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Speaker 2: All right, welcome to hoop tonight. You're at the volume.

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Speaker 1: Happy Thursday, everybody, over All of you guys are having

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Speaker 1: a great day so far. Going a jam packs show

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Speaker 1: for you guys today. We're starting with one of the

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Speaker 1: games from the ESPN slate last night, as the New

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Speaker 1: York Knicks got up to a really good start against

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Speaker 1: the Calves on the road in Cleveland, but the Calves

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Speaker 1: regained control there. I want to talk about a little

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Speaker 1: bit about the concept of playing with force. I want

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Speaker 1: to talk about some of the things that Cleveland does

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Speaker 1: on offense to keep their offense moving smoothly in the

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Speaker 1: half court, mainly just playing with a lot of pace.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk about what that means. After that,

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Speaker 1: we had an insane slate on Tuesday night. We had

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Speaker 1: a scheduled day off yesterday, so we want to get

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Speaker 1: to those games.

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Speaker 2: Today.

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Speaker 1: Nicole Jokic goes for sixty one points in a triple

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Speaker 1: double against the Timberwolves. I want to talk about Jokic

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Speaker 1: and just where I view him all time as it

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Speaker 1: pertains to what he does on the offensive end of

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Speaker 1: the floor. I want to talk a little bit about

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Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon's shooting, which I think is a very exciting trend,

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Speaker 1: and I shouldn't even call it a trend. I think

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Speaker 1: it's just a reality at this point. And then a

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Speaker 1: little bit about the Russell Westbrooks snafu at the tail

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Speaker 1: end of the game. And then right at the end

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Speaker 1: of the show, we're going to talk about Steph curry

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Speaker 1: Is fifty two point night against the Grizzlies, a little

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Speaker 1: bit about the Grizzlies defense and where their defense has

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Speaker 1: been going and wrong, and then a little bit on

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Speaker 1: the Steph Jimmy Twoman game, which was what devastated the

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Speaker 1: Grizzlies down the stretch. You guys are the drip before

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Speaker 1: we get started. Subscribe to the Hoops and I YouTube channels.

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Speaker 1: on Twitter at underscore JSNLT so you guys don't miss

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Speaker 1: We also have brand new social media feeds on Twitter, Instagram,

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Speaker 1: and Facebook where Jackson's doing great work making content for

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Speaker 1: us throughout the season. Make sure you guys follow us there.

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Speaker 1: And the last but not least, keep dropping mail bag questions

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Speaker 1: in the YouTube comments. We've already done our mail bag

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Speaker 1: this week, but we'll do another one next week. You

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Speaker 1: have all of these episodes between now and then to

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Speaker 1: drop your questions into the comments. All right, let's talk

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Speaker 1: some basketball. So with Knicks Caves, I want to start

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Speaker 1: with the concept of force, and I don't mean like

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Speaker 1: Star Wars force, I mean like the physical idea of

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Speaker 1: playing with force, bringing power to everything that you do

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Speaker 1: on the basketball. At court, the Knicks are a big

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Speaker 1: and strong team. They have three power players in their

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Speaker 1: starting five and josh og Anobi and Karl Anthony Towns,

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Speaker 1: and without Jalen Brunson, they've looked a lot more like

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Speaker 1: last year's team and that they're trying to win by

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Speaker 1: outworking you. Since Jalen Brunson went down, their top ten

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Speaker 1: in defense, second points off of turnovers, so a lot

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Speaker 1: of defense to transition sequences, top ten in fast break

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Speaker 1: points per game, and top ten in offensive rebounding, so

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Speaker 1: a lot more in line with what you remember from

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Speaker 1: some of the more GrITT and grind type of Knicks

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Speaker 1: teams that we saw in the last couple of years.

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Speaker 1: So in short, they're trying to make up for Brunson

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Speaker 1: being out by outworking teams, and they came out early

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Speaker 1: in this one and just outworked the Caves. They were

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Speaker 1: the more physical team that was running harder, They were

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Speaker 1: keeping the calves out of transition, they were scoring the

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Speaker 1: ball with savvy cuts. They had a very good jump

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Speaker 1: shooting first half. They were over ten on catch and

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Speaker 1: shoot jump shots in the second half, so that's where

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Speaker 1: things kind of went south for them. But they shot

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Speaker 1: the ball well, they moved the ball well, they outworked

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Speaker 1: the calves, and they controlled things Earlier they were playing

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Speaker 1: with more force. Now what does that literally mean to me?

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Speaker 1: That means just doing everything harder, so in transition, sprinting

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Speaker 1: instead of like running hard right, closing out with desperation

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Speaker 1: versus just a token close out, crashing the glass harder,

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Speaker 1: sliding your feet on defense better, setting more physical screens,

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Speaker 1: essentially just bringing the physicality to Cleveland, just winning that

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Speaker 1: battle in the trenches. In that third quarter, Cleveland finally

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Speaker 1: showed up to the fight and they returned the force

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Speaker 1: that allowed their talent advantage to take over. A simple

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Speaker 1: stat to demonstrate this as transition points. A huge part

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Speaker 1: of what makes the Cavs successful is they play fast.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna talk a lot about this concept in a

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Speaker 1: half court for them later, but here I'm focusing on transition.

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Speaker 1: They had just seven transition points in the first half

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Speaker 1: of this game. They had twenty transition points in the

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Speaker 1: second half. But you gotta get stops to get out

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Speaker 1: in transition. Again, all of these things are intricately connected

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Speaker 1: to each other. In the first half, they had a

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Speaker 1: one to thirty point four defensive rating. You're taking the

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Speaker 1: ball out of the net every damn time, it's going

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Speaker 1: to be really difficult to get the ball up the

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Speaker 1: floor into transition.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 1: The Cavs had a ninety one point eight defensive rating

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Speaker 1: in the second half. Right, so we'll call that roughly

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Speaker 1: a thirty three percent decrease. And the offensive success of

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Speaker 1: the Knicks is going to lead to more opportunities, more

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Speaker 1: longer rebounds, more transition opportunities. They brought the force back

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Speaker 1: to the Knicks. They started getting stops, they started getting

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Speaker 1: out in transition. They immediately regained control of the game.

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Speaker 1: And I'm bringing up this concept of force because I

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Speaker 1: think it's an important factor when we get into the postseason.

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Speaker 1: As soon as things shift from getting through this game

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Speaker 1: to getting through this seven game series, we'll talk about adjustments,

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Speaker 1: but often the biggest adjustment that any team can make

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Speaker 1: is just play with more force. One of the things

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Speaker 1: I've noticed as a math and all of these brilliant

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Speaker 1: statistical professionals have been getting into the league is there's

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Speaker 1: this like intense.

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Speaker 2: Desire to find the solution to the problem.

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Speaker 1: That's like, oh, well, we won game two of the

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Speaker 1: series because we did this coverage thing, or we did

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Speaker 1: this thing differently or that thing differently, and like, don't

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Speaker 1: get me wrong, those things do play a role. There's

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Speaker 1: a chess match that takes place in the NBA, but

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Speaker 1: often it's like, just do the thing that you were

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Speaker 1: already doing, but do it better, right. I talk about

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Speaker 1: this concept a lot, the idea of like styles making fights,

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Speaker 1: but which style wins the fight. If a big fighter

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Speaker 1: and a small fighter who's very fast get into the ring,

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Speaker 1: there's a version of that where the small guy can

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Speaker 1: win using his speed, just like there's a version of

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Speaker 1: that where the big guy can win using his size.

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Speaker 1: Often it's not about some adjustment, it's just about whatever

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Speaker 1: that advantage is, getting leveraged more, getting leverage better to

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Speaker 1: control the situation. And so like we'll see those oscillations

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Speaker 1: back and forth in playoff series as you know, the

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Speaker 1: urgency shifts from one team to the next. This is

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Speaker 1: why I always look at Game three as like the

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Speaker 1: Buzzsaw game, right, because it's like you go up two

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Speaker 1: to oh at home and you go on the road.

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Speaker 1: It's really hard to run as hard screen, as hard slide,

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Speaker 1: as hard rebound as hard as the team that's at

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Speaker 1: home down two oh playing in front of their home crowd,

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Speaker 1: bringing so much force.

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Speaker 2: To bear in that specific situation.

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Speaker 1: And it's specifically important for Cleveland's playoff success because they're

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Speaker 1: a little bit vulnerable to size and strength, as we've

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Speaker 1: seen at various points over this little slide that they've

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Speaker 1: had in the last few weeks, and even in the

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Speaker 1: first half of this game. I want to shout out

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Speaker 1: a couple of specific guys before we get into that

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Speaker 1: concept of pace that I was talking about earlier. Donovan Mitchell.

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Speaker 1: It's good to see him get back into his groove.

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Speaker 1: He really took over this game in the third quarter

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Speaker 1: offensively as the Cavs started to take control. The Cavs

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Speaker 1: gave him a day off last week against Portland, and

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Speaker 1: he's been great since coming back. He's in this kind

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Speaker 1: of brutal shooting slot before then, and you could see

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Speaker 1: some of his decision making take a slide as well,

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Speaker 1: and since he came back twenty nine points, eight rebound,

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Speaker 1: seven assists, sixty three percent true shooting in four games,

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Speaker 1: So looks just like the old Donovan Mitchell, better version.

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Speaker 1: I mean, the hell that's damn near a thirty point

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Speaker 1: triple double. Really high level play out of Donovan Mitchell

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Speaker 1: as of late. I thought Evan Mobley was brilliant in

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Speaker 1: the fourth quarter when Cleveland put the game away. He

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Speaker 1: had a big three on the wing and he had

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Speaker 1: a nice, driving, little drop off pass to Jared Allen

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Speaker 1: underneath the basket. He was super active on the offensive

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Speaker 1: Glass was super active on the defensive end. I thought

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Speaker 1: he was a big part of that shift in force

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Speaker 1: that we talked about. Jared Allen was brilliant all night,

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Speaker 1: specifically with the speed of his cuts, both in rolls

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Speaker 1: off of ball screens, but also around the rim when

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Speaker 1: he's relocating from dunker spot in dunker spot, and I

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Speaker 1: was really causing fits for Kat who can be a

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Speaker 1: little slow footed from time to time. And this is

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Speaker 1: where I want to get into this foundational concept that

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Speaker 1: every one on the calves is great at and I'm

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Speaker 1: talking about it here in the with respect to Jared Allen,

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Speaker 1: but this is the idea.

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Speaker 2: Of playing with pace when you're in the half court.

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Speaker 1: So obviously you run up the floor and transition, there

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Speaker 1: are advantages there. Why because if you bring your speed

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Speaker 1: into the equation in the open floor and the other

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Speaker 1: team doesn't match that speed, you can get advantages without

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Speaker 1: having to slow down in the half court and run action.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes that advantage is so dramatic that you just get

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Speaker 1: a driving layup or an easy wide open three on

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Speaker 1: a kick ahead pass right. But a lot of times

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Speaker 1: even just a transition push can start the chain of events.

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Speaker 1: As the defense is getting back the ball popping around.

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Speaker 1: You have an advantage from the transition push. You can

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Speaker 1: play off of that if the defense tries to rotate

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Speaker 1: and just play driving kick basketball right. The entire purpose

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Speaker 1: when we get into the half court of running action

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Speaker 1: is to get an advantage, and so if you can

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Speaker 1: get that advantage from the transition push, then you don't

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Speaker 1: have to slow down and action. But once you get

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Speaker 1: in the half court, there are a lot of teams

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Speaker 1: in this league that can struggle against ball pressure and

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Speaker 1: denial and so many different things. In large part they

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Speaker 1: play into that by playing too slow. This is an

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Speaker 1: issue I've seen with the Lakers from time to time

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Speaker 1: as a team that I root for, right, and there's

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Speaker 1: an upside sometimes to their brutal, brutally slow approach in

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Speaker 1: the way that it can disrupt the rhythm of a game.

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Speaker 1: And that's an entirely different conversation for another day, and

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Speaker 1: we've talked about it before, but one of the things

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Speaker 1: that can happen is like, it's a lot easier to

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Speaker 1: chase a guy over the top of a screen, both

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Speaker 1: on ball and off ball, to chase a relocating shooter,

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Speaker 1: to tag a roller, to do any of those things

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Speaker 1: when the ball handlers not flying off the screen, when

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Speaker 1: the off ball shooter's not flying off the screen, when

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Speaker 1: the relocating shooter is slowly relocating versus quickly relocating, when

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Speaker 1: the role man is rumbling down the lane instead of

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Speaker 1: sprinting down the lane. And I clipped a several examples

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Speaker 1: from today's game involving Jared Allen that you guys can

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Speaker 1: find on my Twitter feed at underscore jsonlt. But there's

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Speaker 1: an action early in the game's first bucket that the

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Speaker 1: Cavs get and all it is is, uh, if I

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Speaker 1: remember correctly, it was like a Garland. I think it

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Speaker 1: might have just been Struce coming off of a ball

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Speaker 1: screen with Jared Allen.

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Speaker 2: I can't remember.

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Speaker 1: I think it might have been like a pistol type

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Speaker 1: of action where Garland through a dho first. But the

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Speaker 1: two elements that you need to focus on are Watch

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Speaker 1: how fast Max Struce sprints up off the screen. That

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Speaker 1: automatically puts his defender into a tougher position because now

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Speaker 1: he has to sprint just to try to keep up,

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Speaker 1: and his job is to apply back pressure to stay

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Speaker 1: attached to the ball handler. Is it harder to stay

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Speaker 1: attached to a ball handler who is sprinting off of

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Speaker 1: an action or a ballhandler that's jogging.

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Speaker 2: Off of an action. It's not too hard to figure out. Right.

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Speaker 1: Struce sprints into the action with Jared Allen. Now he's

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Speaker 1: just going downhill free and clear because his defender's trailing

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Speaker 1: the play. Carl Anthony Towns is the guy that's showing there.

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Speaker 1: This is where Jared Allen's cut comes into the picture.

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Speaker 1: Watch how fast Jared Allen on this clip that I

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Speaker 1: posted on my Twitter feed. Watch how fast Jared Allen

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Speaker 1: sprints on his roll to the rim. He sprints so

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Speaker 1: Kat has no damn chance as he's backpedaling in his

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Speaker 1: drop coverage to get there in time, and so Struce

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Speaker 1: is able to just easily float it up into the air.

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Speaker 1: Easy two handed dunk for Jared Allen, there's another play

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Speaker 1: clip did. It's in the exact same thread, So if

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Speaker 1: you go to my Twitter feed and you find that clip,

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Speaker 1: it's the next one down. Evan Mobley is driving across

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Speaker 1: the lane out of the right corner Jared Allen. Typical

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Speaker 1: four out one in spacing, when you're occupying the dunker spot,

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Speaker 1: you always want to be in the dunker spot opposite

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Speaker 1: the basketball. Not too hard to figure out why, because

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Speaker 1: if the guy who's helping helps on the strong side,

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Speaker 1: it just creates more space between you and the helper

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Speaker 1: so that you can create a nice easy passing angle.

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Speaker 1: Once the ball crosses the midline, you have a job.

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Speaker 1: And this goes way back to high school. They're teaching

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Speaker 1: this to Biggs in high school. Right when you cross

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Speaker 1: that midline as the ball handler or pass the ball

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Speaker 1: across the midline, that guy has to move from the

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Speaker 1: weak side dunker spot. Now the d week side has

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Speaker 1: shifted to the strong side. He's got to get to

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Speaker 1: the opposite side.

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Speaker 2: Jared Allen.

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Speaker 1: On this play, as Evan Mobley is driving across the lane,

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Speaker 1: sprints over to the opposite dunker spot. Karl Anthony Towns helps.

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Speaker 1: There is Jared Allen wide open underneath the basket. Everyone

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Speaker 1: over reacts. He's able to pump fake and get a

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Speaker 1: little easy reverse layup. But it's everybody on the team.

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Speaker 1: Max Strus is flying off of cuts. Garland and Mitchell

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Speaker 1: are constantly sprinting up the floor in their transition pushes,

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Speaker 1: trying to get those early offense opportunities. Evan Mobley's running

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Speaker 1: into e everything. Everything they do happens with great pace.

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Speaker 1: Sam Marrill in his ghost screen actions that he runs

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Speaker 1: with Garland and Mitchell, he's sprinting in and out of

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Speaker 1: those cuts. This is a simple concept that makes life

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Speaker 1: easier for you on the offensive end of the floor.

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Speaker 1: We talked about the idea of like doing things at

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Speaker 1: game speed as a shooter. Kevin Durant talks about this

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Speaker 1: concept all the time. That has more to do with

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Speaker 1: translating to a game environment. Don't practice doing something at

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Speaker 1: a slower speed than you're gonna have to do it

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Speaker 1: when it actually matters, right, But similarly, when we get

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Speaker 1: into these offensive situations, if you jog into everything, you're

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Speaker 1: easy to guard. If you sprint into everything, you're infinitely

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Speaker 1: harder to guard. That's what it means to play with

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Speaker 1: pace in the half court. I think it's one of

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Speaker 1: the foundational traits that makes this Cavs offense so great,

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Speaker 1: and every time you watch them, that sort of thing

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Speaker 1: screams off of the screen. It's an element that Kenny

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Speaker 1: Atkinson has brought to this team and it's been a

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Speaker 1: big part of their transformation over the course of this season.

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Speaker 2: All right, let's talk some Denver Nuggets.

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Speaker 1: So Jokics goes for sixty one, ten and ten against

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Speaker 1: the Wolves the other night. Just an absolutely wild games,

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Speaker 1: dogfight for the most part, and then the Nuggets finally

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Speaker 1: pulled away in the fourth quarter. They end up going

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Speaker 1: up by ten, but then Anthony Edwards just went absolutely berserk.

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Speaker 1: And this has become a kind of a recurring theme

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Speaker 1: with it. As a game was unfolding, I was thinking

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Speaker 1: to myself, and really hasn't hit kind of a hot

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Speaker 1: jump shooting streak yet, And that felt like a factor

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Speaker 1: that would come into play at some point down the stretch.

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Speaker 1: And it did, and he just started rising like and

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Speaker 1: it just has this ability to rise up at a

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Speaker 1: spot on the court and he gets such great lift

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Speaker 1: on his jump shot that he can really get to

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Speaker 1: it whenever he wants, and he's become such a great

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Speaker 1: jump shooter that it's kind of just like a let's

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Speaker 1: cross our fingers and pray he misses kind of thing.

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Speaker 1: And he just wasn't missing down the stretch of that game,

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Speaker 1: and it allowed the Wolves to get back into control.

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Speaker 1: It felt like the Wolves had the game won at

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Speaker 1: multiple points, but Denver just did a good job of

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Speaker 1: doubling the ball out of Anthony Edwards's hands. Minnesota looked

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Speaker 1: like they'd never seen a double team before, as they

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Speaker 1: just pissed down their leg and get a terrible shot

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Speaker 1: over and over again in those situations. The Wolves led

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Speaker 1: in the final minute of the fourth quarter of overtime

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Speaker 1: and double overtime, yet still needed that insane Russell Westbrook

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Speaker 1: sequence at the end in order to win table. That

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Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook thing. We'll talk about that here in a minute,

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Speaker 1: but there was another reason in addition to Minnesota's poor execution,

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Speaker 1: that Denver was able to consistently come back and almost

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Speaker 1: win that game. Jokich in crunch time had fourteen points,

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Speaker 1: four assists, and zero turnovers in the clutch a portion

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Speaker 1: of this game spanning the end of the fourth quarter,

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Speaker 1: and both overtimes, he was completely indomitable, throwing Gobar around

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Speaker 1: and getting an easy floater in the lane. He had

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Speaker 1: a nasty turnaround left shoulder fade away over Julius Randall.

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Speaker 1: He hit one of his patented above to break threes

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Speaker 1: at the top of the key, another nasty left shoulder

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Speaker 1: hook over Julius Randall again, all while being doubled and

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Speaker 1: hounded and grabbed and scratched and clawed everywhere. He'd often

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Speaker 1: take a double team, have to get rid of the ball,

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Speaker 1: sprint back up to flash to get the ball back,

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Speaker 1: and then quickly turn away from the double to try

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Speaker 1: to get a bucket before the double came. It was

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Speaker 1: just remarkably high degree of difficulty and he was just

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Speaker 1: crushing these dudes. I talked after Jokic's thirty twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: game a few weeks back that it probably wasn't even

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Speaker 1: a top five performance from him this year. These are

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Speaker 1: all now Jokic stat lines from this year. Sixty one,

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Speaker 1: ten and ten, fifty six, sixteen and eight, forty eight,

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Speaker 1: fourteen and eight forty one, eighteen and nine, this one's crazy,

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Speaker 1: thirty seven, eighteen and fifteen, thirty six, twenty two and eleven,

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Speaker 1: thirty five, twelve, and fifteen. Here's another crazy one, twenty

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Speaker 1: two and seventeen, the thirty one to twenty one to

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Speaker 1: twenty two game earlier this year, he had a twenty

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Speaker 1: three to twenty and sixteen as well. He's averaging thirty

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Speaker 1: thirteen and ten on sixty six percent true shooting for

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Speaker 1: the season. This is the greatest offensive basketball player to

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Speaker 1: ever touch the court. Conversations get way more complicated when

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Speaker 1: you factor in defense, like Jokic is having legitimately a

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Speaker 1: really bad defensive season, and I've seen a lot of

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Speaker 1: talk about people wanting to vault Yokic up the all

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Speaker 1: time list for what's happening in this regular season. I

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Speaker 1: think that's a little more complicated because it's been a

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Speaker 1: two sided coin with Yokic at times this year. But

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Speaker 1: I have never seen a basketball player produce at this volume,

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Speaker 1: with this variety, with this level of efficiency, with this

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Speaker 1: complete level of unstoppability. You literally cannot stop Jokic from

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Speaker 1: either getting a great shot for himself or for someone else.

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Speaker 1: You can tilt it towards a lesser teammate to make

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Speaker 1: a shot. Denver's margin for air has shrunken a little

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Speaker 1: bit over the years as the supporting cast has lost

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Speaker 1: a little bit of that firepower. But you just about

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Speaker 1: never see Nikola Jokicic look visibly uncomfortable on a basketball court.

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Speaker 1: There have been these brief moments here in time, like

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Speaker 1: for instance, against Minnesota in the postseason last year, he

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Speaker 1: had his moments, but he also had like Game five

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Speaker 1: of that series where he just ripped through him like

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Speaker 1: tissue paper for one of the greatest playoff performances I've

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Speaker 1: ever seen. As good as Steph Curry was offensively, and

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Speaker 1: he's up there, he never had the physical imposition that

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Speaker 1: Jokicz brings to the table that, oh, you leave me

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Speaker 1: in single coverage I'm just gonna get a shot right

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Speaker 1: at the rim with zero variants, guaranteed two points like

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Speaker 1: Steph never had that. As good as Lebron was offensively

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Speaker 1: back in twenty eighteen, like he could get high percentage looks,

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Speaker 1: he had Scott high efficiency and volume, but he still

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Speaker 1: never had that go to move against any type of

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Speaker 1: defender that he could hit sixty plus percent of the time.

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Speaker 1: Jokic does. The three point shot was the variable that

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Speaker 1: put him over the top for me last year when

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Speaker 1: he couldn't shoot. It felt like you could do more

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Speaker 1: with double teams and crowding him on pick and roll

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Speaker 1: in particular when he was like rolling into that short

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Speaker 1: roll area. You can do more of that kind of

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Speaker 1: stuff to lessen his impact. You guys might remember the

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Speaker 1: tail end of the Timberwolve series where he kept popping

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Speaker 1: above the break to avoid that traffic jam on those rolls,

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Speaker 1: and he just couldn't hit that shot. He hit six

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Speaker 1: of them against Minnesota on Tuesday. That's the thing that

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Speaker 1: makes him completely unguardable. I'll just say from personal experience,

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Speaker 1: as someone who's actively rooted against this guy in a

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Speaker 1: playoff series three times, I can confidently state I've never

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Speaker 1: been more scared of an offensive player on that end

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Speaker 1: of the floor in any sort of big spot late

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Speaker 1: in the game. Then I was scared of Nikola Jokic,

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Speaker 1: and I hope to the basketball gods that I don't

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Speaker 1: have to do it again this year. I want to

434
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,200
Speaker 1: talk about Westbrook for a minute. I want to set

435
00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,760
Speaker 1: aside the reality of Westbrook's fit and how things have

436
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,240
Speaker 1: gone in total with the Nuggets just for a minute.

437
00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,760
Speaker 1: I think we can all agree, including Laker fans, that

438
00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,639
Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook is a much better basketball fit with Denver

439
00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,320
Speaker 1: than he was with either of the LA teams. Right,

440
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,399
Speaker 1: So let's just take that piece and set it aside

441
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:36,240
Speaker 1: for a second. When Russell Westbrook signed with the Nuggets,

442
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,000
Speaker 1: you Nuggets fans will probably remember what I said. I

443
00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:47,040
Speaker 1: said that he undoubtedly has a higher ceiling than Reggie Jackson.

444
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,320
Speaker 1: There's no way that Reggie Jackson could ever do the

445
00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:55,240
Speaker 1: things on a basketball court that Russell Westbrook is capable

446
00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,040
Speaker 1: of doing. But I also said that he has a

447
00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:03,159
Speaker 1: much lower floor than Reggie Jackson, and a lot of

448
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,479
Speaker 1: people like interpreted that as like, oh, like he'll have

449
00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,840
Speaker 1: games where he doesn't produce. That's not it at all.

450
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:15,560
Speaker 1: It's strictly mistake making. Russell Westbrook is incredibly prone to mistakes,

451
00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,280
Speaker 1: regardless of the surrounding circumstances of the game. Doesn't matter

452
00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:21,879
Speaker 1: if it's the first quarter or the final possession of

453
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:23,680
Speaker 1: a big game, he is mistake prone.

454
00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:24,640
Speaker 2: He plays with a.

455
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,240
Speaker 1: Lot of energy and a lot of passion, but it's

456
00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,800
Speaker 1: not very refined, and I would argue when it comes

457
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:36,720
Speaker 1: to like game plan discipline, attention to detail, He's one

458
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,360
Speaker 1: of the worst players I've ever seen in those categories,

459
00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,720
Speaker 1: and so what ends up happening is Russell Westbrook will

460
00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,080
Speaker 1: make all these good plays over the course of a

461
00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:49,320
Speaker 1: game and bring all of this positive impact, but he

462
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,760
Speaker 1: just has a tendency to make these mistakes that undercut

463
00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:58,320
Speaker 1: that success. So like, for instance, everyone's going to focus

464
00:23:58,359 --> 00:23:59,880
Speaker 1: on the final sequence, I want to set that aside

465
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:05,080
Speaker 1: for second as well, the overtime possession where he makes

466
00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,359
Speaker 1: the post entry past to Jokich and then he cuts

467
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,520
Speaker 1: through the lane and then he just throws Nikiel Alexander

468
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,399
Speaker 1: Walker to the ground with a swim move right in

469
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,560
Speaker 1: front of the reth easiest offensive foul call in the league.

470
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,760
Speaker 1: They're going the other way, just turn the ball over

471
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,720
Speaker 1: for no reason in the big spot in overtime. In

472
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,200
Speaker 1: second overtime, Nuggets up by one, he's guarding Anthony Edwards,

473
00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:32,480
Speaker 1: the only guy who's been torching your ass over clutch time.

474
00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:35,800
Speaker 1: He's guarding Anthony Edwards out up at the top of

475
00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,520
Speaker 1: the key and he just goes catatonic and he's just

476
00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,040
Speaker 1: standing up there like twenty five feet from the basket,

477
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,920
Speaker 1: and ant just backcuts right behind him. Easy pass. I

478
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:47,920
Speaker 1: think it was from Julius Randolph. I remember correctly easy

479
00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,320
Speaker 1: pass on the back cut layup. Now Minnesota has the

480
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:55,520
Speaker 1: lead again. Forget about like just that split second decision

481
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:57,320
Speaker 1: making at the end of the game. There were two

482
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:02,440
Speaker 1: other situations in that same overtime sequence where Russ either

483
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,760
Speaker 1: tricked off an offensive possession or gave up a bucket

484
00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:10,080
Speaker 1: because he's just mistake prone. He just makes mistakes, and

485
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,960
Speaker 1: like a lot of these people were like making Laker

486
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,560
Speaker 1: fans out to be jerks for just pointing out these

487
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,720
Speaker 1: like basic things that we learned from rooting for the guy.

488
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:26,480
Speaker 1: I still vividly remember in big spots many times fourth quarters,

489
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:31,280
Speaker 1: two three minutes, left huge possession, Russ forcing it in

490
00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:34,320
Speaker 1: transition when there was nothing there in smoking a layup.

491
00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:36,880
Speaker 1: You guys saw it again last night as they blew

492
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,640
Speaker 1: a game to the Spurs in a big sequence late

493
00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,960
Speaker 1: down too, as he smoked this crazy reverse layup and

494
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 1: it led to another layup going out the other way.

495
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,760
Speaker 1: That happened to me two other Laker fans rooting for

496
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:51,480
Speaker 1: him many times over the course of the year and

497
00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,720
Speaker 1: a half that he was there. I still vividly remember

498
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,919
Speaker 1: a game against the Brooklyn Nets in La Stanley Johnson

499
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,800
Speaker 1: signs with the Lakers, like of does an incredible job

500
00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,040
Speaker 1: picking up hard in like full court all game. It's

501
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,680
Speaker 1: this really important game for the Lakers too, as they're

502
00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,800
Speaker 1: trying to float in the standings. And one of the

503
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,480
Speaker 1: biggest possessions of the game late in a one possession game,

504
00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,719
Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook is guarding Patty Mills. What's your job guarding

505
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,280
Speaker 1: Patty Mills? Game playing, discipline, attention to detail. He's the

506
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,320
Speaker 1: best shooter on the court. You gotta track him. He

507
00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:24,640
Speaker 1: was ball watching just like that play I was talking

508
00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,240
Speaker 1: about with aunt. Pat Mills relocated to the left corner

509
00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:30,359
Speaker 1: hard and hit him. He hit the dagger, the game

510
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,399
Speaker 1: was over. I've been there, guys. I wasn't trying to

511
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:38,199
Speaker 1: like talk shit for the sake of talking shit. I

512
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,040
Speaker 1: wasn't trying to be personal. I wasn't trying to be

513
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,359
Speaker 1: a dick. I like, I rooted for the guy for

514
00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,520
Speaker 1: a year and a half. It was in my best

515
00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,680
Speaker 1: interests as a fan for him to be good, and

516
00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,879
Speaker 1: he just repeatedly undercut his successes with that mistake making.

517
00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:56,880
Speaker 1: And then there you go, in a big possession late

518
00:26:57,320 --> 00:26:58,600
Speaker 1: Anthony Edwards turns.

519
00:26:58,359 --> 00:26:59,000
Speaker 2: The ball over.

520
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,399
Speaker 1: You're up one with the ball you don't take a

521
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,239
Speaker 1: shot unless you are one hundred percent sure you are

522
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,639
Speaker 1: going to make it, and instead it's another one of

523
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,359
Speaker 1: those reckless transition pushes. Then he compounds the mistake after

524
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,800
Speaker 1: missing the layup by getting back into one of those

525
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,919
Speaker 1: no man's lands kind of floating around situations around the

526
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,000
Speaker 1: right elbow, and next thing you know, there's a skip

527
00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:21,200
Speaker 1: pass and he has to throw a reckless close out

528
00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:23,840
Speaker 1: and he fouls a three point shooter and he literally

529
00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:28,879
Speaker 1: turned a win into a loss. And like, look, Nicole

530
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:32,920
Speaker 1: Jokic after the game, excellent leadership says, this kind of

531
00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:36,920
Speaker 1: shit happens sometimes, and he's not wrong. I literally just

532
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,440
Speaker 1: watched Lebron do it the other day. I watched Lebron

533
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,280
Speaker 1: the other day lose a shooter in the weekside corner

534
00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:46,080
Speaker 1: and then turn the ball over on the baseline. Here's

535
00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,560
Speaker 1: the thing. I've been watching Lebron his entire career. That

536
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:54,159
Speaker 1: was fucking weird. That was highly unusual from Lebron James.

537
00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:57,159
Speaker 1: I watched Russell Westbrook this entire phase of his career.

538
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,119
Speaker 1: That is something he is absolutely prone to doing in

539
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:06,280
Speaker 1: these sorts of spots, and so like again, it's there's

540
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,560
Speaker 1: there are some realities, right, like Jamal Murray's healthy, Russell

541
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:12,800
Speaker 1: Westbrook's probably not out there, right. There are ways for

542
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,440
Speaker 1: Mike Malone and the Nuggets to shield against this sort

543
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:18,679
Speaker 1: of thing by keeping him out of the game in

544
00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,600
Speaker 1: those spots. But the problem is is like there is

545
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,360
Speaker 1: some reality to the fact that there is an opportunity,

546
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:28,760
Speaker 1: There is a there is a potential outcome here where

547
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,399
Speaker 1: the Nuggets are in a big game, four down two

548
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,359
Speaker 1: to one in a series on the road at you know,

549
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:39,320
Speaker 1: some one of these big Western Conference teams, and it's

550
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,880
Speaker 1: a late third quarter stretch where the Nuggets are up

551
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:48,360
Speaker 1: by two and Russ could take over the game and

552
00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:50,880
Speaker 1: win it for you, and you could go into the

553
00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:52,800
Speaker 1: mid fourth quarter stretch up by twelve.

554
00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:54,920
Speaker 2: That's the high ceiling.

555
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,800
Speaker 1: But there's also a version of that where he has

556
00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,959
Speaker 1: two or three bad turnovers, two or three mislayups, two

557
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,680
Speaker 1: or three bad three point shots, and a couple of

558
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,880
Speaker 1: bad defensive breakdowns and suddenly your two point lead turns

559
00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:11,640
Speaker 1: into a ten point deficit. That is also an available outcome.

560
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,760
Speaker 1: Because of the wild oscillations of that Russell Westbrook experience,

561
00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,000
Speaker 1: and the only reason I'm saying any of This is

562
00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:20,000
Speaker 1: because at the start of the year when I pointed

563
00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:22,760
Speaker 1: this out, I wasn't trying to be a dick. I

564
00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,400
Speaker 1: was just being honest about my own personal experience rooting

565
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,640
Speaker 1: for the guy, in relaying a message that every Lakers

566
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,080
Speaker 1: fan will tell you. Even Clippers fans will tell you

567
00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 1: that this was a reality. It's not a big deal.

568
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:36,880
Speaker 1: They're gonna be able to cover fourth. They should be

569
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 1: able to keep him out of these sort of high

570
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,720
Speaker 1: leverage situations. But keep an eye on it in the

571
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 1: postseason for a big bench stretch and a big quarter.

572
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,840
Speaker 1: There he's mistake prone and it could be something that

573
00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,600
Speaker 1: ends up costing you a game. Last note on the

574
00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:54,840
Speaker 1: Nuggets poor We move on Aaron Gordon. I don't think

575
00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 1: of this Aaron Gordon shooting stretch as some sort of

576
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:03,800
Speaker 1: anomaly or just random hot streak or anything along those lines.

577
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:08,520
Speaker 1: I genuinely believe Aaron Gordon is just a great shooter.

578
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:08,800
Speaker 2: Now.

579
00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:11,720
Speaker 1: I think you can tell just by watching. I don't

580
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,600
Speaker 1: think this is something that takes, you know, any sort

581
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:17,400
Speaker 1: of expertise to pick up. If you watch him, is

582
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,800
Speaker 1: release is more fluid, There's very little wasted motion. He

583
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,760
Speaker 1: hits excellent energy, transfer. I talk about this all the time.

584
00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:26,720
Speaker 1: That's the flow of energy from your feet all the

585
00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:28,640
Speaker 1: way through the top of the shot. Just watch Aaron

586
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,840
Speaker 1: Gordon when he shoots. It just looks easy, breezy flip

587
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,920
Speaker 1: of the wrist. He's super confident with it. Made two

588
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,920
Speaker 1: more massive ones in that overtime game against Minnesota, was

589
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,000
Speaker 1: stepping into one. Even the ones he missed were like

590
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,680
Speaker 1: barely off. Like the guy is just flat out a

591
00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:45,840
Speaker 1: really good shooter. Now, a couple different things that I

592
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:47,280
Speaker 1: want to say about it real quick. First of all,

593
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,480
Speaker 1: young players, Aaron Gordon built a jim at his house,

594
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,360
Speaker 1: and again we don't not all of us have.

595
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,640
Speaker 2: That luxury we eron.

596
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:56,200
Speaker 1: Gordon built a gym in his house and just shot

597
00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:58,800
Speaker 1: thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of

598
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,360
Speaker 1: shots straight up. Said in an interview recently, just a

599
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,560
Speaker 1: reminder that if you're a basketball player who wishes you

600
00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:09,600
Speaker 1: were a better shooter, you're at point A, and if

601
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,440
Speaker 1: point B is you being a great shooter. There's no

602
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:14,480
Speaker 1: way to get from point A to point B without

603
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,640
Speaker 1: taking thousands and thousands and thousands of shots. There's no

604
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:22,320
Speaker 1: cutting that corner. And Aaron Gordon paid his dues, paid

605
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,120
Speaker 1: the price to become a great shooter, and he's there now.

606
00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:31,120
Speaker 1: Second piece of it. I think that this Denver Nugget

607
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,400
Speaker 1: season is headed for some sort of like second or

608
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:37,120
Speaker 1: third round exit. I still view them as a championship contender.

609
00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,560
Speaker 1: I would be foolish, all of us would be foolish

610
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:42,040
Speaker 1: to write off Nikola, jokicch and pretend like they can't

611
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,800
Speaker 1: get the job done. They absolutely can get the job done.

612
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,640
Speaker 1: And if jokicchen the Nuggets were hoisting the trophy in June,

613
00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:50,320
Speaker 1: I would not be shocked. I'd be a little surprised,

614
00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:53,440
Speaker 1: but I wouldn't be shocked. That said, I do think

615
00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:55,600
Speaker 1: they probably lose in the second or third round. In

616
00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:57,920
Speaker 1: that we're headed towards some sort of pivot this summer.

617
00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,800
Speaker 1: The original contrus diduction of the team involved this idea

618
00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:05,800
Speaker 1: that Yokic inverted the spacing by bringing rim protectors out

619
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:08,920
Speaker 1: around the elbow above the break area. Just because of

620
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,440
Speaker 1: Yokich's threat as a scorer in those ranges. This creates

621
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 1: all this space along the baseline right. That is how

622
00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,600
Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon used to be an effective offensive player for

623
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,480
Speaker 1: the Nuggets. His ability to be a vertical spacer along

624
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:24,760
Speaker 1: the baseline. Michael Porter Junior was the weak side three

625
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:28,400
Speaker 1: point shot spacer, close out attacking spacer, second side creator

626
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:33,640
Speaker 1: type of role. Right, I believe Aaron Gordon's development as

627
00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,760
Speaker 1: a jumpshooter allows him to actually fill the Michael Porter

628
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,520
Speaker 1: Junior role of being a weak side spacer who can

629
00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,880
Speaker 1: run second side action, who can do those sorts of

630
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:44,160
Speaker 1: things for this team. Someone in a mail bag a

631
00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,440
Speaker 1: while back pitched the idea of a swap between the

632
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,680
Speaker 1: Timberwolves and the Nuggets of Jaden McDaniels from Michael Porter junior.

633
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:51,200
Speaker 2: And I don't even want to get.

634
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,160
Speaker 1: Into the realistic how realistic that sort of deal was.

635
00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:56,560
Speaker 1: Just I want you to think of it just conceptually

636
00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:02,760
Speaker 1: meaning freaky athlete six nine defensive minded player that can't

637
00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:08,719
Speaker 1: shoot versus six', ten good defensive, rebounder guy who can

638
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,000
Speaker 1: play some help side, defense knockdown, shooter more of a scorer,

639
00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:16,520
Speaker 1: type nowhere near as good. DEFENSIVELY i think you could

640
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,560
Speaker 1: get in if you imagine a swap like. That forget

641
00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:21,240
Speaker 1: About minnesota for a. Second just imagine A jaden McDaniel's

642
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:24,680
Speaker 1: type of player at the three next To Aaron. Gordon

643
00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:27,960
Speaker 1: they can flip those roles now and they can have

644
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:32,560
Speaker 1: a defensive minded three who works along the baseline While

645
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,040
Speaker 1: Aaron gordon is now working the weak side as that

646
00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:38,400
Speaker 1: shooter space or second side. Creator there is a certain

647
00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,920
Speaker 1: Flexibility denver has this summer in their team construct that

648
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,880
Speaker 1: they literally would not have had if it wasn't For

649
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,160
Speaker 1: Aaron gordon's development as a jump. Shooter AND i just

650
00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:50,200
Speaker 1: think it's a huge development for the potential Of denver

651
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,440
Speaker 1: to keep this, going to keep this era in this

652
00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:56,960
Speaker 1: construct of the team going with a minor pivot as

653
00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:58,680
Speaker 1: opposed to having to do a more dramatic.

654
00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:01,000
Speaker 2: Pivot all get out here, today let's talk a.

655
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,520
Speaker 1: Little Steph curry puts up fifty two points on The.

656
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:08,000
Speaker 1: Grizzlies The grizzlies have been a truly abysmal defense for

657
00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:10,920
Speaker 1: a while. Now they lean on a lot of weaker defensive.

658
00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,320
Speaker 1: Players Zach edie can struggle in. Space he's been dealing

659
00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:16,279
Speaker 1: with a bunch of nightmare matchups in the last. Week

660
00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:18,799
Speaker 1: santi Al dama is bad in his food and gets

661
00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:20,600
Speaker 1: attacked every time down the. Floor John ray has his,

662
00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:22,839
Speaker 1: moments but he's just really small yet a little moment

663
00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:25,360
Speaker 1: where he Guarded Steph curry for a few possessions in that,

664
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:27,160
Speaker 1: game and like stayed attached to him pretty well because

665
00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:29,080
Speaker 1: he's such a freaky. Athlete but he's just small and

666
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:31,040
Speaker 1: he has a lot offensive. Responsibility it's a lot to

667
00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,040
Speaker 1: ask and to make matters, worse they're just spiraling in

668
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:36,240
Speaker 1: general as a. Team they're down to the eight seed

669
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:40,520
Speaker 1: and all things are looking pretty bleak for The. Grizzlies

670
00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:43,319
Speaker 1: but just in the last week The grizzlies at, home

671
00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:47,239
Speaker 1: all at, Home i've given up the most points The

672
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,600
Speaker 1: lakers have scored in a game That, Luca lebron And

673
00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:53,000
Speaker 1: austin have all played, in the most unguarded catch and

674
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,480
Speaker 1: shoot threes that The celtics have generated in a single

675
00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:59,160
Speaker 1: game all, season and fifty two points To Steph, curry

676
00:34:59,239 --> 00:35:02,680
Speaker 1: all in one, week all at. Home point, being if

677
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:04,960
Speaker 1: you want to get your offense, going go To memphis

678
00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,319
Speaker 1: play The. Grizzlies there were two main factors that were

679
00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:10,600
Speaker 1: causing The grizzlies to have so much trouble Guarding. Steph

680
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,840
Speaker 1: he did hit a lot of really tough contested shots

681
00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:15,080
Speaker 1: in this. Game you're not getting to fifty points unless

682
00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:17,359
Speaker 1: you can hit, tough contested, shots And steph has looked.

683
00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:20,360
Speaker 1: Fantastic that's the subplot, here is Like steph is just

684
00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:23,560
Speaker 1: peaking right at the right, time preparing for this playoff.

685
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,480
Speaker 1: Run he's averaging twenty eight points per game on sky

686
00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,200
Speaker 1: high sixty six percent true shooting in his last twenty three.

687
00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:30,799
Speaker 1: Games and, again that to me is where you Want

688
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:32,799
Speaker 1: steph to. Be, like you don't Need steph to be

689
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:37,319
Speaker 1: twenty twenty, one thirty two points a game like kind

690
00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:40,280
Speaker 1: of lower, efficiency just like trying to create everything. Himself

691
00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 1: this is a version of the team where you want

692
00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:44,759
Speaker 1: him more like the twenty twenty two version Of, steph

693
00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,719
Speaker 1: where he's in that high twenties, range super efficient picking his.

694
00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:50,799
Speaker 1: Spots there's a team concept that he's thriving. In. Right

695
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,000
Speaker 1: steph's playing, great but his offense in this game was

696
00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:58,040
Speaker 1: supplemented by two. Things one drop coverage Was. Zachy steph

697
00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:01,520
Speaker 1: got almost a dozen really clean looks in this game

698
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:05,480
Speaker 1: Because zachi ed was sitting right underneath the basket Ignoring,

699
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,120
Speaker 1: draymond And draymond is just setting these monster screens On

700
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:12,799
Speaker 1: Jalen wells and so as a, Result steph is able

701
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,600
Speaker 1: to just come free and clear off of these. Screens

702
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,319
Speaker 1: AND i clipped a few examples on My twitter, feed

703
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,200
Speaker 1: by the, Way so go to UNDERSCORE jsnlt and you

704
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:21,000
Speaker 1: guys see some examples of What i'm talking. About but,

705
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:25,360
Speaker 1: like this was the coverage The spurs used Against steph

706
00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:29,120
Speaker 1: back in twenty. Thirteen this is the coverage that all

707
00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:31,319
Speaker 1: of us freaked out about back in twenty twenty two

708
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:33,319
Speaker 1: when The celtics tried to use this coverage in the.

709
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:38,680
Speaker 1: Finals drop coverage concedes pull up jump. Shots Steph curry

710
00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:41,360
Speaker 1: is the greatest pull up jump shooter in the history of.

711
00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,279
Speaker 1: Basketball that is the shot that that coverage. Concedes it

712
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:45,680
Speaker 1: is suicide Against Steph.

713
00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:47,560
Speaker 2: Curry just.

714
00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:51,120
Speaker 1: Statistically the last time The warriors scored as many points

715
00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 1: from a hick and roll ball handler in a single

716
00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:57,240
Speaker 1: game this year was way back On february tenth Against,

717
00:36:57,239 --> 00:37:00,800
Speaker 1: milwaukee another drop coverage. Team to get up to the,

718
00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,759
Speaker 1: level that's what happens when you run this coverage against The.

719
00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:07,399
Speaker 1: Warriors the second piece of this Was memphis doing some

720
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:13,279
Speaker 1: really sloppy top locking and. Denial The grizzlies gave up

721
00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,279
Speaker 1: a million backcuts in this. Game top locking is a

722
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,799
Speaker 1: common strategy that you'll see against The. Warriors, essentially all

723
00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:22,600
Speaker 1: that means is If steph is trying to come off

724
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:25,120
Speaker 1: of an off ball screen towards the top of the,

725
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:29,160
Speaker 1: key instead of getting behind him and locking and trailing,

726
00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:33,480
Speaker 1: him you top lock so that he has no choice

727
00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:38,000
Speaker 1: but to back. Cut right denial more or less accomplishes

728
00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:39,799
Speaker 1: the same. Thing If steph is flashing to get the

729
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:41,759
Speaker 1: ball and you're just a catch and you're just in

730
00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:46,359
Speaker 1: the passing, lane denying it concedes a. Backcut if you're

731
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 1: going to concede backcuts as part of top locking and,

732
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:50,719
Speaker 1: denial you need to have backside. Help and there was

733
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:52,279
Speaker 1: just no backside. Help and so there were just so

734
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,440
Speaker 1: many of these situations where they were giving up these

735
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,120
Speaker 1: backcuts and just getting these super clean. Looks and this

736
00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:58,799
Speaker 1: is WHERE i want to shout Out Draymond green, too

737
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,120
Speaker 1: BECAUSE i talk a lot about this concept on the.

738
00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,120
Speaker 1: Show but the idea of your value in a vacuum

739
00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:07,240
Speaker 1: versus your value on your specific, Team Draymond green's offensive

740
00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:10,080
Speaker 1: value in a vacuum is not as high as it

741
00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,879
Speaker 1: is specifically on this. Team and one of the main

742
00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:15,000
Speaker 1: reasons why is because they run this motion five out

743
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:18,200
Speaker 1: offense with all this cutting and, screening And draymond is

744
00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:21,719
Speaker 1: just incredible at reading those plays. Developed if you picked

745
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:25,520
Speaker 1: Up draymond and put him on like The, lakers where

746
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:27,600
Speaker 1: it's more of a, spread pick and roll type of, situation,

747
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:29,879
Speaker 1: yeah you'd have some success as a short roll guy

748
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,279
Speaker 1: off Of luca and, blitzes but he's not going to

749
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:35,359
Speaker 1: be able to unlock that high post passing part of his.

750
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 1: Game the high post passing part of his game is

751
00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:41,000
Speaker 1: uniquely valuable in a system like this where there's all

752
00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:43,560
Speaker 1: this off ball cutting and, screening and he just does

753
00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:46,279
Speaker 1: a wonderful job Hitting steph And jimmy and all these

754
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:49,560
Speaker 1: guys in these, cuts in these slips out of those screening. Actions,

755
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:53,560
Speaker 1: again his value offensively is uniquely super high on This warriors.

756
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,839
Speaker 1: Team that's really all that. Matters steph got his rhythm

757
00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:58,800
Speaker 1: from all the easy ones he was getting from those defensive,

758
00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:00,920
Speaker 1: breakdowns and then he just porched with the tough ones

759
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:02,879
Speaker 1: to get up to the fifty. Two the last piece

760
00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:05,040
Speaker 1: THAT i want to talk about is the two man

761
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,840
Speaker 1: game Between jimmy And. Steph they ran it three times

762
00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:10,360
Speaker 1: down the stretch in this game and got great looks

763
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,840
Speaker 1: every single. Time i've put all three of these clips

764
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:15,080
Speaker 1: in a single tweet On, Twitter so, again go to

765
00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:17,279
Speaker 1: My twitter feed to Underscore Jason. Ltis you guys can see.

766
00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:21,000
Speaker 1: It since we had to wait till today to cover these,

767
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:22,440
Speaker 1: GAMES i just wanted to get all that stuff out On.

768
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:25,840
Speaker 1: Twitters you guys can see it. There but there's basically

769
00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:28,960
Speaker 1: three different types of. Actions all that Involves steph And jimmy.

770
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,839
Speaker 1: Together and, again whether it's off ball or on, ball

771
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,960
Speaker 1: the coverage concepts more or less stay the. Same but

772
00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,879
Speaker 1: in these, Situations santy did three completely different, things and

773
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,520
Speaker 1: in those three completely different, things The warriors burned them

774
00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:46,680
Speaker 1: every single. Time first, One steph driving right around the

775
00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:49,160
Speaker 1: top of the. Key jimmy sets the ball screen For.

776
00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:52,840
Speaker 1: Steph When jimmy sets the, Screen santy Al dama is

777
00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:55,800
Speaker 1: the screen, defender but instead of showing or helping or

778
00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,760
Speaker 1: dropping or, anything he just stays glued up To Jimmy

779
00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:02,000
Speaker 1: butler around the right lane. Line that Allows steph to

780
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,719
Speaker 1: turn the corner because his man is getting, screened And

781
00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:07,800
Speaker 1: steph gets downhill and makes a little right handed scoop

782
00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,920
Speaker 1: shot in the lane over the rim. Protector, okay the

783
00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,919
Speaker 1: SECOND seq part of the sequence an off ball. Action

784
00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:17,319
Speaker 1: Believe draymond was the. Passer IF i remember, correctly there

785
00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,000
Speaker 1: is a off ball screen That Jimmy butler sets For

786
00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:23,680
Speaker 1: Steph curry going towards the left. Corner in this, Situation

787
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,760
Speaker 1: santi Al dama runs kind of like a modified drop. Coverage,

788
00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:28,799
Speaker 1: again this is an off ball, action but the action

789
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:31,799
Speaker 1: still have similar coverage concepts or principles to what you

790
00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:34,320
Speaker 1: have in an on ball. Situation santy's the screen. Defender

791
00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:37,200
Speaker 1: he's not glued up To. Jimmy he's kind of sitting

792
00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:39,120
Speaker 1: on the other side of the, screen just like ten

793
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,800
Speaker 1: feet back From. Steph that's not gonna. Work santi offers

794
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,120
Speaker 1: a token late, contest but it doesn't Bother steph at.

795
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:48,040
Speaker 1: All he drills the three out of the left. Corner,

796
00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,600
Speaker 1: then on the final play in the, sequence same sort

797
00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,200
Speaker 1: of Deal Steph jimmy two man game out by the

798
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:57,560
Speaker 1: top of the. Key santi's been burned, twice gave up

799
00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,959
Speaker 1: the drive To, steph gave up the three to Step

800
00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:00,880
Speaker 1: so what does he?

801
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:01,680
Speaker 2: Do he.

802
00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:06,040
Speaker 1: Hedges santi throws a hedge out At. Steph when he

803
00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:08,319
Speaker 1: throws that hedge out To, steph that opens up the

804
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:10,920
Speaker 1: slip For, Jimmy steph hits him right in the.

805
00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:12,040
Speaker 2: Pocket that's the.

806
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:13,880
Speaker 1: One Where jimmy got what should have been AN a and,

807
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:15,640
Speaker 1: one but they ended up calling the foul on the

808
00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:17,200
Speaker 1: floor and so he had to go to the line

809
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,920
Speaker 1: to make both free. Throws but that slip there that

810
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:23,319
Speaker 1: became open was part of that decision making process that

811
00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:26,720
Speaker 1: you make defenses go through because of The Steph jimmy

812
00:41:26,719 --> 00:41:28,600
Speaker 1: two man, game which you don't want to switch because

813
00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:31,440
Speaker 1: they're two very different types of. Players the player is

814
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,840
Speaker 1: fast enough to Track steph around is probably not going

815
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,520
Speaker 1: to be strong enough to deal With jimmy in AN iso.

816
00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:39,440
Speaker 1: Situation and a player is big and strong enough to

817
00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:41,520
Speaker 1: deal With jimmy in AN iso situation probably isn't going

818
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,120
Speaker 1: to be fast enough to deal With steph out on the.

819
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:47,359
Speaker 1: Perimeter the fundamental concept of any great two man game

820
00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:51,480
Speaker 1: is dictating or by drawing different types of. Defenders. Right

821
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:54,080
Speaker 1: this is why The Lebron Anthony davis two man game

822
00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:56,600
Speaker 1: never really took off with The. Lakers how are you

823
00:41:56,600 --> 00:41:59,880
Speaker 1: Guarding lebron big strong? Forward how are you Guarding anthony

824
00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:03,640
Speaker 1: big strong? Forward you can switch every once in a,

825
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,799
Speaker 1: while you'd See lebron And ad face a team that had,

826
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,600
Speaker 1: to you, know Guard Anthony davis With, nurkic for, instance

827
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:11,720
Speaker 1: like The. Suns one of the reasons why The lakers

828
00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:14,239
Speaker 1: always dominated The suns was they could just run ball.

829
00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:17,560
Speaker 1: Screens they had to run drop. Coverage lebron And ad

830
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,040
Speaker 1: would porch him and drop. Coverage But steph And jimmy

831
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:23,720
Speaker 1: very different archetypes of. Players they're gonna draw very different

832
00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:28,880
Speaker 1: types of. Defenders they're gonna be less susceptible to switching

833
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,359
Speaker 1: in those sorts of, situations, Right and so that that's

834
00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:34,160
Speaker 1: kind of like the core concepts that makes the concept

835
00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:35,920
Speaker 1: that makes that two man game so. Effectively and then

836
00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:38,919
Speaker 1: even when teams do, Switch jimmy's like so damn good

837
00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,839
Speaker 1: at inside, seals and in those inside, seals he can

838
00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:43,799
Speaker 1: create that over the top passing. Angle he's so good

839
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:46,160
Speaker 1: at high pointing the, Ball he's so good at getting

840
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,000
Speaker 1: to the. Line he had another play down the, stretch

841
00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:50,040
Speaker 1: and this one where he pumped faked On Jaron jackson

842
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:52,279
Speaker 1: and drew a. Foullock that's like one of his superpowers

843
00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:56,560
Speaker 1: that's just so valuable to this particular. Team super excited

844
00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:59,840
Speaker 1: for tonight's showdown against The. Lakers we are going live

845
00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:03,720
Speaker 1: on YouTube after the final buzzer Of Warriors lakers. Tonight

846
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,359
Speaker 1: we're also going to do another one of those kind

847
00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:09,640
Speaker 1: of like chat, mailbags so make sure you guys come hang.

848
00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:14,480
Speaker 1: Out the big matchup for tonight is perimeter speed versus perimeter.

849
00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:18,840
Speaker 1: Size The lakers are susceptible to some perimeter, speed The

850
00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:22,040
Speaker 1: warriors are susceptible to some perimeter. Size it's gonna be

851
00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:24,920
Speaker 1: like That styles Make fights. CONCEPT i talk about will

852
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:28,760
Speaker 1: The warriors use their speed more effectively than The lakers

853
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,759
Speaker 1: use their. SIZE a couple ski keys to the game

854
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,800
Speaker 1: to pay attention To lebron And luca punishing. SMALLS i

855
00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,440
Speaker 1: think that's going to be a huge part of their,

856
00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:40,000
Speaker 1: attack not turning the ball over to avoid The warriors.

857
00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:40,080
Speaker 2: Getting out in.

858
00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:43,040
Speaker 1: Transition luca's shot, MAKING i think is gonna be huge

859
00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:46,200
Speaker 1: in this. Game steph getting the defense into rotation speed

860
00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:48,600
Speaker 1: can be a problem for The. Lakers If steph does

861
00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:51,200
Speaker 1: a good job through his motion of just compromising The

862
00:43:51,239 --> 00:43:53,960
Speaker 1: laker defense and getting them into, rotation that's where their

863
00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,000
Speaker 1: lack of foot speed can be an. Issue and then

864
00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:59,480
Speaker 1: The warriors non Shooters Gary, Payton Brandon, Pajemski Draymond, green these,

865
00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:02,520
Speaker 1: GUYS Jj, reddick excuse, ME Jj redick is going to

866
00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 1: concede a million threes to those guys, tonight and so

867
00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:06,239
Speaker 1: those guys are gonna have to be able to knock

868
00:44:06,239 --> 00:44:09,880
Speaker 1: those shots down to keep the defense. Honest super, excited huge,

869
00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:12,720
Speaker 1: game major seating, implications star power all over the. Place

870
00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:15,319
Speaker 1: just one of those like classic regular season. Moments i'm

871
00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:17,640
Speaker 1: super super excited about. It we'll get into it tonight

872
00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:20,080
Speaker 1: after the final. BUZZER i will see you guys. Then as,

873
00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:22,680
Speaker 1: ALWAYS i thank you guys for supporting me and supporting the,

874
00:44:22,680 --> 00:44:38,920
Speaker 1: show AND i will see you tonight.

875
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:37,200
Speaker 2: The Volume what's up?

876
00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:39,560
Speaker 1: Guys as, ALWAYS i appreciate you for listening to and

877
00:44:39,640 --> 00:44:42,640
Speaker 1: SUPPORTING oops. Tonight they would actually be really helpful for

878
00:44:42,719 --> 00:44:44,520
Speaker 1: us if you guys would take a second and leave

879
00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:47,200
Speaker 1: a rating and a. Review as, ALWAYS i appreciate you

880
00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:48,920
Speaker 1: guys supporting, us but if you could take a minute

881
00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:50,680
Speaker 1: to do, That i'd really appreciate.

882
00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:50,799
Speaker 2: It