WEBVTT - 175. Lebron and Russ pull out the win 

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<v Speaker 1>dot net in West Virginia. All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight,

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<v Speaker 1>presented by FanDuel. Here on the volume, I am Jason Timp.

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<v Speaker 1>Happy Friday, everybody. I hope you all had a great week.

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<v Speaker 1>I sincerely apologize for those of you who are listening

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit earlier. We had some technical difficulties, but

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<v Speaker 1>we got those resolved. I appreciate you sticking around and

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<v Speaker 1>or coming back. You may also have noticed that we

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<v Speaker 1>titled the show Hoops Tonight Tonight instead of Lakers Tonight.

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<v Speaker 1>All that is is a different brand that we are

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<v Speaker 1>going to use for nights where we don't go immediately

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<v Speaker 1>after Lakers games, which is obviously going to be more

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<v Speaker 1>relevant as we head into the postseason. Just a new

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<v Speaker 1>brand doesn't change anything about the show or where you

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<v Speaker 1>get um. But ironically, the Lakers were the most interesting

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<v Speaker 1>game tonight, so we will be leading with them. We're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna talk about Russ's big shot and all the chaos

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<v Speaker 1>surrounding that. We're gonna talk about Lebron's vintage fourth quarter,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're gonna get into a little bit of the

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<v Speaker 1>things that the Lakers did in that game that they

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<v Speaker 1>can take forward, lessons that they might have learned that

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<v Speaker 1>they can apply as they move forward. And then later

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<v Speaker 1>in the show, we are going to talk about the

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<v Speaker 1>Mavericks finally losing one of these huge road games in

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<v Speaker 1>Philly tonight, talk about this recent stretch from them and

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<v Speaker 1>what it means. And then for those of you stick

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<v Speaker 1>around at the end, we're going to talk a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit of the Chicago Bulls, the team I have not

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<v Speaker 1>done a deep dive on of late, so let's start

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<v Speaker 1>with the Lakers. This was a very important win for

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<v Speaker 1>a bunch of different reasons. Obviously, in the standings, it

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<v Speaker 1>was important they now have a three game advantage over

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<v Speaker 1>the San Antonio Spurs for that eleven spot. So if

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<v Speaker 1>within that locker room, if they are interested in trying

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<v Speaker 1>to make a run at this thing, they need to

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<v Speaker 1>get a certain amount of wins the rest of the

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<v Speaker 1>season to even stay in that spot. This idea of

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<v Speaker 1>them just going out every night, rolling over and losing

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<v Speaker 1>by twenty had this obvious consequence that was gonna involve

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<v Speaker 1>them just missing the play in altogether. And then also

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<v Speaker 1>it has to do with just, you know, some sort

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<v Speaker 1>of building block, something you can take into the next

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<v Speaker 1>season regardless of what happens this season, if they missed

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<v Speaker 1>the play in, if they make the plan but lose

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<v Speaker 1>in the playing tournament, or if they make it to

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<v Speaker 1>the first round and get destroyed by Phoenix. Regardless of

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<v Speaker 1>what happens, basketball has to be played next year, and

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<v Speaker 1>they need to have something that they can build on.

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<v Speaker 1>And so this win is important for all of those

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<v Speaker 1>reasons that I just laid out. First of all, Toronto

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<v Speaker 1>is really, really good. I didn't think the Lakers were

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<v Speaker 1>physically capable of getting this win tonight on the road

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<v Speaker 1>in Toronto. If you watched that game at the Crypto

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com Arena the other night, they looked physically outclassed

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<v Speaker 1>at almost every position. It was one of those things

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<v Speaker 1>where you when you try to fathom how they could

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<v Speaker 1>go into Toronto play that same basketball team with the

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<v Speaker 1>same pieces at their disposal, for them to fight the

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<v Speaker 1>way they did was really impressive. And it goes to

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<v Speaker 1>that the same concept that I talked about in after

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<v Speaker 1>that game. I talked about the difference between being big

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<v Speaker 1>and playing big. The Lakers were a small team that

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<v Speaker 1>also played small. They backed away and shied away from

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<v Speaker 1>all of the physical confrontations. They weren't actually trying to

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<v Speaker 1>win those confrontations. They were conceding those confrontations. That's not

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<v Speaker 1>what happened tonight. They went in and they were the

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<v Speaker 1>physical aggressors. Some of that was Toronto pulling back, probably

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<v Speaker 1>because they expected the Lakers to roll over, but a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of it was the Lakers coming out swinging and

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<v Speaker 1>punching and trying to win those physical battles. And they did.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's what's so frustrating about this team, because they

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<v Speaker 1>have a punch that they have access to that has

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<v Speaker 1>the capability of beating any of these teams in the

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<v Speaker 1>league on any given night. Are they good enough to

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<v Speaker 1>win the championship? Probably not. I don't think so. Even

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<v Speaker 1>with Anthony Davis coming back. They're just too thin at

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<v Speaker 1>almost every other position group on the floor outside of

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<v Speaker 1>Lebron and Anthony Davis. But they're nowhere near as bad

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<v Speaker 1>as the results from this last month would tell you.

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<v Speaker 1>If you looked at the results they you would think

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<v Speaker 1>this is one of the very worst teams in the league,

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<v Speaker 1>and the same tier as like an Orlando Magic, for instance.

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<v Speaker 1>But that's not how bad this team actually is. They

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<v Speaker 1>they may not be a bona fide championship contender, but

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<v Speaker 1>they are a healthy playoff team that should absolutely be

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<v Speaker 1>competitive in every single NBA game, and they were disrespecting

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<v Speaker 1>the game and poisoning their own situation by playing the

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<v Speaker 1>way that they were playing over the course of this

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<v Speaker 1>last month. It's annoying that we know that they can

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<v Speaker 1>do what they did tonight, maybe not win a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of bounces go different. They lose tonight, but they were

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<v Speaker 1>competitive throughout the game. I would argue they controlled that

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<v Speaker 1>game for the most part. That's what that team is

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<v Speaker 1>capable of against any of those non contenders. They No,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think they can go beat Phoenix, but against

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<v Speaker 1>the vast majority of the teams in the league. They

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<v Speaker 1>should be competitive on any given night, and if Lebron

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<v Speaker 1>is able to give you what he gave you in

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<v Speaker 1>the fourth quarter tonight, you should be able to win

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<v Speaker 1>with this group. And so that's what's been so frustrating

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<v Speaker 1>about this team this season. I wanted to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>Russ's shot for a second because I thought it was

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<v Speaker 1>genuinely fascinating at so many different levels. You know, Russ

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<v Speaker 1>is having a really bad season by any stretch of

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<v Speaker 1>the imagination, and I would argue it's the vast majority

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<v Speaker 1>of it is his fault. Some of it is circumstances.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, Frank Vogel hasn't done the best job. He's

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<v Speaker 1>been elevated to bigger roles because of injury. There are

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<v Speaker 1>circumstances that are outside of his control that didn't go well.

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<v Speaker 1>But the vast majority of this season going poorly was

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<v Speaker 1>Russ's fault, him not embracing what he needed to do.

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<v Speaker 1>And I've talked a lot on the show in recent

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<v Speaker 1>weeks about how he needs to adapt and learn a

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<v Speaker 1>lesson from this season. Well, that last sequence of possessions

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of this game taught you everything you

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<v Speaker 1>need to know about how us has interpreted what has

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<v Speaker 1>happened to this season. If you thought he was humbled,

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<v Speaker 1>if you thought maybe he was thinking about changing some

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<v Speaker 1>of the aspects of his game, Hell no, that was

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<v Speaker 1>answered in a resounding fashion. Let's let me just lay

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<v Speaker 1>this out for you, just so you guys understand exactly

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<v Speaker 1>how crazy easy those last two shots where from Russell Westbrook.

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<v Speaker 1>He is shooting less than fourteen percent from three in

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<v Speaker 1>the fifteen games coming into tonight, Lebron had sixteen points

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<v Speaker 1>in the fourth quarter. He had just made a three.

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<v Speaker 1>Because Toronto was ball pressuring the three point line with

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<v Speaker 1>size and length, the only guy that was getting quality

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<v Speaker 1>three point shots was Lebron unless Stanley Johnson wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>shoot something, but he was moving the ball as he

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<v Speaker 1>shoot up in that situation, So Lebron comes off of

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<v Speaker 1>the screen and misses a step back that would have

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<v Speaker 1>tied the game. Their Lakers get an offensive rebound. It

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<v Speaker 1>ends up back in Russ His hands. Here comes Lebron

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<v Speaker 1>off of another screen, coming back towards Russ, and Precious

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<v Speaker 1>a Chua dies on the screen. Lebron is open at

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<v Speaker 1>the top of the key and on top of that

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<v Speaker 1>Pascal Seacom's guarding Russ and he's up on the jump shot.

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<v Speaker 1>He's taking away his airspace and Russ shot it anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was one of the worst misses I have

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<v Speaker 1>ever seen in an NBA game from a player that's

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<v Speaker 1>allegedly as talented as wells of Westbrook Is. He damn

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<v Speaker 1>near hits the corner of the backboard and he one

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<v Speaker 1>ups himself because on the very next possession, completely unfazed,

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<v Speaker 1>he goes down the floor and he makes the shot

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<v Speaker 1>horribly like the Scotty Barnes was draped all over him,

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<v Speaker 1>barely had any space, and he knocks down that shot,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was an amazing shot, and it was the

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<v Speaker 1>only reason the Lakers had an opportunity to win that

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<v Speaker 1>game in overtime. So I want to credit that as

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<v Speaker 1>best as I possibly can. It was an unbelievable shot

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<v Speaker 1>saved the night for the Lakers. But that shot tells

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<v Speaker 1>you everything you need to know about Russ and what

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<v Speaker 1>he's learned from this season after this catastrophe of a season.

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<v Speaker 1>His takeaway was, oh, Lebron's got it going tonight, but

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<v Speaker 1>but I gotta go, oh Lebron just made a three

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<v Speaker 1>has sixteen points in the fourth corner. No, no, no,

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<v Speaker 1>this is my turn. Oh I just hit the corner

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<v Speaker 1>of a backboard and all those other things are true. No,

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<v Speaker 1>it's still my turn. That tells you everything you need

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<v Speaker 1>to know about Russ. That supreme confidence has carried him

0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.480
<v Speaker 1>throughout his career, but it's become a detriment to him

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<v Speaker 1>at this phase of his career, and that tells you

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<v Speaker 1>everything you need to know about whether or not he's

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<v Speaker 1>willing to adapt at some point soon. Maybe that will

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<v Speaker 1>still happen at some point, but it's clear mentally that

0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:27.520
<v Speaker 1>he's not there yet. After the game, Dan Woiki asks

0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:32.880
<v Speaker 1>him how he prevents those ugly, ugly misses from getting

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<v Speaker 1>in his head, and he's simply answered, I have twenty

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<v Speaker 1>three thousand points. And again I admire the confidence. It

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<v Speaker 1>is Russell Westbrook personified, but the truth of the man.

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<v Speaker 1>And look here, I don't know. Maybe he gives the

0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:49.200
<v Speaker 1>ball to Lebron on both of those possessions, and maybe

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<v Speaker 1>Lebron misses both threes. You know, I can't say that

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<v Speaker 1>for certain. Russ made the shot, that's all that matters.

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<v Speaker 1>But in the moment, those were very poor decisions, very

0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:05.080
<v Speaker 1>very astonishingly poor decisions. With the rhythm that Lebron had,

0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:07.440
<v Speaker 1>the fact that he's six ft nine, the fact that

0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:09.480
<v Speaker 1>he can shoot over the top about just about anybody,

0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:11.240
<v Speaker 1>and the fact that he had the rhythm that he had,

0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:14.640
<v Speaker 1>they were confusing decisions, but again, big shot for us

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<v Speaker 1>saved the game. It just as an interesting dynamic that

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<v Speaker 1>reveals so much about who Russ is as a basketball player,

0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:25.080
<v Speaker 1>what his his basketball character is made up. So moving

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<v Speaker 1>on to Lebron, I was there were a handful of

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<v Speaker 1>really really ugly defensive breakdowns at the end of that

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<v Speaker 1>fourth quarter, getting Gary Trent wide open threes that ended

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<v Speaker 1>up nearly costing the Lakers the game. And it's funny

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<v Speaker 1>because I'm not surprised that the sloppy basketball team that's

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<v Speaker 1>been sloppy all year long made sloppy mistakes in a

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<v Speaker 1>pivotal moment. That's you know, you are who you are

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<v Speaker 1>in those ways, and the Lakers are going to continue

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<v Speaker 1>to be who they are in those situations. But what

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<v Speaker 1>was interesting was it was those mistakes were going to

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<v Speaker 1>ruin a vintage masterpiece of a fourth quarter performance from Lebron.

0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:09.720
<v Speaker 1>I tweeted out earlier that Lebron has these like five

0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:13.800
<v Speaker 1>minute stretches that he'll go on where he literally is

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<v Speaker 1>everywhere on the floor. It's almost like there's five Lebrons

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<v Speaker 1>out there and he's making every play and it's confusing,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's like a tidal wave that just takes over

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<v Speaker 1>the game. You know, when I'm ranking, when I'm ranking

0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:27.599
<v Speaker 1>players in the league, you guys, for those of you

0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:29.480
<v Speaker 1>have been following me for a while, you know, I

0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:33.440
<v Speaker 1>always prioritize three things. Isolation scoring, the ability to create

0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.360
<v Speaker 1>your own shot, playmaking, the ability to create shots for

0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:39.800
<v Speaker 1>your teammates, and defensive versatility the ability to impact the

0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:43.240
<v Speaker 1>game defensively in a bunch of different ways. Well, Lebron

0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:46.280
<v Speaker 1>is really the only guy in this era that's been

0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.480
<v Speaker 1>unbelievably elite at all three things. If you look at

0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:52.160
<v Speaker 1>other guys around the league, like Kevin Durant can be

0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:56.080
<v Speaker 1>laite defensively, but he's not the best playmaker in the world.

0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:58.439
<v Speaker 1>Or like Steph Curry, he's actually a very good playmaker

0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.080
<v Speaker 1>as he draws attention, but he's not the best defensive

0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.000
<v Speaker 1>player in the world. So when those guys hit the Jets,

0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.800
<v Speaker 1>when those guys really try to put their stamp on

0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:09.120
<v Speaker 1>the game. It comes the same way. It's their scoring

0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.160
<v Speaker 1>out firsts or creating shots with the team. It's things

0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:16.040
<v Speaker 1>along those lines when Lebron really pushes the turbo button

0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:20.360
<v Speaker 1>and takes over a game because he's so versatile and

0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:22.839
<v Speaker 1>all of those areas of the game. Like I talked about,

0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:27.400
<v Speaker 1>it's that crazy effect that Lebron has where he's all

0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.680
<v Speaker 1>over the floor making every single play and nobody on

0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:32.880
<v Speaker 1>the on the other team can do anything about it.

0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:36.040
<v Speaker 1>My favorite example of this in his career was the

0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.880
<v Speaker 1>two thousand thirteen Finals against the Spurs, and there were

0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:41.240
<v Speaker 1>two spurts where he did this in Game two in

0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:44.120
<v Speaker 1>the fourth quarter and in Game six and the fourth quarter,

0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:47.120
<v Speaker 1>And in both of those games the Spurs had leads

0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:50.240
<v Speaker 1>and were and had control of the game, but Lebron

0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:53.160
<v Speaker 1>kind of reached that moment of desperation where he had

0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:56.800
<v Speaker 1>to empty the tank, empty the clip, do whatever he

0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.680
<v Speaker 1>could to impact the game. And he was flying around

0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.120
<v Speaker 1>up a Denzil for You'd see him step up and

0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.200
<v Speaker 1>blocked Thiago, splitter block Tim Duncan at the rim, then

0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.560
<v Speaker 1>get his own rebound and split all the way up

0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:09.320
<v Speaker 1>the floor and like pass fake to a guy in

0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:11.679
<v Speaker 1>the corner and then pump fake and finish at the basket,

0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:14.080
<v Speaker 1>or to drive into the lane and draw four bodies

0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:16.000
<v Speaker 1>and kick it out to Shane Dattier in the corner

0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.400
<v Speaker 1>for for a huge street like that was what made

0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:23.280
<v Speaker 1>those moments for Lebron so iconic, and what made those

0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:27.320
<v Speaker 1>moments for Lebron so like become the fuel for his

0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:30.400
<v Speaker 1>goat case and everybody who says that they think that

0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:33.440
<v Speaker 1>he's the best player they've ever seen, it's because of that,

0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:36.400
<v Speaker 1>and we got to see that tonight. In that fourth quarter,

0:14:36.480 --> 0:14:41.320
<v Speaker 1>Lebron was everywhere on the back line, making defensive place,

0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:43.880
<v Speaker 1>getting into the paint, collapsing bodies and kicking out to

0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:47.800
<v Speaker 1>Avery Bradley, finishing at the rim, using his brain, beating

0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:51.280
<v Speaker 1>people on back cuts. That shot that he hit, the

0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:54.239
<v Speaker 1>three point shot that he banked in, was eerily reminiscent

0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:55.800
<v Speaker 1>of the one that he hit to send the game

0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:59.040
<v Speaker 1>to overtime in Washington back in two thousand seventeen. He

0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:03.480
<v Speaker 1>had a hundred different impact plays in that fourth quarter.

0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:06.120
<v Speaker 1>It's the thing that I'm gonna miss the most when

0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:08.880
<v Speaker 1>Lebron is gone, because I don't think there's a player

0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:12.680
<v Speaker 1>in the league who has that type of burst because

0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:14.400
<v Speaker 1>all of the players in the league right now have

0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:17.440
<v Speaker 1>big strengths, but they also have weaknesses. Lebron has always

0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.000
<v Speaker 1>been the Swiss Army Knife of the NBA, and when

0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.360
<v Speaker 1>he gets going like that, it's always been such a

0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:25.560
<v Speaker 1>site to behold. One last note on the Lakers before

0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.120
<v Speaker 1>we move on. That was really interesting that they started big.

0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:31.840
<v Speaker 1>We've seen so many times this season where Frank Vogel

0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:35.760
<v Speaker 1>has in a point of desperation, gone super small right,

0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:39.720
<v Speaker 1>gone to multiple guards, gone to four guards, even sometimes

0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:42.240
<v Speaker 1>gone to mellow at Center with four guards, And what

0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:45.200
<v Speaker 1>we haven't seen is him just say screw it, I'm

0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:48.200
<v Speaker 1>going huge. And it was an interesting reaction to the

0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:52.000
<v Speaker 1>way that Toronto physically dominated their first matchup. He started

0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:55.560
<v Speaker 1>Lebron and when you in Gabriel and Dwight Howard, and

0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:57.960
<v Speaker 1>I think that was part of what set that physical

0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:01.520
<v Speaker 1>tone that allowed the Lakers to be the aggressor throughout

0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:04.760
<v Speaker 1>the game. When you in Gabriel was incredible. Tonight you go.

0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:06.680
<v Speaker 1>I've done video breakdowns on him and a bunch of

0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:09.120
<v Speaker 1>stuff about him on the show. This is just what

0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:12.640
<v Speaker 1>happens when you have size and athleticism and you play hard.

0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:16.640
<v Speaker 1>In this NBA, you can automatically have an impact just

0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.480
<v Speaker 1>by going out and playing extremely hard and leaving your

0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:22.880
<v Speaker 1>physical tools on the floor. Both him and Stanley Johnson

0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:26.080
<v Speaker 1>had big impacts tonight in that way. I like the

0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:30.240
<v Speaker 1>idea of going big, especially with Lebron being inconsistent with

0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:32.960
<v Speaker 1>his defensive effort. If you have another guy at the

0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:36.360
<v Speaker 1>center position who can take over all those back line responsibilities,

0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:39.240
<v Speaker 1>then if Lebron is coasting on the defensive ent, it's

0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:42.240
<v Speaker 1>less damaging. When Lebron's at center and it's four guards

0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.280
<v Speaker 1>on the floor or four perimeter players on the floor

0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:47.920
<v Speaker 1>and Lebron's coasting defensively, it's always gonna be a disaster

0:16:48.040 --> 0:16:50.600
<v Speaker 1>because you have to have somebody on the back line

0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:52.520
<v Speaker 1>who's willing to rotate around. I thought that was an

0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.520
<v Speaker 1>interesting tactic from very Frank Vogel tonight, and I think

0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:58.440
<v Speaker 1>it's an interesting approach to potentially try to move forward.

0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:02.520
<v Speaker 1>They've had spacing issue and offensive issues all season anyway,

0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.280
<v Speaker 1>why not just lean into that a little bit by

0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:09.200
<v Speaker 1>having some size and athleticism on the floor. Start your

0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:12.840
<v Speaker 1>bracket with a bang. Right now, Fandel Sports Book is

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<v Speaker 1>dot net in West Virginia. Moving on to the Dallas Mavericks.

0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:22.000
<v Speaker 1>So they lost finally on the road tonight in Philly.

0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:23.800
<v Speaker 1>They had a couple of huge wins. We broke those

0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:26.920
<v Speaker 1>down in detail. I did a video on both of them,

0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:29.840
<v Speaker 1>against the Brooklyn Nets and against the Boston Celtics. The

0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:33.040
<v Speaker 1>Dallas Mavericks are trending in the direction looking like a

0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:36.080
<v Speaker 1>bona fide championship contender, but they finally fell flat on

0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:38.840
<v Speaker 1>their face tonight in Philly. I thought I didn't take

0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:41.200
<v Speaker 1>too much from it. I thought it was related to fatigue.

0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:44.760
<v Speaker 1>It's their fourth game on this road trip, Luca and

0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:47.680
<v Speaker 1>and Spencer Dinwoodie. I think they went combined a two

0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:51.199
<v Speaker 1>for fourteen from three. That's a big indicator of legs.

0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:55.080
<v Speaker 1>That's fatigue starting to play a role. Also, the Sixers

0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:57.480
<v Speaker 1>shot out of their minds. They had six players who

0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.800
<v Speaker 1>made at least two threes. They shot four. Two from

0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:04.080
<v Speaker 1>the game and for the game and the way to

0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:06.600
<v Speaker 1>beat the Sixers, as we all know, as we've laid

0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:09.040
<v Speaker 1>out on this show in detail over the last couple

0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.600
<v Speaker 1>of weeks, you have to get out in transition. Dallas

0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:15.960
<v Speaker 1>did not do that tonight. They only had seven fast breakpoints.

0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:18.560
<v Speaker 1>You're if you're not gonna attack Philly's weakness, You're gonna

0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:20.440
<v Speaker 1>struggle in a lot of different ways. I wouldn't take

0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:24.800
<v Speaker 1>too much from that game. That said, I still I

0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:28.200
<v Speaker 1>still like what I've seen from Dallas in this recent

0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:30.480
<v Speaker 1>stretch of games and I wanted to provide some perspective

0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:34.879
<v Speaker 1>here because people always expect these top tier contenders to

0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:38.679
<v Speaker 1>just go in and roll over everybody they play, including

0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:41.280
<v Speaker 1>the good teams, and that's never how it actually goes.

0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:44.320
<v Speaker 1>For instance, last year the Milwaukee Bucks won the title,

0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:47.480
<v Speaker 1>they were only nineteen and seventeen against teams that were

0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:51.520
<v Speaker 1>over five five or above. That's pretty average, right, There's

0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:54.720
<v Speaker 1>nothing to write home about. The previous season the Lakers,

0:20:54.920 --> 0:20:58.240
<v Speaker 1>they were only twenty and fourteen against teams that were

0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:01.280
<v Speaker 1>five and above. This season, the Mavericks are twenty one

0:21:01.280 --> 0:21:04.879
<v Speaker 1>and seventeen. That's pretty solid they are. They have enough

0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:08.440
<v Speaker 1>signature wins to add legitimacy to what they're doing. We've

0:21:08.440 --> 0:21:09.960
<v Speaker 1>talked about it a lot on this show. I'm just

0:21:10.000 --> 0:21:12.359
<v Speaker 1>a huge believer in what they do defensively. If you

0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:14.399
<v Speaker 1>guys look at my Twitter feed today, or released a

0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.040
<v Speaker 1>video talking about the way they mixed up their defensive

0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:20.720
<v Speaker 1>coverages against against the Nets in that big win in Brooklyn.

0:21:21.160 --> 0:21:23.480
<v Speaker 1>Big credit to Jason Kidd, who's done an awesome job

0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:26.560
<v Speaker 1>with that team. I don't think they I wouldn't put

0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:28.960
<v Speaker 1>them in the top tier of contenders. I don't think

0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:31.800
<v Speaker 1>they're as good as your you know, your Milwaukee's, your Phillies,

0:21:31.840 --> 0:21:34.320
<v Speaker 1>r Phoenix is. But I do think they're in that

0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:38.760
<v Speaker 1>second tier of contenders, meaning they absolutely could win if

0:21:38.800 --> 0:21:41.439
<v Speaker 1>a handful of things break right for them. All right,

0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:45.040
<v Speaker 1>moving on to the Bulls. So Sons chugging right along,

0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:48.680
<v Speaker 1>no issues without Chris Paul, and I think a huge

0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:50.520
<v Speaker 1>part of that is all of that talent on the

0:21:50.640 --> 0:21:53.080
<v Speaker 1>roster that I keep telling you guys about that team.

0:21:53.240 --> 0:21:55.680
<v Speaker 1>All the focus goes on Devin Booker and Chris Paul,

0:21:55.720 --> 0:21:58.560
<v Speaker 1>but the real reason why they're winning is from top

0:21:58.640 --> 0:22:01.320
<v Speaker 1>to bottom. No team in the NBA has more talent

0:22:01.359 --> 0:22:05.159
<v Speaker 1>than them. Campaign is an awesome a backup guard. He

0:22:05.600 --> 0:22:08.400
<v Speaker 1>arguably is a better option than Chris Paul and specific

0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:11.800
<v Speaker 1>matchups because he's one of the best point of attack

0:22:11.840 --> 0:22:13.680
<v Speaker 1>guards in the league. He beats his man off the

0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:16.640
<v Speaker 1>dribble almost every time. He gets into the paint at will,

0:22:16.960 --> 0:22:19.760
<v Speaker 1>which gets defenses to rotate. And when you get defenses

0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:22.439
<v Speaker 1>to rotate and you have good players around him that

0:22:22.480 --> 0:22:25.200
<v Speaker 1>can attack those closeouts, you're gonna get some good stuff.

0:22:25.280 --> 0:22:28.600
<v Speaker 1>Michael Bridges looks like a star in the making. DeAndre

0:22:28.720 --> 0:22:33.399
<v Speaker 1>Ayton is unbelievable. Just imagine if DeAndre Ayton got to

0:22:33.480 --> 0:22:35.800
<v Speaker 1>come up the way that Joel Embiad did on a

0:22:35.880 --> 0:22:39.640
<v Speaker 1>bad team, shooting twenty shots of game, getting to mix

0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:42.840
<v Speaker 1>up and take step back jump shots and Hakimola Juan

0:22:42.920 --> 0:22:45.240
<v Speaker 1>shoulder fakes and all of those things. I'm not saying

0:22:45.280 --> 0:22:48.760
<v Speaker 1>that DeAndre Ayton is Joel Embiid. We I can flat

0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:51.600
<v Speaker 1>out and say he's not. But he is in a

0:22:51.600 --> 0:22:54.800
<v Speaker 1>different type of development trajectory than Joel Embiid, and he

0:22:54.880 --> 0:22:58.359
<v Speaker 1>is a really, really, really good player that is playing

0:22:58.359 --> 0:23:01.000
<v Speaker 1>a smaller role on a team that doesn't need him

0:23:01.040 --> 0:23:03.080
<v Speaker 1>to do as much. And what you're seeing in this

0:23:03.119 --> 0:23:06.280
<v Speaker 1>recent stretch of games is he's got great footwork. He's

0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:08.920
<v Speaker 1>got great he's got a great package of moves out

0:23:08.920 --> 0:23:11.119
<v Speaker 1>of the post. He's got one of the best little

0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:14.040
<v Speaker 1>short jump books in the league. He actually has a

0:23:14.080 --> 0:23:16.600
<v Speaker 1>good jump shot as well. He's got a lot to

0:23:16.840 --> 0:23:19.560
<v Speaker 1>him that he can that he's got in reserve. The

0:23:19.600 --> 0:23:22.119
<v Speaker 1>same goes for Michail Bridges. Those are the guys that

0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:24.960
<v Speaker 1>are gonna be the huge building blocks alongside Devin Booker

0:23:25.000 --> 0:23:27.119
<v Speaker 1>in the future, and they're a really exciting team. But

0:23:27.119 --> 0:23:28.880
<v Speaker 1>I wanted to take a couple of minutes to talk

0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:31.359
<v Speaker 1>about the Chicago Bulls, their team I haven't talked about

0:23:31.640 --> 0:23:33.240
<v Speaker 1>really since I started with the Volume, and there's a

0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:36.440
<v Speaker 1>very specific reason for that. It's because they've been decimated

0:23:36.440 --> 0:23:38.760
<v Speaker 1>by injuries. And I know that doesn't sound right because

0:23:38.800 --> 0:23:43.000
<v Speaker 1>Demarda Rosen's playing every game and you're getting Nikola Vuseovic

0:23:43.040 --> 0:23:45.119
<v Speaker 1>every game, You're getting zac Lavine every game, so it

0:23:45.160 --> 0:23:49.240
<v Speaker 1>seems like everything's fine. But the arguably the most important

0:23:49.280 --> 0:23:53.200
<v Speaker 1>players on this team are Alonzo Ball and Alex crusa

0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:55.399
<v Speaker 1>which is interesting for a bunch of different reasons, and

0:23:55.400 --> 0:23:57.200
<v Speaker 1>for the record, the numbers back it up. In four

0:23:57.280 --> 0:23:59.439
<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty nine minutes. By the way, these numbers

0:23:59.480 --> 0:24:02.679
<v Speaker 1>were coming into tonight because NBA doesn't update their stats

0:24:02.680 --> 0:24:05.480
<v Speaker 1>till later, But in four hundred and fifty nine minutes

0:24:05.560 --> 0:24:08.439
<v Speaker 1>this season, with a Lonzo Ball and Alex Cruso on

0:24:08.480 --> 0:24:12.080
<v Speaker 1>the floor together, the Bowls are plus nine point three

0:24:12.119 --> 0:24:16.639
<v Speaker 1>points per one possessions. That's awesome. That is a awesome number.

0:24:17.240 --> 0:24:19.919
<v Speaker 1>They are minus one point four when those two are

0:24:19.960 --> 0:24:22.960
<v Speaker 1>off the floor per one hundred possessions, they are thirteen

0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:28.359
<v Speaker 1>points six points worse on defense. With a Lonzo and

0:24:28.400 --> 0:24:30.520
<v Speaker 1>Alex Cruso off the floor, then when those guys are

0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:32.280
<v Speaker 1>on the floor, and it's interesting for a bunch of

0:24:32.280 --> 0:24:34.840
<v Speaker 1>different reasons. I've talked a lot about the way the

0:24:34.880 --> 0:24:37.040
<v Speaker 1>game of basketball has been changing over the course of

0:24:37.040 --> 0:24:39.280
<v Speaker 1>the last five years, and a lot of it has

0:24:39.320 --> 0:24:42.480
<v Speaker 1>to do with having tons of perimeter players on the

0:24:42.480 --> 0:24:44.880
<v Speaker 1>floor that can all put the ball on the floor

0:24:44.880 --> 0:24:47.840
<v Speaker 1>and get to the basket. And so if you can't

0:24:47.880 --> 0:24:51.359
<v Speaker 1>contain on the perimeter, if you can't keep a guy

0:24:51.400 --> 0:24:53.600
<v Speaker 1>in front or at least make it difficult for him

0:24:53.640 --> 0:24:56.120
<v Speaker 1>to get to the basket, then your team is constantly

0:24:56.119 --> 0:24:59.760
<v Speaker 1>existing in rotation. And NBA teams are too good to

0:25:00.040 --> 0:25:02.320
<v Speaker 1>not make you pay for that kind of thing. Perimeter

0:25:02.400 --> 0:25:05.520
<v Speaker 1>defense is more valuable now in the NBA than it

0:25:05.640 --> 0:25:08.880
<v Speaker 1>ever has been, and Lonzo Ball and Alex Cruso are

0:25:08.880 --> 0:25:12.040
<v Speaker 1>two of the best perimeter defensive guards that we have

0:25:12.160 --> 0:25:15.560
<v Speaker 1>in the league. Having them on the floor to pick

0:25:15.680 --> 0:25:18.320
<v Speaker 1>up those perimeter matchups of all the best guards that

0:25:18.359 --> 0:25:21.000
<v Speaker 1>they play on any given night is what frees up

0:25:21.119 --> 0:25:23.439
<v Speaker 1>Zach Lavine and DeMar de Rosen to focus on the

0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:27.240
<v Speaker 1>offensive end limits their defensive shortcomings. Because both of those

0:25:27.240 --> 0:25:30.119
<v Speaker 1>players have had tons of defensive issues throughout their career.

0:25:30.440 --> 0:25:33.320
<v Speaker 1>It just makes their job easier. And what's great is

0:25:33.400 --> 0:25:35.840
<v Speaker 1>Lonzo Ball and Alex Cruso. We think guards who play

0:25:35.920 --> 0:25:39.000
<v Speaker 1>defense right. They're both big. Alex Cruso six six and

0:25:39.119 --> 0:25:42.320
<v Speaker 1>very strong. Alonzo Ball is taller, think he's about six five,

0:25:42.560 --> 0:25:45.520
<v Speaker 1>So they have great size at the position. So when

0:25:45.520 --> 0:25:48.399
<v Speaker 1>they go with those lineups with Crusoe and Ball, Levine

0:25:48.400 --> 0:25:51.480
<v Speaker 1>de Rosen and Nikolavusevitch, they actually have a ton of

0:25:51.560 --> 0:25:53.679
<v Speaker 1>size in that line up. So it's really difficult to

0:25:53.760 --> 0:25:57.040
<v Speaker 1>evaluate the Bulls without those two on the court. That

0:25:57.080 --> 0:26:00.320
<v Speaker 1>would be the That would be the Silver law Ning

0:26:00.480 --> 0:26:03.199
<v Speaker 1>or the the what you try the little bit of

0:26:03.200 --> 0:26:05.440
<v Speaker 1>positivity to cling to if you're a Bulls fan. After

0:26:05.480 --> 0:26:08.480
<v Speaker 1>a pretty frustrating season, they get off to this awesome start.

0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:11.880
<v Speaker 1>They're kicking everybody's but two of their most important players

0:26:11.920 --> 0:26:14.000
<v Speaker 1>get hurt. The rest of the season has been kind

0:26:14.000 --> 0:26:17.760
<v Speaker 1>of floundering in mediocrity. But these guys are coming back.

0:26:17.960 --> 0:26:21.400
<v Speaker 1>You have an opportunity. The big question is is Tristan

0:26:21.480 --> 0:26:26.240
<v Speaker 1>Thompson and Nicola Vusevich their front court. Are those guys

0:26:26.520 --> 0:26:31.119
<v Speaker 1>gonna be able to bring enough athletically and physically to

0:26:31.320 --> 0:26:34.920
<v Speaker 1>hang with these beast front courts that you see elsewhere

0:26:34.920 --> 0:26:36.840
<v Speaker 1>in the East. Are they gonna be able to hang

0:26:36.880 --> 0:26:39.919
<v Speaker 1>with Bam out of Bio, I don't know. Are they

0:26:39.920 --> 0:26:41.919
<v Speaker 1>gonna be able to hang with Joe El Embiid? Are

0:26:41.920 --> 0:26:44.159
<v Speaker 1>they gonna be able to hang with janas Antana Compo

0:26:44.280 --> 0:26:46.360
<v Speaker 1>and brook Lopez? Are they gonna be able to hang

0:26:46.359 --> 0:26:49.719
<v Speaker 1>with you know, Andre Drummond. Even with the team like

0:26:49.760 --> 0:26:52.600
<v Speaker 1>the Brooklyn Nets there, they are going to have a

0:26:52.640 --> 0:26:56.800
<v Speaker 1>massive physical disadvantage in the front court and almost every

0:26:56.800 --> 0:26:59.439
<v Speaker 1>matchup they can try to come that we've seen like

0:26:59.520 --> 0:27:02.680
<v Speaker 1>with that list. Dallas doesn't have great front court presence either,

0:27:02.960 --> 0:27:06.760
<v Speaker 1>but they've made up for it with scheme. Will Chicago

0:27:06.840 --> 0:27:10.760
<v Speaker 1>be able to put together enough defensively around those guys

0:27:10.800 --> 0:27:13.120
<v Speaker 1>to make up for it, I don't know. Patrick Williams

0:27:13.119 --> 0:27:15.240
<v Speaker 1>is allegedly going to be coming back here in the

0:27:15.280 --> 0:27:17.679
<v Speaker 1>next week or two. He's a big, strong athlete, so

0:27:17.720 --> 0:27:20.040
<v Speaker 1>that helps a little bit on that front. That would

0:27:20.040 --> 0:27:22.040
<v Speaker 1>be my biggest concern with the Bulls, And as is

0:27:22.080 --> 0:27:24.359
<v Speaker 1>always the case when we're having these conversations, it's like

0:27:24.359 --> 0:27:26.600
<v Speaker 1>with the Harden and Beat thing, It's not are these

0:27:26.640 --> 0:27:28.919
<v Speaker 1>guys good. I know they're good. I know DeRozan and

0:27:29.040 --> 0:27:32.120
<v Speaker 1>Levine are awesome, But are they gonna beat Kevin Durant

0:27:32.119 --> 0:27:34.399
<v Speaker 1>in a duel four times out of seven? Are they

0:27:34.400 --> 0:27:37.200
<v Speaker 1>gonna beat Janie Antennacumpo in a duel four times out

0:27:37.200 --> 0:27:39.119
<v Speaker 1>of seven? I don't know. If they get out of

0:27:39.119 --> 0:27:40.560
<v Speaker 1>the East, are they gonna be able to beat that

0:27:40.640 --> 0:27:43.720
<v Speaker 1>awesome Son's team. That's what's so crazy about how deep

0:27:43.760 --> 0:27:46.719
<v Speaker 1>the league is right now. When we're evaluating these teams,

0:27:46.960 --> 0:27:49.760
<v Speaker 1>It's it's wild the standard we have to hold them

0:27:49.800 --> 0:27:52.879
<v Speaker 1>too if they're gonna have any real success in the NBA.

0:27:53.240 --> 0:27:56.439
<v Speaker 1>The Bulls being so far down on everybody's list of

0:27:56.480 --> 0:27:58.960
<v Speaker 1>contenders with the type of lineups that they can throw

0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:02.960
<v Speaker 1>out there, that Russo Ball, Levine, de rosen And and

0:28:03.040 --> 0:28:05.760
<v Speaker 1>Voster Bitch lineup is one of the best lineups in

0:28:05.800 --> 0:28:10.400
<v Speaker 1>the league. That lineup sounds incredible, but it's probably not

0:28:10.440 --> 0:28:12.520
<v Speaker 1>good enough. And that just goes to show you how

0:28:12.560 --> 0:28:15.960
<v Speaker 1>incredibly talented the NBA is right now. And that's why

0:28:16.000 --> 0:28:17.440
<v Speaker 1>I love this job so much, and I love that

0:28:17.520 --> 0:28:19.639
<v Speaker 1>I get to do this because the NBA is in

0:28:19.720 --> 0:28:22.439
<v Speaker 1>an all time golden age of talent. And it just

0:28:22.520 --> 0:28:25.160
<v Speaker 1>makes the product amazing. All right, guys, that is all

0:28:25.200 --> 0:28:28.359
<v Speaker 1>I have for tonight. We will be back tomorrow after

0:28:28.440 --> 0:28:31.520
<v Speaker 1>the Lakers game in Washington against the Wizards. As always,

0:28:31.640 --> 0:28:34.680
<v Speaker 1>I sincerely appreciate your guys support and I will see

0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:50.120
<v Speaker 1>you right after the final buzzard tomorrow. The volume