WEBVTT - #thisleague UNCUT: 2nd Round Recap & Conference Finals Preview 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:04.360 We look back at the two game sevens, both won 0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:07.880 by the road team, to bring a close to Round two. 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:11.480 We assess who has the best shot to win the championship. 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:15.480 Now that we are guaranteed to get a sixth new 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.920 champion in the past six seasons, and we will sign 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:24.120 off with a trademark one of a kind update from 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:27.800 the world of rec League basketball, as only Chris Haynes 0:00:27.840 --> 0:00:30.639 can deliver all that's next here on a new edition 0:00:30.720 --> 0:00:35.360 of This League Uncut. Welcome to This League Uncut. In 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:38.680 rule of twenty four hour NBA News. This's you love, 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:41.040 Chris Haynes. 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:43.240 It's so time, works. 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:50.920 Time, It's so time. This League Uncut is underway and 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:51.640 on fire. 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:56.520 This should be a good one. 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:05.360 Hey everyone, welcome in to a new episode This League Uncut. 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:12.760 Conference Finals edition of This League Uncut. Mark Stein here 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:17.119 with Chris Haynes. It's Monday evening as we record this. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:21.280 There are no games on the NBA schedule on this 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:25.119 Monday night. As we get ready to officially move into 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:28.800 the Conference final round, the second round is over. Not 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:34.160 gonna lie to you. There have been a few hurdles 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:38.319 to clear for Chris and I today on the Technological 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:46.600 side to get this episode recorded to the exacting specifications 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:51.800 of producer Ryan. But finally, I think the conditions we 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:56.080 hope fingers crossed will allow that to happen. Chris Haynes. 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.160 Great to connect with you. I can actually see you. 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:03.200 It looks Sonny and inviting there behind you in the 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:08.280 Atlanta Sky Conference finals. Man, we are down to the 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:08.959 final four. 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:13.880 Are I'm ready? But let me just put a small 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:19.239 disclaimer out there. I don't want to I just don't 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:21.600 want you going overboard with saying we're done with our 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.840 technical issues here because I am I'm in Atlanta and 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.000 I'm staying with my As of right now, I'm staying 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:32.280 at the house that we brought from my daughters who 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:34.440 are going to college. And my daughters should just graduate 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:37.400 this weekend. But you know how college kids are. You 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.720 give them money to pay bills, and so apparently one 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:42.720 of the bills that they didn't pay was the Wi 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:44.880 Fi bills. So there's no Wi Fi in the house. 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:49.200 And so I am actually on the campus of Clark University. 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:53.160 Outside I'm near the library. I'm trying to soak up 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:56.120 some of their Wi Fi to do this pod. And 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.720 the reason I say Stein and Ryan. The reason I 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:01.799 say it, I'm putting a small disclaimer out there about 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:06.840 our technical issues, is that I see a campus police 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:14.239 policeman about seven about sixty yards away from me, walk 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:19.520 walking this way. So again, school is out, there's nobody 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:21.080 on campus. That's why I could do it right here 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:26.000 because it's quiet. So I think, once this policeman gets it, 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:28.120 comes near me, I'm going to find out if I 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:30.320 permitted to be here or not. But you know what, 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:33.639 We're going to record it live live. Whatever he says 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:37.600 to me or does it say, will have it recorded 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:39.680 and documented. So he shows about a. 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:41.760 Year and a half old. Now we're closing in on 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:44.360 a year and a half. There have been no arrests 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:46.120 in the history of this league, uncut. 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:47.560 We want to kiss that way. 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:52.400 To this point, no arrests. Our record is clean. Let's 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:55.760 see if we can keep it that way. I mean, 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:00.480 you were at, as you said, your daughter's graduates this 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:04.960 weekend at Clark University. Only Chris Haynes of this league 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.880 uncut could run into the world famous Rich Paul at 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:10.520 his daughter's college graduation. 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:12.800 Yeah. 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:16.080 Can we start there and then we'll work our way 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:19.120 through these these conference finals matchups. 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:23.920 Yeah, So I'm at my daughter graduated from Clark, Atlanta, HBCU. 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:26.920 Proud congratulations, First and foremost. 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:29.240 I'm proud of her. She did her thing. Name is justice. 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:32.800 So the graduation was here Saturday, and we all know, 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:37.080 like for those who graduated high school in twenty twenty, 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:41.120 most of them did not get to experience a graduation 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:44.040 because everything was shut down. So my daughter didn't didn't 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:47.440 have a graduation. So the graduation here Saturday, I was 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:49.520 very much looking forward to it for many reasons for 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.680 her in that class of twenty twenty is that this 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.240 is going to be the first time being able to graduate. Well, 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:58.920 there was going to be a small dilemma up ahead 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:02.680 because the graduation here at Clark is at the football field, 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:06.359 and there was a thirty percent chance of rain, and 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:11.359 so I was hoping and praying that the rain would 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:14.200 just mess up the whole thing, because that just would 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:18.000 have been fucked up for the whole class having to 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:21.040 have to go through this again. It sprinkled a little bit, 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.800 you know, we had our ponchos on, but it stopped 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.760 and so the graduation went on. And so to get 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:32.320 back to Rich Paulston. So after the graduation, a kid 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:34.039 comes up to me. I say, a kid, you know 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.520 he's in college. You just graduated, so I can graduate. 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:40.160 You know, I can graduate him on graduating, he said, man, 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:42.880 you Chris Hanes. Chris Hanes Man, nice to meet you. 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:45.640 He asked for a picture. I gave a picture. He said, man, 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:48.120 this is just a cool day. I'm graduating, I get 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:51.080 to meet you, and I just met Rich Paul. I'm like, 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:54.000 you just met Rich Paul. I'm like what. So I 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:58.120 called Rich and he said, yeah, my daughter's graduating too. 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:01.599 I'm like where, because I thought his daughter graduated from Spelman, 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:07.440 which is all all women's college connected to Clark. He said, no, 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:12.200 she graduated from Clark. So I got in touch with Rich. 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:15.560 He invited He was having a graduation party for his 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:19.000 daughter that night, so he invited my wife and my 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:22.160 daughter to the party. So I brought them to the party. 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:25.120 And you know, me and Rich hung out watch upstairs 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:28.599 watching the MAVs OKC game, and my wife and my 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.680 daughter they were down their party and getting their party on. 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.640 So it was a cool. It was a cool weekend. Man. 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:36.599 I'm glad everything worked out for the high school twenty 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:40.719 twenty class, finally being able to have a real formal graduation. 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:45.800 Huge congrats first of all again to Justice Haynes. I 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.320 cannot believe your daughter is already through college. I feel 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.200 like she just got there, and you have another daughter 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:56.039 who's not far away next college graduation. So I don't 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:58.000 know what we are so damn old. I don't know 0:06:58.000 --> 0:06:59.160 what the hell happened to us. 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:01.919 Yeah, you know, it's one of those things Styn where 0:07:02.360 --> 0:07:04.520 I remember I had my daughters. I was twenty and 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:06.640 twenty one when I had them, and you know, people 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:09.280 look down on you when you have kids that young, 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:11.440 and you know, so we had you know, I had to, 0:07:12.120 --> 0:07:14.280 you know, even though it was married, got married young. 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:16.320 You know, people look down you're having kids that young. 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.800 But I just I just remember, like when I started 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:22.320 getting becoming thirty seven and thirty eight and forty one. 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:27.200 Now I started seeing people having kids at thirty seven 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:31.680 thirty eight, and my kids are leaving going to college 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.600 at that age. I'm like, who's looking dumb? Now? Who's 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:36.200 who's being looked down upon? 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:36.560 Now? 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:39.360 Yes? Me, because now I'm gonna have I'm gonna have 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:43.400 empty nesters in my early forties. Meanwhile, you're just starting 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:47.160 and you're damn near forty. So who's looking down upon now? 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.280 I'm playing, y'all, I'm playing. I'm playing my looking. 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:50.920 First of all, I think you still have two kids 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:55.400 at home. Second, I do, I do? I do? I 0:07:56.080 --> 0:08:00.160 just we are dreading the empty nester situation over here. 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.000 I'm telling you that right now we have Our oldest 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:05.040 is already out of the house, and our youngest is 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:07.680 entering his senior year of high school soon. So we 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:12.840 are struggling. We want no part of the empty nest scenario. 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.280 So yeah, but yeah, I don't. I don't want to say, 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:17.920 cause my daughters might be listening. I don't want to 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:22.320 say I'm desperately looking, desperately looking forward to empty nest 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:25.760 and ship, if that's a word. But uh, you know, 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:27.680 it'd be cool to walk around the house the way 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:29.960 you want to. It would be cool to just get 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:32.960 up and leave, you know, as a couple, whenever you 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.560 want to, you know what I'm saying, Like, come on, Stan, 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:37.199 So my daughters, I got. 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:39.280 When you get dropped off in the parking lot and 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:41.640 you have to walk home, there's only one person waiting 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:45.040 at home you get back, instead of three or four. 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:47.920 Well, that's the down side because at least my kids 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:50.000 will try to convince the wife to pull over on 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:53.240 the side to pick me up. Yeah, so there is 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.920 some downside to it. But yeah, I have a thirteen 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.360 year old and a fifteen year old left at the 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:03.000 house and so be in my mid forties when I'm 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:04.280 fully an empty nester. 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:11.440 Were there any Lakers coaching candidates at that party? Nah? 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:15.280 No Lakers, but nah, yeah. I mean, listen, you know, 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.000 we talked a little bit about the candidates out there. 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:21.040 What I can say is that, you know, I was 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:27.040 told that Lebron isn't pushing for any candidate out there. 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:31.360 He's not pushing for JJ Reddick. This is the Lakers organization. 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:33.920 They are doing their coaching search, and they're doing the 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.959 due diligence, and they're keeping it in house. When I 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.040 meet in the house, I'm talking about the front office 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:43.400 and ownership group. So from what I've told, Lebron, James 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:50.120 isn't spearheading anything. But with that being said, I think 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.480 it's still we're still a little bit of ways away 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:56.120 from them completing the process. And I have an update. 0:09:56.200 --> 0:10:00.360 The police officer just walked by me. You look, he 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.600 looked over and gave me a head nod and went 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:06.280 about his business. So I think I'm okay to be here. 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.679 You know, Stein Stein, you know what listen first all 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:12.240 day it has se let me tell you right now, 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:16.280 this would have been a disaster of a day in 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:21.840 black history. If Chris Haynes, an African American, got arrested 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.400 on a on an HBU campus. I'll tell you that 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:27.480 right now, that that would have been history right there. 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:30.680 And to make it if I cannot be safe on 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:33.920 a black college campus, if I myself Chris Haynes gets 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:40.040 arrested on an HBU campus, HBCU campus, excuse me? So, uh, 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.080 everything's going well so far. 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:43.960 Let's be honest. I don't think there was any real 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:47.640 threat of you being arrested, but I do. I did 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.720 wonder if he was gonna say no, you cannot shout 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:51.760 your podcast here. 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.360 And what I would have done is I would have 0:10:57.440 --> 0:11:00.680 walked around and still try to stay in a vicinity 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:03.600 of the campus because again I'm using their WiFi. So 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:07.080 thank you Clark Atlanta. You're helping this pod get through. 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:09.440 So style, let's get through before we get caltof Let's 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:10.240 get to the meat. 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.960 And bones, Let's get to the playself, because look, the 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:18.880 conference finals are set now Minnesota, Dallas, Boston and Indiana 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:22.960 in the Larry Bird Bowl. And we had two game 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:27.640 sevens on Sunday night. The road team won both. 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:28.520 Yeah. 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.520 I've been writing on my sub stack really all season 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:37.400 about how home court advantage just keeps dwindling and dwindling 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.680 teams at home. This year the winning percentage was way 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:45.160 down to like five forty, which is, you know, not 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:49.400 that high over five hundred, just in the three point era. 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:56.000 Home court advantage continues to get eaten away at and 0:11:56.480 --> 0:12:03.360 after Sunday, after Indiana, the Pasiis Pacers team we've seen 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:07.439 since the ABA Days, after the Pacers go to Madison 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.760 Square Garden and win a Game seven, and after the 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:16.400 Timberwolves go to Denver and win on the Nuggets floor, 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:19.959 on the defending champions floor for the third time in 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:26.080 this series. Road teams are now eight and four in 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:30.800 game sevens over the last four seasons, and that's since 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:34.240 we got out of the bubble. In the bubble, everything 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.720 was neutral sight. We were both there. There was a 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.200 home team and there was an away team. But really 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.720 they're playing on the same court every single time. So 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:47.600 since the bubble twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two, twenty 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:52.360 twenty three, twenty twenty four, road teams are now eight 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:55.760 and four in the last twelve game sevens, which is 0:12:55.840 --> 0:13:00.560 just ridiculous that we've seen that kind of turnaround. But 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:04.400 I mean, you tell me that you know that Game 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:09.760 seven was as wild a roller coaster ride as you 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:15.400 can have a perfect summation of the series, and you know, 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:18.640 just tell me what was it like for you watching 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:24.079 in Atlanta as the defending champs were knocked out earlier 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:25.560 than I think anyone expected. 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:31.520 I was surprised Denver being at home having a twenty 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:37.160 point league championship team. You just think that they know 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.160 how to get it done. But ultimately, if you look 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:44.320 at the box score of the Denver Nuggets, you will 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:48.600 see and notice for quite some time, especially you know, 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.800 once it got later in the playoffs, they're playing with 0:13:51.880 --> 0:13:56.480 about five and a half guys. They they just don't 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.760 have the depth to keep up. If you look at Minnesota, 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:05.800 they got depth, and this team defensively on the perimeter 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:10.920 and in the interior, they're tough. They are tough. They 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.959 got the sixth Man of the Year recipient coming off 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.120 the bench, being productive, not only doing it scoring the 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:21.080 scoring column, awesome night, awesome, not only doing in the 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:25.400 scoring column, but deficively against the Joker as well. That's 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:28.560 a tough team, Minnesota Hounds. You you see, you saw 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:33.960 the way when Anthony Edwards got on Jamal Murray, hounding 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:38.240 on full court like they are. They are tough, man, Mike, 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:40.960 like the whole like I don't want to leave anybody out, 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:44.480 that whole Minnesota Timberwooth squad. They're phenomenal. And so the 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:46.240 way they were able to come back on the road 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.960 take Game seven, that was mighty impressive. But if you're 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:52.880 the Denver Nuggets, if you're looking at ways to improve 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:55.920 next season, definitely you have to say that they're going 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:58.200 to try to show up that bench, no question. 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:02.640 And look, the Tim Conley Bowl as I've been calling it, 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:06.200 we call it that because Tim Connley was the architect 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:13.120 of the Denver Nuggets. He left for the lucrative opportunity 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:18.920 to take over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He immediately traded a 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:24.040 Ton for Rudy Gobert. The Nuggets won the championship in 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:29.520 Connolly's first season after leaving Denver, and not only did 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:34.520 they surrender a ton of assets to trade for Rudy Gobert, 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:37.120 but then they signed Nas Red as well. So a 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:40.320 lot of people were looking at the Wolves like they 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.720 have three centers in today's small ball NBA, what are 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:50.800 they doing going so jumbo size? And now in year two, 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:55.040 for Tim Connolly, it is the Timberwolves who take out 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:59.760 the defending champs. It is the Timberwolves who found a 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:05.680 way to make important use of Karl, Anthony Towns and 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:10.760 Rudy Gobert and Nasreed in a critical Game seven in Denver, 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:20.200 all in support of Anthony Edwards and nobody's laughing at 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.960 the Minnesota Timberwolves anymore. For the first time in twenty years, 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:27.240 they are back in the conference finals. And I feel 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.520 like we've talked about it on this podcast a ton. 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:36.760 How the Wolves in the previous thirty four seasons of 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:41.040 the team's existence, only once in the two thousand and 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:44.560 four playoffs did the Wolves even win a series. They 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:47.560 won two rounds in two thousand and four to make 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:51.960 the conference finals with KG and Sam Cassel and your 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:56.920 hero Latrell's free Will. That team before this, Wolve's team 0:16:56.960 --> 0:17:00.160 was the only Wolves team that has ever won a playoff. 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.880 They won two rounds and that's it. In thirty four years. 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:07.240 And now in year thirty five, in Tim Conley's second 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:12.000 year with Chris Finch, former guest on this show, at 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.679 the All Star weekend in Indianapolis, Chris Finch unable to 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:19.440 even fully coach his team because Mike Conley, the nicest 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:22.679 guy in NBA history, ran into him and knocked him 0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:25.920 down and left him with a knee injury so serious 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:29.240 that it needed surgery. And Chris Finch had to coach 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:33.399 this whole series behind the bench with Mike and Nori 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:38.800 standing in his place. And obviously this was a big 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:41.560 series for Finch going up against the Nuggets. He had 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:46.199 previously worked on Michael Malone's staff, he had worked with 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:48.960 Jokic before, and now he wants to coach against this 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:53.080 team and have the chance to coach Minnesota to a 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:55.720 victory in the series, and his ability to do so 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:59.119 was compromised. But the Wolves, they overcame all of that. 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:03.240 They get it done. They win three times on Denver's court, 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:07.040 They win a home game by forty zillion points. Just 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:11.080 a weird series, a crazy series, and it ended up 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:13.560 being a series for the Ages and a lot of 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:18.440 people were looking forward to this matchup and the chaos 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.520 that it could provide. And it did, and now Minnesota 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:26.439 is going to play Dallas in the Western Conference Finals 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:30.479 because the Mavericks ultimately were able to take out the 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.000 Thunder in six games. The Mavericks did not have Maxi 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.760 Kliba for any of that series. There was a lot 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:40.040 of concern in Dallas about would they be able to 0:18:40.280 --> 0:18:44.639 win that series without their best front court defender, one 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:49.120 of the most important members of the Mavericks small ball approach. 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.800 When they want to go small and have success, it's 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:54.080 often with Kliba at the five. They didn't have that 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:59.000 option in this series. But the Mavericks ultimately find a 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:03.600 way and now were going to have Wolves MAVs at 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:09.200 Edwards against Luka Doncic. They're the two headliners in this series, 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:12.000 even though there are a lot of stars in this series. 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:15.240 But let me ask you, Chris Haynes, the Nuggets were 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:17.879 my favorite to win it all again. Is defending champions? 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:23.199 Are the Wolves the new title favorites by virtue of 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:28.840 taking out Denver? Are the Wolves or the Celtics who 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:32.640 should be regarded as the favorite to win it all. 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:36.119 From here, the Wolves are the favorites in the West. 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:39.440 How about that answer star? How about that? 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:45.480 No, So that's you. That's Chris Haynes of Clark University 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:48.520 saying that the Boston Celtics are favored to win it all. 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:49.680 That's really what you're saying. 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:52.600 I think you still have to give the slide airs 0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:56.160 to Boston, but I don't feel confident in that selection 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:59.720 at all because the way Minnesota is playing and again defensively, man, 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:04.439 they they're a torture chamber. And I'm looking forward to 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:08.720 seeing you mentioned Luca and Anthony Edwards. I'm looking forward 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:14.800 to seeing Jay McDaniels chase around, whether it's Luca or Kyrie. 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.000 Again, says he's starting on Kyrie. So I guess that. 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:21.879 Means, okay, I want to see that. That's what I 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:26.439 want to see. This is elite perimeter offensive scores, and 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:32.480 these are elite perimeter defensive stars, so I want I 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:35.560 want to see that. Like I'm I'm looking forward to 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:38.439 that class. I'm looking forward to the Western Conference finals 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:40.159 and Stein, let me say this, let me take this 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:43.000 a whole other area, Brian, you could jump in as well. 0:20:43.560 --> 0:20:48.280 Listen all this talk about how America has lost this 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:52.600 grip on this great sport we call basketball. Well, let's 0:20:52.600 --> 0:20:54.639 look to see who the final four teams are and 0:20:54.640 --> 0:20:57.560 who they're headlined by. Yes, we still have Luca. We 0:20:57.680 --> 0:21:02.080 still got Luca international player in an Superstar NBA Superstar. 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:05.880 But we got Anthony Edwards leading away in Minnesota, Indiana, 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:09.359 we got Tyre's Halliburton and in Boston we got Jason 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:13.600 Tatum and Jalen Brown. So they haven't They've made loosen 0:21:13.640 --> 0:21:15.679 the grip a little bit, but they haven't given the 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:20.040 game away. And I think right now, and I think, Star, 0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:22.440 you had a we talked off air at one point. 0:21:22.480 --> 0:21:25.399 I think, see if you have this this nugget handy 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:28.200 on top of your head, But what is the m 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:32.240 So I believe Stephen Curry was the last person to 0:21:32.359 --> 0:21:36.480 win MVP and win the championship in that same season. 0:21:36.600 --> 0:21:37.760 Am I correct with that? Star? 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:49.760 Okay? So here's what happened over the weekend. A picture 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:53.359 from the past made its way to me and it 0:21:53.400 --> 0:21:55.879 was a great memory. It was a black and white 0:21:56.000 --> 0:22:02.040 picture of me interviewing Stephen Curry at the Warriors old 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:08.320 practice facility in Oakland, a much younger and slimmer version 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:12.960 of me nine years ago. It was from the first 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:19.760 championship of the Stephan Curry era twenty fourteen fifteen, and 0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:24.439 Stephan Curry won the MVP award that season, and then 0:22:24.480 --> 0:22:25.959 it was brought to my attention that you know what, 0:22:26.000 --> 0:22:29.040 that was the last season in the NBA because of 0:22:29.119 --> 0:22:33.640 Denver's loss on Sunday Night, that was the last season 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:38.719 in the NBA that the MVP of the regular season 0:22:38.800 --> 0:22:42.159 went on to win the championship. Stephan Curry did that 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:46.280 with the Warriors in twenty fifteen, but starting in twenty sixteen, 0:22:47.119 --> 0:22:50.800 steph won MVP again, but the Warriors, of course, could 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:52.800 not hold a three to one lead in the finals, 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.960 lost to Cleveland in twenty sixteen. In the finals. Twenty seventeen, 0:22:57.520 --> 0:23:01.159 Russell Westbrook was the MVP in Oklahoma City. Obviously no 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:06.280 title for the Thunder. Twenty eighteen, Houston's James Harden wins 0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:13.240 the MVP. Warriors win the championship twenty nineteen, first of 0:23:13.280 --> 0:23:18.600 two MVPs for Gianna Sante Tokunpo, Nikola Jokicic and Denver 0:23:18.680 --> 0:23:21.760 wins three of the next four MVPs. There's also a 0:23:21.840 --> 0:23:25.360 Joe l embiid MVP in there in Philadelphia, but none 0:23:25.440 --> 0:23:31.160 of those teams win, so not since twenty fifteen has 0:23:32.200 --> 0:23:37.159 a regular season MVP won the championship. But also because 0:23:37.160 --> 0:23:42.000 of that list, when we work through it, you remember 0:23:42.080 --> 0:23:46.280 why that storyline you referenced comes up, because since James 0:23:46.280 --> 0:23:49.440 Harden won the MVP Award in twenty eighteen, there has 0:23:49.520 --> 0:23:53.240 not been an American player who has won the highest 0:23:53.480 --> 0:23:58.480 individual honor in the league. Starting in twenty nineteen, Giannis 0:23:58.480 --> 0:24:01.640 has won two MVPs, and b Is won one, Jokic 0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:05.720 has won three, and Luka Doncic, who has the Mavericks 0:24:05.760 --> 0:24:09.400 in the final four now he's expected to win an 0:24:09.520 --> 0:24:13.800 MVP Award in the near future. He's definitely considered an 0:24:13.960 --> 0:24:17.960 MVP candidate. But you're absolutely right. The other three teams 0:24:18.000 --> 0:24:23.720 in the final four all led by an American star. 0:24:24.520 --> 0:24:30.000 Jason Tatum trying to win his first ring, Tyrese Halliburton 0:24:31.200 --> 0:24:38.040 unexpectedly in the conference finals seeking his first ring, and 0:24:38.200 --> 0:24:44.520 Aunt Edwards undeniably the face of the franchise in Minnesota. 0:24:45.040 --> 0:24:47.600 He's got a good bit of help, as we've been discussing, 0:24:48.520 --> 0:24:51.479 but Anthony Edwards is the clear cut star of that 0:24:51.600 --> 0:24:56.160 team going for his first ring. So yes, a lot 0:24:56.160 --> 0:25:01.520 of newness in this final four. And look the Celtics, 0:25:01.560 --> 0:25:06.080 to me, they would be the favorite, but they don't 0:25:06.080 --> 0:25:10.679 have Christops Porzingis yet. Christops Porzingis has been formally ruled 0:25:10.680 --> 0:25:14.600 out of Game one of the Indiana Series. The signals 0:25:14.600 --> 0:25:17.360