1
00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:08,520
Speaker 1: The volume NBA fans. The weight is over. Basketball is back.

2
00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,320
Speaker 1: In DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA,

3
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,640
Speaker 1: is celebrating with an unbeatable offer. New customers can score

4
00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:20,880
Speaker 1: two hundred dollars instantly in bonus bets for throwing down

5
00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,079
Speaker 1: five dollars on the NBA. Win or lose, it doesn't matter.

6
00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,960
Speaker 1: You'll start the season with an instant dub. And with

7
00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,280
Speaker 1: DraftKings parlays, everyone's got a shot at an even bigger

8
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,520
Speaker 1: basketball win. Strain together multiple bets from the same game,

9
00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,760
Speaker 1: or build your parlay across multiple games for a shot

10
00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,760
Speaker 1: at making your payday even sweeter. Basketball is more fun

11
00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,279
Speaker 1: when you're in on the action. Download the Draftking Sportsbook

12
00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:48,519
Speaker 1: AP now and use code hoops. That's hops. New customers

13
00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:50,920
Speaker 1: can get two hundred dollars in bonus bets instantly for

14
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,800
Speaker 1: betting just five dollars only on Draftking Sportsbook with code hoops.

15
00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,160
Speaker 1: The crown is yours gambling problem called one eight hundred

16
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,680
Speaker 1: gambler or visit www dot one eight hundred gambler dot

17
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,240
Speaker 1: net in New York call eight seven seven eight hope

18
00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,680
Speaker 1: and why or text hope and Why to four six

19
00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,959
Speaker 1: seven three sixt nine In Connecticut. Help is available for

20
00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,039
Speaker 1: problem gambling called eight eight eight seven eight nine seven

21
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,959
Speaker 1: seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org. Please play

22
00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,400
Speaker 1: responsibly on behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas.

23
00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,760
Speaker 1: License partner Golden Nugget, Lake Charles and Louisiana twenty one

24
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,720
Speaker 1: plus age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets

25
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,640
Speaker 1: expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance. See

26
00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:40,840
Speaker 1: Sportsbook dot DraftKings dot com, slash Basketball terms for eligibility

27
00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:54,960
Speaker 1: and deposit restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. All right,

28
00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,960
Speaker 1: welcome to hoops tonight. You're at the volume. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

29
00:01:58,040 --> 00:01:59,560
Speaker 1: Hope all of you guys are having a great week

30
00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,160
Speaker 1: so far. The NBA season is in full swing now.

31
00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:04,120
Speaker 1: We had a little bit of a teaser last night

32
00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,120
Speaker 1: with two games, but it seemed like everybody was playing tonight.

33
00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,440
Speaker 1: We're gonna be hitting the two ESPN games in tonight's show,

34
00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:12,000
Speaker 1: and they're gonna be hitting some of the League Pass

35
00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,880
Speaker 1: games tomorrow morning. So we're gonna be breaking down Victor

36
00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,280
Speaker 1: Webbnyama's debut that was spoiled by Luka Doncic and Kyrie

37
00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,440
Speaker 1: Irving out executing the young Spurs down the stretch. And

38
00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:23,919
Speaker 1: then the Boston Celtics with an impressive late to come

39
00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,840
Speaker 1: from behind victory to spoil an excellent opening night effort

40
00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,200
Speaker 1: from the New York Knicks. And then I've got four

41
00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,800
Speaker 1: mail bag questions for the end of the show as well.

42
00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,360
Speaker 1: One of them is related to the Lakers. I rewatched

43
00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,400
Speaker 1: that game this morning and have some notes on the

44
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,080
Speaker 1: Lakers and some stuff that I noticed on film for

45
00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:42,720
Speaker 1: the end of the show as well. You guys are

46
00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,320
Speaker 1: the joke before we get started. This is our brand

47
00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,280
Speaker 1: new YouTube channel. For those of you guys who didn't

48
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:48,800
Speaker 1: know yet, it would mean a lot to me if

49
00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:50,560
Speaker 1: you guys would take a second to scroll down and

50
00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,080
Speaker 1: hit that subscribe button. Don't forget about our social media

51
00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,440
Speaker 1: feeds on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, where I'm posting video

52
00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,240
Speaker 1: content over the course of the year, as well as

53
00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,600
Speaker 1: show announcements podcast feed wherever you get your podcast under

54
00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:03,600
Speaker 1: Hoops tonight. In the last but not least, I need

55
00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:07,000
Speaker 1: more mailbag questions, so keep dropping those in the YouTube comments.

56
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,200
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk some basketball. So for those of

57
00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,520
Speaker 1: you guys who remember our season Predictions episode that we

58
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,280
Speaker 1: did on over the weekend. I think we released it

59
00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,679
Speaker 1: on Sunday morning, if I remember correctly. But if you

60
00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,200
Speaker 1: guys remember, at the very end of the of the

61
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,200
Speaker 1: Contender's breakdown, I gave like the top six teams and

62
00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,280
Speaker 1: their kind of percentage breakdown, and that I listed the

63
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,240
Speaker 1: two or three teams that I've viewed as somewhat long shots.

64
00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,480
Speaker 1: But then I included one super long shot, and it

65
00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,680
Speaker 1: was the Dallas Mavericks, which is seemingly insane, right, and

66
00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:38,840
Speaker 1: I give them exactly a one percent chance. If you

67
00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:40,920
Speaker 1: guys remember those of you gus who listened to that episode.

68
00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:43,520
Speaker 1: And here's the reason why. Because I view that there

69
00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,800
Speaker 1: are specific things that you absolutely have to have in

70
00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:49,720
Speaker 1: order to win a championship. This is just my opinion.

71
00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:54,600
Speaker 1: And one of those things is elite, high end shot creation.

72
00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,240
Speaker 1: And so there are teams that are better basketball teams

73
00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,119
Speaker 1: than the Dallas Mavericks that I don't think have any

74
00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:03,840
Speaker 1: chance to win the title. Give you an example, like

75
00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,320
Speaker 1: the New Orleans Pelicans, right, a lot of exciting young players,

76
00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,640
Speaker 1: a lot of guys I really liked. Zion was fantastic

77
00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,400
Speaker 1: tonight they win a game. They have shooting and defense

78
00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,400
Speaker 1: and ball handling and all the things that you would think, right,

79
00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:17,200
Speaker 1: but they're a little young, and I don't think they

80
00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,679
Speaker 1: have that elite, top tier shot creation that they need

81
00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,320
Speaker 1: to kind of get over that hump at this point,

82
00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,719
Speaker 1: because again, as we look back through NBA history, the

83
00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,680
Speaker 1: team that wins the title always has that guy. It's

84
00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,600
Speaker 1: Nicole jokicic, Right, it's Steph Curry the year before that. Right,

85
00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,240
Speaker 1: it's Giannas and Tenna Kumpo the year before that. And again,

86
00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,080
Speaker 1: even though they didn't have that elite, top tier shot creation,

87
00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,279
Speaker 1: they were a veteran team with grown ass men and

88
00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,560
Speaker 1: a bona fide top tier superstar at the top of

89
00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:44,919
Speaker 1: the team. Right, we go back to the twenty twenty Lakers,

90
00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,440
Speaker 1: it's Lebron James, top tier half course shot creator. Qui

91
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,799
Speaker 1: before that, Stephan Kady. We can go on in perpetuity.

92
00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,480
Speaker 1: You need that. That is an absolute must unless you

93
00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,560
Speaker 1: were unbelievably great at everything else, like the twenty twenty

94
00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,640
Speaker 1: one Bucks were, right, and so as a result of that,

95
00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,279
Speaker 1: if you've got Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic on your team,

96
00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,960
Speaker 1: if you can keep games close you have a really

97
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,680
Speaker 1: good chance to win at the end, because it's just

98
00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,000
Speaker 1: really hard to out execute a team with Luka Doncic

99
00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,159
Speaker 1: and Kyrie Irving on the floor at the same time

100
00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,120
Speaker 1: down the stretch of a basketball game. And again, like

101
00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,320
Speaker 1: I said, it's a one percent chance, because there are

102
00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,039
Speaker 1: a lot of teams that have that and are better, right,

103
00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,160
Speaker 1: But the reason I gave them that one percent chance

104
00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,400
Speaker 1: is specifically because of this dynamic. They are just damn

105
00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,640
Speaker 1: near impossible to guard down the stretch of a game

106
00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,320
Speaker 1: when things slow down, when the physicality increases, when teams

107
00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,080
Speaker 1: starts switching actions, when you know game plan takes a

108
00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:43,159
Speaker 1: higher priority over the course of what's happening. Again, like

109
00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,080
Speaker 1: the officiating changes, it's more physical, it's tense, it's stressful,

110
00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,839
Speaker 1: all the decision making rises to the surface. All these

111
00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:53,160
Speaker 1: different things prioritize half court shot creation. Luka Doncic at

112
00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,760
Speaker 1: ten points in the fourth quarter, there was that big

113
00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,480
Speaker 1: and one against keld Johnson on the left side of

114
00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,760
Speaker 1: the rim. You get and this is just an example

115
00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:04,479
Speaker 1: of how far ahead Luca is thinking the game compared

116
00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:06,920
Speaker 1: to the defense. He's in pick and roll. Kelden Johnson

117
00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,320
Speaker 1: is chasing him in back pressure. Now we talk about

118
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:10,800
Speaker 1: this concept a lot, and it's going to be something

119
00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,120
Speaker 1: we talk about when we get to the Celtics later

120
00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,920
Speaker 1: on as well. But in a situation where a guard

121
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,520
Speaker 1: is chasing over the top of a screen in pick

122
00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:23,560
Speaker 1: and roll, his job is to apply what's called back pressure, right,

123
00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,800
Speaker 1: He's trying to funnel the ball handler towards the rim,

124
00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,960
Speaker 1: towards the rim protection. Luca knows he's coming, and Kelden

125
00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:32,919
Speaker 1: had been a little bit out of control on the

126
00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,599
Speaker 1: previous possessions, and you can literally see Luca look back,

127
00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,880
Speaker 1: identify that Kelden's trailing him, and slow himself down and

128
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,400
Speaker 1: then literally pause before he took his shot because he

129
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,520
Speaker 1: knew Kelden was running too fast and he knew he

130
00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,000
Speaker 1: was going to run into him. That's thinking the game

131
00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,799
Speaker 1: down the stretch. Like I said, it's not just about

132
00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,360
Speaker 1: the skill set, the ball handling, the shooting, all those

133
00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:56,880
Speaker 1: different things. It is thinking the game. It is a

134
00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,000
Speaker 1: decision making sport when you get into the final minute,

135
00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:02,400
Speaker 1: even at the end there when he gets the switch

136
00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:06,160
Speaker 1: against Devin Vessel, it's a switch doesn't have an opportunity

137
00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:08,719
Speaker 1: to get downhill. It's late in the shot clock opts

138
00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,440
Speaker 1: for the step back three in that situation and knocks

139
00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:13,320
Speaker 1: it down. Then he had the two huge feeds to

140
00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:15,720
Speaker 1: Kyrie down the stretch for threes. I thought it was

141
00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:19,360
Speaker 1: a magnificent fourth quarter performance from Luke A. Dancis Kyrie Irving,

142
00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,160
Speaker 1: who was awesome. He hit that and one floater on

143
00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,760
Speaker 1: the right side, the bank shot early in the fourth

144
00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:26,760
Speaker 1: and then he had that step back jump shot, that

145
00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:28,840
Speaker 1: little crossover pull up jump shot that he hit on

146
00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:30,160
Speaker 1: the right wing, and then he hit the two big

147
00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,120
Speaker 1: pull up threes. And that's the thing. Like they can

148
00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,520
Speaker 1: they can struggle defensively, they can struggle with rebounding, but

149
00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,480
Speaker 1: as long as they can keep it close and I

150
00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,960
Speaker 1: mean like just close enough, they can out execute you

151
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,040
Speaker 1: down the stretch of the game the way that they did. Now,

152
00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,200
Speaker 1: here's the thing, what's the what is what is the

153
00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,720
Speaker 1: necessity for this roster in order to keep games close

154
00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:53,520
Speaker 1: enough so that Kyrie Irving and Luka Dancic can put

155
00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,080
Speaker 1: you over the top. What did I say all summer

156
00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,480
Speaker 1: they needed front court players that could be a threat

157
00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,280
Speaker 1: offensively but also heat on the glass and on the

158
00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,080
Speaker 1: defensive end of the floor. And Grant Williams and Derek

159
00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:07,120
Speaker 1: Lively were the heroes on that end of the floor tonight.

160
00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:08,640
Speaker 1: I want to break them both down here for a minute.

161
00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:10,560
Speaker 1: So Grant Williams, you know, kind of became the butt

162
00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,720
Speaker 1: of a lot of jokes in Boston last year. And

163
00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,440
Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about this when we get to Boston.

164
00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,040
Speaker 1: But one of the things that happens when you have

165
00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,160
Speaker 1: a team that has a shit ton of talent, guys

166
00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,520
Speaker 1: get squeezed in the sense that the skills that they

167
00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,320
Speaker 1: bring to the table are no longer important with that

168
00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,040
Speaker 1: particular team because they have other guys, and so they

169
00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,720
Speaker 1: kind of sink down to the end of the rotation,

170
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,400
Speaker 1: which directly affects the amount of minutes that they play,

171
00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,840
Speaker 1: which directly affects their rhythm and their confidence when they're

172
00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,040
Speaker 1: on the floor. And so then the easy decision there

173
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,400
Speaker 1: is to be like, oh they're bad. Right. As a fan,

174
00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,560
Speaker 1: you think, okay, But Grant Williams is when he is

175
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:46,840
Speaker 1: on the floor, he's not playing as well as he

176
00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,200
Speaker 1: usually does. But what's actually happening in that case is

177
00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:52,520
Speaker 1: Grant is actually stuck in a situation where he's not

178
00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,520
Speaker 1: as needed, and so he's out of rhythm all the

179
00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,520
Speaker 1: damn time, and that can manifest all over your game

180
00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,720
Speaker 1: on both ends of the floor. If you're not in rhythm,

181
00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:02,960
Speaker 1: you don't feel confident. If you don't feel confident, you're

182
00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,840
Speaker 1: not as dialed in on all of the details. Confidence

183
00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,440
Speaker 1: is literally like a life force that drives you on

184
00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:10,959
Speaker 1: the basketball court, right, And so you slot him in

185
00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,400
Speaker 1: a situation in Dallas where they desperately need everything that

186
00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:16,840
Speaker 1: he brings to the table. His ability to guard players

187
00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:18,400
Speaker 1: that are taller than him because he's low and got

188
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,480
Speaker 1: a center of gravity. He did an awesome job defending

189
00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,840
Speaker 1: Victor wembin Yama on just about every isolation possession in

190
00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:28,680
Speaker 1: this game. And again, the key to guarding a bigger

191
00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,200
Speaker 1: player that can shoot over the top is disrupt the

192
00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,040
Speaker 1: base attack the shooting pocket. Every single time in those possessions,

193
00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,120
Speaker 1: he's pushing and leaning on Victor wenbin Yama down low,

194
00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,720
Speaker 1: and when he's going for his gather for the jump shot,

195
00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,840
Speaker 1: he's swiping down at the basketball trying to disrupt that

196
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,960
Speaker 1: energy transfer. He actually forced Victor into a pretty tough

197
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,960
Speaker 1: air ball at the foul line down the stretch and

198
00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,080
Speaker 1: kind of dissuaded him from shooting several other times during

199
00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,120
Speaker 1: the game for that reason. But in addition to that,

200
00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,360
Speaker 1: you need a guy who can reliably knock down corner

201
00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,040
Speaker 1: three point shots, like he knocked down a huge corner

202
00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,640
Speaker 1: three down the stretch of this game, right, And then

203
00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,320
Speaker 1: when that kind of feeds into the confidence, that's when

204
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,800
Speaker 1: you see the next level parts of his game. Right,

205
00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,120
Speaker 1: Like he took a transition pull up three in the

206
00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:13,920
Speaker 1: fourth quarter and stuck that thing. That's a shot that

207
00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,600
Speaker 1: he probably doesn't have the confidence to take last year

208
00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,760
Speaker 1: in Boston, with the way that his role had changed.

209
00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,520
Speaker 1: You're scared you're gonna get pulled out of the game, right, No,

210
00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:24,280
Speaker 1: this is Grant Williams spot. That four spot is his.

211
00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:27,480
Speaker 1: It's he is the best player to play that position

212
00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,120
Speaker 1: on this team. It gives him the confidence in the

213
00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,240
Speaker 1: margin for error to trust himself to take those kinds

214
00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,200
Speaker 1: of shots. And that was a gigantic shot in that game.

215
00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,760
Speaker 1: I thought, Grant Williams. I mean again, like, in order

216
00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,240
Speaker 1: for this all the manifest and go right for the MAVs,

217
00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,200
Speaker 1: they need to hit on a bunch of these key

218
00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,200
Speaker 1: signings and draft picks. Right, I thought the Grant Williams

219
00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,160
Speaker 1: signing again, one or signing Trader. I should say that

220
00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:52,160
Speaker 1: one game again on one small sample size, but I

221
00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:54,199
Speaker 1: thought you saw a great example of how he can

222
00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:59,360
Speaker 1: help this team win basketball games in that comeback over

223
00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,080
Speaker 1: the Spurs. Derek Lively, Now this is where I gotta

224
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,160
Speaker 1: eat some crow because I said in the preseason, like,

225
00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:06,720
Speaker 1: I just don't understand why you go with a rookie

226
00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,080
Speaker 1: And they were playing Olivia, Maxim's prosper in preseason as

227
00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:12,240
Speaker 1: well next to him, and I'm like, what are they

228
00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,760
Speaker 1: doing playing these rookies next to their stars? This doesn't

229
00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,400
Speaker 1: make any sense to me. Like you've got maxic Lee,

230
00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:21,040
Speaker 1: but you've got Dwight Powell, you've got like veterans, Like

231
00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,559
Speaker 1: lean on your veterans, Right, that was my thought process

232
00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:26,360
Speaker 1: in that specific situation, like, oh, let Derek Lively come

233
00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:28,240
Speaker 1: off the bench. I would. I just couldn't have been

234
00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:32,600
Speaker 1: more wrong, because like, this kid's just ready, and it

235
00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,680
Speaker 1: really comes down to just a handful of specific things.

236
00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:40,240
Speaker 1: Excellent physical tools, which most young talented basketball players have, right,

237
00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,000
Speaker 1: that's usually not the issue for them. He has that,

238
00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,520
Speaker 1: but so many other young bigs, and not just bigs,

239
00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:48,120
Speaker 1: but other position groups as well, struggle in the other areas,

240
00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,080
Speaker 1: and it makes it so their physical advantages are limited

241
00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,800
Speaker 1: in the way they impact the game, and it keeps

242
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,480
Speaker 1: them off the floor in most cases. Right, But what

243
00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:58,640
Speaker 1: do you need from that position. Let's call that position

244
00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,760
Speaker 1: a rim and a rim protector. Right, So on one

245
00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,439
Speaker 1: end of the floor an offense, he's screening and diving

246
00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,920
Speaker 1: hard to the basket relentlessly, right. And then on the

247
00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:11,240
Speaker 1: defensive end of the floor, it's operating and drop coverage

248
00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,480
Speaker 1: and protecting the rim. And then obviously there's crashing the

249
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,880
Speaker 1: offensive glass, securing defensive reboundsers obviously more complications of that.

250
00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:19,959
Speaker 1: But that's that archetype of player. What do you need

251
00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,720
Speaker 1: from him? You need him to play freaking hard all

252
00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,840
Speaker 1: the time. And it involves a ton of running. It

253
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,080
Speaker 1: involves sprinting up and down the floor in transition on

254
00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,400
Speaker 1: both ends, running the rim on offense and getting back

255
00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,560
Speaker 1: to the rim and transition defense. It requires running up

256
00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,000
Speaker 1: and down in pick and roll. You're gonna start underneath

257
00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,160
Speaker 1: the basket. Lucas gonna call you up to set a screen.

258
00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,520
Speaker 1: You gotta sprint up and go set a solid screen,

259
00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:45,679
Speaker 1: and then you have to sprint hard back to the

260
00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:49,360
Speaker 1: rim to apply that rim pressure at a role, gravity

261
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,800
Speaker 1: in the vertical spacing that you need from a pick

262
00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:53,840
Speaker 1: and roll threat, right, But what if it doesn't work,

263
00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:55,760
Speaker 1: then you might have to turn around and go run

264
00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,760
Speaker 1: back up and set another screen. It's an exhausting job.

265
00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:01,240
Speaker 1: It is. It is a dirty work position. It is

266
00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:05,120
Speaker 1: one that is often devoid of glamour and is at

267
00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:08,199
Speaker 1: the same time monumentally important to the success of a

268
00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,360
Speaker 1: basketball team. And I thought Derek Lively did to just

269
00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,360
Speaker 1: an incredible job in this game. But it does require

270
00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,439
Speaker 1: one other trait that a lot of other big guys

271
00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:18,320
Speaker 1: struggle with. You have to be able to catch, you

272
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:19,439
Speaker 1: have to be able to finish, you have to be

273
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,320
Speaker 1: able to make reads, right, that's that offensive skill set piece.

274
00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,679
Speaker 1: And it seemed as though Derek Lively caught every damn

275
00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:30,160
Speaker 1: lob and flushed it easily, including that really tough contested

276
00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,280
Speaker 1: one that kind of rattled in and in and down

277
00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:34,880
Speaker 1: on that It kind of reminded me of some of

278
00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,840
Speaker 1: the vintage DeAndre Jordan dunks with Chris Paul Right. But

279
00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:40,320
Speaker 1: there was also a play where he caught on the

280
00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:41,920
Speaker 1: short roll in the second half and made a really

281
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,200
Speaker 1: nice rifle feed to the right wing for a shot.

282
00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:48,120
Speaker 1: I don't know how many lob dunks he caught in

283
00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:49,600
Speaker 1: this game. It seemed like it was four or five

284
00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,400
Speaker 1: of them. He was super valuable as that vertical spacing threat,

285
00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:58,160
Speaker 1: grabbed a huge offensive that offensive rebound put back where

286
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,440
Speaker 1: he just came in flying. It was one of the

287
00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,000
Speaker 1: most shocking plays that I can remember seeing in a

288
00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,560
Speaker 1: long time, in the sense that like, I'm watching the

289
00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:08,080
Speaker 1: game and then I just see a human being that's

290
00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,920
Speaker 1: gigantic just go flying through the air when no one

291
00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,080
Speaker 1: sees him coming and just dunking the ball and then

292
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,840
Speaker 1: falling into camera row like. But then again, that's the motor.

293
00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:18,120
Speaker 1: You have to have the motor. You have to have

294
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,280
Speaker 1: the physical tools, and you have to have the IQ

295
00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,920
Speaker 1: and the skill to round it all out. And Derek

296
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,160
Speaker 1: Lively has all that stuff. And this is a rookie.

297
00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:29,600
Speaker 1: I mean, that was about as impressive a rookie rim running,

298
00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:33,080
Speaker 1: shot blocking performance as you will see in the NBA.

299
00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,360
Speaker 1: Sixteen points and ten rebounds and was plus twenty in

300
00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,720
Speaker 1: the game. Can't do much better than that. Very very

301
00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:42,520
Speaker 1: impressed by Derek Lively. Good a good a good first

302
00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:44,320
Speaker 1: performance for the MAVs. They got a long way to go.

303
00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:45,840
Speaker 1: They got some things they got to figure out, but

304
00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:48,240
Speaker 1: I think you can kind of see the formula. They're

305
00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,360
Speaker 1: long shot puncher's chance formula, Like just quality role players

306
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,600
Speaker 1: in the front court, and then Luca and Kyrie bringing

307
00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,120
Speaker 1: you home in the in the crunch every game. Moving

308
00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:02,480
Speaker 1: on to the Spurs, Victor Webinyama talk about turning around

309
00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,240
Speaker 1: what was a pretty disappointing first NBA performance. I don't

310
00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,280
Speaker 1: think people realize how insane it is to be in

311
00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,520
Speaker 1: foul trouble entirely out of rhythm, to be kind of

312
00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:15,280
Speaker 1: playing like shit. And we'll talk about it in a minute,

313
00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:17,880
Speaker 1: because he was playing like shit through three quarters. But

314
00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,920
Speaker 1: to have all that happening and then to come in

315
00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:24,440
Speaker 1: in the fourth quarter against Luka Danci to Kyrie irving,

316
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,360
Speaker 1: guns blazing, with a smile on your face, hitt and

317
00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,720
Speaker 1: pull up jump shots in people's face and damn near

318
00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:32,560
Speaker 1: stealing the game. Like, I don't think people realize how

319
00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:35,000
Speaker 1: insane that is. You understand the confidence that it takes

320
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,960
Speaker 1: to be playing to have things be going as poorly

321
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,080
Speaker 1: as they were going for three quarters, and then to

322
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:41,560
Speaker 1: come out and be like, I'm about to steal this

323
00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,520
Speaker 1: damn game. I was unbelievable, and I think it comes

324
00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,560
Speaker 1: down to the fact that he's been playing pro for years.

325
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:49,560
Speaker 1: It's a big thing that I think as so many

326
00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,320
Speaker 1: people were like, Oh, Victor's gonna struggle and he gets

327
00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:53,240
Speaker 1: to the NBA, He's going to struggle and against the NBA,

328
00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,200
Speaker 1: It's like, dude, this dude's a pro already. This is

329
00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,000
Speaker 1: not a dude who is playing in the Big Sky

330
00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,440
Speaker 1: Conference or the PAC twelve. This is a guy who

331
00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:06,480
Speaker 1: legitimately was playing in his professional league's championship series last year,

332
00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:12,600
Speaker 1: playing against grown ass men, dealing with big, physical European bigs.

333
00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:15,760
Speaker 1: That's what this guy's been dealing with. This is a

334
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:20,120
Speaker 1: super confident dude. He's played in huge games, He's had

335
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,680
Speaker 1: pressure on him forever, and so he's not uncomfortable in

336
00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,520
Speaker 1: any situation, including a situation where he's not having a

337
00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:29,280
Speaker 1: great game. And again, it was a really poor game

338
00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:30,840
Speaker 1: through three quarters. That every time you see a player

339
00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:34,360
Speaker 1: in foul trouble, it's easy to kind of like hyper

340
00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,560
Speaker 1: focus on the bad calls, right, Like even his first foul,

341
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,720
Speaker 1: he's kind of sliding over and help. I think it

342
00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,040
Speaker 1: was great Williams of cot And was going towards the rim.

343
00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,640
Speaker 1: It's like, I don't like that call. He's vertical, he's sliding,

344
00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:46,840
Speaker 1: he's got It's a physical game. That shouldn't have been

345
00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,920
Speaker 1: a foul. But then there are some just straight up

346
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,920
Speaker 1: poor decisions on his part. That Josh Green transition drive

347
00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:54,960
Speaker 1: in the first half where he's kind of driving underneath

348
00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,160
Speaker 1: the basket along the baseline and Victor just instead of

349
00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,520
Speaker 1: letting him go through, just decides to essentially rip him

350
00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:02,800
Speaker 1: with a kind of a slide step towards the baseline.

351
00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,240
Speaker 1: Like that's just inexperience at the NBA level and just

352
00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:11,680
Speaker 1: making a poor decision. Right that illegal screen in the

353
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,040
Speaker 1: third quarter, Jeremy so chans bringing the ball up the

354
00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:16,440
Speaker 1: right wing, and he just like straight up like runs

355
00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:19,000
Speaker 1: up to twenty five feet and throws a block right

356
00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:22,320
Speaker 1: and again, like even though Jeremy so Chan's a little

357
00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:24,600
Speaker 1: bit helter skelter as a ball handler and probably should

358
00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:26,400
Speaker 1: have slowed down and waited for Victor to get set

359
00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:28,639
Speaker 1: at the same time, like, when you're in foul trouble

360
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,520
Speaker 1: and Jeremy so Chan's running up, you better be damn

361
00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:33,879
Speaker 1: sure that you're in position to set his screen before

362
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:35,880
Speaker 1: you hold your ground the way that he did right.

363
00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:37,640
Speaker 1: But it wasn't just the foul trouble. But he also

364
00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:39,760
Speaker 1: wasn't very good on defense in this game, Like he

365
00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,480
Speaker 1: was making poor help and recover decisions. He was leaving

366
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,399
Speaker 1: shooters that he shouldn't have left, and then he was

367
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:46,879
Speaker 1: kind of like staying home on shooters when he probably

368
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:48,719
Speaker 1: could have offered help at the rim. I didn't think

369
00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:50,520
Speaker 1: he was playing a great game. I don't blame him

370
00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:52,920
Speaker 1: for the offensive end of the floor. The Spurs ball

371
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,520
Speaker 1: handlers were all caught up in the kind of like

372
00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,600
Speaker 1: the energy of the game, and a lot of guys

373
00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,719
Speaker 1: were making bad decisions, particularly Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan

374
00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:04,640
Speaker 1: is way too much dribbling and decision making from them

375
00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:08,080
Speaker 1: and looking guys off and over penetrating into the paint,

376
00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:11,400
Speaker 1: turning the basketball over Keldon Johnson in particular. The over

377
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:13,800
Speaker 1: penetrating is an issue. Again. Over penetrating is a really

378
00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:17,360
Speaker 1: simple concept. Pretend the camera is the rim protector. As

379
00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:19,960
Speaker 1: soon as I have you engaged to the point where

380
00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:21,879
Speaker 1: I know I don't have a good look at the rim.

381
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:23,840
Speaker 1: As soon as I have you engaged, meaning like you're

382
00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:26,000
Speaker 1: watching me and you have left your man make the pass.

383
00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,919
Speaker 1: It's when you keep driving into the teeth of the

384
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,760
Speaker 1: defense that people can start putting their hands on you,

385
00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,320
Speaker 1: and that's when you're gonna start turning the ball over

386
00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:38,280
Speaker 1: because it's impossible to see everything that's happening in that scrum,

387
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,040
Speaker 1: and there's a lot of contact that happens on every

388
00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,760
Speaker 1: single possession that goes uncalled. And when you drive into

389
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,919
Speaker 1: the teeth of the defense and over penetrate, even if

390
00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:50,000
Speaker 1: you draw more help and get the defender closer to you,

391
00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,280
Speaker 1: it's actually harder to make the proper kickout passes. And

392
00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:55,159
Speaker 1: Kelden Johnson has got to kind of figure out that

393
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,800
Speaker 1: kind of sweet spot on his drives where he can

394
00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,359
Speaker 1: identify the help is coming and make that read early

395
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,320
Speaker 1: so that he can actually be free with his arms

396
00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,400
Speaker 1: to make that pass while still getting his a teammate

397
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,080
Speaker 1: the opportunity to make the shot. But yeah, like, I

398
00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:13,480
Speaker 1: don't want to blame Victor for his kind of unimpressive

399
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,800
Speaker 1: first three quarters offensively because his teammates weren't doing him

400
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:18,840
Speaker 1: any favors, but for him to bounce back from all

401
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,040
Speaker 1: of that to come in that fourth quarter and hit

402
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:25,119
Speaker 1: a hesitation pull up three, a jab step pull up

403
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:27,840
Speaker 1: jump shot. He had a lob dunk and pick and roll.

404
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,840
Speaker 1: He had a nice finish through contact on it out

405
00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:33,639
Speaker 1: of the dunker spot in transition. I thought it was

406
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:38,560
Speaker 1: an incredibly impressive fourth quarter from Victor weiben Yama. Last

407
00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:39,919
Speaker 1: guy I wanted to shout out on the Spurs was

408
00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,800
Speaker 1: Devin Vessel twenty three points on seventeen shots in this game.

409
00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:48,119
Speaker 1: His fluidity and pull up jump shot game, the lift

410
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,560
Speaker 1: that he gets his energy transfer from feet through his release,

411
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,359
Speaker 1: it reminds me a lot of Devin Booker, and that's

412
00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,320
Speaker 1: really really exciting because this dude has turned into a

413
00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:01,320
Speaker 1: pretty high level shot maker. He's actually like a little

414
00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:03,879
Speaker 1: taller and a little longer than Devin Booker as well,

415
00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:07,480
Speaker 1: and I just think that he could theoretically be the

416
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,159
Speaker 1: perfect complimentary ball handler with Victor Wembinyama, because again, if

417
00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,000
Speaker 1: you want to have a guy that can be a

418
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,880
Speaker 1: true vertical spacer and pick and roll, ideally you want

419
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,840
Speaker 1: to have a great pull up shooter which forces the

420
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:19,840
Speaker 1: screen defender to come up to the level of the screen,

421
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,280
Speaker 1: which opens up things in the short role. It's what

422
00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:24,760
Speaker 1: we've been talking about all summer with or if I

423
00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,440
Speaker 1: shouldn't say all summer, but all preseason with Damian Lillard

424
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,359
Speaker 1: and Yannison Tanna Kumpo, you need a legit pull up

425
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,440
Speaker 1: jump shooter. I really like that fit there to me.

426
00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,360
Speaker 1: Kelton Johnson kind of feels like the odd man out

427
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:37,359
Speaker 1: right now. He's just a little two helter skelter, and

428
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:38,920
Speaker 1: as much as I like Jeremy soch On and he

429
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,440
Speaker 1: has some good defensive possessions on Luka Doncics in this game,

430
00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,159
Speaker 1: I just don't understand why they're having him handle the

431
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,280
Speaker 1: ball as much as they have let him do so.

432
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,399
Speaker 1: But again, I think, considering the circumstances for Victor in

433
00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,240
Speaker 1: this game, I still think the Spurs are going to

434
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,040
Speaker 1: be pretty damn competitive this year because when he's on

435
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:55,840
Speaker 1: the floor, he can do a lot of things on

436
00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,159
Speaker 1: both ends of the floor. All right, Moving on to

437
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,639
Speaker 1: the Celtics and the Nicks. So I want to I

438
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,400
Speaker 1: want to kind of start with the late game run.

439
00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,879
Speaker 1: So the Knicks go up by six on that Quinton

440
00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:09,120
Speaker 1: Grimes three in the left corner where he gets fouled

441
00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:12,320
Speaker 1: by Jalen Brown. It's about four minutes left, and on

442
00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:14,400
Speaker 1: the very next possession, the Celtics run a horn set,

443
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,800
Speaker 1: Derek White comes off the left side and Emmanuel quickly

444
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,159
Speaker 1: gets called for an absolutely bogus blocking foul when I

445
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:25,639
Speaker 1: completely don't agree with jumps completely vertical, takes the content

446
00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:28,560
Speaker 1: contact in the chest, doesn't bring his arms down, doesn't

447
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,680
Speaker 1: he's barely moving side to side, which again, like I,

448
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,040
Speaker 1: there's a reason why they give offensive foul calls when

449
00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,720
Speaker 1: a defender sliding, but the contact goes through the chest

450
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,160
Speaker 1: like you are as a defender allowed to move your feet.

451
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:41,600
Speaker 1: You don't have to be completely set in order to

452
00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:44,560
Speaker 1: play defense. You can be e motion, a defender in motion.

453
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:46,320
Speaker 1: I didn't think it was a good call anyway, So

454
00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:49,040
Speaker 1: he goes the line. He makes both free throws down

455
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,440
Speaker 1: the floor. Next time, Jalen Brunson hits a nice floater

456
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,800
Speaker 1: over Chris tops Porzingis and pick and roll. Then the

457
00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,560
Speaker 1: Celtics go back to the post on Jason Tatum or

458
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,600
Speaker 1: with Jayatum on the right block. And this is kind

459
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,080
Speaker 1: of an example of the type of shot creation I'd

460
00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,720
Speaker 1: really like to see Jason Tatum do a lot more

461
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,840
Speaker 1: in the future. So he gets Jalen Brunson on a switch,

462
00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,160
Speaker 1: posts him up on the right block. Drew Holliday makes

463
00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:14,199
Speaker 1: the post entry and kind of runs through right, but

464
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,520
Speaker 1: he identifies that the double teams coming and he just

465
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,280
Speaker 1: kind of repositions himself directly under the rim. Tatum hits

466
00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:22,600
Speaker 1: him with the bounce pass. Drew Holliday makes a lamp

467
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,359
Speaker 1: really smart cut from Drew Holliday. And I love the

468
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,720
Speaker 1: idea of Jason Tatum working more out of the post.

469
00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,320
Speaker 1: He did a lot of work out of the post

470
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,560
Speaker 1: in this particular game. It's something I'd like to see

471
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,240
Speaker 1: him do a lot more over the course of this season.

472
00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:36,159
Speaker 1: So then we go down to the other end of

473
00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:39,080
Speaker 1: the floor. It's four point game, and this is just

474
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,760
Speaker 1: another unbelievable play from Drew Holiday. So Jalen Brunson dribbling

475
00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:44,440
Speaker 1: the ball at the top of the key. Okay, Drew

476
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:47,760
Speaker 1: Holliday is guarding Julius Randall in the right corner. Drew

477
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,480
Speaker 1: Haliday kind of like ignores Julius and kind of goes

478
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,359
Speaker 1: up into somewhat of a soft double, and it's not

479
00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:57,840
Speaker 1: really a double because he's still like fifteen feet away

480
00:22:58,080 --> 00:22:59,879
Speaker 1: from Brunson. He comes out all the way almost to

481
00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,800
Speaker 1: the to the above the brake line, right, and so

482
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,800
Speaker 1: Jaylen Brunson makes the right Rady throws the over the

483
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:08,840
Speaker 1: top pass to Julius Randall. Drew Holliday throws a hard

484
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,240
Speaker 1: close out to chase Julius Randall off the line. Julius

485
00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,159
Speaker 1: Randall rips to the right and then Drew Aliday literally

486
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,480
Speaker 1: recovers and beats him to the right and swipes the

487
00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,600
Speaker 1: ball away from Julius Randall. Just an unbelievable defensive play.

488
00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,639
Speaker 1: Then absolute chaos happens right because after Drewalidy gets the steal,

489
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,160
Speaker 1: Isaiah Hartenstein pokes the ball away from behind from Drew.

490
00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,480
Speaker 1: In the chaos, Quentin Grimes gets a wide open three

491
00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,400
Speaker 1: on the left key on the left wing and misses it.

492
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,040
Speaker 1: On the play, Isaiah Hartenstein gets another offensive rebound and

493
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,719
Speaker 1: taps the ball to Julius Randall under the basket, just

494
00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,040
Speaker 1: like ready for a put back layup, but Julius Randall's

495
00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,440
Speaker 1: not paying attention until it's too late, fumbles it away.

496
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:52,840
Speaker 1: They go down to the other end. In the transition

497
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,040
Speaker 1: cross match, Quintin Grimes gets chrisops Porzingis and he pulls

498
00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,359
Speaker 1: Chris Tops to the ground. He gets fouled, goes to

499
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,960
Speaker 1: the line. Now it's only a two point games. So

500
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,600
Speaker 1: let me go down the floor. Really solid Celtics defensive possession,

501
00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 1: lots of switching. They forced RJ. Barrett into his step

502
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,439
Speaker 1: back three, he misses it and Isaiah Hartenstein fouls. This

503
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,919
Speaker 1: was the elbow play from Porzingis. Porzingis goes to the

504
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:17,359
Speaker 1: free throw line, makes two free throws and ties the game.

505
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:19,400
Speaker 1: So then we get to a very important sequence. Were

506
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:21,440
Speaker 1: running another Brunson Porzingis pick and roll and if you

507
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,159
Speaker 1: guys remember earlier in the sequence, like I said, Jalen

508
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,640
Speaker 1: Brunson came off of that pick and roll and made

509
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,439
Speaker 1: the floater over Christops Porzingis and a drop coverage. So

510
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,120
Speaker 1: on this play the Celtics op for his switch instead.

511
00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:34,280
Speaker 1: And this is the big question with Porzingis. We know

512
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,960
Speaker 1: he can be a more than adequate rim protector and

513
00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,320
Speaker 1: drop coverage, but how is he on the perimeter? Can

514
00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,879
Speaker 1: he contain on the perimeter? And so he gets a

515
00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,480
Speaker 1: switch onto Jalen Brunson. Jalen Brunson hits him with a

516
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,320
Speaker 1: freaking nasty right to left crossover and actually beats him

517
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,760
Speaker 1: off the dribble. And again, like you want to be

518
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:55,280
Speaker 1: like okay, Porzingis technically getting beat off the dribble, but

519
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,520
Speaker 1: like that move would have busted most of the bigs

520
00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,080
Speaker 1: in the league. Wouldn't be surprised if he even beat

521
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,040
Speaker 1: an Anthony Davis off the dribble with that move. Like

522
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,760
Speaker 1: it was a really nasty move. But Porzingis did his job.

523
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,760
Speaker 1: After he gets beat, he just kind of pursues from

524
00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:11,800
Speaker 1: behind and tries to offer a contest. Jason Tatum kind

525
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:13,960
Speaker 1: of slides over like he's going to help, but you

526
00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,080
Speaker 1: can tell on the move Jalen Brunson had exerted so

527
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,600
Speaker 1: much energy on that crossover move he kind of had

528
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:21,200
Speaker 1: to stop short on the layup. He takes a left

529
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,760
Speaker 1: handed layup off the glass and he leaves it long

530
00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:26,399
Speaker 1: and misses it. So I I and again, if you

531
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:28,479
Speaker 1: look at the play, Porzingis is offering a little bit

532
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,600
Speaker 1: of back pressure from behind. I think that that's good

533
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:35,520
Speaker 1: switch defense. Like if you watch it, Tatum technically is

534
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:37,560
Speaker 1: stepping over into help, but I don't think he really

535
00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,200
Speaker 1: was in position to make a play. I think Jalen

536
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,040
Speaker 1: Brunson was getting in his rear view mirror a little

537
00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,920
Speaker 1: bit and seeing Porzingis coming and changed his footwork a

538
00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:47,680
Speaker 1: little bit. Worried he was gonna get pursued at the

539
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 1: glass and stopped short to try to shoot early. So

540
00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:53,639
Speaker 1: really nice switch defense from Porzingis to get the stop.

541
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:56,320
Speaker 1: Then we get to Jason Tatum. Porzingis picking pop now,

542
00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,040
Speaker 1: Pick and pops are like one of the hardest plays

543
00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,800
Speaker 1: to guard in the NBA, And we're gonna get to

544
00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,600
Speaker 1: that in a minute, because I want to dive a

545
00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,880
Speaker 1: little bit more into Porzingis's overall impact on the offensive end.

546
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,439
Speaker 1: But they run and pick and pop. Porzingis pops to

547
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,560
Speaker 1: the right wing twenty five feet from the basket. Tatum

548
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 1: hits him in the shooting pocket and he knocks down

549
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:20,840
Speaker 1: literally a semi contested twenty five foot three on the move.

550
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,600
Speaker 1: It was just an unbelievable shot effectively ended up being

551
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,160
Speaker 1: the game winner. It puts the Celtics up three. They

552
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,480
Speaker 1: go down the floor. The Knicks set up like they're

553
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,000
Speaker 1: gonna run one of their horn sets, but Porzingis is

554
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,440
Speaker 1: on Barrett and is kind of sagging too far into paint.

555
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,840
Speaker 1: Brunson makes the kick to the corner and Barrett just

556
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:38,919
Speaker 1: misses an open three. You know, make or miss, league,

557
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,159
Speaker 1: Porzingis made his Barrett missed his so the Celtics are

558
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,200
Speaker 1: up three. Porzingis misses a three on a kickout pass,

559
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,480
Speaker 1: Drew Holliday grabs an offensive rebound, and then Jason Tatum

560
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:49,160
Speaker 1: turns the ball over. It's kind of a weird sequence

561
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,639
Speaker 1: where I think Drew Holliday was being guarded by Julius

562
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,600
Speaker 1: Randall and he clears out, but when he clears out,

563
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,000
Speaker 1: Tatum doesn't see that Randall is actually staying up to

564
00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:01,199
Speaker 1: double and then Tatum inexplicably just like drives into Randall

565
00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,160
Speaker 1: and then identifies that Randall's in his way, so he stops,

566
00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:06,359
Speaker 1: and then that allows r J. Barrett to poke the

567
00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:08,639
Speaker 1: ball away from behind. Again. Tatum played a great game.

568
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,439
Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about it more in a minute, But

569
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:12,640
Speaker 1: like that, it's always a little discouraging because the late

570
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:14,720
Speaker 1: game turnovers were an issue for him in the postseason

571
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:20,639
Speaker 1: last year as well. But on the foul Julius Randall

572
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,200
Speaker 1: on the turnover, Julius Randall gets the ball and they

573
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:25,920
Speaker 1: smartly fould him in the backcourt because it would have

574
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,480
Speaker 1: been a runout dunk for RJ. Barrett. Randall goes to

575
00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:31,320
Speaker 1: the line and misses another free throw, so the Celtics

576
00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,040
Speaker 1: are still up by two, and then on the next possession,

577
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,399
Speaker 1: Porzingis catches the ball in the right Tatum's coming off

578
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,240
Speaker 1: a pick and roll throws the ball to Porzingis and

579
00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:44,080
Speaker 1: Hartenstein has to close out heart You know, Porzingis as

580
00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,159
Speaker 1: Tatum was going downhill, you could see Hartenstein kind of

581
00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,200
Speaker 1: step over to the left block to kind of offer

582
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,640
Speaker 1: a little bit of token help. But he closes out.

583
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,959
Speaker 1: But because Porzingis is such a good shooter, it's a

584
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,400
Speaker 1: hard to close out. Because it's a hard close out,

585
00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:57,600
Speaker 1: he kind of comes up into his airspace. So when

586
00:27:57,640 --> 00:27:59,760
Speaker 1: Porzingis did that rip through move kind of up the

587
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,719
Speaker 1: show short corner, he ended up tripping on Hartenstein's leg

588
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:04,879
Speaker 1: and it's a clear foul. You can see Hartenstein going like,

589
00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:07,480
Speaker 1: h I knew it. I fouled him, But it was

590
00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,560
Speaker 1: a foul. But it's a byproduct of Porzingis's shooting. If

591
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:13,840
Speaker 1: he hadn't just made that crazy pick and pop three

592
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,800
Speaker 1: on the right wing, it's a shorter close out and

593
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,080
Speaker 1: then it probably ends up backing Tatum's hands and you

594
00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,240
Speaker 1: have a better chance to get a stop right. So,

595
00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:25,360
Speaker 1: like Porzingis just made a ton of huge plays down

596
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,640
Speaker 1: the stretch of this game. But it wasn't just down

597
00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:29,560
Speaker 1: the stretch. He was awesome on both ends all night.

598
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:30,639
Speaker 1: And this is where I want to dive into the

599
00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:32,560
Speaker 1: pick and pop concept because it's wide open almost every

600
00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:35,000
Speaker 1: single time. There's a very specific reason why pick and

601
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:39,360
Speaker 1: pop coverages or pick and pop offensive sequences are incredibly

602
00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:41,160
Speaker 1: difficult to guard, and it all has to do with

603
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:43,400
Speaker 1: traditional pick and roll coverage. Right, So, if I have

604
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:45,480
Speaker 1: a guy who sets a really solid screen, a big

605
00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:47,920
Speaker 1: man who can set a solid screen, it's gonna get

606
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,960
Speaker 1: generated separation between my ball handler and the on ball defender. Right.

607
00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,600
Speaker 1: So on ball defender's here, ball handler's here. If we

608
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,280
Speaker 1: set a solid screen, he's gonna get downhill and there's

609
00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,920
Speaker 1: gonna be separation. If he gets downhill and gets set,

610
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,440
Speaker 1: you have to guard him with the screener's man. Right,

611
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,160
Speaker 1: The screen defender has to step up in some way,

612
00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,600
Speaker 1: shape or form, either waiting at the basket in a

613
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,600
Speaker 1: deep drop or all the way up to a high drop, right,

614
00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:19,560
Speaker 1: and everything in between. That screen defender has to be involved. Now,

615
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:23,440
Speaker 1: in traditional NBA pick and roll, with a non shooting threat,

616
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 1: that screener is rolling hard to the rim, and so

617
00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,200
Speaker 1: really good athletic rim protecting center has a fighting chance

618
00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,560
Speaker 1: to look to his right and see the ball handler

619
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,720
Speaker 1: coming downhill, and to look to his left and see

620
00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,440
Speaker 1: the roller coming downhill and kind of split the difference

621
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 1: and make a play. Maybe try to bait that lob

622
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:45,520
Speaker 1: pass so that he can get back to the lob,

623
00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:47,960
Speaker 1: or maybe pretend like he's staying with the roll man

624
00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:49,720
Speaker 1: so that he can contest a shot at the rim.

625
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 1: He's got a fighting chance there. But what if instead

626
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:56,000
Speaker 1: of rolling hard, he pops to the three point line. Now,

627
00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:01,160
Speaker 1: now you basically have two options. You can either rotate

628
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:02,720
Speaker 1: out of the weak side, which is gonna leave another

629
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:06,040
Speaker 1: guy wide open. Right. So let's say Porzingis pops to

630
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,040
Speaker 1: the top of the key and you just have you know,

631
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,920
Speaker 1: Josh hard whoever it is on the other side, leave

632
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:12,840
Speaker 1: a shooter to go help Porzingis at the top of

633
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,520
Speaker 1: the key, which leaves a guard shooter wide open, right.

634
00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,600
Speaker 1: Or you can switch the action, because what you can't

635
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,560
Speaker 1: do is have the screen defender stay home with Porzingis

636
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,280
Speaker 1: because if he sets a hard screen and pops and

637
00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:29,200
Speaker 1: your screen defender follows Porzingis to the three point line.

638
00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:32,280
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum's going downhill for dunks and layups all game long.

639
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,440
Speaker 1: Your only options are to either switch the action, which

640
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:39,000
Speaker 1: would put a small defender on Porzingis and open up

641
00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,640
Speaker 1: a post attack, or put a big, slow defender on Tatum,

642
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,120
Speaker 1: opening up a perimeter attack. Or you can rotate from

643
00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,240
Speaker 1: the weak side, which is gonna leave a shooter wide open.

644
00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:51,160
Speaker 1: The pick and pop is infinitely harder to guard than

645
00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,320
Speaker 1: a traditional roll man type of sequence. And what's crazy

646
00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:56,920
Speaker 1: is Chris Hops can roll as well. It did a

647
00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 1: lot of it in preseason and was successful with it.

648
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,080
Speaker 1: But that pick and pop is specifically extremely hard to guard.

649
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:05,200
Speaker 1: And you'll notice a lot of the best offensive centers

650
00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:07,600
Speaker 1: in the league kind of operate like that. That's what

651
00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:10,160
Speaker 1: Jokic does on most of these possessions. He's picking and

652
00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,240
Speaker 1: popping to the top of the keys pump bake in

653
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,320
Speaker 1: trying to get Anthony Davis to over pursues. You can

654
00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:16,680
Speaker 1: beat him off the dribble or knocking down those threes

655
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:22,240
Speaker 1: right like that. It is the really high level offensive

656
00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:24,120
Speaker 1: centers in the league that can operate out there and

657
00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:28,240
Speaker 1: legitimately be a threat. They make your offense so much

658
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:30,960
Speaker 1: harder to guard. But It can't just be a Mobamba.

659
00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,560
Speaker 1: I occasionally hit an above the break three, right, it

660
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:35,800
Speaker 1: can't just be an Anthony Davis like I occasionally make

661
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,680
Speaker 1: a play there. You have to be deadly there in

662
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:41,360
Speaker 1: order for that sequence to be as difficult to guard

663
00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,000
Speaker 1: as it can be. And Porzingis made five damn threes

664
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,600
Speaker 1: in this game, and the game winner was a pick

665
00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,880
Speaker 1: and pop three. But then we had the improved improvements

666
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:51,920
Speaker 1: on the defensive end of the floor. Right. His rim

667
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:53,959
Speaker 1: protection was a huge factor in this game. He had

668
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,040
Speaker 1: four blocks, changed a lot of shots, especially down the

669
00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:58,680
Speaker 1: stretch of the second half, and then he got his

670
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,720
Speaker 1: biggest stop of the game on a swim with Jalen

671
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,320
Speaker 1: Brunson and got beat on the possession, but recovered to

672
00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,160
Speaker 1: challenge the shot and forced Jalen Brunton to miss a

673
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,280
Speaker 1: tough lamp. He is what makes this team so hard

674
00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,640
Speaker 1: to beat now thirty points, eight rebounds, four blocks, effectively

675
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,880
Speaker 1: the game winner. Hard to do much better than Porzingis

676
00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:20,480
Speaker 1: did in his first game in a Celtics Jersey. Drew

677
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:22,800
Speaker 1: Holliday made a bunch of huge winning plays in this game.

678
00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,160
Speaker 1: We broke down the huge steal on Julius Randall where

679
00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:27,120
Speaker 1: he kind of half doubled and then recovered to the

680
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,200
Speaker 1: baseline and then beat Randall to his right hand and

681
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,480
Speaker 1: swiped the ball away. He had three blocks in this game.

682
00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:33,800
Speaker 1: By the way, he had that big offensive rebound. Late

683
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:35,560
Speaker 1: we talked about the cut that he had on the

684
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:37,920
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum post up with the double team. He's just

685
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:41,080
Speaker 1: a winner and he's constantly going to make massive winning

686
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,680
Speaker 1: plays because he's constantly made massive winning plays in his career.

687
00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:46,800
Speaker 1: Like I've said before to Celtics fans, I view him

688
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,560
Speaker 1: as just a better version of Marcus Smart and he's

689
00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:52,080
Speaker 1: going to bring a lot of that to the table,

690
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,280
Speaker 1: just with more consistency. And then last thing, I want

691
00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:58,560
Speaker 1: to hit Jason Tatum. Actually not lastly, I have two

692
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,480
Speaker 1: other Celtics topics before we get to the Nicks. Jason

693
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:06,440
Speaker 1: Tatum looks huge. I think you said in the preseason

694
00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,400
Speaker 1: pressers that he added like thirteen pounds muscle again in

695
00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,640
Speaker 1: this offseason, but you can literally see it. And strength

696
00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:15,360
Speaker 1: is like incredibly valuable on the basketball court. I have

697
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,280
Speaker 1: a mailbag question about this later that I want to

698
00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,480
Speaker 1: get to. But being strong, physically strong on the basketball

699
00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:23,280
Speaker 1: court helps you in a bunch of very specific ways

700
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,880
Speaker 1: helps you fight for position. So when you're trying to

701
00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:27,760
Speaker 1: get to a spot closer to the basket without the

702
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,520
Speaker 1: basketball right setting your man up for screens, Let's say

703
00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,080
Speaker 1: you need to walk your man down to the blocks,

704
00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:34,040
Speaker 1: you can come off of a wide pin down. Let's

705
00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:38,080
Speaker 1: say that you're you know, ducking in in a mismatch

706
00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,400
Speaker 1: on a switch or whatever it is. You need strength

707
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,160
Speaker 1: to fight for position, dealing with contact when dudes are

708
00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,240
Speaker 1: grabbing on your arms and fouling you. The ability to

709
00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,840
Speaker 1: fight through that contact is related to strength, getting lifts,

710
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,560
Speaker 1: getting lift on shots and drives. Again, like strength goes

711
00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:55,760
Speaker 1: well beyond upper body strength, it's lower body strength as well.

712
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:59,880
Speaker 1: The ability after hitting a dramatic dribble combination and of

713
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,160
Speaker 1: zor being contact to then elevate into a shot that

714
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,640
Speaker 1: you can make, or elevate into a layup or a

715
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,400
Speaker 1: dunk at the rim with a high probability of finishing.

716
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:13,160
Speaker 1: That requires like strength and the last but not least overall,

717
00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,919
Speaker 1: physical confidence. This is something that I had a gosh,

718
00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:18,279
Speaker 1: I wish I could remember who it was so I

719
00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:20,600
Speaker 1: can credit this person. But at one of my coaches

720
00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:23,080
Speaker 1: in college used to say like lift weights, It'll just

721
00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:26,320
Speaker 1: make you feel more confident. And it's so true because,

722
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:28,960
Speaker 1: like when I'm actually in a good groove, like when

723
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:30,799
Speaker 1: i haven't gun on vacation forever and I'm in a

724
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,040
Speaker 1: good groover for like months at a time, I've been

725
00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:35,600
Speaker 1: lifting five days a week. When I go to the

726
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:40,360
Speaker 1: basketball court, you just feel good about yourself. You feel strong,

727
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:44,839
Speaker 1: you feel big, you feel confident, and like confidence is

728
00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:46,440
Speaker 1: just such an underrated part of the game of the

729
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,239
Speaker 1: basketball in general. When you're walking on the court and

730
00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,080
Speaker 1: you feel looking to the guy next to you, like

731
00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:53,560
Speaker 1: I am bigger and stronger than this guy and he

732
00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:57,320
Speaker 1: cannot physically hold me. When you're thinking that, it pumps

733
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,440
Speaker 1: you up with the confidence you need to bea confident

734
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:02,359
Speaker 1: in every other area of the game, with your decision making,

735
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 1: with your shot making, so on and so forth, even defensively,

736
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 1: like lifting. Yeah, that strength is such an important part

737
00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:11,759
Speaker 1: of NBA basketball. And I think you're starting to see

738
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:15,839
Speaker 1: those that specifically paid dividends for Jason Tatum now at

739
00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,280
Speaker 1: this phase in his career, he had really good variety

740
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:20,520
Speaker 1: on his attacks. Today, he was attacking out of the

741
00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:22,240
Speaker 1: high post, he was attacking out of a low post

742
00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:24,400
Speaker 1: even with a live dribble. He was looking to be

743
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:27,719
Speaker 1: aggressive in the mid range when he had a chance.

744
00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:29,960
Speaker 1: Even in his perimeter attacks, he just seems kind of

745
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,160
Speaker 1: more methodical instead of like the classic Jason Tatum, let

746
00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:35,160
Speaker 1: me take a three or just slash into the rim

747
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,840
Speaker 1: and throw up some bullshit layup. He was more methodical

748
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,160
Speaker 1: on his drives to the rim. There was a play

749
00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:43,680
Speaker 1: against Quentin Grimes in the a live dribble attack in

750
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,040
Speaker 1: the first half where he kind of caught the ball

751
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,399
Speaker 1: in the left wing and took like a dribble from

752
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,640
Speaker 1: the wing down to like twenty feet and then like

753
00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:53,640
Speaker 1: took one more and just was it was almost like

754
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:55,560
Speaker 1: a three point line post up where he just kind

755
00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:58,719
Speaker 1: of backed Grimes down with two dribbles down to like

756
00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:01,240
Speaker 1: eight feet and then kind of turned strong and shot

757
00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:03,200
Speaker 1: like a little right handed floater off the glass and

758
00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:05,960
Speaker 1: he made it. There was a dunk that he had

759
00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,120
Speaker 1: in the second quarter where like it was a slot

760
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:11,440
Speaker 1: drive on a kickout pass, a spot up opportunity on

761
00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:13,719
Speaker 1: the right wing where Grimes was closing out on his

762
00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:15,640
Speaker 1: left hand. He ripped through to the right. As soon

763
00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:17,600
Speaker 1: as he ripped through the right instead of just driving

764
00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:20,520
Speaker 1: into Julius Randall and smoking a layup. He saw Randal

765
00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,160
Speaker 1: in front of him, he put Quinton Grimes in jail,

766
00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:25,680
Speaker 1: kind of pinned him on his backside, waited a second

767
00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:28,640
Speaker 1: hit Randall with the crossover. Then when he realized he

768
00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:31,600
Speaker 1: toasted Randall and the crossover. Instead of throwing up some

769
00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,719
Speaker 1: wild left handed layup, he slowed himself down and pivoted

770
00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,760
Speaker 1: into a right left takeoff and threw down an easy

771
00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,160
Speaker 1: two handed dunk, which again putsed a like strength to

772
00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:43,760
Speaker 1: be able to stop and start and to elevate in traffic,

773
00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,719
Speaker 1: but also just being more patient on his drives. I

774
00:36:46,719 --> 00:36:49,319
Speaker 1: thought Jason Tatum looked fantastic in this game. My only

775
00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,200
Speaker 1: grid would be that late game turnover, like we talked

776
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:53,400
Speaker 1: about earlier, got a little uninvolved in the offense, but

777
00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:55,279
Speaker 1: the Knicks were throwing the kitchen sinka at him in

778
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,560
Speaker 1: that second half, and he made several key reads that

779
00:36:57,600 --> 00:36:59,719
Speaker 1: posted up double team to Drew Holiday, the pick and

780
00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:02,200
Speaker 1: pop to Christaps Porzingis. I thought it was an incredible

781
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:05,120
Speaker 1: performance from Jason Tatum. You know, I was talking with

782
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,840
Speaker 1: the Jenkins and Jones guys earlier today about whether or

783
00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:11,760
Speaker 1: not Jason Tatum can get MVP. And the thought process

784
00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:14,200
Speaker 1: was like, Yeah, if the Celtics win like sixty five

785
00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:17,560
Speaker 1: games and Jason Tatum averages like thirty two, ten and seven,

786
00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:20,160
Speaker 1: why because the Celtics have the most talented roster in

787
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,319
Speaker 1: the league by far, and he's gonna need to be

788
00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:25,080
Speaker 1: beyond the fantastic in order to get the award. But

789
00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,040
Speaker 1: I think you saw tonight that like, that's certainly on

790
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:30,920
Speaker 1: the table if he's gonna score this efficiently, thirty two

791
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,080
Speaker 1: points a game is on the table, and this team

792
00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:36,320
Speaker 1: is talented enough to win that many games. Uh, Jaylen

793
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:39,160
Speaker 1: Brown eleven points on eleven shots. This is that concept

794
00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:41,120
Speaker 1: of diminishing returns that I've talked about a lot, and

795
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,600
Speaker 1: it's one of the things where I talked about this

796
00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:46,280
Speaker 1: with the Bradley Beal concept, like the difference between Bradley

797
00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,120
Speaker 1: Beal and a Conavious Callbo Pope on the Wizards versus

798
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,359
Speaker 1: the difference between a Bradley bal and Conatavious Cabo Pope

799
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:53,399
Speaker 1: on the Suns. And the specific things that a team

800
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,680
Speaker 1: needs from you, Right, well, this team has too much

801
00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:58,600
Speaker 1: ball handling, if too many guys who can dribble, too

802
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,279
Speaker 1: many guys who cand SHOOTO many guy who can their

803
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,839
Speaker 1: own shot. And you saw tonight that Derek White and

804
00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:05,920
Speaker 1: Jalen Brown ended up being kind of the guys who

805
00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:09,680
Speaker 1: got squeezed in terms of their overall offensive usage. And like,

806
00:38:09,719 --> 00:38:11,240
Speaker 1: this is the kind of thing that's going to happen.

807
00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:13,520
Speaker 1: And again, it's not a it's not a shot at

808
00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:15,239
Speaker 1: Jalen Brown. It's just really hard to play basketball in

809
00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:17,120
Speaker 1: that type of situation when you don't know where your

810
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,920
Speaker 1: touches are coming from, and then when suddenly they do

811
00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:21,840
Speaker 1: start drawing stuff up for you, and it's like, hey, Jalen,

812
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,040
Speaker 1: we need you to be aggressive three or four possessions

813
00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,680
Speaker 1: in a row after you just basically spotted up and

814
00:38:26,719 --> 00:38:29,640
Speaker 1: did nothing for you know, for a quarter, right, So,

815
00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:31,960
Speaker 1: like it's just difficult, and I think you're gonna see

816
00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:33,839
Speaker 1: a lot of that this year, where like on any

817
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:36,279
Speaker 1: given night with the Celtics, you'll see two or three

818
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:38,640
Speaker 1: guys play awesome and then the other two guys kind

819
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,400
Speaker 1: of struggle. But again, and this is the last thing

820
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:42,840
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say about the Celtics, as long as they defend,

821
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,080
Speaker 1: and I thought Jalen Brown had a good defensive night

822
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,399
Speaker 1: as long as they defend, it won't matter because those

823
00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:50,920
Speaker 1: guys are all excellent defensive players as well, and as

824
00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 1: long as they redirect their resources to the defensive end

825
00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:56,200
Speaker 1: when they're not involved offensively, they're gonna win a lot

826
00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:58,680
Speaker 1: of games. They looked a lot closer to the defense

827
00:38:58,719 --> 00:39:02,040
Speaker 1: that saw two years ago to night physical ball pressure,

828
00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:06,200
Speaker 1: good rotations, making teams shoot over their length, making extra

829
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,560
Speaker 1: efforts to contest shots. I thought it was a really

830
00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:11,200
Speaker 1: impressive defensive performance as well. Here's the thing, the Knicks

831
00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,600
Speaker 1: threw a hell of a punch and they survived, So

832
00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:17,960
Speaker 1: that's an impressive win on the Knicks front. I genuinely

833
00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:21,279
Speaker 1: feel bad for them because between the bad call on

834
00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:24,280
Speaker 1: the Derek White drive where I thought quickly it was vertical,

835
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:28,279
Speaker 1: Quinton Grimes missing that wide open three on the left wing,

836
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,880
Speaker 1: Isaiah Hartenstein tapping that ball to Julius Randall underneath the

837
00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,960
Speaker 1: basket that he should have caught and dunked, Jalen Brunson

838
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:36,680
Speaker 1: missing that left handed layup even though it was pretty

839
00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:39,520
Speaker 1: well defended from chrisops porzingis you expect Jalen Brunson to

840
00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:42,680
Speaker 1: make that shot, and then all of the missed free throws,

841
00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:45,560
Speaker 1: especially timely miss free throws in the second half. It

842
00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:48,880
Speaker 1: definitely feels like the Knicks let this game slip away. Again.

843
00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:53,400
Speaker 1: There's almost doesn't count in the NBA. It's still a loss,

844
00:39:53,719 --> 00:39:55,560
Speaker 1: but I do kind of feel bad for them because

845
00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:57,919
Speaker 1: they played well enough to win. They just a lot

846
00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,000
Speaker 1: of things that they needed to go their way down

847
00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:02,239
Speaker 1: on the stretch did not go their way. But there

848
00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:03,880
Speaker 1: is a lot to be encouraged about, right because j

849
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,040
Speaker 1: Brunson and Julius Randall both played really poorly on the

850
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:09,920
Speaker 1: offensive end. Jalen Brunson seemed to miss every single one

851
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:12,200
Speaker 1: of his little pull up jump shots and floaters that

852
00:40:12,239 --> 00:40:15,319
Speaker 1: he usually makes about half of, right, so a rough

853
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:19,600
Speaker 1: night there. Julius Randall was doing a lot of that

854
00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:21,960
Speaker 1: overpenetrating that we always talked about trying to play bully ball,

855
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:23,480
Speaker 1: but he just didn't quite have the lift that he

856
00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:27,759
Speaker 1: usually does. Both Randall and Brunson neither of them really

857
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:29,400
Speaker 1: played a lot in preseason, and they both kind of

858
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:31,160
Speaker 1: seemed a little bit out of shape, so I wouldn't

859
00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:35,080
Speaker 1: read too much into that. Emmanuel Quickly was amazing of

860
00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:38,799
Speaker 1: generating downhill pressure, hitting pull up jump shots, hit some

861
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,799
Speaker 1: huge pull up threes in the fourth quarter. Solid point

862
00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,719
Speaker 1: of attack defense as well. Hard to beat that off

863
00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:47,200
Speaker 1: the bench from a guard to get legitimate downhill pressure,

864
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:49,680
Speaker 1: legitimate pull up shooting, a legitimate point of attack defense.

865
00:40:49,719 --> 00:40:51,560
Speaker 1: It's hard to beat that. Hit a huge floater off

866
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:53,640
Speaker 1: the glass down the stretch as well. Really nice game.

867
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,680
Speaker 1: Emmanuel quickly hit twenty four points on eleven shots, and

868
00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:59,040
Speaker 1: then they have two excellent options at center. Like I've

869
00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:01,040
Speaker 1: talked about this all summer, but Mitchell Robinson was the

870
00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:04,400
Speaker 1: reason they beat Cleveland. He just utterly obliterated the Cavs

871
00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,440
Speaker 1: front court players Mobley and Allen. But then like he

872
00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,359
Speaker 1: can sit the bench down the stretch of a key

873
00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,879
Speaker 1: game against the Celtics because Isaiah Hartenstein's making huge plays

874
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:14,640
Speaker 1: on both ends of the floor, right, and it's a

875
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:16,640
Speaker 1: real luxury there. And then I thought it was a

876
00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:20,879
Speaker 1: really classic Tom Thibodeau New York Knicks defensive effort. Super

877
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:23,160
Speaker 1: physical at the point of attack. They rotated well, they

878
00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:25,439
Speaker 1: were making those extra efforts. That was not an easy

879
00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,279
Speaker 1: get team to guard in the Boston Celtics, and they

880
00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:31,279
Speaker 1: sent them through a lot of down stretches and droughts offensively.

881
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:33,400
Speaker 1: It was a really impressive defensive effort. I think this

882
00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:34,560
Speaker 1: is going to be a fun team for the Knicks

883
00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,520
Speaker 1: fans to root for all year long. All right, moving

884
00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:43,200
Speaker 1: on to the mailbag. First question from Trayvon. Hey, Jason,

885
00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:45,560
Speaker 1: I was curious what your thoughts on the Lakers potentially

886
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:48,480
Speaker 1: pushing Reeves back to the bench for Gabe Vincent, because

887
00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:50,480
Speaker 1: I believe the second unit ran much better last year

888
00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,160
Speaker 1: when you had Austin Reeves and RUI. The combo makes

889
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:54,960
Speaker 1: more sense. Even though I think Austin Reeves is better

890
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:56,840
Speaker 1: than d LO, I feel like it would remove some

891
00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:59,040
Speaker 1: of those too many hands on the cookie jar stretches

892
00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:01,920
Speaker 1: with ball handlers. And then second question, Watching Cam Braddish

893
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,160
Speaker 1: navigate screens and play defense on Murray really makes me

894
00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:06,400
Speaker 1: think if he could do that consistently as well, he

895
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:09,279
Speaker 1: forces teams to respect a shot more than say Vanderbilt.

896
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:12,960
Speaker 1: Could you see him being a breakout player? Great questions, Trevon,

897
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:14,800
Speaker 1: We're gonna do. I did a whole rewatch of the

898
00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:18,280
Speaker 1: Lakers game this morning, and so I want to spend

899
00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:19,680
Speaker 1: some time to break that down. By the way, for

900
00:42:19,719 --> 00:42:22,120
Speaker 1: those of you who are wondering why we didn't hit

901
00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:26,600
Speaker 1: more games tonight in the jam Pack Slate I did.

902
00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:30,120
Speaker 1: I tried to watch as many games as possible, but

903
00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:32,319
Speaker 1: it's just it's like sensory overload, and there were so

904
00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,319
Speaker 1: many different games that I wanted to watch tonight, and

905
00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:37,799
Speaker 1: what I didn't want to do was watch games and

906
00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:41,200
Speaker 1: give you guys half assed analysis because I wasn't actually

907
00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:43,680
Speaker 1: able to watch them that closely. So I'm gonna hit

908
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:47,919
Speaker 1: several games from tonight slate tomorrow morning in a separate show,

909
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:49,920
Speaker 1: So keep an eye on the feeds. We're gonna do

910
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,960
Speaker 1: another show tomorrow that hits on some of the other

911
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:56,080
Speaker 1: debuts that we saw from around the league. But here's

912
00:42:56,080 --> 00:43:00,839
Speaker 1: the deal. So as long as d'angelas is on the team,

913
00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:03,040
Speaker 1: which we'll see when we get to the deadline, I

914
00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:04,719
Speaker 1: think it is the right line up to stick with

915
00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:08,440
Speaker 1: Austin Reeves, Dangela Russell with Torrian Prince, Lebron James, and

916
00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:11,160
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis. I actually think Torrian Prince did a pretty

917
00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:15,440
Speaker 1: good job, especially in rewatch defending Jamal Murray. If you

918
00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:18,560
Speaker 1: watch the game they were running and I put a

919
00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:21,080
Speaker 1: clip of this on my Twitter feed that you get

920
00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:23,600
Speaker 1: guys can see about the kind of screening actions they

921
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:27,359
Speaker 1: were running Torrian Prince through and they weren't offering any help.

922
00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:29,480
Speaker 1: There's a play where like Lebron and ad were defending

923
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:31,480
Speaker 1: the two screeners and they're both kind of sitting back

924
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:34,120
Speaker 1: by the elbow and they're both just standing there watching

925
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:36,960
Speaker 1: as Torrian Prince is basically running figure eights around screens,

926
00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:39,520
Speaker 1: and like it's just a really difficult job. Now there's

927
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:41,879
Speaker 1: an advantage there, right, because like you're going to force

928
00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:46,280
Speaker 1: Jamal Murray to take a tough movement jump shot after

929
00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,880
Speaker 1: doing a bunch of running himself, and by staying home elsewhere,

930
00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:53,359
Speaker 1: you're forcing the Nuggets to stagnate and take difficult shots, right,

931
00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:55,520
Speaker 1: But Jamal Murray is one of the top fifteen sixteen

932
00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:58,040
Speaker 1: players in the world and he's gonna make those shots sometimes,

933
00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:00,480
Speaker 1: and he did against Torrian Prince. But in j actually

934
00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:02,960
Speaker 1: thought Torn Prince did a decent job with what his

935
00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,680
Speaker 1: job was in that defense, which was while everyone else

936
00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:08,120
Speaker 1: stands around and he's not getting a ton of help

937
00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,439
Speaker 1: in terms of hedges and stuff on screens, he needs

938
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:12,759
Speaker 1: to be pursuing the ball constantly, and I thought he

939
00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:14,400
Speaker 1: did a decent job. And then on the offensive end

940
00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:17,600
Speaker 1: of the floor, you desperately need him in his shooting anyway,

941
00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:19,720
Speaker 1: and he can actually kind of attack on these dribble

942
00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:22,880
Speaker 1: handoffs and make plays. So like the starting lineup is

943
00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:28,000
Speaker 1: fine now Again, like I do agree with the overall

944
00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:32,120
Speaker 1: premise that you have too much complication in terms of

945
00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:37,799
Speaker 1: shot or decision making processes, right, like nowhere near enough.

946
00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:41,600
Speaker 1: Austin reeves last night, way too much, D'Angelo Russell. Right,

947
00:44:41,840 --> 00:44:45,239
Speaker 1: Austin's a better player. He should get more of those touches. So,

948
00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:47,920
Speaker 1: like the way you answer that question is like, eventually

949
00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:50,360
Speaker 1: they need to simplify this process the same way the

950
00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:53,160
Speaker 1: Nuggets do. Right. If you watch the Denver Nuggets, it's

951
00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,160
Speaker 1: like Jamal Murray's running the first action almost every single time.

952
00:44:56,880 --> 00:44:58,880
Speaker 1: You know, Jokic is operating as the volcrum in the

953
00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:01,640
Speaker 1: two man game almost every single time. If the first

954
00:45:01,680 --> 00:45:05,520
Speaker 1: action gets shut down, they might flow into a KCP action, right,

955
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:08,919
Speaker 1: and then KCP will take his pull up seventeen footer

956
00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:11,400
Speaker 1: that he takes or occasionally get downhill off of a

957
00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:14,880
Speaker 1: ball screen. But like Jamal Murray's the guy and KCP

958
00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:17,600
Speaker 1: is the second guy. It's a clear hierarchy in terms

959
00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:20,080
Speaker 1: of the perimeter players and Yokich is the fulcrum. Right.

960
00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:23,799
Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon's not running pick and rolls very rarely. Right,

961
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:26,080
Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon's not getting a ton of like touches in

962
00:45:26,160 --> 00:45:28,960
Speaker 1: the flow of the offense. It's like he's operating almost

963
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:32,400
Speaker 1: as a big man at that center position, basically cutting

964
00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:36,120
Speaker 1: along the baseline, crashing the offensive glass, right vertical spacing.

965
00:45:36,480 --> 00:45:39,520
Speaker 1: Michael Porter Junior is primarily operating as a spot up guy.

966
00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:41,960
Speaker 1: It's a very clear hierarchy, and so you know, you

967
00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:43,880
Speaker 1: need to kind of form the same thing with the Lakers,

968
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:47,000
Speaker 1: and so I tend to think that it makes more

969
00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:51,040
Speaker 1: sense with the starters, especially to have d Angela Russell

970
00:45:51,080 --> 00:45:53,840
Speaker 1: basically just play off the ball, have him just I

971
00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:57,200
Speaker 1: mean again in their read and react stuff. That doesn't

972
00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:58,799
Speaker 1: mean he can't put the ball on the floor, But

973
00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:01,000
Speaker 1: what I'm saying is like, in terms of set actions,

974
00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:05,520
Speaker 1: run him for Austin, run him for Lebron. We're gonna

975
00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:06,960
Speaker 1: talk about Lebron in a minute. But he's a point

976
00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:09,000
Speaker 1: guard too. He was the point guard when the Lakers

977
00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:11,360
Speaker 1: won the title in twenty twenty. Run the action for

978
00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:16,120
Speaker 1: your primary ball handlers and have D'Angelo Russell's role simplified

979
00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:19,040
Speaker 1: as an off ball player. Then if there's a bench

980
00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:22,840
Speaker 1: group that has d Lo with Lebron and Christian Wood,

981
00:46:23,160 --> 00:46:26,280
Speaker 1: then by all means run some more stuff through D'Angelo Russell.

982
00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,440
Speaker 1: But they do need to simplify their overall decision decision

983
00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,440
Speaker 1: making process throughout the game because right now, way too

984
00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 1: many guys are out of rhythm throughout the game. Kind

985
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:37,480
Speaker 1: of a similar issue to what we were talking about

986
00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:40,960
Speaker 1: with Celtics earlier. Right, the Rui issue is interesting because

987
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,680
Speaker 1: he was really really good last year for most of

988
00:46:43,719 --> 00:46:45,920
Speaker 1: the end of the regular season in most of the playoffs,

989
00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:48,720
Speaker 1: and he's been kind of a mixed back throughout preseason

990
00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:50,920
Speaker 1: and was pretty bad last night against the Nuggets, Right,

991
00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:54,200
Speaker 1: And I think there's a couple of specific reasons for that.

992
00:46:54,480 --> 00:46:58,360
Speaker 1: He's coming in off the bench, and he's operating against

993
00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:01,160
Speaker 1: the set defense a lot, which is not when he

994
00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:03,319
Speaker 1: was succeeding in the playoffs. He's getting a lot of

995
00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:07,800
Speaker 1: wide open catch and shoot threes, attacking closeouts, attacking in transition,

996
00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:11,920
Speaker 1: and then occasionally attacking in the post in a mismatch situation, right,

997
00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:13,920
Speaker 1: and those were like the only times he'd attack against

998
00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:17,360
Speaker 1: the set defense. I think the answer there is again,

999
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:21,279
Speaker 1: this is where you gotta lean more on Lebron. So

1000
00:47:21,520 --> 00:47:23,719
Speaker 1: there was a quote that was going around on social media,

1001
00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:27,000
Speaker 1: say Lebron talking to Darvin Ham got Mike somehow they

1002
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:28,960
Speaker 1: caught it on a hot mic during the game, and

1003
00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:31,160
Speaker 1: he basically says like, you know, I can run point guard, right,

1004
00:47:32,239 --> 00:47:34,320
Speaker 1: And he kind kind of goes like, hey, give me Austin,

1005
00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:37,600
Speaker 1: give me tor In prints and let me run point

1006
00:47:37,960 --> 00:47:40,440
Speaker 1: is what he says. And the reason why saying that

1007
00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:43,040
Speaker 1: is like he's getting frustrated too. He literally said to

1008
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,919
Speaker 1: Darvin Am he goes, I'm just floating around out there,

1009
00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:49,680
Speaker 1: And it's true, Lebron's just setting ball screens and floating

1010
00:47:49,719 --> 00:47:53,520
Speaker 1: around while lesser players like D'angela Russell are making decisions.

1011
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:58,480
Speaker 1: And so I think simplifying that hierarchy of ball handling

1012
00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:01,399
Speaker 1: and getting the ball on Lebron James's more will make

1013
00:48:01,440 --> 00:48:03,200
Speaker 1: it so that he's in rhythm more throughout the game,

1014
00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:05,719
Speaker 1: will make it so that the decision making process is

1015
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:08,160
Speaker 1: better throughout the game, will make it so that Ruy

1016
00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:11,000
Speaker 1: Hatchamura gets more of those catch and shoot opportunities and

1017
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,640
Speaker 1: close out opportunities and mismatch opportunities that he needs to

1018
00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:16,359
Speaker 1: get because Lebron James is the guy that'll be like, oh,

1019
00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:18,680
Speaker 1: we just ran this action. You know, Ruy just had

1020
00:48:18,719 --> 00:48:20,799
Speaker 1: a pin down for Austin coming off the weak side.

1021
00:48:20,840 --> 00:48:22,800
Speaker 1: He got a switch with a guard. I'm gonna dribble

1022
00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:24,640
Speaker 1: this over here. Everybody get the fuck out of the way.

1023
00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:26,279
Speaker 1: Let's throw the ball down to Ruey on the right

1024
00:48:26,320 --> 00:48:28,080
Speaker 1: block and let him go to work. Like, Lebron is

1025
00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:30,720
Speaker 1: that guy that will operate like that in the half court,

1026
00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:33,640
Speaker 1: and that's why they need to organize their offense more

1027
00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:36,480
Speaker 1: around those lines. And then again, like Anthony Davis had

1028
00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:38,640
Speaker 1: a rough second half last night, but like that's the

1029
00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:40,920
Speaker 1: kind of thing where if Lebron is more aggressive and

1030
00:48:41,239 --> 00:48:43,480
Speaker 1: I should say more involved with the ball in his hands,

1031
00:48:43,560 --> 00:48:46,080
Speaker 1: he's gonna identify what's going on with Anthony Davis and

1032
00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:48,880
Speaker 1: get him some easier opportunities to try to break his slump.

1033
00:48:50,840 --> 00:48:57,520
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis, the difference between his dribble attacks when he

1034
00:48:57,719 --> 00:49:01,359
Speaker 1: was kind of like with a live dribble versus when

1035
00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:02,640
Speaker 1: he had his back to the basket. That's what I

1036
00:49:02,680 --> 00:49:04,520
Speaker 1: want to kind of dive into for a second. So

1037
00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:07,600
Speaker 1: like Anthony Davis had this like kind of mixed night

1038
00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:10,279
Speaker 1: where I thought he was amazing in the first half.

1039
00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:13,640
Speaker 1: I think he had like seventeen points at a bunch

1040
00:49:13,640 --> 00:49:15,960
Speaker 1: of big rebounds. Obviously he struggled to guard Yokic, but

1041
00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:19,040
Speaker 1: no one in the planet can guard Yokic. But there

1042
00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:22,640
Speaker 1: was like bad possessions and good possessions in there. There

1043
00:49:22,640 --> 00:49:25,440
Speaker 1: were these possessions where like he'd have Jokic on the

1044
00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:29,160
Speaker 1: left block and he would make a hard move like

1045
00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:31,600
Speaker 1: hit Yokic with his right shoulder, generate a little bit

1046
00:49:31,640 --> 00:49:33,879
Speaker 1: of separation, make a little right handed push out over

1047
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:36,680
Speaker 1: the top. He had like a nice like sweeping hook

1048
00:49:36,719 --> 00:49:39,719
Speaker 1: across the lane. He had some moves when he made

1049
00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:44,200
Speaker 1: post moves against Nikole Jokic. He had success when he

1050
00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:47,120
Speaker 1: stared Yokic in the face and just hit that classic

1051
00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:49,880
Speaker 1: in and out dribble and then dropped his shoulder and

1052
00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:52,359
Speaker 1: then screamed for a foul and just threw the ball up.

1053
00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:56,000
Speaker 1: He missed every single one of those, And so like

1054
00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:58,400
Speaker 1: that's the difference, Like and to me, it's it's really simple.

1055
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:02,239
Speaker 1: Jokic is wide, he is a massive human being, and

1056
00:50:02,400 --> 00:50:05,760
Speaker 1: eight is attacking him from like fifteen feet from the basket.

1057
00:50:06,120 --> 00:50:10,160
Speaker 1: So again, imagine a wide target, okay, and let's imagine

1058
00:50:10,239 --> 00:50:13,120
Speaker 1: you're the basket. If it's a wide target and I'm

1059
00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:16,600
Speaker 1: further away, I can go around you and make a

1060
00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:19,200
Speaker 1: move to the rim. But if we're fifteen feet from

1061
00:50:19,239 --> 00:50:22,720
Speaker 1: the basket and Yokic is playing me at like eight feet,

1062
00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:26,080
Speaker 1: I can't get around him and get to the rim.

1063
00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:29,320
Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to take basically a shot going side

1064
00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:33,160
Speaker 1: to side parallel away from the rim because Jokic is

1065
00:50:33,200 --> 00:50:36,120
Speaker 1: wide and unless you get him to lean one way,

1066
00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:38,560
Speaker 1: you're not gonna cross him over and get a straight

1067
00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:42,440
Speaker 1: line drive to the basket. So when Anthony Davis turned

1068
00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:45,600
Speaker 1: his back and made a post move, he scored. And

1069
00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:47,799
Speaker 1: when he tried to do his stupid foul grifty drop

1070
00:50:47,880 --> 00:50:50,600
Speaker 1: a shoulder thing, it wasn't working because Jokis doesn't even

1071
00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:53,319
Speaker 1: have to move. Okay, here comes another right hand to drive, slidestep,

1072
00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:56,000
Speaker 1: initiate a little bit of contact, make him throw the

1073
00:50:56,040 --> 00:50:57,920
Speaker 1: ball up. I had a lot of Lakers fans bitching

1074
00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,960
Speaker 1: and moaning in my on Twitter this morning about the

1075
00:51:01,040 --> 00:51:05,040
Speaker 1: officiating and Jokic like shoving ad on his drives and

1076
00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:06,680
Speaker 1: stuff like this, And again I'm gonna tell you the

1077
00:51:06,680 --> 00:51:09,440
Speaker 1: same thing I said to the Warriors fans, like blaming

1078
00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:13,360
Speaker 1: officiating is a loser mentality. Like I watched those games

1079
00:51:13,360 --> 00:51:15,279
Speaker 1: and I thought I watched the film today and I

1080
00:51:15,320 --> 00:51:17,440
Speaker 1: thought every single one of those was a good non call.

1081
00:51:17,840 --> 00:51:19,319
Speaker 1: There was even one that he got in the first

1082
00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:20,719
Speaker 1: half that probably shouldn't have been a call as he

1083
00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:23,799
Speaker 1: was driving to his left side. Like again, in those situations,

1084
00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:27,160
Speaker 1: when you're two big guys driving at each other around

1085
00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:30,000
Speaker 1: the basket, there's gonna be contact, and the referees are

1086
00:51:30,040 --> 00:51:34,399
Speaker 1: going to be allowing contact in those situations. So like again,

1087
00:51:34,440 --> 00:51:37,080
Speaker 1: I'd like to see Ad, especially especially in over the

1088
00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:40,279
Speaker 1: course of a playoff series against Denver, potentially operate more

1089
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:42,759
Speaker 1: as a post player against Jokic than as a face

1090
00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:45,160
Speaker 1: up player when he's that close to the rim. It's

1091
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:47,959
Speaker 1: a different story when he's operating from twenty four feet

1092
00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:50,200
Speaker 1: and he's got space and he can beat Yokic off

1093
00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:53,160
Speaker 1: the dribble with room to get back to the basket. Right.

1094
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:55,960
Speaker 1: I thought some of that process stuff was interesting. Again,

1095
00:51:56,000 --> 00:51:58,440
Speaker 1: you look at it and it's like, Okay, he made

1096
00:51:58,719 --> 00:52:01,560
Speaker 1: six isolation. I can't remember the exact total, but let's

1097
00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:03,839
Speaker 1: say you made six isolation moves against Jokich, it's easy

1098
00:52:03,840 --> 00:52:05,600
Speaker 1: to go like, he scored on three, missed on three,

1099
00:52:05,960 --> 00:52:08,440
Speaker 1: that's half the time. No Like when he had good process,

1100
00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:11,319
Speaker 1: he scored every time. When he had bad process, he

1101
00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:13,480
Speaker 1: missed every time. And so when you can identify those

1102
00:52:13,480 --> 00:52:15,600
Speaker 1: things and make that adjustment, that's how you get it.

1103
00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:17,719
Speaker 1: So like the next time I score five, at is

1104
00:52:17,760 --> 00:52:20,040
Speaker 1: six times. Because as good as Jokich is and I

1105
00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:21,800
Speaker 1: think he's bona fide the best player in the league,

1106
00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:24,040
Speaker 1: he can't fucking guard Anthony Davis. He can't guard it.

1107
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:29,520
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis in the post is too athletic and can

1108
00:52:29,520 --> 00:52:31,719
Speaker 1: get an easy shot over the top of him. He

1109
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:34,279
Speaker 1: just has to have the right offensive approach in those situations.

1110
00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:39,799
Speaker 1: With that second half in him going scoreless, I want

1111
00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:41,440
Speaker 1: to cut him a little bit of slack because this

1112
00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:43,759
Speaker 1: is something that happened all the time last year as well.

1113
00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:47,200
Speaker 1: And again we can see the ebb and flow in

1114
00:52:47,280 --> 00:52:50,480
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis's overall offensive production, and there's no doubt that

1115
00:52:50,480 --> 00:52:53,000
Speaker 1: that's a problem. And it's the difference between him being

1116
00:52:53,040 --> 00:52:54,560
Speaker 1: the I think I had him as like the sixth

1117
00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:56,640
Speaker 1: or seventh best player in the world in my player rankings.

1118
00:52:56,800 --> 00:52:59,040
Speaker 1: It's the difference between him being that and being Jokic,

1119
00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:01,600
Speaker 1: Because if he would thirty points a game and the

1120
00:53:01,600 --> 00:53:03,600
Speaker 1: best defensive player in the world, that's a guy who

1121
00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:05,160
Speaker 1: could be in the conversation being the best player in

1122
00:53:05,200 --> 00:53:07,880
Speaker 1: the world. But no, it's thirty and seventeen in elite

1123
00:53:07,880 --> 00:53:10,080
Speaker 1: defense one night, and then it's seventeen to ten in

1124
00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:13,160
Speaker 1: elite defense the next night. But even if it's seventeen points,

1125
00:53:13,320 --> 00:53:15,440
Speaker 1: it's still the elite defense. And again, even though he

1126
00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:17,560
Speaker 1: just can't guard Jokic, doesn't mean he's not a dominant

1127
00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:20,080
Speaker 1: defensive player. He was all over the place defensively in

1128
00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:21,759
Speaker 1: this game, made a lot of big players, grabbed a

1129
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:25,960
Speaker 1: lot of contested rebounds. Anthony Davis's floor is incredibly high

1130
00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:28,080
Speaker 1: because of what he brings to the table as an athlete.

1131
00:53:28,239 --> 00:53:30,400
Speaker 1: But again, like, don't just look at point totals with

1132
00:53:30,440 --> 00:53:33,680
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis. That's not the best indicator of his impact.

1133
00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:35,720
Speaker 1: As far as him going scoreless in the second half.

1134
00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:38,480
Speaker 1: The reason why this happens so frequently with the Lakers

1135
00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:42,480
Speaker 1: is that offensive hierarchy thing I'm talking about. Way too often.

1136
00:53:42,560 --> 00:53:44,520
Speaker 1: He'll go seven eight possessions in a row without touching

1137
00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:48,040
Speaker 1: the ball because Delo's co opting possessions, because Austin Reeves,

1138
00:53:48,040 --> 00:53:50,279
Speaker 1: who's a great player, hasn't touched the ball in seven

1139
00:53:50,360 --> 00:53:52,920
Speaker 1: or eight possessions and wants to run an action himself,

1140
00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:55,960
Speaker 1: right because Lebron James, who's the second or third best

1141
00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:58,279
Speaker 1: player of all time, maybe even the first, he wants

1142
00:53:58,360 --> 00:53:59,879
Speaker 1: the ball because he hasn't had the ball all game.

1143
00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:01,400
Speaker 1: And so what ends up happening is it ends up

1144
00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:03,759
Speaker 1: being like tug a war within your own roster. And

1145
00:54:03,840 --> 00:54:06,400
Speaker 1: so by simplifying the offensive process, that could also go

1146
00:54:06,480 --> 00:54:10,000
Speaker 1: a long way to helping Anthony Davis stay in rhythm.

1147
00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:12,960
Speaker 1: A couple of quick final notes over pursuing on the

1148
00:54:12,960 --> 00:54:15,160
Speaker 1: offensive glass. That was a huge problem last night. Like

1149
00:54:15,600 --> 00:54:18,480
Speaker 1: the Nuggets constantly kill the Lakers in transition, it's a

1150
00:54:18,560 --> 00:54:20,920
Speaker 1: huge problem with Anthony Davis as well. This has been

1151
00:54:20,960 --> 00:54:24,040
Speaker 1: an issue with him NonStop. In the Jokics matchup, you

1152
00:54:24,080 --> 00:54:28,440
Speaker 1: can literally see Jokic He's always looking at Anthony Davis

1153
00:54:28,480 --> 00:54:30,960
Speaker 1: at the end of every Laker offensive possession, and he

1154
00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:34,040
Speaker 1: can see when AD's not paying attention and he sprints

1155
00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:36,640
Speaker 1: down the floor, gets a cross match and he's either

1156
00:54:36,680 --> 00:54:38,640
Speaker 1: going to draw double team and make a play out

1157
00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:41,040
Speaker 1: of it, catch and score over the top or draw

1158
00:54:41,080 --> 00:54:42,680
Speaker 1: double team, make a play out of it. Guy's gonna

1159
00:54:42,680 --> 00:54:44,480
Speaker 1: miss a shot and he's gonna grab the offensive rebound

1160
00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:47,440
Speaker 1: over everybody and put it in. Like a lot of

1161
00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:50,440
Speaker 1: the damage that Jokic does to this Lakers team in particular,

1162
00:54:50,560 --> 00:54:53,719
Speaker 1: could be mitigated just by Anthony Davis running the floor better.

1163
00:54:54,440 --> 00:54:57,719
Speaker 1: And that's not flopping all those like weird straight line

1164
00:54:57,760 --> 00:54:59,920
Speaker 1: drives where he throws a bullshit shot up and then flops.

1165
00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:03,279
Speaker 1: Those are leading to transition opportunities. Over pursuing on the

1166
00:55:03,320 --> 00:55:05,200
Speaker 1: offensive glass and that was an issue for the whole team,

1167
00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:07,360
Speaker 1: not just Anthony Davis, but over pursuing on the offensive

1168
00:55:07,360 --> 00:55:11,200
Speaker 1: glass gives those offensive rebound opportunities. And don't let Jokic

1169
00:55:11,320 --> 00:55:13,799
Speaker 1: outrun you, and you're a better athlete than him. Like

1170
00:55:13,840 --> 00:55:15,680
Speaker 1: we just talked about this earlier with the Nuggets or

1171
00:55:15,680 --> 00:55:18,719
Speaker 1: with the Mavericks. We saw Derek Lively spritten up and

1172
00:55:18,719 --> 00:55:20,479
Speaker 1: down the floor all game long. And I'm not saying

1173
00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:22,160
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis is gonna be like a twenty year old

1174
00:55:22,200 --> 00:55:23,799
Speaker 1: running up and down the floor, but he can do

1175
00:55:23,840 --> 00:55:25,160
Speaker 1: better than he's been doing, and it would go a

1176
00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:29,920
Speaker 1: long way to help them there, offering smart help on rewatch.

1177
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:32,640
Speaker 1: There was a lot of bad defensive rotations from the Lakers,

1178
00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:35,400
Speaker 1: with them getting out of position and overhelping. There was

1179
00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:38,239
Speaker 1: a play where Gabe Vincent like just decided he had

1180
00:55:38,320 --> 00:55:40,960
Speaker 1: Jokic with the ball and then just left him to

1181
00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:43,319
Speaker 1: the corner and Yokic shot and made a three. There

1182
00:55:43,360 --> 00:55:46,120
Speaker 1: was a cut from Christian Brown in the fourth quarter

1183
00:55:46,160 --> 00:55:48,719
Speaker 1: for a big left handed layup over Lebron where Gabe

1184
00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:52,359
Speaker 1: Vincent was just not guarding anybody standing at like the

1185
00:55:52,400 --> 00:55:54,239
Speaker 1: third lane line up on the on the left side

1186
00:55:54,280 --> 00:55:55,520
Speaker 1: of the floor, like and you're like, what are we

1187
00:55:55,560 --> 00:55:57,840
Speaker 1: doing here? Right? So, like the Laker defense in general

1188
00:55:57,920 --> 00:56:00,640
Speaker 1: just wasn't very sharp. Again, then the Maverick excuse me,

1189
00:56:00,640 --> 00:56:03,600
Speaker 1: the Nuggets and mixing up teams. The Nuggets are better

1190
00:56:03,680 --> 00:56:06,000
Speaker 1: than the Lakers, but the Lakers are capable of getting

1191
00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:07,880
Speaker 1: to that level. They just have to improve in a

1192
00:56:07,880 --> 00:56:11,000
Speaker 1: bunch of specific areas in the margins. Competing for long

1193
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:13,880
Speaker 1: rebounds was another one. Every single long like they're a

1194
00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:17,239
Speaker 1: huge play in the second half was I think it

1195
00:56:17,320 --> 00:56:19,239
Speaker 1: was Jokis misses a three from the top of the key,

1196
00:56:19,280 --> 00:56:21,880
Speaker 1: goes off the back of the rim long and Dangela

1197
00:56:21,960 --> 00:56:23,839
Speaker 1: Russell just fails to get the rebound, ends up going

1198
00:56:23,840 --> 00:56:25,560
Speaker 1: to Jamal Murray in the corner for a three. Like

1199
00:56:25,600 --> 00:56:27,799
Speaker 1: it was a huge sequence in the game. You know,

1200
00:56:28,520 --> 00:56:31,600
Speaker 1: immediately after that, Austin Reeves smokes a layup on one

1201
00:56:31,719 --> 00:56:34,960
Speaker 1: end which leads to the Aaron Gordon alley you dunk

1202
00:56:34,960 --> 00:56:36,440
Speaker 1: on the other end. Like, there were several of those

1203
00:56:36,480 --> 00:56:39,319
Speaker 1: like key sequences where it's like, if you flip those

1204
00:56:39,320 --> 00:56:41,560
Speaker 1: sequences in your favor, you have a chance to win

1205
00:56:41,600 --> 00:56:43,360
Speaker 1: that game instead of losing the way that you do.

1206
00:56:43,520 --> 00:56:46,200
Speaker 1: And so the again, the Nuggets are clearly better, but

1207
00:56:46,239 --> 00:56:48,239
Speaker 1: the Lakers are clearly right there. They just have to

1208
00:56:48,239 --> 00:56:49,640
Speaker 1: make the changes that they need to make to get

1209
00:56:49,640 --> 00:56:52,040
Speaker 1: over the top. And to that last mailbag question, Cam Reddish,

1210
00:56:52,160 --> 00:56:54,440
Speaker 1: I agree. I thought he played a solid game. He

1211
00:56:54,520 --> 00:56:57,000
Speaker 1: was good at the point of attack, navigated screens well,

1212
00:56:57,400 --> 00:56:59,680
Speaker 1: was contestant shots well. You could see his length and

1213
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:03,480
Speaker 1: athleticism be an advantage there. He secured some key contested

1214
00:57:03,520 --> 00:57:06,680
Speaker 1: rebounds as well, and he hit a couple of shots.

1215
00:57:06,719 --> 00:57:08,040
Speaker 1: He was a plus seven on the night. And if

1216
00:57:08,040 --> 00:57:09,520
Speaker 1: he's going to play like that, I don't expect him

1217
00:57:09,520 --> 00:57:11,560
Speaker 1: to play like that consistently. But if he does, he's

1218
00:57:11,600 --> 00:57:14,160
Speaker 1: got a good chance to stay in the rotation. All right,

1219
00:57:14,200 --> 00:57:15,640
Speaker 1: a couple quick ones before we get out of here.

1220
00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:19,080
Speaker 1: The point guard position has changed dramatically over the past

1221
00:57:19,120 --> 00:57:21,720
Speaker 1: ten twenty years with the rise in more positionless basketball,

1222
00:57:21,760 --> 00:57:24,280
Speaker 1: Yet the skill of a traditional point guard is extremely

1223
00:57:24,320 --> 00:57:27,800
Speaker 1: important in this age of the NBA basketball passing, shooting, attack, defense,

1224
00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:30,920
Speaker 1: ball handling. Similarly to the center position, is the traditional

1225
00:57:30,960 --> 00:57:33,320
Speaker 1: small pass first point guard position going the way of

1226
00:57:33,400 --> 00:57:37,560
Speaker 1: the Dodo in your estimation kind of yeah, And the

1227
00:57:37,600 --> 00:57:40,200
Speaker 1: main reason why is the concept of feeling responsibilities that

1228
00:57:40,240 --> 00:57:42,479
Speaker 1: I talked about. You used to need a point guard

1229
00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:45,240
Speaker 1: to manage pace and to set your offense up, but

1230
00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:48,760
Speaker 1: nowadays we are basically having our forwards do that. If

1231
00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:51,240
Speaker 1: there are stars, Like when Lebron came into the league,

1232
00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:55,919
Speaker 1: like it was literally him running along the baseline off

1233
00:57:55,960 --> 00:58:00,400
Speaker 1: off of baseline screens, basically running floppy action all game long, right, Like,

1234
00:58:00,840 --> 00:58:02,560
Speaker 1: why the hell would you do that with Lebron? Now?

1235
00:58:02,640 --> 00:58:05,640
Speaker 1: Like Luka Nacis comes into the league and he's running

1236
00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:08,000
Speaker 1: high pick and roll ten times a quarter, right, So,

1237
00:58:08,120 --> 00:58:13,920
Speaker 1: like that's the difference in overall approach nowadays versus the

1238
00:58:13,920 --> 00:58:16,080
Speaker 1: way it was then, And so now what you need

1239
00:58:16,080 --> 00:58:18,280
Speaker 1: out of the guard position is a guy who can

1240
00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:20,760
Speaker 1: defend on the perimeter, navigate screens. A guy who can

1241
00:58:20,880 --> 00:58:23,280
Speaker 1: legitimately score the ball in pick and roll, meaning like

1242
00:58:23,640 --> 00:58:26,440
Speaker 1: be a threat coming off of ball screens so that

1243
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:29,040
Speaker 1: he can engage the screen defender to open up opportunities

1244
00:58:29,040 --> 00:58:30,960
Speaker 1: on the role in the ability to play off ball

1245
00:58:30,960 --> 00:58:33,600
Speaker 1: as a shooter. And so the Eric Snows of the world,

1246
00:58:33,720 --> 00:58:36,560
Speaker 1: they're not gonna be in the league anymore. It's like

1247
00:58:36,600 --> 00:58:38,560
Speaker 1: we kind of saw this with Frank Milikena, right, Like,

1248
00:58:38,600 --> 00:58:41,840
Speaker 1: you're just you're not gonna see the defensive minded, you know,

1249
00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:45,200
Speaker 1: playmaking guard and Frank mil Kean is actually a terrible

1250
00:58:45,240 --> 00:58:46,720
Speaker 1: example of that. Don't even know why I went there,

1251
00:58:46,840 --> 00:58:50,720
Speaker 1: But you're not gonna see the traditional floor general guard

1252
00:58:51,080 --> 00:58:53,640
Speaker 1: kind of running things anymore because you just don't need

1253
00:58:53,640 --> 00:58:55,760
Speaker 1: that anymore when you're giving the ball to your best player,

1254
00:58:55,800 --> 00:58:58,800
Speaker 1: regardless of position. At this point, the point guard position

1255
00:58:58,800 --> 00:59:00,800
Speaker 1: will always exist, but you're gonna need to be able

1256
00:59:00,800 --> 00:59:02,640
Speaker 1: to knock down pull up jump shots. You're gonna need

1257
00:59:02,680 --> 00:59:04,880
Speaker 1: to be able to guard multiple positions. You're gonna need

1258
00:59:04,920 --> 00:59:06,360
Speaker 1: to be able to play off the ball. That's just

1259
00:59:06,480 --> 00:59:10,240
Speaker 1: a necessity at the guard position right now. Next one,

1260
00:59:10,280 --> 00:59:11,640
Speaker 1: I have used your tips when it comes to the

1261
00:59:11,640 --> 00:59:14,080
Speaker 1: concept of mirroring moves and shot creation. It has been

1262
00:59:14,120 --> 00:59:17,240
Speaker 1: such a slow and painful process, but I've already started

1263
00:59:17,280 --> 00:59:20,439
Speaker 1: seeing progress, especially on defense. Ironically, what o their tips

1264
00:59:20,440 --> 00:59:22,480
Speaker 1: do you have that can help regular hoopers improve their

1265
00:59:22,520 --> 00:59:25,200
Speaker 1: overall game. I'm just gonna give you one here hit

1266
00:59:25,240 --> 00:59:29,120
Speaker 1: the weight room. Talked all about that in the Jason

1267
00:59:29,120 --> 00:59:32,320
Speaker 1: Tatum segment earlier tonight, But being strong on the basketball

1268
00:59:32,360 --> 00:59:35,480
Speaker 1: court will make you better on the basketball court. I

1269
00:59:35,520 --> 00:59:37,520
Speaker 1: can go longer on that, but we've already gone for

1270
00:59:37,920 --> 00:59:40,280
Speaker 1: fifty seven minutes, so we're gonna go ahead and just

1271
00:59:40,360 --> 00:59:42,120
Speaker 1: leave it at that for right now. But again, I

1272
00:59:42,160 --> 00:59:43,920
Speaker 1: can't tell you how important the weight room is for

1273
00:59:43,960 --> 00:59:46,120
Speaker 1: basketball players. It's one of the biggest piece of advice

1274
00:59:46,160 --> 00:59:48,360
Speaker 1: I give to young players as well. Last question from

1275
00:59:48,400 --> 00:59:50,920
Speaker 1: Bob Hi Jason, great show as always, what do you

1276
00:59:50,920 --> 00:59:53,840
Speaker 1: think is the playoff ceiling this year for teams like

1277
00:59:53,840 --> 00:59:55,920
Speaker 1: the Thunder or Magic who are looking to make playoff

1278
00:59:56,120 --> 00:59:58,600
Speaker 1: play in leaps this year? I don't think either of

1279
00:59:58,640 --> 01:00:00,520
Speaker 1: them are capable of winning the championship for the sole

1280
01:00:00,560 --> 01:00:02,960
Speaker 1: purpose or for the sole reason that I've always said

1281
01:00:03,680 --> 01:00:05,880
Speaker 1: that have always gone to about young players, right Like,

1282
01:00:07,080 --> 01:00:10,840
Speaker 1: if you are a team that relies on young basketball players,

1283
01:00:11,000 --> 01:00:13,040
Speaker 1: there's a ceiling to what you can do. You can

1284
01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:15,919
Speaker 1: beat veteran teams that are flawed, but you're eventually going

1285
01:00:15,960 --> 01:00:18,000
Speaker 1: to run into a very good veteran team and they're

1286
01:00:18,040 --> 01:00:20,000
Speaker 1: going to be able to out execute you. There is

1287
01:00:20,040 --> 01:00:22,800
Speaker 1: a level of desperation that you get from veteran teams

1288
01:00:22,840 --> 01:00:25,840
Speaker 1: that have experienced loss. Young teams haven't quite experienced the

1289
01:00:25,840 --> 01:00:29,360
Speaker 1: pain of loss enough. The just overall experience and the

1290
01:00:29,360 --> 01:00:32,280
Speaker 1: way that allows you to navigate late game situations. I

1291
01:00:32,360 --> 01:00:34,440
Speaker 1: like the Thunder, I like the Magic I like the Pelicans.

1292
01:00:34,480 --> 01:00:37,760
Speaker 1: I just don't think they have that overall veteran presence

1293
01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:40,120
Speaker 1: to be able to win in those late series situations.

1294
01:00:40,280 --> 01:00:43,240
Speaker 1: One last thing I had like seven people ask since

1295
01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:47,840
Speaker 1: we launched the new channel, specifically ask are we still

1296
01:00:47,840 --> 01:00:49,800
Speaker 1: with the volume? Yes, we're still with the volume. This

1297
01:00:49,840 --> 01:00:51,800
Speaker 1: is all about that we moved to the channel for

1298
01:00:51,880 --> 01:00:54,200
Speaker 1: a couple of reasons, just to help you guys simplify

1299
01:00:54,320 --> 01:00:56,680
Speaker 1: finding the show. And then two we're gonna be using

1300
01:00:56,680 --> 01:00:59,280
Speaker 1: a lot of breakout clips this year. So for instance,

1301
01:00:59,320 --> 01:01:03,440
Speaker 1: we hit three games in this episode, it's gonna be

1302
01:01:03,520 --> 01:01:05,520
Speaker 1: one clip, But then we're gonna take the other two

1303
01:01:05,600 --> 01:01:07,320
Speaker 1: games and we're gonna break them out as their own clips,

1304
01:01:07,320 --> 01:01:09,320
Speaker 1: so that Celtics fans can find that easier, so that

1305
01:01:09,400 --> 01:01:11,800
Speaker 1: Knicks fans can find that easier, so that Lakers fans

1306
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:14,400
Speaker 1: can find that film session easier. Right tomorrow, if I

1307
01:01:14,400 --> 01:01:16,680
Speaker 1: break down five games, it'll be one episode, but we'll

1308
01:01:16,720 --> 01:01:19,080
Speaker 1: also have breakout clips for all four other teams, And

1309
01:01:19,160 --> 01:01:21,520
Speaker 1: so we didn't want to inundate the Volume feed with

1310
01:01:21,560 --> 01:01:23,800
Speaker 1: five videos a day, right, So like that was a

1311
01:01:23,800 --> 01:01:25,440
Speaker 1: big part of the reason why we moved over. But

1312
01:01:25,520 --> 01:01:27,080
Speaker 1: to be clear up still with the Volume gonna be

1313
01:01:27,080 --> 01:01:28,960
Speaker 1: here at least for a couple more years and hopefully

1314
01:01:29,040 --> 01:01:31,360
Speaker 1: much longer, Love It Here has nothing to do with that.

1315
01:01:31,400 --> 01:01:32,920
Speaker 1: We just wanted to move over to a new channel,

1316
01:01:33,080 --> 01:01:34,600
Speaker 1: all right, guys, That's all I have for tonight. I

1317
01:01:34,600 --> 01:01:36,680
Speaker 1: sincerely appreciate you guys' support. I will see you in

1318
01:01:36,720 --> 01:02:07,440
Speaker 1: the morning. The Volume