WEBVTT - NBA Finals Preview: Bucks vs. Suns Keys, X-Factors & Predictions 0:00:04.640 --> 0:00:08.480 A bush bear can ante lack dad baby on my back? 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.960 What damn it'll sound like a motor. 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:19.040 And you are the women everywhere w on the pace 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:21.600 of peas baby. 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:34.720 Good morning, swiml and welcome to the Now Dams podcast 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:39.080 on the Athletic Network. It's Monday, July fifth, Happy fifth everyone. 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:42.360 I'm j E. Skeets, rolling with the homie task Millis. 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:43.080 What what's up? 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:43.640 Everybody? 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:44.360 What's up? 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:47.840 Task got Patasha hot boy up there, Trey Kirby, he 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:51.920 he the international man of mystery taking it to the 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:58.520 max leelis friend. Finally the man making the match a 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:02.040 cap in jd. Hello there is here. We are shout 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:04.280 out to the stream team here this morning, joining us 0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:07.480 live on YouTube. Take a quick second, everybody, smash that 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:09.720 like button on the video and if you haven't subscribed 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:11.760 to No Dunks on YouTube, keep sending in your questions 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:14.559 and your comments for the next Beach Step in podcast. 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:16.880 Email them in No Dunks at the Athletic dot com. 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:19.200 Best way to get him in and finally, go grab 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:21.800 your No dunks merch over at No dunks dot com. 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:26.119 We got No Dunk's NBA Finals collection up. Yes, Milwaukee 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:29.319 Bucks fans can get their No Dunks version of their logo. 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:32.080 There got the horns. And then of course we showed 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:34.800 you this last week the Suns, the Photoshop Boys meet 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:37.520 the Valley Boys. So go grab those over at No 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:40.240 dunks dot com. How's everybody doing this morning? Everybody have 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:43.440 a good weekend. Lee, You're still in New York riding 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:45.560 subways and looking at lego and stuff like that. 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:46.640 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:51.480 The boys really combined risky business with movie Big at 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.800 Fao Schwartz on Saturday afternoon as well. Interesting that was 0:01:54.880 --> 0:01:57.040 sliding up and down in their socks on the piano 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:00.640 like Tom Cruise and then doing the you know that 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.240 little piano tune on from Big there. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:04.559 So that was a lot of fun. 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:09.120 And then uh, and then I took in took in 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:12.880 the baseball yesterday Yankees Mets Big Subway Series rivals there 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:16.320 out at Yankee Stadium, standing room only, the only way 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:23.240 to watch. There was three things that were chanted yesterday. 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.720 One was few Mets, one was a few Yankees, and 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:27.560 the other one. 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:33.480 Was us us None. I was like, can we mix 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:34.720 it up a little bit up here? 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:35.120 Please? 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:35.680 Come on? 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:38.800 Did did judge Sucker Dinger for you? 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:40.160 No? Unfortunately, judge. 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:41.120 He couldn't stuck a dinger. 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:46.880 I think he judge all rise, yeah, I think I 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:47.840 think he got on base. 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:48.880 I think that was all he got. 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:52.000 He sort of sort of just lobbed one into sort 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:54.400 of empty empty field there, whatever you call that, and 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:55.120 got onto first. 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:56.000 But down. 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:06.440 I was, I was, I had the camera ready. I 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:08.400 was a man of judge. He socks a dinger. This 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:09.840 is going to be great because the other thing is 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.720 I'd love to do I've probably been fifty baseball games, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.120 and I've probably more never caught a foul ball, never 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:17.679 caught a ball in the outfield. Love to have caught one, 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:20.360 you know, deep in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. That 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.640 would have been fantastic. But dassy, I was thinking of 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:28.040 it yesterday. Man, this game was going okay, it was 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:31.960 moving along, okay. Fourth inning, Oh my god, moved the 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:35.280 ball along please the Yankees Garrett Garrett call I think 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:37.720 his name is the pitcher, gave up three runs, right, 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:42.040 three runs in the inning. Well just to know, so 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:43.920 so what happened was what happened was, you know, the 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:46.320 coach comes out and the sort of the infield players 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:47.040 come around me. 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:49.400 Exactly. 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:54.480 You know, usually the manager puts his hand out and 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:55.800 he has to put the ball in and he's off. 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:56.440 But he didn't do that. 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:58.040 He must have sort of said, all right, just you know, 0:03:58.200 --> 0:03:59.560 keep can't compose yourself. 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:01.680 So he goes back to the mound. 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:03.760 You know, everyone goes back to their positions at the 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:06.200 reft or the umpire does that little like, come on, guys, 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.080 break it up. So he goes back to the mound, right, 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:09.960 and the innings has already been going for like half 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:12.560 an hour at this point, and where I was standing, 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:14.240 I could sort of there was a TV screen as well, 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:16.320 so I could see everything. So then the catcher looks 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:18.520 at the manager and he comes back and he does 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.080 the little, you know, little finger thing like this, and 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:23.360 Garret Car's like, he does it again. 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:26.880 Throw the fucking ball, man, We've been here for like 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:27.799 forty five minutes. 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:28.599 Just throw it. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.160 You're going to get pulled off here anyway. 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:37.200 What are you doing? Like a standing formally tickets to 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.480 a big smart game hits a little differently. Maybe then. 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:43.840 It's not bad though, because if you if you want 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.400 to be behind the mount or behind the plate there, 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:47.600 you can do that. Or if you want to be 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:50.159 out in the cheap seats. It's it's also great, So 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:51.839 it's good. It's I think it's a great way to. 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:52.360 Watch a game. 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.680 So how long this game go? You think, oh, it's 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:56.520 not the fastest of the four major sports. 0:04:56.560 --> 0:04:57.560 I think, oh my god. 0:04:57.640 --> 0:04:57.680 No. 0:04:58.240 --> 0:04:59.679 So the game started at two o'clock. 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:01.520 It was a double headed yesterday because it got rained 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:03.520 out on Friday, So it start at two o'clock. I 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:05.440 had like a party to get to in Brooklyn at 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:08.599 like five thirty or six o'clock. I'm like, two o'clock. 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:10.640 I should be done by four, four thirty. Maybe I 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:12.800 slip out after the eighth of it. Yeah, it's like 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:16.840 fourth fifth and I'm like, guys, come on, move it along. 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:20.200 We've got another game to play here today. So anyway, 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:22.559 the Yankees blew the save. The guy I can't remember 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.360 his name, fans don't like him. He blew the save. 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:27.320 They lose that, but then they won the second one 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:31.159 last night. I will say impressive stadium. Yankee Stadium a 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:33.839 little difficult to get any vegetarian options, I'll say that much. 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:38.120 There's not a lot for the. 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:38.279 There's not a lot of vegetarian it. 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:39.800 Was. 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:42.680 It was, Oh, I should have taken I can't believe 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:44.560 in take a photot the popcorn. You should see the 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:48.680 bucket of popscorn and they give out there. It's just gigantic. 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.960 So I ended up having to eat French fries there 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:53.120 because that was the only thing. 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:55.520 Crazy. 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:56.600 Man. 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:01.440 Oh man, I'm just like, it's wings, it's burgers, it's dogs, 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:04.040 you know, And I'm just like the fourth of July. 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:07.719 You got a baseball game on the fourth of July. 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:09.200 A man's got it down. 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:13.480 It was a real you know what. 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.960 I will say though, I think baseball brings fans together 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:19.440 because even though there was channing, there was no fighting 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:19.920 in the crowd. 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:21.359 Everyone was having a great time. 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:23.320 I was talking to people, I was asking people to 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:24.320 take photos for us. 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:26.120 Yeah, you got it, man. 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:32.960 Oh my god. It's supposed to be an NBA finals 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:36.720 a production podcast. But let's do another twenty only in 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:37.080 New York. 0:06:37.360 --> 0:06:39.400 Yeah, yeah, let's have one more question. You said that 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:42.839 baseball brings people together. You wanted popcorn, but it's too big. 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.039 Do you ever think about being in that lineup and 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.880 saying to somebody, hey, you want to split that bucket 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:50.880 and you don't need that much popcorn? 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:54.440 Yeah? I mean I was talking to this couple actually, 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:57.520 and I thought maybe this is the angle here because 0:06:57.560 --> 0:06:59.000 there's three of us, and I said, maybe we can 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.040 split this because they were talking about buying a T shirt. 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:03.719 And this guy was like, do you think my wave 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:06.040 would think it looks Do you think my wife would 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:07.240 think I look dinner in this? 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:13.960 We're having a great old time. Oh man, it was 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:15.160 so did you go solo? 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:15.840 Yeah? 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:16.559 I just went solo. 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.560 Yeah, yeah, because standing room tickets were forty bucks. The 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:24.080 cheapest seat four hundred and forty dollars, so I wanted 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:26.480 standing room anyway. I was prepared to pay for a seat, 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:28.440 but I was like four hundred and forty. 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.320 So who took that stage photo of you? 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:35.960 I'm saying, that's my man, that's my that's my friend. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:37.840 Aye, buddy, he said when he left. 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:43.600 Have you heard one single? I'm walking here yet? 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:45.000 Okay? 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:50.160 Yeah? 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:53.679 Good fun, good fun. At the ball game July the fourth, 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:56.040 Yankees Mets. You know, tick that one off the bucket 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:59.600 list for sure. Just I know they've made some improvements 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:01.240 in the game spaded in the last few years. I 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:02.600 think there's a few mold I could work on. 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:06.400 But you know, all right, well, let's start moving along 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:09.240 this podcast too. It's like ten minutes ino, we haven't 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:12.000 even started talking about the NBA Finals because we got 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:15.280 our matchup. So let's break it down, let's make our predictions, 0:08:15.280 --> 0:08:17.600 all that good stuff. Let's see her from the stream 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:19.680 team too. You know, who do you like? Bucks or Suns? 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:22.600 How many games? But this finals matchup, I mean it's 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:25.320 We've got two of the longest suffering franchises in the 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.120 league when it comes to titles. At least Sons have 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:29.360 never won one. They've been around a long time and 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:32.640 the Bucks only championship back in nineteen seventy one, so 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.959 real long time ago. But keys to the series tasks, 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.320 let's jump right into it. What do you got your 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:40.400 eye on or what's the big storyline for this NBA 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:43.520 Finals matchup that tips on Tuesday night? They moved it 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:46.400 up a little shocking. I was very happy to see 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:48.480 that was going to be originally scheduled for Thursday, but 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:50.000 it's up to Tuesday now. But what do you watch it? 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:53.000 Well, it starts with Yanni Stetakoopo from the Bucks side. 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:54.560 You know, we can get into all the keys, but 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:58.040 if the Bucks don't have Yanisten, they're not winning their 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:01.720 first title in forty years. I think that is clear. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:05.160 So when is he coming back? And when should he 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:09.200 come back? Because yeah who? Sports Chris Haynes reported on 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:13.160 Friday that there was a belief Air Quotes belief Yannis 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:15.640 would have cleared to play in Game seven had the 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:19.760 Hawks won Game six. So now they get extra day's rest, 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.079 and there's some people out there thinking, you know, they 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:24.760 did move the finals up. Maybe you save him for 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:27.440 games three and four at home where you're more likely 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:30.119 to win, give him some extra rest that he was expecting. 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:33.520 But I think that's a little bokers. I think you 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:36.720 get him back as soon as possible. And game seven 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:38.920 would have been the day we're recording here today, a 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:41.640 day before the finals. So I think you get him 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:45.640 in in game one, get him comfy, because it takes 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.120 a game or two to get the guys comfy again 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:50.560 with Yanies. I know that he's their centerpiece, but just 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:53.120 look what happened with Trey Young there in game six. 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:55.520 It takes a little bit and so play around him. 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:59.480 I think that that period where you're getting a little 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:02.559 bit more acclimated again, back to Gannis being your centerpieces, 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:04.280 it's more important to do that in games one, in 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:06.319 Games two, and then be good for games three, in 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.480 games four. I don't think you wait, just get him back. 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:12.400 And the fact is we saw what the Bucks did 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.040 there in games five in game six without him. The 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:19.000 injury has brought those dudes together. They absolutely stepped up. 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.480 It's it's a little bit of you know, a Cinderellas story. 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.960 It's a good story. Those guys stepped up, mainly Drew Holiday, 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:27.160 but also Brook Lopez and Bobby Porters. So if you 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.440 bring him back now when he's not one hundred percent, 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.640 maybe Drew Holiday still feels that flow, he still feels 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:35.600 that same way where Yannis isn't sucking up all the 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:37.960 possessions if he isn't one hundred percent, and so maybe 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.240 Holiday can learn to step up be that aggressive dude 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.720 that we saw in game five and game six. Cuz 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:47.720 if Holiday, Brook and Bobby I'll play that way, you know, 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:50.440 along with Chris Middleton, with Yannis in the lineup, then 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:54.719 the title is absolutely theirs. So we can we can 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:56.640 get it. Let's let's get into the actual, you know, 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:59.800 break it down matchups type thing, but it starts with Janison. 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:02.480 I think get him in there, get him in there 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:05.600 to marrow game one. I think you've got to if 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.760 he's somewhat healthy, don't just wait, make sure he is 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:12.680 extremely healthy. I think that would be a mistake because 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:14.320 then you know you can give up those games in 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:15.120 the middle of the series. 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:17.600 Well, let's get into a particular matchup, Lee, what do 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:18.240 you got your eye on? 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:21.200 Well, I think the Milwaukee Bucks have to win the 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.120 big man matchup between Brook low Pez and DeAndre Ayton. 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:26.840 I think you've got sort of young legs in DeAndre 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:31.000 eighton versus the older, bigger, stronger Brook low Pez. And look, 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.280 Brook Lopez has been very good at times throughout these 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.000 playoffs for Milwaukee's been a good player for most of 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:38.160 the time he's been there. He has the ability to 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:40.360 spread the floor. We know he can shoot that three pointer, 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:42.200 and he can also go inside and kind of be 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.000 a bit of a bully there. So this is going 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:45.640 to be a bit of an old fashioned sort of 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:49.079 matchup too, big legit centers out there playing against each other. 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.720 But DeAndre Ayton has been so good for the Phoenix 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:53.800 Suns these entire playoffs, so Brook's going to have his 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:54.959 hands full at the other end. 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:55.839 But I just. 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:59.439 Wonder if Budenholz had just tries to maybe get DeAndre 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:01.440 Ayton into five our trouble at some point, get him 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:04.520 off the floor if he can, because the backup centers 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.920 for Phoenix are so much less intimidating in Dario Sharich 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:10.240 and potentially Frank Kaminski and I just think that what 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:10.800 you don't. 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:13.360 Think that push that Frank Komenski give to Patrick Bli 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:16.160 and Timody Shehulder. 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:20.160 Run, I just feel that, you know, again without Yannis 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:23.360 for you know, how however long he's out, the Bucks 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:26.360 don't have many advantages, but this is one that's potentially 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:29.319 in their favor, just because you know, when brook Lopez 0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:32.120 makes his presence felt he can be a very effective player. 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.360 So he's got to he's got to stop Deondrea. I 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:36.480 think if DeAndre e gets into that pick and roll game, 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:38.480 that's bad for the Milwaukee Bucks. I think if your 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:40.560 low Pez, you can sort of hang back a little 0:12:40.559 --> 0:12:43.079 bit and maybe give up at least that mid range 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:43.920 load a game. 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.720 You'd be giving up a whole sun jumpers from Kroh 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:48.480 and Devin Booker and pick and know. 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.839 But I mean, I mean in terms of eight and 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:52.640 I'm saying, like, if you you don't want to get 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:54.480 eight and sort of roll into the rim too much, 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:56.840 you have to give up one of those things. I mean, 0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:59.000 if you're going to give up anything to him. Now, 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.120 obviously in a in Paul and Booker, yes, you need 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:03.600 to go up there and contest, But if that leaves 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:07.000 eight and alone at the rim, then that's also bad 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.800 for Milwaukee. So they don't have a lot of advantages. 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:11.840 But I just sort of think that Brook, as we 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:14.280 saw at times against the Hawks, you know, he's a 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:18.360 handful down lock and Cappella and Gallinari and John Collins 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.840 struggled to really sort of contain him. So I think 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:25.720 that's where Milwaukee has potentially a chance to win that matchup. 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:28.800 But if Ayton destroys Brook Lopez in this series, then 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:30.600 I think it's going to be it's going to be 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:33.800 over very quickly for Milwaukee because I think they've got 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:37.680 so many other options. But I think that that's where 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:39.960 Lopez has to really stand tall and be great so 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:42.200 he can be and again, if he's spreading the floor, 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:44.079 if he's hitting those threes, pulling eight and away from 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:46.439 the basket, that is good for Milwaukee. 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:48.160 For the Bucks. So that's what he needs to do. 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:49.560 He needs to be on his game from the start. 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:51.800 Got all of the bigs there, Lee's got his eye 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:54.920 on it. That's usually Trey Kirby's lane, but Lee's locked 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:56.040 in on it. But what do you got, Trey? What 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:56.480 are you watching? 0:13:57.240 --> 0:13:59.400 Well? I hope you got your tickets for the Chris Middleton. 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:01.080 Ferris will because if the Bucks are going to win 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:03.440 the title, I think he's got to be their best player. 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:06.400 Like Tessa saying, with Giannis, that is really the question here. 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:09.280 If he plays, if he's one hundred percent, which seems 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:12.600 unlikely to me, I mean that changes everything because there's 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:14.960 no matchup for Giannis on the Suns. Like Jay Crowder 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:17.120 did a pretty solid job last year with the Heat, 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:19.960 but he's still four inches shorter or whatever it is. 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:22.880 So that's a big question. But assuming Giannis isn't going 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:26.120 to be Yiannis the way he has been, Middleton needs 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:28.120 to be awesome. Chris Middleton. He needs to be top 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.120 of the Ferires wheel. Middleton. We saw it a couple 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:32.600 of times versus the Hawks. He had twenty points in 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:35.560 the fourth quarter of Game three, had sixteen in a row, 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:38.840 finished scoring twenty three in the third quarter of Game 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.520 six really ended the game, ended the series right there. 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:44.880 But Chris Middleton also had the loading face six of 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:48.200 twenty three in Game one, six of seventeen in Game three. 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:50.720 Ferris wheels are only fun when you got the good view, 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.080 and looking at these matchups, the Bucks have to get 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.920 the best from Middleton because Drew Holliday is going to 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:57.600 have his hands full. I think he's either going to 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.640 be tasked with slowing down Chris Paul little bit or 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.600 if it's Devin Booker who's on fire, Drew Holliday's probably 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.280 garden Devin Booker there. So you need Middleton to be 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:10.360 aggressively looking to get buckets and basically matching what Booker 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:12.680 is going to be given the Suns because they just 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:16.120 with Dante DiVincenzo, feels like Booker should run wild a 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:18.200 little bit in this series, so you need Middleton to 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:20.320 cancel him out. I think he's going to be matched 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:24.200 up most likely with Michale Bridges, maybe Jake Crowder and 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:26.840 Middleton can win both of those matchups. I would think 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:29.800 the other question is going to be who guards Devin Booker, 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.280 because if you're asking Middleton to be the number one 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:34.440 guy on offense and then go out there and slow 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:37.920 down Devin Booker. That's a huge ask. But there's a 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.560 reason Chris Middleton is sometimes an All star, right skeets. 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:42.880 He looks amazing sometimes, and he can do it on 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.880 both ends. When he's playing his absolute best. He was 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:49.560 nails in games four, five, and six, really, I thought 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:52.400 for the Bucks in that Hawks series. So if he's 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:54.840 able to ride that momentum into the finals, that's big 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:55.640 time for Milwaukee. 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.400 Yeah, I gotta say I was looking. I got one 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:00.840 of those emails right on some weird an email thread here. 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.000 I always get these NBA Finals odds and ends and 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:05.800 stuff like that, and they got the finals MVP odds 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:09.360 Chris Paul the odds on favorite for finals MVP. Of 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.480 course you would have the Sons probably winning in that scenario, 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:15.720 Booker second, then Yannis and then Middleton. You know, like 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:18.040 decent odds because I think you're right. Guys like or 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:20.680 Trey like, if the Bucks win this and honest isn't 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:22.600 one hundred percent who knows if he even plays like 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:26.160 first off, I mean, Chris Middleton for them to win 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.800 has to be thirty points per game Chris Middleton, I think. 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:31.200 So it's like, wouldn't be that far fetched to see 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:34.680 him like win rightfully a finals MVP. So those odds 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:37.520 seem like a little like juicy, a little interesting. Not 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:39.600 that I'm betting on Chris Middleton, because that's one issue, 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.840 like the pharrispel does go down eventually, but he was 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:44.280 awesome one of the last little stretch, and so was 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.800 Drew Holiday in game six. I was down at the 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:49.200 Fortress on Saturday night against the Hawks. There were like 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:51.240 three or four plays where we were all looking at 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:53.280 each other like what the hell did Drew Holiday just 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:56.600 do there? Like spinning on guys and up and unders, 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.400 and like he was amazing, I thought. 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:00.520 In game six, so he calls the door when he 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:03.040 hit that lefty in the lane, like the Hawks were 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:06.280 coming back, the Fortress was rocking, and Drew Holliday just 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.560 went through five guys and finished at the rim with 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:10.879 a lefty and it was like, okay, Bucks win, Bucks win. 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:11.359 Yeah. 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:13.840 Yeah, he suddenly turned into Kyrie for a couple positions, 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:16.680 like what the hell's going on here? But that's to me, 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:18.240 like you said it, you guys have like sort of 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.439 touched on it. Already, like, can Holiday, Like, can he 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:24.240 slow down Chris Paul, who we know has been amazing 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.480 when he's played, He like really turns the ball over 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:28.840 one hundred and twenty two assists, only twenty two turnovers 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:31.280 here in the playoffs for Chris Paul, So can Holiday 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:33.560 make him uncomfortable? And then also bring it on the 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.080 other end, And again, that might be Holiday on Chris, 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:37.800 it might be him on Booker if he's got it 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:40.679 going because Middleton cancel him down or whatever. That matchup 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:44.000 is so holy crap. Drew Holiday has to be special. 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:47.080 I think if there's no honest or depleted honest for 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.480 them to pull this off. But he's like when those 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:53.160