WEBVTT - What's Wright - NBA Contenders: Lakers TIER 1, Suns checked out, Nuggets problems + Bengals ALL-IN 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:05.239 Welcome in What's driving Nick Great? Episode three eleven, including 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:10.680 on today's show for new viewers, the Glorious Return, and 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:12.560 you know what I'm gonna We're gonna have a little 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:17.720 Nick Great story time, the origin story, the true origin 0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:21.120 story of the F one minute with Sierra Fidel and 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:26.520 the glorious return from a brand new studio. So that 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.600 coming later in the show. And this year, unlike last year, 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.400 we as a we're gonna actually cover F one. It's 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:37.400 it's the listen. It has just enough qualities of a 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:40.280 sport that I could get into that I'm gonna be 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:42.880 open to actually getting into it. You know what I've 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:46.239 grown to like demons over the last few years, and 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:51.159 that you're gonna laugh at me. Opulent wealth, opulent displays 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:55.280 of wealth where it's just like crazy rich people flaunting 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:58.320 how rich they are. And F One's got a lot 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:02.840 of that. By the who goes to it, it's like, oh, 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:07.760 the Monaco Grand Prix, here's the super yachts, the all 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.720 of it. And one little spoiler before we get to 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:14.840 the meat of the show and last night's basketball, I really, 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:18.199 without asking anyone for permission, this is one of the 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:24.960 bright sides I suppose of owning the podcast. Now, Sierra 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:30.240 our F one correspondent filled out a credential request for 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.480 the Miami Grand Prix to be our on the ground 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:39.600 F one correspondent for the Miami Grand Prix. Yeah, and 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:42.800 now it might get denied. I'm not certain. They asked 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.640 for like, you know, business letterhead and how many viewers 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:47.559 we have and things. They're like, you need at least 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.680 this many viewers a month. I'm like, man, we crushed 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.520 that number and so and so. Yeah, so hopefully you 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:57.680 know we're expanding. It asked where our business was located, 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.000 and I'm like, well, best I can tell, it's located 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.360 than New York, LA and Miami. We have people everywhere. 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:06.400 We're try Corystal at this point right boots on the ground. 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:10.399 So that coming later in today's show. Here is what 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.239 is not going to be in today's show, but kind 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:15.720 of in today's show because I'm saying it's on today's show. 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:19.800 Cavs winning streak ends at sixteen. Multiple fifteen game winning 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:25.760 streaks for them, Though wildly impressive baseball season officially underway 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:29.480 as of this morning show. He Otani and the Dodgers 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:32.720 won a baseball game that counted in Tokyo this morning, 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:37.320 and the producers are you know this is they're twisting 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:40.880 my arm, and so I will start the show with 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:45.920 this my annual March Madness bracket rant, which is very simple. 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:50.160 Fill out as many brackets as you'd like, enter as 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:54.480 many contests as you'd like. Have a mascot bracket, have 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:58.200 a best looking head coach bracket, Have a who would 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:01.959 win in a fight bracket? I have a coolest sororities bracket, 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.160 have a favorites bracket, of an underdog's bracket. Do whatever 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:09.440 the hell you want, but understand the rules, and the 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:15.200 rules are simple. If you fill out more than one bracket, 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:18.120 I'm not saying if you enter more than one contest, 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:22.760 but if you have for the sixty four tournament games, 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:27.960 I'm sorry, sixty three tournament games, anything other than the 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:33.120 exact sixty three winners of those games. If you have 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:39.560 any variation of your original bracket, you're never allowed to 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:45.280 say the following words. I picked that upset, I have 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.720 that team in the final four. No, these are just 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:55.040 the rules. I understand that our society is fraying day 0:03:55.080 --> 0:04:01.960 by day and that established norms are going by away side. Yeah, well, 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:04.240 you know what, I don't even really you know, I 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:08.640 have varying opinions on participation trophies. My buddy Laslo used 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:10.760 to say, adults get them all the time. It's called 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:12.800 your weekly paycheck. You think you were the best at 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:15.160 your job this week. No, you just showed up. You 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:16.800 just showed up every day and at the end of 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:19.880 the week you got a paycheck. That's an adult participation trophy. 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:22.800 That's not what I mean. I'm just talking about. We 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:27.520 don't there's no there's a lack of take integrity. And 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:32.359 I'm all for bragging about picking a sweet upset, and 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:35.480 I'm even okay with you being like, oh, I had 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:39.640 that upset picking a twelve over a five, even if 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:43.520 your upset was the Vegas favorite, I'm okay with just 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:45.880 being like, no, they were the lower seeded team. I'm 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:49.240 not a gambler. Fine, all, that's fine. What I am 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.880 not okay with is folks who fill out six different 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:58.039 brackets with conflicting results, and therefore people are like, I 0:04:58.080 --> 0:04:59.880 had that one, I had that one, I had this one. No, 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:03.760 if you fill out more than one, you have to 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:07.159 watch the tournament basically in silence. If you fill out 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:10.840 just one brag away. Those are the rules. We all 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:14.960 know the rules. We all should accept the rules. Now 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:16.080 to the actual show. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:22.120 Yeahs, toy, do you do you think that the Lakers 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:26.240 have navigated Lebron's absence the best they possibly could and 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:26.719 then think. 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:27.880 You still have more time coming up? 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:33.719 Yeah? So, but he's day to day now and he 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:37.760 should be back. I'm gonna end up having nailed this exactly, 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:42.880 as is quite often the case when it comes to Again, 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:46.360 I'm not an insider. I don't have sources. I just 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:49.480 have great gut instinct and when it comes to the 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:52.559 Chiefs and the Lakers, and when it comes to things 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:56.640 like Mahomes or Lebron's injuries, when they happen, folks should 0:05:56.640 --> 0:06:02.080 probably listen to me. And the day after the Lebron injury, 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:07.080 I did an emergency pod and I said, I think 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:11.240 the Lakers need to be planning on Lebron missing on 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:15.960 the high end ten games, and then I said I 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:20.680 would anticipate that he should be returning. My guess was 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:27.600 that he would be returning before their game in Chicago Thursday, 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:33.400 March twenty seventh. It now appears might that my updated 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:38.720 guests would be Lebron is going to return right around Thursday, 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:43.000 March twenty seventh, maybe a few days earlier, thankfully for 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:47.800 my own purposes. He should be definitely back by Saturday, 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:51.000 March twenty ninth, which is the game against the Grizzlies. 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:56.800 Now went as far as them navigating it. When I 0:06:56.960 --> 0:06:59.680 looked at the ten games that I thought they might 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:03.680 have Lebron, I said, the goal is to go six 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:11.160 and four. Going five and five is acceptable. Anything worse 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:16.960 is a problem. They started with a loss in a 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:19.920 game that you hoped they could have won, the Brooklyn game. 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:24.920 But that and that Brooklyn game was, you know, a 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:29.680 highly problematic loss, especially because Luca did play, and so 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.360 that put them behind the eight ball. You anticipated they 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:35.200 were gonna lose to Milwaukee. They did. You anticipate they 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.680 were gonna lose to Denver. They almost stole that game 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:41.240 without Luca, But then they had to beat Phoenix, they 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:45.679 had to beat San Antonio and they did. And now 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:48.680 so they they started off zero to three, and I 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:51.600 said six and four was the goal. They're now two 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.400 and three. And again, if we're gonna use the ten 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:59.240 games as a level set home for Denver, home for Milwaukee, 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:03.880 in a back to back home for Chicago at Orlando 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:10.040 at Indiana. I look at home for Chicago at Orlando 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:15.840 and at Indiana as the games they've got to have. 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:20.360 And if somehow you can steal one of the Denver 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:24.800 Milwaukee games, and they've played really well against Denver, and 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:27.320 you've got They beat Denver when they were at full 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:31.080 when the Lakers before Lebron's injury, and they damn near 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:35.640 beat them when they were without Lebron. Luca Ruey, Jackson, Hayes, 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:39.080 Dorian Finnie Smith, Gabe Vincent six of their top eight 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:43.040 but the other So yes, I think that they're fine, 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.360 and I will take it a step further. What Austin 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:50.040 Reeves has done during this stretch and what Luca's done 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.600 during this stretch has made the Lakers look even more 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:57.920 dangerous when Lebron gets back. The other thing that's happened 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:02.800 is this the team they're chasing other than the Rockets. 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:05.560 None of them are red hot now. The Rockets have 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:09.000 won seven in a row, but the Lakers, despite that 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:12.800 four game losing streak, they are sitting there at twenty 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:16.320 five losses. The Rockets have twenty five, The Nuggets have 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:20.720 twenty five thanks to that. Well more in the Nuggets 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:22.840 in a moment, because that Nuggets Warriors game last night 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:26.280 was interesting. The Lakers have twenty five, and then the 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.679 Grizzlies are sitting there at twenty six and the Warriors, 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.600 who some people were like, oh, could the Warriors climb up? 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:36.880 The Warriors given the loss last night to a Nuggets 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:40.559 team without Jokic or Murray, and then Steve Kerr talking 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:47.679 about Steph potentially sitting out sometime, the Warriors. They the 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:51.680 Warriors question is are they gonna fall back a seed 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.000 into the play in not are they going to climb 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:57.600 into the five line. But the Lakers are still just 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:02.520 sitting there, you know, basically tied with Memphis, but a 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.640 game up in the lost column and tied in the 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:08.840 lost common with the Rockets and Nuggets, so seating wise, 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:13.520 they've been fine. We are seeing how important it is 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:16.640 for if, in case you didn't already know, for any 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:20.800 team with Luka Ancic, to just have one viable lob threat, 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:24.320 because Jackson Hayes all of a sudden, you know, is 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:27.160 you know, looking looks like a fifteen million dollar a 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:30.360 year player just by catching lobs from Luca and Man 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:34.840 oh man, is Austin Reeves a hell of an asset 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:38.320 and a hell of a player, And I understand the 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:42.440 internet on my behalf this week, you know, took a 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.120 bit of a victory lap for me about my Austin 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:49.320 Reeves Bradley Beal take from fifteen months ago. What's the meme? 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:53.320 They called me a madman? Guys, here's one of the 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:58.480 benefits of watching basketball. You know more than people who don't, 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:02.319 and anyone. And I'm not gonna act like I had 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:06.680 been watching a ton of Wizards and Bradley Beal, and 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:12.600 I like Bradley Beal personally, but I had watched enough 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:17.679 that I knew he is not at all what the 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:23.320 Sons need, and he is significantly on the downside, and 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:28.959 he doesn't really fit within that team needed strong point 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:32.480 guard play and a bigger post presence. What they didn't 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:36.800 need was another version of the exact player they have, Like, 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:40.320 what the reason I never liked well? And We're gonna 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:42.079 get more on the Suns in a bit. But I'm 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:44.760 you know, I'm interrupting myself. I'm bouncing around excited to 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.880 talk to you guys today. So it was not surprising 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.920 at all that Austin Reeves was a better third option 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:56.240 than Bradley Beal. What has been surprising is Austin Reeves 0:11:56.559 --> 0:12:00.840 has made it really clear he could be a second 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:06.679 option on a decent team, like he third option on 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:10.439 an excellent team, but a second option on a decent team. 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:16.040 And here is my real question about what. Because Lebron 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:21.000 is watching all of this, processing all of it and 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:25.760 T one thousand style figuring out the best way for 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:30.000 him to play when he gets back, seeing not only 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:34.840 how Luca is playing, but how Austin is playing as 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:38.560 the secondary ball handler, similar to how Austin played as 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:41.839 the secondary ball handler when Lebron was in Luca's role 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:45.439 before they got Luca. I do wonder if when Lebron 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:50.640 comes back, he's gonna take a lot more reps. Say 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:51.400 it again, what were. 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:59.000 You going to say, Well, here's we're of You're almost 0:12:59.160 --> 0:12:59.760 where I was. 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.480 I was going to say a lot more reps as 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:06.600 a traditional power forward. But where it is, like the 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:10.600 Brew has talked about this before, almost the Karl Malone role, 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:13.720 and the NBA has changed so that role now kind 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:15.760 of is out on the wing, not in the low post. 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.600 But like I'm just gonna be a scorer. I'm gonna 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:23.600 be a scorer, defender, and rebounder and not so much 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:27.400 of a distributor because Luca obviously needs the ball in 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:32.160 his hands, and Austin's been so good, and so the Lakers. 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:36.640 I thought the best loss of the NBA season was 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:39.760 the Lakers loss to the full strength Nuggets. And then 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:43.120 the Lakers, clearly, I thought, you know, from their own play, 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:46.600 were a little invigorated by that, because then they blew 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:48.960 the doors off Phoenix. I know they only won by eleven, 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:52.520 but they were up twenty immediately and annihilated San Antonio 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:56.240 last night, and now they're gonna get Lebron back in 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.680 the next ten days at the latest, and the stretch 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:03.040 run gets going. I know you have one follow up on. 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:05.040 The Lakers saying that Lebron's faking it. 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:09.600 So this is this is just kind of a tale 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:16.560 as old as time with Lebron, which is, folks will 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:22.200 find a way to be wrong. Folks so badly want 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:27.400 to find ways to take shots or poke at this 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:34.160 guy that they will find ways to be wrong on 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:39.560 both sides of the equation. So, two very very prominent 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:47.040 voices in basketball media right after the Lebron injury said, 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:49.960 I mean he's probably done for the rest of the 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:54.920 regular season. In Berkley and Simmons, both of them. Simmons like, no, 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:56.800 he's probably done with the rest of the regular season, 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:59.960 you know, probably not going to be eligible for all NBA. 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:03.000 Barkley said that, you know, he's not gonna play again 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:07.080 this year until the playoffs, all of it. And then 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:13.880 a week later they're throwing out there and Barkley hasn't 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:17.200 done this. The Bill did. Are we sure he actually 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:23.320 got hurt or did Lebron in that Celtics game, which 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:25.400 is now being framed as, oh, he knew they were 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:27.840 gonna lose, that game was over even though it's a 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:32.440 four point game with five minutes left, knew the schedule, 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.760 knew Bryce, you know, might be playing for a state championship, 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:41.000 needs some time being a little PTO, and just you know, 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:48.760 is is faking essentially the injury as opposed to Oham's raiser, 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:52.600 the most obvious, you know, the simplest answer is usually 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:54.520 the right one. The most obvious answers usually the right. 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:56.240 When I might have got Okham's razor, they're wrong a bit. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.200 There's a little irony in that or maybe the guy 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.240 who's played more men and it's of NBA basketball than 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:03.760 any human being alive. One of only two guys ever 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.600 make it to year twenty two, the oldest player in 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:10.080 the league, a forty year old, tweaked a soft tissue 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.840 injury in a game where he had to play center 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.080 against the defending champs, moving up and down the court. 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:18.280 I think that probably makes more sense. 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:19.600 Even if the man wasn't. 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:22.040 Even if he was, I don't want to say faking it, 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.480 but kind of like taking like a load management type 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:27.160 of thing to prepare for the run. They're about to 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:28.600 have a deep run. The guy it's forty years old. 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:30.880 I feel like if anybody, oh, I think that would have. 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.880 Been totally allowed. Yeah, I agree, but. 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:38.360 That's not what happened. He tweaked his growing Now. I 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:43.520 also didn't believe again, just listen to me on this stuff, guys. 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:47.400 I didn't believe the fatalistic you know, ah man, he 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:49.840 could be out a month stuff. And the reason I 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:54.840 didn't was because Lebron talked after the game, and Lebron 0:16:55.000 --> 0:17:00.520 was not despondent. Lebron was not beside himself, but he 0:17:00.720 --> 0:17:03.200 was He's like you know, I gotta work it out 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.280 and figure out where I'm at, which is why it 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:09.480 felt like this would be a two ish, two to 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:12.320 three week injury at the most. And that's what it is. 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:17.439 I think the Lakers, though, right now I am and 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:22.800 we'll get to these teams shortly. I am downgrading the Nuggets. 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:27.720 I am the Nuggets slash Warriors. I'm kind of upgrading 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:31.159 the Warriors, downgrading the Nuggets. And to me, in the 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:36.119 Western Conference, it is Oklahoma City and the Lakers on 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:40.639 their own tier of contention, and then Nuggets Warriors on 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:44.200 their own tier beneath them of contention, and then everyone 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.879 else who and the everyone else is kind of just 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:51.600 Minnesota and Memphis as their own little semi content, you know, 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:55.240 not really contenders. But maybe all right, let's talk about 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:58.240 I just listen. 0:17:58.359 --> 0:17:58.960 I think it's. 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:04.080 They're young, and I don't think they have the guy yet. 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.520 Shngoon's awesome, but I you know, you can't give him 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:09.920 the ball in the playoffs and be like, get me 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.719 a bucket, not yet, you know what I mean. And 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:16.360 so Van Vliet's a nice player, Chandler, and listen, they 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:19.040 have a great coach. They've won seven in a row. 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.200 They're the two seed right now. They deserve a lot 0:18:21.200 --> 0:18:25.480 of respect, But can I see them. I think they are, 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:29.640 and I bet everyone listening agrees with me. I think 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:35.080 Houston is way more likely, way more likely to lose 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.520 in Round one than to make forget the NBA Finals, 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.360 the conference finals. I think they're like the I think 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:45.520 it would be a great season for them to win 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:50.600 around a great season to win a round, And if 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:53.280 they lose in the first round, I don't think it 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.040 means this wasn't an excellent season, Like these are the 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.960 steps you've got to take, So no, I don't consider them. 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:05.280 If if I were to break the probable Western Conmerance 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:09.919 playoff teams into pairings, it would be Oklahoma City and 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:15.040 the Lakers group one, Denver and the Warriors group two, 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:20.119 Minnesota and Memphis group three, and the Clippers in the 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:24.280 Rockets group four. And I understand people you might be 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:26.320 hearing that be like, man, the Rockets. You have the 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:31.800 Rockets beneath Minnesota. I do because I saw Minnesota, Yeah 0:19:31.880 --> 0:19:35.280 make a conference finals last year, right, and you have 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:37.840 Anthony Edwards who's going you know? And so even though 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.280 like it's not like they're a profit team and that 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:45.600 they have their guy. And so I do wonder if Houston, 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.480 Sorry to get off on a little Houston tangent, I 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:50.720 do wonder if Houston could be an interesting home for 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:55.760 Kevin Durant in the offseason. I think that's uh. I 0:19:55.800 --> 0:20:02.400 would certainly put to Houston and Minnesota as possible possible 0:20:02.520 --> 0:20:06.600 Kevin Durant destinations. All right, let's talk six seed in 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:07.000 the West. 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:10.119 Yeah, so Golden State in Minnesota went on some runs. 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:12.960 They both had those snapped, but the vibe is still 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:13.400 looking good. 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:15.720 They both had those by the way, real quick, sorry, 0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:19.720 had those snapped by teams without their best player. Yeah, 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:24.040 Minnesota lost to Pacers without Haliburton, and the Warriors lost 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:26.000 to the Nuggets in a game looked like the Nuggets 0:20:26.000 --> 0:20:29.399 were punting. No, yok at your Murray and the Nuggets anyway, 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:30.520 go ahead, Sorry. 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:33.720 But yeah, no, but the vibes are looking good. Obviously. 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:36.160 The Lakers are kind of dealing with injuries right now. 0:20:36.359 --> 0:20:39.280 It's possible they fall down, but yeah, a month away 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:41.359 from the playoffs, who do you see avoiding the play 0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:42.800 in So. 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:48.200 This is where our friends at Tankaton are super helpful. 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:53.080 So where we can look at most difficult or easiest 0:20:53.800 --> 0:20:58.760 strength of schedule left. So as a for instance, Phoenix, 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:01.480 who were going to get to in a minute, has 0:21:01.760 --> 0:21:07.159 far and away the hardest schedule remaining. Phoenix has games 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:12.959 left against the Cavs, the Thunder, two against Boston, the Knicks, 0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:17.440 the Rockets, and the Warriors, with only two like layup games, 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:20.720 the Spurs and the Bulls. So Phoenix, if they were 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:23.480 fighting for something, you'd be like, oh, they're in rough shape. 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:31.639 Here's why it matters. Minnesota has the third easiest schedule 0:21:31.760 --> 0:21:36.480 remaining Minnesota. Now, it's a bad loss last night, but 0:21:36.640 --> 0:21:41.160 Minnesota is a you know, the teams they're up against 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.439 have a combined winning percentage of four point thirty, and 0:21:44.480 --> 0:21:48.120 they have games remaining against New Orleans, two of them 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:52.760 the Jazz, two against the Nets, one against the Sixers. 0:21:53.240 --> 0:21:56.840 So you have five games remaining, no, i'm sorry, two 0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:59.320 against New Orleans, two against the Nets, one six Ers, 0:21:59.320 --> 0:22:03.920 one Jazz. Six games remaining against teams that actively want 0:22:03.960 --> 0:22:09.520 to lose. So that's super helpful for Minnesota. The Warriors 0:22:09.880 --> 0:22:13.720 are right at league average as far as their schedule remaining. 0:22:14.320 --> 0:22:21.240 Their easiest games are New Orleans Toronto two against San Antonio. 0:22:21.720 --> 0:22:25.520 Miami and Portland. Here's why it's to me somewhat noteworthy. 0:22:26.280 --> 0:22:31.160 That's they they own. As far as teams that want 0:22:31.200 --> 0:22:35.720 to lose, it's really only four for the Warriors as 0:22:35.720 --> 0:22:38.320 far as the games they have left, and it's six 0:22:38.400 --> 0:22:43.600 for Minnesota. So that plays in Minnesota's favor significantly. They 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:47.919 you know that Minnesota has two fewer games left than 0:22:47.960 --> 0:22:51.760 Golden State. They have won more loss than Golden State. 0:22:53.280 --> 0:22:59.359 When I heard Steve kerseay, you know we are you know, 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:05.000 Steph's worn down, and that essentially we're going to take 0:23:05.080 --> 0:23:10.680 care of Steph down the stretch and rest him tomorrow 0:23:10.840 --> 0:23:14.959 or tonight, pardon me. Against Milwaukee, now they don't have 0:23:15.840 --> 0:23:19.000 The Warriors don't have many. In fact, they only have one, 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:22.240 no two back to back's left. They have a back 0:23:22.280 --> 0:23:25.359 to back at the Lakers and then home for the Nuggets, 0:23:25.600 --> 0:23:27.000 and then they have a back to back a week 0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:30.119 later at Phoenix and then a home for San Antonio. 0:23:31.680 --> 0:23:37.760 Right now, I would and this is not going to 0:23:37.840 --> 0:23:44.520 be where Vegas would have it, but right now I 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:50.240 would anticipate that the Western Conference standings and mark this 0:23:50.359 --> 0:23:53.520 down and let's see how this ages. But I think 0:23:53.520 --> 0:23:59.800 the Western Conference standings are going to end up Minnesota six, 0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:07.879 Golden State seven, Clippers eight, with the Kings being the 0:24:08.000 --> 0:24:13.439 nine seed and then that ten seed being just the 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:18.679 saddest competition ever between Dallas and Phoenix, just two teams 0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:22.080 who did not ever think this is where they were 0:24:22.119 --> 0:24:24.800 going to end up. But it's where they have ended up. 0:24:25.240 --> 0:24:30.800 And I talked one of the earlier actually that might 0:24:30.840 --> 0:24:31.199 need you. 0:24:31.640 --> 0:24:34.760 Oh yeah, well they might have to forfeit games. It's 0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:38.800 in so if people don't understand the forfeiting games things 0:24:38.840 --> 0:24:44.000 with the MAVs, let me explain it. This is super nerdy, 0:24:44.040 --> 0:24:46.760 but I'll do my best to explain it. The NBA 0:24:47.040 --> 0:24:53.359 has Here's okay, I'm gonna have to talk about a 0:24:53.400 --> 0:24:58.119 few things here. Hard cap, softcap. Okay, hard cap is 0:24:58.200 --> 0:25:02.680 the NFL where where the salary cap is a number 0:25:03.480 --> 0:25:07.080 and you must, from the first day of the league 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:10.439 year until the last day of the league year be 0:25:10.800 --> 0:25:16.639 under it at all times. You cannot go a dollar 0:25:16.720 --> 0:25:20.320 over the hard cap. Now, because of the way NFL 0:25:20.400 --> 0:25:26.080 contracts are structured, you can always manipulate that year's cap, 0:25:27.960 --> 0:25:32.360 guys cap figures by turning salaries into signing bonuses, spreading 0:25:32.359 --> 0:25:35.320 them out over multiple years, so it can feel like 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:38.480 a soft cap at times, but the cap is the cap, 0:25:39.000 --> 0:25:41.960 and however you need to manipulate it. You can manipulate 0:25:42.280 --> 0:25:45.320 your own guys' salaries, but you can't ever be over it. 0:25:46.200 --> 0:25:49.600 That's why the NFL doesn't have things like a luxury tax, 0:25:50.200 --> 0:25:54.120 because a luxury tax is for a soft cap sport 0:25:54.320 --> 0:25:58.439 like the NBA, where we have a cap, but you 0:25:58.560 --> 0:26:02.159 can go over it for various reasons. You can go 0:26:02.359 --> 0:26:05.600 way over it. At times you just pay a penalty 0:26:05.840 --> 0:26:08.720 in luxury tax. And one of the reasons the NBA 0:26:08.840 --> 0:26:11.320 kind of has to work like that is because NBA 0:26:11.720 --> 0:26:15.320 player contracts are guaranteed. For the most part, you can't 0:26:15.320 --> 0:26:18.360 really manipulate a player's contract like, oh, we're turning your 0:26:18.400 --> 0:26:21.000