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Speaker 1: Welcome to the State of the Lakers podcast. It is

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Speaker 1: Friday morning. Thank you guys so much for taking time

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Speaker 1: out of your early weekend to come hang out with

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Speaker 1: Roger and I on the livestream. We're competing with a

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Speaker 1: Kevin Durant spaces with the Banski this morning, So for

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Speaker 1: those of you who are choosing us, we sincerely appreciate

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Speaker 1: you and and your loyalty. Rock. How are you doing

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Speaker 1: this morning? Man doing great? Man doing great? It's a

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Speaker 1: beautiful Friday morning. I got my work out in in

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Speaker 1: the morning, and yeah, it's it's nice, nice out here.

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Speaker 1: How about you? It was good. I played some basketball

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Speaker 1: this morning. I'm super lucky to have access to a

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Speaker 1: gym now, and no one has the gym after we play,

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Speaker 1: So I go and I play, and then I stick

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Speaker 1: around and I get shots up. It allows me to

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Speaker 1: work on my game in a in a way that

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Speaker 1: I have been able to do for the most part

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Speaker 1: during the pandemic. Um Uh and I love. We were

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Speaker 1: just talking, Roger and I were just talking before the pod,

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Speaker 1: like how awesome it feels to get a workout in

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Speaker 1: in the morning to start your day. It just gets

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Speaker 1: your whole body, you know, woken up and and and

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Speaker 1: just it just sets the tone for the rest of

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Speaker 1: the day and helps you get going. Um. Uh, So

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Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about a bunch of stuff today. The

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Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about last night's uh my heat game.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about Ben Nacklamore's debut. We're gonna talk

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Speaker 1: about Andre Drummond and how he looks so far. We're

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Speaker 1: gonna talk about Dennis Shrewder and how he's been struggling

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Speaker 1: a little bit as of late. Um. And then uh,

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Speaker 1: Roger and I both want to talk for a little

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Speaker 1: while about the most recent podcast uh that Banski did

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Speaker 1: with with Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. I thought there

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Speaker 1: was a bunch of super interesting stuff in there that

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Speaker 1: we're gonna get to at the end. Um. But let's

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Speaker 1: start with the Lakers. So you know, uh, if you

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Speaker 1: were to look back a week or so ago, UM,

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Speaker 1: you would have marked this one as a loss, not

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Speaker 1: just a loss, but a game that the Lakers would

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Speaker 1: have just got absolutely destroyed. And uh, you know, I

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Speaker 1: actually went into the last night's game with a little

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Speaker 1: bit optimism thinking they could win. And the reason why

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Speaker 1: is they've kind of figured out a formula without Lebron

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Speaker 1: and a D. We're defending our ass off for the record.

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Speaker 1: In the ten games since Lebron went down. Without Lebron

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Speaker 1: and a D, there's third in the league in defense.

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Speaker 1: So there's still guard like crazy starting to make some

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Speaker 1: in a way that they weren't king earlier. They just

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Speaker 1: they have a little bit of a formula. They're rocking

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Speaker 1: with that formula, and they're winning some basketball games four

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Speaker 1: and six, which is a hell of a lot better

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Speaker 1: than we all inspect expected beforehand. Um, what were you

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Speaker 1: what were your early impressions after watching last night's game. Yeah, So,

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Speaker 1: like I like to go back and watch because it's

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Speaker 1: hard to kind of catch everything you want to see live.

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Speaker 1: And I was looking at Andre Drummond and to me,

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Speaker 1: he's like, he's like Wes Matthews in a big body, right.

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Speaker 1: He matches all their guards physicality, except at the big

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Speaker 1: so he's really nice. He can switch. He was in

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Speaker 1: a defensive stance and both of us kind of were

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Speaker 1: on the Andre him in train right. We were saying

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Speaker 1: that he's gonna be better than he looked in that

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Speaker 1: Bucks game after he kind of hurt his toe, And

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Speaker 1: that's the main thing that stood out to me. I

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Speaker 1: think he had like fifteen points tend to rebounds or

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Speaker 1: something like that, but his steals. He got a lot

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Speaker 1: of hands on the ball um he was able to

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Speaker 1: trap and kind of help and recover, and that's the

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Speaker 1: main thing to me to see him fit in. I

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Speaker 1: feel like last night was like house money, right like,

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Speaker 1: after they beat all the teams they were supposed to

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Speaker 1: last night, it was just kind of like, hey, go

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Speaker 1: play free and try to get a win. And that

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Speaker 1: Miami team is a lot better, probably than their record

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Speaker 1: would dictate right there, twenty six and twenty four or something,

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Speaker 1: and they're still like the fourth seed, which shows kind

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Speaker 1: of the difference in the conference. But they're a lot

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Speaker 1: better than they show. And they're very switch heavy. They

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Speaker 1: have a lot of big wings. And Sproulstra, who's one

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Speaker 1: of the best coaches in the league, trapped every single

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Speaker 1: time our ball handlers because he knew we had no

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Speaker 1: one who can dribble beside Shrewder, who couldn't dribble last

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Speaker 1: night either, but he had to get a tough time.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, it's supposed to trapped every single time, and

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Speaker 1: that kind of really messed up our offensive flow. But

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Speaker 1: I thought the defense, like you said, it's just consistent,

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Speaker 1: played really well. At They held Miami to like ninety

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Speaker 1: eight with like five minutes left or something, four minutes left,

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Speaker 1: So the defense was good. Jimmy Butler took over late.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, that was a really good I mean, you

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Speaker 1: don't want moral moral losses are moral wins? How are

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Speaker 1: they say it? But that was a good game. I

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Speaker 1: mean that's a good Miami team that can beat a

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Speaker 1: lot of really good teams. So yeah, I'm happy. I

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Speaker 1: thought Drum played well. We'll speak on mac lamore a

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Speaker 1: little later, but what else did you see from last night?

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Speaker 1: Going going into the game. I actually thought the Lakers

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Speaker 1: had a legitimate chance to win. And they hung around

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Speaker 1: and you know, as like you said, Jimmy Butler took

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Speaker 1: over l there were big moments where the Lakers got close.

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Speaker 1: Think like you know, end of the second quarter. There

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Speaker 1: was a moment even middle of the fourth quarter where

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Speaker 1: they got within three, I believe, and just at that point,

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Speaker 1: you know, the talent advantage for Miami took over. But

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Speaker 1: it was something that I thought they had a chance

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Speaker 1: to win. And here's the deal, if you know, in

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Speaker 1: this next four games that we're looking at most likely.

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Speaker 1: You know, Mark Stein hinted that Anthony Davis is gonna

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Speaker 1: try to come back on the seventeenth, that's exactly four

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Speaker 1: weeks to the day since Lebron hurt his uh ankle,

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Speaker 1: So there's a realistic chance that Lebron could be coming

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Speaker 1: back to So we're looking at, basically best case scenario,

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Speaker 1: another four games, and in these four games, with exception

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Speaker 1: of the Brooklyn one with Kevin Durant, they have a

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Speaker 1: legitimate chance to win. And I think I think it's

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Speaker 1: been really cool to see. I think Frank Vogel he's

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Speaker 1: not gonna get Coach of the Year just because there's

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Speaker 1: better options, but he's he has proven, in my opinion,

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Speaker 1: to be the best defensive coach in basketball. Uh. The

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Speaker 1: fact that you can he could plug in play basically

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Speaker 1: inferior defensive talent and put together a defense that competes

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Speaker 1: like this, I think goes to show you where his

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Speaker 1: area of expertise is. He gets a lot of flak

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Speaker 1: for what he does on the offensive end um, but

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Speaker 1: what he's done with his defense, I think is is

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Speaker 1: truly remarkable. Now, I think the Shrewder thing was interesting

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Speaker 1: you mentioned, you know, how he was kind of sloppy

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Speaker 1: with his handle. I think people, all basketball fans, have

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Speaker 1: to kind of reframe the way that we analyze what

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Speaker 1: an offensive basketball player in his role. So, for instance,

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Speaker 1: like that's what makes these superstars so amazing. Like Dennis,

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Speaker 1: Shrewder is struggling because he's getting all the defensive attention.

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Speaker 1: He's coming off the pick and roll, Miami's trapping them

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Speaker 1: when he drives into the lane. Everybody's collapsing on him,

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Speaker 1: everybody's reaching on Dennis. Everything is geared towards stopping Dennis

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Speaker 1: because they know the rest of the roster isn't great

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Speaker 1: at creating their own shot. And that's what makes the

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Speaker 1: Lebrons and the KDIs and the Steps and all these

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Speaker 1: guys so amazing is they've been getting that their entire career. Literally,

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Speaker 1: that's what they deal with. And you know, to Shrewder's credit,

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Speaker 1: even though he struggled in a lot of ways turning

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Speaker 1: the ball over creating his own shot, he did like

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Speaker 1: draw enough attention that the other guys around him on

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Speaker 1: the floor were able to get going. And I think

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Speaker 1: that that is to his credit. He had a specific

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Speaker 1: job and he's not a superstar, so he's not gonna

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Speaker 1: have a ton of success as the number one option.

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Speaker 1: But he did draw attention. He did help get Wesley

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Speaker 1: Matthews going, He helped get k CP going, He helped

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Speaker 1: get everybody going just by eating up the primary defensive attention.

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Speaker 1: And I think that there's value in that. And then

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Speaker 1: to his credit, he's still defended on the other end. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: like where he went with that with the superstars, because

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Speaker 1: what do they do? They break down a defense, right,

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Speaker 1: That's what superstars do. Now. The best ones like Lebron

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Speaker 1: can manipulate a defense to do what he wants, but

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Speaker 1: most of the superstars, they can break down defense. Anthony Davis,

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Speaker 1: Qui Leonard, any of those. Dennis Shrewder isn't that And

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Speaker 1: also his height kind of makes makes up for that

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Speaker 1: as well. So like last night, but there were some

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Speaker 1: passes men like you knew that they were going to

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Speaker 1: trap every single time, and he kept trying to throw

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Speaker 1: that like jump pass out and it got stolen at

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Speaker 1: least five times by Iguadala. Trevor Rea's a name another

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Speaker 1: wing that you know just picked him off. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's not He's no more attacking an already collapse defense,

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Speaker 1: because that's that's where I think he's best, right when

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Speaker 1: Lebron breaks down, takes to the shoulder and now you

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Speaker 1: have to stop his speed attacking the rim and that

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Speaker 1: he can find like treads and he found treads a

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Speaker 1: few times in the dunker spot last night. He did

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Speaker 1: a nice job trying to control all the offense, tell

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Speaker 1: KCP where to go, come off screens, and try to

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Speaker 1: run and keep things under control. But yeah, it's it's

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Speaker 1: tough without those two. And you saw last night, like

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Speaker 1: he he kept driving in the room trying to get contact.

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Speaker 1: Miami got like eighteen three dolls in the first and

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Speaker 1: I think he thought that he can kind of manipulate

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Speaker 1: that as well. But yeah, it was it was nice

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Speaker 1: to see that he kind of got it going late,

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Speaker 1: like he was able to kind of control the offense

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Speaker 1: later than early because early he had a lot of turnovers.

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Speaker 1: But he got it going a little bit. He had

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Speaker 1: like a layup driving on BAM late. But yeah, it's

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Speaker 1: tough without them, and it's kind of I don't think

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Speaker 1: you should expect Shorter to really, you know, be able

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Speaker 1: to replace those two. But still I think we can

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Speaker 1: expect better from him. I mean, like he had a

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Speaker 1: nice he had a nice amount of assists, but still

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Speaker 1: I feel like he could have played a little bit better.

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Speaker 1: Like those turnovers were just someone We're just giving them away.

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Speaker 1: Like I think that was the worst Where's probably ball

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Speaker 1: handling game he's had as a Laker. But again that

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Speaker 1: coincides with not having Lebron, so it's not not too unexpected.

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Speaker 1: But you're right, like superstars, they've been a defense and

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Speaker 1: he's not that yet. He's a really nice player, but

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Speaker 1: expecting him to like fit that role. I thought Alice

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Speaker 1: Cruiso did a nice job when he came in, but

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Speaker 1: again he's kind of making the more simple place. So

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Speaker 1: we're just trying to drive in and get his floaters

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Speaker 1: all that stuff, and nothing was going, which which happens sometimes.

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Speaker 1: He was He was absolutely sloppy with the ball. That

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Speaker 1: goes without saying there was a play to start. He

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Speaker 1: had a sequence to start the second half where he

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Speaker 1: like brought the ball up the floor and dribbled off

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Speaker 1: his foot out of bounds, and then on the very

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Speaker 1: next play like drove to the left and like through

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Speaker 1: a swing pass right as the dude was cutting away

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Speaker 1: from him and throw it out of bounds and then

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Speaker 1: like two possessions later, he drives baseline and steps on

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Speaker 1: the baseline. Like you could tell he was flat out

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Speaker 1: struggling with all that defensive attention. And you're right, like

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Speaker 1: we we should expect him to be better than that.

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Speaker 1: All I'm saying is that, like, you know, his job

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Speaker 1: is hard right now, and and I think I think

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Speaker 1: we all need to gain a new appreciation for uh,

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Speaker 1: for the way that these stars have to deal with

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Speaker 1: that type of defensive attention night in and night out.

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Speaker 1: And you know, Bron Lebron is such an amazing job

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Speaker 1: of this. Like Lebron is like he's like, I'm literally

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Speaker 1: going to manipulate the defense through passing, through finding openings

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Speaker 1: so that I create openings for myself. You know, you

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Speaker 1: see Dennis Shorter driving into the paint and there's just

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Speaker 1: six set of arms around him, and and he's and

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Speaker 1: he's The guys who are reaching in or knocking the

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Speaker 1: ball lose with Lebron because he's able to to keep

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Speaker 1: the defense spread with his passing ability. All of a sudden,

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Speaker 1: those driving lanes are there. Lebron is frequently called, you know,

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Speaker 1: one of the best drivers of the basketball that that

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Speaker 1: we see in the league right now, and it has

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Speaker 1: it has a lot to do with his physical tools,

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Speaker 1: but to me, the majority of it comes from his

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Speaker 1: ability to pass the basketball. And that's the kind of

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Speaker 1: stuff where you know, Dennis uh, he needs to uh.

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Speaker 1: He's he came create places. He had a bunch of

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Speaker 1: assists last night. He needs to see how that sort

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Speaker 1: of thing well, then open things up for him. But

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Speaker 1: when Lebron and n D come back, you can see

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Speaker 1: where he fits in the offense. It's gonna be attacking

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Speaker 1: bigs on switches when there's more space, it's gonna be

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Speaker 1: you know, he gets the screen and roll, they're gonna

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Speaker 1: switch it. They're not gonna trap because if they trap

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Speaker 1: Dennis and let Lebron and a D play four on three,

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Speaker 1: they're gonna get absolutely destroyed. Things are just gonna open

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Speaker 1: up more for him. And the same goes for Drummond.

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Speaker 1: We talk this is a good time to move over

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Speaker 1: to drum and you know, he's not a good ball handler,

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Speaker 1: and every time he puts the ball on the floor,

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Speaker 1: I feel like he's gonna turn it over. He's just

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Speaker 1: clumsy and he's sloppy, and he's the definition of a

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Speaker 1: guy who has all sorts of natural ability, but just

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Speaker 1: all of the fine detail type stuff in his game

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Speaker 1: is off and it throws everything off for him. Um.

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Speaker 1: But the bottom line is they're not going to ask

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Speaker 1: him to do that ever. Uh, it's just not gonna

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Speaker 1: be his role. And like when they do throw it

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Speaker 1: to him on the block, it's going to be because

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Speaker 1: he has a specific mismatch, you know. And when he

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Speaker 1: when he does put the ball on the floor, it's

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Speaker 1: gonna be because he caught it in a pick and

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Speaker 1: roll at the free throw line and the lane is cleared,

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Speaker 1: and he's gonna be dribbling once and going into his

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Speaker 1: statue of liberty dunk. Like that's that's gonna be the

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Speaker 1: way his role is defined when he gets to that point.

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Speaker 1: And I just you know, I think they have a

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Speaker 1: chance to win some of these games, and they do

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Speaker 1: it through Dennis creating, creating everything and dumping the ball

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Speaker 1: to Andre Drummond on the block. But that's not going

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Speaker 1: to be their formula when Lebron and they d come back. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I said before, like those Drummond post ups are never

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Speaker 1: going to be efficient. Like that's never gonna be a

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Speaker 1: good shot right or something that analytics kind of proposes

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Speaker 1: as a shot, but you know it can eat a possession.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's important because the lake, I mean,

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Speaker 1: that's better than a turnover, right, and someone needs to shoot.

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Speaker 1: I mean, in that starting lineup. To be fair to

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Speaker 1: to Dennis, he's the only guy that can create a

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Speaker 1: shot really, right, You're not gonna have KCP run ball

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Speaker 1: screens and then the next the next only option is

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Speaker 1: to give it to Drummond and let him try to post.

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Speaker 1: He drew some fouls on bam Um, he had some

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Speaker 1: flip shots. He can get his own offensive rebound. He

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Speaker 1: had a few nice putback dunks um early in the game.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, and I thought he played well. I mean obviously,

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Speaker 1: like I think people are more upset that Mark didn't

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Speaker 1: get any minutes. But I think we discussed that, like

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Speaker 1: this is just how it's gonna go. They want to

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Speaker 1: see what they have, how drum is gonna play, fit

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Speaker 1: him in and again fair to Dennis, like they were

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Speaker 1: running some line up plus night they had McKinney malcolmore

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Speaker 1: out there with Dennis Drummond. Like it was just a

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Speaker 1: weird line of people don't know when to cut when

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Speaker 1: to stay there um malcolmore cut I think one time

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Speaker 1: and Dennis threw it out of bounds or McKinney did

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Speaker 1: the same thing late in the game. So yeah, I

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Speaker 1: think it was a really nice game and drum is

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Speaker 1: gonna help a lot. You could see his physicality. He

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Speaker 1: was able to move Bam off his spot. He was

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Speaker 1: able to um kind of stay there in the post

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Speaker 1: Bam was Bam hit a few mid range jumpers, but

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Speaker 1: I think you live with that. So I think him

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Speaker 1: and A d like that's where I was looking. I

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Speaker 1: want to get your kind of thought on this, because

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Speaker 1: when I was watching Drummond last night, I just kept

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Speaker 1: imagining him next to Anthony Davis, another really leaping guy.

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Speaker 1: When he's healthy, you can jump, double jump, triple jump,

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Speaker 1: and then kind of like you know, stay grounded, get rebounds,

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Speaker 1: offensive rebounds. So what do you think about when those

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Speaker 1: two kind of play together, how how they'll be able

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Speaker 1: to fit on the floor. Well, it's a natural fit.

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Speaker 1: I mean the reality is is like you know, uh,

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Speaker 1: A Drummond is good at kind of patrolling around the paint,

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Speaker 1: which gives Anthony Davis the ability to roam a little

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Speaker 1: bit because Anthony Davis is Anthony Davis was so good

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Speaker 1: last year on switches when they would you know, he

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Speaker 1: gets switched on to Jamal Murray, he gets switched on

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Speaker 1: to quiet and he'd be able to play defense out

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Speaker 1: in space, but the Lakers would typically get hurt on

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Speaker 1: the back end on the offensive glass. And and a

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Speaker 1: lot of that had to do with the fact that

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Speaker 1: they couldn't play Dwight er Javail for various reasons. And

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Speaker 1: if if Drummond proves to be, you know, talented enough

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Speaker 1: to continue to play, then he kind of resolves that problem.

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Speaker 1: You know, I thought he was good holding his ground

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Speaker 1: against Bam as well. When he did lose him for

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Speaker 1: those midrange jump shots, it was typically because he was helping,

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Speaker 1: Like they were wide open jump shots for Bam, because

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Speaker 1: Andre was in rotation, he was he was helping elsewhere

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Speaker 1: on the floor. That's his job, that's what he's doing

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Speaker 1: in the defense, and you prefer to give up that

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Speaker 1: type of shot to Bam. Um with Anthony Davis, it's

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Speaker 1: more or less, like I said, the ability to have

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Speaker 1: Anthony Davis defend force and by allowing Anthony Davis to

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Speaker 1: defend fours, you have this like crazy, freaky lanky dude

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Speaker 1: flying around, chasing dudes off the line, and and and

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Speaker 1: guarding the other team's perimeter player. Because you have Andre Drummond,

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Speaker 1: you can play or traditional defensive center. It's just a

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Speaker 1: flexibility thing. And and with Marcusol, who has been okay

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Speaker 1: as a defensive five this year, and and with Montrese Harold,

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Speaker 1: they just didn't have that piece who could kind of

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Speaker 1: really like kind of re established that same defensive identity

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Speaker 1: they had last year with Dwight Um. The other thing

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Speaker 1: with Drummond that I thought was interesting is like I

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Speaker 1: don't know how you weaponize this, because I feel like

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Speaker 1: throwing the ball to Drummond in the post when with

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Speaker 1: Lebron and a d is kind of a waste. But

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Speaker 1: man like like guys can't guard him, but like he misses,

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Speaker 1: he misses shots, but like like guys can't guys can't

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Speaker 1: guard him, Like he's he's he's got enough speed and

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Speaker 1: enough strength that he gets to his shot, Like he

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Speaker 1: gets to his his little sweeping hook and like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's gonna miss it a lot, and like Miami fouled

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Speaker 1: him a lot yesterday. And it was just one of

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Speaker 1: those things where I remember sitting there thinking like, I

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Speaker 1: don't I don't know that you ever go to this,

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Speaker 1: But like, I don't feel like it's a complete waste

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Speaker 1: to dump it down to him on the block, because

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Speaker 1: I do feel like there's a high percentage chance that

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Speaker 1: he's going to either get to the rim or get fouled.

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Speaker 1: I just I just don't necessarily think it's a it's

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Speaker 1: a It should be anything more than just a bail out.

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Speaker 1: Like Lebron's running the bench lineup eighties on the bench.

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Speaker 1: Lebron is is kind of fatigued because he's been really

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Speaker 1: aggressive over the last three possessions. It's not the end

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Speaker 1: of the world to throw it into drum and for

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Speaker 1: something like that, whereas with Dwight, I never felt like

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Speaker 1: he was as successful at drawing fouls and getting to

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Speaker 1: his spots offensively. Yeah, it's kind of like last year

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Speaker 1: and they would just throw it into jabail and be like,

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Speaker 1: hey go crazy, you know, like, hey go have a

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Speaker 1: possession like this is yours, and where if Lebron was

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Speaker 1: tired or a d didn't feel like doing it, you know,

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Speaker 1: and he would he would get a look at the rim,

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Speaker 1: he choots some skyhook and then it wouldn't really go

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Speaker 1: in very many times. But I think drums a little

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Speaker 1: better than Jabel in terms of like posting up. He

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Speaker 1: does a good job of like Duckins right, he gets

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Speaker 1: really low and he has a really nice wide basse

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Speaker 1: that he gives the ball handler a nice target. I

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Speaker 1: thought he got a really nice he got a he

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Speaker 1: got a couple of really nice baskets download doing that

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Speaker 1: he got fouled. He had like four straight free throws

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Speaker 1: last night, which was nice seeing him hit his free

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Speaker 1: throws as well. But yeah, like I don't think the

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Speaker 1: post is gonna be anything that they use when it matters.

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Speaker 1: But again, right now, with no really offensive options Kuzma

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Speaker 1: also we don't know if he's back um tomorrow as well,

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Speaker 1: so that's the only real option here. It's either shrewder

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Speaker 1: high screen or roll um if KCP has a going

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Speaker 1: coming off screens, and then it's Drummond in the post

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Speaker 1: trying to get fouled um. He has some nice passes

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Speaker 1: as well. Um last night I was seeing he had

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Speaker 1: a nice pass to Crusoe on the cut. He found

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Speaker 1: West Matthew for a few threes. So it's not like

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Speaker 1: a black hole when it goes down there, right, Like Treads,

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Speaker 1: if he Treads gets the ball in the post, he's

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Speaker 1: shooting every time. Now that's an efficient shot, but he's

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Speaker 1: gonna shoot it every time. I think Treads is like

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Speaker 1: I think Tim cran just ms mcbasketball. He uh said

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Speaker 1: that Tread's had like five times he kicked out in

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Speaker 1: like a hundred post possessions. So when he gets it,

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Speaker 1: when he gets the ball download, he's shooting it. I

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Speaker 1: think Drummonds a little bit more. He'll kick it out,

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Speaker 1: he'll find shooters, um, So it's not like he's just

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Speaker 1: gonna get there and shoot every time. But like for

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Speaker 1: some reason he pulls out the Kyrie handles, he tries

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Speaker 1: to in and out dribble reverse when he's at the

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Speaker 1: rim when he could just dunk it. Those are the

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Speaker 1: kind of frustrating things, but I think you'll live with

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Speaker 1: that for now. His defense was great. I thought he

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Speaker 1: played really well, So I think that was really nice.

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Speaker 1: I feel like last night was his debut and like

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Speaker 1: the Milwaukee game kind of. I mean, after that first quarter,

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Speaker 1: it was pretty much he was playing on one leg

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Speaker 1: or one toe or nine toes, however you want to

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Speaker 1: say it. But Yeah, I think last night was his debut,

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Speaker 1: and I thought he played really well. Yeah, and like

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Speaker 1: the passing out of the post was interesting, Like he

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Speaker 1: he's a rocket thrower, Like he's here, like he's got

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Speaker 1: big hands you can pull on the ball and you

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Speaker 1: can tell like his favorite thing to do is just

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Speaker 1: kind of like back him down and wait for one

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Speaker 1: of the help defenders to just give like a little

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Speaker 1: bit of like a strike zone for him to just

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Speaker 1: launch a past two um and then that passed to

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Speaker 1: Alex Caruso was actually really not so it was one

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Speaker 1: of the few times where he handled the ball pretty well,

428
00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:06,760
Speaker 1: like didn't lose control of the ball, ball right, and

429
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,320
Speaker 1: then uh, just overall, like I think, I think, I

430
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,880
Speaker 1: think you and I talked before his first game that

431
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,440
Speaker 1: we kind of expected this first stage of the Drummond

432
00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,440
Speaker 1: experience to be a little sloppy, and and it has.

433
00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:20,800
Speaker 1: It's been good and bad. But I think we I

434
00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,200
Speaker 1: think we all expect more from him in a specific

435
00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,119
Speaker 1: role in Lebron and Nindy come back. What did you

436
00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:30,359
Speaker 1: think of Ben McLamore's debut. Yeah, so I feel like

437
00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:32,480
Speaker 1: he was trying to force it at least I thought

438
00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,240
Speaker 1: the whole team was trying to kind of get him shots, right.

439
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,240
Speaker 1: I think his first one was like a step back three.

440
00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,480
Speaker 1: He hit one. He took a really quick one in

441
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,880
Speaker 1: the corner. But like I saw, he had one where

442
00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:44,200
Speaker 1: he was fouled by Duncan Robinson coming off the screen,

443
00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:46,399
Speaker 1: And we don't have any other shooter who shoots like that,

444
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,040
Speaker 1: who can square up. He caught it squared on the curl,

445
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,919
Speaker 1: got right up into a shot, he got fouled. Um,

446
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:53,760
Speaker 1: And I think he's gonna be great at Like, I

447
00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,000
Speaker 1: think it's funny. I don't think Casey p played well

448
00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,439
Speaker 1: last night because of Ben Malckamore. I don't think it

449
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,960
Speaker 1: hurt though, to like have another shooter to like play

450
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,639
Speaker 1: your role right, like, oh now my legs are feeling

451
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:06,160
Speaker 1: a little bit better now I can now I'm gonna

452
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,919
Speaker 1: run a little bit more, you know. So Um, I

453
00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,320
Speaker 1: thought he kind of impacted that. But yeah, it was

454
00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:11,840
Speaker 1: cool to see a guy that's in the corner that

455
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,280
Speaker 1: teams have to respect, Like teams have to fight over

456
00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,280
Speaker 1: the screen over him. He's not a great guy coming

457
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,280
Speaker 1: on screens, but they can't cheat, they can't go under.

458
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,359
Speaker 1: I could do one. Alice Crusoe like they do on

459
00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,280
Speaker 1: you know, other shooters. Cruso shooting forty one from three,

460
00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,600
Speaker 1: but he's still not respected as a shooter like Ben

461
00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,720
Speaker 1: Malcolmore is. He's stick him in the corner. It's hard

462
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:29,639
Speaker 1: to help off of. Um. But I thought he kind

463
00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:31,960
Speaker 1: of forced it last night, which is expected. But he

464
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,000
Speaker 1: had one I think he's only made field goal was

465
00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:35,880
Speaker 1: like a one where he's coming off the screen out

466
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:38,240
Speaker 1: of bounds and he hit like a fading jumper in

467
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,120
Speaker 1: the third. But I thought he was good. I thought

468
00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,040
Speaker 1: his defense was fine. Um, I didn't think. I didn't

469
00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,000
Speaker 1: see anything wrong, Like I didn't. I didn't think he

470
00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:47,120
Speaker 1: was a liability or anything last night. Like, I thought

471
00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,639
Speaker 1: he'd fit in to the scheme pretty well. Um, how

472
00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,040
Speaker 1: about you, what do you see from him? Yeah, Defensively,

473
00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:53,879
Speaker 1: I thought he fit into the scheme perfectly, which is

474
00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,640
Speaker 1: what I predicted, just because it's like his skill set

475
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,600
Speaker 1: is perfect for what Frank Vogel asks from the guards. Um. Offensively,

476
00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:02,480
Speaker 1: I thought he was forcing some things. I mean, it

477
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:04,639
Speaker 1: was kind of exactly what I expected in the sense

478
00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:08,080
Speaker 1: that like, and didn't get any good looks last night.

479
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,760
Speaker 1: Like it wasn't like Ben was out there missing open shots,

480
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:13,400
Speaker 1: like he was forcing things because nothing was open. And

481
00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,840
Speaker 1: that's gonna change dramatically when he's playing with Lebron and

482
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:20,920
Speaker 1: a D. There were a couple of plays KCP when

483
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,800
Speaker 1: Lebron and a D are out, his his whole focus

484
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,080
Speaker 1: on offensively shifts to like I'm gonna get mine, you know,

485
00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:29,199
Speaker 1: and he's a little bit more aggressive off the bounce.

486
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,760
Speaker 1: And for the record, he was great last night shooting

487
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,520
Speaker 1: the basketball, so I'm not trying to say that he

488
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,959
Speaker 1: shouldn't be. But I thought there were there were a

489
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,080
Speaker 1: handful of plays where if KCP would have made an

490
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,600
Speaker 1: extra pass or if he was in his more traditional

491
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:43,200
Speaker 1: clothes out make a quick decision type of mind frame,

492
00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:45,520
Speaker 1: that he would have hit Ben in the corner. There

493
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:47,159
Speaker 1: were two in the second half where I thought he

494
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,320
Speaker 1: had wide open shots that k CP missed him. Um

495
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,080
Speaker 1: that kind of thing, the thing I think is gonna

496
00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,960
Speaker 1: come back in time. But you're right. I mean, he

497
00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,040
Speaker 1: gives you that weapon. The guy that can fly off

498
00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:58,879
Speaker 1: the screens and is is a little bit more a

499
00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,200
Speaker 1: dept at drawing fouls, kind of like Terence Ross type

500
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,560
Speaker 1: of vibe. Back up the shooting guard who can just

501
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,439
Speaker 1: fly off the screens and pull from anywhere. Um. I

502
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,040
Speaker 1: tend to think that his his extremely quick release is

503
00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,919
Speaker 1: perfect for the Laker offense because one of Lebron's favorite

504
00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,640
Speaker 1: things to do, it's like an energy saving thing, is

505
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,119
Speaker 1: out of the post or from the top of the

506
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,880
Speaker 1: key and kind of like the Marcos al spot. He'll

507
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,400
Speaker 1: just kind of survey the floor and just catch that

508
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,960
Speaker 1: one help defender that's just a step too close to

509
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,639
Speaker 1: the paint, and he'll just launch like a rocket pass.

510
00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,600
Speaker 1: And like Lebron basically pre communicates whether it's before the

511
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:37,399
Speaker 1: game or before the play, like hey, if I hit

512
00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:38,800
Speaker 1: you with this type of pass, I need you to

513
00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,000
Speaker 1: shoot right away, because it's almost like an energy saving

514
00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,240
Speaker 1: play used to do with j R. Smith all the time.

515
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,159
Speaker 1: He does it with KCP still now, but it's like

516
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,480
Speaker 1: Ben McLamore's really quick release is perfect for that. And

517
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,840
Speaker 1: I tend to think, like, I wasn't an amazing, you know,

518
00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,439
Speaker 1: starry debut by any stretch of the imagination, but I

519
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,080
Speaker 1: have a feeling that he's actually going to be one

520
00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:02,280
Speaker 1: of their crunch time eyes when it comes to it, uh,

521
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,600
Speaker 1: like even more than maybe a KCP, just because of

522
00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,159
Speaker 1: the fact that I don't know if you noticed, but

523
00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:11,480
Speaker 1: kcp's defense hasn't been great lately. And and uh, I

524
00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 1: think I think Ben mclimore is a little bit more

525
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,800
Speaker 1: consistent shooting and a little bit better of an athlete.

526
00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:18,560
Speaker 1: I think it gives him a chance to earn some

527
00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,560
Speaker 1: of those minutes, particularly with the closing group. I remained

528
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,840
Speaker 1: very bullish on on Ben mcamore. Yeah, you're really high

529
00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:27,440
Speaker 1: on him. I I don't know if he'll be in

530
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:29,399
Speaker 1: the closing lineup. I think that's gonna be tough. We have.

531
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:31,880
Speaker 1: You know, he's got to beat out Carusoe, KCP, all

532
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:33,919
Speaker 1: those other guards. But yeah, it's just cool. I mean,

533
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,000
Speaker 1: if he's hitting shots, he's gonna play. And um, I

534
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,199
Speaker 1: thought last night it kind of showed. He also hit

535
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:39,720
Speaker 1: all his free throws right, he was like four or

536
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 1: four from the line. He's a good free throw shooter

537
00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:44,159
Speaker 1: as well, just to add into that. And he's really athletic.

538
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,360
Speaker 1: You don't think of him as like some athletic guard,

539
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:47,920
Speaker 1: but I mean he does run up the floor, he

540
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,200
Speaker 1: runs to those corners, he gets to his spots. Um again,

541
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:53,440
Speaker 1: I thought he was pressing last night. And he's another

542
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,240
Speaker 1: guy that I would just temper expectations until Lebron andy

543
00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:57,800
Speaker 1: d you get back because those shots are gonna be

544
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,240
Speaker 1: even more wide open. But um, he had like all

545
00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:02,720
Speaker 1: those passes that like, you can't trap that way that

546
00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,000
Speaker 1: Miami did. If Lebron's on the court, right, you just

547
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:06,719
Speaker 1: can There's no way you can trap like that. So

548
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,280
Speaker 1: last time his shots were a lot more contested. I

549
00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,080
Speaker 1: thought all his threes were pretty contested. I think maybe

550
00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,000
Speaker 1: one was open, but I remember that first one went

551
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,200
Speaker 1: in and out, and he took another really contested one

552
00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,600
Speaker 1: at the corner was also contested. So he'll get open

553
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,640
Speaker 1: looks of the Lakers, and uh, he hit his only

554
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,719
Speaker 1: real open shot, I thought, But yeah, he was. He

555
00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,000
Speaker 1: was good. He's I think it's nice to have someone

556
00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,360
Speaker 1: like we all all played like you don't you don't

557
00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,160
Speaker 1: want someone right behind you, right Ksep knows that, hey,

558
00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,560
Speaker 1: that's his spot, like Casey knows what Ben Malcolmore is

559
00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,479
Speaker 1: there to do, Like he knows that he's a shooter

560
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:36,960
Speaker 1: and if he's not playing well, your minutes will be taken.

561
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,520
Speaker 1: So I think it's nice to have that little healthy

562
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,360
Speaker 1: competition there because Malcolmore is gonna want minutes and it's

563
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:45,560
Speaker 1: it's cool to have another shooter that you can rely

564
00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,960
Speaker 1: on as insurance in case we don't have one going. Yeah,

565
00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,199
Speaker 1: I mentioned in the in the locker room pot uh,

566
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,760
Speaker 1: and I really do feel this way right now already

567
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,640
Speaker 1: Ben McLamore is the best athlete in the back court

568
00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:00,399
Speaker 1: and he's the best shooter in the back work and

569
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,760
Speaker 1: I think that gives him a realistic chance if he

570
00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,560
Speaker 1: embraces the defensive end and if his shot selection kind

571
00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,760
Speaker 1: of matches with what the Lakers ask of him, and

572
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:12,040
Speaker 1: quite frankly, if you make shots, I see him potentially

573
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,719
Speaker 1: being an extremely valuable piece there. Like I mentioned, he

574
00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:18,520
Speaker 1: was actually on that Houston Rockets team, their very best

575
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,520
Speaker 1: catching shoot shooter. And the bottom line is if you

576
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,359
Speaker 1: leave him open, if you leave him open, he's going

577
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,280
Speaker 1: to be in that mid forties forty four percent type

578
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 1: of dude when he's wide open and uh and just

579
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,760
Speaker 1: catching shoot scenarios, he's gonna be around that mark as well.

580
00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:35,920
Speaker 1: If he if he defends anywhere near what his athleticism

581
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,960
Speaker 1: is capable of in this Laker defense, I think he's

582
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:40,439
Speaker 1: gonna be really valuable. And so I I think it

583
00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:44,520
Speaker 1: was a fantastic signing a no brainer fit and uh

584
00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:49,000
Speaker 1: I I mentioned this on Twitter yesterday. I think that, uh,

585
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,880
Speaker 1: I think that, you know, one of the problems last year,

586
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,760
Speaker 1: and it was an organizational down thing, was that they

587
00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 1: would occasionally have some inferior defensive performances where and it

588
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,480
Speaker 1: started with Lebron and a D they'd be a sloppy

589
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,119
Speaker 1: and then all everybody would be really sloppy. And having

590
00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:06,399
Speaker 1: the depth that Ben McLamore brings, having six like bona

591
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,880
Speaker 1: fide guards that can play in your rotation and uh,

592
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,920
Speaker 1: it just adds an accountability to the defensive effort type

593
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:15,680
Speaker 1: of stuff and makes it so that you're you really

594
00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,480
Speaker 1: can't afford to slack off because there's just gonna be

595
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,400
Speaker 1: a better option than you if you're if you're slacking

596
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,080
Speaker 1: on the other end. Um. But yeah, is there anything

597
00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:27,920
Speaker 1: I'm missing from last night's game in particular that was interesting?

598
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:30,960
Speaker 1: Uh No, I mean I thought it was a really

599
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,440
Speaker 1: fun game. I think Miami is just like better equipped

600
00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,040
Speaker 1: than most to kind of switch everything really trapped and

601
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,840
Speaker 1: again without it's funny th HD, I'm a little higher

602
00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:41,399
Speaker 1: I think on TSD than you, But I think he

603
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,680
Speaker 1: would have helped last night another ball handler right. Also

604
00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:45,639
Speaker 1: Kuzma was out. Kuzma was not a ball handler, but

605
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:47,680
Speaker 1: another guy you can throw it to. Uh, to kind

606
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,960
Speaker 1: of mitigate those Allphonso MCKINNI, Malcolm Moore minutes where it's

607
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:52,720
Speaker 1: just really tough to kind of stay upfloat and then

608
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,080
Speaker 1: Jimmy Butler took over. What she's gonna do. I thought

609
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,600
Speaker 1: it was funny, like Andre Drummond switched on him. Jim

610
00:26:57,640 --> 00:26:59,879
Speaker 1: Butler take a contested midrange jumper. I thought that was

611
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,280
Speaker 1: the defense, but they just hit it and he said like,

612
00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,439
Speaker 1: don't do that or something like that, don't switch. So

613
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,119
Speaker 1: that was kind of fun those I see them stay competitive.

614
00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:08,919
Speaker 1: They could have They could have folded a few times, right,

615
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:13,200
Speaker 1: Miami went up like ten or eleven. Oladipo looked like fine,

616
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,600
Speaker 1: I guess before he got hurt. Sadly he got hurt late.

617
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,040
Speaker 1: But I thought they defended really well. Um and they

618
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,320
Speaker 1: kind of I mean, they kind of held Jimmy Butler

619
00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,000
Speaker 1: bam too. A little bit of their averages, which all

620
00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:24,960
Speaker 1: which is all you can ask in in that kind

621
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,720
Speaker 1: of game. And uh, no one really went went too

622
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,119
Speaker 1: crazy on them. So they had a shot, which is

623
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:31,600
Speaker 1: all you can ask and that kind of I thought

624
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:34,000
Speaker 1: the fouls though, I mean, it was just weird. When

625
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,880
Speaker 1: you give up eighteen three Tholles in the first quarter,

626
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:38,439
Speaker 1: it's kind of tough to catch up to that, Like

627
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,919
Speaker 1: it's the game is just that's that's really tough to

628
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:43,439
Speaker 1: kind of mitigate as the game goes on. So, uh,

629
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,600
Speaker 1: if they can not do that against Brooklyn, they're not

630
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,159
Speaker 1: gonna be favorite at all against Brooklyn, But um, they

631
00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,200
Speaker 1: if they can just keep it close, why not give

632
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,240
Speaker 1: him a chance. Yeah. I liked their chances against Brooklyn

633
00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:58,320
Speaker 1: a lot more when Katie wasn't playing right. But yeah,

634
00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:00,400
Speaker 1: the competition has been the most impro us a thing

635
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,000
Speaker 1: to me as well. Like, you know, after their first

636
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,879
Speaker 1: couple of games without Lebron and A d Uh, you know,

637
00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:07,760
Speaker 1: in one of our pods, we talked about how the

638
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,800
Speaker 1: team just didn't really feel like they could win. There

639
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,600
Speaker 1: wasn't like that aura that surrounded the team for them

640
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,280
Speaker 1: to go in there last night down basically four of

641
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:19,520
Speaker 1: their top five offensive shock Craders literally Lebron and A. D.

642
00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 1: Kuzma and talent Norton Tucker and basically Ride with a

643
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,760
Speaker 1: bunch of defenders and and Dennis Shrewder and to compete

644
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,920
Speaker 1: like that and don't forget like that was a I

645
00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:30,919
Speaker 1: don't want to say a must win for Miami, but

646
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,720
Speaker 1: it was a really important game for Miami because they're

647
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,600
Speaker 1: in the middle of a big standings battle and they

648
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:39,400
Speaker 1: just tricked off a game to Memphis at home. We're

649
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:41,280
Speaker 1: Memphis basically just took it to him and beat him

650
00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:44,400
Speaker 1: by like twelve I think so like it was one

651
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:46,600
Speaker 1: of those games where I guarantee you Eric Spoils Strew,

652
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,440
Speaker 1: Jimmy Butler and all the guys in that locker room

653
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,320
Speaker 1: were like, we gotta get this one. And the Lakers

654
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,880
Speaker 1: came in their severely undermanned and and we're within three

655
00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,760
Speaker 1: points halfway through the third quarter, halfway through the fourth quarter.

656
00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:58,920
Speaker 1: So I agree with you. I've been I've been super

657
00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:00,600
Speaker 1: impressed with this team. I was looking at the schedule

658
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:03,960
Speaker 1: yesterday and uh, correct me if I'm wrong. But the

659
00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:06,840
Speaker 1: remaining games, it was Miami, and then it was like Brooklyn,

660
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:08,880
Speaker 1: and then it was like the New York Knicks, and

661
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:13,200
Speaker 1: then the Boston Celtics, and then there was one more

662
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,440
Speaker 1: in there. I can't remember exactly what it was, but

663
00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,160
Speaker 1: they were all relatively winnable games. Do you remember, Yeah,

664
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,120
Speaker 1: I think they play the Hornets before they play the Celtics.

665
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:27,440
Speaker 1: I think that sounds But like, so basically this five

666
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,920
Speaker 1: game stretch before Lebron and Adie hopefully come back on

667
00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,240
Speaker 1: the seventeen, Like I was like like two weeks. God

668
00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:34,720
Speaker 1: never would have thought they could win these games, but

669
00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,120
Speaker 1: all of them are possible. I mean, I think Brooklyn

670
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,040
Speaker 1: beat him, but I mean they can absolutely beat Charlotte.

671
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,960
Speaker 1: Charlotte without Gordon Hayward and without LaMelo Ball Um, Boston

672
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,360
Speaker 1: is basically regress to a five hundred basketball team, which

673
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,520
Speaker 1: is which is ridiculous. And and then the New York

674
00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:51,520
Speaker 1: Knicks are basically more or less the same team as

675
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:54,960
Speaker 1: the Lakers. They're just an extremely well coached, extremely physical,

676
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,320
Speaker 1: defensive oriented team that doesn't have a lot of shot creations.

677
00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:02,120
Speaker 1: So it'll be kind of a battle of of matching archetypes. Uh.

678
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,000
Speaker 1: And so I think you know, there are four and six,

679
00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,560
Speaker 1: there's four games left potentially in this stretch. If they

680
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:11,200
Speaker 1: somehow get to you know, six and six and eight

681
00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:13,960
Speaker 1: in that stretch, that would be such a huge win.

682
00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,560
Speaker 1: Um to have Lebron and Nadi come back. UM. And

683
00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 1: then obviously LEBRONI a D back will They'll probably come

684
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,320
Speaker 1: with some sort of limited minutes type of deal. And

685
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:29,360
Speaker 1: having having the the the ability to play basketball without

686
00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:32,240
Speaker 1: them these two that they've built up over the stretch

687
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,320
Speaker 1: gives them the ability to kind of ease Lebron and

688
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:36,320
Speaker 1: a D back into it, and I think that sets

689
00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,120
Speaker 1: them up for success. Yeah, if they can just at

690
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:40,920
Speaker 1: least get one of them back, Like if a D

691
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,120
Speaker 1: comes back in that Celtics game, it would kind of

692
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,320
Speaker 1: level the talent gap that's been that's been going on

693
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,120
Speaker 1: right because a lot of these teams are just in

694
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,600
Speaker 1: Miami just has way more talent. It's kind of going

695
00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:51,320
Speaker 1: down the line. I think they can kind of match

696
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 1: challenge with New York and probably the Hornets as well.

697
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:55,080
Speaker 1: But like you know, if you just get one of

698
00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:57,240
Speaker 1: them back, you kind of mitigated And yeah, six and

699
00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:59,080
Speaker 1: eight is great. People were asking if they were gonna

700
00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,400
Speaker 1: win lose twelve and row and I think we talked

701
00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:03,280
Speaker 1: about it. That was never gonna happen. They were never

702
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:06,080
Speaker 1: gonna go on some crazy losing straight. The team's defense

703
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,640
Speaker 1: is too good, um, But yeah, I'd be exciting if

704
00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:10,040
Speaker 1: you get one in the back. A lot of people

705
00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:12,880
Speaker 1: are going off Lebron's Instagram post where he's like, you know,

706
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,760
Speaker 1: I think he said something really corny about the rain

707
00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,120
Speaker 1: He's coming soon or something like that where he said

708
00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:21,000
Speaker 1: they'll they'll bull will be back soon. But yeah, like

709
00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,760
Speaker 1: I think they'll be great and a d I think

710
00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:25,719
Speaker 1: really came into the season we talked about a lot,

711
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,680
Speaker 1: like he really like slowly walked himself through what you

712
00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,080
Speaker 1: could tell he was not excited to come back that soon.

713
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,480
Speaker 1: So I think a nice break will give him some rush,

714
00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,120
Speaker 1: some like urgency into it, even if it's on a

715
00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,200
Speaker 1: minute restriction, you know. But I think he'll come back

716
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:43,120
Speaker 1: playing hard and kind of show who he is. I mean,

717
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,760
Speaker 1: he's been passed up in the media by every big

718
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,880
Speaker 1: you know, they have your kitchen beat all those dudes

719
00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,320
Speaker 1: above them, and we talked about this, he's talented enough

720
00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:52,520
Speaker 1: to be number one on that kind of list. So um,

721
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,400
Speaker 1: I think he'll come back with some urgency and just

722
00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 1: give take some of the pressure off of Dennis Shrewder,

723
00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,960
Speaker 1: off of you know, all those other guys that are

724
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,760
Speaker 1: creating shots when they shouldn't be. So um. Yeah, if

725
00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,240
Speaker 1: they get him back by by the fifteen, and we'll

726
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:07,520
Speaker 1: have fans back by then as well. Hopefully that kind

727
00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:09,720
Speaker 1: of changes the home court as Staples as well, So

728
00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,120
Speaker 1: all that kind of goes into it. And uh, it'd

729
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:13,840
Speaker 1: be cool if if he comes back soon. If they

730
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:15,120
Speaker 1: can get at least I think they can get the

731
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,560
Speaker 1: Knicks and Hornets game. I don't think they'll get the

732
00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:20,080
Speaker 1: Brooklyn game. I mean that's not really fair, but yeah,

733
00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:23,840
Speaker 1: I think the Hornets and the the Knicks game is

734
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:28,360
Speaker 1: definitely winnable. Yeah, if and that would be that would

735
00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:30,800
Speaker 1: get enough to make this entire operation of success. And

736
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:33,480
Speaker 1: then if you somehow managed because the Cellist game is

737
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,200
Speaker 1: on the fifteenth and Mark Steins of the a D

738
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,080
Speaker 1: might come back on the seventeenth. Now who knows when

739
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:38,680
Speaker 1: they're coming back. I mean it might even be further

740
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,480
Speaker 1: than that. But yeah, like stealing a couple more is

741
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:44,760
Speaker 1: enough to make this a resounding success. Before we moved

742
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:46,440
Speaker 1: to the Katie Podcast, I wanted to get your thoughts

743
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:51,640
Speaker 1: on just a couple of league wide things, so I

744
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,240
Speaker 1: U I had a take from earlier in the season

745
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:57,560
Speaker 1: about how I thought that Phoenix was better than Utah.

746
00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,720
Speaker 1: I mean, the main reason was just because of the

747
00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:03,040
Speaker 1: fact that I thought that their roster made more sense

748
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,840
Speaker 1: for what I usually think is going to become a

749
00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,200
Speaker 1: successful playoff team, right because they've got a bunch of

750
00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,200
Speaker 1: these switchable wings. Like they didn't even play Michael Bridges

751
00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,360
Speaker 1: much at the end of the uh at the end

752
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,640
Speaker 1: of the the Utah game because they favored the shooting

753
00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,720
Speaker 1: with Cam Johnson. But Michael Bridges is not a bad option,

754
00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,080
Speaker 1: and he can shoot the ball, and uh, Cam Johnson

755
00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:26,360
Speaker 1: has just been defending so well that they've been opting

756
00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:28,600
Speaker 1: for him instead of Michale and their crunch time lineups.

757
00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,160
Speaker 1: But their crunch time line ups they're basically playing like

758
00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:36,040
Speaker 1: Jay Crowder big switching forward. They're playing DeAndre Ayton, who

759
00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:40,080
Speaker 1: who actually has defended pretty well. Uh. He took a

760
00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 1: couple of bad shots at the end of that overtime game,

761
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,440
Speaker 1: but like more or less he's developed into what like

762
00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:48,640
Speaker 1: at least a serviceable center that they can play in

763
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:50,760
Speaker 1: that lineup. And then they just took turns with Chris

764
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:54,600
Speaker 1: Paul and Devin Booker, these two alpha dog superstars, and

765
00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:56,440
Speaker 1: and they just got I thought they got better shots

766
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,400
Speaker 1: than Utah. Donovan Mitchell, as great as he is, went

767
00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,040
Speaker 1: full West broken that game. And it's like there were

768
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,360
Speaker 1: there were times where it actually made more sense to

769
00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:06,520
Speaker 1: go to Bugdanovitch because he had a better matchup or

770
00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:10,399
Speaker 1: whatever it was. And you know, I think, I think

771
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:12,360
Speaker 1: that's gonna be the death of Utah as they just

772
00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,359
Speaker 1: leaned too heavily on Donovan Mitchell. But I thought that

773
00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:18,560
Speaker 1: you Phoenix lost to the Clippers last night. It was

774
00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,360
Speaker 1: textbook tail end of a back to back. They shot

775
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,200
Speaker 1: like crap from three. Their defense wasn't quite where it was.

776
00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:27,680
Speaker 1: The Clippers shot the lights out. It wasn't as much

777
00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:30,000
Speaker 1: of a meaningful matchup. In my opinion, I thought it

778
00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,120
Speaker 1: was really impressive what they did to Utah. Um, they

779
00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:35,480
Speaker 1: really won that game in regulation if it wasn't for

780
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,879
Speaker 1: a crazy little spurt from Donovan Mitchell at the end,

781
00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:41,200
Speaker 1: and then they out executed them in overtime pretty convincingly.

782
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:45,720
Speaker 1: Their roster just makes sense to me as a playoff roster.

783
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,840
Speaker 1: They got the alpha dogs, that got all the switching wings,

784
00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:52,319
Speaker 1: They've got a physical presence inside they they they have

785
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:56,880
Speaker 1: everything they need. I would say that they are like

786
00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:00,560
Speaker 1: right up there with Denver as like this second and

787
00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:03,120
Speaker 1: third best teams in the West went healthy. I'd go

788
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,759
Speaker 1: Lakers one I'd go Phoenix in Denver. I'd have the

789
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,319
Speaker 1: Clippers right below them, although I do think there's still

790
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,239
Speaker 1: a good match up for the Lakers. What did you

791
00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:13,360
Speaker 1: What did you think? Did you watch that Son's Jazz

792
00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:15,719
Speaker 1: game at all? I did? Yeah, it's really it's really

793
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:17,480
Speaker 1: fascinating because, like we talked about, a lot of the

794
00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:19,879
Speaker 1: playoffs are all matchup kind of dependent, right. I mean,

795
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,400
Speaker 1: Utah was blowing through the regular season. They're on a

796
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,640
Speaker 1: back to back as well the other night and they

797
00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:26,920
Speaker 1: blew out Portland's because I think it's a bad matchup

798
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,799
Speaker 1: for them, but the shots that Utah gives up is

799
00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:31,840
Speaker 1: like what Chris Paul wants, right, Like I follow some

800
00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:33,680
Speaker 1: Clipper fans that they are like Chris Paul is love

801
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,600
Speaker 1: playing Utah since you know two thousand and fourteen. Remember

802
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,520
Speaker 1: Gobert was drafted because they played this drop coverage Goberts

803
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:41,279
Speaker 1: in the back. Now back, Gobert can switch a little

804
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:43,479
Speaker 1: bit more than he used to, but still he's giving

805
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:45,640
Speaker 1: up that mid range jumper, and that's exactly what Chris

806
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:48,200
Speaker 1: Paul wants. That's exactly what Devin Booker wants. And those

807
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:51,120
Speaker 1: two come off little screens from Eton and he gets

808
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:52,839
Speaker 1: a little mid range jumper and he hit a few

809
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,880
Speaker 1: to kind of ice the game, I think against against Utah.

810
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:59,080
Speaker 1: So that's a fascinating matchup. I think they're really close together.

811
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,600
Speaker 1: Like I don't think there's a a gap between Phoenix

812
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:04,120
Speaker 1: and Utah. I think Denver is like a little bit

813
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,319
Speaker 1: right above them, and I put the Clippers right there

814
00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,560
Speaker 1: as well. So that's a hell of the top three

815
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:10,960
Speaker 1: or four in the West. Um and all those teams.

816
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:12,960
Speaker 1: My only issue with Phoenix, I don't know about what

817
00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,360
Speaker 1: you think, is like they play a lot of young guys. Like,

818
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,720
Speaker 1: there's a lot of young guys on that team. DeAndre

819
00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:20,200
Speaker 1: Aden is what in his second or third year. Devin

820
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:23,560
Speaker 1: Brooker is about his first playoffs, um, and Den brook

821
00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:26,000
Speaker 1: is awesome, but again his first playoffs. UM, Michael Bridges

822
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,640
Speaker 1: as a young dude. Cam Johnson looks eighteen like out there,

823
00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:32,719
Speaker 1: like he looks absolutely he looks for really young out there.

824
00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:35,200
Speaker 1: So that's the only issue with Phoenix is that they

825
00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:37,560
Speaker 1: play a lot of really young guys. I think, sorry,

826
00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:40,000
Speaker 1: h at the five is kind of is an interesting

827
00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,319
Speaker 1: thing for them that they run a lot UM. I

828
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,040
Speaker 1: thought that the Clippers really attack that, So yeah, I

829
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,200
Speaker 1: like the Phoenix team. I like Utah. I think that's

830
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:50,400
Speaker 1: a toss up series honestly, Like, I think that's pretty close.

831
00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:53,120
Speaker 1: Um Denver as well. So that's the only issue. What

832
00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:54,640
Speaker 1: do you do you think that's an issue of Phoenix,

833
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,919
Speaker 1: Like I see them playing a lot of really young

834
00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:59,120
Speaker 1: young guys, which I mean it should be fine. They're

835
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,239
Speaker 1: very switchable and on defense there they can shoot, but

836
00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:05,080
Speaker 1: definitely issue when I go into a seven game like

837
00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:08,759
Speaker 1: playoff series with them. The reason why I'm not necessarily

838
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:12,080
Speaker 1: worried about it is I think that, um, I think

839
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:16,960
Speaker 1: that the Chris Paul element kind of outweighs that. You know,

840
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,080
Speaker 1: I'll give you an example, like they weren't young players,

841
00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,120
Speaker 1: but the Lakers picked up a lot of players last

842
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,719
Speaker 1: year that people just didn't think we're gonna amount too much.

843
00:37:27,719 --> 00:37:30,960
Speaker 1: But when you when there's an organization down, you know,

844
00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:35,399
Speaker 1: expectation of certain things that I think that I think

845
00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:37,759
Speaker 1: that everybody just kind of lives up to that expectation

846
00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,279
Speaker 1: out of necessity. And I think, like you know, if

847
00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:44,080
Speaker 1: you think about the things that are translatable to the playoffs, right,

848
00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:46,719
Speaker 1: like you, uh, you need to have something, you need

849
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,480
Speaker 1: to have a functioning defense, Well, the Suns have a

850
00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,319
Speaker 1: great defense. They're that that's going to translate. Well, it's

851
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:55,520
Speaker 1: not like their youth is going to suddenly sap them

852
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,880
Speaker 1: of the ability to defend in a playoff series. And

853
00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:03,680
Speaker 1: then your SuperStar's ability to create extremely high end shots

854
00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:06,759
Speaker 1: also translates to the playoffs. And you know, we don't

855
00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:09,920
Speaker 1: know about Booker right, Like we have no idea what

856
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:13,160
Speaker 1: he looks like in a playoff game. However, I've seen

857
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:16,640
Speaker 1: enough basketball to know, like, like, how I tell me

858
00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:18,520
Speaker 1: he's not going to be better than Jamal Murray in

859
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:20,839
Speaker 1: a playoff series, Like the only thing Jamal Murray has

860
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:24,279
Speaker 1: over him his reps. And I would argue that that,

861
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:28,480
Speaker 1: I would argue that Booker is actually significantly better, Like

862
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:31,160
Speaker 1: he's just not significantly, but he's a better player. And

863
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:32,920
Speaker 1: I think I think that that gives him the ability

864
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:36,839
Speaker 1: to tap into the same type of of looks that

865
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,600
Speaker 1: Jamal Murray gets in a playoff series. And so I

866
00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:42,080
Speaker 1: think they I think they make a ton of sense. Now.

867
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:45,040
Speaker 1: I do think it was interesting when they put Royce

868
00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:49,120
Speaker 1: O'Neil on Devin Booker. He wasn't able to get separation

869
00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:53,879
Speaker 1: as much, and uh, he did some work in overtime

870
00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,640
Speaker 1: against Mitchell where he got to a shot from the

871
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:58,759
Speaker 1: free throw line and he got a couple of good

872
00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,279
Speaker 1: looks um but Mitchell at the end of regulation forced

873
00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,080
Speaker 1: him into that tough step back. The point being they

874
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:07,400
Speaker 1: forced him into really tough shots. I thought the higher

875
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,040
Speaker 1: quality shots that got down the stretch was actually Chris

876
00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:13,000
Speaker 1: Paul and pick and roll and even then, like even then,

877
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,360
Speaker 1: like he there was one where Rudy Gobert like was

878
00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:17,600
Speaker 1: kind of there and then dropped away on the baseline

879
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:19,520
Speaker 1: and Chris Paul made it. And then there were a

880
00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:21,759
Speaker 1: couple that Rudy Gobert got really good contests on and

881
00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:24,720
Speaker 1: he missed. And so when I think about the Lakers

882
00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:29,040
Speaker 1: defending him, you know, chances are Booker is gonna be

883
00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:31,920
Speaker 1: going up against someone along the lines of Wesley Matthews,

884
00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:33,920
Speaker 1: a guy that he's not gonna be able to physically bully,

885
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:36,279
Speaker 1: and he's going to force him into tough shots. And

886
00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,960
Speaker 1: then with Chris Paul, what the Lakers are gonna do

887
00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:42,600
Speaker 1: is they're going to pound him from behind on those

888
00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:45,560
Speaker 1: pick and rolls, so he'll he won't be able to

889
00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:48,759
Speaker 1: get into his shot because Dennis Shooter is gonna chase

890
00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,160
Speaker 1: him over the top and basically be reaching down over

891
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,560
Speaker 1: the top. The Lakers are really good at forcing guys

892
00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:58,320
Speaker 1: out of any sort of shot attempt, a shot attempt

893
00:39:58,360 --> 00:39:59,600
Speaker 1: in the pick and roll. It's actually one of the

894
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:03,000
Speaker 1: biggest strengths, at least from a guard. They have weaknesses

895
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,120
Speaker 1: when it comes to bigger wings guys that can take

896
00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,239
Speaker 1: advantage of their smaller guards, But they're really good at

897
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:11,000
Speaker 1: taking the dames and the steps and and those kinds

898
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,799
Speaker 1: of guys out of their game with their picking roll

899
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,920
Speaker 1: coverage is being so aggressive over the top of the screen.

900
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,759
Speaker 1: And so I I think the Lakers are still a

901
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:24,160
Speaker 1: good matchup for them. Yeah. Uh, when you actually break

902
00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:27,040
Speaker 1: it down to matchups, they're good against everybody, right, Like

903
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,920
Speaker 1: I mean, the Lakers can take Rudy Gobert out of

904
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:32,520
Speaker 1: the paint by just having Anthony Davis spot up shoot,

905
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:34,960
Speaker 1: and they can chase guys off the three point line

906
00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:36,799
Speaker 1: with the best in the league. So that kind of

907
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:38,839
Speaker 1: cancels out a lot of what Utah does really well.

908
00:40:39,239 --> 00:40:42,560
Speaker 1: And I think that in and from an i Q standpoint,

909
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:45,600
Speaker 1: I just trust Lebron to out execute Donovan Mitchell at

910
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,520
Speaker 1: the end of a playoff game, I just do. And

911
00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:49,560
Speaker 1: then you look at Phoenix, like I just said, they

912
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:51,720
Speaker 1: can chase Chris Paul over the top of the screens,

913
00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:54,239
Speaker 1: and Devin Booker doesn't quite have the size to really

914
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:57,040
Speaker 1: victimize the smaller Laker guards. And then you look at

915
00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:01,399
Speaker 1: Denver Okay, Murray yokes picking Roll, Well, guess what you're

916
00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:03,359
Speaker 1: gonna put Lebron in a D on that now they

917
00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:06,000
Speaker 1: can just switch it. It will literally shut down the action.

918
00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:08,560
Speaker 1: And then on the other end, it's like you want

919
00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:11,520
Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon to guard Lebron, Okay, cool, that means that

920
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,400
Speaker 1: Yokich is gonna guard a d which he can't. And

921
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:16,800
Speaker 1: then someone's gotta guard Drummond. So you're gonna put Yoki

922
00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:19,000
Speaker 1: on Drummond, which means that you're gonna have to put

923
00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:23,080
Speaker 1: Michael Porter Jr. Either On Lebron or on Aaron or

924
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:26,400
Speaker 1: or on Anthony Davis. So there's just they can't guard

925
00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:29,359
Speaker 1: the Lakers. They the matchups that they give up on

926
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:32,640
Speaker 1: the on the defensive end are gonna be significantly worse

927
00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:34,799
Speaker 1: than what the Lakers can do to cancel out a

928
00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,840
Speaker 1: lot of what a lot of what Denver does on

929
00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:40,200
Speaker 1: the other end. The Clippers are the only team where

930
00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:43,440
Speaker 1: you look at the matchups and you go, the Lakers

931
00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,839
Speaker 1: can force Kauai into fade aways, but he might make

932
00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,879
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like he might. You can

933
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:52,880
Speaker 1: force Paul George to take a bunch of jumpers off

934
00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:54,600
Speaker 1: the dribble, but he might make them. And the question

935
00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,680
Speaker 1: just becomes, can the Clippers make enough off the dribble

936
00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,640
Speaker 1: jump shots four games out of seven to be the Lakers?

937
00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:03,240
Speaker 1: I don't think they can, but that is a risk.

938
00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:06,359
Speaker 1: There is an actual potential there for them to get

939
00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:10,560
Speaker 1: that done. And so that's why I like, it's easy

940
00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:12,600
Speaker 1: for me to see the Lakers if they get healthy

941
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,000
Speaker 1: going on a run. They have them the requisite matchups

942
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:20,120
Speaker 1: to win the specific series along the way. And did

943
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,960
Speaker 1: you catch that Clippers um the Clippers Sons game last night?

944
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:27,760
Speaker 1: We would catch the whole thing, Okay, So it's interesting.

945
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:30,160
Speaker 1: I thought at the end, um, they really made a

946
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:32,200
Speaker 1: tough time for Chris Paul. They were switching a lot

947
00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,239
Speaker 1: of their screens, so they had like Paul George and

948
00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:37,080
Speaker 1: Kauai basically switching on them, and then Devin Booker as

949
00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:39,000
Speaker 1: well had to be defending one of the big wings

950
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,520
Speaker 1: and it kind of looked like the Damon c J problem. Right,

951
00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:43,960
Speaker 1: two guards that are a little bit smaller than normal

952
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:46,360
Speaker 1: than regular guards, and that's a tough time getting a

953
00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,320
Speaker 1: shot off. So I thought that was kind of interesting.

954
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:50,239
Speaker 1: And obviously Aiden is not a guy that I don't

955
00:42:50,239 --> 00:42:51,720
Speaker 1: think they want to throw it too in the clutch

956
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:53,560
Speaker 1: right now. But he had a good game. Um, he

957
00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:55,359
Speaker 1: played well. I thought he made zoo box really work.

958
00:42:55,640 --> 00:42:57,839
Speaker 1: Box really works. So I think I think that's their

959
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:00,399
Speaker 1: issue to me with the Phoenix is like he gets

960
00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,120
Speaker 1: to play offf time. You have big wings, uh, big

961
00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:05,400
Speaker 1: strong wings defending these guards, like can they get the

962
00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:08,080
Speaker 1: shot off? Um, they had like Paul George Chase over

963
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:10,040
Speaker 1: the top and then they had their big kind of

964
00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,160
Speaker 1: switch out and defend his jump shots and he couldn't

965
00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 1: really get a shot off at the end of that game.

966
00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:16,360
Speaker 1: And now it's a back to back and I understand,

967
00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:18,399
Speaker 1: like you probably didn't have his legs, but I thought

968
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,399
Speaker 1: that was kind of interesting. So I think they all

969
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:23,680
Speaker 1: have like interesting matchups together. I think your kids probably

970
00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:26,799
Speaker 1: really beats up on Colbert. Um. He plays really well

971
00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:29,319
Speaker 1: against him. So it's all these weird kind of match

972
00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:31,920
Speaker 1: and then Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell turn into like

973
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:34,480
Speaker 1: the second coming of Michael Jordan's when they play each other,

974
00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:37,640
Speaker 1: which is just really strange. But uh, but yeah, they

975
00:43:37,719 --> 00:43:41,480
Speaker 1: both are like really streaky guards with like really strong

976
00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:44,560
Speaker 1: pull up jumpers and when it's going, it's going. So

977
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:46,560
Speaker 1: those are two to match up there will be fun.

978
00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:48,520
Speaker 1: But again, when you have Lebron and a d I

979
00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:51,279
Speaker 1: think that's when that's the big matchup the Lakers have,

980
00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:53,600
Speaker 1: and that's and they have guards that defend really well

981
00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:55,200
Speaker 1: and I think they match up well. But the West

982
00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:57,360
Speaker 1: is really good this year, so it's it's fun to

983
00:43:57,400 --> 00:43:59,919
Speaker 1: see all these teams. It sucks because all these teams

984
00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:02,000
Speaker 1: are pretty much hitting their stride right now, Like you

985
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:04,360
Speaker 1: could see like all the teams trying of figuring out

986
00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:06,440
Speaker 1: what they want to do every night, and the Lakers

987
00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:08,400
Speaker 1: kind of have to postpone that because they don't have

988
00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:10,480
Speaker 1: their team yet. So you're seeing all these teams. Denver's

989
00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:13,640
Speaker 1: playing well, Phoenix, Utah, all these teams are really starting

990
00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:16,520
Speaker 1: to click and figure out their playoff kind of rotation

991
00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:18,239
Speaker 1: and the Lakers kind of have to wait for that.

992
00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:20,719
Speaker 1: But again, they built bit a lot of chemistry last

993
00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:23,560
Speaker 1: year and hopefully that kind of continues. But it's cool

994
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:26,680
Speaker 1: seeing the West being this this good right now, it's

995
00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:30,560
Speaker 1: so good. All these teams are like they're they're legitimately

996
00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:35,920
Speaker 1: like uh five bona fide potential championship contenders in the

997
00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:38,279
Speaker 1: West between Denver, Utah, Phoenix and then the two l

998
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:41,440
Speaker 1: A teams. Um. The the the Blazers are kind of

999
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:43,480
Speaker 1: faltering a bit, but I think they'll figure things out.

1000
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:45,560
Speaker 1: I think Norman Powell makes them better. I just think

1001
00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:47,600
Speaker 1: they haven't really figured out how to integrate him yet.

1002
00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:49,719
Speaker 1: And then and then you know, Dallas is more or

1003
00:44:49,800 --> 00:44:52,239
Speaker 1: less interesting as well. But yeah, I think I think

1004
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:54,480
Speaker 1: the most interesting thing to me with the Lakers is

1005
00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:57,160
Speaker 1: they always have these like aces in the whole that

1006
00:44:57,239 --> 00:44:59,640
Speaker 1: other teams can't go to, putting Lebron in a t

1007
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:01,480
Speaker 1: a D on your two best players so that you

1008
00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:05,120
Speaker 1: can't run pick and roll. Um. I think the Lakers

1009
00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,680
Speaker 1: are by far the best trapping team in the league

1010
00:45:08,680 --> 00:45:11,040
Speaker 1: when it comes to trapping pick and roll. They're so

1011
00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:14,440
Speaker 1: good at making you pick up your dribble fet from

1012
00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:16,880
Speaker 1: the basket and then as soon as the butt dribbles

1013
00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:21,080
Speaker 1: picked up, recovering back and starting this chaotic rotation. So like,

1014
00:45:21,160 --> 00:45:23,759
Speaker 1: even if Chris Paul, who by the way, struggled in

1015
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:26,480
Speaker 1: isolation against the bigger guards against the Clippers last night,

1016
00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:30,080
Speaker 1: even if Chris Paul starts lightening you up, the Lakers

1017
00:45:30,120 --> 00:45:33,640
Speaker 1: can start trapping and so like and and and they

1018
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:35,880
Speaker 1: feel comfortable in that sort of situation. So in a

1019
00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:38,560
Speaker 1: playoff series, the Lakers have these aces in the whole

1020
00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:40,520
Speaker 1: E D at the five where they can create space

1021
00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:43,480
Speaker 1: offensively Lebron and a D on your two best players

1022
00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:45,160
Speaker 1: that you can't switch pick and rolls, and then them

1023
00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:47,600
Speaker 1: their ability to trap pick and rolls with their guards.

1024
00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,800
Speaker 1: I just like their ability to to kind of uh

1025
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:53,879
Speaker 1: have a bunch of different options to attack you defensively.

1026
00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:56,760
Speaker 1: And then now I think they have more than enough shooting.

1027
00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,680
Speaker 1: I mean I do. I I cannot believe how good

1028
00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:03,399
Speaker 1: Mark Morris looks. And he didn't he wasn't shooting well

1029
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:07,279
Speaker 1: from three last night, but like he he's become the

1030
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,480
Speaker 1: guy kind of like Marcus Morris is for the Clippers,

1031
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:13,000
Speaker 1: where like you can't just put a bum on him

1032
00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:16,200
Speaker 1: because he's score like, and I don't want him to

1033
00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:18,000
Speaker 1: shoot too much when Lebron and n A D come back,

1034
00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:21,000
Speaker 1: because that's what hurts the Clippers with Morris sometimes. But

1035
00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:24,520
Speaker 1: I do think that like he's he's just better than

1036
00:46:24,560 --> 00:46:26,080
Speaker 1: he was last year. I don't know if he was

1037
00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:27,800
Speaker 1: just in the gym with his brother all summer or

1038
00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:30,520
Speaker 1: what the deal is. He's better than he was last year. Yeah,

1039
00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:32,839
Speaker 1: he's another VET, kind of like Wes Matthews who started

1040
00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:34,839
Speaker 1: picking up late. You know, that short offseason I think

1041
00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:37,320
Speaker 1: really hurt him. Um and I talked to about it

1042
00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:38,800
Speaker 1: in the summer. I thought getting him for like the

1043
00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:41,400
Speaker 1: vet minimum was robbery, Like like, I don't know how

1044
00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:43,480
Speaker 1: you watch that playoffs and think like he's not a

1045
00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:45,759
Speaker 1: helpful player. I don't know how he didn't. Now maybe

1046
00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:47,759
Speaker 1: the Lakers have something for him this summer. I don't know,

1047
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:49,320
Speaker 1: but like I was just surprised they were able to

1048
00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:52,080
Speaker 1: contain him. And what's amazing is, like you talked about

1049
00:46:52,120 --> 00:46:54,800
Speaker 1: that chaotic nous with the defense right when they trapped

1050
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:57,640
Speaker 1: and they have people running around right now, that's Martie

1051
00:46:57,719 --> 00:47:00,120
Speaker 1: Morris on the back line, Like that's that's who is

1052
00:47:00,160 --> 00:47:02,359
Speaker 1: on the pack line. He's real protecting, he's getting out

1053
00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:04,680
Speaker 1: to shooters. He had Like did you see his defense

1054
00:47:04,719 --> 00:47:07,080
Speaker 1: on Jimmy Butler last night? He had like a really

1055
00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:10,160
Speaker 1: nice contest on Jimmy Butler made him air ball, I think,

1056
00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:12,879
Speaker 1: and uh, I'm just imagining, like that guy turns into

1057
00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:16,160
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis, that guy turns into Lebron James eventually, but

1058
00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:19,080
Speaker 1: right now, it's West. It's a MARKI Morris, you know,

1059
00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:22,279
Speaker 1: fronting out the back line and protecting the rim. And

1060
00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:25,000
Speaker 1: he got ejected last night, and I thought it was funny.

1061
00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:27,600
Speaker 1: But and then his brother got ejected in the next game.

1062
00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:29,440
Speaker 1: But you could tell like he you could tell he

1063
00:47:29,480 --> 00:47:31,719
Speaker 1: cares right like he doesn't he like he doesn't care

1064
00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:33,200
Speaker 1: that A d and Lebron are out. He wanted to

1065
00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,439
Speaker 1: win last night and I thought he got fouled. But again,

1066
00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:37,759
Speaker 1: that was a tough time to get two technicals that

1067
00:47:37,800 --> 00:47:39,520
Speaker 1: kind of put the game away. It was I think

1068
00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:41,240
Speaker 1: it was like a six point game, and then Miami

1069
00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:43,520
Speaker 1: had two free throes and from there was over. But yeah,

1070
00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:46,040
Speaker 1: like his his passion, his fight, He's playing really well.

1071
00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:47,960
Speaker 1: He's another guy that can get his own shot right

1072
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:49,440
Speaker 1: in that starting lineup. He's like, he can give the

1073
00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:51,560
Speaker 1: ball to in the post, doesn't matter who it is.

1074
00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:53,160
Speaker 1: If he has a little bit of a size advantage,

1075
00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:55,200
Speaker 1: she'll hit his little fade away, his pull up. He

1076
00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:57,239
Speaker 1: has a nice to dribble pull up that he goes to.

1077
00:47:57,440 --> 00:48:01,000
Speaker 1: So yeah, he's been playing great. Um. He had a

1078
00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:03,239
Speaker 1: few big threes to kind of stem the tide a

1079
00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:05,879
Speaker 1: little bit and keep the game closed. And it's cool

1080
00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:08,200
Speaker 1: to see him going. That's a good part about this stretch, right.

1081
00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:11,399
Speaker 1: It's gotten some guys going who who wouldn't have been

1082
00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:13,239
Speaker 1: able to because they wouldn't have got the shots. I

1083
00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:15,719
Speaker 1: think like West is able to take five threes a game.

1084
00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,560
Speaker 1: You know, Mark, he was able to hold the ball, dribble,

1085
00:48:18,680 --> 00:48:21,600
Speaker 1: kind of feel feel the rhythm and kind of get going.

1086
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:23,880
Speaker 1: So hopefully that kind of keeps up. And if we

1087
00:48:23,920 --> 00:48:25,880
Speaker 1: had to take a loss to get KCP going, I

1088
00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:27,839
Speaker 1: think everyone would have took it. So if it gets

1089
00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:30,480
Speaker 1: all those three guys going, um, it'll be great when

1090
00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:34,560
Speaker 1: those two those two get back. Yeah, he Mark kif

1091
00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:37,560
Speaker 1: because of his growth defensively this year, I think he

1092
00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:39,560
Speaker 1: looks a little thinner than he did to start the season,

1093
00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:42,040
Speaker 1: a little thinner even than he was last year. He

1094
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:46,719
Speaker 1: gives you just another wing option. Defensively, I don't like

1095
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:49,879
Speaker 1: him defending in space. He's not good against quickness, but

1096
00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:53,279
Speaker 1: That's why he succeeded against Jimmy Butler. Is when it

1097
00:48:53,280 --> 00:48:56,920
Speaker 1: comes to the guards who play like physical offense, like

1098
00:48:56,960 --> 00:48:59,080
Speaker 1: getting beating a guy to a spot and then bumping

1099
00:48:59,120 --> 00:49:02,600
Speaker 1: him off to get to a spot, the uh markief

1100
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:04,200
Speaker 1: just gives you another option there. And so now the

1101
00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:06,760
Speaker 1: Lakers when they get to get to a khil entered matchup,

1102
00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:09,360
Speaker 1: it's used to be like it's just Lebron and Kuzma,

1103
00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:11,880
Speaker 1: but now it's like, there's Lebron, there's Kyle Kuzma. You

1104
00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:13,879
Speaker 1: can always throw Anthony Davis at one of those guys.

1105
00:49:13,920 --> 00:49:15,960
Speaker 1: And then MARKI Morris has turned into more or less

1106
00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,239
Speaker 1: that type of option. And then Wesley Matthews, even though

1107
00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:20,960
Speaker 1: he's short, actually kind of has a gift for guarding bigger,

1108
00:49:20,960 --> 00:49:26,120
Speaker 1: physical forwards. Um. So, I wanted to talk about the

1109
00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:31,200
Speaker 1: the the podcast, the Kevin Durant podcast yesterday, so to

1110
00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,480
Speaker 1: frame this discussion, you and I talked a little bit

1111
00:49:33,480 --> 00:49:36,839
Speaker 1: about this before. Um, but I want to I want

1112
00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:39,759
Speaker 1: to pay Kevin Durant a compliment because you know, most

1113
00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:42,040
Speaker 1: people know I'm a Lebron fan. It's not something I

1114
00:49:42,040 --> 00:49:44,520
Speaker 1: try to hide. He's the guy that got me interested

1115
00:49:44,560 --> 00:49:46,320
Speaker 1: in basketball. So I have a little royalty there, I

1116
00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:49,040
Speaker 1: guess you could call it. But I also love Kevin Durant.

1117
00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:50,480
Speaker 1: I know I don't. People think I hate him, but

1118
00:49:50,520 --> 00:49:52,279
Speaker 1: it's just I've had to root against him over the

1119
00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:54,120
Speaker 1: years and that's not paying the ask because he's really

1120
00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:57,239
Speaker 1: really good. Um, But I think I think he's kind

1121
00:49:57,239 --> 00:49:59,360
Speaker 1: of become the anti Lebron in a lot of ways,

1122
00:49:59,719 --> 00:50:01,439
Speaker 1: in the sense that as much as I love Lebron

1123
00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:03,759
Speaker 1: as a basketball player, like the dude, I find him

1124
00:50:03,760 --> 00:50:06,440
Speaker 1: to be unlikable sometimes in terms of the way he

1125
00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:09,840
Speaker 1: portrays himself to the world because it's very you're meeting

1126
00:50:09,880 --> 00:50:12,880
Speaker 1: his representative, it's very I don't want to say fake,

1127
00:50:13,040 --> 00:50:16,960
Speaker 1: but it's just very like filtered and not genuine all

1128
00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:20,520
Speaker 1: the time. And ever since Kevin Durant had that incident

1129
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:24,120
Speaker 1: with the Burner accounts, this dude is just like here,

1130
00:50:24,160 --> 00:50:26,799
Speaker 1: I here's who I am taking or leave it, And

1131
00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:30,520
Speaker 1: in that podcast, it felt like you were getting unfiltered

1132
00:50:30,600 --> 00:50:35,239
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant, Like you know, I think, like I think

1133
00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:37,920
Speaker 1: when it comes to human beings like that is by

1134
00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:42,800
Speaker 1: far far more or interesting approach. Not pretending like you're perfect,

1135
00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:45,279
Speaker 1: not pretending like you're you don't ever have struggles or

1136
00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:47,279
Speaker 1: that you don't have downsides to your personality. You can

1137
00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:49,239
Speaker 1: be a nice guy and also be an asshole one day.

1138
00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:51,799
Speaker 1: We all have our moments like that, and so I think,

1139
00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:56,520
Speaker 1: like Katie really embracing that genuine this is who I am.

1140
00:50:56,800 --> 00:50:59,680
Speaker 1: I don't care that you're not meeting like a very

1141
00:50:59,719 --> 00:51:03,200
Speaker 1: pitician type of personality. I don't care. This is how

1142
00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:06,080
Speaker 1: I prefer to portray myself. I think it makes him

1143
00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:09,839
Speaker 1: way more likable. And I think, like, honestly, like I think,

1144
00:51:10,360 --> 00:51:12,360
Speaker 1: I think it's it's been really really cool to see

1145
00:51:12,480 --> 00:51:15,400
Speaker 1: and it makes it makes it makes those sorts of

1146
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:17,399
Speaker 1: podcasts and things like that way more fun to listen

1147
00:51:17,400 --> 00:51:19,520
Speaker 1: to because you feel like you're actually getting something out

1148
00:51:19,560 --> 00:51:21,600
Speaker 1: of it and all in all, I just I just

1149
00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:24,799
Speaker 1: thought it was a really entertaining podcast. Yeah. I like

1150
00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:27,440
Speaker 1: how you kind of frame that, because Lebron kind of

1151
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:30,400
Speaker 1: feels like so far right, like like you can't reach

1152
00:51:30,520 --> 00:51:32,800
Speaker 1: Lebron right. You kind of think about he's like playing

1153
00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:34,759
Speaker 1: on the cord, he's doing movies, Like, he's not a

1154
00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:37,680
Speaker 1: guy that's like like you can talk to. I guess

1155
00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:39,920
Speaker 1: Katie is online a lot. He's a guy that I

1156
00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:41,600
Speaker 1: feel like you can feel like you can get a

1157
00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:43,680
Speaker 1: reply from if you reply to him in a certain way,

1158
00:51:43,719 --> 00:51:46,200
Speaker 1: if you come out and respectively or even I guess

1159
00:51:46,200 --> 00:51:48,080
Speaker 1: not respectively. A lot of people come at him really

1160
00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:50,879
Speaker 1: sideways and they get they get responses, but like he's

1161
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:52,560
Speaker 1: just a guy that, like it feels like you can

1162
00:51:52,600 --> 00:51:54,680
Speaker 1: talk to And then that podcast was great. It felt

1163
00:51:54,680 --> 00:51:56,560
Speaker 1: like it felt like a guy you know at the

1164
00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:58,719
Speaker 1: twenty four right, like a guy that you know who

1165
00:51:58,800 --> 00:52:01,200
Speaker 1: plays really well and you can talk ship with after

1166
00:52:01,320 --> 00:52:03,640
Speaker 1: and you could talk about the game with and he's like,

1167
00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:05,759
Speaker 1: he'll be like, oh, yeah, you suck that game, and

1168
00:52:05,840 --> 00:52:07,319
Speaker 1: you know you could like you could talk to him

1169
00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:09,480
Speaker 1: in that way. That's what Kivin Durant came off of.

1170
00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:12,440
Speaker 1: For me, it felt very genuine. It felt like a

1171
00:52:12,480 --> 00:52:14,600
Speaker 1: guy who just wants to hoop. Like he did not

1172
00:52:14,680 --> 00:52:17,520
Speaker 1: sound like this huge guy who has you know, a

1173
00:52:17,640 --> 00:52:21,440
Speaker 1: marketing marketing agency and has you know, shows and you

1174
00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:23,359
Speaker 1: know it's a millionaire whatever. He didn't feel like any

1175
00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:24,640
Speaker 1: of that. I just felt like a normal dude who

1176
00:52:24,640 --> 00:52:27,120
Speaker 1: plays basketball who wants to talk hoops, who was like,

1177
00:52:27,480 --> 00:52:30,040
Speaker 1: who doesn't want to see a graph when he's talking hoops.

1178
00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:32,400
Speaker 1: You know, who doesn't want to see um field goal

1179
00:52:32,520 --> 00:52:35,759
Speaker 1: percentage when he's when we're having a hoop conversation, as

1180
00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:37,560
Speaker 1: he'll say, So it was just really cool to see

1181
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:39,920
Speaker 1: him kind of talk about that, And I think that's important.

1182
00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:42,040
Speaker 1: I think we need guys like that in the media

1183
00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:44,200
Speaker 1: that are out out and because he's the best at

1184
00:52:44,200 --> 00:52:46,279
Speaker 1: what he does, he's a superstar and the stuff that

1185
00:52:46,320 --> 00:52:49,120
Speaker 1: we're talking about, so like it. He knows more than

1186
00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:52,160
Speaker 1: I'll ever forget about basketball. So it's kind of cool

1187
00:52:52,239 --> 00:52:53,719
Speaker 1: to see a guy like that come out in a

1188
00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:56,760
Speaker 1: podcast and be so genuine and have real conversations about

1189
00:52:56,800 --> 00:52:59,400
Speaker 1: what goes on on the court. Well, the fans have

1190
00:52:59,480 --> 00:53:01,480
Speaker 1: something to really gain from it that way. Like that

1191
00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:03,600
Speaker 1: that that's the interesting part to me is like you know,

1192
00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:06,839
Speaker 1: I I feel like like man, like I would love

1193
00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:09,759
Speaker 1: to just sit and talk basketball with him for like

1194
00:53:09,760 --> 00:53:12,040
Speaker 1: an hour and just pick his brain about Like to me,

1195
00:53:12,160 --> 00:53:15,200
Speaker 1: the very interesting thing to him is like, uh, his

1196
00:53:15,560 --> 00:53:18,000
Speaker 1: particularly you know, we jokingly call it the bag, but

1197
00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:21,200
Speaker 1: like his his specific scoring skill set, and like how

1198
00:53:21,239 --> 00:53:23,360
Speaker 1: you developed that over the years, Like what's how do

1199
00:53:23,400 --> 00:53:27,120
Speaker 1: you bridge the gap between like uh, working on something

1200
00:53:27,160 --> 00:53:29,800
Speaker 1: in the gym by yourself, to making it work in practice,

1201
00:53:29,840 --> 00:53:31,799
Speaker 1: to making it work in a game, like what what

1202
00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:34,040
Speaker 1: is what are the thresholds that you try to hit

1203
00:53:34,120 --> 00:53:36,919
Speaker 1: before you try to attempt to do something in a game?

1204
00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:38,759
Speaker 1: You know, all, I think there's so much that I

1205
00:53:38,760 --> 00:53:40,879
Speaker 1: think you can learn from somebody like that when they're

1206
00:53:40,880 --> 00:53:44,160
Speaker 1: actually being genuine. And you know, when Lebrons in a podcast,

1207
00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:46,160
Speaker 1: like when he's with r J and Shanning, like r

1208
00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:48,239
Speaker 1: J and Shanning try really hard to get into open up,

1209
00:53:48,239 --> 00:53:50,960
Speaker 1: but it's just you know, you'll get some jokes out

1210
00:53:50,960 --> 00:53:53,640
Speaker 1: of him. You know, it's just you're always meeting his representative.

1211
00:53:53,680 --> 00:53:57,920
Speaker 1: And I just think, I objectively think that the that

1212
00:53:57,920 --> 00:54:00,799
Speaker 1: the Kevin Durant approach is a more likable approach, even

1213
00:54:00,840 --> 00:54:04,040
Speaker 1: if it does expose you to people talking trash about

1214
00:54:04,040 --> 00:54:06,040
Speaker 1: what you might say on Twitter or things along those lines.

1215
00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:09,040
Speaker 1: When the funny part is is, like you know, the

1216
00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:12,239
Speaker 1: reality is is that's that's the way everybody is. We're

1217
00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:14,360
Speaker 1: just just some people filter it in a different way.

1218
00:54:14,440 --> 00:54:16,560
Speaker 1: And and I don't know, I just think it's likable.

1219
00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:17,840
Speaker 1: But I did want to talk about a couple of

1220
00:54:17,840 --> 00:54:21,000
Speaker 1: things that he specifically mentioned in the podcast so the

1221
00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:23,200
Speaker 1: second part that we'll get to is the analytics part.

1222
00:54:23,719 --> 00:54:25,520
Speaker 1: But the first thing that he said was interesting was

1223
00:54:25,560 --> 00:54:27,120
Speaker 1: he was talking about the Warriors and he was like

1224
00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:31,760
Speaker 1: the two seventeen Warriors and and uh, I think Banski

1225
00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:33,799
Speaker 1: asked him basically something more along the lines of, like,

1226
00:54:34,000 --> 00:54:35,800
Speaker 1: you know, what did it feel like, you know, walking

1227
00:54:35,800 --> 00:54:37,560
Speaker 1: into every gym and just feeling like you were better

1228
00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:40,359
Speaker 1: than everybody and that you were gonna win and and

1229
00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:43,279
Speaker 1: you know, be more or less said felt good, but

1230
00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:47,239
Speaker 1: you also said, like, you know, he also said, like

1231
00:54:47,320 --> 00:54:52,960
Speaker 1: we you know, we weren't uh like physically better than everybody.

1232
00:54:53,120 --> 00:54:57,640
Speaker 1: We outsmarted people and we actually had to play smart

1233
00:54:57,640 --> 00:55:01,080
Speaker 1: basketball to win these games. Now he's not wrong, but

1234
00:55:01,120 --> 00:55:02,680
Speaker 1: this is something This is a bone I've picked with

1235
00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:06,520
Speaker 1: Katie forever. The he always, he had a half dozen

1236
00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:10,040
Speaker 1: different occasions and different podcasts and different formats, has complained

1237
00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:14,440
Speaker 1: about this idea that uh that he approaches the game

1238
00:55:14,480 --> 00:55:17,960
Speaker 1: through a skill perspective and the Lebrons of the world

1239
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:21,680
Speaker 1: approached the game through uh athleticism perspective and they're just

1240
00:55:21,760 --> 00:55:25,040
Speaker 1: physical brutes. And always that always has driven me nuts

1241
00:55:25,080 --> 00:55:27,520
Speaker 1: because it's like, dude, you're seven feet tall, Okay, like

1242
00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:31,759
Speaker 1: when you when you go to your shot, you are

1243
00:55:32,320 --> 00:55:35,440
Speaker 1: it is more or less the same as Lebron bouncing

1244
00:55:35,480 --> 00:55:37,160
Speaker 1: a dude off with his shoulder on his way to

1245
00:55:37,200 --> 00:55:40,200
Speaker 1: the rent. You are. You are leaning on your physical

1246
00:55:40,239 --> 00:55:42,479
Speaker 1: tools to get to your shot. Now. I do think

1247
00:55:42,560 --> 00:55:46,280
Speaker 1: that Kevin Durant has a more polished skill set than Lebron.

1248
00:55:46,320 --> 00:55:47,880
Speaker 1: I think that goes without say is saying we're not

1249
00:55:47,920 --> 00:55:50,200
Speaker 1: gonna sit up here and lie. But at the same

1250
00:55:50,239 --> 00:55:53,680
Speaker 1: time like it, it is his polished skill set in

1251
00:55:53,719 --> 00:55:56,640
Speaker 1: conjunction with what he does physically that allows him to

1252
00:55:56,719 --> 00:55:59,560
Speaker 1: do uh, to do what he does. And I just wish,

1253
00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:01,879
Speaker 1: I wish you'd get off of that hill because it's

1254
00:56:01,880 --> 00:56:04,920
Speaker 1: so frustrating to me to be like, yeah, dude, you're right. Like,

1255
00:56:04,960 --> 00:56:06,960
Speaker 1: you guys had two outsmart people in two thousand and

1256
00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:09,200
Speaker 1: sevent team, but you also were just way better and

1257
00:56:09,680 --> 00:56:12,160
Speaker 1: like and a big reason why you're way better is

1258
00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:14,240
Speaker 1: you had a seven foot tall guy who moves around

1259
00:56:14,239 --> 00:56:17,279
Speaker 1: like Anthony Davis, who can shoot from everywhere, and and

1260
00:56:17,360 --> 00:56:19,080
Speaker 1: that was a big reason why you guys were way

1261
00:56:19,080 --> 00:56:21,680
Speaker 1: better than everybody. In addition to what Stephen in the

1262
00:56:21,719 --> 00:56:24,240
Speaker 1: original Warriors crew could do but I just it bothers

1263
00:56:24,280 --> 00:56:27,240
Speaker 1: me when Kevin Durant like glosses over his physical tools

1264
00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:30,439
Speaker 1: and how he uses them to be a great basketball player. Yeah,

1265
00:56:30,640 --> 00:56:32,160
Speaker 1: it was funny. He was like, yeah, we're not beating

1266
00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:34,080
Speaker 1: you with physicality, We're just smarter than you, which I

1267
00:56:34,160 --> 00:56:36,279
Speaker 1: thought it was kind of funny um that he said that,

1268
00:56:36,360 --> 00:56:38,239
Speaker 1: but yeah, it was. It was cool to see him

1269
00:56:38,280 --> 00:56:40,520
Speaker 1: kind of get into that Warrior's run because he was

1270
00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:43,280
Speaker 1: like teams were complaining like, oh, we're just more talented

1271
00:56:43,560 --> 00:56:45,560
Speaker 1: than you, which I mean, it's kind of true. You

1272
00:56:45,600 --> 00:56:47,920
Speaker 1: have Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Clay Thompson. I mean, you

1273
00:56:47,960 --> 00:56:51,080
Speaker 1: are kind of more talented than everybody. But I mean

1274
00:56:51,120 --> 00:56:52,920
Speaker 1: still like, I like the way he kind of framed

1275
00:56:52,960 --> 00:56:55,120
Speaker 1: it though, where he was kind of annoyed that all

1276
00:56:55,160 --> 00:56:57,440
Speaker 1: people took from that it was a three point shooting, right,

1277
00:56:57,480 --> 00:56:59,480
Speaker 1: because that's what the league took from it. They're like, oh,

1278
00:56:59,600 --> 00:57:01,960
Speaker 1: these are the point shooter, and he brought up He's like,

1279
00:57:02,280 --> 00:57:04,879
Speaker 1: I let the league in midrange pull ups. And then

1280
00:57:04,920 --> 00:57:07,520
Speaker 1: you know the counter to that is like, you're Kevin Durant,

1281
00:57:07,520 --> 00:57:09,320
Speaker 1: you could shoot whatever shot you want. It's going to

1282
00:57:09,400 --> 00:57:11,560
Speaker 1: be an efficient shot. So um, he's like, yeah, but

1283
00:57:11,600 --> 00:57:13,360
Speaker 1: Sean Livingston took them, you know, and he was just

1284
00:57:13,480 --> 00:57:15,719
Speaker 1: he was just kind of going into it. But I

1285
00:57:15,719 --> 00:57:18,000
Speaker 1: think he really, like you could tell he gets annoyed

1286
00:57:18,040 --> 00:57:21,439
Speaker 1: at the like, um, the thought that it was easy, right,

1287
00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:24,520
Speaker 1: Like the thought that um, it just came to them naturally,

1288
00:57:24,520 --> 00:57:27,120
Speaker 1: like they just won the title without working for And

1289
00:57:27,160 --> 00:57:28,760
Speaker 1: you could tell that really bothers him, like it would

1290
00:57:28,760 --> 00:57:30,880
Speaker 1: bother anybody. So, um, that was cool. The way he

1291
00:57:30,960 --> 00:57:32,760
Speaker 1: kind of framed it was like, yeah, we I mean,

1292
00:57:32,760 --> 00:57:35,200
Speaker 1: we're probably more talented, but we're also smarter. We used

1293
00:57:35,200 --> 00:57:37,920
Speaker 1: their our basketball Q was higher, We made the right

1294
00:57:37,960 --> 00:57:40,200
Speaker 1: place right, and you could see today how the Warriors are.

1295
00:57:40,240 --> 00:57:42,560
Speaker 1: They can't run their same offense right did, no matter

1296
00:57:42,600 --> 00:57:45,040
Speaker 1: what what's going on. So it's kind of cool the

1297
00:57:45,120 --> 00:57:47,240
Speaker 1: way he kind of framed it. And he was talking

1298
00:57:47,240 --> 00:57:49,800
Speaker 1: about how like I think he just kept going into

1299
00:57:49,840 --> 00:57:53,200
Speaker 1: that and just he was saying that after after he

1300
00:57:53,320 --> 00:57:55,920
Speaker 1: left the Warriors, I think, and uh, he went to

1301
00:57:56,040 --> 00:57:58,240
Speaker 1: Brooklyn and they were talking about how Kyrie plays right

1302
00:57:58,280 --> 00:58:01,080
Speaker 1: and how Kyrie has this beautiful game and Pyrie's game

1303
00:58:01,160 --> 00:58:06,200
Speaker 1: isn't analytically kind of uh, isn't analytically put up, so

1304
00:58:06,600 --> 00:58:09,240
Speaker 1: it's just a beautiful art that he plays a game with.

1305
00:58:09,360 --> 00:58:11,280
Speaker 1: So I thought it was interesting just the way he

1306
00:58:11,360 --> 00:58:13,160
Speaker 1: kind of went kept going into that, and he was

1307
00:58:13,200 --> 00:58:16,200
Speaker 1: going into how, uh, where is that going with this?

1308
00:58:16,280 --> 00:58:19,000
Speaker 1: But he was going into how like I remember why

1309
00:58:19,040 --> 00:58:20,600
Speaker 1: I was going through this, but like how the analytics

1310
00:58:20,640 --> 00:58:23,480
Speaker 1: kind of don't support everything that's going on and all, oh, yeah.

1311
00:58:23,520 --> 00:58:25,600
Speaker 1: The way I wanted to go is was like he's saying, like,

1312
00:58:25,640 --> 00:58:28,120
Speaker 1: people who shouldn't be shooting like five three's a game

1313
00:58:28,200 --> 00:58:30,480
Speaker 1: are are pulling up like five times a game from three,

1314
00:58:30,560 --> 00:58:33,720
Speaker 1: right because it's a more analytically proven shot when those

1315
00:58:33,720 --> 00:58:35,800
Speaker 1: guys shouldn't be shooting that. So that's where I was

1316
00:58:35,840 --> 00:58:37,000
Speaker 1: kind of going with there, like he was going with

1317
00:58:37,040 --> 00:58:39,200
Speaker 1: the basketball is not played the same way the way

1318
00:58:39,200 --> 00:58:41,520
Speaker 1: it was like when he was going in I think

1319
00:58:41,520 --> 00:58:43,600
Speaker 1: I was rattling for a bit, But no, you're good.

1320
00:58:44,520 --> 00:58:47,960
Speaker 1: I mean they covered so much information in the pod that, like,

1321
00:58:48,000 --> 00:58:50,520
Speaker 1: I mean, like you mentioned like he talked about uh,

1322
00:58:51,120 --> 00:58:54,320
Speaker 1: they talked about analytics in the way that um, uh,

1323
00:58:54,560 --> 00:58:57,320
Speaker 1: like a guy that averages twenty and ten in one

1324
00:58:57,360 --> 00:58:58,880
Speaker 1: team is nowhere near as good as a guy who

1325
00:58:58,920 --> 00:59:00,880
Speaker 1: averages twenty and ten and other, which is all stuff

1326
00:59:00,920 --> 00:59:02,600
Speaker 1: I agree with. I mean, like I always bring up

1327
00:59:02,600 --> 00:59:06,080
Speaker 1: my Collin bastball experience, Like I averaged sixteen and ten

1328
00:59:06,160 --> 00:59:08,200
Speaker 1: as a freshman, and I was a way I was

1329
00:59:08,240 --> 00:59:10,960
Speaker 1: a way worse basketball player then than I was the

1330
00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:14,560
Speaker 1: following year when I averaged like twelve and seven and

1331
00:59:14,640 --> 00:59:16,760
Speaker 1: I made an All Conference team, because I just I

1332
00:59:16,840 --> 00:59:19,440
Speaker 1: was a better basketball player. Everything I did on the

1333
00:59:19,440 --> 00:59:21,320
Speaker 1: floor is more impactful than what I did when I

1334
00:59:21,360 --> 00:59:23,880
Speaker 1: was putting up bigger numbers, And so much has to

1335
00:59:23,880 --> 00:59:26,520
Speaker 1: do with whether or not the stuff is being run

1336
00:59:26,560 --> 00:59:29,080
Speaker 1: directly through you, or if it's being you know, or

1337
00:59:29,080 --> 00:59:31,360
Speaker 1: if you're in a more subsidiary role in all of

1338
00:59:31,400 --> 00:59:33,680
Speaker 1: these different things. I think the biggest thing that he

1339
00:59:33,720 --> 00:59:39,560
Speaker 1: mentioned in the pod that uh that was interesting is

1340
00:59:40,040 --> 00:59:43,280
Speaker 1: he basically said that, uh, that he was using John

1341
00:59:43,320 --> 00:59:46,120
Speaker 1: Hollinger as an example, but he basically said that that

1342
00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:50,240
Speaker 1: the numbers failed to capture the natural flow of a

1343
00:59:50,280 --> 00:59:53,600
Speaker 1: basketball game, and that to me is the most interesting part.

1344
00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:59,080
Speaker 1: Like you there, there's no way to quantify any two

1345
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:03,480
Speaker 1: basketball possessions as the exact same. They aren't. It may

1346
01:00:03,480 --> 01:00:05,920
Speaker 1: be the same play, but you don't know what's been

1347
01:00:05,960 --> 01:00:08,160
Speaker 1: happening immediately before. Then, you don't know what's been happening

1348
01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:10,160
Speaker 1: happening immediately after that. You don't know what kind of

1349
01:00:10,200 --> 01:00:12,600
Speaker 1: coverage the defenses in. You don't know whether or not

1350
01:00:12,720 --> 01:00:15,480
Speaker 1: you've been touching the ball a lot leading into that

1351
01:00:15,520 --> 01:00:17,480
Speaker 1: moment so you've got a good rhythm, or if you're

1352
01:00:17,520 --> 01:00:19,560
Speaker 1: coming in cold off the bench, or if there's a

1353
01:00:19,560 --> 01:00:21,200
Speaker 1: lot of pressure, if there's not a lot of pressure,

1354
01:00:21,200 --> 01:00:24,480
Speaker 1: whatever it is, everything is different, and and you know,

1355
01:00:24,720 --> 01:00:26,720
Speaker 1: that's why I think it's so important to not be

1356
01:00:26,840 --> 01:00:30,880
Speaker 1: thinking about numbers while you're playing unless it comes naturally

1357
01:00:30,920 --> 01:00:32,640
Speaker 1: to you, you know, Like, for instance, I'll get like

1358
01:00:32,720 --> 01:00:35,880
Speaker 1: Jayson Tatum has done a really good job of adding

1359
01:00:35,880 --> 01:00:38,360
Speaker 1: his side step three to his game as opposed to

1360
01:00:38,400 --> 01:00:41,480
Speaker 1: a traditional like pump fake ononderable pull up getting to

1361
01:00:41,560 --> 01:00:44,720
Speaker 1: like eighteen feet, and so because he's done it so

1362
01:00:44,760 --> 01:00:47,200
Speaker 1: many times, it feels natural for him, you know. But

1363
01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:48,760
Speaker 1: there are a lot of guys who do that where

1364
01:00:48,760 --> 01:00:51,600
Speaker 1: they'll over pursue a three at the expense of and

1365
01:00:51,680 --> 01:00:54,680
Speaker 1: easier shot, and it doesn't feel natural, and it takes

1366
01:00:54,720 --> 01:00:55,880
Speaker 1: them out of their flow. It takes him out of

1367
01:00:55,880 --> 01:00:59,160
Speaker 1: the rhythm and they'll miss, and you know that that's

1368
01:00:59,320 --> 01:01:01,360
Speaker 1: that's the thing we have to always factor in. There

1369
01:01:01,440 --> 01:01:06,120
Speaker 1: is is uh the way that each possession has to

1370
01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:08,480
Speaker 1: be kind of viewed within its own prism. And you know,

1371
01:01:08,640 --> 01:01:10,240
Speaker 1: one of the things that I think Kevin Durant kind

1372
01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:12,400
Speaker 1: of glosses over, and this is where it brings me

1373
01:01:12,440 --> 01:01:14,400
Speaker 1: back to the physical stuff that he's talking about, you know,

1374
01:01:14,440 --> 01:01:18,040
Speaker 1: being smarter and being more skilled versus being a physical brute. Well,

1375
01:01:18,080 --> 01:01:21,400
Speaker 1: the reality is is like if you ask Kevin Durant, like, dude,

1376
01:01:21,440 --> 01:01:23,600
Speaker 1: if you get to your spot, what's the difference between

1377
01:01:23,600 --> 01:01:27,400
Speaker 1: you making and missing? Usually it's how fatigued you are.

1378
01:01:28,200 --> 01:01:31,960
Speaker 1: Did you get into separation? Like is the defender bumping

1379
01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:33,600
Speaker 1: you as you're kind of going up into your shot,

1380
01:01:33,640 --> 01:01:35,919
Speaker 1: causing you to lose a little bit of balance. All

1381
01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:38,000
Speaker 1: of that is part of the physicality of basketball in

1382
01:01:38,040 --> 01:01:40,080
Speaker 1: the way that it plays out and jump shooting and

1383
01:01:40,200 --> 01:01:44,120
Speaker 1: in other skilled moves. You know, if you were to

1384
01:01:44,240 --> 01:01:47,360
Speaker 1: break down a Lakers net series, never in a million

1385
01:01:47,400 --> 01:01:49,200
Speaker 1: years or you're gonna get the Lakers a chance based

1386
01:01:49,240 --> 01:01:53,400
Speaker 1: on their art form and what they do as skilled

1387
01:01:53,440 --> 01:01:57,080
Speaker 1: basketball players. However, you know, the idea is is when

1388
01:01:57,120 --> 01:01:59,960
Speaker 1: push comes to shove and it's nine in the four

1389
01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:02,840
Speaker 1: worth quarter of Game two of the Finals. The idea

1390
01:02:03,000 --> 01:02:07,080
Speaker 1: is is that we've wear down Kevin and James and

1391
01:02:07,160 --> 01:02:10,440
Speaker 1: Kyrie at the point of attack on rebounds the other end,

1392
01:02:10,480 --> 01:02:12,840
Speaker 1: when they have to guard all of these things, we've

1393
01:02:12,880 --> 01:02:15,800
Speaker 1: been wearing them down so that when Kevin Durant hits

1394
01:02:15,840 --> 01:02:18,600
Speaker 1: Kyle Kuzma with a wicked spin move at the top

1395
01:02:18,600 --> 01:02:21,520
Speaker 1: of the key, game tied at ninety five minutes left,

1396
01:02:21,560 --> 01:02:24,280
Speaker 1: he just doesn't quite get the same amount of lift.

1397
01:02:24,720 --> 01:02:28,400
Speaker 1: He just isn't quite on balance. And it's not like

1398
01:02:28,440 --> 01:02:30,280
Speaker 1: when he's in the gym by himself working on the game.

1399
01:02:30,280 --> 01:02:32,439
Speaker 1: It's different. And that's what causes guys to miss those

1400
01:02:32,480 --> 01:02:34,880
Speaker 1: types of shots. And and that's where you gain the

1401
01:02:34,920 --> 01:02:38,080
Speaker 1: advantage back, is uh where on the other end, the

1402
01:02:38,160 --> 01:02:41,000
Speaker 1: Lakers are kind of more embracing that physicality and they're

1403
01:02:41,000 --> 01:02:43,440
Speaker 1: actually using that to their advantage by getting all the

1404
01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:46,440
Speaker 1: way to the rim and shots that aren't gonna miss

1405
01:02:46,880 --> 01:02:49,560
Speaker 1: when you're a little bit more physical. Uh. And so

1406
01:02:49,600 --> 01:02:51,400
Speaker 1: I think that I think that that was interesting, but

1407
01:02:51,480 --> 01:02:55,360
Speaker 1: I I I do think his larger point though that

1408
01:02:55,440 --> 01:03:00,160
Speaker 1: like uh that John Oliver coming into the league or

1409
01:03:00,240 --> 01:03:03,120
Speaker 1: John Holliger excuse me, coming into the league, and it

1410
01:03:03,200 --> 01:03:05,480
Speaker 1: kind of started that movement. And and this is the

1411
01:03:05,520 --> 01:03:08,480
Speaker 1: last thing I'll say about it, Like, you know, the

1412
01:03:08,560 --> 01:03:12,160
Speaker 1: problem is ego, because these guys that do all the numbers,

1413
01:03:12,200 --> 01:03:14,400
Speaker 1: they're smart. They're smart guys like these are guys that

1414
01:03:14,440 --> 01:03:17,840
Speaker 1: are really hard in school. They've worked really hard at school,

1415
01:03:17,880 --> 01:03:19,880
Speaker 1: they've studied. You know, a lot of these guys have like,

1416
01:03:20,000 --> 01:03:22,440
Speaker 1: you know, statistics degrees or you know, they're you know,

1417
01:03:22,440 --> 01:03:24,360
Speaker 1: computer scientists or whatever it is that they bring to

1418
01:03:24,400 --> 01:03:27,360
Speaker 1: the table. These dudes are you know, there they are

1419
01:03:27,400 --> 01:03:30,400
Speaker 1: amongst the nerds, they are the best of the nerds,

1420
01:03:30,680 --> 01:03:34,800
Speaker 1: and so they have egos, and so they don't handle

1421
01:03:35,400 --> 01:03:41,040
Speaker 1: well the idea of someone like me who has experienced

1422
01:03:41,080 --> 01:03:43,400
Speaker 1: these sorts of things or Kevin who has experienced at

1423
01:03:43,400 --> 01:03:46,040
Speaker 1: at a much higher level, looking at them in the

1424
01:03:46,080 --> 01:03:48,960
Speaker 1: face and being like, no, dude, you're wrong, Like this

1425
01:03:49,040 --> 01:03:53,280
Speaker 1: isn't how it goes, whereas super analytical thinker who has

1426
01:03:53,320 --> 01:03:56,400
Speaker 1: a giant ego is gonna be like, now you're you're

1427
01:03:56,600 --> 01:03:58,880
Speaker 1: lying in the face of data. And I think that's

1428
01:03:58,880 --> 01:04:01,560
Speaker 1: where the gap kind of rows is just that that

1429
01:04:01,800 --> 01:04:05,520
Speaker 1: ego that these guys have matching up with an ego

1430
01:04:05,720 --> 01:04:09,720
Speaker 1: that's not derived from athlete, from academics, but rather from athletics.

1431
01:04:09,720 --> 01:04:13,040
Speaker 1: And it's just a classic like jerks, a nerds versus

1432
01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:16,800
Speaker 1: jocks kind of kind of debate. Yeah, he put it

1433
01:04:16,800 --> 01:04:20,520
Speaker 1: pretty eloquently. He said, like, like those guys, obviously John

1434
01:04:20,560 --> 01:04:22,560
Speaker 1: Holliday get in the league opened it up, opened up

1435
01:04:22,560 --> 01:04:24,160
Speaker 1: careers for a lot of people, right, and that's a

1436
01:04:24,160 --> 01:04:26,920
Speaker 1: good thing. Like we have more people getting opportunities, you

1437
01:04:26,920 --> 01:04:28,880
Speaker 1: know what I mean. But like he the way that

1438
01:04:28,920 --> 01:04:31,360
Speaker 1: he put it was like they don't they can't understand

1439
01:04:31,440 --> 01:04:34,600
Speaker 1: the encore game, so they can only understand it through

1440
01:04:34,640 --> 01:04:36,600
Speaker 1: the numbers, right, So that's the only way they can

1441
01:04:36,600 --> 01:04:38,640
Speaker 1: process the game. Right, Like we say, a lot of

1442
01:04:38,640 --> 01:04:40,800
Speaker 1: people are watching these games on Excel sheets, right, like

1443
01:04:40,840 --> 01:04:43,240
Speaker 1: because you can't watch thirty teams at once, it's impossible,

1444
01:04:43,520 --> 01:04:45,200
Speaker 1: but they have they have to have opinions on all

1445
01:04:45,280 --> 01:04:49,000
Speaker 1: thirty all thirty teams, so that when that happens, Uh,

1446
01:04:48,760 --> 01:04:51,560
Speaker 1: I have someone at my door, but once, but when

1447
01:04:51,600 --> 01:04:54,720
Speaker 1: but when that happens, that you have you have these

1448
01:04:54,720 --> 01:04:56,720
Speaker 1: guys that can only understand it through numbers, So it

1449
01:04:56,760 --> 01:04:59,520
Speaker 1: makes it tough for it makes it tough for that

1450
01:04:59,520 --> 01:05:02,160
Speaker 1: that to kind of blend together. But my favorite part

1451
01:05:02,160 --> 01:05:04,600
Speaker 1: of the pod was you brought up the you brought

1452
01:05:04,640 --> 01:05:07,280
Speaker 1: up the fatigue part of it, right. And so when

1453
01:05:07,480 --> 01:05:09,320
Speaker 1: when Katie talked about it, he said the game has

1454
01:05:09,400 --> 01:05:12,600
Speaker 1: changed because he was watching. He was watching the Nets

1455
01:05:12,600 --> 01:05:15,440
Speaker 1: play the Hawks, I think from the sidelines, and he

1456
01:05:15,520 --> 01:05:19,080
Speaker 1: was seeing how, um, they went ten straight possessions. Each

1457
01:05:19,160 --> 01:05:22,560
Speaker 1: team shot ten times or something without stopping, and he's like, man,

1458
01:05:22,600 --> 01:05:24,680
Speaker 1: I know these guys are tired, which I think is

1459
01:05:24,720 --> 01:05:26,960
Speaker 1: really fascinating because you think the game is slower now,

1460
01:05:26,960 --> 01:05:29,080
Speaker 1: a lot of fouls, a lot of replays. But he

1461
01:05:29,120 --> 01:05:30,800
Speaker 1: was saying he was watching and like he was seeing

1462
01:05:31,200 --> 01:05:33,560
Speaker 1: each team go like ten straight possessions of time out

1463
01:05:33,560 --> 01:05:35,880
Speaker 1: and shooting, and how he's like, man, I know that

1464
01:05:35,920 --> 01:05:37,840
Speaker 1: they're tired. I know that there's no way they have

1465
01:05:37,880 --> 01:05:39,280
Speaker 1: their legs in their shots. So I thought that was

1466
01:05:39,320 --> 01:05:41,240
Speaker 1: interesting that he was saying, like the game is actually

1467
01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:43,560
Speaker 1: a lot faster now. You have to process the game

1468
01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:46,480
Speaker 1: a lot quicker. Teams are shooting way quicker in the

1469
01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:49,480
Speaker 1: shot cloth. There's no more running the offense around and

1470
01:05:49,520 --> 01:05:51,480
Speaker 1: it's just whoever gets the open three pulls it up

1471
01:05:51,480 --> 01:05:53,080
Speaker 1: and you have to run back. So what do you

1472
01:05:53,120 --> 01:05:54,960
Speaker 1: think about that part? I thought that was really interesting

1473
01:05:54,960 --> 01:05:56,720
Speaker 1: when he said, like, the game is kind of really

1474
01:05:56,760 --> 01:06:01,480
Speaker 1: different now, it's so much faster than it was before. Well,

1475
01:06:01,520 --> 01:06:04,560
Speaker 1: he's right, he's right, and it's something that I've talked

1476
01:06:04,560 --> 01:06:08,440
Speaker 1: about at length on Twitter, just this idea that the

1477
01:06:09,120 --> 01:06:13,200
Speaker 1: game is far more athletic and mobile than it ever

1478
01:06:13,280 --> 01:06:15,480
Speaker 1: has been. He connected it to injuries, which I think

1479
01:06:15,560 --> 01:06:18,240
Speaker 1: is fascinating. I don't know that that are necessarily connected

1480
01:06:18,240 --> 01:06:20,360
Speaker 1: because I tend to think that injuries are more connected

1481
01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:24,840
Speaker 1: to UH managing wear and tear, and like the reality

1482
01:06:24,960 --> 01:06:28,160
Speaker 1: is is, you know, we should be able to as

1483
01:06:28,200 --> 01:06:30,880
Speaker 1: a as a league, we should be able to do

1484
01:06:30,920 --> 01:06:34,360
Speaker 1: a better job of monitoring wear and tear to prevent injuries.

1485
01:06:34,720 --> 01:06:36,720
Speaker 1: But at the same time, like but he but at

1486
01:06:36,720 --> 01:06:39,360
Speaker 1: the same time, like he's right, Like there there is

1487
01:06:39,400 --> 01:06:41,200
Speaker 1: something to be said about the fact that you know,

1488
01:06:41,680 --> 01:06:44,000
Speaker 1: you know, seven bodies in the paint on any given

1489
01:06:44,000 --> 01:06:45,960
Speaker 1: possession like it was in the eighties isn't going to

1490
01:06:46,120 --> 01:06:49,760
Speaker 1: resemble athletically, you know what what what what people have

1491
01:06:49,840 --> 01:06:53,000
Speaker 1: been dealing with UH in this era, And I do

1492
01:06:53,080 --> 01:06:56,000
Speaker 1: think there's some truth to that, but I mean more

1493
01:06:56,080 --> 01:06:57,880
Speaker 1: or less, like I tend to think these things will

1494
01:06:57,920 --> 01:07:01,720
Speaker 1: even out like uh, throughout NBA history if you just so,

1495
01:07:01,800 --> 01:07:04,360
Speaker 1: just if you google NBA league averages, it takes you

1496
01:07:04,400 --> 01:07:07,000
Speaker 1: to a basketball reference page that just kind of lays

1497
01:07:07,000 --> 01:07:11,880
Speaker 1: down statistical, uh, the landmarks from year to year. And

1498
01:07:11,960 --> 01:07:15,000
Speaker 1: if you look like paces, like pace kind of just

1499
01:07:15,240 --> 01:07:17,200
Speaker 1: goes up and down, and it goes up and down,

1500
01:07:17,280 --> 01:07:20,040
Speaker 1: and and what it usually reins it in is defense,

1501
01:07:20,160 --> 01:07:22,880
Speaker 1: Like defenses just get really like the pace is really

1502
01:07:22,880 --> 01:07:25,880
Speaker 1: heavy right now. But then just wait until teams completely

1503
01:07:25,880 --> 01:07:29,480
Speaker 1: forego offensive rebounding to get back in transition, and all

1504
01:07:29,520 --> 01:07:31,280
Speaker 1: of a sudden, it's going to make more sense to

1505
01:07:32,120 --> 01:07:36,720
Speaker 1: uh to uh uh to change your approach because all

1506
01:07:36,720 --> 01:07:39,919
Speaker 1: of a sudden, the transition opportunities aren't there, or vice versa.

1507
01:07:40,000 --> 01:07:44,320
Speaker 1: Like a team might you know, uh heavily emphasized offensive

1508
01:07:44,360 --> 01:07:46,040
Speaker 1: rebounding and make it so that if you do run

1509
01:07:46,080 --> 01:07:48,600
Speaker 1: in transition, you give up offensive rebounds. Like there are

1510
01:07:48,600 --> 01:07:50,560
Speaker 1: a bunch of different aspects to it, but the league

1511
01:07:50,600 --> 01:07:53,040
Speaker 1: always finds a way to correct itself. And I do

1512
01:07:53,120 --> 01:07:55,520
Speaker 1: I do think it's fascinating that teams like Utah and

1513
01:07:55,560 --> 01:07:57,520
Speaker 1: the Lakers and teams that have had a lot of

1514
01:07:57,520 --> 01:08:01,120
Speaker 1: success this year defensively have done so by taking away

1515
01:08:01,120 --> 01:08:04,320
Speaker 1: the three point line and making it so that, uh,

1516
01:08:04,440 --> 01:08:06,320
Speaker 1: you know, teams have to take shots that they're not

1517
01:08:06,360 --> 01:08:08,680
Speaker 1: comfortable with, whether it's in the mid range or driving

1518
01:08:08,720 --> 01:08:11,680
Speaker 1: into all of their centers. And I I've always found

1519
01:08:11,680 --> 01:08:14,440
Speaker 1: that sort of that dynamic to be super interesting. And

1520
01:08:14,840 --> 01:08:16,240
Speaker 1: for the record, I think this is what's going to

1521
01:08:16,320 --> 01:08:20,320
Speaker 1: make the uh uh, the Lakers Nets Finals, if it happens,

1522
01:08:20,360 --> 01:08:23,799
Speaker 1: be so interesting because it is a super conflicting style

1523
01:08:24,240 --> 01:08:27,400
Speaker 1: type of thing. Because the Lakers do run when they

1524
01:08:27,439 --> 01:08:30,760
Speaker 1: have Lebron and Marcusol in the game, but they run

1525
01:08:30,840 --> 01:08:32,640
Speaker 1: from the standpoint and they have their wings run the

1526
01:08:32,680 --> 01:08:35,400
Speaker 1: floor and they'll just throw giant outlet passes that they'll

1527
01:08:35,479 --> 01:08:37,840
Speaker 1: they'll have Anthony Davis leak out for like quick post

1528
01:08:37,920 --> 01:08:41,559
Speaker 1: ups and things like that. Um, but you know, in

1529
01:08:41,600 --> 01:08:43,439
Speaker 1: relation to the rest of the league, they don't run

1530
01:08:43,479 --> 01:08:45,720
Speaker 1: all that much. And then Brooklyn's up and down and

1531
01:08:45,800 --> 01:08:48,439
Speaker 1: up and down, so like it'll be it'll be interesting.

1532
01:08:48,439 --> 01:08:52,360
Speaker 1: And then physicality versus skill and you know, supreme offensive

1533
01:08:52,360 --> 01:08:55,080
Speaker 1: talent versus a team that is, you know, arguably the

1534
01:08:55,120 --> 01:08:57,519
Speaker 1: best defensive team of this era and all of that

1535
01:08:57,600 --> 01:08:59,840
Speaker 1: just kind of like kind of matching into this like

1536
01:09:00,560 --> 01:09:04,800
Speaker 1: kind of an immovable object running into the unstoppable force

1537
01:09:04,960 --> 01:09:08,599
Speaker 1: kind of thing, right, and and like for the Lakers,

1538
01:09:08,640 --> 01:09:11,800
Speaker 1: I mean it was funny, like hearing hearing the players

1539
01:09:11,360 --> 01:09:14,720
Speaker 1: perspective is always awesome. Because Austin Rivers had played on

1540
01:09:14,760 --> 01:09:16,920
Speaker 1: the Rockets last year, right, so he was on the

1541
01:09:16,920 --> 01:09:19,040
Speaker 1: team with James Harden in the playoffs in the bubble,

1542
01:09:19,439 --> 01:09:21,400
Speaker 1: and he did a podcast and he was saying, like,

1543
01:09:21,680 --> 01:09:24,080
Speaker 1: h during the end of that Rocket series, like he

1544
01:09:24,120 --> 01:09:26,479
Speaker 1: was getting switched on a Dwight Howard right, Like he's

1545
01:09:26,520 --> 01:09:28,360
Speaker 1: in and Joy Howard's not a good post player, but

1546
01:09:28,400 --> 01:09:30,040
Speaker 1: he's like, dude, what am I doing? Like what am

1547
01:09:30,080 --> 01:09:32,280
Speaker 1: I doing on Dwight Howard? Like this makes no sense.

1548
01:09:32,479 --> 01:09:34,519
Speaker 1: Dwight Howard just catching just dumping in. So I thought

1549
01:09:34,520 --> 01:09:36,160
Speaker 1: it was funny, like we see these all these matchups

1550
01:09:36,200 --> 01:09:39,320
Speaker 1: and switching, and sometimes it's really just comes down to like, look,

1551
01:09:39,320 --> 01:09:41,400
Speaker 1: this guy is way bigger than me, Like why are

1552
01:09:41,400 --> 01:09:43,800
Speaker 1: we switching everything? So I think it's funny to see

1553
01:09:43,800 --> 01:09:45,960
Speaker 1: in like a Nets kind of Lakers matchup, like the

1554
01:09:46,000 --> 01:09:47,800
Speaker 1: Nets are gonna play small. I mean, they just have to.

1555
01:09:47,960 --> 01:09:50,439
Speaker 1: There's they can't really match up with a D Drummond,

1556
01:09:50,479 --> 01:09:52,920
Speaker 1: Marcusol all that, So it's gonna be like and like

1557
01:09:52,960 --> 01:09:55,280
Speaker 1: you said, like kind of wearing them down through a series.

1558
01:09:55,360 --> 01:09:57,680
Speaker 1: I mean, like if you watch Katie in the playoffs,

1559
01:09:57,680 --> 01:09:59,519
Speaker 1: you watch those guys when he was obviously not on

1560
01:09:59,560 --> 01:10:01,960
Speaker 1: the Warrior, but you know those Oklahoma City teams, Um,

1561
01:10:02,000 --> 01:10:04,000
Speaker 1: they struggled like down the stretch, and I think that's

1562
01:10:04,000 --> 01:10:06,720
Speaker 1: because those dudes are tired at the hand. Those midrange

1563
01:10:06,920 --> 01:10:10,120
Speaker 1: fadeaway jumpers aren't as clean in the fourth quarter with

1564
01:10:10,120 --> 01:10:12,200
Speaker 1: with uh with a little bit of time left, and

1565
01:10:12,240 --> 01:10:14,519
Speaker 1: I think all that kind of matters. It's why Lebron

1566
01:10:14,960 --> 01:10:16,799
Speaker 1: to get to the rim is probably the most important

1567
01:10:17,080 --> 01:10:19,519
Speaker 1: skill in basketball. You know, it's the most important thing

1568
01:10:19,520 --> 01:10:21,439
Speaker 1: that Lebron does. He's able to get to the basket

1569
01:10:21,720 --> 01:10:24,240
Speaker 1: and create from there, and I think that's where the

1570
01:10:24,280 --> 01:10:26,639
Speaker 1: battle would be. You know, the Nets have enough offensive

1571
01:10:26,640 --> 01:10:30,040
Speaker 1: firepower where it might not really matter who's tired because

1572
01:10:30,040 --> 01:10:32,479
Speaker 1: they have three mega superstars who can score the ball.

1573
01:10:32,520 --> 01:10:35,639
Speaker 1: But I think that's an interesting point. Like obviously basketball

1574
01:10:35,680 --> 01:10:37,760
Speaker 1: is not played as we say on an Excel spreadsheet,

1575
01:10:37,800 --> 01:10:39,800
Speaker 1: so it's it's kind of funny see Katie kind of

1576
01:10:39,840 --> 01:10:42,120
Speaker 1: talk about it, and Uh with Draymond Green, he was

1577
01:10:42,160 --> 01:10:44,559
Speaker 1: another guy. I love what Draymond said. He's like, they

1578
01:10:44,560 --> 01:10:46,799
Speaker 1: called me a tweener, and I wanted them to forever

1579
01:10:47,000 --> 01:10:49,840
Speaker 1: regret to ever use that term. And it's kind of

1580
01:10:49,840 --> 01:10:51,639
Speaker 1: cool because you don't go and you don't go play

1581
01:10:51,680 --> 01:10:53,960
Speaker 1: at fitness and like, I need a power forward, I

1582
01:10:54,000 --> 01:10:56,240
Speaker 1: need a center, I need a shooting guard. You don't

1583
01:10:56,280 --> 01:10:58,559
Speaker 1: do that. You just go and you pick five players

1584
01:10:58,560 --> 01:11:00,519
Speaker 1: to go play basketball with us to have a guy

1585
01:11:00,560 --> 01:11:02,720
Speaker 1: who's tall. But I mean, I like how Draymond kind

1586
01:11:02,720 --> 01:11:04,240
Speaker 1: of fit that. I was like, you know, these guys

1587
01:11:04,240 --> 01:11:07,000
Speaker 1: are just way too worried about shooting a percentages and

1588
01:11:07,040 --> 01:11:09,080
Speaker 1: stuff like that instead of just playing the game. So

1589
01:11:09,240 --> 01:11:12,920
Speaker 1: it was a cool podcast listen to. I thought he

1590
01:11:13,000 --> 01:11:16,240
Speaker 1: made a really interesting point about how the tweener is

1591
01:11:16,280 --> 01:11:18,840
Speaker 1: extinct now in the sense that like there's no such

1592
01:11:18,840 --> 01:11:21,360
Speaker 1: thing as a tweener because positionless basketball is kind of

1593
01:11:21,400 --> 01:11:24,960
Speaker 1: taken over. Um. One last thing I wanted to say

1594
01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:27,960
Speaker 1: before we get you out of here. Uh. This was

1595
01:11:28,040 --> 01:11:31,280
Speaker 1: from the little chat that they had run in this morning,

1596
01:11:31,640 --> 01:11:35,439
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant and UH and on the on Twitter, and

1597
01:11:35,520 --> 01:11:39,599
Speaker 1: so someone asked basically like, are you worried about are

1598
01:11:39,640 --> 01:11:45,040
Speaker 1: you worried at all about the UM integrating everybody back

1599
01:11:45,040 --> 01:11:47,120
Speaker 1: in together when you guys haven't played together in so long?

1600
01:11:47,760 --> 01:11:49,879
Speaker 1: And how and how that might translate to the playoffs,

1601
01:11:49,920 --> 01:11:52,120
Speaker 1: And basically it was like we all got high basketball

1602
01:11:52,120 --> 01:11:56,240
Speaker 1: accues and and the bottom line is is that like

1603
01:11:56,240 --> 01:11:59,360
Speaker 1: like for really smart basketball players, it doesn't take long

1604
01:11:59,400 --> 01:12:01,720
Speaker 1: to figure things is out and and and you know,

1605
01:12:01,800 --> 01:12:03,840
Speaker 1: I think I thought that that was really interesting because

1606
01:12:03,880 --> 01:12:05,400
Speaker 1: I think it's something to keep in mind with the

1607
01:12:05,479 --> 01:12:08,599
Speaker 1: Lebron bringing Lebron back on board and bringing Anthony Davis

1608
01:12:08,600 --> 01:12:12,680
Speaker 1: back on board, having like a brain like Lebron involved

1609
01:12:12,720 --> 01:12:15,280
Speaker 1: with that process just makes it a lot a lot smoother.

1610
01:12:15,720 --> 01:12:18,120
Speaker 1: And you know, and uh, come to think of it, like,

1611
01:12:18,800 --> 01:12:21,839
Speaker 1: you know, the really interesting thing that this is actually

1612
01:12:21,880 --> 01:12:25,120
Speaker 1: something that popped up in a podcast yesterday they listened

1613
01:12:25,120 --> 01:12:27,679
Speaker 1: to is Ryan Rissilo, and he basically was talking about

1614
01:12:27,680 --> 01:12:31,960
Speaker 1: how he would rather have an average defense in a

1615
01:12:32,040 --> 01:12:35,759
Speaker 1: super elite offense than an average offense in a super

1616
01:12:35,760 --> 01:12:38,840
Speaker 1: elite defense, which I thoroughly disagree with. And the reason

1617
01:12:38,880 --> 01:12:41,880
Speaker 1: why I disagree with it is that it's not about

1618
01:12:42,000 --> 01:12:44,200
Speaker 1: because if you think of it from a math perspective,

1619
01:12:44,320 --> 01:12:46,439
Speaker 1: it's the same, right, Like, all you need to do

1620
01:12:46,600 --> 01:12:48,880
Speaker 1: is score more points than your opponent, So who cares

1621
01:12:48,880 --> 01:12:50,760
Speaker 1: if you're doing it by giving them up or by

1622
01:12:50,760 --> 01:12:53,280
Speaker 1: scoring them on the other end Like that, that shouldn't

1623
01:12:53,280 --> 01:12:55,840
Speaker 1: make a difference, right in theory. But when you're trying

1624
01:12:55,880 --> 01:13:00,160
Speaker 1: to take regular season data and translate it to the playoffs,

1625
01:13:00,600 --> 01:13:03,560
Speaker 1: you have to look at the stuff that usually translates

1626
01:13:03,560 --> 01:13:06,679
Speaker 1: well and historically in the NBA, in the n b A,

1627
01:13:07,280 --> 01:13:10,679
Speaker 1: the thing that translates best to the playoffs is elite

1628
01:13:10,760 --> 01:13:13,240
Speaker 1: high end defense, which is why the team that wins

1629
01:13:13,240 --> 01:13:15,920
Speaker 1: the championship is almost always an elite high end defense.

1630
01:13:16,240 --> 01:13:19,320
Speaker 1: The reality is is like you look at a James

1631
01:13:19,600 --> 01:13:23,000
Speaker 1: James Harden has a history of his offensive game tailing

1632
01:13:23,040 --> 01:13:25,720
Speaker 1: off in the postseason. You know, Kevin Durant outside of

1633
01:13:25,720 --> 01:13:28,200
Speaker 1: those years in Golden State, has a history of his

1634
01:13:28,320 --> 01:13:32,920
Speaker 1: efficiency tailing off in the postseason. These guys that it

1635
01:13:33,080 --> 01:13:35,840
Speaker 1: is much more difficult to do what you do offensively

1636
01:13:35,880 --> 01:13:39,759
Speaker 1: in a playoff environment. However, defensively, it's the same job.

1637
01:13:40,120 --> 01:13:43,720
Speaker 1: There's nothing that changes about it. The the other team

1638
01:13:43,760 --> 01:13:46,200
Speaker 1: might make or miss more based on your physicality and

1639
01:13:46,240 --> 01:13:48,280
Speaker 1: what the refs allow and things along those lines. But

1640
01:13:48,400 --> 01:13:50,839
Speaker 1: you are doing the same thing defensively in the defense

1641
01:13:50,840 --> 01:13:52,639
Speaker 1: in the postseason that you do in the regular season,

1642
01:13:52,680 --> 01:13:56,120
Speaker 1: it translates better. And then the other thing too, is uh,

1643
01:13:56,280 --> 01:13:58,880
Speaker 1: when you look at offense, the things that translate to

1644
01:13:58,920 --> 01:14:03,200
Speaker 1: the postseason offensive are things at the rim. You you

1645
01:14:03,280 --> 01:14:07,760
Speaker 1: never have to worry about, you know, a physical, aggressive

1646
01:14:07,760 --> 01:14:10,880
Speaker 1: offense at the rim becoming less effective in the postseason

1647
01:14:11,000 --> 01:14:15,280
Speaker 1: unless you are an absolute brute force offensive player that

1648
01:14:15,360 --> 01:14:17,439
Speaker 1: does nothing but go to the rim. Think of Janice

1649
01:14:17,520 --> 01:14:20,080
Speaker 1: guys along those lines, where then a defense can kind

1650
01:14:20,080 --> 01:14:21,559
Speaker 1: of scheme for it. But if you can get to

1651
01:14:21,560 --> 01:14:24,360
Speaker 1: the rim in addition to a well balanced offense, and

1652
01:14:24,520 --> 01:14:26,960
Speaker 1: if you can defend at an extremely high level, those

1653
01:14:27,000 --> 01:14:29,240
Speaker 1: things will translate more. Which is why I would rather

1654
01:14:29,280 --> 01:14:32,600
Speaker 1: have an elite defense with an average offense than the opposite,

1655
01:14:32,880 --> 01:14:35,599
Speaker 1: because I can count on that elite defense remaining elite

1656
01:14:35,640 --> 01:14:38,120
Speaker 1: in the postseason in a way that the offense might

1657
01:14:38,160 --> 01:14:41,240
Speaker 1: not necessarily. Yeah, exactly, I think that's the way to

1658
01:14:41,280 --> 01:14:43,639
Speaker 1: look at it too. And shots can fall or not fall,

1659
01:14:43,680 --> 01:14:46,200
Speaker 1: you know, in the playoffs, and I think defense kind

1660
01:14:46,200 --> 01:14:48,800
Speaker 1: of it doesn't change, but the intensity goes up. Right,

1661
01:14:48,840 --> 01:14:51,559
Speaker 1: you're more intense defensively. Those those shots that are open

1662
01:14:52,200 --> 01:14:54,800
Speaker 1: for like three seconds might be open for one second now, right,

1663
01:14:54,800 --> 01:14:57,000
Speaker 1: Like can you shoot in the playoffs? It's like why

1664
01:14:57,040 --> 01:14:59,519
Speaker 1: guy like Lou Williams always really struggles. He's one of

1665
01:14:59,520 --> 01:15:02,120
Speaker 1: the worst play off numbers um in league history because

1666
01:15:02,120 --> 01:15:04,720
Speaker 1: his jumpers just aren't as open when they get to

1667
01:15:04,760 --> 01:15:07,120
Speaker 1: the playoffs. And I think there's a playoff shooting and

1668
01:15:07,160 --> 01:15:09,880
Speaker 1: regular season shooting. I think that's true. I think that's

1669
01:15:09,920 --> 01:15:13,080
Speaker 1: when Milwaukee struggled as well. Now they've changed up their offense.

1670
01:15:13,080 --> 01:15:14,559
Speaker 1: They drew Holiday is a little bit more of an

1671
01:15:14,600 --> 01:15:17,960
Speaker 1: isolation score. But you know, in their past playoffs, be honest,

1672
01:15:17,960 --> 01:15:20,400
Speaker 1: would kick out and those those threes just aren't as

1673
01:15:20,439 --> 01:15:22,960
Speaker 1: open for those shooters, so they instead of shooting forty

1674
01:15:23,000 --> 01:15:25,280
Speaker 1: percent of the shoot like you know, thirty thirty three,

1675
01:15:25,280 --> 01:15:27,720
Speaker 1: thirty four percent from three, and that really impacts the

1676
01:15:27,720 --> 01:15:31,800
Speaker 1: whole game. So I feel like defense translates better. I mean,

1677
01:15:31,840 --> 01:15:35,080
Speaker 1: there's all these cliches, defense wins championships all that. Now

1678
01:15:35,080 --> 01:15:37,400
Speaker 1: those are, uh, the still cliches, but you know, the

1679
01:15:37,560 --> 01:15:39,880
Speaker 1: cliches for a reason. I think that doesn't matter. Um

1680
01:15:39,960 --> 01:15:41,680
Speaker 1: and again, in the playoffs, you kind of are going

1681
01:15:41,720 --> 01:15:43,439
Speaker 1: to lean on your stars, right, Your stars are gonna

1682
01:15:43,439 --> 01:15:46,040
Speaker 1: create every shot. I feel like the offensive ratings to

1683
01:15:46,120 --> 01:15:49,400
Speaker 1: the regular season kind of can be misleading, especially like

1684
01:15:49,439 --> 01:15:51,519
Speaker 1: teams that are beating up on bad teams and stuff

1685
01:15:51,560 --> 01:15:53,439
Speaker 1: like that can really can really hurt you. But if

1686
01:15:53,439 --> 01:15:55,559
Speaker 1: your defense is consistent, I think that can stick. I

1687
01:15:55,600 --> 01:15:59,000
Speaker 1: think that's a hundred percent more important. Um. Then obviously

1688
01:15:59,000 --> 01:16:01,200
Speaker 1: you need a good offense. Oh, but I think if

1689
01:16:01,240 --> 01:16:04,160
Speaker 1: your defense is like the teams don't usually win a

1690
01:16:04,240 --> 01:16:07,679
Speaker 1: championship without being top ten and defense at least, I believe.

1691
01:16:07,720 --> 01:16:09,360
Speaker 1: I think those were the numbers. The nets are going

1692
01:16:09,400 --> 01:16:12,080
Speaker 1: to test that this year for sure. But yeah, I

1693
01:16:12,080 --> 01:16:14,400
Speaker 1: think I think defense definitely is more more important going

1694
01:16:14,520 --> 01:16:17,639
Speaker 1: going to the playoffs. Yeah, we're on the same page,

1695
01:16:17,640 --> 01:16:19,080
Speaker 1: all right, man, Did you have anything more you wanted

1696
01:16:19,080 --> 01:16:22,519
Speaker 1: to add today? I think that's it, and I'll just

1697
01:16:22,560 --> 01:16:25,120
Speaker 1: say that we're planning to do locker room on Monday

1698
01:16:25,280 --> 01:16:28,680
Speaker 1: at uh yes, I think at seven. So make sure

1699
01:16:28,680 --> 01:16:31,360
Speaker 1: you download the locker Room app. I think it's only

1700
01:16:31,360 --> 01:16:34,280
Speaker 1: for iPhone users for right now, but yeah, make sure

1701
01:16:34,320 --> 01:16:37,719
Speaker 1: download that would be there on their round seven pm Pacific.

1702
01:16:37,800 --> 01:16:40,080
Speaker 1: I think that's when the NIXT game should end, so yeah,

1703
01:16:40,080 --> 01:16:42,320
Speaker 1: and then the game starts at four thirty. I'm sure

1704
01:16:42,400 --> 01:16:44,120
Speaker 1: Roger and I'll be tweeting through it, and then we'll

1705
01:16:44,120 --> 01:16:46,559
Speaker 1: do a locker room after. But thank you guys so

1706
01:16:46,640 --> 01:16:49,240
Speaker 1: much for listening the podcast version. I'm literally gonna put

1707
01:16:49,240 --> 01:16:51,840
Speaker 1: it up right now, so give me like fifteen minutes, Roger,

1708
01:16:51,920 --> 01:16:54,599
Speaker 1: I always appreciate your time as usual. I hope everybody

1709
01:16:54,600 --> 01:16:56,240
Speaker 1: has a great weekend and we will see you guys

1710
01:16:56,240 --> 01:16:58,040
Speaker 1: on Monday, So you guys