Speaker 1: Welcome back to Bullyball, presented by DraftKings. I am Rachel Nichols.
Speaker 1: I'm going to go a little out of order today
Speaker 1: because Isaiah Thomas is with us. Very happy to have
Speaker 1: you back, sir, but.
Speaker 2: We got to give our props to the one the
Speaker 2: only Beer Leopard champion.
Speaker 1: And legend, Bucky Cousins.
Speaker 2: His team swept in the finals, swept four and oh
Speaker 2: victory finals MVP, MVP.
Speaker 1: But he has the feel.
Speaker 3: It feels good, man, It feels good to win. It's
Speaker 3: hard to win anywhere. The job was done the correct way,
Speaker 3: so I'm satisfied.
Speaker 4: I'm happy.
Speaker 3: You know, I scratched that little urge to play basketball.
Speaker 3: Winning basketball. Team Ball had that camaraderie with a group,
Speaker 3: so I'm feeling good. My confidence is high, so you
Speaker 3: know I'm mad.
Speaker 4: I'm good, right.
Speaker 1: I want to know what, Yeah, seriously, I want to
Speaker 1: know what the first thing you want to do when
Speaker 1: you get home and the first thing you want to
Speaker 1: eat when you get home.
Speaker 3: Oh man, the first thing I'm doing for show is
Speaker 3: getting the haircut. Like I'm out here looking crazy, But
Speaker 3: you know that's part of the ground. I'm okay with that.
Speaker 3: I embraced that part. But you know, once I get
Speaker 3: back that hair appointment already booked.
Speaker 1: And then cleaned up.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then when am I going to eat, They're
Speaker 3: gonna get some junk food.
Speaker 4: I might do some shake shack with a milk shaker.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I just like something simple, something simple, and yeah, I
Speaker 3: deserve it.
Speaker 4: I'm definitely gonna get me a nice burger for sure.
Speaker 1: It's like when they took the Michael Finley took the
Speaker 1: beer away from Luca the other day. I was just like, dude,
Speaker 1: he doesn't play for sick stays. Let the man have
Speaker 1: his beer. You should have all the shakeshack you want.
Speaker 1: That's all I have to say.
Speaker 3: Hey, my job is done. I like family's approach. Man,
Speaker 3: you know the job isn't done. He wants his guys
Speaker 3: locked in, So I'm not mad. That's a good og
Speaker 3: when you can see it from his perspective. He wants
Speaker 3: the best for the young fella. But you know, when
Speaker 3: the job is done, you can get you a beer.
Speaker 3: Bro it's gonna hit the same.
Speaker 7: I promise you get you a little more than that.
Speaker 4: He who could donk a job?
Speaker 6: Man?
Speaker 4: Do your things?
Speaker 1: All right, Well, let's talk about the job that they
Speaker 1: still have to do. Celtics six and a half point
Speaker 1: favorites over the MAVs to open the series Game one
Speaker 1: in Boston on Thursday. Look, the stats are kind of
Speaker 1: crazy when you compare them. I will say the Celtics
Speaker 1: they've only played three games as underdogs all year, so
Speaker 1: they're not doing it in this series. The MAVs have
Speaker 1: played forty two games as under dougs this year, so
Speaker 1: they are used to being in this position.
Speaker 6: It.
Speaker 1: What's your sort of overall thought on the series.
Speaker 7: I think I think it will go five to six games.
Speaker 7: I got Boston winning it. I think they just got
Speaker 7: a little bit, a little bit more than Dallas has,
Speaker 7: and they also got the defenders to somewhat slow.
Speaker 5: Kyrie and Luca down.
Speaker 7: Like, even even if Kyrie and Luca have amazing games,
Speaker 7: amazing series, I just don't.
Speaker 5: Think they have enough for the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 7: Like they got, they got the experience, They've been there
Speaker 7: multiple times, they know what it takes to win. And
Speaker 7: then like, especially if Porzingis is healthy, I think they
Speaker 7: just got a little bit more than Dallas has, and
Speaker 7: they haven't wasted as much energy as Dallas has. Like
Speaker 7: Dallas has wasted a lot of energy this playoffs, you know,
Speaker 7: just trying to advance each round, and Boston's kind of
Speaker 7: been been chilling for the most Like they've had a
Speaker 7: couple tough games, but other than that, like they've been
Speaker 7: getting their rest, they've been chilling and you know, preparing
Speaker 7: for these moments. So I definitely I got Boston winning it.
Speaker 7: Hopefully it's a good series. Hopefully, you know, Dallas proves
Speaker 7: me wrong.
Speaker 3: I agree. I agree with everything he said. Like I
Speaker 3: said in previous episodes, Boston, they've been the title favorite
Speaker 3: all year long, like especially coming out of the East,
Speaker 3: I won't I guess you can't say we thought they
Speaker 3: were tired of favorites. I believe for the most part,
Speaker 3: everybody thought Denver would kind of be back in the
Speaker 3: same position. But you know, as far as coming out
Speaker 3: of the East, as far as how their years started off,
Speaker 3: how they played throughout the entire year, they've been dominant
Speaker 3: and they've been dominant throughout the playoffs. There the way
Speaker 3: this team was built was built perfectly. Dallas doesn't have
Speaker 3: a Drew Holliday, Dallas doesn't have a Derek White, and
Speaker 3: Dallas Dan for sure doesn't have A Presenters. So just
Speaker 3: those three guys along are gonna be a tough matchup
Speaker 3: for Dallas to you know, even come equal to. Obviously,
Speaker 3: we know what Kyrie and Luca do, but you know,
Speaker 3: hypothetically speaking, we can say they both average forty this series.
Speaker 3: Where are they getting the rest of that scoring punch front?
Speaker 3: And on top of that, when you look at Boston's
Speaker 3: two main guys and Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum, they
Speaker 3: just don't have the defensive intangibles to match up with
Speaker 3: that either. So I feel like everything is just leaning
Speaker 3: towards Boston. They had an incredible offseason. They did they
Speaker 3: did it correctly. I think they really really dug deep
Speaker 3: into putting the perfect pieces around their two main guys.
Speaker 3: You know, guys that are you know, ultra talented, can
Speaker 3: play both sides of the ball, have been at the
Speaker 3: old the misstage. You know, Derick White coming from a
Speaker 3: great organization like the Spurs, he knows how to play
Speaker 3: winning basketball. Drew Holliday being improving. I just think the
Speaker 3: Celtis did there. They did a plus homework this offseason
Speaker 3: and they put together a real title team. So I
Speaker 3: think Dallas had an incredible run but thing ends here,
Speaker 3: and I'm gonna be generous and I'm gonna say I
Speaker 3: think Dallas would get two games just because Kyrie and
Speaker 3: Luca are that special. But just that team alone with
Speaker 3: the Celtics is just not gonna be enough. I think
Speaker 3: Celtics coming out victorious in there. You know this year's.
Speaker 1: Champions Well, look, Brad Stevens one Executive of the Year
Speaker 1: this year and that was for all the additions that
Speaker 1: you just talked about. I mean, it was masterful what
Speaker 1: he did. And Nico Harrison also obviously on the other
Speaker 1: side to do what he did at the trade deadline
Speaker 1: to make all those pieces work, to give up the
Speaker 1: asset he gave up that a lot of us were like,
Speaker 1: how are you going to go forward if this doesn't work?
Speaker 1: You know, it kind of locked himself into this opportunity
Speaker 1: and it all paid off. And Jason Kidd gets a
Speaker 1: lot of credit, I think, and obviously all the players
Speaker 1: for buying in. But it is hard. It's interesting to
Speaker 1: me that you do have a big chunk of people
Speaker 1: picking the Mavericks when it feels like the matchups are
Speaker 1: so clearly in the celtics favor. And I think a
Speaker 1: lot of that is just the feeling of you know, hey,
Speaker 1: this team has let us. The Celtics team has led
Speaker 1: us down in the past, and you know, their value
Speaker 1: isn't really obvious to us until they won a title,
Speaker 1: you know, any of that stuff. If you took away
Speaker 1: their history and just looked at the two teams on paper,
Speaker 1: I think everyone would picked the Celtics, and in a
Speaker 1: way that history is actually an advantage for them. There
Speaker 1: are some interesting quotes coming out of Boston practice over
Speaker 1: the last couple of days. Jason Tatum said, obviously we've
Speaker 1: been there before, we came up short. It's a great
Speaker 1: opportunity to make it to the finals again. He said,
Speaker 1: you don't always get a second chance, so really just
Speaker 1: looking at it as a second chance and trying to
Speaker 1: simplify things as much as we can. And then Alan
Speaker 1: Horford frankly went a little further. He said, I think
Speaker 1: what happened a couple of years ago is going to
Speaker 1: help tremendously because the first time it felt like a
Speaker 1: roller coaster. He said, the increased media coverage, all the responsibilities,
Speaker 1: everything that came with it. He said, I think this
Speaker 1: time around, we all have an understanding. We know what
Speaker 1: things are like. I feel like we'll be able to
Speaker 1: manage everything better. So to me, that is a real
Speaker 1: indication that they are going to be a different team
Speaker 1: than they were a couple years ago when they played
Speaker 1: Golden State, and they bring up good points. I mean,
Speaker 1: it is always hectic and crazy. I tell guys before
Speaker 1: they play a super Bowl, before they play in NBA Finals,
Speaker 1: just get ready because your preparation for the game is
Speaker 1: going to get thrown off by the fact that the
Speaker 1: anthem is longer, that the introductions take longer that they
Speaker 1: you know, add more commercial time before you get started,
Speaker 1: the time before tip is different in an NBA finals,
Speaker 1: and even just that can really throw guys off. I
Speaker 1: don't know how big of an advantage do you think
Speaker 1: the experiences boog that the Celtics had just a couple
Speaker 1: of years ago versus the Mavericks, who I think Kyrie
Speaker 1: and maybe Keith are the only two guys who've been
Speaker 1: in finals before.
Speaker 3: Well, I think it helps tremendously. I think that's a
Speaker 3: huge factor in this series as well. This is a
Speaker 3: team that has been here before. They have and not
Speaker 3: only just being in the finals. They've had so much
Speaker 3: playoff experience. Just their two young guys came into the
Speaker 3: league experience in the playoffs right away. So this isn't
Speaker 3: like a soccer to them. This isn't you know, really
Speaker 3: something that's going to disrupt them emotionally. They've been here before.
Speaker 3: They're like there their season when it comes to this stage.
Speaker 3: And like I said, those key additions that they added,
Speaker 3: you can say the same about those guys as well.
Speaker 3: So this is a group that's that's proven that they
Speaker 3: can handle this stage. This is a group that's you know,
Speaker 3: got the miles, got the experience. You know, they've lost,
Speaker 3: they've won things of that nature. So they're built for
Speaker 3: this moment now. And when you talk about the Mavericks, well, obviously, yeah,
Speaker 3: we could say Kyrie, we could talk about Keith, but
Speaker 3: even Luca. When it comes to the euro basketball, like
Speaker 3: that's that's not an easy task. Let's like, let's not
Speaker 3: you know, try to water down what they have going
Speaker 3: on over there. That's some of the most hostile environments
Speaker 3: to play in. And you know he did that at
Speaker 3: a young age and was came out victorious with that
Speaker 3: as well. So that type of experience can definitely carry
Speaker 3: over and you can also say, that's why he came
Speaker 3: into the league so seasoned and so ready. He's experienced
Speaker 3: those top, top notch type of environments, so coming to
Speaker 3: the NBA was almost an easier transition for him. So
Speaker 3: you got three guys that have been there, but you know,
Speaker 3: three guys can win you a series. And it's a
Speaker 3: lot of youth. It's a lot of inexperience on that
Speaker 3: Maverick side when it comes to playing at this level
Speaker 3: of basketball. So I think that also plays a factor
Speaker 3: in this series.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I mean, I agree with you both, like that
Speaker 7: the experience is everything. Like those guys, the things that
Speaker 7: they're saying in the media as well, is like they'll
Speaker 7: be more calm this time around, Like it's going to
Speaker 7: be a lot for young guys like Lively that the
Speaker 7: younger guys that it's never been there before on the
Speaker 7: mass to get this type of coverage, like the whole
Speaker 7: world's watching, like you miss a layup, like they talking
Speaker 7: about you like that's that's just a little bit different.
Speaker 7: Like I always say, the Brider, the lights get like
Speaker 7: it's not for everybody, Like this stage isn't for everybody.
Speaker 7: So the Celtics got the edge on experience they got
Speaker 7: the edge. And I think players being in these situations,
Speaker 7: like Drew Holliday is a key, a key, a key
Speaker 7: player in this like he's I think he calms the
Speaker 7: Celtics down, like he's been there before, he's won one,
Speaker 7: like that's going to be the difference between winning and losing.
Speaker 5: But we can't put.
Speaker 7: Past Jason Kidd though as well, Like he's an amazing coach.
Speaker 7: He puts them in situations where he's been before, like
Speaker 7: he's won the title. As a player, he's.
Speaker 5: Been and you know, he's a Hall of Fame player.
Speaker 7: I think that's that calms Dallas down a lot as well,
Speaker 7: So we can't look past that. I just think Boston
Speaker 7: got a few more players that have been in these
Speaker 7: situations that it's not going to be a surprise to them.
Speaker 4: So, like the.
Speaker 7: Finals are big, and I think everybody's not built for that,
Speaker 7: and the Celtics have The Celtics have more players that
Speaker 7: are built.
Speaker 5: For this stage than the Maverige dude, So we'll see.
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Speaker 1: to me the Mavericks have to play not only their
Speaker 1: best basketball, but up a level from what we've seen
Speaker 1: so far, which is a tall ask because we've seen
Speaker 1: so much good stuff so far. And look, I mean
Speaker 1: it's funny as a you said, you know, hopefully Dallas
Speaker 1: proves me wrong. I think emotionally, a lot of people
Speaker 1: around the country are rooting for the Mavericks. I think
Speaker 1: that Boston sports teams always have a hard time getting
Speaker 1: fans outside of Boston, right the Patriots didn't have as
Speaker 1: many fans outside of New England. You know that Boston
Speaker 1: teams are rarely America's teams to speak, and Luca and
Speaker 1: Kyrie are just so engaging and you know, bring you
Speaker 1: in with them that I think there is a real
Speaker 1: sort of you know, emotional surge among basketball fans. We
Speaker 1: want the Mavericks to win, and they absolutely could win.
Speaker 1: I mean it's not like they can't. This isn't sort
Speaker 1: of where nobody can see it happening. But again, if
Speaker 1: you do without your heart and you just do the
Speaker 1: hard numbers and sort of where things are and even
Speaker 1: the stuff in the clutch, I mean, what we saw
Speaker 1: in that final series against Golden State was a lot
Speaker 1: of what we've just been talking about, that inexperience, the
Speaker 1: lights being so bright, you know, they really fell apart
Speaker 1: at the end of really important games, that kind of thing.
Speaker 1: This year, they are in the playoffs, the number one
Speaker 1: team in the clutch, number one. Now Dallas is number three.
Speaker 1: So they're both good teams in the clutch. But the
Speaker 1: fact that Boston doesn't have that as a weakness anymore,
Speaker 1: at least so far, I think makes a big difference too.
Speaker 1: I want to break down the specifics of the sort
Speaker 1: of points of strength of made what might make a
Speaker 1: difference in this game. So I'm going to give you
Speaker 1: a couple categories depth, defense, three point shooting, and the clutch.
Speaker 1: Tell me about depth. Who do you think has the
Speaker 1: edge in depth?
Speaker 3: I'm gonna roll with Boston far as depths.
Speaker 5: Mhm, I got that even, I got. I think they
Speaker 5: both there.
Speaker 7: There's somewhat even when it comes to death, they don't
Speaker 7: really go deep into their bench either, both teams, So
Speaker 7: I got I got that one either.
Speaker 1: All right, Defense, what do you think I tea.
Speaker 7: Oh, you gotta go with Boston that. I think that's
Speaker 7: the biggest thing though, Like their defense can somewhat slow
Speaker 7: those the two headed monsters down, Like they got enough
Speaker 7: defenders to somewhat slow those guys down.
Speaker 3: So I go with Boston, Boston by Landside, I.
Speaker 1: Mean just the individual defenders they have.
Speaker 3: I mean I think the individual yeah, yeah, there White,
Speaker 3: there's nothing to talk about, like.
Speaker 7: They got they got a big ass too, but but
Speaker 7: they got the chance to slow those two down.
Speaker 5: With how good they.
Speaker 3: Are, I'm confident with it. Drew Holiday on my team
Speaker 3: against any guard. Yeah, I'm not saying he's gonna stop off,
Speaker 3: but I know he's gonna get him the best defensive
Speaker 3: job they've like every experience, especially at this time of year.
Speaker 4: I'm confident with jew Holiday too.
Speaker 1: Well. Look, we saw in the series against Oklahoma City
Speaker 1: there are things you can do to sort of limit
Speaker 1: Kyrie's offense. Now, Kyrie did a great job of settling
Speaker 1: in and focusing on the other parts of his game
Speaker 1: and was an important part of that series win, but
Speaker 1: he didn't score a lot, and there are ways to
Speaker 1: do that, and they have the blueprint already. I expect
Speaker 1: to see a lot of Jalen Brown on Kyrie, which
Speaker 1: leaves everyone else available to throw at Luco, which I
Speaker 1: think is going to make a big difference too. But
Speaker 1: you know, MAVs have been playing great defense themselves, so
Speaker 1: they've got a chance to limit Boston Stars. It's just
Speaker 1: the individual defenders are so elite. On Boston. They've got
Speaker 1: two All NBA defenders and a third in Jalen Brown,
Speaker 1: who easily could have been All NBA. He was the
Speaker 1: first one left off the list. If you look at
Speaker 1: the points of votes and things like that, you know
Speaker 1: it's I'm with you, guys. I think it's it is
Speaker 1: what it is.
Speaker 5: And Rachel I got I got one more thing with that.
Speaker 7: It's like like Dallas got defenders, but their offense is
Speaker 7: not good like that, they're the Dallas defenders.
Speaker 5: Their offense doesn't bring enough right.
Speaker 7: Boston's defenders they still really get it on offense. They
Speaker 7: still can get you twenty to twenty five on any
Speaker 7: given night.
Speaker 5: So I think that's why they.
Speaker 7: Got their edge when it comes to that, Like they
Speaker 7: can slow you down, and they can also they can
Speaker 7: also they've been real good options on the offensive.
Speaker 4: End as well, and playmakers not.
Speaker 3: Only just yeah, seriously playmakers as well. Like they can
Speaker 3: make sure two number two, I mean the first they
Speaker 3: can make the one and two options jobs that much
Speaker 3: easier when it comes to helping them score and also
Speaker 3: giving them at opportunity.
Speaker 4: Jesus scored just with their ability to play.
Speaker 1: Make So you're right, Well, this gets into the next category,
Speaker 1: three point shooting. What do you think of Boston.
Speaker 4: I'm rolling with Boston all five.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think Dallas has some really good shooting,
Speaker 3: but Lively is a you know, he's a lot of
Speaker 3: threat when it comes to Boston kp at the center position.
Speaker 3: If he if they decide to go to that right
Speaker 3: or that route or even have an our Warford as
Speaker 3: your five, he's still bringing shooting to that lineup. So
Speaker 3: Dallas has a tough defensive assignment, very tough. Lively has
Speaker 3: a tough defensive sign So yes, it's gonna be tough
Speaker 3: for Dallas.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I'm gonna go with Boston. They shoot more. Their
Speaker 7: program to shoot threes all year long. They've been no matter,
Speaker 7: no matter if they're not making them at all, they're
Speaker 7: they're shooting a lot of them. Like they get the
Speaker 7: attempts up. I think they got more players, they shoot more.
Speaker 7: They definitely got the edge on the three point shooting.
Speaker 7: So I'll go with Boston as well.
Speaker 1: Well, look the way Jason Kidd has had these guys
Speaker 1: defensively scheme has been very different than what they will
Speaker 1: have to do against Boston because he's had them pack
Speaker 1: in the paint, right, and that let three point shooters shoot,
Speaker 1: and we're going to have the advantage. You can't do
Speaker 1: that against Boston. As you point out it right like
Speaker 1: most most attempted threes, but the more important stat most
Speaker 1: made threes in the NBA for this season. And obviously
Speaker 1: those guys are such a danger. Now, Luca's a danger
Speaker 1: when he you know, gets toward the hoop and then
Speaker 1: kicks it out. That's one of his favorite moves. And
Speaker 1: certainly you know he's got, i mean, just an uncanny
Speaker 1: passing ability. But I don't know. I think I think
Speaker 1: you got to go with Boston again. I'm with you, guys,
Speaker 1: who's the who's got the best player in this series?
Speaker 1: What do you think?
Speaker 5: I t.
Speaker 4: Dallas?
Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, they got two of the best ever, like
Speaker 7: they like obviously Jason Tatum and those guys are really good.
Speaker 5: Jaylen Brown is really good, but Luca and Kyrie are.
Speaker 4: Something we haven't seen.
Speaker 5: So I'm going I'm going with and I'm putting them
Speaker 5: to right.
Speaker 7: Like they got the best duo. Like, they don't just
Speaker 7: got the best players. I feel like they're the best duo.
Speaker 7: They just don't got the best team.
Speaker 1: Did you guys? Both you guys are both putting Kyrie
Speaker 1: ahead of Jason Tatum.
Speaker 4: I'm not gonna.
Speaker 3: I'm not gonna go that far.
Speaker 5: I am, I am, I am. That's yeah, I'm gonna
Speaker 5: go with that. I'm a big Kyrie fan.
Speaker 7: I'm a huge, huge No, no, I know you are.
Speaker 7: I'm gonna just rock with that. I'm gonna pick they
Speaker 7: got the best. They got the best player and the
Speaker 7: best duo.
Speaker 4: I agree on the best that's hurt.
Speaker 5: That's good.
Speaker 4: I agree on the.
Speaker 3: Best player part when it comes to Luca Dontics. But
Speaker 3: as far as the duo, I'm an. I respect any
Speaker 3: duo that's playing both sides of the ball, like, so
Speaker 3: when it comes to that, for me, I'm gonna roll
Speaker 3: with you know, Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But obviously when
Speaker 3: it comes to scoring mm hm, I can roll with
Speaker 3: Kai and Luca, But scoring not gonna win you a
Speaker 3: championship like that, bro, Like, you're gonna have to be
Speaker 3: on both sides to get this job done.
Speaker 7: Bro Like, look at outscore he got. He got an outscore,
Speaker 7: luc outscore the Celtics.
Speaker 5: Though, No, he can't, he can't. That's why we got.
Speaker 4: The Yeah, it's just too much. It's too much.
Speaker 5: Definitely must see TV though, That's why.
Speaker 4: That's why it's gonna be.
Speaker 5: This is gonna be, this is gonna be fine for sure.
Speaker 1: I mean normally we say the team with the best
Speaker 1: player wins. I mean that is historically what happens in
Speaker 1: the NBA. I just think that Wall Dallas to me,
Speaker 1: clearly has the best player. Uh you know, if you
Speaker 1: look at the how deep you go in the rotation,
Speaker 1: maybe seven guys, you know, they've got five of best seven.
Speaker 5: So yeah, that's the difference.
Speaker 1: Overwhelm them. Yeah, so I we'll see about that. Who
Speaker 1: has the coaching edge guys?
Speaker 4: Kid?
Speaker 7: Yeah, even though Missoula is really good, but he's been
Speaker 7: putting that position.
Speaker 5: I'm knocking.
Speaker 3: I just I like Kid with with with more experience.
Speaker 3: I think Missoula is going to continue to become better
Speaker 3: as a coach. But I mean, to his credit, he's early.
Speaker 3: He's still early in his career, bro Like, he still
Speaker 3: has his ups and downs to go through as a coach,
Speaker 3: So you know, I think Kid.
Speaker 4: Is more battle tested.
Speaker 3: He's been through the ups and downs, you know, seeing
Speaker 3: different types of series throughout his coaching career and even
Speaker 3: has a championship under his belt with the Lakers.
Speaker 1: So h as coach. Yeah, and by the way, obviously
Speaker 1: as a player with Dallas.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: So I just I think that that type of experience
Speaker 3: puts him over the hump when it comes to out
Speaker 3: coaching Missoula.
Speaker 1: Okay, so this is a big question. Who do you
Speaker 1: trust most at the end of games player wise, team wise, team.
Speaker 7: I'm gonna go first. I got if it's close the
Speaker 7: last three or four minutes, I'm going with Dallas. I'm
Speaker 7: going with Dallas.
Speaker 5: If it's close. If it's close.
Speaker 4: You know, that's funny.
Speaker 3: It's crazy because you know, we talked about a little
Speaker 3: bit before the show, but in my mind, I just
Speaker 3: knew the average would consider more of a clutch team,
Speaker 3: like and you said earlier that the Mavericks are third
Speaker 3: and Boston is first when it comes to clutch. So
Speaker 3: that's kind of crazy to though. But even with me
Speaker 3: knowing that stat I'm leaning with Dallas. Like I agree
Speaker 3: with if they allow these games to be close and
Speaker 3: you got a Kyrie and a Luka Doncic on the floor.
Speaker 4: It is scary. It is scary.
Speaker 3: So I'm not even a fan of you know, the
Speaker 3: statistics like that, but yeah, I'm for sure going with
Speaker 3: Dallas clutch time for sure.
Speaker 1: It is tough, all right. So what is the one
Speaker 1: specific thing that stands up about this matchup? I think
Speaker 1: you guys are going to say defense, But is there
Speaker 1: anything else beyond the defense that stands out to you guys?
Speaker 3: I'm a fan of the storylines, honestly, outside like outside
Speaker 3: of between the lines, just the storylines that are going
Speaker 3: into this series. You know, it's it's a former team
Speaker 3: for KP. It's a former team for Kyrie. It's really
Speaker 3: funny how now you know this fan trained for Kyrie
Speaker 3: is now moving full speed ahead again. And just a
Speaker 3: year ago, you know, he was America's most hated So
Speaker 3: I think this is an incredible redemption year for him.
Speaker 3: And you know, regardless of the results, if he wins
Speaker 3: or lose, I think, you know, he won a lot
Speaker 3: of people back over and I think, well, I mean
Speaker 3: it's gonna remain that way. I mean that Boston is
Speaker 3: a tough fan base, but regardless of went or lost
Speaker 3: for Kyrie, I think he deserves this moment. I'm glad
Speaker 3: he's back to this place of you know, receiving more
Speaker 3: love and hate because he's that you know, incredible of
Speaker 3: a player. He's that, he's that impactful for this league.
Speaker 3: He's inspired a lot of basketball players coming up underneath him.
Speaker 3: And you know, and if you're a basketball fan, it's
Speaker 3: hard to beat. It's if you're a basketball fan of general,
Speaker 3: it's hard not to be a fan of Kyrie, Like
Speaker 3: he is the epitome of basketball. Like, so, you know,
Speaker 3: I'm more so excited about the storylines as well. I
Speaker 3: think that's gonna make this series that much better.
Speaker 1: Sure, I mean I te you know, that Boston crowd obviously,
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna boo every time Kyrie touches the ball.
Speaker 1: You know, he got someone throw a water bottle though
Speaker 1: at him one of the recent times he was there. Like,
Speaker 1: I mean, there's there's been some shady stuff.
Speaker 7: Yeah, they ain't hold nothing back. They're not gonna hold
Speaker 7: nothing back. That's why I hope Kyrie does his thing.
Speaker 7: I hope he does because, like, like like Bug said,
Speaker 7: the storyline would be great, like if he if he
Speaker 7: does his thing in Boston after all this shit that
Speaker 7: they've been through together, like that would be amazing. I'm
Speaker 7: pulling for Kyrie. I'm a big Kyrie man.
Speaker 5: I'm pulling for him for sure, but I don't know
Speaker 5: if there will be Now.
Speaker 1: Look is here, Jamal dropping in?
Speaker 4: Take it over.
Speaker 6: I'm with three legends, three real legends, three real legends.
Speaker 1: What's book. I'm feeling crowded out by the Washington State
Speaker 1: vibes here. I don't know. We'll see.
Speaker 4: I was almost out there with them boys.
Speaker 3: I almost had my little you know, my little staff
Speaker 3: in Washington. I was considering the Husky's almost made it,
Speaker 3: almost made because.
Speaker 4: Almost came out.
Speaker 1: Wait, I tea your Tacoma? Is that right?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I'm coma And what about you, Jamal.
Speaker 6: I'm Seattle anywhere. I up all over the place in Seattle. Yeah,
Speaker 6: I've been in Tacoma too. I've been in the fish
Speaker 6: House and everything. I teased open the doors Tacoma as well.
Speaker 5: I'm a Seattle native as well.
Speaker 1: Okay, all right, so there's no be fair. I didn't
Speaker 1: know what.
Speaker 5: Washington I've lived there. I've lived there as well, Jamal.
Speaker 1: We were just talking about sort of overall, what stands
Speaker 1: out to you about this NBA Finals matchup? What do
Speaker 1: you got?
Speaker 4: Wow?
Speaker 6: Honestly, I wasn't sure Dallas was gonna get here at
Speaker 6: the beginning of the season. Like I knew Luca and
Speaker 6: Kai would would do their thing, and I knew they
Speaker 6: would have a better flow because I thought last year
Speaker 6: was almost your turn, my turn, they would have a
Speaker 6: better flow and how they play. We all thought Boston
Speaker 6: would be here. But it's intriguing because Dallas took out
Speaker 6: three of the top four teams in the Western Conference.
Speaker 6: So you know, I think they're peaking at the right time.
Speaker 6: And it kind of reminds me that that that dirt
Speaker 6: led team that won the championship, Like how they're they're
Speaker 6: just peaking at the right time and kind of went
Speaker 6: under radar and now they got that magic with them.
Speaker 1: So who would you pick here in this series?
Speaker 4: See, there you go, Rachel being greater with you.
Speaker 6: I'm gonna say my head says Boston, my heart says Dallas.
Speaker 6: So I'm just gonna go with my heart on this one.
Speaker 6: I think Dallas is the more together game. I think
Speaker 6: I think Boston has some of that like Mike Tyson,
Speaker 6: like early when he was fighting, he'll knock you out
Speaker 6: the first rounds. I think Boston is that if they're
Speaker 6: up fifteen the balls hoping everybody's touching the rock, they're
Speaker 6: playing at their best. But when they get in tight games,
Speaker 6: I think that's when their trust sometimes comes into the pitcher.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean we were just talking about that, like
Speaker 1: head and heart. I think, you know, I was saying
Speaker 1: that any Boston team doesn't really get a ton of
Speaker 1: pickup from fans around the country. I don't know what
Speaker 1: it is. I think it's the same with New York teams,
Speaker 1: Like you know, they're not America's teams in that same way.
Speaker 1: So I think around the rest of the country outside
Speaker 1: of New England, there are a lot of people who
Speaker 1: would like to see this Dallas team win. And the
Speaker 1: storylines we were talking about when you first came on,
Speaker 1: I mean, they want Kyrie to sort of come full
Speaker 1: circle here. Luca is so engaging, and the idea that
Speaker 1: he could sort of finally get the title that we've
Speaker 1: been talking about since the day he got into the league,
Speaker 1: that kind of thing. And then you look at just
Speaker 1: the numbers and you look at you know, how these
Speaker 1: teams have done. If you took both of the names
Speaker 1: off of it, the Celtics, the individual players they've got,
Speaker 1: the team numbers that they've put together, it's sort of
Speaker 1: hard to argue with any of that. I don't I
Speaker 1: don't know what would have to happen for the Mavericks
Speaker 1: to win. We haven't really talked about that. Guys like,
Speaker 1: if the Mavericks we're going to pull this off, what
Speaker 1: has to happen on the court? When do you got bug?
Speaker 4: Man? It's gonna it's for me.
Speaker 3: It's going to take a guy like PJ. Washington having
Speaker 3: an incredible series. I'm saying maybe averaging twenty twenty two
Speaker 3: a game to match whatever production you're getting from Akyrie
Speaker 3: and a Luca on top of that, I think I
Speaker 3: think Lively, I think Lively gets set. I think we
Speaker 3: see a lot of Kleeber Maxi Kleeber. If I don't
Speaker 3: have his name messed up, yeah, Cleber MAXI Kleeber. Obviously
Speaker 3: he's a better perimeter defender when it comes to being
Speaker 3: a big and I think that's more of what they'll
Speaker 3: need when it comes to, you know, the five out
Speaker 3: type offense Boston runs. They have five guys that can
Speaker 3: spread the floor consistently on the floor. So and it's
Speaker 3: gonna take an incredible performance from Cleveland on the defensive
Speaker 3: end and also adding some offense as well. So it's
Speaker 3: gonna take I think it's gonna take a spectacular series
Speaker 3: from some of the role guys on the Mavericks outside
Speaker 3: of you know, Kyrie and Luca doing what they do
Speaker 3: on a nightly. So yeah, it's gonna take a lot.
Speaker 3: It's gonna take a lot.
Speaker 1: Do you feel the same way or do you think
Speaker 1: there's other stuff that they could use to overcome Boston.
Speaker 7: I mean, the layers just gotta play like they gotta
Speaker 7: give something. Like we said earlier, even if Luka and
Speaker 7: Kyrie play exceptional, they areage forty each, like those other
Speaker 7: guys got to bring something and that's a big what if.
Speaker 7: Like they've never been in this situation. The lights never
Speaker 7: been this bright in their career. They've never I don't
Speaker 7: think to a point to where they have to they
Speaker 7: have to give a lot, like they gotta get every game.
Speaker 5: They gotta give their best.
Speaker 7: They gotta play their best I think for them to
Speaker 7: come out on top, Like Boston just has more players
Speaker 7: that play well in these moments than Dallas that we've
Speaker 7: seen from Dallas, Like, we don't know. Those guys might
Speaker 7: show up and play well each and every game, but
Speaker 7: that's just I think that's out of their character to
Speaker 7: be able to play that as well as they need
Speaker 7: to play every game in the NBA Finals, Like that's
Speaker 7: hard to do. That's gonna be hard. Not saying they can't.
Speaker 7: They got a chance. They got there for a reason.
Speaker 7: Dallas is a really good team, a well coached team.
Speaker 7: But it's just like you gotta play perfect every game
Speaker 7: for them for them to have a chance. But if
Speaker 7: the game is close, if these games are close, I
Speaker 7: got Dallas winning these games. If they're close, for sure,
Speaker 7: it's a big good.
Speaker 1: So Jamal, what's the argument for you picking Dallas?
Speaker 4: I think, yeah, they have to keep the games closer.
Speaker 6: The games are closer, that's when Kyrie and Luc are
Speaker 6: really shye and by then being that aggressive, it relaxes
Speaker 6: everybody else when your start as those two know, when
Speaker 6: your superstar players are that good, everybody else can be
Speaker 6: who they are and starting their role. And I also
Speaker 6: think somehow someway J Kidd has to put himself in
Speaker 6: the game, and what I mean by that is his
Speaker 6: coaching knowledge, his experience, uh, you know, seeing the game
Speaker 6: from a different way. He has to somehow put himself
Speaker 6: in the game and put his fingerprints all over it,
Speaker 6: where he kind of balances the talent they may not
Speaker 6: have by putting himself in and out coaching Misoulla, if possible.
Speaker 1: Put himself in the game like Spilsota on the court.
Speaker 1: Are we talking about that?
Speaker 4: I love it, right, That's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying. I mean, look, you guys have been
Speaker 1: talking a little bit about the return of Porzingis and
Speaker 1: what that would mean. I think it's a great point
Speaker 1: bug that people are kind of forgetting that Dallas is
Speaker 1: getting back someone too. I know that Maxi played a
Speaker 1: little bit in spots toward the end of the Western
Speaker 1: Conference Finals, but that was clearly just to get him
Speaker 1: back in the rhythm of things, and I think we'll
Speaker 1: see him more in this series. So I guess whose
Speaker 1: impact do you guys think is greater of these returning players,
Speaker 1: KP or Maxi? And how would it impact this series?
Speaker 4: But KP for sure.
Speaker 3: I mean we're talking about a consistent twenty a game. Also,
Speaker 3: rim protection also somewhat versatility as far as you know,
Speaker 3: playing out on the floor a mismatch problem for anybody
Speaker 3: because most bigs, he can just turn around and shoot
Speaker 3: over the top of them. Any switches created where it's
Speaker 3: a guard on him, he's doing the same thing to him.
Speaker 4: KP for sure, and it's not close.
Speaker 3: I do like Cleeberd defensively more as a big on
Speaker 3: the perimeter, but you know, outside of that, his offense
Speaker 3: is very limited, and I just feel like when it
Speaker 3: comes to KP, he's the consistency is always there as.
Speaker 4: Far as production.
Speaker 1: I mean, the only thing I wonder about is, you know,
Speaker 1: he hasn't played in so long, it you've come back
Speaker 1: from injuries sort of how much does that affect you
Speaker 1: that all of a sudden you're being thrown into an
Speaker 1: NBA Finals.
Speaker 5: I mean that I think that's gonna play a big part.
Speaker 7: I think his job is just easier though, Like he's
Speaker 7: catching shoot, he's doing things that like he can kind
Speaker 7: of do in his sleep. But like being thrown in
Speaker 7: the NBA Finals, like I mean, I haven't been there,
Speaker 7: bugs been there that that that's a different month to
Speaker 7: no matter who you are, especially coming back from injury.
Speaker 7: The lights are so bright that you know if you
Speaker 7: don't make a couple of shots that that is magnified.
Speaker 7: And you know he has to make shots to have
Speaker 7: an impact. I think he has to make plays to
Speaker 7: have an immediate impact.
Speaker 5: So it's gonna be tough to be plays.
Speaker 7: But I think his teammates around him are good enough
Speaker 7: to make things so much easier for him to be
Speaker 7: able to catch and shoot, to be able to get
Speaker 7: wide open shots. Like, it's not like he has to
Speaker 7: be the main guy. I think if you have to
Speaker 7: be the main guy in this situation coming back, that's
Speaker 7: ten times harder. He really has to space the floor,
Speaker 7: knock down open shots, attack closeouts. I think that's a
Speaker 7: lot easier than just being a Jackson Tatum or a
Speaker 7: Dalen Brown who has to do so much coming back
Speaker 7: from injury.
Speaker 5: If that makes sense.
Speaker 6: Yeah, coming back from injury, especially like that rhythm things
Speaker 6: you normally do, it normally works a certain way. When
Speaker 6: it doesn't work, especially with the stage being this big,
Speaker 6: how do you adjust?
Speaker 4: Do you get in your own way? Do you not
Speaker 4: find it?
Speaker 6: Like those things all play apartmar Rach, I was just
Speaker 6: looking at those who I'm thinking I'm like, we're talking
Speaker 6: about skill and balance of power. What if we put
Speaker 6: these two Sacramento king stars when they were together on
Speaker 6: Dallas right now? Does that balance? Does that power? If
Speaker 6: they Dallas right now they're Sacramento versions since they were together,
Speaker 6: is that balance?
Speaker 4: Is power playing Boston right now?
Speaker 7: Yeah, dude, you're always doing something like that. He's right now,
Speaker 7: like he always he always got some flight.
Speaker 1: He's right.
Speaker 5: Please.
Speaker 1: This is why everyone says he's the breakout media star
Speaker 1: of you know, this year's playoffs. Although you know we Jamal,
Speaker 1: I just want to say we already knew. So I
Speaker 1: love all these Johnny come lately to you, and I
Speaker 1: love the shine you're getting. It's one hundred percent deserve.
Speaker 1: But just remember who knew he.
Speaker 6: Says something to me? You said something to when I
Speaker 6: was still playing. You were like, you know what I'm
Speaker 6: coming to get you and tell you right now. When
Speaker 6: I was thinking me I the front office, I was
Speaker 6: thinking I need to be in the front office to
Speaker 6: have dudes like this in the league. That as we
Speaker 6: should have them superstars, great vets. These youngsters need these
Speaker 6: two in the league. They can get so much knowledge.
Speaker 6: It could be the foundation for their career. If I was,
Speaker 6: if I was commissioned for a day, I would make
Speaker 6: it mandatory where you have to have teams experience three
Speaker 6: guys on each team. I think that would make the
Speaker 6: league better. I think it would help set the tone.
Speaker 6: You have to have guys like this in the league.
Speaker 6: You have to have to have to have.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's the rule changes about who you know,
Speaker 1: how the balance of the roster works out that cut
Speaker 1: these vets out. Anyway, I think it was the twenty
Speaker 1: sixteen CBA if I'm remembering right, But it totally changed
Speaker 1: the makeup of the rosters, and I think it sucks.
Speaker 1: Like I think that's just such a valuable experience and
Speaker 1: it would change how these guys play.
Speaker 4: It absolutely would. I mean think about that.
Speaker 6: I was saying that about it, Like what guard in
Speaker 6: the league that's younger would not want to learn from him?
Speaker 4: What big would not want to learn from Blokie cut?
Speaker 4: Are you kidding me?
Speaker 6: Like, all, now they've seen it all, they conquered the
Speaker 6: top of the world with their own game, and they're
Speaker 6: willing to give all this back to you, Like that's
Speaker 6: a no brainer.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I think you have seen it all, all
Speaker 1: of it. I think.
Speaker 4: I just wish everybody was as smart as you in
Speaker 4: the NBA.
Speaker 6: Man, That's why I'm talking about it.
Speaker 5: That's why he's taking That's that's why Maul's taking it over.
Speaker 7: Yeah, that's why he's taking it over. He's saying what
Speaker 7: he's saying what we want to say, but he's saying
Speaker 7: it the right way.
Speaker 5: I agree with that.
Speaker 4: I agree with that.
Speaker 1: As as I said, we knew first Jamal when you
Speaker 1: were still playing. I was like, you are one hundred
Speaker 1: percent going to be media superstar, and I love that
Speaker 1: you're getting from everyone else. Seriously, I love that people
Speaker 1: are recognizing how good you are. And did you like
Speaker 1: calling games? Was that something you like more than the
Speaker 1: studio stuff?
Speaker 4: Honestly, I don't know.
Speaker 6: Like I love both of them, and I think for
Speaker 6: me it Rachel, you honestly you said that. You literally
Speaker 6: said that now is at this point probably eight years ago.
Speaker 6: But for me, I just want to be like, I'm
Speaker 6: not on a hot take stuff. I'm like, I want
Speaker 6: to be true to the game, so I gotta speak
Speaker 6: the truth, you know what I mean. I think that's
Speaker 6: important because there's a whole generation that's underneath us, that's
Speaker 6: looking like.
Speaker 4: There was a kid that came to me yesterday in
Speaker 4: the gym.
Speaker 6: He's seventeen years old and he was like, man, you
Speaker 6: calling the games makes it exciting.
Speaker 4: I'm like, that's crazy to even know that.
Speaker 6: Now the young generation is watching because they feel like
Speaker 6: they're represented, they feel like our coaches represent it. They
Speaker 6: feel like it's really stuff that we would say and do.
Speaker 6: And I love that part and I love calling the games.
Speaker 6: I want to be like now, honestly, now that I'm
Speaker 6: in the space, I want to be as good as
Speaker 6: I possibly can in every way, shape and form.
Speaker 4: So I'm studying.
Speaker 6: I'm always going to be me, but I want to
Speaker 6: be better at I want to learn more. I want
Speaker 6: to continue to figure out what The playoffs was a
Speaker 6: blast because I'm up there with two legends as well,
Speaker 6: with Kevin and Reggie, you know what I mean. So
Speaker 6: to be on that stage and still be able to
Speaker 6: talk about sea walking and still talk about the proposal.
Speaker 4: I got Reggie up.
Speaker 6: They're using NAS references now, like, it's just dope to
Speaker 6: be in that space.
Speaker 5: It's amazing.
Speaker 7: Look, I gotta give you your flowers mark, because you
Speaker 7: know how our relationship is like to see you doing
Speaker 7: your thing with the with the commentator and the analyst
Speaker 7: stuff like like to talk the game. How you do
Speaker 7: it is just amazing. You bringing back the good energy
Speaker 7: that we need. Obviously Rachel has been doing it forever
Speaker 7: and she's been at the top of the game.
Speaker 5: So we we we gotta give both of y'all. Y'all flowers.
Speaker 7: Y'all bring y'all bring a different type of energy to
Speaker 7: the culture. Like everybody can relate to how you guys
Speaker 7: talk about the.
Speaker 5: Game and that ship just that's just amazing.
Speaker 7: So I gotta I gotta give you guys, Jamal and Rachel,
Speaker 7: you guys as flowers because that we appreciate it.
Speaker 5: All y'all put a smile in the face.
Speaker 7: When when we listen to basketball and you guys are
Speaker 7: talking about it. And that's just not just saying that
Speaker 7: because you guys are right here, but I mean, I'm
Speaker 7: saying that when you guys aren't, when you guys aren't,
Speaker 7: Like I like listening to Rachel. I like listening to
Speaker 7: Jamal when it comes to talk in basketball, for.
Speaker 4: Sure, and we love listening to y'all for sure.
Speaker 1: That's right, That is right. And look, Jamal, I love
Speaker 1: That's one of the things I love about T and T.
Speaker 1: It's not built on hot takes, right, it's they want
Speaker 1: to get their pop and charisma from the guy's energy
Speaker 1: and sort of as opposed to let's argue something. You know,
Speaker 1: you got to take this side, you got to take
Speaker 1: that side. So I think it's a perfect I think
Speaker 1: it's a perfect place for you. And I'm just so
Speaker 1: psyched you're there and the all cast was great and
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're going to do some version of that
Speaker 1: again for the finals or something. But it's I'm very
Speaker 1: I'm very happy to get more and more Jamal Crawford
Speaker 1: on my television.
Speaker 4: I do before.
Speaker 6: You literally saw it when I wasn't even thinking media.
Speaker 6: So I appreciate it. And you're a legend, so like
Speaker 6: I said and said, so, I appreciate that for real,
Speaker 6: for real.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know talent, man, I got two of them
Speaker 1: right here.
Speaker 3: You got to put a lot of us in the game,
Speaker 3: right for sure. A story in itself, I'm producing that
Speaker 3: I'm here. Yeah, we're doing a serious doctor movie, which one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I got a pretty good list of guys I
Speaker 1: put on TV first who have gone onto big things.
Speaker 1: So that feels good to me. Actually, I like that part,
Speaker 1: So thanks for recognizing. I want to get you guys
Speaker 1: in a DraftKings frame of mind because we've got to
Speaker 1: advise the betters here. There's a ton of prop bets
Speaker 1: floating around on the NBA Finals. Some of them are
Speaker 1: really fun. So we have a segment Jamal here that's
Speaker 1: called I'll take that bet, and you kind of got
Speaker 1: to pick some of the bets you think you would
Speaker 1: take or stay away from. But he has a pretty
Speaker 1: good track record so far, so we'll see how things
Speaker 1: go from here. Tatum's rebounding. The prop bet is at
Speaker 1: plus one hundred. Will Tatum average ten or more rebounds
Speaker 1: in this series? But you start us off, yes, yes,
Speaker 1: what do you guys think?
Speaker 5: I got?
Speaker 7: Yes too, He rebounds and they shoot a lot of threes.
Speaker 7: I got Okay, I'm gonna go no. Actually, I'm gonna
Speaker 7: go right under team. I'm going like nine point five.
Speaker 4: Because he's.
Speaker 6: Doing everything else and he's doing whatever he takes to win.
Speaker 6: You got to get him as props. But I just
Speaker 6: say I'm gonna they both say yes. I'm gonna just
Speaker 6: say no because I feel like he's right underneath to you,
Speaker 6: I think he's like nine point eight, nine point five.
Speaker 1: Well, look, it wouldn't be a plus bet if Vegas
Speaker 1: didn't agree with you, right, So they think they think
Speaker 1: that too. I do these like parlay picks for DraftKings
Speaker 1: in the middle of the week every week, and there
Speaker 1: was something where I pictatum rebounds and the whole game
Speaker 1: made me so nervous because I was just like, he's
Speaker 1: not going to get there. He's not going to get there.
Speaker 1: He's not going to get there. And I think he
Speaker 1: got there by the skin of his teeth. But it
Speaker 1: is I mean, look, they know what the odds are.
Speaker 1: They set the outs for reason ten is right around
Speaker 1: the I don't know Mark, So we'll see, all right,
Speaker 1: all right, I want to ask you, guys, will Kyrie
Speaker 1: average twenty five or more in this series? There's another
Speaker 1: plus bet one thirty plus one thirty.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna say no. And the reason is he averaged fifteen.
Speaker 3: He averaged fifteen against okay.
Speaker 4: See, so yep.
Speaker 3: And when we look at Boston defenders are the main
Speaker 3: guys we feel that are be on them and Derek
Speaker 3: White and Drew Holiday. I said earlier in the show,
Speaker 3: if I'm going to war with Drew Holiday as a defender.
Speaker 3: I like my chances. Do I think Kyrie will be
Speaker 3: shut down completely? No, but he's gonna have a very,
Speaker 3: very very difficult series.
Speaker 1: What do you guys think.
Speaker 7: I'm gonna go with Yes, I'm gonna go yeah, going
Speaker 7: back to Boston, he got good energy, He's I'm going
Speaker 7: with yes, Kyrie's gonna.
Speaker 5: Average twenty five.
Speaker 4: He's definitely gonna average twenty five.
Speaker 6: He saved Sage and he's playing shady on the way
Speaker 6: that he's twenty five.
Speaker 4: At that play, there's no way around.
Speaker 5: So I was saying, he's got.
Speaker 6: Average twenty five, and I think he knows that, and
Speaker 6: I would take this step further, Rach, I think if
Speaker 6: Dallas wins this series, I think this championship can mean
Speaker 6: more to Kyrie than the one he got in Cleveland.
Speaker 4: Hundred.
Speaker 5: I think so too, for sure, I think so too.
Speaker 1: I think it's a great observation. Though I hadn't heard game.
Speaker 1: We're talking about that, and I think you're absolutely right, right,
Speaker 1: just after everything he's done and seen and been through
Speaker 1: and everything.
Speaker 6: And been through, this is like the redemption. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1: And you're right, Isaiah, Like I've spent a lot of
Speaker 1: time with Kyrie through these playoffs and really through this year.
Speaker 1: We had a big sit down interview earlier in the season,
Speaker 1: and his his mindset is just so much more zen.
Speaker 1: And I don't think any of the stuff the Boston
Speaker 1: fans throw at him, hopefully not literally like the water bottle,
Speaker 1: but in general, are going to affect him. I do.
Speaker 1: I do wonder if them booing Kyrie is going to
Speaker 1: fire up Luca, because we saw Luca in that game five, right.
Speaker 1: I mean he likes he's got Reggie in him, he
Speaker 1: likes the crowd with that stuff.
Speaker 7: He got out a peace of mind right now, nothing's
Speaker 7: really affected him, and that that when you're at that
Speaker 7: stage like anything happened, anything.
Speaker 6: Happened, everything is aligned with him, like his mind, body.
Speaker 4: Yeah, he seems like he's.
Speaker 6: In the best shape I've seen him. Man, he's picking
Speaker 6: up full Cory sprinting yep, and I'm taking step further
Speaker 6: as world caught. I think right now, what Kyrie's done,
Speaker 6: I think he's combined his game with some Steph Curry's game,
Speaker 6: Like the way he's running around on screens, moving out
Speaker 6: the ball, like he's combined the two, right, now like
Speaker 6: he's he's in a sweet spot right now, like he's
Speaker 6: in a he's on a magic Carperry right now.
Speaker 4: For sure.
Speaker 1: No, his health is he that's a huge factor. I
Speaker 1: mean he's missed a ton of games the last six
Speaker 1: or seven years, including chunks of playoff games, and the
Speaker 1: fact that he's got his body in shape, and obviously
Speaker 1: some of it's luck, but I also think it's a
Speaker 1: lot of how you prepare and treat your body throughout
Speaker 1: the season, and he's been on point with all of that.
Speaker 1: I do want to ask you, Jamal, just because you
Speaker 1: were doing that game live, that game five at the
Speaker 1: Western Conference Finals, when you saw Luca chirpin at the
Speaker 1: crowd the way he was, what came to mind for you.
Speaker 6: Lucas a gangster and I mean that.
Speaker 4: Where he came from Vega like that.
Speaker 6: And these guys tell you, because like I said, they
Speaker 6: were this. We know in the league there's some there's
Speaker 6: some brill like dogs, and there's some dogs that are
Speaker 6: dogs when it's like okay, they.
Speaker 4: Kind of puppies a little bit, that ain't really dogs
Speaker 4: like that.
Speaker 6: Luca is a real dog, like he's going to hit
Speaker 6: it the bigger, the moment, the bigger the play, the
Speaker 6: better Luca is and even some grace don't do that.
Speaker 4: So he's he's different.
Speaker 6: Right, Like he's really really and he's playing like he
Speaker 6: got headphones on.
Speaker 4: You can't speed him up. He's just out here doing
Speaker 4: his thing.
Speaker 1: Well, he's own pace.
Speaker 4: And that's the thing about it.
Speaker 6: It's his pace, but his pace can make you go
Speaker 6: his pace, and then he just dissecting me like he's
Speaker 6: something different.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 1: All Right, So I want to give you Finals MVP addscas.
Speaker 1: Luca's right up there. Jason Tatum is the favorite minus
Speaker 1: one fifteen. You got to put a lot of money
Speaker 1: down to make any money on Jason Tatum. Luca though,
Speaker 1: is plus two o five Jylen Brown plus six fifty,
Speaker 1: Kyrie plus two thousand, two hundred. So if you had to,
Speaker 1: if we gave you guys each one hundred dollars, where
Speaker 1: are you putting your money on? Finals MVP?
Speaker 6: I'm gonna go with Luca just because I think that
Speaker 6: was gonna win, and I think he's gonna like Kyrie made.
Speaker 6: Kyrie may even average more points, like say Kyrie averages
Speaker 6: you know, whatever he averages, Luca could be close to that.
Speaker 6: But I think Luka will have the assist and the
Speaker 6: rebounds as well. So I think Luca is the MVP.
Speaker 6: If they if DA.
Speaker 4: Was win, is it?
Speaker 1: What do you guys say?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 5: What person?
Speaker 4: By your time?
Speaker 6: I saw it going on.
Speaker 4: I know I know where I'm gonna. I know who
Speaker 4: I'm going Brown. I'm going with Jaimi Brown Man. I think.
Speaker 3: I think this is also something that's kind of floated
Speaker 3: under the radars, like he's proven, you know, he deserves that.
Speaker 3: He took a lot of heat for the contract. Don't
Speaker 3: really know why. I mean, he's one of those guys
Speaker 3: in the league, but you know he's taking a lot
Speaker 3: of criticism as being and you know, the so called
Speaker 3: Robin or back up to Tatum and in actuality, they
Speaker 3: are one A, one B in my opinion. So and
Speaker 3: I'm not really the guy that's trying to push the
Speaker 3: you know, who's the star of the team narrative, But
Speaker 3: I think Jalen Brown is a star in his own
Speaker 3: right and he's just not really getting the credit for it.
Speaker 3: So I think this series he shows he's really really
Speaker 3: that and I think he surprises us and gets you know, MVP.
Speaker 1: I was thrilled he won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Speaker 1: I just thought that was like great recognition for all
Speaker 1: that he does, and he's improved this year. I give
Speaker 1: him so much credit because some guys get that contract
Speaker 1: right and they kind of lean off playing a little bit.
Speaker 1: They don't work quite as hard, and he it seems
Speaker 1: like he's worked even harder, like maybe he's trying to
Speaker 1: prove he's worth it. I don't know, or maybe that's
Speaker 1: just the way he's made like he is. He has
Speaker 1: super impressed me, and I thought it's funny. It was
Speaker 1: really close. I think it was like six to five
Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference Finals MVP voting, and and to me,
Speaker 1: I think it should have been more lopsided in Jalen's
Speaker 1: favor because between that shot he hit and then just
Speaker 1: sort of how he played the rest of the series.
Speaker 1: I was big on it, all right. I t it's
Speaker 1: your turn. You got to you gotta come up with it.
Speaker 1: Who you got, Who's your m VP? Who you put
Speaker 1: your money on?
Speaker 7: Since I got this Celtics winning, I'm gonna go with
Speaker 7: Derek White.
Speaker 5: That is, he isn't even board, No, I'm just playing.
Speaker 5: I I got Jalen Brown.
Speaker 1: You gotta go to a bookie for Derek wad Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 7: You know something we don't man, Yeah, like I got
Speaker 7: the script.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, it's like the NFL of the season, right,
Speaker 1: I got, I got the Celtics winning.
Speaker 5: I'm gonna go with Jayalen Brown.
Speaker 1: All right, we'll see, we'll see. I like Jamal that
Speaker 1: you're standing on business with the Dallas pick though, because.
Speaker 6: I gotta do what I gotta do, right, I gotta
Speaker 6: do it rich. Can I ask them one question? Because oh,
Speaker 6: it's in my mind. I see when you see Jalen Breston,
Speaker 6: do you see some of yourself and book when you
Speaker 6: see Joker, do you see some of yourself.
Speaker 7: With because I get that a lot with the Brunton,
Speaker 7: like I get I do see a little bit of
Speaker 7: myself in there.
Speaker 5: In his games left handed, he.
Speaker 7: Got real hoop game, like he could tell he really
Speaker 7: works on his game. And the biggest thing I I
Speaker 7: I got that compares us. I think his belief in hisself,
Speaker 7: like his belief he believes he's one of the best.
Speaker 7: He believes he's the best guard in the NBA when
Speaker 7: he steps on the floor. So I think I see
Speaker 7: a lot of similarities in our game, but we go
Speaker 7: about it a little bit differently, if that makes sense.
Speaker 7: But like his belief in his confidence. I say, that's
Speaker 7: the biggest similarity I see in between our games is
Speaker 7: like he believes he's he's.
Speaker 5: That dude for show. Like nothing that he done.
Speaker 7: Have surprised himself and not one thing that that that
Speaker 7: that that's like how I carried myself for sure.
Speaker 6: And Bog I saw you sit back. You did, only
Speaker 6: you didn't only answer, you sat.
Speaker 4: Back like.
Speaker 3: I know, I know, I wasn't expecting that you came.
Speaker 4: I did, I did I do?
Speaker 3: Yeah, you came out of left field down But to
Speaker 3: answer your question, I do. It's definitely a lot of similarities.
Speaker 3: The biggest one for me is, you know, playing without
Speaker 3: the athleticism. You know, that's you know, since I've been young,
Speaker 3: and that was always the run and you know, joke
Speaker 3: with me when it came to me being around my
Speaker 3: peers and and things like that was you know, but
Speaker 3: you ain't got no hops, which was cool.
Speaker 5: I figured that out.
Speaker 3: And you know, uh, for me, when it became you know,
Speaker 3: trying to be the best version of myself, I feel
Speaker 3: like a lot of things. One thing that young hoopers
Speaker 3: overlooked when it comes to you know, just becoming the
Speaker 3: best version of yourself as a Hooper is you got
Speaker 3: to embrace what your weaknesses are and you gotta be
Speaker 3: okay with those. And the reason I say that is
Speaker 3: is because if you don't embrace those weaknesses, you'll never
Speaker 3: be able to find other strengths. Obviously, you have your
Speaker 3: strengths as a hooper, you know what you're really good at.
Speaker 3: But I knew I wasn't athletic, and I knew at
Speaker 3: a certain point it was gonna catch up to me.
Speaker 3: It was gonna it was gonna be a moment where
Speaker 3: you know, I was gonna have to rely on something else.
Speaker 3: And if I didn't work on those things early, I
Speaker 3: think I wouldn't have never been able to get past
Speaker 3: those tests. So I think that's something that you know,
Speaker 3: Jokic has mastered it at an early early age. I
Speaker 3: think he's a way better pass or dudes passing skills
Speaker 3: or like fucking he might be better than most point
Speaker 3: guards that's played this game, you.
Speaker 2: Know what I mean.
Speaker 1: I think it's he's the best passing we've ever.
Speaker 5: Seen all time.
Speaker 3: I think that I think he's in the category of
Speaker 3: his own when it comes to that. But you know,
Speaker 3: it's a lot of similarities. I think I think he's
Speaker 3: a better shooter at this point in his career than
Speaker 3: I was. It wasn't and and I say it was
Speaker 3: more so the timing of the air.
Speaker 4: Yeah, thre like that.
Speaker 6: Biggs, Yeah, Biggs weren't really being embraced to shoot the
Speaker 6: ball as much.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: It was a few guys like Dirk and you know,
Speaker 3: guys like that, you know, be embraced on that part.
Speaker 3: But for the most part, they wanted you under that basket.
Speaker 3: So I think that part of his game really you know,
Speaker 3: outshine man. But I think the biggest thing is it
Speaker 3: is uh, you know, the lack of athleticism and then
Speaker 3: being able to just you know, back that day having
Speaker 3: IQ game.
Speaker 7: Look, we said it a couple of shows ago.
Speaker 5: I said it like these big.
Speaker 7: Now Joker and be like they had to watch, but yes,
Speaker 7: I watch Boogie coming up like they had, Like their
Speaker 7: games are so similar in terms of being able to
Speaker 7: do everything as a big Like they definitely watched tape
Speaker 7: Bug like he's I'm not gonna say he started it,
Speaker 7: but they was looking at home wherever they was, like
Speaker 7: it happened to be like, like, I got it, you
Speaker 7: had to.
Speaker 4: I made a joke.
Speaker 6: And the reason I asked that I see similarities to
Speaker 6: both players. I just asked you all about but I
Speaker 6: made a joke. I said, mayn y'all sleeping Bookie is
Speaker 6: is yo alter ego. That's take a deep, deep that
Speaker 6: what I'm telling you.
Speaker 1: Come out of the phone booth. There you go. I
Speaker 1: love when you say that about the athleticism, because I
Speaker 1: don't know if you guys watch hockey at all, but
Speaker 1: they're always like, oh, he can't skate, And I'm always like, well,
Speaker 1: he can because he plays in the NHL. But I
Speaker 1: get it. He's not a natural skater. Boggie, you were athletic.
Speaker 1: You played in the NBA for many many years, So
Speaker 1: I get the difference. I get the distinction you're talking about.
Speaker 1: But you know, let's let's let's be real. You know
Speaker 1: what you're talking about about making that adjustment. You know,
Speaker 1: when I was starting out in TV, I was kind
Speaker 1: of trying to be what I saw on TV. There
Speaker 1: just weren't a lot of women who look like me
Speaker 1: on television. They were all blonde, they were all tall,
Speaker 1: they were sort of spokesmodly, and they didn't. You know,
Speaker 1: I'm much more of a Okay, let's talk about it
Speaker 1: in person as opposed to I am presenting you with
Speaker 1: gloss and glemmor. And I was trying to be the
Speaker 1: other kind because I didn't know any better, and that's
Speaker 1: what I saw. And Stuart Scott pulled me aside, actually,
Speaker 1: and he just said, look, he's like, I tried it too.
Speaker 1: I tried being like the anchor person that they wanted,
Speaker 1: and I was only seventy percent because that's not me.
Speaker 1: And he said, then I just became myself and I
Speaker 1: could be one hundred per And you know, they're doing
Speaker 1: a thirty for thirty documentary around him.
Speaker 3: I hope.
Speaker 1: I hope they're honest with themselves that a lot of
Speaker 1: people at ESPN and the higher ups did not like
Speaker 1: him being one hundred percent himself until the public it
Speaker 1: just got so overwhelming they had to go with it.
Speaker 1: But I love what you said, Bogue about you and
Speaker 1: Jokic just you got to be you. Everyone else has
Speaker 1: taken so I don't know. I just I think that
Speaker 1: I think that shit's really important. I want all of
Speaker 1: you guys out there to watch out for we are
Speaker 1: doing a live version of the Truth Lounge Sunday, June ninth.
Speaker 1: That's this coming Sunday, pre game before Game two at
Speaker 1: Big Night Live in Boston. Paul is going to be
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, Paul is gonna be on one right.
Speaker 4: Because he's gonna be on right. He's gonna be all too.
Speaker 1: He doing with the Celtics back. So so everything that
Speaker 1: you expect from Paul Pierce, turn that up to eleven.
Speaker 1: I'll be there. We're gonna have some special guests. It's
Speaker 1: gonna be a lot of fun. So you can come
Speaker 1: live if you're in Boston, or you can watch it
Speaker 1: live on YouTube. So I'm very excited about that. And
Speaker 1: then you can catch all the episodes of Bullyball on
Speaker 1: the DraftKings Network. You can catch us on the All
Speaker 1: the Smoke Productions YouTube channel. You can listen to us
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast. We will catch you next week.
Speaker 4: Thank y'all, thanks for having me off