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Speaker 1: Mmmmmm for the statement like his post gifts so Dad's radio. Um,

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Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, what in the world did we just watched?

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Speaker 1: I am completely and totally exhausted, annoyed, yet not the

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Speaker 1: least bit surprised. I remember tweeting in the middle of

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Speaker 1: one of their last handful of games that this team

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Speaker 1: has been trying so hard to tell us exactly what

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Speaker 1: who they are and exactly what they're made of, um,

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Speaker 1: this entire season, and all we've done, for the most

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Speaker 1: part is make excuses for them and talk about all

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Speaker 1: the things that are that have been working against them.

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Speaker 1: And here they are tonight, not completely healthy, but a

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Speaker 1: lot more healthy than they've been in a long time.

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Speaker 1: And all of those same character traits that you saw

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Speaker 1: when they when they were struggling, when they had good

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Speaker 1: reasons to struggle, all those character flaws are still there. Um,

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Speaker 1: And I think that that's not a coincidence. And uh,

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Speaker 1: obviously Rogers is dealing with He's with some buddies. He's

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Speaker 1: having the friends givingything tonight, so he's gonna hang out

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Speaker 1: with us for a minute. But our good friend and

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Speaker 1: they has agreed to help us all try to come

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Speaker 1: to terms with what we've been seeing, and so I

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Speaker 1: really really appreciate you guys. Roger, I suppose we should

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Speaker 1: start with you first of all. Buddy, um, we're able

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Speaker 1: to watch my much of that game. Where's your head

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Speaker 1: at right now? Yeah? So I'm hosting a little friends

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Speaker 1: giving here, and uh, I told them that the game

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Speaker 1: would be over pretty soon. And we went to the

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Speaker 1: first overtime, and then the second overtime, and then a

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Speaker 1: third overtime. And it's super frustrating to watch this, um

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Speaker 1: as you're trying to have a good time. I don't

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Speaker 1: know what the hell was going on. We played the

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Speaker 1: big line up again. We started DeAndre Jordan, which to

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Speaker 1: me is insanity. This felt like another game where Frank

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Speaker 1: Vogel just might be gone after this one. His first

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Speaker 1: sub in the overtime, I believe was Avery Bradley Darren

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Speaker 1: Darren Fox got whatever he wanted. I thought in the

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Speaker 1: late game, just easy pick and rolls, little fade away jumpers.

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Speaker 1: I thought, Buddy, Heels got to open a lot. I

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Speaker 1: don't know. This was super frustrating and watch as you're

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Speaker 1: trying to just have a good time with other people.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, man, this is frustrating. We're just not a

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Speaker 1: good team right now. It's a lot of jump shooting.

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Speaker 1: We're playing way too slow. We went up twelve and

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Speaker 1: then just continue to walk the ball up the floor.

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Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook, Lebron a D just a lot of slow basketball,

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Speaker 1: no sense of urgency, right and I feel like that's

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Speaker 1: been the identity of this team. It's been just a

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Speaker 1: no sense of originy type of team. And that's what

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Speaker 1: I felt happened in the late came offense went up

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Speaker 1: twelve and just started walking the ball up the floor.

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Speaker 1: These these off the offense has just come to Lebron

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Speaker 1: post ups a D. You post ups, no no offside

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Speaker 1: actions there on the action we run as a little

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Speaker 1: pin screen. But when you just throw us in the

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Speaker 1: corner and you're running Lebron adies screen and roll, there's

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Speaker 1: no space for them. That's what I thought really happened tonight.

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Speaker 1: So I won't be on here too long. I appreciate

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Speaker 1: youven A for coming up here. Jason will appreciate you

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Speaker 1: holding it down, But I just want to come up

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Speaker 1: and say those that those few things, because I thought

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Speaker 1: that was super frustrating just watching the whole game kind

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Speaker 1: of play out. You could tell that Sacramento never thought

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Speaker 1: they were out of it. Um, Terris Halliburton, Buddy Heal,

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Speaker 1: Darren Fox felt like they can get it whatever they

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Speaker 1: want on the floor. That's why. That's what I felt.

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Speaker 1: What happened in A in overtime and the fourth quarter. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I thought the theme of the game was settling UM,

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Speaker 1: and this is what I wanted to kick to Uve

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Speaker 1: and A just to get to get your thoughts, because,

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Speaker 1: like you know, there's been a lot of talking about

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Speaker 1: effort and focus with this group, right, and you know,

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Speaker 1: effort and focus manifests in a bunch of different ways.

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Speaker 1: And it's not just defense, and it's not just rebounding,

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Speaker 1: and it's not just running the floor and transition. One

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Speaker 1: of the biggest ways that effort will manifest itself is

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Speaker 1: rim pressure, especially with this group, this particular core group

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Speaker 1: of Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Lebron And we've made

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Speaker 1: so many excuses for them based on spacing, and a

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Speaker 1: lot of them have been legitimate, And to be clear,

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Speaker 1: I do absolutely think that's starting DeAndre Jordan's factors in

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Speaker 1: to that to setting the tone of settling. However, even

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Speaker 1: when they did have the space to operate. I thought

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Speaker 1: all three players, not really Russ, I'm gonna get I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna let Russ off the hook here. But I thought,

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Speaker 1: particularly a D and Braun, we're so so, so so

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Speaker 1: so quick to settle instead of using the taking the

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Speaker 1: energy that it takes, the effort that it takes to

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Speaker 1: use your physical tools to beat your man to the

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Speaker 1: basket even if it's not for you, and least just

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Speaker 1: to collapse the defense, and to try to generate higher

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Speaker 1: shot quality, um than they What was your impression of

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Speaker 1: just the general rim pressure that we were getting from

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Speaker 1: Lebron and a D or the lack there of. Yeah, So,

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Speaker 1: before I answered the question, I was just gonna say,

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Speaker 1: I'm not disappointed at the results of this game. And

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Speaker 1: I think when I answer your question, it'll it'll explain

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Speaker 1: why I'm not disappointed. Um So, I think what you

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Speaker 1: mentioned about the spacing and DeAndre, like, that's obviously an issue, right, um,

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Speaker 1: but this game was a game even when a D

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Speaker 1: went to the five, or when they had one big

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Speaker 1: man like Dwight, when Dwight was like the only big

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Speaker 1: on the floor, there was a lot of moments where

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Speaker 1: I thought, you know, like even Braun probably had some

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Speaker 1: opportunities to just kind of go to the rim and

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Speaker 1: and get himself easy buckets, and um, it wasn't there,

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Speaker 1: you know, like it was a lot of settling for

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Speaker 1: jump shots, like you said. And one of my concerns

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Speaker 1: not concerns, but it's just like one of my observations

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Speaker 1: has been that when we play a D at the

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Speaker 1: you know, all the rage has been you know, our

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Speaker 1: defense isn't very good, our rotations aren't very good. But

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Speaker 1: it's been so surprising to see how much a D

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Speaker 1: doesn't go to the rim when he's at the file.

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Speaker 1: And if you watch these these three overtimes, and you

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Speaker 1: watch every single time a D went to the rim,

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Speaker 1: whether it was Russ running the pick and roll with

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Speaker 1: him or if Braun running the pick and roll with him,

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Speaker 1: what happened. It was usually a layup or it was

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Speaker 1: like an and one opportunity or something like that. And

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Speaker 1: it has been very, very fascinating, And you know, I

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Speaker 1: have my own personal conspiracy theory, but it has been

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Speaker 1: fascinating to see this team do the exact opposite of

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Speaker 1: whatever the lineup that's on the floor is meant to do,

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Speaker 1: you know, like you space the floor so now everybody

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Speaker 1: should be attacking the rim, but then they all just

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Speaker 1: start shooting jump shots, and then when the floor is packed,

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Speaker 1: we're trying to attack the rim instead of just finding shooters.

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Speaker 1: So I think I think if you look at rim

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Speaker 1: pressure throughout the course of just this game alone and

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Speaker 1: you see how the Lakers were kind of playing in

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Speaker 1: the opposite direction of whatever that line it was, I

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Speaker 1: think that should tell you something about just kind of

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Speaker 1: where some of these players are at as it relates

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Speaker 1: to whatever offense vote was running. Yeah, this last thing

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Speaker 1: and I'll kind of go off here. Um, I was

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Speaker 1: hoping they went to more Lebron Russ pick and roll late.

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Speaker 1: I thought it was just way too much that Lebron

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Speaker 1: a D pick and roll with Russ in the corner.

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Speaker 1: There's just no space even when Lebron even when a

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Speaker 1: D s at the five, you have Mellow at the

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Speaker 1: four with Malik Monk, you throw Russ in the corner.

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Speaker 1: There there's just no space. Um, there's they zoned right

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Speaker 1: up and it just led to a lot of switching

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Speaker 1: right you. They had a little bit of a Lebron

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Speaker 1: a D pick and roll, the King switched that and

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Speaker 1: you had Lebron attacking Marvin Bagley, which I think is

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Speaker 1: a matchup he likes. But it led to a lot

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Speaker 1: of just step back jumpers. He had a lot of

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Speaker 1: faded way jumpers in the third quarter, in the fourth quarter.

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Speaker 1: But I thought that was just bad process because eventually

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Speaker 1: those shots didn't go a d as well, right, a

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Speaker 1: lot of jobs, a lot of jabs type jumpers. And

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Speaker 1: don't know if the offense was totally issue tonight, I

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Speaker 1: thought defensively as well, Darren Fox again got to the rim.

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Speaker 1: Halliburton got what he wanted. Buddy Hield was able to

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Speaker 1: get free. He had a bad shooting night, but late

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Speaker 1: I thought he got shots he wanted. There's just something

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Speaker 1: missing here. And to me, like DeAndre Jordan played the

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Speaker 1: first eight minutes of the of the game that went out, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I don't know how he got extend that. I was

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Speaker 1: I was like, wait a second, it's past six minutes.

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Speaker 1: How did he how did you play more? Right? And

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Speaker 1: we we yeah, And there's just some negative energy that

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Speaker 1: comes with that. It's so counterintuitive to how Russ wants

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Speaker 1: to play. He doesn't get in rhythm. There's no speed

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Speaker 1: to him, there's no there's no juice right, and that's

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Speaker 1: how Russ wants to play. And I thought that kind

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Speaker 1: of set the tone for the game there, and when

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Speaker 1: DeAndre and when you have DeAndre Jordans just playing those minutes,

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Speaker 1: I thought I just set a tone for the energy

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Speaker 1: of the game. But I don't know, man, his team

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Speaker 1: needs to figure things out. Like I know Kendrick Nuns out,

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Speaker 1: I know Trevor reads out, Austin Reaves is out. They

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Speaker 1: got to figure out how they want to play because

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Speaker 1: this up and down five basketball is just not gonna

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Speaker 1: work again. They got that big winning indeed, Anna Lebron

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Speaker 1: had a lot of step back jumpers late, but again

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Speaker 1: it felt like the offense just devout to that. So

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Speaker 1: this is a tough game, man. But I appreciate you guys.

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Speaker 1: I'm a lot off here. I just want to say

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Speaker 1: my two cents there, Jason. I appreciate you hosting is Bener.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate you co hosting from me. I'm gonna get

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Speaker 1: back to this friends giving. Appreciate everyone coming on listening

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Speaker 1: uh to this one. I'm allowed off on this one, Juddy,

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Speaker 1: and we will see you. We will see you on Sunday.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate that I thought there was such an interesting dynamic

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Speaker 1: and the different types of closing, right, and Lebron has

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Speaker 1: been famous for for for both of these uh in

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Speaker 1: large volume throughout his career. Like there's a difference between

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Speaker 1: Lebron when he's closing as a guy who's running or

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Speaker 1: spamming and action and making really high quality decisions out

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Speaker 1: of it, and then the Lebron I'm just trying to

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Speaker 1: eat the shot clock every single time, and then as

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Speaker 1: soon as I get I'll just I'll call you get

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Speaker 1: a switch on one of their big guys, and then

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna run the clock down and I'm going to

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Speaker 1: take some stupid you know, fade away or pull up three,

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Speaker 1: you know, Like there's it's like aggressive closing versus passive closing,

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Speaker 1: if that makes sense. And to your point the A,

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Speaker 1: because this is the interesting part here, I I genuinely believe,

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Speaker 1: and I'm assuming this is your conspiracy theory, but I

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Speaker 1: genuinely believe that Lebron and A D are both capable

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Speaker 1: of attacking the room more than they have been. And

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Speaker 1: if you read A sorry, that's where if you read

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Speaker 1: this tape and before, if you recorded this game and before,

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Speaker 1: and let's say I hadn't watched this game. This is

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Speaker 1: just my opinion. Like, if you recorded this game and

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Speaker 1: you sent it to me, said, nay, before you watch

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Speaker 1: this game, I want to tell you something. A D

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Speaker 1: and Braun are trying to get Vogle fired. That's all.

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Speaker 1: I want you to have your mind when you're watching

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Speaker 1: this game before you watch it. If you watch this game,

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Speaker 1: how can you not walk away from this game thinking

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Speaker 1: to yourself that Braun and A D have checked out

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Speaker 1: on genuinely. Yeah, Like, there's nothing about this game or

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Speaker 1: the effort that they played with in this game that

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Speaker 1: makes me like, I know they did some flashy stuff

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Speaker 1: and once and stuff like that, but there's nothing in

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Speaker 1: this game that makes me think that they're committed to

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Speaker 1: playing under Frank Mobile this season. Nothing at all, absolutely not. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'm on the same page with you. And it's funny

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Speaker 1: because it's gonna be really annoying when this change does

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Speaker 1: come down and then they both walk back in because

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Speaker 1: this has not been Frank atall. Frank. Frank has not

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Speaker 1: been perfect. As we've said so many times, Frank has

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Speaker 1: not been perfect. However, a good a good portion of

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Speaker 1: this is Lebron and A D in Cruise Control. Just chilling.

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Speaker 1: They literally look like when the the D one level

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Speaker 1: talent goes up to the wreck Jim to play pick up,

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Speaker 1: and obviously he could get to the rim anytime he wants,

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Speaker 1: but he's just taken stupid jump shots in fade Away,

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Speaker 1: it's just because it's fun and he's not trying to

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Speaker 1: get hurt, and he's just trying to get a sweat.

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Speaker 1: And that's literally what it looks like when you're watching

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Speaker 1: these guys. But I thought it was interesting because they

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Speaker 1: got a huge lead at the start of the fourth

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Speaker 1: quarter with a really interesting line up with Lebron and

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Speaker 1: Dwight and then three shooters with Mellow and lak Monk

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Speaker 1: and with Wayne Ellington, and then at the end of

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Speaker 1: the game they got back into the game because of

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Speaker 1: stagnant offense, a lot of bad shots and bad defense.

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Speaker 1: Then you go to O T, same thing. Lebron actually

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Speaker 1: makes a couple jump shots, they get up by seven,

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Speaker 1: same thing goes back into that stagnant passive closing goes away.

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Speaker 1: So then in double O T they go to Russ

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Speaker 1: and Russ is at least running pick and roll with

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Speaker 1: a D so they're starting to get downhill and uh,

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Speaker 1: and there was one play where it broke down and

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Speaker 1: he ended up in like the chaos and suing where

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Speaker 1: he hit Lebron right under the basket for dunk. And

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Speaker 1: then there was the other one where he hit a

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Speaker 1: d for the layup and the foul. So they were

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Speaker 1: getting better stuff. So then um, then at the end

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Speaker 1: of o t when they're down, because I think they

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Speaker 1: got down by three, Lebron gets the ball back in

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Speaker 1: his hands and you could tell he's like, I'm not

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Speaker 1: settling anymore, and back to times, back to back times,

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Speaker 1: gets to the rim, it takes Alex lenn finishes and

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Speaker 1: one with the left handed layup or the little floating

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Speaker 1: or floater off the yeah, and then and then he

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Speaker 1: drives on Marvin Bagley in the right corner and it's

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Speaker 1: like you're literally watching the game, You're like, where is this? Then,

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Speaker 1: like you literally have had those same matchups in this

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Speaker 1: game and you've just been unwilling to do it. And

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Speaker 1: and honestly, I thought it was a basketball god's kind

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Speaker 1: of thing because the shot that he took at the

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Speaker 1: end of it was either the first overtime or second overtime.

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Speaker 1: That three from the top of the key at the buzzer,

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Speaker 1: couldn't he He came about as close as you can

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Speaker 1: come to making that shot without making it. It was

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Speaker 1: dead on straight and he just left it a tiny

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Speaker 1: bit short. But it's one of those things where it's like, no, dude,

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Speaker 1: you're not getting that tonight. You don't get you don't

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Speaker 1: get to be the hero after you just seem like

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Speaker 1: he was okay with you? Is he like he was

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Speaker 1: okay with being like in that position, like if it

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Speaker 1: was a tie game, you know, like obviously we don't

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Speaker 1: think that people game ahead like that, or bron games

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Speaker 1: ahead that far and he just win the game. But

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Speaker 1: it's just like, no, he lives for those kind of

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Speaker 1: moments to to some degree, to be able to game

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Speaker 1: winners um in front of a home crowd and stuff

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Speaker 1: like that. But I just, you know, we we're talking

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Speaker 1: about their offense and over time, but I'll be honest,

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Speaker 1: they should not have even made it to the third overtime.

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Speaker 1: They were giving, they were giving, but but they were giving.

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Speaker 1: Buddy Healed like opened. So Sack was running like this

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Speaker 1: three man weave with Alex Lenn Buddy Healed and Darren

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Speaker 1: Fox trying to get like one of the three Lakers

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Speaker 1: that was trying to defend it out of position, and

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Speaker 1: the goal was to get Buddy healed the wide open three.

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Speaker 1: So the play that I think Buddy ties the game up,

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Speaker 1: I forgot which if it was the first overtime or

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Speaker 1: second overtime. Um, Braun Buddies the time as Braun, and

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Speaker 1: so Braun is on Buddy the entire time. But then

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Speaker 1: like the final action of whatever set that they were running,

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Speaker 1: like Braun just leaves Buddy just he doesn't even bother

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Speaker 1: to get him, and Monk is on alex Lynn and

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Speaker 1: then Braun just watch looks at the leak and Malik

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Speaker 1: like trying to get past Alexland to defend that defend

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Speaker 1: Buddy's three, and Buddy just drains it and just walks

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Speaker 1: back to the other way. And I was in a

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Speaker 1: group chat with somebody else, but I just messaged him.

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Speaker 1: I was just like, oh, Bron just gave up on

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Speaker 1: this play. He was just like, all right, I'm not

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Speaker 1: chasing this guy anymore for the rest of this possession.

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Speaker 1: So whoever makes it, if he makes it, he makes

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Speaker 1: it whatever. But that mental process of doing that of

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Speaker 1: like you know, like how he did close out on

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Speaker 1: the alex Land three that tied up the game. Like

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Speaker 1: I was just like, you know, we weren't doing that

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Speaker 1: last game. We weren't doing that in the Indiana game.

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Speaker 1: Like in the India game, he was very crisp and

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Speaker 1: stuff like that with his rotations. Everybody was. But it's

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Speaker 1: just like that last if he closes out on that shot,

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Speaker 1: maybe Alexland doesn't make that three, or maybe he changes

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Speaker 1: and yeah, and the Lakers win that game. You know, um,

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Speaker 1: And the reason why I give if you give the contrast,

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Speaker 1: you know that the dearon Fox, they left time run

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Speaker 1: out right, how did that second overtime? If you watch

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Speaker 1: that play, He's got Ross on him, and they've been

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Speaker 1: trying to get Malik Daron Fox on Malik because Aaron

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Speaker 1: could get that jumper off in a one on one.

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Speaker 1: So Russ actually fights through the screen so that Deeron

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Speaker 1: doesn't get you know, he doesn't get the matchup that

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Speaker 1: he wants late in the game, and then you know

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Speaker 1: that Fox has like a brain fart and passed it

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Speaker 1: away and then time expires, be going and triple over time.

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Speaker 1: But it's like that kind of small effort, you know

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Speaker 1: what I mean? Like it's it's just not there, um,

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Speaker 1: especially on the defensive end. Um. And it it looked

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Speaker 1: everybody's been complaining about Ellington Malik Us playing Avery Bradley, like,

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Speaker 1: you know, the guys that are not offensively inclined. But

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Speaker 1: if Broun and a d aren't going to be engaged

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Speaker 1: on the defensive end unless somebody's literally shooting the ball

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Speaker 1: in their face, who, like, who else can you blame?

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Speaker 1: You know? And that's just my opinion that I don't.

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Speaker 1: I can't get mad at any I can't get mad

339
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Speaker 1: at Malik for not being able to defend Daron Fox,

340
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Speaker 1: because that's not what he should be in there for

341
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Speaker 1: to begin with, you know, like we shouldn't be allowing

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Speaker 1: him to get switched off of him so easily. But

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Speaker 1: you know that that's what happened. I thought talk about

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Speaker 1: it dictated all all the all the overtime, second and

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Speaker 1: third Yeah, oh no, it kind of felt like this

346
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Speaker 1: pseudo inevitable outcome in a weird way, even though the

347
00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,879
Speaker 1: Lakers had several big leads late. Um. You know, so

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Speaker 1: I do want to get away from the crunch time

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Speaker 1: offense because we really need to hammer home this point

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Speaker 1: with Lebron and a D because it's really bad. Um,

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Speaker 1: just in the regular flow of the game offense, there

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Speaker 1: are these two outcomes that we're seeing a lot that

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Speaker 1: are indicative of this mentality that Lebron and a D

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Speaker 1: are both lacking right now, because it foundationally starts with

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Speaker 1: this concept that we think that Lebron and a D

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Speaker 1: when they are engaged and healthy, are both top five players.

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Speaker 1: That's that's the that's the secret sauce of this entire

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Speaker 1: Lakers experiment, right. Um. But whether now some people outside

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Speaker 1: of Laker circles might tell you Lebron's old a D

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Speaker 1: actually uh, you know, shot uncharacteristically well in the bubble,

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Speaker 1: So you know, the reality is, is there not that anymore?

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Speaker 1: I would argue that the truth is probably somewhere in

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Speaker 1: the middle. But I still think that when they're healthy

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00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,520
Speaker 1: and actually engaged in making a concerted effort to use

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Speaker 1: their physical tools, that they are top five players. And

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Speaker 1: the read that you see most commonly with the two

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Speaker 1: of them that is such a dead ringer for this

368
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Speaker 1: concept is Anthony Davis post up, jab step jump shot.

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Speaker 1: It's you're seeing that You're seeing that now almost every

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Speaker 1: single post up and then with Lebron, it's the high

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Speaker 1: screening role. Okay, he went under, I'm taking a three,

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Speaker 1: but it's not I'm taking a balance three right at

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Speaker 1: the three point line. It's I'm taking a twenty seven

374
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Speaker 1: ft or after where it's like, yeah, the dude went

375
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Speaker 1: under the screen, Lebron, but you went under the screen

376
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Speaker 1: because you ran it at feet you know, like there's

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Speaker 1: a reason why you're open there, man like, and and

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00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,720
Speaker 1: that's the You've seen that with Lebron this entire season

379
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Speaker 1: is just high volume three point shots, almost as like

380
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Speaker 1: a punt, Like it's almost like he's hunting the possession,

381
00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:06,960
Speaker 1: like this isn't gonna use any of my energy. This

382
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,159
Speaker 1: is gonna I'm already halfway back on defense. Let me

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Speaker 1: just like if you could see them, they're all clustered

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Speaker 1: at the top of the key too. But that that

385
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Speaker 1: Lebron three when the defender goes under, you know from

386
00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:21,360
Speaker 1: twenty seven ft top of the key is his dad giveaway.

387
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,760
Speaker 1: And with Anthony Davis it's the jab step jump shot.

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00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,679
Speaker 1: But it's you can tell without a shadow of a

389
00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,000
Speaker 1: doubt that Lebron and a d are withholding some of

390
00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,400
Speaker 1: their physical imprint on the game, and not just some,

391
00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,280
Speaker 1: but a lot of their physical imprint on the game

392
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Speaker 1: on both ends of the floor, both as rim pressuring

393
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Speaker 1: offensive players and as hyper versatile defensive forwards that should,

394
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Speaker 1: in theory be the cornerstone of the top five defense.

395
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Speaker 1: And and so to your point, and it might be Frank,

396
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,439
Speaker 1: and we're not sure, and we'll find out, and we're

397
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Speaker 1: gonna find out quickly, I think hopefully. But but whatever,

398
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Speaker 1: they're not dialed in. Yeah, I was gonna say I

399
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,560
Speaker 1: told a couple of friends that Frank was gonna if

400
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,320
Speaker 1: I said that Frank would be let go before this

401
00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:06,840
Speaker 1: game because of what happened on the road trip, um

402
00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,120
Speaker 1: and then going down so big. So if I'm off

403
00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:12,119
Speaker 1: by one game, if he gets let go after this game, um,

404
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:16,080
Speaker 1: which I think is very very possible for that to happen. Uh,

405
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,800
Speaker 1: I'm gonna call myself a profit because, like I feel

406
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,600
Speaker 1: like I saw this coming. I thought we see today.

407
00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,720
Speaker 1: I thought they would hold off on Thanksgiving Day because

408
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:24,439
Speaker 1: I would be tacky, and then they would do it

409
00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,960
Speaker 1: today Black Friday. Yeah, so let's talk about So you

410
00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,040
Speaker 1: brought up something very interesting, right, Um, The idea that

411
00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:34,719
Speaker 1: Lebron in an ad are holding back their talents, right,

412
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,680
Speaker 1: or holding back like sure, their full repertoire of of

413
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:42,000
Speaker 1: doing stuff. Um, for whatever reason that they're choosing to do. Um,

414
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,879
Speaker 1: let's let's split those two things. Split those two players

415
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,239
Speaker 1: apart for a second. Okay, because Bron Bron has been

416
00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:49,560
Speaker 1: out for a certain amount of games obviously that I

417
00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,040
Speaker 1: think that growing injury and stuff like that is still

418
00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,239
Speaker 1: something he's trying to work himself through. Like in the

419
00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,200
Speaker 1: first half of the game, I think he had a

420
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:57,840
Speaker 1: post up spin move or something like that, and then

421
00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,720
Speaker 1: he grabbed his growing um and I saw Peop tweeting like, Oh,

422
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:02,280
Speaker 1: he's gonna get fine for that. I was just like, no,

423
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,840
Speaker 1: I think he's actually like like he may have tweaked

424
00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:06,520
Speaker 1: his growing Like, I don't think he's like he's doing

425
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:10,640
Speaker 1: the celebration or something like that. But um, but let's

426
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,600
Speaker 1: talk about a D for a second. Okay. Um, When

427
00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,760
Speaker 1: we added Russ to this team, I wrote this nice

428
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,359
Speaker 1: thousand word article with like gifts and all that sort

429
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,760
Speaker 1: of stuff, talking about how Russ's motor would be great

430
00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:25,560
Speaker 1: for a guy like Anthony Davis because because he's always

431
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,240
Speaker 1: attacking the rim, it almost forces a d to happen

432
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,480
Speaker 1: like participate in that process with him, right, because eight

433
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,280
Speaker 1: is such a good finisher, and we've seen through stretches

434
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,360
Speaker 1: of certain games where they've been really really good when

435
00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:40,840
Speaker 1: they're working with each other, like attacking the rim, picking

436
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,040
Speaker 1: their spots and stuff like that. But there have been

437
00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,840
Speaker 1: way too many moments where eighties not like a partner

438
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,640
Speaker 1: in crime with him in those picking rolls, and so like,

439
00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:53,960
Speaker 1: when I started seeing him sort of settled for jump shots,

440
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:55,560
Speaker 1: I was like, all right, that's fine, as long as

441
00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:57,200
Speaker 1: eight is not trying to take these jump shots out

442
00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,879
Speaker 1: of isolation, which he doesn't do very well to do

443
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:01,560
Speaker 1: out of the pick and roll, because Russ is gonna

444
00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,160
Speaker 1: get you a wide open jumper anyways. Right, But then

445
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,320
Speaker 1: if you watch today's game, watch the pick and rolls

446
00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 1: that a D and Russ rant. There are some where

447
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,639
Speaker 1: a D is running with him. There are somewhere a

448
00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,040
Speaker 1: D creates like the passing angle um for Russ to

449
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,600
Speaker 1: what's it called, like, uh, you know, for Russ to

450
00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:22,240
Speaker 1: deliver pass them. And then the most the most fascinating

451
00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,919
Speaker 1: ones um is probably not the adjective of other people use.

452
00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,679
Speaker 1: They probably say it's frustrating, but there's ones where he

453
00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 1: delivers the screen and he just leaves the play like

454
00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,320
Speaker 1: it's just Russ dribbling the ball with like a live dribble,

455
00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,960
Speaker 1: waiting to see like all right, a d are you

456
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,000
Speaker 1: gonna are you gonna, you know, give me somebody to

457
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:40,960
Speaker 1: pass the ball? Are you gonna roll to the rim?

458
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:42,840
Speaker 1: Are you gonna pop out somewhere where I can give

459
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,919
Speaker 1: you the ball? Like you can watch Russ do it

460
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,960
Speaker 1: for one to two dribbles, like just waiting. And when

461
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:51,679
Speaker 1: point guards do stuff like that, that means that somebody

462
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,240
Speaker 1: abandoned whatever the play was supposed to be. Absolutely like that.

463
00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:59,879
Speaker 1: That was the fresh off the bubble special was this

464
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,600
Speaker 1: screen and just exit the play? Yeah, yeah, and so

465
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,159
Speaker 1: and so you know, like the part that you know,

466
00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,399
Speaker 1: I'm a big fan of Russ. I'm from l A,

467
00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,080
Speaker 1: so like I always love like the LA guys and

468
00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:12,240
Speaker 1: stuff I got, especially since they're playing for the Lakers.

469
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:16,320
Speaker 1: But like, the thing that's been the most jarring thing,

470
00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,520
Speaker 1: the most contrasting thing for me as a theme through

471
00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,760
Speaker 1: this season, because we haven't seen enough Braun is if

472
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:27,240
Speaker 1: we talk about how much how the high motor Russ has,

473
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,000
Speaker 1: Like at some point you have to have a conversation

474
00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,080
Speaker 1: about like the lack or or the selective motor that

475
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:36,960
Speaker 1: Ad has. Like at some point, we can't as as fans.

476
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:39,320
Speaker 1: I keep thinking to myself, like we can't and we

477
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:40,800
Speaker 1: can't just sit there and just be like, all right,

478
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:42,440
Speaker 1: it's cool if Ad he doesn't do anything for two

479
00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,879
Speaker 1: to three two to three quarters or like two quarters

480
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:46,520
Speaker 1: of a game, or if he's on the floor for

481
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:48,679
Speaker 1: eight minutes and then he's just kind of you know,

482
00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,040
Speaker 1: floating around and doing what he's doing. Like at that

483
00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:54,679
Speaker 1: point once Russ starts panicking and doing stuff that you

484
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:56,439
Speaker 1: don't want him to do and everybody starts getting mad

485
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 1: at his turnover, is just like who's gonna help him out?

486
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,160
Speaker 1: And and and the reason I know that's true where

487
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:03,920
Speaker 1: I think it I'm making sense, it is because look

488
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,119
Speaker 1: at how good Malik Monk is. Look next to Russ. Oh,

489
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,640
Speaker 1: he's got a partner in crime to play with him.

490
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,240
Speaker 1: And then you look at the trio today th ht

491
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:17,960
Speaker 1: Malik Monk and Russ. Those three guys were great like today,

492
00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:21,520
Speaker 1: like defensively, offensively in transition. So if you are a

493
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,840
Speaker 1: partner in crime when it comes to this kind of play,

494
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,520
Speaker 1: then you can be successful. But if our two stars

495
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:28,119
Speaker 1: don't want to be you know, if they don't want

496
00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:31,280
Speaker 1: to participate, then what can we do? And you know,

497
00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:35,000
Speaker 1: and it's dirty work to ask him to scream and

498
00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:37,040
Speaker 1: roll to the basket every time, because yeah, you're gonna

499
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 1: bump into people, You're gonna you're gonna occasionally have a dude,

500
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,119
Speaker 1: you know, try to undercut you, and you might, you

501
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:45,040
Speaker 1: might fall, and you might have sit in these ugly

502
00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,440
Speaker 1: plays here and there. That's that I get it. It's

503
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:49,479
Speaker 1: no different than it's like, hey, a D, I need

504
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,480
Speaker 1: you to play center, which means you might need to

505
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,480
Speaker 1: cover you know, more ground defending pick and rolls, and

506
00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 1: you might have to bang bodies with alex Lain more

507
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,960
Speaker 1: often instead of just offloading that respond this ability to Dwight.

508
00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,720
Speaker 1: Same thing goes for Lebron. It's like, yeah, man, it's

509
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,160
Speaker 1: gonna be hard to ask you to be the guy

510
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,959
Speaker 1: who's the back line helper when a D is involved

511
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,320
Speaker 1: in his screening role because you're gonna have to cover

512
00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,080
Speaker 1: this amount of ground. You're gonna have to communicate, you're

513
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:15,760
Speaker 1: gonna have to stay focused, you can't take as many

514
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,960
Speaker 1: possessions off and you know, we have all these people

515
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:19,480
Speaker 1: that come in and they always said the same thing.

516
00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,000
Speaker 1: They go, it's, you know, it's too much to ask

517
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,000
Speaker 1: Lebron in his age, you know, thirty seven season to

518
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,520
Speaker 1: do this, this and this, And they'll say, you know,

519
00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,440
Speaker 1: you know Anthony Davis, you know, if we haven't play

520
00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,040
Speaker 1: center all season, he it's gonna be really hard on

521
00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:35,280
Speaker 1: his body. And it's like, I hate to break it

522
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:40,160
Speaker 1: to you guys, but playing winning basketball is hard. It's hard.

523
00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:43,920
Speaker 1: So we have to make a decision. Here are are

524
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,800
Speaker 1: we as you know, this team has to make a decision.

525
00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:50,200
Speaker 1: Or do you want to take all of the dirty

526
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,560
Speaker 1: work away from Lebron in a d and make their

527
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,400
Speaker 1: jobs easy but the team sucks. Or do you want

528
00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,719
Speaker 1: to try to be what Steph is doing with the Warriors,

529
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:04,440
Speaker 1: you know, engaging as a six three slight guard as

530
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,680
Speaker 1: who's in all defense conversation which may or may not

531
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 1: be legitimate, But the point is is like around the league,

532
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,520
Speaker 1: when you look at these teams that are that are

533
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:18,840
Speaker 1: on that path, the straight and narrow path to contention,

534
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,399
Speaker 1: their stars are doing dirty work and and and what

535
00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,720
Speaker 1: bothers me the most is like, go look at the Lakers.

536
00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,359
Speaker 1: With the Lakers a D played a lot of center.

537
00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,080
Speaker 1: He brought his motor night and then night out was significant.

538
00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,320
Speaker 1: He was running significantly higher, same with Lebron and you

539
00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:41,760
Speaker 1: know what their bodies held up that it did because

540
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:43,480
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, the dirty little secret

541
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,960
Speaker 1: is they probably got more wear and tear of bullshitting

542
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,600
Speaker 1: through tonight's game then they would have got if they

543
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 1: would have focused up and gotten the job done into

544
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,920
Speaker 1: and a half quarters. And so I have a huge

545
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:54,960
Speaker 1: I have a huge problem with this idea of us

546
00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,320
Speaker 1: babying Lebron in a D and acting like we can't

547
00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,600
Speaker 1: ask them to be basketball players like all of the

548
00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,440
Speaker 1: other top tier stars in the league are basketball players

549
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,639
Speaker 1: who have a job that they do on every possession.

550
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:12,000
Speaker 1: It blows my mind. So so, you know, like so far,

551
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,040
Speaker 1: like we we've been we've been talking a lot about

552
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:15,640
Speaker 1: like just broad in a D and just kind of

553
00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:17,639
Speaker 1: they're the way that they've been in and out of

554
00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 1: sort of games, and this gaming a nice example of

555
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,320
Speaker 1: this kind of what they were doing, um to some degree,

556
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:27,240
Speaker 1: being being selected with their effort, whether it's offense or defense. UM.

557
00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:31,679
Speaker 1: So one of the things I do want to say that, UM,

558
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,440
Speaker 1: because we mentioned vogo is that I think the league,

559
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,600
Speaker 1: um coaches around the league are adjusting too fast for

560
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,600
Speaker 1: him to be able to react to and like that

561
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,200
Speaker 1: over time, it was it was. There was no transition basketball.

562
00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:48,960
Speaker 1: There's nothing like that. It was just slow it down.

563
00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,520
Speaker 1: Everybody's walking the ball up for the possessions that were

564
00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,119
Speaker 1: on there. And um, when he pulled, I want to

565
00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:01,160
Speaker 1: say when he pulled, I think when he put Avery

566
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:02,600
Speaker 1: Bradley and I figure out what it was. But in

567
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:06,920
Speaker 1: like that third overtime, they basically, oh, sorry, when when

568
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:09,640
Speaker 1: Alex Lynn got pulled out the game because he fouled out,

569
00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:11,520
Speaker 1: they put Tristan talksmen in the game, right And so

570
00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:14,240
Speaker 1: Tristan was standing like in the corner right three like

571
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 1: Alvin Gentry. All he did was he started instead of attacking, uh,

572
00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:20,399
Speaker 1: you know, using Alex lend the space the floor and

573
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:22,119
Speaker 1: I have a D and drop coverage or whatever he

574
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 1: whatever Vogel had him doing. Um like he just picked

575
00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:27,840
Speaker 1: on Mellow. He just said, all right, whoever is Mellow,

576
00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,440
Speaker 1: whoever Mellow is guarding, just coming screen and we'll put

577
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,199
Speaker 1: we'll put Mellow on an island. So it's just like

578
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,879
Speaker 1: and then we watched like three straight plays of Mellow

579
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,000
Speaker 1: get picked on before Frank actually like call the time

580
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:39,920
Speaker 1: out and subbed them out. By then it was already

581
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,920
Speaker 1: too late. But like that's an example of like what

582
00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 1: I'm trying to say, Like if you watch other coaches

583
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,480
Speaker 1: around the league, it's like one possession, Like you'll see

584
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,880
Speaker 1: Erik Spolson do like watch that happened once and he'll

585
00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:52,720
Speaker 1: he'll call it time. I'll be like, Okay, we're changing

586
00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:54,240
Speaker 1: the coverage right now because we're not gonna let this

587
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 1: happen again like immediately the next play, because it forces

588
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,960
Speaker 1: the offense on the other end um to have to adjust.

589
00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:03,800
Speaker 1: I don't think Frank's cut out for it, and all

590
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,800
Speaker 1: honestly he has. I think he has base coverages. He

591
00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,400
Speaker 1: has like set game plans, and then he adjusts based

592
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,440
Speaker 1: on what the other teams do. And what we're watching

593
00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:15,440
Speaker 1: is in the regular season, teams are just gonna throw

594
00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,120
Speaker 1: the kitchen sink at the Lakers um if they can't

595
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,680
Speaker 1: score at all, those just turning into ice of basketball,

596
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:22,520
Speaker 1: and they'll find the worst defender on the floor and

597
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,400
Speaker 1: they'll just attack that guy. And that's nothing nothing to

598
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,240
Speaker 1: do with Mellow. Mellow is who he is again, like

599
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,840
Speaker 1: we as Laker fans, should not expect a thirty six

600
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,680
Speaker 1: year old Mellow or nine year nineteen Mellow to be

601
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,600
Speaker 1: a lockdown defender, you know, like that's that's not why

602
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,040
Speaker 1: we brought him here, um, and that's what we brought

603
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,640
Speaker 1: him in for. And I just I don't think he

604
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:44,320
Speaker 1: can keep up with it, you know that That's been

605
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:48,120
Speaker 1: my think this This roster has too many offensively inclined

606
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:52,760
Speaker 1: guys and he can't get to whatever, you know, equilibrium

607
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:55,520
Speaker 1: he needs to get to to be confident with his lineups.

608
00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,400
Speaker 1: And you know that it is what it is. You know,

609
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,200
Speaker 1: like that you can't really make an excuse for It's

610
00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:02,800
Speaker 1: just it may be too much for somebody to add. Yeah,

611
00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,480
Speaker 1: you know, it's an interesting phenomenon because the Laker identity

612
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,719
Speaker 1: from the beginning has been a brute force identity. At

613
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:10,680
Speaker 1: the best person I've seen explained this is Mike Trudell

614
00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,760
Speaker 1: on the Laker film or podcast. The idea that like, hey,

615
00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:18,080
Speaker 1: you know, sets carry a certain amount of value. That

616
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,560
Speaker 1: value diminishes the closer you get to the end, because

617
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,040
Speaker 1: when you're against the highest level defenses that are likely

618
00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:27,160
Speaker 1: going to be switching everything and that are likely going

619
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 1: to know all of your actions, They're probably gonna be

620
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:32,240
Speaker 1: able to switch their way through anything, and it's gonna

621
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:34,760
Speaker 1: inevitably devolved into who can create an advantage in a

622
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,000
Speaker 1: one on one scenario? And do you really think of

623
00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,960
Speaker 1: anybody better than Lebron and A D at that specific thing.

624
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:42,880
Speaker 1: And so that's that, that's been their cop out, their

625
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:47,160
Speaker 1: excuse that they use um for their very rudimentary offensive

626
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,640
Speaker 1: concepts and the but the reality is is there's a

627
00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:52,800
Speaker 1: there's a flip side to it, because yes, when we

628
00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,240
Speaker 1: get to those moments, I feel comfortable that Lebron, A

629
00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,560
Speaker 1: D and Ruts are going to be able to create

630
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,920
Speaker 1: advantages that as at as higher rate, if not a

631
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,360
Speaker 1: higher rate, than anybody in the league. That that goes

632
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,840
Speaker 1: without saying. But in the day to day dregs in

633
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:11,800
Speaker 1: the regular season, what we're seeing is you've got Lebron

634
00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,920
Speaker 1: and Lebron and a D who has as jump shooters

635
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:20,160
Speaker 1: can be streaky. And then and then you've got Russ

636
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:22,440
Speaker 1: who's kind of like I like the way you describe

637
00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,400
Speaker 1: him as an engine, like when he gets warmed up,

638
00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:26,840
Speaker 1: that Russ has these stretches of the game where it's

639
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,400
Speaker 1: just drive after drive after drive, and just good stuff

640
00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:33,040
Speaker 1: happens on every single one of them. The trick there

641
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 1: is is we're not reaching the good. So when I

642
00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:39,640
Speaker 1: say streaky, that means there's good and there's bad, but

643
00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:41,640
Speaker 1: we're seeing a lot more bad than the good. And

644
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:42,959
Speaker 1: I think a lot of that has to do with

645
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:46,160
Speaker 1: the lack of easy opportunities to establish rhythm and to

646
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 1: establish comfort having. This is my biggest problem with DJ

647
00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:52,400
Speaker 1: being a starter. There's a half dozen problems with DJ

648
00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,560
Speaker 1: being a starter, but the biggest problem is the way

649
00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:57,960
Speaker 1: that it jinks up the offense to the point where

650
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,320
Speaker 1: every one of the three stars starts with two or

651
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:03,640
Speaker 1: three tough jump shots as their first shot attempts to

652
00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:08,680
Speaker 1: the game, so they might make them sorry, I'll give you,

653
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,040
Speaker 1: I'll give you the perfect This is the This is

654
00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,480
Speaker 1: the metaphor I like to use when when we play

655
00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:15,320
Speaker 1: these DJ lineups at the beginning of the game and

656
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,240
Speaker 1: at the at the the beginning of the second half,

657
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,240
Speaker 1: it's like waking up in the morning, getting kicked in

658
00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:25,960
Speaker 1: the balls and then starting it's literally what these games like?

659
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,520
Speaker 1: What these like? It's a tie game and we immediately

660
00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:32,240
Speaker 1: go down six points, like within like three minutes of

661
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:35,520
Speaker 1: basketball through the seven points or some nonsense number, and

662
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,440
Speaker 1: it's just like every single time, it's just like I

663
00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:41,320
Speaker 1: feel like liquor fans already know what's going to happen,

664
00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:43,160
Speaker 1: like and as soon as the third quarter starts, are like,

665
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:45,640
Speaker 1: all right, let's wait to go down by like six seven,

666
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,719
Speaker 1: you know, to three points, to three possessions, and then

667
00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,280
Speaker 1: Frank's and aft to pull them. And that's exactly what

668
00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:52,280
Speaker 1: happened this game. It's just I don't know how many

669
00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:53,920
Speaker 1: times we can get kicked in the balls, you know,

670
00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,840
Speaker 1: before somebody has to make a change. So if Frank

671
00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:57,960
Speaker 1: is not going to be the one that does it,

672
00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,200
Speaker 1: that's why I think, you know, easy troll by run,

673
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:03,120
Speaker 1: you know. But it's it's a basic basketball concept, Like

674
00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:06,200
Speaker 1: like for all of you out there who play consistent pickup,

675
00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:08,920
Speaker 1: who's when you show up? Like each day kind of

676
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,080
Speaker 1: takes an identity. I have days when I go up

677
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:12,880
Speaker 1: there and my legs feel great and I'm living at

678
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:14,960
Speaker 1: the rim, and i have days when I go up

679
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:16,600
Speaker 1: there and I'm kind of just coasting around. My jump

680
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:18,600
Speaker 1: shot feels really good and I'm taking a lot of

681
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,720
Speaker 1: jump shots, and you you your day kind of is

682
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 1: shaped by you know, how things go in the first

683
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,520
Speaker 1: few minutes that you're playing right, and then that kind

684
00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:31,000
Speaker 1: of identity just shapes the rest of your debt. You know,

685
00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:32,480
Speaker 1: you have a day where you're not giving a ship

686
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,800
Speaker 1: on defense. You have a day where you know, maybe

687
00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 1: you're with a good group of guys and everyone's playing hard,

688
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,120
Speaker 1: and so you're you're locked in and you're playing defense.

689
00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:42,720
Speaker 1: Some of that stuff is translatable here, like if you

690
00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,880
Speaker 1: make guys, if you set Lebron a D and Russ

691
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,520
Speaker 1: up early in the game to feel comfortable with advantages

692
00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,560
Speaker 1: catching where it's not always against a set defense and

693
00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,240
Speaker 1: a half court, but either with a defender closing out

694
00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,480
Speaker 1: where they have an advantage, or in transition when the

695
00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,640
Speaker 1: defense and set, or with space to where if you

696
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:05,280
Speaker 1: have a good matchup, you have the ability to make

697
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:09,480
Speaker 1: easy reads um after you beat your primary defender if

698
00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:12,600
Speaker 1: they get enough of those early in the game. I'm

699
00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:15,800
Speaker 1: a firm believer that it translates to the rest of

700
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:19,160
Speaker 1: the game. If Lebron is settling for jump shots early

701
00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,640
Speaker 1: in the game, I don't think it's a coincidence that

702
00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:25,520
Speaker 1: that becomes a theme throughout the game. You know, and ironically,

703
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:27,520
Speaker 1: that's almost become a theme for the season for him,

704
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:29,279
Speaker 1: which I think has a lot to do with the

705
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,520
Speaker 1: with these factors. Same goes for Anthony Davis. But the

706
00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,439
Speaker 1: point being like some getting somebody in the door, whether

707
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,680
Speaker 1: whether it's a new coach or whether well, let's just

708
00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:40,520
Speaker 1: put it this way, whether it's a new system or

709
00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:43,200
Speaker 1: scheme that sets them up with easy shots, or a

710
00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,759
Speaker 1: coach that puts them in a position where they are

711
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,879
Speaker 1: bought back into the season physically to the point where

712
00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:52,319
Speaker 1: they're willing to put their physical imprints on the game.

713
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,000
Speaker 1: Speaking about Lebron and a d to the point where

714
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,440
Speaker 1: early in the game they're putting their head down and

715
00:34:57,480 --> 00:34:59,839
Speaker 1: getting to the rim. More. I just think it would

716
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:04,160
Speaker 1: change the overall outlook for how these games go. And

717
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:07,880
Speaker 1: I know that seems confusing, and it's not. It's not

718
00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,400
Speaker 1: a very you know, logical approach. But for those of

719
00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,840
Speaker 1: you have played, you know what I'm talking about. You

720
00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:15,759
Speaker 1: know there's there is such a thing as like the

721
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,600
Speaker 1: feel of a game and how you feel with the

722
00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:22,000
Speaker 1: group that you're playing with, and whether or not you

723
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:26,480
Speaker 1: feel comfortable or you feel uncomfortable. And the bottom line is,

724
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,040
Speaker 1: as Frank has not put these guys in a position

725
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:33,160
Speaker 1: to where they feel comfortable in the offense. Yeah. Yeah,

726
00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:35,680
Speaker 1: And I think the last phase of what I was

727
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:37,600
Speaker 1: talking to Roger about it like that, I think that

728
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,920
Speaker 1: what you're describing is the impast that Frank is, Like,

729
00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 1: this is the I I try to determine as like

730
00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:45,960
Speaker 1: the identity crisis. Like, I think this is the identity

731
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 1: crisis that Frank is trying to figure out, and he's

732
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:53,400
Speaker 1: losing that battle because he's the way he is. So

733
00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:55,279
Speaker 1: this was this was my logic. Let me take a

734
00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:59,279
Speaker 1: step back when I think Frank Vogel is being evaluated

735
00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:01,880
Speaker 1: by the front of this this season based on his

736
00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:06,080
Speaker 1: ability to optimize all the offensive players and the offense

737
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,560
Speaker 1: that's on this team. Right. I don't think there's any

738
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:10,839
Speaker 1: question from this front office that if you got him

739
00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:15,040
Speaker 1: defensive minded players like Alex Caruso and KCP Couza, whoever, Like,

740
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,240
Speaker 1: if you got him guys like that, he could put together,

741
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:19,640
Speaker 1: you know, a top three I think he's the best

742
00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:22,040
Speaker 1: defensive coaching basketball, and I thought he proved it round

743
00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:25,920
Speaker 1: after round in the bubble. Yeah fair, um, But I

744
00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:30,120
Speaker 1: think I think this front office this season, um with

745
00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:32,919
Speaker 1: some guidance from Braun and buy and you know, because

746
00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:35,920
Speaker 1: Rob Polinkas said over and over again, this is a

747
00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:38,000
Speaker 1: partnership with Braun and a d. This is not me

748
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,879
Speaker 1: just doing stuff on my own and not running stuff

749
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,920
Speaker 1: by him. UM. So I think there was a conversation

750
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,640
Speaker 1: about making a more offensively in client roster um and

751
00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:50,520
Speaker 1: then working on the defense as the season goes on, right,

752
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,279
Speaker 1: And I think that's why this roster has built the

753
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:54,880
Speaker 1: way that it is built. I think that's why they

754
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,839
Speaker 1: made the trade for Russ because they wanted another guy

755
00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,120
Speaker 1: that wasn't just Braun, that could set up the other

756
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,560
Speaker 1: players and set up Braun at the same time. Because

757
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:06,080
Speaker 1: we've definitely seen that where west you know, Westbrook and

758
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:09,200
Speaker 1: Braun UM, that tandem has worked out really well, especially

759
00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:12,560
Speaker 1: in transition and stuff like that. UM. And I think

760
00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:16,240
Speaker 1: that's what the front office wants to do with this roster.

761
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,600
Speaker 1: But I think Frank is evaluating his roster based on

762
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,920
Speaker 1: what his who who's going to play defense for me,

763
00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:27,319
Speaker 1: regardless of how good they are offensively, Like Malik Monk

764
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:31,360
Speaker 1: wasn't Like there's a subsection of Lakers Twitter or Lakers

765
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:33,640
Speaker 1: Nation that that Malik Monk was good enough to start

766
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:35,839
Speaker 1: from the jump, you know, but a lot of people

767
00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:39,040
Speaker 1: were saying, look, he's not he's not quite there defensively

768
00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:41,040
Speaker 1: to be able to do that. And here we are

769
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:43,880
Speaker 1: in game twenty one. But it's like, you know, like

770
00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,279
Speaker 1: he's he's playing these minutes and he's doing a good

771
00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:47,839
Speaker 1: He's not like he's doing a terrible job. He's doing

772
00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:51,080
Speaker 1: like at least like a baseline job of trying to

773
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:52,880
Speaker 1: stay in front of guys and stuff like that when

774
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:56,760
Speaker 1: he isn't getting picked on. But that that in itself,

775
00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:00,040
Speaker 1: the fact that they're measuring each other, they're measuring the

776
00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,880
Speaker 1: roster on two completely different wavelengths. That is why I

777
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:07,960
Speaker 1: think there's an impast there's an identity crisis. And when

778
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:09,799
Speaker 1: we look at Frankie, we say, look, man, we gotta

779
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:12,680
Speaker 1: let you go because we need we can't have both.

780
00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:16,160
Speaker 1: We can't have a bottom five defense and they bottom

781
00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,520
Speaker 1: five offense, like this roster is good enough to have

782
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,040
Speaker 1: a much better offense than a bottom five offense. And

783
00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:23,719
Speaker 1: I think that's ultimately why he'll let go. He'll be

784
00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:26,400
Speaker 1: let go um, And I think that's just what this

785
00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:28,360
Speaker 1: season is. That's why you keep seeing games like this

786
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,719
Speaker 1: and we're a five hundred team agree. I think I

787
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:33,480
Speaker 1: think the I think the harsh reality though, and I

788
00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:36,759
Speaker 1: think you'd probably agree here, is that there's not, you know,

789
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,479
Speaker 1: some magic coaching fix for the offense in the sense

790
00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:44,040
Speaker 1: that there's no actual candidate out there that represents a

791
00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:48,200
Speaker 1: um you know, a clear philosophy that would fix this.

792
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:52,000
Speaker 1: UM My guess is what will end up happening if

793
00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:55,319
Speaker 1: that does happen, is they'll stay in house and they'll

794
00:38:55,360 --> 00:39:00,279
Speaker 1: go with either Phil Handy or um Fizdale. And then

795
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:02,520
Speaker 1: what will happen is, and I can just kind of

796
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:04,960
Speaker 1: see this coming a mile away, what will happen is

797
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:08,160
Speaker 1: is they'll make the change. It'll be the big nuclear

798
00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:11,960
Speaker 1: bomb that gets dropped on the season and Anthony Davis

799
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,800
Speaker 1: and Lebron will re engage, and then when they do,

800
00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:18,440
Speaker 1: the offense will look better, but it will be primarily

801
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:22,239
Speaker 1: based on, ironically a frank concept which was which was

802
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:26,040
Speaker 1: paid too great, this idea, this idea that like, because

803
00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:29,000
Speaker 1: when we when we see the Lakers look good offensively,

804
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,160
Speaker 1: it's a really basic concept. It's Lebron and a D

805
00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:35,719
Speaker 1: putting their head down. Mainly with Lebron and Russ a

806
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:37,720
Speaker 1: D really hasn't had a stretch like this this season,

807
00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:41,160
Speaker 1: and that goes to a whole other topic. But really

808
00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:44,239
Speaker 1: it's Braun and Russ putting their heads down, getting into

809
00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:47,360
Speaker 1: the paint in either finishing or spraying out to really

810
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,080
Speaker 1: good shooters because the Lakers now have really good shooting

811
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,200
Speaker 1: on the team. Um, you know they have they have

812
00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,799
Speaker 1: three bona fide. Cannot leave them open shooters that are

813
00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:59,120
Speaker 1: in their rotation. And so from that standpoint, you know,

814
00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:03,280
Speaker 1: the offense kind of ebbs and flows based on rim pressure,

815
00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:06,840
Speaker 1: and so you know, you can, you can you know

816
00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:10,080
Speaker 1: talk about you know, scheme this, scheme that, coach this,

817
00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:12,360
Speaker 1: coach that. But the reality is is when Lebron and

818
00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:16,359
Speaker 1: a d re engage after the coaching change and they

819
00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:19,080
Speaker 1: start pressuring the rim again, I think you're going to

820
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:23,080
Speaker 1: see this team take off offensively because because the reality

821
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:25,600
Speaker 1: is is like once that, once that ball gets rolling

822
00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:27,840
Speaker 1: in that direction, they have the talent to be a

823
00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:32,239
Speaker 1: top five offense. Yeah, no, I agree, and and um,

824
00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:35,440
Speaker 1: you know, to change some of the energy of our conversation.

825
00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:38,080
Speaker 1: But so so it doesn't seem so dreary. Um, there

826
00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:40,960
Speaker 1: has been some good stuff that's happened, like even um

827
00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:44,839
Speaker 1: in like the silver lining stuff that's happened since Braun

828
00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:47,480
Speaker 1: has been sitting out. So you know, with us being

829
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:50,520
Speaker 1: so so shorthanded, you know, we've seen Austin Reaves kind

830
00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,360
Speaker 1: of developed into like this role where he looks like

831
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,640
Speaker 1: you could be a real rotation player. UM. So that's

832
00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:58,719
Speaker 1: been good. Um But I would say, like over the

833
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:04,120
Speaker 1: past couple of games and this game, especially um, the

834
00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,640
Speaker 1: Russ and Malik tandem and then like the Russ Malik

835
00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:11,960
Speaker 1: and Taylor Horton Tucker tandem has been slowly growing into

836
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:15,680
Speaker 1: something that like is a very interesting trio of players

837
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:18,080
Speaker 1: to watch because you have two guys who are uber

838
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:21,320
Speaker 1: rim attackers in Russ in th HT and then you

839
00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:23,640
Speaker 1: have Malik Monk who can kind of score basically all

840
00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:26,400
Speaker 1: three levels and he has like that irrational j R.

841
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:29,239
Speaker 1: Smith confidence, and so it's been really interesting to see

842
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,399
Speaker 1: how they compliment each other and who gets the ball.

843
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,759
Speaker 1: More Like this game, there was there was probably i

844
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:36,600
Speaker 1: want to say, in the second quarter there was a

845
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:40,400
Speaker 1: four possession or five possession sequence where Malik just ran

846
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,719
Speaker 1: the offense. He ran like two or three picking rolls

847
00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:45,239
Speaker 1: with a d uh. They scored two like at least

848
00:41:45,239 --> 00:41:47,560
Speaker 1: twice out of them. And then after they got a

849
00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:49,600
Speaker 1: lead of like about six or seven points, like I

850
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:51,839
Speaker 1: think Malik had like two turnovers, and then they cut

851
00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:53,440
Speaker 1: the lead to like four. So it's like, you know,

852
00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:55,360
Speaker 1: having the right amount of balance and how much you

853
00:41:55,719 --> 00:41:58,080
Speaker 1: haven't make the decisions and stuff like that. But Russe

854
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,880
Speaker 1: was on the floor too as well, like he was

855
00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:03,160
Speaker 1: playing off ball. He wasn't getting in the way like

856
00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:06,600
Speaker 1: so like there has been some good stuff that's happened.

857
00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:08,799
Speaker 1: Like again, this was another game like the Cleveland game

858
00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:12,000
Speaker 1: where you saw Russ working off of whatever Braun was doing.

859
00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:15,240
Speaker 1: Rust cut. You know, teams load up. You know Rust's

860
00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:17,680
Speaker 1: man goes to load up or double Braun. Rust immediately

861
00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:20,040
Speaker 1: backcuts for La you know what I mean. Um, I

862
00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:21,919
Speaker 1: think there was one where Rust cut and Braun missed

863
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 1: him like right in front of the and then yeah,

864
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:26,520
Speaker 1: and that would have been you know that that would

865
00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:28,759
Speaker 1: have been a momentum changing play too. But it's just

866
00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:32,120
Speaker 1: like you're not. Um. I think going into the season,

867
00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:33,880
Speaker 1: there was probably not a fan saying like, oh, how

868
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:36,000
Speaker 1: are you going to manage to keep Russ on the floor?

869
00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:38,239
Speaker 1: Uh in the late game because he can't shoot the ball.

870
00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:40,920
Speaker 1: And stuff like that. He's finding ways, you know, he's

871
00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:42,720
Speaker 1: cutting to the rim. We saw that in the Detroit

872
00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,800
Speaker 1: game and he set up Russ for cuts. Um and

873
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:49,800
Speaker 1: his rebounding like, um, you know a lot of people

874
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:52,520
Speaker 1: may have forgotten, but the guys that were grabbing the

875
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:56,479
Speaker 1: rebounds against Sibonis in the Indie game, it was Russ

876
00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:59,120
Speaker 1: and Mellow like there. They didn't have a high advantage

877
00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:01,120
Speaker 1: or size advantage. The guys that they were boxing out,

878
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:04,919
Speaker 1: they're just out. Yeah. Yeah, And he had a couple

879
00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:07,880
Speaker 1: offensive rebounds at the end of you know, in over

880
00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:09,680
Speaker 1: time to try and create some extra possessions for the

881
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 1: Lakers too. Yeah. Yeah, And I'm sorry that was the

882
00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:17,080
Speaker 1: other thing I was gonna say that trio is actually

883
00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:18,920
Speaker 1: a pretty good it seems it feels like a good

884
00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:23,080
Speaker 1: rebounding trio. Tucker and Malik will will crash the glass

885
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:25,920
Speaker 1: from their god guard spots to grab rebounds. So it's

886
00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,880
Speaker 1: like there are some good things. Um. But you know,

887
00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,400
Speaker 1: like I told Roger and anything, like the championship pieces

888
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:34,839
Speaker 1: are on the table, they're just so far apart from

889
00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:36,840
Speaker 1: each other. We don't know what the whole picture looks like.

890
00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:38,880
Speaker 1: And you can only look at it in pockets and

891
00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:41,360
Speaker 1: stuff like that. But I do think you know that

892
00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:45,040
Speaker 1: the effort, consistent effort at least um from from Braun

893
00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:47,920
Speaker 1: and a D that that's a pretty big piece of

894
00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,479
Speaker 1: the puzzet. It's the biggest piece. And it's the biggest piece,

895
00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:53,279
Speaker 1: Like it's it's that joke that that Darius Soriano from

896
00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:55,920
Speaker 1: Lafar always tells, like, you can't judge scheme without effort.

897
00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:59,120
Speaker 1: It's just a it's it's a basic concept. And you know,

898
00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:00,840
Speaker 1: I could even take that step further with all the

899
00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:02,960
Speaker 1: role players, man, and I'm sure you'd agree with me here,

900
00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:06,719
Speaker 1: Like how can I really really judge Malik Monk's defensive

901
00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:10,200
Speaker 1: bit with this team projecting it to the playoffs? If

902
00:44:10,320 --> 00:44:13,319
Speaker 1: Lebron and Nadi are bullshitting? How could like even as

903
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:16,640
Speaker 1: a backup backup center, which is what I envisioned, DeAndre

904
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:19,839
Speaker 1: Jordan's someone who would only play when a d has

905
00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:23,399
Speaker 1: to rest, or when Dwight has to rest, And how

906
00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:26,320
Speaker 1: can I really even judge how he's contributed to this

907
00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:30,520
Speaker 1: group when he's playing alongside a starting lineup that has

908
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:34,080
Speaker 1: two alleged top five players that are b ssing their

909
00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:36,400
Speaker 1: way through these games, Like it's not fair. It's not

910
00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:39,080
Speaker 1: fair to judge them in that regard, and and and

911
00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:41,960
Speaker 1: and and I'm just saying like, and for the record,

912
00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:45,600
Speaker 1: I I think a lot of what we're seeing is real.

913
00:44:45,719 --> 00:44:47,880
Speaker 1: Malik Monk is gonna have some defensive struggles. He's not

914
00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:50,600
Speaker 1: gonna be capable of the same thing that that the

915
00:44:50,719 --> 00:44:53,000
Speaker 1: guards that we had in previous iterations of this team

916
00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:56,360
Speaker 1: could do. DeAndre Jordan is probably our worst drop coverage

917
00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:00,719
Speaker 1: big that we've had since we've started this hut. The

918
00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:03,719
Speaker 1: truth this is we're We're a bad drop team with

919
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:07,000
Speaker 1: a D and dwite. So so how can I how

920
00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:08,839
Speaker 1: can I really get out here and be like, oh,

921
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:11,879
Speaker 1: you know, Dwight just just really bad signing. It's like, well,

922
00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:16,200
Speaker 1: I we envisioned him as a third drop coverage center,

923
00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:20,439
Speaker 1: and all of our drop coverages suck. And so from

924
00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:24,000
Speaker 1: all I'm saying is like, none of this is easy

925
00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:28,880
Speaker 1: to evaluate until Lebron and a D start carrying the

926
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,520
Speaker 1: way that Steph is caring right now, the way that

927
00:45:31,680 --> 00:45:34,680
Speaker 1: Draymond is carrying right now, the way that Chris Paul

928
00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:36,600
Speaker 1: is carrying right now, the way that any of these

929
00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:41,880
Speaker 1: teams that are trending and hitting those championship checkpoints the

930
00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:45,239
Speaker 1: way those teams are trending. Until until Lebron and a

931
00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:48,879
Speaker 1: d start making a concerted effort to get that team

932
00:45:48,920 --> 00:45:51,440
Speaker 1: on that track, we can't even really, like, if you

933
00:45:51,480 --> 00:45:53,359
Speaker 1: were trying to plan for the trade deadline right now,

934
00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:57,000
Speaker 1: how could you even how could you even conceptualize that

935
00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:00,319
Speaker 1: with beyond seeing until you see what Lebron ind are

936
00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:03,879
Speaker 1: capable of with this group, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah,

937
00:46:03,960 --> 00:46:07,000
Speaker 1: That's that's why I think, you know, because there's always

938
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:09,480
Speaker 1: rumors whenever your teams are doing well and stuff like that,

939
00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:12,280
Speaker 1: and obviously where the Lakers were, there's always some conversation

940
00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:15,040
Speaker 1: about somebody getting traded at it trade. Even when we're

941
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:18,600
Speaker 1: winning championships, there's always a conversation about it. UM, So

942
00:46:19,239 --> 00:46:21,040
Speaker 1: a lot of folks are probably looking in that direction

943
00:46:21,160 --> 00:46:23,360
Speaker 1: that you know, there may be some personnelity changes, but

944
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:26,520
Speaker 1: I don't think personnelity changes are going to fix this team.

945
00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:28,919
Speaker 1: Like it's it's going to have to happen. It's gonna

946
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:31,120
Speaker 1: have to be something significant, like you know, like the

947
00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:35,520
Speaker 1: coach getting fired, um and being replaced by somebody that

948
00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:38,960
Speaker 1: the players actually like. And I think, you know, I

949
00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:42,520
Speaker 1: I would agree with you that there's no baseline for

950
00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:45,200
Speaker 1: us to look at because that effort has been so

951
00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:47,919
Speaker 1: there's no consistent efforts. So there's no consistent baseline. There's

952
00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:49,200
Speaker 1: nothing that I can look at and say, Okay, at

953
00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:50,759
Speaker 1: least I know we can do get Yeah, like when

954
00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:53,080
Speaker 1: we try as hard as we possibly can that this thing,

955
00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,560
Speaker 1: it doesn't work. Like we don't have any of that, right,

956
00:46:57,040 --> 00:47:01,719
Speaker 1: but I will say that DJ DJ is there is

957
00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:05,800
Speaker 1: no version. Look, okay, they started this game right, and

958
00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:08,840
Speaker 1: they were scoring on their um the basket that was

959
00:47:08,880 --> 00:47:10,759
Speaker 1: in front of their bench, right, so the bench has

960
00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:15,440
Speaker 1: the leaguer bench has full view, okay, crystal clear view

961
00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:19,000
Speaker 1: of what DeAndre is doing when the ball is coming

962
00:47:19,040 --> 00:47:23,400
Speaker 1: in his direction and they're watching him basically turn passes

963
00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:27,000
Speaker 1: that should be catching dunks into fifty fifty catches. Like

964
00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:29,040
Speaker 1: it's it's almost like, you know, like a running back

965
00:47:29,080 --> 00:47:31,279
Speaker 1: that can't catch a pitch or something like that from

966
00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:34,480
Speaker 1: grab a handoff. That's how bad he's missing these. And

967
00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:37,000
Speaker 1: it's just like the part that you know, I'm not

968
00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:39,120
Speaker 1: gonna keep harping on, Frank, because I think we've we've

969
00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:43,800
Speaker 1: done that enough. But it is crazy, crazy how many players.

970
00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:46,400
Speaker 1: Go anybody, go, if you want to torture yourself a

971
00:47:46,480 --> 00:47:48,360
Speaker 1: little bit more and you're into that kind of stuff,

972
00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:52,239
Speaker 1: go watch the first quarter and watch how many possessions

973
00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:55,040
Speaker 1: where DeAndre either you know, he got bumped on the

974
00:47:55,080 --> 00:47:56,800
Speaker 1: box out and he wasn't able to get the rebound,

975
00:47:57,120 --> 00:47:58,840
Speaker 1: or the ball went to him and he got shipped.

976
00:47:58,880 --> 00:48:01,480
Speaker 1: And then watch what he does after that. There are

977
00:48:01,719 --> 00:48:04,839
Speaker 1: so many possessions at the beginning of the game, um

978
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:08,160
Speaker 1: where he just doesn't run back and he just throws

979
00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:10,320
Speaker 1: his hands up in the air and he's whining and

980
00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:12,880
Speaker 1: complaining like like a kid who didn't get his allowance

981
00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:16,560
Speaker 1: for the week. And it's it's a five on four

982
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:19,920
Speaker 1: and I don't care whether we're playing the Kings or

983
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:22,759
Speaker 1: the Lakers. Are lucky they didn't go down by double

984
00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:24,560
Speaker 1: digits at the end of the first quarter because the

985
00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:26,880
Speaker 1: King couldn't make a wide open three, like we were

986
00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:30,520
Speaker 1: fortunate that they couldn't make shots. But you can't do that.

987
00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:34,000
Speaker 1: You can't have four to five possessions in a quarter

988
00:48:34,480 --> 00:48:37,120
Speaker 1: or or even you know, close to six and seven

989
00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:41,359
Speaker 1: possessions where you're playing five on four basketball because your

990
00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:44,800
Speaker 1: centers pouting about not getting a call like it's not possible.

991
00:48:45,080 --> 00:48:46,520
Speaker 1: You're not going to win a game by doing that,

992
00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:50,160
Speaker 1: and teams I think today, um, I thought I saw

993
00:48:50,239 --> 00:48:53,279
Speaker 1: it in the playoff series against the Sons. I think

994
00:48:53,360 --> 00:48:56,840
Speaker 1: teams have gone in with the game plan against the Lakers,

995
00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,399
Speaker 1: specifically Frank Rogos Lakers, and said, look, we're not even

996
00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:01,839
Speaker 1: gonna try to go to the rim. We're not gonna

997
00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:03,520
Speaker 1: bother because we know that we can't shoot over to

998
00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:05,799
Speaker 1: seven footers. So we're just gonna find the open create

999
00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:07,840
Speaker 1: the open three. And when these five on fours and

1000
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:10,240
Speaker 1: just take open to this are trying it to shootout

1001
00:49:10,719 --> 00:49:13,279
Speaker 1: and they're getting their asses kicked, you know, like that

1002
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:16,160
Speaker 1: that's what's happening to the Lakers every single time. Um

1003
00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:18,800
Speaker 1: to get lazy on defense and then all of a sudden,

1004
00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:20,759
Speaker 1: you know, the team hit three threes in a row,

1005
00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,600
Speaker 1: and now whatever lead that we had is gone. So

1006
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:27,000
Speaker 1: that's that's that's the best the best way I can

1007
00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:29,760
Speaker 1: there was. I actually thought about you earlier tonight because

1008
00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:31,719
Speaker 1: you've been on You've been one of the people that's

1009
00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:33,920
Speaker 1: been on this. You know, there there are a bunch

1010
00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:37,759
Speaker 1: of problems with the DJ lineups. There's you know, the

1011
00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:41,839
Speaker 1: offensive spacing problems that we've discussed because he doesn't even

1012
00:49:41,880 --> 00:49:45,879
Speaker 1: offer vertical spacing because like you said, he's got stone hands. Um,

1013
00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:50,080
Speaker 1: there's the uh, you know, the defensive part of it,

1014
00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:53,360
Speaker 1: like how how bad our drop coverages look in general,

1015
00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:55,359
Speaker 1: or any time you ask him to cover any sort

1016
00:49:55,400 --> 00:49:59,520
Speaker 1: of ground. There's a defensive rebounding problem for whatever reason,

1017
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:02,720
Speaker 1: and DeAndre Jordan's on the floor, we just cannot secure

1018
00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:04,319
Speaker 1: a rebound, like I saw a staff the other day,

1019
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:06,880
Speaker 1: Like more than one out of every three opponent misses

1020
00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:10,680
Speaker 1: our offensive rebounded against DJ, like which which would rank

1021
00:50:10,800 --> 00:50:12,840
Speaker 1: last in the league. Like, there's all these problems, but

1022
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:15,239
Speaker 1: one of the big ones that you've been on all

1023
00:50:15,280 --> 00:50:18,160
Speaker 1: season is overall foot speed and the way that it

1024
00:50:18,239 --> 00:50:21,240
Speaker 1: hurts you in transition. And there was actually a play

1025
00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:26,040
Speaker 1: in tonight's game where uh it turned into a five

1026
00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:30,680
Speaker 1: on two um because DJ botched. I can't remember the

1027
00:50:30,760 --> 00:50:33,759
Speaker 1: exact circumstances of the play, but Lebron tried to make

1028
00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:37,359
Speaker 1: a play for DJ and it got botched. Okay, after

1029
00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:41,440
Speaker 1: it got botched, Lebron and DJ both were like, like

1030
00:50:41,640 --> 00:50:45,120
Speaker 1: DJ obviously just slow. Lebron obviously pouted And then a

1031
00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:48,000
Speaker 1: D is also slow, Like that's what we've talked about

1032
00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:50,719
Speaker 1: on this pot a lot a D. What makes a

1033
00:50:50,800 --> 00:50:54,360
Speaker 1: D is super duperstars definitely not straight line speed. That's

1034
00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:58,280
Speaker 1: not his his supreme talent. And so all of a sudden,

1035
00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:01,440
Speaker 1: like I literally screenshot it's the screen shot because all

1036
00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,040
Speaker 1: five Kings Jerseys or south of the three point line.

1037
00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:07,680
Speaker 1: So they were literally all the way on the other

1038
00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:12,320
Speaker 1: the far forth of the court with Avery Bradley and

1039
00:51:12,560 --> 00:51:15,160
Speaker 1: uh In Russell Westbrook trying to play two on five

1040
00:51:15,239 --> 00:51:18,680
Speaker 1: defense and they had all three of those Lakers had

1041
00:51:18,760 --> 00:51:22,040
Speaker 1: not even crossed half court. I'm not even kidding. It's

1042
00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:25,720
Speaker 1: like they are so slow in terms of their overall

1043
00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:29,360
Speaker 1: foot speed with that lineup, it is untenable. Yeah, what

1044
00:51:29,440 --> 00:51:31,960
Speaker 1: what do you what do you think? Just just humor

1045
00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:33,480
Speaker 1: me for a second. What do you think? What do

1046
00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:35,440
Speaker 1: you think Frank Mobile is probably telling these guys, like

1047
00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:37,239
Speaker 1: when when they pull up the film and they see

1048
00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:39,200
Speaker 1: that there's a five on two, what do you think

1049
00:51:39,239 --> 00:51:41,000
Speaker 1: he's saying? It's like, hey, guys, we just gotta be better.

1050
00:51:41,200 --> 00:51:46,880
Speaker 1: Like the film sessions have to be total ship shows.

1051
00:51:46,960 --> 00:51:49,520
Speaker 1: They have to be because there has to be private

1052
00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:52,960
Speaker 1: conversation among the coaching staff. That's like, well, we can't

1053
00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:55,320
Speaker 1: show them all the plays. Like if we show that

1054
00:51:56,400 --> 00:52:01,040
Speaker 1: they screwed up on all the place, how do we do? Yeah,

1055
00:52:01,040 --> 00:52:04,320
Speaker 1: because that's that's the part. You know. Like earlier this season,

1056
00:52:04,360 --> 00:52:06,600
Speaker 1: we were you know, Laker fans are upset that you know,

1057
00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:10,480
Speaker 1: like Mellow didn't look good, um defensively and he was

1058
00:52:10,600 --> 00:52:12,520
Speaker 1: putting an effort to some degree, and the link mount

1059
00:52:12,600 --> 00:52:14,600
Speaker 1: you know, and same thing with Russ, Like all these

1060
00:52:14,719 --> 00:52:16,840
Speaker 1: role players kept getting like their effort picked apart and

1061
00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:18,680
Speaker 1: stuff like that. And I was sitting there and I

1062
00:52:18,760 --> 00:52:20,200
Speaker 1: was just like, yeah, you know, some of this is fair,

1063
00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:23,560
Speaker 1: Like some of these guys should be, you know, um

1064
00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:26,720
Speaker 1: better on the defensive end, on the effort and stuff

1065
00:52:26,719 --> 00:52:29,000
Speaker 1: like that when they're not asked to carry the offensive load.

1066
00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:31,120
Speaker 1: But then like some of those guys have improved, you know,

1067
00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:34,400
Speaker 1: like Mellow has gotten a better like to the baseline

1068
00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:36,880
Speaker 1: where he's not like a complete see right, Like if

1069
00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:39,719
Speaker 1: he's not if he's defending a guy who's the same

1070
00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:42,040
Speaker 1: size as him, you know, the same kind of speed

1071
00:52:42,160 --> 00:52:45,200
Speaker 1: and as him and stuff like that, he's okay, he's not.

1072
00:52:45,239 --> 00:52:50,080
Speaker 1: He's not terrible. Yeah, Malik and even Russ they've all

1073
00:52:50,120 --> 00:52:52,520
Speaker 1: gotten better. But it's just like, I just keep thinking

1074
00:52:52,560 --> 00:52:54,239
Speaker 1: about myself. It's just like, how how do you when

1075
00:52:54,280 --> 00:52:56,480
Speaker 1: you see a d just kind of chill out on

1076
00:52:56,600 --> 00:52:58,680
Speaker 1: the offensive ent and not do anything, you know what

1077
00:52:58,680 --> 00:53:00,719
Speaker 1: I mean? And then just watch this guys have to

1078
00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:03,719
Speaker 1: do everything by themselves. Or you see Braun not run

1079
00:53:03,840 --> 00:53:06,360
Speaker 1: back like I would. I can't imagine Frank saying anything.

1080
00:53:06,360 --> 00:53:08,960
Speaker 1: He probably just fast forwards right through that possession because

1081
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:10,480
Speaker 1: he knows that he doesn't want to bring it up

1082
00:53:10,719 --> 00:53:14,080
Speaker 1: and um, but you know that's my thing, Like, I'm

1083
00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:15,480
Speaker 1: sure people are going to stay at the end of

1084
00:53:15,560 --> 00:53:17,920
Speaker 1: this game, Like Frank has got to go because look

1085
00:53:17,960 --> 00:53:19,440
Speaker 1: at the offense that they're running at the end of

1086
00:53:19,440 --> 00:53:22,719
Speaker 1: the game. But if Braun wants to run post upos

1087
00:53:23,280 --> 00:53:26,800
Speaker 1: because he's getting Terence Davis a small guy, um or

1088
00:53:26,880 --> 00:53:31,000
Speaker 1: Daron Fox a small guy and Sacramento isn't switching, Frank's

1089
00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:34,600
Speaker 1: not going to be able to override Lebron like and

1090
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:36,279
Speaker 1: so it's like, how can I get mad at Frank

1091
00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:37,920
Speaker 1: for something like that? And they're like, oh, maybe we

1092
00:53:37,920 --> 00:53:40,000
Speaker 1: should run in with Russ a little bit more. Russ

1093
00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:43,480
Speaker 1: isn't going to override Lebron because we've been screaming, don't

1094
00:53:43,520 --> 00:53:46,040
Speaker 1: get in Lebron's way, you know, the entire time. And

1095
00:53:46,680 --> 00:53:51,279
Speaker 1: so it's just Frank. You know. Obviously we talked about

1096
00:53:51,320 --> 00:53:53,880
Speaker 1: how he looked, evaluates this roster and and gives a minutes,

1097
00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:56,160
Speaker 1: distributes mints and stuff. I got how the front office

1098
00:53:56,239 --> 00:53:58,080
Speaker 1: is doing it. I think the other thing that Frank

1099
00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:00,879
Speaker 1: has had some difficulty with um, which is something I've

1100
00:54:00,920 --> 00:54:04,200
Speaker 1: always praised, like a guy like uh Rik Spoelstra and

1101
00:54:04,600 --> 00:54:08,320
Speaker 1: Tylu because he intimately um that he he has a

1102
00:54:08,360 --> 00:54:11,399
Speaker 1: difficulty navigating the nature of his players. Like I don't

1103
00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:14,320
Speaker 1: think he looks at Anthony Davis when he's playing and

1104
00:54:14,400 --> 00:54:17,120
Speaker 1: when we're all screaming wise Anthony Davis being so passive,

1105
00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:19,560
Speaker 1: I don't think Frank does that. Like I don't think

1106
00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:20,920
Speaker 1: he goes, okay, you know what, maybe I need to

1107
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:23,040
Speaker 1: change it up because Anthony is being really passive right

1108
00:54:23,080 --> 00:54:25,320
Speaker 1: now no matter what I call, Like, he's not running

1109
00:54:25,360 --> 00:54:27,319
Speaker 1: with Russ. So let me let me play A guy

1110
00:54:27,840 --> 00:54:30,080
Speaker 1: will run with Russ. So then that way, you know,

1111
00:54:30,160 --> 00:54:32,839
Speaker 1: I mean, like our offense gets a little bit better,

1112
00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:35,600
Speaker 1: or you know, there's more defensive effort or Anthony's not

1113
00:54:35,680 --> 00:54:38,600
Speaker 1: coming to crash the glass after boxing out or something

1114
00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:39,960
Speaker 1: like that. So let me let me play a guy

1115
00:54:40,360 --> 00:54:41,840
Speaker 1: some of that. We don't have the people to do it.

1116
00:54:41,920 --> 00:54:45,000
Speaker 1: But that's like, that's important, you know, those small and

1117
00:54:45,080 --> 00:54:48,520
Speaker 1: tangible things that are not counting stats have to matter,

1118
00:54:48,840 --> 00:54:51,240
Speaker 1: effort has to matter. And I think maybe he's missing,

1119
00:54:51,680 --> 00:54:55,560
Speaker 1: Um he has some difficulty gauging that, uh and working

1120
00:54:55,600 --> 00:54:59,279
Speaker 1: around it. So that that's that's there. There are there's

1121
00:54:59,320 --> 00:55:03,040
Speaker 1: some good stuff that malak thht Russ. This is another

1122
00:55:03,080 --> 00:55:06,200
Speaker 1: great rust game. He kept his turnovers down pretty significantly,

1123
00:55:06,239 --> 00:55:09,560
Speaker 1: like he's been really really good the past like two weeks. Um,

1124
00:55:10,360 --> 00:55:11,960
Speaker 1: we just need our starts to kind of you know,

1125
00:55:12,440 --> 00:55:15,080
Speaker 1: decide when they want to participate and stuff again. So

1126
00:55:15,600 --> 00:55:17,560
Speaker 1: I think it'll happen once Frank has gone. I do

1127
00:55:17,680 --> 00:55:21,520
Speaker 1: think we're headed in that direction because um basketball with

1128
00:55:21,719 --> 00:55:25,480
Speaker 1: with these three guys, Uh, it's I would say, it's

1129
00:55:26,440 --> 00:55:29,160
Speaker 1: you know, below expectations. Oh my goodness, that would be

1130
00:55:29,239 --> 00:55:32,359
Speaker 1: the very kindest way you could put it there. Um,

1131
00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:34,680
Speaker 1: you know, this is the last thing I'm gonna say,

1132
00:55:34,719 --> 00:55:37,600
Speaker 1: and then I want you to respond, and then we'll

1133
00:55:37,600 --> 00:55:39,279
Speaker 1: get out of here and we'll call it tonight. Um,

1134
00:55:39,719 --> 00:55:44,120
Speaker 1: so when Frank goes, which feels kind of inevitable, but

1135
00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:46,799
Speaker 1: I guess we'll find out. You know, I've been one

1136
00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:49,719
Speaker 1: of the people advocating for that. I'm not alone, but

1137
00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:53,000
Speaker 1: I do feel like it's important to drive home this

1138
00:55:53,239 --> 00:55:57,400
Speaker 1: final point. The main reason why I think he should

1139
00:55:57,440 --> 00:56:01,239
Speaker 1: be gone is lebron A D's buy. To me, that's

1140
00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:03,520
Speaker 1: literally that I could. I can even make a case

1141
00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:05,800
Speaker 1: that that's the only real reason, because the truth is

1142
00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:10,480
Speaker 1: is there is there is good that comes with Frank

1143
00:56:10,600 --> 00:56:12,600
Speaker 1: that outweighs some of his bad. He is he is

1144
00:56:12,640 --> 00:56:15,600
Speaker 1: he in Overski's offensively yes, is he did? Like like

1145
00:56:15,760 --> 00:56:20,560
Speaker 1: you said, does he struggle to see the the personality

1146
00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:23,600
Speaker 1: of his players in the way it's playing out on

1147
00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:26,360
Speaker 1: the floor, and how he can try to counter that

1148
00:56:26,560 --> 00:56:29,839
Speaker 1: by making things easier for them in those specific areas. Yeah,

1149
00:56:29,880 --> 00:56:32,640
Speaker 1: you're absolutely right about that. However, he also brings so

1150
00:56:32,760 --> 00:56:36,320
Speaker 1: much to the table defensively. Um, he does preach effort

1151
00:56:36,360 --> 00:56:38,359
Speaker 1: in focus, and he does preach all the right things,

1152
00:56:39,440 --> 00:56:44,680
Speaker 1: And I genuinely think he probably is, you know, a

1153
00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:47,960
Speaker 1: coach who's deserving of this opportunity to coach this team

1154
00:56:48,000 --> 00:56:51,319
Speaker 1: through the end of the season. But that said, it's

1155
00:56:51,600 --> 00:56:54,560
Speaker 1: really this simple. To me, Lebron and maybe appeared to

1156
00:56:54,640 --> 00:56:57,320
Speaker 1: not want him, so therefore he has to go. And

1157
00:56:57,440 --> 00:57:00,480
Speaker 1: I know that seems crazy, but this team isn't going

1158
00:57:00,560 --> 00:57:04,200
Speaker 1: anywhere unless lebrono A D are are carrying the way

1159
00:57:04,239 --> 00:57:06,120
Speaker 1: they did two years ago, for two seasons ago, I

1160
00:57:06,120 --> 00:57:09,960
Speaker 1: should say, And it appears to me that the only

1161
00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:11,960
Speaker 1: way to kick start that is to fire the coach,

1162
00:57:12,480 --> 00:57:15,640
Speaker 1: and that's not fair to Frank. I hope that on

1163
00:57:15,719 --> 00:57:18,400
Speaker 1: the day he's fired, that myself and everyone else goes

1164
00:57:18,440 --> 00:57:21,000
Speaker 1: out there and sings his praises because they deserve to

1165
00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:23,760
Speaker 1: be some because the truth of the matter is he

1166
00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:27,720
Speaker 1: he has not put forth a fire able job here.

1167
00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:32,000
Speaker 1: What what what? What has it happened here? Is urgency

1168
00:57:32,120 --> 00:57:36,600
Speaker 1: requires that he's fired. The urgency and therefore the lack,

1169
00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:39,960
Speaker 1: I should say, the lack of urgency that we're seen

1170
00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:43,360
Speaker 1: from Lebron and a D has presented urgency with the

1171
00:57:43,440 --> 00:57:47,520
Speaker 1: coaching situation because it's the only available option to try

1172
00:57:47,640 --> 00:57:49,760
Speaker 1: to kick them, like you said, kick them the balls

1173
00:57:49,760 --> 00:57:52,240
Speaker 1: and try to get them going. So that's that's kind

1174
00:57:52,240 --> 00:57:54,760
Speaker 1: of where I'm at with it. Yeah, yeah, no, I'm

1175
00:57:55,200 --> 00:57:56,800
Speaker 1: in agree with you. I don't think it's a fair

1176
00:57:56,920 --> 00:57:59,080
Speaker 1: situation that Frank is in, but that's just this is

1177
00:57:59,240 --> 00:58:01,680
Speaker 1: sort of the nature or just kind of how the NBA.

1178
00:58:02,400 --> 00:58:05,240
Speaker 1: If you're superstars, superstars don't buy into the coach that

1179
00:58:05,480 --> 00:58:09,040
Speaker 1: that they have, regardless of whatever the previous accolades are.

1180
00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:12,800
Speaker 1: You have to make a change and being having that

1181
00:58:12,920 --> 00:58:15,560
Speaker 1: malleability or you know that flexibility in the front office

1182
00:58:16,040 --> 00:58:18,560
Speaker 1: is important. UM. You know, I don't know what direction

1183
00:58:18,560 --> 00:58:21,080
Speaker 1: the Lakers going if they do move Frank, but I

1184
00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:25,160
Speaker 1: do think that it will result in a more engaged UM,

1185
00:58:25,920 --> 00:58:28,360
Speaker 1: a more engaged Lebron and a D. And I do

1186
00:58:28,560 --> 00:58:32,080
Speaker 1: think that one of those metrics, specifically the offensive rating metric,

1187
00:58:32,720 --> 00:58:34,920
Speaker 1: will start moving in the direction that it should move in.

1188
00:58:35,400 --> 00:58:37,320
Speaker 1: UM And I think that's what these guys want. I

1189
00:58:37,840 --> 00:58:40,280
Speaker 1: honestly think A D and Braun want to spend the

1190
00:58:40,320 --> 00:58:46,000
Speaker 1: regular season, UM, not grinding every single game defensively. UM.

1191
00:58:47,000 --> 00:58:48,400
Speaker 1: You know, when they were saying that A D and

1192
00:58:48,520 --> 00:58:50,600
Speaker 1: Braun We're going to play the four and five, I

1193
00:58:50,760 --> 00:58:53,280
Speaker 1: was excited, but at the same time, I thought to myself,

1194
00:58:53,320 --> 00:58:55,040
Speaker 1: I was just like, are they really going to play defense?

1195
00:58:55,240 --> 00:58:57,800
Speaker 1: Like for the thirty five minutes at four and five

1196
00:58:57,800 --> 00:59:00,520
Speaker 1: because that's a lot of work um us in general,

1197
00:59:00,560 --> 00:59:02,200
Speaker 1: and that's why there's so many role players that played

1198
00:59:02,200 --> 00:59:06,160
Speaker 1: that spot. But they defended so well the previous two seasons.

1199
00:59:06,280 --> 00:59:10,040
Speaker 1: That's the part that's hard for me to like contextualize here,

1200
00:59:10,200 --> 00:59:12,640
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Yeah, it could be. It

1201
00:59:12,680 --> 00:59:14,920
Speaker 1: could be just because the last season. You know, um,

1202
00:59:15,680 --> 00:59:19,880
Speaker 1: because I will say this, I think playing defense in

1203
00:59:19,960 --> 00:59:23,800
Speaker 1: the NBA is much more taxing on the body than

1204
00:59:24,000 --> 00:59:28,600
Speaker 1: probably fans realize. Um. You know, Crusoe would get all

1205
00:59:28,720 --> 00:59:30,880
Speaker 1: kinds of small injuries, like we've seen eight get hit

1206
00:59:30,880 --> 00:59:32,560
Speaker 1: in the face, like at least once a game now

1207
00:59:32,880 --> 00:59:34,760
Speaker 1: from an elbow from like a big man just trying

1208
00:59:34,760 --> 00:59:37,520
Speaker 1: to stop him from blocking one of his ships, or

1209
00:59:37,600 --> 00:59:40,200
Speaker 1: from a small guard doing it. So there are all

1210
00:59:40,280 --> 00:59:42,880
Speaker 1: kinds of small injuries that happened. Like people of people

1211
00:59:42,920 --> 00:59:44,880
Speaker 1: are like, yeah, we should play Bron. Not not that

1212
00:59:45,000 --> 00:59:47,400
Speaker 1: I'm completely the screen, but like people like, yeah, Bron

1213
00:59:47,440 --> 00:59:50,920
Speaker 1: should played more five. It's like, okay, if Bron starts

1214
00:59:51,400 --> 00:59:55,080
Speaker 1: contesting these junk these layoffs, you know, with verticality, all

1215
00:59:55,160 --> 00:59:56,840
Speaker 1: it's going to take is one guy to me him

1216
00:59:57,560 --> 00:59:59,800
Speaker 1: righting and writing in his growing area or his midsection

1217
00:59:59,840 --> 01:00:01,680
Speaker 1: and he's going to be out for like three weeks again.

1218
01:00:02,160 --> 01:00:04,800
Speaker 1: And just today a do you want to go block?

1219
01:00:05,200 --> 01:00:07,080
Speaker 1: Who was it? Marvin Bagley? And he got a need

1220
01:00:07,200 --> 01:00:09,560
Speaker 1: right in the growing like they called the defensive foul

1221
01:00:09,640 --> 01:00:12,360
Speaker 1: on But you know what I mean, Like it's just like, um,

1222
01:00:13,320 --> 01:00:15,840
Speaker 1: defense takes a lot out of you because you're always

1223
01:00:15,880 --> 01:00:18,000
Speaker 1: constantly throwing your body in harm's away to try to

1224
01:00:18,040 --> 01:00:20,760
Speaker 1: present to prevent you know, an offensive player for scoring.

1225
01:00:21,040 --> 01:00:23,400
Speaker 1: And I don't think it's reasonable to expect those two

1226
01:00:23,440 --> 01:00:26,520
Speaker 1: guys to do that. Um, so really really quil really quick.

1227
01:00:26,560 --> 01:00:28,440
Speaker 1: Not to cut you out, but this is I think

1228
01:00:28,480 --> 01:00:30,240
Speaker 1: there has to be happy medium here because, like I

1229
01:00:30,320 --> 01:00:33,200
Speaker 1: said earlier, yes, if you're stars aren't willing to do

1230
01:00:33,280 --> 01:00:35,400
Speaker 1: any dirty work, you're signing up to be a bad team.

1231
01:00:35,560 --> 01:00:39,360
Speaker 1: So there has to be a happy medium in there somewhere. Yeah, yeah,

1232
01:00:39,520 --> 01:00:43,400
Speaker 1: I agree, um And yeah, before I went on a tangent,

1233
01:00:44,080 --> 01:00:45,680
Speaker 1: I agree with you, man. I I just don't I

1234
01:00:45,680 --> 01:00:47,520
Speaker 1: don't know. I don't think it's frank, I don't think

1235
01:00:47,520 --> 01:00:51,200
Speaker 1: it's a coach like this. Everything about this team, um,

1236
01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:55,240
Speaker 1: from specifically our stars, makes me think that they're not

1237
01:00:55,320 --> 01:00:57,320
Speaker 1: committed to this coach and putting in the kind of

1238
01:00:57,400 --> 01:01:00,480
Speaker 1: effort that they need to with this coach. UM, and

1239
01:01:01,400 --> 01:01:04,560
Speaker 1: it's unfair. I agree. Um, there have been some really

1240
01:01:04,600 --> 01:01:06,680
Speaker 1: really good things that we've learned about this team, really

1241
01:01:06,720 --> 01:01:09,840
Speaker 1: really good things that we've seen out of this team, um,

1242
01:01:10,560 --> 01:01:12,880
Speaker 1: in small, short segments. But I don't think all the

1243
01:01:12,920 --> 01:01:16,240
Speaker 1: pieces will come together until there's a different person kind

1244
01:01:16,240 --> 01:01:19,200
Speaker 1: of manning the wheel, because player buying matters. It's a

1245
01:01:19,200 --> 01:01:21,720
Speaker 1: player's lead. That's just how it works. So you know,

1246
01:01:22,040 --> 01:01:25,960
Speaker 1: I'm a watch every single game and and not have

1247
01:01:26,280 --> 01:01:29,360
Speaker 1: extremely eye expectations because we can go up by twenty five.

1248
01:01:29,480 --> 01:01:31,479
Speaker 1: But I've already seen this below one of those leads.

1249
01:01:32,280 --> 01:01:34,040
Speaker 1: You know, Well, it's you know, it's it's a roller

1250
01:01:34,080 --> 01:01:36,439
Speaker 1: coaster season, but you know, you just you just gotta

1251
01:01:36,440 --> 01:01:38,280
Speaker 1: go through it. Yeah. That that that's what makes the

1252
01:01:38,360 --> 01:01:41,760
Speaker 1: team right, is all right? Everybody? I think I'm looking

1253
01:01:41,840 --> 01:01:45,960
Speaker 1: at twelve am here in Tucson, and I still have

1254
01:01:46,040 --> 01:01:47,920
Speaker 1: to get all this uploaded to the podcast speed, So

1255
01:01:47,920 --> 01:01:50,120
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna call it tonight. But I sincerely

1256
01:01:50,160 --> 01:01:52,720
Speaker 1: appreciate you taking the time to have coming and coming

1257
01:01:52,760 --> 01:01:55,040
Speaker 1: Forage tonight. Everyone who tuned in to listen. Thank you

1258
01:01:55,080 --> 01:01:57,040
Speaker 1: guys so much for your support. As always, this is

1259
01:01:57,040 --> 01:01:59,360
Speaker 1: gonna air on Dash Radio tomorrow morning at seven am

1260
01:01:59,480 --> 01:02:01,880
Speaker 1: pacifics and your time. It will be on our podcast

1261
01:02:01,960 --> 01:02:05,000
Speaker 1: feed here in about twenty minutes. Again, thank you as

1262
01:02:05,000 --> 01:02:06,680
Speaker 1: always for you guys and support. We will be back

1263
01:02:06,800 --> 01:02:10,040
Speaker 1: for this Sunday night game which I believe is an

1264
01:02:10,120 --> 01:02:12,880
Speaker 1: eight pm start, but I can't remember. Um. Either way,

1265
01:02:12,920 --> 01:02:15,200
Speaker 1: we'll be back on Sunday night. Thank you guys as usual,

1266
01:02:15,280 --> 01:02:16,400
Speaker 1: and we will see you in a couple of days.