WEBVTT - Maintaining The Magic 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.920 This crowd rises to its being. 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:04.520 What Carl slammed it out? 0:00:04.680 --> 0:00:10.879 Carl left wing, three ball, perfect. 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:10.680 Pop, the hell of block? 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:13.680 The shot in the rim? How in the left hand 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:14.680 head of fowl. 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:17.360 Welcome to Chase Down Podcast, part of the Caves Media 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:19.439 fam Me. I'm your Hostjessein Rowan. The Chase Town is 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:22.120 presented by Fubo, the official streaming partner of the Calves. 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:24.799 Watch over three hundred and fifty channels of live sports 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:28.080 and TV, including Van Duel Sports Network without cable is 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:31.080 no cost and no commitment. Try for free at FuboTV 0:00:31.160 --> 0:00:32.560 dot com Slash Calves. 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:33.120 Well. 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:37.519 Last night's game against the Orlando Magic looked nothing like 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:40.440 the playoff series we had last season. The Cavs were 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:44.440 dominant from start to finish. The starters got to rest early. 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.239 It was another fun night to be a fan of 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:50.720 the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are now one win shy of 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:54.160 last year's win total. Joining me today is my co host, 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:56.600 Carter Rodriguez. Carter, how you doing, Buddy. 0:00:56.840 --> 0:00:59.760 I'm doing well? And they matched last year's win total. 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:01.560 B They won forty eight last year. 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:03.080 I thought it was forty nine. 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.760 Well, some would argue it should have been, but I wasn't. 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:10.839 And yet they have indeed matched and they are they're 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:13.319 half a game off from with their wind total end 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:15.400 of that. But I gotta tell you, buddy, I'm not 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:20.000 in a basketball mood because I just got finished putting 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:23.400 my kids to bead okay, and my daughter is reading 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:27.280 her first ever like real chapter book right like it's 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.000 a big moment and it's a mystery and we've been 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:34.720 like just ramping up every chapter and we get to 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:39.200 the end and they don't solve the mystery, and she 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:44.000 was pissed. I'm like trying to explain to her how 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:48.040 like there's the ambiguous ass ending for this kid's mystery book. 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:49.920 I'm like, what are we doing now? 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.760 Is this a cliffhanger or is this just how it's 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:53.400 being left? 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.840 No, they just literally just don't solve it, and that's 0:01:56.880 --> 0:01:58.800 the end of the book. They end up just deciding 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:01.840 to play something else instead of playing detective. And Milly 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:04.600 was like, well, I wanted to know what happened. 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.200 I was like, I don't know, man. 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:10.600 This is just preparing her for watching the Sopranos, which 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:13.680 you know, I think we can figure out what happened 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:16.520 in the sopranos. If anyone wants to get after me 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:20.640 with that, I have strong, strong opinions on what happened 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:21.120 and why. 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:23.960 I get it for adult media, But what are we doing? 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:24.440 You know? 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:26.960 You got to work them in. You have to, you know, 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.320 start introducing it slowly, you know. 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:32.640 And the deep end, right, I'm unsatisfied. I wanted to 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:35.120 know who was tying that rope all through the neighborhood. 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.000 You know, It's not a very compelling mystery, but still 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:41.079 for a kid, it was pretty compelling. Okay, so the 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.400 game last night wasn't very compelling. The Calves completely smoked 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:48.120 the Orlando Magic. Because of that, I want to ask you, 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:51.400 what was your first disappointment and you really remember with media, 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:53.239 whether it be a movie or a book. 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:56.919 Oh man, that's a really good question. 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:59.480 Because I remember the first time I realized the movie 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.079 could suck. I went to the theater and I saw 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.680 Master of Disguise. It was my first time ever being 0:03:04.760 --> 0:03:06.480 disappointed with a movie. 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:08.480 I was so easy, you know. 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.200 I remember I asked my dad once, like, what's the 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:13.920 worst thing you I ever made you take me to? 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:17.200 And he said spy kids. He hated spy kids. 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:19.400 That's fair but I see, I love that. 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:20.840 I just do. 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:23.359 As a kid, I was, I was easy to please 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.400 as a kid, so I don't I can't remember it was. 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:29.480 I was definitely older, I feel than others. But Master 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:31.680 of Disguise truly was an awful. 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.080 Movie, just truly, truly awful and a really fun fact 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:36.640 that exists there and I'm pretty sure everyone knows it. 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:40.120 You know, the Calves were easy on the eyes. Though 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:43.240 it was not disappointing. It was a fun, fun performance 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:47.560 against the Orlando Magic. Obviously Orlando missing some key players 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:52.120 Jalen Suggs. His absence has really been felt by them, 0:03:52.480 --> 0:03:55.360 but they did have battle Bank Cao, Franz Wagner, Wendell 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:57.960 Carter Junior called it a must win game for them, 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:02.240 and you know, you were spec Orlando to put for 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:05.200 their best shot, right. I think we talked about this 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:07.560 coming out of the All Star Break, that there's going 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:10.240 to be teams looking to set the tone heading for 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:13.520 the postseason. The Calves are going to be that litmus 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:17.919 test team for so many opponents and for Cleveland to 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:21.320 come out have you know, a start to the game 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:24.200 where neither team was really hitting a ton of shots, 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.240 but just kind of keep going at it, keep going 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:31.000 at it, getting quality looks against Orlando, and eventually, once 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:35.520 those floodgates open, DeAndre Hunter helped kick those in, by 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.120 the way, but once they opened up, they just didn't 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:39.320 close for the rest of the evening. 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:43.040 Kind of felt like Hunter's first like I don't know, 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:46.000 like marquee moment with the team, Like he had a 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.440 couple big threes in other games, but it was like 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.760 he took like I felt like that was the line 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:55.760 of demarcation for the game, where it was like, this 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.359 is close, this is close, this is close. Let me 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:01.520 hit three straight threes and open this game up in 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:05.240 a way that Orlando never kind of regained contact. 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:09.120 Yeah, yeah, it really was. And you know, Max Strus 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.559 got them going early. I said in our game threads 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:14.000 and the discord that hey, when Struce hits his first one, 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:15.520 he's probably going to heat up. 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:18.440 And he did a really nice shooting night from him. 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.560 And you know, it's funny to look back and reflect 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:26.159 on last year's series against Orlando because obviously how you play, 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:28.840 like when you play a team during the season matters 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.520 a lot, right, teams naturally go through ebbs and flows, 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.000 They have peaks, and valleys. So you can't look at 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:37.159 this win over Orlando and say, yeah, that's you know, 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:40.880 that's last year's team. They're they're playing well, they're not 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.960 playing well, Like you can't take too too much away 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:47.760 from it, But I still couldn't help but feel how 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:51.320 stark the contrast was from last year where last year 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:56.359 Donovan Mitchell playing through an injury, was everything like he 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:59.360 was the one that needed to get everything going offensively. 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:03.800 I wasn't him scoring. They just struggled to generate consistent offense. 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:07.760 Darius wasn't contributing how he wanted to it. At that point, 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:12.520 it was gone, like just up and down the roster, 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:16.680 they had so much trouble generating offense against this defense. 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.760 And for all of Orlando's struggles, they are still the 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:22.840 number two defense in the league. So on a night 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:26.280 where Donovan only gets eleven and five, and not because 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.960 you know, he's shooting poorly and they're locking him up 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:32.160 or anything like that, he just didn't need to generate 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.080 offense in that way. But for a night where he 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:39.600 contributed so little from a box score perspective, no Darius 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:42.600 in the lineup for them to score as comfortably as 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.440 they did against this good of a defense. I think 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:49.480 it just goes to show you how the evolution of 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.039 this team has really taken place where there is so 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.599 much depth and there is so many guys that can 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:56.520 contribute in a variety of ways. 0:06:56.880 --> 0:07:00.000 Yeah, I mean it wasn't he wasn't really even playing 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.320 making that much like he led the team upside. But 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:05.960 but like at the end of the day, like I 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.400 just felt like they were running their stuff, and their 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:15.480 stuff was yielding really really good looks. And Struce was phenomenal, 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:18.680 absolutely phenomenal. I thought one of his best games of 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:23.480 the year, especially as a shooter. And you know, between Struce, 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:28.120 Hunter and Jerome plus just a dash of Isaac Okoro, 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:31.440 Like you got all the scoring you needed for the 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:36.960 entire game, and you know, those those four or five 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:41.080 guys are really all you needed. And that's not including 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:45.000 you know, Jarrett or Evan who had seventeen on nine shots. 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.360 Like it was a real testament to the depth of 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.520 the roster, real testament to like, you know, in a way, 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:56.600 it's kind of what this week has been about. You 0:07:56.720 --> 0:08:00.200 go go up against the Knicks and you go, oh, 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:04.760 we ain't the same team anymore, you know, we don't. 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:07.880 We can kill you in a hundred different ways, thank 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:11.400 you very much. And then you go against the magic 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:15.800 and you say we ain't the same team. You ain't either, 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:19.520 but we definitely have gone up several notches. So if 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:22.120 you were hoping tonight was a night to prove that 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:27.320 you were you know what you were last year, you're 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:30.400 sorely mistaken. I mean, how many crises of confidence have 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:31.680 the Cavs caused this year? 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:33.120 By the way, it's. 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:37.400 Just been that's been their home mark trade is sending 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:40.640 teams into absolute shambles. And then you know, you go, 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:45.600 you look towards Friday, and the same thing presents. Are 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:48.640 you ready to prove to Boston that you ain't the 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:53.080 same team that is one and two against them in 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.680 the regular season, that lost for to one in the 0:08:55.720 --> 0:08:59.760 playoffs last year, that has struggled to get your offense 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:04.160 going this year the only team really they've struggled against. Yeah, 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:09.280 their offense going. And it's such an opportunity in front 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:11.920 of them, and such a reflection of the fact that 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:15.120 they are different. They are meaningfully better. They are growing 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:19.599 and getting stronger and stronger every you know, month by month. 0:09:20.480 --> 0:09:24.400 It's it's what I find really interesting. Right, Like, Matt 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:27.720 Moore had a conversation about how he like firmly believes 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:31.040 that there's such thing in the regular seasons peaking too early, right, 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.880 And I think that there is something to that. My 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:36.880 argument would be, at least when it comes to the 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:40.079 Cleveland Cavaliers, you cannot make an argument that they've peaked 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:43.720 in the regular season because when your starters aren't playing 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.679 more than thirty minutes and you're experimenting and you're giving 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:50.680 guys run, Like I understand the net team results have 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:54.920 been phenomenal, but you're not throwing your fastball. You're not 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:58.679 doing that on a consistent basis. So unless you're artificially 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:01.440 like trying to hold down the success of guys like 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.679 a DeAndre Hunter or Ty Jerome so that the net 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:07.760 rating doesn't spike too soon, like, you can't make an 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.319 argument that they're peaking too early. And I just I 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:14.160 really really find it interesting because on the way up 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:17.200 throughout this kind of team building process with the Calves, 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:21.360 we kept looking at markers around the NBA, right, Like, 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.720 You're always going to think you're special, because that's just 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:27.320 human nature. You're always going to think you're the main 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:29.439 character of the universe that that's. 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:30.360 Just the way that it is. 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:35.120 So you think that your guys are going to achieve 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.160 their ceiling and you're going to reach these heights. But 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:41.560 when we were interviewing people from Orlando and Atlanta and 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:44.600 Toronto and all these other young teams that were on 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:48.160 the rise, it was it was an open question of 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:50.600 which of these kind of young cores was going to 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:53.760 take that step forward, right. There was debates around the 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:57.240 draft of Evan Mobley or Jalen Suggs, and you know, 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:01.000 when Mobile was picked, people said, hey, we're going to 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:02.800 see what happens in a few years. It's going to 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:06.080 be interesting to track these two teams. And you know, 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:09.880 I think once again, Evan Mobley had a phenomenal performance. 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:12.320 He's been a big, big part of this team's success. 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:15.680 I think we've won in his career at a fifty 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:19.480 four win pace when Evan Mobley's in the lineup, So like, 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.200 obviously he's a big part of it. But it's just 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:26.280 amazing to me that this Calves team has really put 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:30.760 themselves forward in comparison to teams like it, you know, Orlando, 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:34.160 and not to mention the other teams, that we interviewed, 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:37.280 like Atlanta and Toronto and some of the other young 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:40.480 cores that we thought might be growing alongside the Calves 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:43.760 and bro This is where I just keep going back 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:48.480 to the fact that they made the right choices on 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:52.040 the road. They didn't miss they didn't bail on anyone 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:55.560 too early, they didn't hang on to anyone too long. Really, 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:57.640 with the only exception you could really make is the 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:01.240 JB argument. But you know, at the end of the day, 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:07.120 like that, their roster construction has held firm, and you know, 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.079 I still fundamentally believe that giving him another year. 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:10.520 Was the right call. 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.160 Like that's but that's certainly I felt like it was 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:15.480 a defensible call and one I think both of us 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:17.640 wanted them to make, so we certainly aren't going to 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:24.080 play you know, hindsight is twenty twenty here, But you know, 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:27.240 they've just made the right calls. And I forget who 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:29.240 it was, it was either s or Matt Moore that 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:30.360 was like, man, I just feel. 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:32.920 So bad for the Kings. You know, they had one 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:36.080 year being fun and on the rise, and now everything's 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:39.680 kind of a mess again. And that just kind of 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.080 goes to like making the right calls investing in the 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:45.720 right players getting lucky in the right ways. Like I 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:50.040 tweeted during that during last night's game, with four minutes 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:53.679 and seventeen seconds left in Game seven of the first 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:57.760 round against the Magic, the Calves were down eighteen points. 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.440 And sure you. 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:07.520 Can credit organizational philosophy and fortitude, but also how much 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:09.400 credit do you have to give to the players make 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:13.480 for gritting up making that comeback. Thank you Donovan for 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:16.160 going absolutely ballistic in the second half of that game 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:18.600 and getting us to the second round. Because I don't 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:22.280 know if any of this happens, I don't know the math, 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:26.359 the whole math changes if you lose again to a 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:30.360 less talented, more physical team in the first round, like 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:33.880 and so like some of this stuff does just exist 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:36.000 on a knife's edge at the end of the day, 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:40.400 and you just I just keep going back to the 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:45.160 word grateful for the season they're having, because there's a 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.480 trillion roads, a trillion outcomes. You know, not to go 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:51.080 you know, full doctor strange on you, but like you know, 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:54.520 there's a lot of outcomes where this isn't happening. So 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:56.559 the fact that we're in the timeline that it is, 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:02.000 I'm very happy. Yeah, Well, you know, I think, as 0:14:02.040 --> 0:14:05.360 you corrected me, that we have already matched last year's 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.120 win total and we've exceeded our Vegas over under for 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:11.480 the season at least the initial line already. Like I 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.120 think it's a good time to kind of reflect on that, because, 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:18.000 let's be honest, forty eight wins is a pretty successful season. 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:21.360 Like that's that's better than a lot of teams get to. 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.080 I forget how long it's been since the Washington Wizards 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.520 have had a fifty win season, but like a lot 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:29.240 of fan bases don't get up to forty eight, right, Like, 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:33.640 there were so many years that we've been podcasting and 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:37.360 covering this team where just getting to five hundred seemed 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:39.680 like a tall, tall kind of hill to climb, And 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:43.320 just reflected on last year of everything that the team 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:46.040 went through and just you know how difficult some of 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.680 those stretches were. Like this, rocks Man, like, this has 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:51.680 been a lot of fun, and I think it's a 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.840 big part of why, at least for myself, I've always 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:58.440 tried to compartmentalize both the regular season and the playoffs. 0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:01.200 I can have an eye towards the postseason and kind 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:04.000 of view it as a separate entity that we're working towards, 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:07.600 while still really enjoying the fact that for eighty two nights, 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:09.920 I get to live and die with my team. I 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:12.600 get to talk about it with other cast fans, I 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:14.880 get to talk about it with you, like to me 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:17.800 that this is just such a big important part of 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:21.640 the fan experience. And as much as like my sights 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.480 are one hundred percent on what this team could accomplish 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:29.160 this season, and I'm like insanely excited about the opportunity 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:31.440 for this team to potentially win a championship this year. 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.440 Like I'm I'm thoroughly thoroughly enjoying the ride. And I 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.040 don't think how I look back on this season is 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:41.800 going to be impacted a whole lot by the postseason, 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:44.480 at least when it comes to like regular season fondness. 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:47.320 Of course, if they underachieve in the postseason, that's going 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:49.680 to put a sour taste in your mouth. But like, 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:51.800 this has just been such a fun run in and 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:55.800 when you have this kind of well founded hope, like 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:59.280 it's not a long shot that this team can contend 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:02.160 they are or can tender, that's a really really special 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:02.880 spot to be in. 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.680 Yeah, You're absolutely right. And by the way, uh, isn't 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:09.440 it so interesting that Orlando is just basically on our 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:13.120 curve right now? You know, they have they have the 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:17.640 come up, they address some roster some you know, immediate 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:21.720 roster concerns, and they have a year where everything goes wrong, 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:25.600 and like, I'll be interested to see what lessons they 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:27.440 take away in their front office, which I think is 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:31.520 built a very good team, because I feel like they're 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:33.680 they're going to have to make some hard calls at 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:36.480 the end of this year where they go, Okay, is 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:40.680 it that our roster is incompatible? You know, is there 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:44.680 not enough shooting in the front's Palo duo and not 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:49.120 enough like playmaking to like build a good offense or 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:51.440 are we just having a bad year. 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:53.880 You know, I'm really happy to add a space. 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.200 I'm really happy to add cap space last off season 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:58.560 and sign Ksep instead of this because they might throw 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:00.640 a max contract at Tidrow after what. 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.520 He did to them. Yes, you're not wrong about that. 0:17:04.040 --> 0:17:06.560 So, you know, it is just interesting to see all 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.680 these teams that kind of ebb and flow and figure 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.240 out how they're going to deal with the kind of 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.640 because like when you're in it last year, it's you're 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:19.040 forgiven for being woe is me? Right of like, oh man, 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.760 can we just catch a break? Like, oh, this is 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:25.000 going to mess up our whole team building process, and uh, 0:17:25.119 --> 0:17:27.480 you know, maybe our guys are just injury prone and 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.400 you're having all these kind of thoughts in your head. 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:31.480 And then at the end of the day, it's like 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:35.160 you look at Orlando, who are you know, generally sturdy 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:38.720 as hell, Like they were really really healthy all last 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:40.800 year and they're having the year from hell this year. 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.000 And sometimes you just have to remember you like I 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:45.280 almost want to like go counsel their front offs and 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:48.520 be like, chill, guys, like you have a really good team. 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:50.320 It's just been a weird year for you. 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.760 Yeah, And I would advise fans not to write them off, 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:55.320 Like I think that that's a team that's going to 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:57.560 hang around. I wouldn't be surprised to see them give 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:01.040 a team hell in the postseason. I think that they 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:03.320 are going to have longevity. I think that's a team 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:05.760 that's going to be someone that we're going to have to, 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:09.280 you know, measure ourselves against still in the future in 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:11.879 the Eastern Conference, and is going to be coming for 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:15.520 the Cavs. But I just I really think, you know, 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:18.119 kind of that key takeaway of we have so many 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:22.119 more guys that can contribute, that can initiate offense, that 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:26.240 can finish plays offensively. That's that's one of the biggest differences, 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:30.159 because you know, getting another good offensive performance against an 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:33.679 elite defense. That's an important thing for us to see. 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:37.280 The Calves still have the number one offense in the league. 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:40.160 When it comes to how they play against top ten defenses, 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:42.600 they have a one to twenty one offensive rating in 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.840 those games. The next closest is the Knicks, and they're 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:48.800 almost two points worse. That's a pretty big gap when 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:51.200 you're talking about how you perform against the best teams. 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:54.679 But you brought this up to me recently in a conversation, 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:56.679 and it's something that I've been meaning to touch on. 0:18:57.440 --> 0:18:59.480 Is back in twenty two to twenty three, when the 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:01.879 Caves lost to the Knicks, they had the number one 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:05.040 offense against top ten defenses in the league. That was 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.280 something that was true back then. It wasn't just that 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:10.480 they were beating up on the worst teams in the league. 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:14.359 And I think, you know, we did a good job 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:16.960 in the lead up to that series of highlighting, Hey, 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:19.919 there's been some struggles against the Knicks, even though overall 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.560 the Cavs have quality wins. We have the twenty fourth 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:25.240 best offense against the Knicks. Like, when you look at 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:28.119 how teams perform, they struggle on that end. They really 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:31.520 struggle to end possessions with defensive rebounds, even though their 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:35.359 overall defense is good and all of that remained true 0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:38.080 when you get to the playoffs. But the thing that 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.800 jumps out to me is when you just look at 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.840 the depth of that team, And I think that was 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:45.800 why coming out of that series where we were saying, 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.120 just got to improve the supporting cast, Like the core 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:50.200 needs to be better. We know Evan needs to take 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:52.800 a step forward, we know Darius, Donovan, Jarrett all need 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:53.359 to be better. 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:54.800 But a lot of. 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:57.840 This is the supporting cast. Because when the Corps four 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:00.760 played with Isaac Okorro in that series, they had a 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:03.359 plus thirteen net rating. When they played with Caras, they 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:06.240 had a plus four net rating. But when you look 0:20:06.240 --> 0:20:08.800 at the minutes leaders outside of that, it was Caris, 0:20:09.160 --> 0:20:11.960 then it was Jetty, then it was o'corl, Danny Green 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:16.280 and Ricky Rubio. We are in a much much different 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:19.879 scenario this season. And that goes beyond just you know, 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:23.360 recognizing how much better every member of the core four 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:25.360 is now than they were back then. 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:27.720 Well, you know, that really does set up my point 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:31.399 that the calves are We've talked a lot about the 0:20:31.400 --> 0:20:33.560 calves death. We've talked a lot about forty eight minutes 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:36.960 of how about them not having to play any lineups 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:39.919 that just kill them and no one else gets to 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:42.359 do that. Really, and I went ahead and just looked 0:20:42.359 --> 0:20:44.920 at the twenty five most played. 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:46.400 Five man lineups this year. 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:50.200