Speaker 1: Welcome in into the NBA Pulse production of iHeartRadio in
Speaker 1: the NBA. I'm Sarahkustack, NBA analyst for the S Network,
Speaker 1: and today is Monday, March fourth, and from our extraordinary
Speaker 1: core group of NBA journalists, we're joined now by NBA
Speaker 1: dot Com Senior writer Sean Powell and Sean Ooh. It's
Speaker 1: a Monday. We had a great weekend. We saw some
Speaker 1: history being maded in a lot of levels of the game.
Speaker 1: But we are going to start with a just absolute blowout.
Speaker 1: I thought we were going to have a good Sunday
Speaker 1: afternoon matinee game between the Boston Celtics and the Golden
Speaker 1: State Warriors, and it was a beating. The Celtics won
Speaker 1: eighty eight. Jalen Brown had twenty nine points win, five
Speaker 1: to ten from the three point line in just twenty
Speaker 1: two minutes.
Speaker 2: Wow, mammoth tammer there from Brown off the delivery from White.
Speaker 1: Tatum had twenty seven points in twenty five minutes. But
Speaker 1: right out of the gates, they just locked down and
Speaker 1: they were extraordinary. And so my question to you, we've
Speaker 1: continued to see this. Boston has very much separated themselves
Speaker 1: ahead of the pack. There, eight and a half games
Speaker 1: ahead of the second place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 1: They've had the best record in the NBA for much
Speaker 1: of the season. Are the Celtics after watching what they
Speaker 1: did yesterday and over the course of the season, compilation
Speaker 1: of this group and what they do at both ends
Speaker 1: of the floor, are they your favorites at this juncture?
Speaker 3: Well, if you look at the evidence, Sarah, it's hard
Speaker 3: to say they wouldn't be a favorite. I don't know
Speaker 3: about the favorite. We'll get into that in a minute.
Speaker 3: But look, they beat the Warriors by fifty two. They
Speaker 3: beat the Pacers about fifty one. And by the way,
Speaker 3: these are pretty good teams. The Clippers by thirty seven,
Speaker 3: Miami Heat by thirty three, Dallas Mavericks by twenty eight,
Speaker 3: Sacramento Kings by twenty five, the four and zero against
Speaker 3: the Knicks. They've only lost three home games. I mean,
Speaker 3: they're beating good teams. It's not like, you know, they're
Speaker 3: feasting up on, you know, the struggling teams or whatever,
Speaker 3: and then they fold a little bit whenever they're presented
Speaker 3: with a challenge. So this team is rolling and they
Speaker 3: have two other things going for the three actually number one,
Speaker 3: Jason Tatum, who in my opinion, should be an MVP finalist.
Speaker 2: Holiday Brown, spinning, kicking, Tatum, catch fire, hands hit from three.
Speaker 2: It is a fifty one point Boston League.
Speaker 3: Number two. Their death is just incredible. I mean, they
Speaker 3: go eight players the ease the lead, and they can
Speaker 3: throw some other role players in there to fill out
Speaker 3: the rotation depending on the matchup. And finally, you know,
Speaker 3: they don't lose it home. It lost three times at home.
Speaker 3: So for all those reasons, are they the favorite? Absolutely?
Speaker 3: Particularly in East. If you're asking me, am I going
Speaker 3: to take the Celtics or the field in the East,
Speaker 3: I'm saying, Sarah, are you okay? You know, yeah, you
Speaker 3: know over Milwaukee, over the Diggs, over Miami, and I
Speaker 3: know mimmy went to the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 1: Find what if Embiid comes back? What if Embiid comes
Speaker 1: back for Philly? Does that change your dynamic and the Sixers?
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, although I would probably say that they would
Speaker 3: probably provide the stiffest test. But keep in mind that
Speaker 3: and be not only be coming back from an injury,
Speaker 3: but this is an mbad who historically in the playoffs
Speaker 3: has gotten run out of gas. You know, sometimes if
Speaker 3: you're a big guy, you got to run up and
Speaker 3: down the court, you know, all those times, then deeper
Speaker 3: you go, and all of a sudden, it's not April,
Speaker 3: it's May. You know, sometime that takes a toll. And
Speaker 3: now we're asking a player coming off an injury to
Speaker 3: suddenly have some freshness when history says he hasn't. So
Speaker 3: And besides, I think that the Celtics could throw some
Speaker 3: bodies at him. I'm not saying they wouldn't stop him
Speaker 3: and neutralize him, but they could make him work. And
Speaker 3: uh So, anyway, I would say the Celtics even with
Speaker 3: healthy NB back. So yeah, if we're looking at the
Speaker 3: East Celtics of the field, I'm checking you to make
Speaker 3: sure you're feeling okay. If you take the field, you.
Speaker 1: Don't need to check me to make sure I'm feeling okay. However,
Speaker 1: a big picture, broad picture, I still when we're looking
Speaker 1: not just in the East entirety of the league. Though,
Speaker 1: I still would lean if these two teams meet the
Speaker 1: Denver Nuggets in the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals,
Speaker 1: I still would take the Denver Nuggets. A couple things
Speaker 1: that do concern me and They're seemingly no concerns about
Speaker 1: the Boston Celtics. Look at the way they're playing, but
Speaker 1: first in the league and offensive ratings second in the
Speaker 1: league and defensive rating. I've talked about how they do
Speaker 1: it at both ends. You mentioned their depth, the way
Speaker 1: that Jason Tatum is playing really at an MVP level.
Speaker 1: Compliments of the entirety of the team, but how Drew
Speaker 1: Holliday has fitting Chris ep porzingis just everyone very much
Speaker 1: understanding their roles. I think it will be and we
Speaker 1: talked about this before the podcast, a test once again
Speaker 1: for Jomas here in his second year, a little bit
Speaker 1: more comfort with this group taking over and what it
Speaker 1: looks like what they want to do in the postseason.
Speaker 1: But how does that translate into the playoffs? I also
Speaker 1: think overall, with a team like Boston first in the
Speaker 1: league in three point shooting, takes makes all of it.
Speaker 1: How sometimes you know, does that ebb and flow throughout
Speaker 1: the course of the playoffs if you're having an off night.
Speaker 1: But the Nuggets I just think are battle tested their experience.
Speaker 1: They too have depth, and if you're looking at who
Speaker 1: is the best player on the floor, I would go
Speaker 1: with Nikola Jokic, but it's it's been extraordinary. As I
Speaker 1: mentioned what Boston has done throughout the course of this
Speaker 1: season and just how far away they have run from
Speaker 1: the pack and how well that they have been playing collective.
Speaker 3: I totally agree with you. I think the only team
Speaker 3: that I could see beating Boston and a best of
Speaker 3: seven series would be the Denver Nuggets. I think in
Speaker 3: that situation, I would be closely watching a few things.
Speaker 3: One as you know, once you get into a best
Speaker 3: of seventies, just locked against one team, so you know
Speaker 3: you can gain plan against just that one team. And
Speaker 3: in that situation, I think coaching looms a little bit larger, okay,
Speaker 3: just in terms of strategy, just in terms of adjustments
Speaker 3: and things like that. And Michael Malone is championship tested.
Speaker 3: Joe Missoula on the other hand, and you know, yes,
Speaker 3: he has shown some growth in his second season. They
Speaker 3: kind of helped him out a little bit by you know,
Speaker 3: changing the coaching staff a little bit, Jeff and Gundhi.
Speaker 3: I believe it's an advisor, so they've kind of helped
Speaker 3: him out a little bit from last year this year.
Speaker 3: But he still has to prove himself in that situation.
Speaker 3: The other thing is the last time we saw Jason
Speaker 3: Tatum and the NBA Finals against Warriors a few years ago,
Speaker 3: he didn't have it. Now, you could say that Andrew
Speaker 3: Wiggins locked him up or whatever. They had Draymond Green
Speaker 3: all that, that's fine, but he didn't have it. And
Speaker 3: then last year Jaylen Brown didn't have it and they
Speaker 3: lost to Miami. So again, there are three principles of
Speaker 3: the Boston Celtics who I really really have to see.
Speaker 3: And I know it's weird saying a guy like Jason
Speaker 3: Tatum has to prove himself. I mean, come on, guys,
Speaker 3: you know he's a legend in a making, if I
Speaker 3: might say, but he has to prove himself in that situation.
Speaker 3: Same thing with Jaylen Brown and Joe Missoula. Those three
Speaker 3: principles I really have to see in a championship setting
Speaker 3: best of seven against a proven winner like the Denver Nuggets.
Speaker 1: I feel you. Speaking of the Denver Nuggets and the
Speaker 1: Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets recently had a window that
Speaker 1: included history the great Lebron James, first player in NBA history.
Speaker 1: Of course, he is the all time scorer in league history,
Speaker 1: but he passed the forty thousand point plateau James against
Speaker 1: Porter Drive.
Speaker 2: Spence gets inside.
Speaker 3: It's good.
Speaker 2: It's forty thousand for Lebron James, the NBA's all time
Speaker 2: leading scorer.
Speaker 1: With another milestone. As a legend of Lebron continues to grow,
Speaker 1: It's extraordinary. It's absolutely wild to think in the counting
Speaker 1: stats and numbers of things that Lebron James have done
Speaker 1: are nothing short of truly remarkable and unbelievable. It did
Speaker 1: so with twenty six points in a loss though against
Speaker 1: that Denver Nuggets team. And right now the play in
Speaker 1: show on the plane is lit in the Western Conference.
Speaker 1: I don't know if these teams are excited about it,
Speaker 1: but if this is how things sit, it's going to
Speaker 1: be really interesting to watch the way in which things progress.
Speaker 1: Because currently you have the five through ten seeds are
Speaker 1: separated by just three and a half games. But right now,
Speaker 1: as it sits in that seven, eight, nine ten spot
Speaker 1: Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant currently hurt Devin Booker, but you
Speaker 1: know you've got a loaded team there. Dallas is in
Speaker 1: number eight Golden State Warriors and number nine the Lakers
Speaker 1: and number ten, So we'll see how that all shakes out.
Speaker 1: What do you make of just the way things look
Speaker 1: the top teams, the circumferences is now have been pretty
Speaker 1: consistent throughout the course of this year. Okay, see Minnesota,
Speaker 1: Denver all kind of battling right there in those top
Speaker 1: three spots, Clippers right behind them in that fourth spot.
Speaker 1: Or what are your expectations for what this playing looks
Speaker 1: like and just what that means with some of those
Speaker 1: big name stars and those we have seen in the
Speaker 1: playoffs year after year after year in many cases, you know,
Speaker 1: the finals, Western Conference Finals. What's your take on this
Speaker 1: and just your perspective as it sits currently.
Speaker 3: Well, what's interesting is before the season start, if you
Speaker 3: told me what four teams would have a better chance
Speaker 3: of being the top four teams in the West, would
Speaker 3: it be Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Clippers in Denver, or would
Speaker 3: it be Dallas, the Warriors, Phoenix and the Lakers. Probably
Speaker 3: lean a little bit more to the teams who are
Speaker 3: right now in a play a situation, I would say
Speaker 3: that if it holds firm, if you're talking about a
Speaker 3: play in tournament featuring Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Luka, Dondoc Kyrie, Irvings,
Speaker 3: Steph Currige, Raymond Green, Anthony Davis, Lebron James. That might
Speaker 3: be better, more exciting anyway, given the stakes than you know,
Speaker 3: any other playoff situation. I mean, because you're talking about
Speaker 3: if depending on who loses in the first who's who's
Speaker 3: out in the first, you know, first game of the
Speaker 3: playing tournament, like say Lakers, that could lead to major
Speaker 3: off season changes. If it's the Warriors, that could lead
Speaker 3: to major off season changes. So again we keep in
Speaker 3: mind the stakes here. You know, Lebron James is on
Speaker 3: the clock right his contract is up after this season.
Speaker 3: If he doesn't even make the playoffs, man, that's going
Speaker 3: to be a lot of questions with the West anyway.
Speaker 3: You're talking about legendary players in a crucial, potentially do
Speaker 3: or die situation. One game, one loss or two losses
Speaker 3: and they're done. I just think that it's really heightened.
Speaker 3: It's not to say that it's going to end up
Speaker 3: this way. Maybe gets to the top six, maybe Sacramento falls,
Speaker 3: maybe Dallas cause something time, who knows. But as right here,
Speaker 3: right now, that play is situation in West is fire.
Speaker 1: It is and I know for all of us we
Speaker 1: can't wait to watch. I also will say I don't
Speaker 1: know who comes out of it. You're right, there is
Speaker 1: a little bit of wiggle room here between those five
Speaker 1: and six spots, But that's where I think the true
Speaker 1: test will come with the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the
Speaker 1: Minnesota Timberwolves, who just had a one point loss to
Speaker 1: the Clippers last night and had some botch plays down
Speaker 1: the stretch because of that, And that's something you've seen
Speaker 1: at times throughout the course of the year with the Timberwolves,
Speaker 1: their inability to execute down the stretch. And so I
Speaker 1: think similar to what we saw with the Warriors playing
Speaker 1: the Sacramento Kings last year, going to seven games and
Speaker 1: in advancing, I think that's where the true test will
Speaker 1: come in of some of these experienced teams Lebron James, included,
Speaker 1: Steph Curry, you name it, they probably believe, Hey, just
Speaker 1: get us in and it doesn't matter who we face,
Speaker 1: what the matchup is. We've been here before and we
Speaker 1: will figure out how to make it work. But for
Speaker 1: all of us NBA fans, I think we're very fortunate
Speaker 1: and very excited to see how the rest of the season,
Speaker 1: the postseason continues. Sean, We're gonna take a quick break,
Speaker 1: but we've got a good slate tonight. We're gonna get
Speaker 1: to welcome back to NBA Polstar Acoustak joined by the
Speaker 1: great Sean Pyle and Sean. We got a good one
Speaker 1: tonight in Milwaukee, it's the Clippers visiting the Bucks on
Speaker 1: NBA TV. Tip time is eight pm Eastern. Just mentioned
Speaker 1: Clippers coming off of a win last night, but you're
Speaker 1: looking at two teams. Milwaukee currently sitting second in the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference. It feels like they're starting to figure things
Speaker 1: out under Doc Rivers. They are just a half game though,
Speaker 1: ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Clippers. Is we
Speaker 1: have talked about where things sit. They're kind of solidified
Speaker 1: in that four spot in the Western Conference. But again
Speaker 1: say type of thing that all teams are trying to
Speaker 1: start getting things together here after the l Star break
Speaker 1: to play their best basketball as they head into the postseason.
Speaker 1: What are your expectations for this matchup tonight? What are
Speaker 1: you what are you looking for?
Speaker 3: In particular, Well, in a sense, both of these teams
Speaker 3: managed to quiet the noise. The Clippers managed to do
Speaker 3: that because if you remember, right after getting James Harden
Speaker 3: in the trade. You know, it looked bad. They're losing streets,
Speaker 3: couldn't win, they looked sloppy, out of sync and everything.
Speaker 3: And since then they've been, you know, pretty much rolling
Speaker 3: on a roll, and they've solidified themselves. They actually have
Speaker 3: a shot if they put the pedal to the medal
Speaker 3: of having the best record in the West. And again,
Speaker 3: who saw that. So they've quieted the noise a little bit.
Speaker 3: Milwaukee Bucks, after starting out slow, defense turned to mush
Speaker 3: Damon Lillard. Just the whole synergy thing with Giannis took
Speaker 3: some time. They end up firing Adrian Griffin. Doc Rivers
Speaker 3: comes in. Subsequently, they go on a losing street much
Speaker 3: like the Clippers did after they got James Harden in
Speaker 3: a lot of noise. Doc Rivers doesn't have it, blah blah.
Speaker 3: And now ever, since then, they've righten the ship and
Speaker 3: they're right where I would think people would have had
Speaker 3: them anyway, pretty much ride it the number two spot
Speaker 3: in the East behind the Boston Celtics. So I think
Speaker 3: for both of these teams, I say they are trending
Speaker 3: in the right direction, Sarah. And finally, you might say
Speaker 3: Giannie has been phenomenal lately. Damian Lillard has hit some
Speaker 3: big shots. Basically, that's why they brought him in to
Speaker 3: hit those big shots. And you know, and now they'd
Speaker 3: have to get Chris Middleton healthy and then we'll see
Speaker 3: what this team is heading into the playoffs. You know,
Speaker 3: with the Clippers, again, this is not a do or
Speaker 3: die game with them. I think they've kind of made
Speaker 3: their statement. Russell Westbrook's got to get healthy, obviously, but
Speaker 3: this team is loaded. And I mentioned that word help
Speaker 3: because you haven't heard that much, but the Clippers this
Speaker 3: year amazingly, you know, Kawhi Leonard for the most part,
Speaker 3: Paul George for the most part, have been relatively healthy,
Speaker 3: and we're finally seeing what they can do over an
Speaker 3: extended period of time given help. Obviously, it's the Clippers.
Speaker 3: You got to keep your fingers crossed going to the playoffs.
Speaker 3: But again, if you look at the West and where
Speaker 3: the Clippers stand right now and what they might be
Speaker 3: capable of doing, they could be the team that gives
Speaker 3: the Denver Nuggets the most.
Speaker 1: Trouble staying in that Western conference. And we've talked about
Speaker 1: the Lakers, we talked about Okay, see kind of toggling
Speaker 1: there up at the top for that top seed in
Speaker 1: the Western Conference. They will follow that game on NBA
Speaker 1: TV at ten thirty pm Eastern. That game that matchup
Speaker 1: what obviously Lakers really need to win. Okay see though
Speaker 1: as well, given what they want to do, what jumps
Speaker 1: out to you in this one that you're going to
Speaker 1: keep an eye on.
Speaker 3: Well, when you look at the Oklahoma City Thunder, they've
Speaker 3: been basically again, they've been blessed with good health. They
Speaker 3: haven't really missed any of their players, their star players
Speaker 3: in the rotation for any extended period of time. You know,
Speaker 3: they forced a lot of turnovers, they've got Shay, they've
Speaker 3: got some good balance, and you look at them and
Speaker 3: you're like, Okay, when are they going to stumble? Well,
Speaker 3: they haven't stumbled, Sarah. I mean, they've been like Minnesota,
Speaker 3: They've pretty much been near or at the top since
Speaker 3: the season started. They've beaten the Clippers, Sacramento, and Denver.
Speaker 3: Those are some pretty good teams lately. And then when
Speaker 3: you just look at the Lakers, the Lakers have a
Speaker 3: treacherous schedule. You know, they lost to Denver, they play
Speaker 3: ok see tonight, and they've got Milwaukee, Sacramento and Minnesota
Speaker 3: at home. That's not easy, even though it's at home.
Speaker 3: They go to Sacramento and they come back home and
Speaker 3: play the Warriors. That is that we're going to learn
Speaker 3: a lot about the Lakers over the next say, ten
Speaker 3: ten days or two weeks, just in terms of where
Speaker 3: they're going to stand, what kind of statement they can make,
Speaker 3: how much of the more they're going to need from
Speaker 3: Lebron James, who's been phenomenal, just phenomenal. And yet they
Speaker 3: haven't moved from like the nine or ten spot in
Speaker 3: the West. If they're still there or even lower, maybe
Speaker 3: can they propiti go any lower and fall out? I
Speaker 3: don't think so. But if they're still at number ten
Speaker 3: after the stretch, you're like, when are they ever going
Speaker 3: to rise?
Speaker 1: I feel your Sean, Paul. It is going to be
Speaker 1: fun and as always, we appreciate all of your time
Speaker 1: and we will continue to watch read all the things
Speaker 1: on NBA TV tonight, including those good matchups here this
Speaker 1: evening until next time. Thanks as always, sounds good, Sarah,
Speaker 1: I mean Your Pulse with Sarahkuzsack is a production the
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