WEBVTT - Wolves/Lakers Postgame Spaces 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:18.360 Mmmm, Welcome to the State of the Lakers post game show. 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:21.640 Happy Friday night, everybody. I hope you're all having UM, 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:25.040 getting ready for a good, fun weekend. Lakers, sticking with 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:29.360 the theme, decided to have another super bizarre, super strange game. 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.239 Um My, guy raje is pulling a Draymond. He is 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:38.199 calling from the parking lot after the loss. Um he is. 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:41.479 He is making time for us after the game. He 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.519 was there in the buildings that he'll be able to 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.879 give us a little extra perspective on just how terrible 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:51.920 the effort was. UM. Quick context here. The Lakers, you know, obviously, 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:57.040 in addition to being down a bunch of bodies from injury, 0:00:57.720 --> 0:01:02.880 also had just had a couple of really, really tough games. Um. 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:06.880 With Lebron out, it just takes so much more physically 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:10.800 from this team to be able to win. And obviously 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:15.120 with those two super competitive games with the overtimes, it's 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:18.640 not entirely uncommon for a team to come out flat 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:21.600 or to come out looking good but then to run 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:26.240 out of gas. Um. However, that was borderline a quick 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:28.480 job there in the second half. I thought there was 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:32.760 such a large chasm in effort between the two teams. 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:38.160 Our guy, uh Cranes, who's my favorite, Uh you know 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:42.480 statistical analysts that that covers d NBA right now. He 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.600 sent out a tweet a few games ago saying, like, 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:49.400 it's amazing how quick people are to blame effort for 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:51.840 the Lakers struggles, and that is true to a lot 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:55.280 of to a large extent because of their personnel shortcomings, 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:58.160 which we've talked about so much on the show, like, hey, 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:02.680 it's really hard to run hottern NBA defensive coverages without forwards, 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.360 Like that's it's not something you can play hard your 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.600 way through in a lot in a lot of ways. However, 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.800 I thought tonight it was just an effort thing, Like 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:14.760 tonight was one of those nights where the effort was 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:19.919 the primary driving force behind the wheels coming off. UM. So, rog, 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:21.440 what was it like there in the building? What was 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:26.240 what was your initial takeaway from um from just just 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:30.560 how bad things went there in the second half. Yeah, So, 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.360 like being at the game, being at being at Stable Center, 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:36.000 you can kind of feel all of the energy the 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:38.360 crowd trying to give the energy to the team, And 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:41.720 in the first half I thought it was working pretty well. Honestly, 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:44.480 Like I thought Russ was just having an okay floor game. 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:46.920 I thought A d was incredible, and I'm over here 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:48.600 in my seat like taking notes, you know, I'm like 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:51.840 call eight, you know, nice help there, switched on, switched off, 0:02:51.840 --> 0:02:54.560 and Carl Anthony Towns and still switched on Edwards. And 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:56.200 then that third I went to go get a drink. 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:57.919 I went back in my seat, and that third quarter 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.120 it was just hell, like the whole and again like 0:03:01.400 --> 0:03:04.240 not just to blame it all on effort, but like 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:07.000 you could definitely see the body language being up close 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:09.760 of all the players. Once like those open three started 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.160 to miss and then called Anthony Towns when kind of 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:15.760 berserk with his shooting, and the defense really dropped off again. 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:17.600 Like it's not all effort. I don't think you can 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:21.320 lose a third quarter forty to twelve and just blame 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:23.519 it all in effort, because at some point you're getting 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.640 your ass kick and there's something has to change there. 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:29.560 But Minnesota just kept pushing in. We just couldn't get 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.639 any stops. We got really lethargic. All those fighting over 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.680 ball stream stopped um. All that trying to fight through 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:38.800 and try to contain guards all stopped. Anthony Edwards got 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.200 wherever he wanted. It opened up shooters, Um Karl Anthony Towns, 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.880 like I said, started hitting. He was going one on 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:46.360 one and a d a lot, and I was fine 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:48.520 with that. In the first half and the second half 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:50.440 his jumper just started to go and you could tell 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:54.320 it excited them. I'm not sure, like at least in person, 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:57.680 just seeing Minnesota going on that run, it just felt 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:01.400 like they just couldn't. They just could not stop them 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.440 at all, no matter what happened. And then obviously effort 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:06.480 kind of went into that. We missed open shots. Carmelo 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:09.520 was super cold, his first kind of ice cold Staples game, 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:11.320 I guess. I know, just being in the building, you 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.440 could tell the fans get kind of tired of it. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:14.920 There's a little bit of a booing there in the 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:18.359 third quarter, especially when the league got really league got 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:20.839 really big. But that was the most initial take. My 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:23.159 biggest take, I guess was being there and seeing all 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:24.960 the guys who are injured on the bench, you know, 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:28.159 seeing Lebron next to Thht, next to a reason, next 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:31.479 to none, and then Austin Reeves behind them looking like 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:34.760 assistant coach uh sitting on the back behind the players. 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:36.720 That was kind of the thing that kind of popped out. 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:38.680 How many players are out, But that's no excuse to 0:04:38.720 --> 0:04:41.720 get you know, almost forty piece tonight by Minnesota. But 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.080 that was the takeaways being there, I guess being in 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:46.560 the building, Um, the fans were kind of tired of it. 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.440 They were tired of the energy in that third and 0:04:48.480 --> 0:04:51.719 I thought you could really feel them. Uh the booze 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:54.280 weren't loud enough. There were definitely people starting to boom 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:58.559 that third, you know, fans. I was actually talking about 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:02.599 this with one of my friends on Twitter earlier today, 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:06.800 this idea that you know, the most unlikable trade in 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.880 all of sports is inconsistent effort, you know, like that's why, 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:13.839 that's why we always get naturally drawn to guys like 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:17.280 Austin Reeves or like Alex Caruso. It's you know, it's 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:19.840 not because they're the the white guy that can jump 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.680 a little bit. It's because they play really hard all 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:26.200 the time. It's the most likable trade in all of sports. 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:29.320 It's no same reason why Gary Payton Jr. Is Is 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.360 building such a cult following with Golden State fans. It's 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:35.720 this this guy checks in the game and you can 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.719 depend on him to just sell his soul on every 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:41.000 play to try to make something happen for his team. 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:45.280 And so I don't necessarily blame the fans for getting upset. Obviously, 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.040 I don't like the idea of booing necessarily, uh, in 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:50.960 the middle of a random regular season game. But you 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:54.240 know where I thought, where I thought things got off 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:57.040 the rail got off the rails has to do with 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:00.760 this concept of comfort in basketball. It's actually something that 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:03.320 I'm trying to sell it to the high school kids 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:05.560 and I'm coaching right now. This this idea that if 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:09.000 you from the opening tip in a game really really 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:13.600 apply ball pressure, like intense ball pressure, then even the 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.920 best of players in the world, even if they are 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.719 capable of getting to their spots and making some shots 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:23.839 here and there, they're gonna be largely uncomfortable during the game. 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:28.159 And uh, there's a reason why Karl Anthony Towns gets going. 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.320 It starts making a bunch of threes. And there's a 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:34.800 reason why D'angela Russell gets going and starts hitting. Every 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:36.640 time they go, you know, under a pick and roll 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:38.839 or get caught on the screen, it's because they get comfortable. 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.599 And when you allow good basketball players to be comfortable, 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:45.520 especially ones that are as talented as these guys are. 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:49.080 They're just going to get hot eventually. It's like guaranteed 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:51.320 to happen, you know, when you when you pull a 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.720 random Steph Curry game and you organize all the field 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:57.800 goal percentages from the highest the lowest, chances are if 0:06:57.800 --> 0:07:00.440 you watch the tape, the ones where he's lower are 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:01.880 going to be the ones where the teams do a 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:04.480 better job of making him feel uncomfortable, and the ones 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:05.960 where he's higher are going to be the ones where 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:08.960 the teams didn't apply a lot of ball pressure, didn't 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.720 apply a lot of physical, you know, pressure off the 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:15.440 ball that to make him feel uncomfortable as the game 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:17.480 is progressing. And that's not just a Steph thing. That's 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:20.120 with every star, And I thought that's what happens to night. 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:22.520 And the reason why it got so out of hand 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.840 is on the other end of the floor, the Wolves 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:29.679 did a fantastic job applying ball pressure. Even Anthony Davis's 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:32.360 jump shots that he was taking were far more contested 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.200 than the ones Karl Anthony Towns was taken, which is 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:37.440 wild when you consider the gap between the two of 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:41.400 them as shooters. They were up in up in russ 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.440 you know, Pat Beverley was applying ball pressure as the 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:47.160 ball was being brought up the floor. You know, on 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:50.000 every catch they were bumping you off balance. There were 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:53.480 a bunch of players where Anthony Davis would start on 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:55.240 the block and come off of like a pin down 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.000 or something to try to catch at the elbow. And 0:07:57.320 --> 0:07:58.920 when you would catch at the elbow, you'd have to 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.040 like extend to the ball and quick twist and get 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.200 his hips around to shield the defender, because the defenders 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:06.960 just right there, like right in his shorts, trying to 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:10.080 make him feel uncomfortable. And so you know, that sort 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:13.680 of thing I thought manifested in that third quarter to 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:18.640 the Lakers feeling deeply uncomfortable, which caused them to because 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.040 they were lazy and out of you know, because their 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:24.240 legs weren't there because they were fatigued from what's spent 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:28.239 a long week. They then resorted to settling for jump shots. 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:30.800 And that's that can't happen with that a D at 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:32.600 the five lineup, But the d s at the five 0:08:33.080 --> 0:08:36.200 that needs to be a dribble drive attack type of offense. 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:39.120 And there just was no rim pressure there was none 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:41.840 of that because they were uncomfortable and because they were fatigued. 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:43.840 But I want to give Minnesota a lot of credit 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:48.840 because they simply outplayed the Lakers, particularly at the point 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:51.600 of attack anytime anybody had the ball, in terms of 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:57.280 just the level of discomfort they were afflicting on their opponent. Yeah, 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.280 Like in person, you can really tell Minnesota was super 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.000 physical to start this game, especially at the point of attack. 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:07.200 We started Wayne Ellington, another non ball handler, Avery Bradley 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:09.440 as well, right, not like a ball handler. Even Russ, 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:12.280 they made it difficult for him. They were super physical early. 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:14.880 I thought that's why we really couldn't score. It was 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.280 a super low scoring first quarter, I believe. I think 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:19.560 in the second quarter we picked it up a little bit. 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:22.040 But yeah, they did a great job there. But I mean, 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.160 like there's a difference between like what the other team 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:28.480 does and what you yourself can do to control it. Right, Like, 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:31.320 It's just that third quarter to me was more on 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.160 the Lakers and than what anything Minnesota was doing to me. 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:36.520 But yeah, you're right. To start that game, they did 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:38.480 a great job being physical. I thought a d gets 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.920 pushed out of his spots a lot um and they 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:43.800 did that again tonight. Towns was super physical down though. 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:45.439 I thought he had a great first quarter though. He 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:49.000 was running the floor, catching lobs um, you know, dominating 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:52.040 inside with the offensive rebounds. But like this offense where 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:54.560 we're just doing these trible handoffs, like it looks super 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.480 it looks even uglier in person, I just wish they 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.280 went straight russ a D pick and roll. To ask 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.360 you about rust because I thought tonight I looked at 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:04.640 his you know, his box score at halftime wasn't great. 0:10:04.679 --> 0:10:07.480 It was like seven points I think three assists or 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:09.360 something like that. He got a lot of it in 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:13.200 garbage time tonight, which doesn't really afflict reflect his uh 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:15.760 his stats from from tonight, but just how did it 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:17.680 look on TV? I guess because in person, I thought 0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:20.800 he was playing a pretty good, uh floor game, like 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:23.240 he wasn't forcing things. I think he took his first 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.080 three like with like six minutes left in the third, 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:27.760 if I'm correct, I think it was only like one 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.000 or two threes um, but they were all late in 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:32.680 the second half. I thought he was trying to find eighty, 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:35.079 trying to force it into him. They had nice actions 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:36.960 where they got Wayne Ellenking a bunch of looks. He 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.160 wasn't mind positive for tonight. I guess we can save 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:41.280 the positives for a little later. This is more of 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.160 a negative kind of game. But what you kind of 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:45.320 see from Russ because I feel like in that first 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:47.559 half I thought he was doing okay um and then 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:49.200 that third quarter he was a big part of the 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:53.600 just let's just stop caring anymore. After Minnesota I think 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:57.000 went up nine, and basically the Lakers just they decided 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.120 to pack it in as pretty much as a team, 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:01.200 as a group effort, the whole team kind of packed 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:02.520 it in. But what did you see from rest of night? 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:04.880 I thought Russ was fantastic. In the first half. He 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:09.280 did an outstanding job of applying rim pressure and creating 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:11.960 high qualitum shots, which is something that doesn't always show 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:15.040 up on the box score, especially when you have multiple 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.600 shooters on the floor and the defense will do a 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:20.800 good job of rotating on the first pass, but fall 0:11:20.840 --> 0:11:22.800 apart on the second or third pass and you'll get 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:24.640 a good shot out of it. You know, This is 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.680 something that I talked a lot about in the last pod, 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.840 This idea that if you allow it Russ to play 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.120 in space to start the game with a D at 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:39.000 the five, he'll get a couple of easy baskets early 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:42.040 in the game that will give him the confidence to 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:44.560 channel that throughout the rest of the game. And he 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:47.240 really did for most of the first half, for really 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:52.200 the entire first half, he was especially after that first stretch, 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:55.880 after his first stint when he got in um in 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.840 the second quarter, he was doing an outstanding job of 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.720 just beating guys off the ribble and making that kickout 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:03.560 pass to whether it was baysed More on the wing 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:05.680 or whether it was Monk on the wing or whether 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:07.880 it was Mellow on the wing, and then those guys 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.040 would make simple little close out reads out of that, 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:14.240 and it all looked really good. But for whatever reason, 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:17.559 in the third quarter, he just wasn't getting to the rim. 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:19.840 And it's hard to say what caused that. I'd have 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:22.680 to go back and look at the film. Obviously, you 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:27.080 know our you know, a friend from La far Darius Oriano, 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:29.840 believes it's associated with fatigue and the fact that they've 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:33.080 had a long week and the fact that, um, you know, 0:12:33.160 --> 0:12:35.240 when you have an older team like this, they're just 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:37.360 more susceptible to that kind of thing. But I think 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:39.840 it was a combination of both. Like you know, I 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:43.440 think you'd like to, in theory see that type of 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:48.080 fatigue manifest more in shots not following, because then at 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:50.000 least you can trust the process, Right, Like, if we're 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:53.040 running good stuff and we're driving and kicking and we 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:55.600 got good motion and we're kicking to shooters and they're 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:58.320 just missing shots, at least then you can say, hey, 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:02.240 we we we had good process. The results just weren't there. 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:05.160 But that same drivel penetration that was there in the 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:08.280 first half was not there in the second half. And 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:10.920 that's the best way to get out of a slump 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:14.360 or to get out of a bad run like that, right, 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:16.640 you know, I always talk about how when you're when 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:18.920 you're in adversity, you have to fall back on your habits, 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.160 right when when the other team has it going and 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.120 you don't, the only way to flip the script is 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:27.000 to fall back on good habits that you've established. So, 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.680 for instance, like I said earlier, if Karl Anthony Towns 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:31.960 has made a couple of threes in D'angela, Russell has 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:33.600 made a couple of threes, or Anthony Edwards has made 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.120 a couple of threes. All you can do, all you 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:39.520 can hope to to turn that tide is to make 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:42.080 them feel uncomfortable. They might make a couple more if 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:45.080 they're still hot, but if you continue to make them 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.880 feel uncomfortable and you continue to play solid defense, they 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.760 will start missing, because every player in the history of 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.440 basketball will eventually start missing if you play solid defense 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:57.080 on them. And then on the other end, same thing. Okay, 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:58.840 if you miss the three, that's fine. Did you have 0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:01.880 good process? Was it just swinging around on the perimeter 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:04.800 and a guy just jacking the first time he had 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.320 an into breathing room or was it a paint touch. 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:09.360 Did you get the ball into the paint and they 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:12.200 kick it out. The difference between those two is, if 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:15.840 you're driving into the paint and kicking it out, chances 0:14:15.840 --> 0:14:18.120 are the shooter is already squared up to the rim. 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:20.600 Chances are the shooter doesn't have to do anything weird 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:23.000 with his vision to find the rim because he's already 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.880 looking at the rim, And chances are he's balanced and 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:28.560 has his momentum moving towards the basket, and it's probably 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:32.320 a higher quality shot. That process just got so jacked 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.400 up in the second half, they let Minnesota stay comfortable, 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:38.400 and on the other end, they were not generating the 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:41.120 same quality shots that they were in the first half, 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:44.720 and a couple that with the effort falling off, and 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:48.200 what you have is a forty twelve quarter. But to 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:52.240 answer your question, Russ looked great, just like everyone looked great. 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:54.800 Anthony Davis was better than Carl Anthony Downs in the 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:57.600 first half, but in this but in the second half, 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:01.120 Carl Anthony Towns was many, many, many levels better than 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.640 Anthony Davis. And Russell Westperk completely fell apart and everybody 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:07.320 fell apart, and that's out went. So I mean, take 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:09.960 take from that what you want. It's a highly unusual 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.680 game in that respect, because there was some real good 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:15.360 in that first half. I thought the Lakers on several 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:18.000 different occasions had a chance to get it up to 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:20.840 double digits and they just couldn't make a couple of 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.800 plays here and there. But it's definitely a funky one 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:27.840 in that respect. Yeah, I mean, I don't want to 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.760 throw this whole game out as negative. Sometimes these third 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:33.200 quarters do happen. I don't like that it's kind of 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.040 become a theme a little bit like they had a okay, 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.840 see had a big run on us twice actually again 0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:42.240 tonight against Minnesota. But I was like in my notes, 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.600 like the first play of the game where we scored 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:46.480 our first field goal was you know, they had an 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:48.920 a D. Russ pick and roll, and then since the 0:15:48.920 --> 0:15:50.800 pain was empty, Russ was able to get to the 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:52.840 basket get a layup and then another one. I think 0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:54.840 he had Dwight Howard on the floor with him as 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:56.720 the only big He got to the rim and got 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.640 a lay up, and he was he looked really comfortable 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:01.640 attack in the rim and that way, and that's why 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:04.120 we start eighty at the five to get him comfortable. 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:06.640 But like, I don't know, I'm kind of in between 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:09.200 this where like Russ has to play his game and 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:13.040 also we kind of need his counting stats with Lebron out, 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:14.200 you know what I mean. Like that's where I was 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:16.800 wrestling with during the game live. I looked up, I'm like, 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:19.680 we're playing really well. We're up five, but Russ has 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.880 like seven points, three assist And in my head, like 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:23.440 I thought we were playing well at half time, but 0:16:23.480 --> 0:16:26.080 I was just thinking, like that's not sustainable for us 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:27.880 right now with the talent we have like he needs 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.480 to produce at a more at a higher level um 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:33.000 and that's kind of how the game went. He continued 0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:35.560 to kind of stay at that seventy point kind of 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:37.640 it kind of stayed at that point level, and then 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:40.080 Minnesota went on and went on their run. We had 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:42.600 a super cold stretch and maybe you just throw that 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.880 third quarter out to fatigue, But it just happens too 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:47.800 often for me to just throw it out because they 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:49.920 played an overtime game a couple of days ago. Like 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:53.000 these offensive droughts happened way too often for me. And 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.360 maybe that's just a function of the offense. Maybe that's 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.520 a function of Lebron not playing our guards out. But 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:00.400 it is happening a little bit uh to often for 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.360 me to just just throw this as effort. But you know, 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:05.840 if the team's not caring, like it wasn't definitely a 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.800 combination of like the lineup, the team not caring, and 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:11.880 Minnesota getting hot. It was like a perfect storm. That's 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:14.000 not an excuse for them, it's just what I saw live, 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:17.040 and I saw the body language completely dropped there in 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.280 that in that third quarter, and some of the lineups 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:23.000 in that second half, like the rondo Westbrook um A 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.800 D and Dwight lineups were just head scratching to me, 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:29.919 maybe vocal just experimenting, but yeah, Like it's tough to 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.160 take from games like this, like if both of us 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.639 like to go back and rewatch games and the third quarter, Like, 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:37.440 I just don't know what you do with that kind 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:39.240 of that kind of film, you know what I mean? 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.200 Like do you just throw that out? Do you only 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:43.359 take the first half from here? Because they tried in 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:45.320 the first half, you know what I mean. Like it's tough. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:47.360 Even when I'm there at the game, I'm like, oh, 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:49.119 we're down twelve, but this game is over. Like I 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:51.640 could just feel where the game was going. So that's 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:53.280 kind of how this one went. I guess. Yeah, I 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.679 would throw out the film too. I mean, you know, 0:17:56.080 --> 0:18:00.800 what can you learn about strategy when there's not effort 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:03.760 behind it to support it, you know you know what 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:07.080 I mean? And you know you like to your point 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:10.320 about Russ and his aggression. I can't fault the guy 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:14.720 when I've been begging him all year to make basketball reads, 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.919 like real basketball reads, like reading the teens, and the 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:21.800 defense was collapsing when he would drive to the rim. 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:24.240 What I don't remember. And again, I'd have to go 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.000 back and look at the film, but I don't remember 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:28.960 a play or rush robe into the paint and passed 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.280 on a driving lane, or passed on an opportunity to 0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:33.760 get all the way to the rim just to force 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:35.520 it to some shooter on the wing. He was just 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.719 making reads and that's that's all we that's all we 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:40.439 can ask him to do. But you did make a 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:43.399 really interesting point about their effort, because, like you said, 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:46.320 if this was a one off, if this was a 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:50.919 team that had consistent effort and for whatever reason it 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:55.040 just didn't materialize tonight, then you could fall back and say, hey, 0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:58.159 you know, this is just one of those nights. But 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:01.880 as we've talked about, this team kind of has an identity, 0:19:01.880 --> 0:19:05.040 and not the good kind. This team has an identity 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:08.919 in that they are inconsistent with their effort. They have 0:19:08.960 --> 0:19:12.200 an identity in that they are inconsistent in their willingness 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:15.919 to do the dirty work, in their willingness to physically 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:18.879 put their imprint on the game. You know, like Anthony Davis, 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.800 it's like, you know, uh, He'll go through these five 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:27.399 ten minutes stretches where he's just absolutely manhandling everybody on 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:30.320 the floor and there's nothing anybody can do with them. 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:32.160 But then he'll go through a five minute stretch where 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:34.400 he's kind of just floating around, you know what I mean. 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:37.800