WEBVTT - Power Rankings, Mavs Struggles, MVP Showdowns, LeBron's Return

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome into NBA Pulse, or production of iHeartRadio in the NBA.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Saracustack, NBA analysts for the S Network, and today

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<v Speaker 1>is Monday, March twenty seventh. From our incredible core group

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<v Speaker 1>of NBA journalists, we're joined now by John Schumann and Schue.

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<v Speaker 1>You've got your Power rankings out this week, and it

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<v Speaker 1>is a great dig and I know we often, as

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<v Speaker 1>I will right now go through the top five and

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<v Speaker 1>go through the numbers, but all the details, the notes,

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<v Speaker 1>the insights on these teams that we get a chance

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<v Speaker 1>to really dig into. Do you ever sleep not on

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<v Speaker 1>Sunday nights? No, Yo, I'm looking at this and it's

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<v Speaker 1>good stuff. Obviously, given the background of some of this

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<v Speaker 1>movement with these teams, especially as we head towards this

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<v Speaker 1>final stretch of the season, have such a large, large

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<v Speaker 1>sample size of what they've been doing, how they've been playing.

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<v Speaker 1>Milwaukee in that number one spot moves up from number two,

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<v Speaker 1>Boston is number Boston is at two, moving up from

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<v Speaker 1>number three. Philadelphia is at three, drop from the top spot,

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<v Speaker 1>and then Denver remains at four, with Cleveland at five.

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<v Speaker 1>But I want to talk about one of the teams

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<v Speaker 1>that is not moving up towards the top of the

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<v Speaker 1>Dallas Mavericks. They are struggling. They have lost four straight,

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<v Speaker 1>seven of their last nine, not to mention that they

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<v Speaker 1>just lost to the Charlotte Hornets one ten, one or

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<v Speaker 1>four with both Luca Done and Kyrie Irving playing. Luca

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<v Speaker 1>had forty twelve and eight, Kyrie with eighteen and four.

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<v Speaker 1>They've got two losses to the Hornets. They're sitting in

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<v Speaker 1>the eleventh in the West. And I said it, both

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<v Speaker 1>Luca and Kyrie are playing. So three and eight with

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<v Speaker 1>both of those guys. What is going on with the

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<v Speaker 1>Mavericks and what do they do at this point? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I think what they do is they try to be better.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's pretty amazing. So they're three and eight with

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<v Speaker 1>both Done and Irving in the lineup. For the most part,

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<v Speaker 1>defense has been the issue, although these two games against

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<v Speaker 1>the Hornets this weekend were more about ugly offense. But

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<v Speaker 1>the amazing thing is they're three and eight with these

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<v Speaker 1>guys in lines. All eight losses have been been within

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<v Speaker 1>five points in the last five minutes, so they they've

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<v Speaker 1>all been close. Now. The first loss to Charlotte was

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<v Speaker 1>only within five in the last five because they were

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<v Speaker 1>down seven or eight and got a bucket in the

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<v Speaker 1>last minute and made it made it a quote unquote

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<v Speaker 1>clutch game. But the other thing is, so you say, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, all eight have been within five in the

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<v Speaker 1>last five. You know, maybe they just need to clean

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of things up, and they're right there. But

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<v Speaker 1>the other thing is that only three of those eight

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<v Speaker 1>losses came against teams that are currently over five hundred.

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<v Speaker 1>There was one to Sacramento, one to Minnesota, and one

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<v Speaker 1>to Phoenix, and then the other five losses were to

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<v Speaker 1>the Lakers, to the Pacers, to the Pelicans, and then

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<v Speaker 1>two to the Hornets. So while you know a lot

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<v Speaker 1>they've all been close, you could also say that they

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<v Speaker 1>should not be going into clutch time or playing a

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<v Speaker 1>close game against the Pacers and the Hornets and even

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<v Speaker 1>the Pelicans who are who've been playing a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>better of late, but still our team they need to

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<v Speaker 1>beat if they want to even make the play in

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<v Speaker 1>in the Western Conference at this point. What about a

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<v Speaker 1>team on the other side of things that's been trending upwards,

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<v Speaker 1>the Memphis Grizzlies. They've won nine of ten, they are

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<v Speaker 1>in that second place spot, two games ahead of the

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<v Speaker 1>Sacramento Kings. It was not long ago that we had

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<v Speaker 1>some question marks about how they would look, what the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the season would look like for them, and

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<v Speaker 1>now they have been rolling nice when last night against

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<v Speaker 1>the Atlanta Hawks, and good balance among their starters as

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<v Speaker 1>well with the type of production they were getting. What's

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<v Speaker 1>been working so well for the Grizzlies lately it's been offense.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, they've won nine out of ten and they've

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<v Speaker 1>had the number one offense in the league over that stretch,

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<v Speaker 1>and they're doing it without Steven Adams, who is the

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<v Speaker 1>guy that's you know, they generates a lot of second

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<v Speaker 1>chances for them. That's how they generate a lot of offenses.

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<v Speaker 1>Fast breaks, you know, drives to the paint, and then

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<v Speaker 1>second chances where you know, John Morant attacks, draws help

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<v Speaker 1>and Steven Adams is there behind the help to sort

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<v Speaker 1>of clean up and finish. And we don't know if

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<v Speaker 1>if Adams is going to play again this season at

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<v Speaker 1>this point, or at least in the regular season, but

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<v Speaker 1>what they've been doing without all those second chances is

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<v Speaker 1>they've been shooting more threes and they've got four guys

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<v Speaker 1>that have shot really well from beyond the arc over

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<v Speaker 1>this stretch, Desmond Bane, Dylan Brooks, Tias Jones, Luke Canard.

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<v Speaker 1>Canard at ten threes and when the Grizzlies hit a

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<v Speaker 1>franchise record twenty five against the Rockets the other night,

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<v Speaker 1>Canard had ten, which was three more than the Rockets

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<v Speaker 1>had by total. And so basically, but prior to the stretch,

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<v Speaker 1>they were twenty second in three point rate, meaning the

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<v Speaker 1>percentage of their shots that have come from three point range.

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<v Speaker 1>During the stretch there they's seventh U with forty two

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<v Speaker 1>percent of their shots coming from beyond the arc. He

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<v Speaker 1>burries that, and that's a big thing. You know. Jaren

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<v Speaker 1>Jackson still isn't shooting particularly well from three point range,

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<v Speaker 1>but he's he's turned up his offense quite a bit,

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<v Speaker 1>especially in the paint um. And then if they've got

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<v Speaker 1>these other guys shooting shooting the ball well, but then

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<v Speaker 1>they can have a little bit more balanced offense, they

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<v Speaker 1>can be a little bit more potent on that end

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<v Speaker 1>of the floor. And I think Dylan Brooks, uh maybe

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<v Speaker 1>finding a rhythm could be huge just because of how

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<v Speaker 1>important he is to their defense um. And so if

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<v Speaker 1>he can provide a little bit of shooting and not

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<v Speaker 1>just shoot like thirty one thirty two percent from beyond

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<v Speaker 1>the arc, then that can be a huge development for them.

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<v Speaker 1>How do you view their chances in winning the West?

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<v Speaker 1>I If I look at them in a vacuum, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>I wouldn't be too excited. But when I look at

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<v Speaker 1>them in the context of the Western Conference and how

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<v Speaker 1>wide open it is, then I think they have basically

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<v Speaker 1>as good as shot as anybody really. Um you know,

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<v Speaker 1>when you have Denver that you know feels a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit flawed, Sacramento obviously flawed with the with the pretty

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<v Speaker 1>bad defense. Golden State we know, just isn't as good

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<v Speaker 1>as they were as they were last year. The Clippers

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<v Speaker 1>now missing Paul George and just haven't been that great. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think it's wide open, and I wouldn't so

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<v Speaker 1>if you're if you're one of the teams that's there,

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<v Speaker 1>and especially if you're gonna have home court advantage through

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<v Speaker 1>the first two rounds, you're in decent shape. Yeah, it's

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<v Speaker 1>gonna be fun to watch on the final stretch here

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<v Speaker 1>what happens to the Western Conference. And also we are

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<v Speaker 1>very interested in what's happening in the MVP race. A

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<v Speaker 1>couple showdowns here coming up, including one tonight on a

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<v Speaker 1>TV as Joel Embiid in the seventy six ers visit

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<v Speaker 1>Nicola Yokich and the Denver Nuggets. We'll get to that

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<v Speaker 1>right after the break. Welcome back to NBA Pulse, Sarah,

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<v Speaker 1>who stop joined by John Schumann and Schue. We got

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<v Speaker 1>a good one tonight on NBA TV nine thirty Eastern.

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<v Speaker 1>It tips off as Philadelphia is at Denver and two

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<v Speaker 1>MVP showdowns for Joel Embiid, who currently sits a top

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<v Speaker 1>of Michael c writes Kia MVP Ladder that number one

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<v Speaker 1>spot with Yoki two and Jannis at three. So uh, Embiid.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll see Yokis here tonight and then moving ahead this

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<v Speaker 1>weekend he'll get a chance to see the Milwaukee Bucks

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<v Speaker 1>and Yannis data Kumpo. But looking at tonight's matchup, what

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<v Speaker 1>do you look for? I know I'm talking here about

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<v Speaker 1>the MVP brace, but what do you look for out

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<v Speaker 1>of this matchup and just in the context of what

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<v Speaker 1>it means at this point of the season. Well, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not going to try to make any conclusions. I think

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<v Speaker 1>I've like taken a step back just because of the

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<v Speaker 1>toxicity of the conversation. I've taken a whole like personally

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<v Speaker 1>as a voter, I've taken a step backwards from the

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<v Speaker 1>whole thing and just try not to think about the

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<v Speaker 1>MVP too much until we get to the end of

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<v Speaker 1>next week. But I think it's it's a big game

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<v Speaker 1>for both first for both teams Denver. Denver has a

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<v Speaker 1>has a good, a decent lead at the top of

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<v Speaker 1>the West, but still has some business to take care of.

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<v Speaker 1>It's kind of like, it's kind of fun because it's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of been like a round robin of MBP candidates

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<v Speaker 1>because Denver beat Milwaukee the other night with Yokich having

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<v Speaker 1>a really good game against brook Lope Defensive Player of

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<v Speaker 1>the Year candidate brook Lopez. He shot really well against

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<v Speaker 1>Lopez in the paint. And so now we get Yoki

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<v Speaker 1>versus MBID for the second time. We know that Embiad

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<v Speaker 1>had a huge, huge game against Yoki in Philly earlier

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<v Speaker 1>in the season. Forty seven points, eighteen rebounds, three steals,

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<v Speaker 1>two blocks, five assists. There's embiid shot clock down to five,

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<v Speaker 1>wants to take Yo catch step back three forty seven

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<v Speaker 1>poor Joel, and I think obviously he's gonna care. I

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<v Speaker 1>think one thing we know Joe and b cares about

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<v Speaker 1>the MVP award because one he's dealing with a calf issue,

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<v Speaker 1>but he's still played in twenty seven or the Sixers

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<v Speaker 1>last twenty eight games, including both ends of their last

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<v Speaker 1>three back to backs. I think those were all opportunities

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<v Speaker 1>for him to get arrest if he wanted one, or

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<v Speaker 1>if they felt like that he needed one. But the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that he's playing through all of this tells us

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<v Speaker 1>that he's a little bit motivated in regard to his

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<v Speaker 1>individual play. And I think we'll see probably see that

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<v Speaker 1>play out on Monday night, and then of course Buck Sixers.

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<v Speaker 1>We're also gonna get Bucks Celtics. So like there's a

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<v Speaker 1>little Eastern Conference round robin going on over the next

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<v Speaker 1>few days too, where we get Buck Celtics sixers and

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<v Speaker 1>then Sixer Celtics next week. Yeah, what is that? What

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<v Speaker 1>are you looking forward to with that? Just some clarity

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<v Speaker 1>potentially at the top of the East especially you mentioned

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<v Speaker 1>Bucks Celtics Thursday on TNT Calves could they move past

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<v Speaker 1>the Philadelphia seventy six ers. What do you look for

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<v Speaker 1>at the top of the Eastern Conference. Yeah, we've kind

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<v Speaker 1>of assumed that those three teams are at the top,

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<v Speaker 1>and these three games will obviously offer some more clarity.

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<v Speaker 1>There's still you know, the Bucks are two games ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of the Celtics, who are two games ahead in the

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<v Speaker 1>lost column ahead of the Sixers. But with all these

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<v Speaker 1>head to head meetings, you know, anything could happen, really.

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<v Speaker 1>But one thing, you know, if you take a look

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<v Speaker 1>at the sixers remaining schedule, with these games against the

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<v Speaker 1>Bucks and the Celtics, and also they have a game

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<v Speaker 1>against Miami, they have a game against Brooklyn, they have Denver. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>as we talked about on Monday, they've got a tough schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you look at Cleveland's schedule, they have six

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<v Speaker 1>games left and only one of them is against the

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<v Speaker 1>team with the winning record, and that's a home game

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<v Speaker 1>against the Knicks on Friday. So Cleveland could possibly win

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<v Speaker 1>out and if they do that, then the Sixers have

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<v Speaker 1>to beat one or two of these other good teams

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<v Speaker 1>in order to avoid falling into fourth. And then of

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<v Speaker 1>course falling into fourth means you know, playing the one

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<v Speaker 1>seed in the second round, it means having a tougher

0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:26.839
<v Speaker 1>first round matchup, and then you know, things get a

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<v Speaker 1>little tricky. We've we've sort of assumed that it's one, two, three,

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<v Speaker 1>and you just want to be first and those that

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<v Speaker 1>two and if you're third, you're probably in the worst

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<v Speaker 1>shape because you're you know, playing a tough opponent on

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<v Speaker 1>the road in the second round. But there's still a

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<v Speaker 1>chance for Cleveland to sneak up, especially after after having

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<v Speaker 1>a pretty good week last week with those two wins

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<v Speaker 1>over Brooklyn. Yeah, absolutely, over to the West with how

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<v Speaker 1>things are shaken out in a couple on the end,

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<v Speaker 1>Lebron James returned for the Lakers last night. They lost

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<v Speaker 1>those to the Bulls. They're currently sitting in that ninth

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<v Speaker 1>place spot. We'll soak it in right now because Lebron,

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<v Speaker 1>it's common in the game. The Phoenix Suns expect DeAndre

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<v Speaker 1>Ayton and Kevin Durant back this week. They're currently sitting

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<v Speaker 1>fourth in the West. Those stars, that star power for

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<v Speaker 1>both those teams. I know they're in different positions, But

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<v Speaker 1>what did you see in the return of Lebron James

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<v Speaker 1>here for the Lakers and what that could mean for them?

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<v Speaker 1>And additionally, those two guys coming back for the Suns

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<v Speaker 1>at this point of the year. It's funny like, well,

0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:40.200
<v Speaker 1>you'll still still here. Lots of people say that, you know,

0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:43.280
<v Speaker 1>nobody wants to face the Lakers, but we still just

0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:46.800
<v Speaker 1>haven't seen them play well for any kind of extended period.

0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:50.080
<v Speaker 1>You know, right now, they're one game under five hundred

0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:52.440
<v Speaker 1>overall thirty seven and thirty eight, and they're also one

0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:55.080
<v Speaker 1>game under five hundred fourteen and fifteen in games in

0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:57.480
<v Speaker 1>which they've had both Lebron James and Anthony Davis. So

0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:00.880
<v Speaker 1>we still haven't seen them. Really they put it together,

0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:06.320
<v Speaker 1>you know, Sunday was an opportunity, but they lost to Chicago,

0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:09.080
<v Speaker 1>and let's just say Chicago's been really really good since

0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:13.080
<v Speaker 1>the All Star Break. Going back to Denver for a second.

0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:17.080
<v Speaker 1>One fun thing this week is that they'll play to

0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:23.280
<v Speaker 1>a couple of potential second round previews this week because

0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.120
<v Speaker 1>they play at Phoenix on Friday, when the Suns could

0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:29.720
<v Speaker 1>have both Eton and Durant back, and then they'll host

0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:33.080
<v Speaker 1>the Warriors on Sunday. So those are two teams that

0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:37.240
<v Speaker 1>could finish four or five perhaps in the West. That

0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.000
<v Speaker 1>would be an incredible first round matchup first of all,

0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.400
<v Speaker 1>but then that's also you know, a potential danger spot

0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:46.120
<v Speaker 1>for Denver in the second round if they face one

0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:47.640
<v Speaker 1>of those two teams. So it'll be fun to see

0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:52.240
<v Speaker 1>them play both of those two teams later this week. Yeah,

0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.480
<v Speaker 1>without a doubt, fun time a year in shoe as

0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:59.199
<v Speaker 1>always fun to have you on. As I mentioned, power

0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.000
<v Speaker 1>rankings out again this week. But all the details and

0:14:02.040 --> 0:14:04.400
<v Speaker 1>nuggets of notes, everything about these teams and what's been

0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:07.720
<v Speaker 1>happening with them is the good stuff, the good good stuff.

0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.520
<v Speaker 1>So thanks so much as always for being here with us. Oh,

0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:15.280
<v Speaker 1>go go go Virginia Tech. The Hokies big game tonight

0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:19.920
<v Speaker 1>against Ohio State. I'm nervous, are you? I'm excited? Yes?

0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:23.800
<v Speaker 1>Final four would be pretty pretty pretty cool for a

0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:28.560
<v Speaker 1>team for a school that's never been there, either on

0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:32.280
<v Speaker 1>either either men's or women's side. Channeling, channeling all the

0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:35.080
<v Speaker 1>good juju your way, your way into the Hokies way.

0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:38.640
<v Speaker 1>I have a good one. Show. We appreciate you. I

0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:40.720
<v Speaker 1>Mean A Pulse with Sara Kustack is a production of

0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:43.720
<v Speaker 1>the NBA and iHeart Radio. Please rate, review, and subscribe

0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:46.680
<v Speaker 1>on the iHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast.