaker 2>is a defensive master, just as as uh Liar is

0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:34.360
<v Speaker 2>an offensive master. I think the Bucks will miss that.

0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.240
<v Speaker 2>I think Boston will benefit from that. Having given up

0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:41.400
<v Speaker 2>Marcus Smart in the Porzingis deal, that's a pretty good

0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.880
<v Speaker 2>clawback to end up with Drew Holliday in their backcourt

0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.920
<v Speaker 2>as as a you know, quote unquote replacement. So I

0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:49.760
<v Speaker 2>don't consider them the favorite, but I do think they're

0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:53.680
<v Speaker 2>a better team than they were overall because they needed

0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:58.440
<v Speaker 2>Lillard and and could sacrifice a little bit defensively. But

0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.000
<v Speaker 2>they will miss I just think it's a two man

0:07:02.360 --> 0:07:05.520
<v Speaker 2>Eastern paferend or two team Eastern Conference for the most part,

0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:10.960
<v Speaker 2>and then Killer West, and we'll see who emergants from both.

0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:16.160
<v Speaker 3>With that being said, two team Eastern Conference, there was

0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:19.640
<v Speaker 3>some thought heading into this offseason, early on, at some

0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.400
<v Speaker 3>point that Philadelphia would have something to say about that,

0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:24.520
<v Speaker 3>and it's not to say they still won't. To think

0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.640
<v Speaker 3>about the fact, as I mentioned, four players with at

0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:32.920
<v Speaker 3>least twenty points last night, Kelly Ubre really strong off

0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:37.400
<v Speaker 3>the bench, Joel Embiid doing his thing. Tyree Maxey was excellent,

0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:42.080
<v Speaker 3>but without James Harden, he is not with the team,

0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:44.560
<v Speaker 3>told not to come on the trip. What is your

0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:49.360
<v Speaker 3>expectation with what will happen with this James Harden situation?

0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:52.440
<v Speaker 3>In just how Nick Nurse in his first year with

0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:56.400
<v Speaker 3>Toronto trying to manage this, how he addressed the media

0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:58.040
<v Speaker 3>with this circumstances situation.

0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.200
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well it's it's obviously, it's sore points. It's a

0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:06.440
<v Speaker 2>cloud for now the over the Sixers, Nick Nurse, asked

0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:12.360
<v Speaker 2>directly about the hardened situation, gave sort of a tight

0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:16.160
<v Speaker 2>lipped official response. You know, there's been a report that

0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:19.160
<v Speaker 2>James came back to the team and that the team

0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:24.400
<v Speaker 2>has left him off this trip for conditioning purposes, and

0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:28.880
<v Speaker 2>that was it. Now. They're also is talk that the

0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:33.960
<v Speaker 2>Sixers are not bothered by this. The players are not

0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:36.720
<v Speaker 2>bothered by this. And look, every coach I've ever covered

0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:41.880
<v Speaker 2>will say I'm here to coach the guys that are

0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.880
<v Speaker 2>in this room, and they don't worry about who's injured.

0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.600
<v Speaker 2>They don't worry about the trade rumors. I don't know

0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:49.760
<v Speaker 2>the guys they you know, they focus on the task

0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:51.920
<v Speaker 2>at hand. And you know it's sort of self fulfilling.

0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:55.120
<v Speaker 2>You have to do that. But players, I think maybe

0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:57.400
<v Speaker 2>it can be the same way. This is an opportunity

0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:02.520
<v Speaker 2>for Tyrese, Maxim, Kelly Hubray Junior, who was as I

0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:06.080
<v Speaker 2>understand it, I mean, he's a one year Verian minimums

0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:09.400
<v Speaker 2>deal who signed rather late in the summertime. He was

0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:13.160
<v Speaker 2>available for anybody, and you know, I mean he was

0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:15.960
<v Speaker 2>a godsend in that game when it looked like the

0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.760
<v Speaker 2>Bucks were going to blow them out earlier in the evening,

0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.080
<v Speaker 2>you know, he and Maxie kept things going. Maxy to

0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.480
<v Speaker 2>me is he's going to flourish without James Harden on

0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.120
<v Speaker 2>the court because of the way he plays. He's in

0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:32.319
<v Speaker 2>constant motion. The Sixers get him the ball when he's

0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:37.560
<v Speaker 2>headed downhill. He's so quick and it's it puts incredible

0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:41.480
<v Speaker 2>stress on an NBA defense. The way Maxie plays, He's

0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:45.120
<v Speaker 2>got so much bounce in his game. So to a man, look,

0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:48.600
<v Speaker 2>I was never a great hardened proponent in the best

0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:52.960
<v Speaker 2>of James time, where he was, you know, an MVP candidate.

0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:56.400
<v Speaker 2>I didn't like watching his style of play. But to

0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:59.160
<v Speaker 2>think that he could come in now past his prime

0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:03.559
<v Speaker 2>and do anything similar to what he has always done,

0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:07.000
<v Speaker 2>which is to pound the ball and you know, maybe

0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:09.400
<v Speaker 2>hand it off, you know, when there's three seconds left

0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:12.600
<v Speaker 2>in the shop clock. I think Philadelphi will be the

0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.200
<v Speaker 2>worst for it. And I think that the biggest hurtle,

0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.200
<v Speaker 2>beyond the fact you want consistency from Maxi and Ubra

0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:23.400
<v Speaker 2>and Anthony Melton and others who will pick up minutes

0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:27.680
<v Speaker 2>from this, is getting Joel and Bid to wrap his

0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:30.880
<v Speaker 2>head around this that he he has these young guys

0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:35.600
<v Speaker 2>who can be extremely effective. They're not top seventy five

0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:40.240
<v Speaker 2>status players. And he looks at Janis who now has

0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:44.080
<v Speaker 2>this new shiny Damian Lillard next to him, and you know,

0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:46.520
<v Speaker 2>Embiids seemed a little detached last night for much of

0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:52.560
<v Speaker 2>the game. He sounded fine afterward, but it was it's

0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:54.080
<v Speaker 2>like he's going to have to get on board with

0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:57.000
<v Speaker 2>this and it's going to frankly take you know, good

0:10:57.040 --> 0:11:01.600
<v Speaker 2>feedback in the results. You know, if they fall, you know,

0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:04.600
<v Speaker 2>under five hundred and stay there for you know, a

0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.600
<v Speaker 2>chunk of the season, it'll be tough. I think on

0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:11.000
<v Speaker 2>him to be the MVP type player that he was

0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:15.160
<v Speaker 2>last year. If they win some games and these young

0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:19.640
<v Speaker 2>guys play a big role in that. I think indeed

0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:23.440
<v Speaker 2>can can see two that maybe they're gonna be better

0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:27.240
<v Speaker 2>off than a continuing to age James Harden going back

0:11:27.280 --> 0:11:28.199
<v Speaker 2>to old waves.

0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:31.000
<v Speaker 3>We will be watching. It did take a nineteen to

0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:34.200
<v Speaker 3>two run by Milwaukee to come back for that one

0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.640
<v Speaker 3>point when they're on their home floor, and in another

0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:39.120
<v Speaker 3>one of the others. Tobias Harris has often talked about

0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:42.760
<v Speaker 3>shots and usage and in field goal to twenty point.

0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:46.760
<v Speaker 3>He will have his opportunities as well. We're gonna take

0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:51.120
<v Speaker 3>a quick break, but coming back man. We had a

0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:54.800
<v Speaker 3>banging lineup last night, not only Milwaukee Philly, but the

0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.840
<v Speaker 3>Lakers in the Suns and Lebron James in his twenty

0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:01.480
<v Speaker 3>first year looking like a twenty one year old. Don't

0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:02.080
<v Speaker 3>go on right.

0:12:07.880 --> 0:12:10.560
<v Speaker 1>Watch Lebron James in this high chicken roll. Find one

0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:14.120
<v Speaker 1>of the shooters in the quarter screen from Davis takes

0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:19.480
<v Speaker 1>it in. James puts it in. Oh, he puts his

0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.800
<v Speaker 1>way for two big plays.

0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:22.800
<v Speaker 2>Qua James.

0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:26.120
<v Speaker 3>Welcome back to NBA Pulse, Sarahkustak joined by the great

0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:31.040
<v Speaker 3>Steve Ashburner, as we had two tremendous games last night

0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.440
<v Speaker 3>there in our Thursday Showcases, we begin this season and

0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:38.800
<v Speaker 3>it gets underway out west. The Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix

0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:42.319
<v Speaker 3>Suns five point game. It was tremendous. Now Sons were

0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.280
<v Speaker 3>down a few players still no Bradley Beal and no

0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:48.240
<v Speaker 3>Devin Booker with a sore right foot. He is hopefully

0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:51.760
<v Speaker 3>expected to play on Saturday when Phoenix takes on the

0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:57.600
<v Speaker 3>Utah Jazz. However, it was tremendous watching Lebron James Kevin Durant.

0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:01.040
<v Speaker 3>We hadn't seen that in quite some time due to injuries.

0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.800
<v Speaker 3>And there was the discussion of Lebron James, especially after

0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.440
<v Speaker 3>that Denver Nuggets game, about a minutes limit, how they

0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.760
<v Speaker 3>will use him, what type of restrictions in here his

0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:13.280
<v Speaker 3>twenty first year played just twenty nine minutes in that

0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.800
<v Speaker 3>Denver Nuggets loss, thirty five minutes. He was tremendous in

0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.360
<v Speaker 3>the fourth quarter, had ten points in that frame alone.

0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.120
<v Speaker 3>Finishes with twenty one to eight and nine. Anthony Davis

0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.360
<v Speaker 3>with thirty points and twelve rebounds. Kevin Durant had thirty

0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:29.800
<v Speaker 3>nine points and eleven rebounds. Big big third quarter for Durant,

0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:33.160
<v Speaker 3>but a lot of attention, a lot of focus on him.

0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:36.160
<v Speaker 3>When you look at the Lakers, you look at Lebron James,

0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:39.760
<v Speaker 3>you look at what they're trying to accomplish here this season.

0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.120
<v Speaker 3>What stands out to you about an opener like that

0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.680
<v Speaker 3>one in the matchup we see between two greats of

0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:46.040
<v Speaker 3>the game.

0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:49.360
<v Speaker 2>Well, I mean you mentioned Lebron in his twenty first season.

0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:53.280
<v Speaker 2>I've seen players in their twenty first seasons, whether it's

0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:59.040
<v Speaker 2>Kevin Garnett or Kevin Willis way back when, or Vince Carter,

0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:03.840
<v Speaker 2>and you know, you you naturally see them at the

0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:06.640
<v Speaker 2>tail end of careers in terms of the players they

0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:10.320
<v Speaker 2>are on the floor, They they receive, they take a

0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:15.160
<v Speaker 2>lesser role within their team, and you know, everyone's happy

0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:17.160
<v Speaker 2>to have them around, but it's like their best days

0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.800
<v Speaker 2>are past and that's that, and eventually they'll they'll get

0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:25.000
<v Speaker 2>their retirement ceremony. With Lebron, it's different. I mean, he

0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:29.360
<v Speaker 2>is still has he has top of the line performances

0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.120
<v Speaker 2>in him, and I think what it comes down to

0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:35.560
<v Speaker 2>with him is how deep into games can he continue

0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:40.760
<v Speaker 2>to be effective on any given nights inside right too,

0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:44.160
<v Speaker 2>you know the Lakers going to be in trouble if

0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:46.720
<v Speaker 2>they need Lebron to play thirty five minutes in order

0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:51.000
<v Speaker 2>to win games. You know, if he's opening night, he

0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:57.400
<v Speaker 2>played what twenty nine and they lost, and so you know,

0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:02.960
<v Speaker 2>it's it's they still are Lebron dependent beyond what they

0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:06.760
<v Speaker 2>were supposed to be when Anthony Davis came aboard this

0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:09.720
<v Speaker 2>This baton was supposed to have been handed off a

0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:13.440
<v Speaker 2>while ago. And I think Davis, with his injuries, with

0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:18.240
<v Speaker 2>his personality, I think he has be deviled Lebron a

0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.880
<v Speaker 2>bit by not being able to or willing to or

0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:27.520
<v Speaker 2>whatever to take over the you know, the centerpiece status

0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:30.800
<v Speaker 2>for that team on a nightly basis. You know, that's

0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.080
<v Speaker 2>that's that's a source of frustration and a lot of

0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:36.840
<v Speaker 2>speculation in terms of, you know, is that ever going

0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:40.000
<v Speaker 2>to happen with Davis? So, you know, I thought the

0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:44.360
<v Speaker 2>Lakers roster was improved, you know, tremendously in the off season.

0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:47.600
<v Speaker 2>But if the dynamic of Lebron having to be the

0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:50.960
<v Speaker 2>guy who carries in his twenty first year, if that,

0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.880
<v Speaker 2>if that isn't lessened by what these other guys do,

0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:58.400
<v Speaker 2>and you know, everything takes a little time, chemistry and

0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:00.640
<v Speaker 2>and you know, new roles in a pecking order and

0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:03.680
<v Speaker 2>all of that, but it does need to happen otherwise

0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:07.560
<v Speaker 2>I have a hard time taking the Lakers seriously as

0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:10.080
<v Speaker 2>a top contender, I know, playoffs or not. You know,

0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:12.680
<v Speaker 2>the back to backs in the playoffs, and Lebron is

0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:16.479
<v Speaker 2>in incredible shape. You know, I've always said he's the

0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:22.680
<v Speaker 2>best conditioned and prepared the physically player in team sport history.

0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.360
<v Speaker 2>You know, at least that I'm aware of. But by

0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:30.480
<v Speaker 2>the time you get to May, if if if somebody

0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:33.320
<v Speaker 2>else isn't isn't stepping up on a regular basis, and

0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:38.160
<v Speaker 2>somebody else's Davis, I don't see them coming out of

0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:38.600
<v Speaker 2>the West.

0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:42.360
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, and that's where I think the interesting part with

0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:45.120
<v Speaker 3>Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham talked about this after the

0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:51.400
<v Speaker 3>game about him being aggressive and ad has thirty points scoreless,

0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:53.240
<v Speaker 3>and the fourth part it was Lebron James need to

0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.360
<v Speaker 3>take over then And you know, you look at this

0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:58.400
<v Speaker 3>game and it was tremendous. It was fun to watch.

0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.560
<v Speaker 3>But the fact that Phoenix was with no Bradley Beal

0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.040
<v Speaker 3>and no Devin Booker, so they were down guys. They're

0:17:04.040 --> 0:17:08.280
<v Speaker 3>a very top heavy team at that so the fact

0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:09.840
<v Speaker 3>that it took all of that, took all of that

0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:12.680
<v Speaker 3>from from Lebron. It's going to be interesting to see

0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:15.000
<v Speaker 3>your point. I'm also just I continue to be fascinated

0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:20.280
<v Speaker 3>by this Phoenix team because the Lakers threw everything, through

0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:23.880
<v Speaker 3>everything at Kevin Durant there in that third quarter and

0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:26.720
<v Speaker 3>or in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, Durant

0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:29.720
<v Speaker 3>went off and he was bananas. But then after that,

0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:31.800
<v Speaker 3>you know, you look at what he had to do,

0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:33.840
<v Speaker 3>the responsibility he had to take on the fourth quarter.

0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.680
<v Speaker 3>I mean, Lakers go into the fourth quarter down twelve points,

0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:40.080
<v Speaker 3>and that's where I think the questions come in about

0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:42.800
<v Speaker 3>how these teams match up. And continuing to talk, we

0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:47.080
<v Speaker 3>talked about title favors, favorites and Milwaukee and what it

0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:49.200
<v Speaker 3>looks like in the East in the West. Hill, I think,

0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:52.880
<v Speaker 3>you know, Denver is one that we continue to look

0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:55.119
<v Speaker 3>at with the completeness of their team, the depth of

0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.840
<v Speaker 3>their team. So I'm fascinated to watch how this continues

0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.120
<v Speaker 3>to play out. But in partin killer with how much

0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:03.919
<v Speaker 3>of a load Lebron James, despite what they're trying to do,

0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:05.760
<v Speaker 3>how they're trying to manage it, how much of a

0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:07.879
<v Speaker 3>load that he has to carry. We're going to be

0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:11.800
<v Speaker 3>tracking it all season long. As always, Ash, we appreciate you,

0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:15.199
<v Speaker 3>We appreciate your time, and we look forward to a

0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:16.600
<v Speaker 3>great start to the season.

0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.080
<v Speaker 2>Travel safe, We're talking with you, Sarah.

0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:21.800
<v Speaker 3>NBA Pulse with Sarahustak is a production of the NBA

0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.080
<v Speaker 3>and iHeartRadio. Please rate, review, and subscribe on the iHeartRadio

0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:27.199
<v Speaker 3>app or wherever you get your podcasts.