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Speaker 2: All right, welcome to Hoops tonight here at the volume

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Speaker 2: heavy Wednesday.

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Speaker 1: Everybody, OPEO, if you guys are having an incredible week,

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Speaker 1: got a jam pack show for you this morning. We're

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Speaker 1: gonna be breaking down in detailed calves magic Game five

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Speaker 1: from last night and go over some film and well

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Speaker 1: talk about where I see the series going from here.

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Speaker 1: And then after that we're going to do a mailbag

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Speaker 1: about a half dozen questions that you guys have dropped

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Speaker 1: in the YouTube comments that we're going to hit at

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Speaker 1: the tail end of the show. You guys know the

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Speaker 1: joke before we get started to subscribe to a brand

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Speaker 1: of YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of

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Speaker 1: our videos. Don't forget about my podcast feed wherever you

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Speaker 1: guys get your podcasts on our Hoops Tonight, it's also

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Speaker 1: super helpful for we leave a rating and a review

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Speaker 1: on that front. Don't forget about our Twitter, my Twitter

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Speaker 1: feed at Underscore Jason LT so you guys don't miss

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Speaker 1: show announcements. And the last but not least, keep dropping

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Speaker 1: mailbag questions and those YouTube comments have been keep hitting

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Speaker 1: the occasional mail bag throughout the rest of the postseason.

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Speaker 1: And then before we get started, I want to talk

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Speaker 1: last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. All right, let's talk

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Speaker 1: some basketball. So, as we've talked about throughout this Calves

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Speaker 1: Magic series, I kind of had it pegged after Game

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Speaker 1: three as the textbook home team wins every game type

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Speaker 1: of series. This sort of thing happens a lot with

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Speaker 1: younger teams, especially teams that have great athletic advantages, and

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Speaker 1: what ends up happening is as you kind of go

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Speaker 1: back and forth from one arena to the next, those

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Speaker 1: athletic advantages matter more. Orlando, in particular, is the more

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Speaker 1: athletic team, and I think we've seen that when they

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Speaker 1: go back to Orlando, they're like a buzz. So it's

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Speaker 1: been interesting to see the net ratings in this series.

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Speaker 1: When the teams are playing. In Cleveland, the Calves have

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Speaker 1: been outscoring the Magic by eight point four points per

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Speaker 1: one hundred possessions, and in Orlando, the Magic are outscoring

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Speaker 1: the Calves by thirty four point eight points per one

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Speaker 1: hundred possessions. So, like it's clear that those athletic advantages,

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Speaker 1: especially when they shift to Orlando, the Calves just really

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Speaker 1: struggle to hold up in that environment. Now, in that

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Speaker 1: push and pull, Orlando is getting closer. They got much

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Speaker 1: closer in Game five, see Franz Vagner had an opportunity

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Speaker 1: at the basket to tie the game. Huge defensive play

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Speaker 1: from Evan Mobley to give the Calves the win. But

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Speaker 1: even though Cleveland has a significant advantage from here, a

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Speaker 1: lot to be optimistic amount about if you're an Orlando fan,

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Speaker 1: you know you've got a really good chance to win

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Speaker 1: Game six, and obviously you know what you need to

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Speaker 1: do to win. In Cleveland. You came very close to

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Speaker 1: doing it last time. You could see the physical advantages

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Speaker 1: showing in the numbers. So again at home in Game five,

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Speaker 1: Calves win the offensive rebound battle eight to seven. They

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Speaker 1: win the fast break points battle nineteen to seven, they

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Speaker 1: win the points in the paint battle forty two to thirty,

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Speaker 1: and over the course of the series, those splits have

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Speaker 1: been crazy. So rebound percentage, so just which team grabs

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Speaker 1: the highest percentage of available rebounds. When they're in Cleveland,

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Speaker 1: the Calves are actually winning that battle. They're getting fifty

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Speaker 1: one point six percent of available rebounds. When they're in Orlando,

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Speaker 1: the Magic are winning fifty eight point six percent of

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Speaker 1: available rebounds. So the Calves are barely out rebounding the

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Speaker 1: Magic in Cleveland, and then the Magic are badly out

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Speaker 1: rebounding the Calves in Orlando. So you're seeing that shift

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Speaker 1: back and forth, back and forth. Fast break points in Cleveland,

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Speaker 1: the Calves are winning sixteen point three to twelve. In Orlando,

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Speaker 1: the Magic are winning seventeen to nine point five. In Cleveland,

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Speaker 1: the Calves are winning points in the paint forty two

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Speaker 1: to thirty three per game, and in Orlando the Magic

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Speaker 1: are winning fifty to forty.

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Speaker 2: Eight per game.

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Speaker 1: So, as you can see, as they're going back and

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Speaker 1: forth home in road, it's just all those physical advantages

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Speaker 1: are shifting the other direction. Now, obviously that Game five

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Speaker 1: could have gone either way, right, I honestly thought the

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Speaker 1: Magic got better looks down the stretch. They miss some

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Speaker 1: easy ones right at the rim, including Palo missing like

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Speaker 1: a short, little left handed hook right inside the lane.

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Speaker 1: We talked about Frand's having that attempt close to the rim.

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Speaker 1: I think he kind of exposed the basketball with his

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Speaker 1: right hand on that rim side, which kind of made

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Speaker 1: it easier to block it. Probably should have tried to

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Speaker 1: shield Mobly more and try to get to his left hand.

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Speaker 1: But I did think the Magic got good looks. So

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Speaker 1: they certainly have their chances. They just have to go

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Speaker 1: home in game six and take care of business. That

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Speaker 1: needs to be a game that they jump them early

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Speaker 1: and then in game seven. The problem with it and

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Speaker 1: the reason why I'm sticking with Cleveland as my pick

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Speaker 1: is even though I know Orlando can. They've got the personnel,

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Speaker 1: they've got the advantages. Both teams are kind of settling

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Speaker 1: into what they like to do. Like the Cavs are

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Speaker 1: running a lot of double stagger with Mobley and Strus

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Speaker 1: to try to get Donovan Mitchell downhill. The Magic are

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Speaker 1: still running a lot of Franz polo two man game

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Speaker 1: that was basically what they went to on the pivotal

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Speaker 1: possessions at the end of the game, and a lot

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Speaker 1: of Palo attacking in the post. So it's gonna be

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Speaker 1: about shot making. But at the end of the day,

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Speaker 1: Cleveland's more experienced Max Struce has experienced at the NBA

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Speaker 1: Finals level, you know, even just looking at guys like

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Speaker 1: Marcus Morris and Tristan Thompson when they're getting minutes, this

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Speaker 1: is just a more experienced group than Orlando. Obviously, Joe

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Speaker 1: Ingles is out there and he's got some experience. But

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Speaker 1: I just think in a game seven kind of pivotal

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Speaker 1: type of environment, I'd lean on the more experienced team.

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Speaker 1: But I do think the Magic are gonna go home

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Speaker 1: and get a big win in Game six. It's gonna

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Speaker 1: come down to shot making. So like in those Franz

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Speaker 1: Polo two man game actions when Franz comes off and

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Speaker 1: gets a switch and they throw back to Palo. Is

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Speaker 1: he gonna make those turnaround fadeaways like he's been in

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Speaker 1: the post and, by the way, he's been making them

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Speaker 1: in this series at a high percentage. Right when Franz

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Speaker 1: is getting downhill on mobile and he kind of euros

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Speaker 1: into that little one leg kind of floating shot in

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Speaker 1: the lane. Is he gonna make enough of those? Donovan

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Speaker 1: Mitchell's pull up jump shooting. Is he gonna make enough

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Speaker 1: of those? Max Strew's flying off the screens? Is he

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Speaker 1: gonna make one of enough of those? Those shot making

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Speaker 1: pieces are gonna be the big swing factor, especially if

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Speaker 1: this thing gets sent to game seven. All right, let's

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Speaker 1: get to our mail back. Then we're gonna get out

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Speaker 1: of here for the day. So I have one, two, three, four,

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Speaker 1: five questions. First one, Glad Jason addressed Lebron's mistakes in

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Speaker 1: the series a little bit. His his lapses in the

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Speaker 1: game were a critical actor and the Lakers losing. Honestly,

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Speaker 1: I think the Lakers need to realize that he doesn't

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Speaker 1: have the same motor that he did ten years ago

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Speaker 1: and give him more time on the bench, his defensive

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Speaker 1: laps has definitely cost them. So again, I felt bad

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Speaker 1: about that during the show after the game, just simply

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Speaker 1: from the standpoint of like Lebron was amazing in the

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Speaker 1: series for the most part, I had the numbers. I'll

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Speaker 1: pull them up here in just a second. The Lebron's

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Speaker 1: shooting numbers, especially in big moments, were like off the

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Speaker 1: charts good.

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Speaker 2: I have.

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Speaker 1: Trying to pull his exact numbers. I want to say

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Speaker 1: he was four for five in the clutch, and then

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Speaker 1: in the fourth quarters, I want to say he was

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Speaker 1: nineteen for thirty three. I pulled the exact number here. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so he was nineteen for thirty three and fourth quarters

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Speaker 1: in the series, and he was four for five in

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Speaker 1: the clutch. So yeah, Like I feel I almost feel

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Speaker 1: bad pointing to some of those specific things. But the

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Speaker 1: truth of the matter was is that was the story.

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Speaker 1: It was fatigue related. Like Lebron was amazing, but when

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Speaker 1: he would get tired, he'd have these lapses, and those

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Speaker 1: lapses tended to be in very damaging moments. Like I said,

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Speaker 1: it's seven turnovers in Game one, and a bunch of

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Speaker 1: them came in those pivotal second and third quarter runs,

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Speaker 1: which turned a competitive game into a game that was

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Speaker 1: you know, the Nuggets were up by double figures and

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Speaker 1: they couldn't work their way back. Right, the Lakers had

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Speaker 1: a double figure lead in the first half, and the

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Speaker 1: first run erased the lead. Lebron had to hit a

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Speaker 1: bomb at the end of the first half to give

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Speaker 1: the Lakers a three point lead going into the second half.

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Speaker 1: Right in Game two, in the second half, when the

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Speaker 1: Nuggets made the adjustment of putting Aaron Gordon on Anthony Davis,

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Speaker 1: Lebron did freeze him out. He had made fourteen straight shots,

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Speaker 1: and I get what he's thinking. He's like, we're having

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Speaker 1: success attacking yokicchen ball screens. And I understand the reasoning there,

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Speaker 1: but the different There's two main differences about that action. One,

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Speaker 1: RUI is not the same level of rollman as Anthony Davis.

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Speaker 1: And two, when Aaron Gordon is off the ball guarding

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Speaker 1: Anthony Davis and Anthony Davis can't shoot, Aaron Gordon can

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Speaker 1: be the low man and basically function as an additional

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Speaker 1: rim protector that wasn't there when Lebron was when he

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Speaker 1: was on Lebron. Right, There's even a third element, which

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Speaker 1: is Cacp's just a better screen navigator, so it's difficult

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Speaker 1: to attack him from the perimeter. And there's the fourth element,

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Speaker 1: which was Anthony Davis was in a full rhythm and

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Speaker 1: was really cooking and so it just didn't make sense

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Speaker 1: the approach that Lebron had there. And that was the

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Speaker 1: beginning of the end.

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Speaker 2: It was.

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Speaker 1: Lebron was amazing down the stretch of that game, but

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Speaker 1: in that third quarter run, it went from a twenty

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Speaker 1: point lead I think, to an eleven point lead at

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Speaker 1: the end of that third quarter as Lebron was spamming

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Speaker 1: an action that wasn't working and he was missing layups

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Speaker 1: at the rim because of all that congestion caused by

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Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon being on the back line. Thought that was

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Speaker 1: a poor decision right going into Game three. That like,

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Speaker 1: literally in Game three, Aaron Gordon got off as a

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Speaker 1: cutter and as an offensive rebounder because Lebron made a

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Speaker 1: ton of bad defensive reads on the back line. It

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Speaker 1: was a huge part of how Aaron Gordon got going.

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Speaker 1: And then it wasn't as bad. But in that late

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Speaker 1: third quarter stretch of Game five in Denver, they were

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Speaker 1: up I think sixty nine to sixty and I thought

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Speaker 1: Lebron got tired and made a few poor offensive decisions

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Speaker 1: over the course of that run.

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Speaker 2: Now, a big part of that.

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Speaker 1: Run I put on Darvin ham But for not calling

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Speaker 1: a time out to get rest so that Lebron could refocus.

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Speaker 1: But he made some mistakes in that run, and then

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Speaker 1: pivotally at the end of the game. He missed the

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Speaker 1: box out on Aaron Gordon that led to the kickout

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Speaker 1: to Jamal Murray for three. I'll put it this simply,

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Speaker 1: if Lebron secures that defensive rebound, we're covering Game six

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Speaker 1: of Laker's Nuggets tomorrow night. I genuinely believe that. So, like,

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Speaker 1: that's the type of that's the type of mistake that

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Speaker 1: Lebron was making throughout the series that led to some

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Speaker 1: of the issues. Now to the I think we can

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Speaker 1: all agree, like cause some of the Lebron fans that

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Speaker 1: have been pissed off at me for saying that have

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Speaker 1: said rightfully, like you can't expect Lebron to play perfect.

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Speaker 1: You're right, You're absolutely right. And that's where I think

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Speaker 1: this comment is super fascinating. So the way this comment

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Speaker 1: is worded, honestly think the Lakers need to realize that

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Speaker 1: he doesn't have the same motory to ten years ago

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Speaker 1: and give him more time on the bench. So to me,

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Speaker 1: it's less about time on the bench. I mean, obviously

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Speaker 1: you could cut his minutes a little bit, but to me,

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Speaker 1: it's like diminish his on ball responsibilities. More like where

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Speaker 1: he gets fatigued is in those on ball situations, and

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Speaker 1: it's a kind of a trickle down effect. Lebron and

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Speaker 1: excuse me, Dlo and Austin were not good enough as

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Speaker 1: on ball creators in that series, and Austin got better

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Speaker 1: towards the end of the series, but especially in the

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Speaker 1: beginning part of the series, a Dlo and Austin were

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Speaker 1: really struggling, and so Lebron kind of had to take

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Speaker 1: on more of that responsibility. So get a legitimate, super

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Speaker 1: reliable other ball handler, like just imagine, imagine de Jontay Murray,

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Speaker 1: just for the sake of argument. If de Jontay Murray's

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Speaker 1: out there, that substantially cut Lebron's on ball shot creation responsibilities.

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Speaker 1: That allows him to be more focused and engaged on

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Speaker 1: the defensive end of the floor over the course of

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Speaker 1: playoff games. That allows him to not have to have

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Speaker 1: some of those fatigue laden decision making stretches. And so

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Speaker 1: again I'm not upset with Lebron. I agree that it

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Speaker 1: was fatigue related. Lebron was trying to box out Aaron

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Speaker 1: Gordon on that final rebound. Aaron Gordon just had a

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Speaker 1: little bit more energy when the ball was actually in

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Speaker 1: their vicinity to go up and get it after the

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Speaker 1: two of them were engaged with each other. So if

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Speaker 1: Lebron had ten percent more energy in that situation, he

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Speaker 1: probably does get that rebound and you probably do win

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Speaker 1: the game. So as a front office, you need to

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Speaker 1: identify that and understand that that means that you need

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Speaker 1: to find a way to alleviate Lebron's workload. That is

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Speaker 1: the thing they've been trying to figure out forever. It

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Speaker 1: was the reasoning behind the Russell Westbrook trade, even if

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Speaker 1: he was the wrong player. But they need to find

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Speaker 1: somebody that they can bring in to diminish his workload.

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Speaker 1: Of Nuggets free throw complainers, I was absolutely stunned after

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Speaker 1: a massive win from the Nuggets that sent them to

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Speaker 1: the next round, how many Nuggets fans were in my

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Speaker 1: mentions complaining and whining about the twenty seven to nine

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Speaker 1: free throw advantage for the Lakers. This is legitimately one

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Speaker 1: of the stupidest things I've ever seen in my time

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Speaker 1: as a basketball fan. Let me just read some basic

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Speaker 1: facts to you guys, and then we'll get into the

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Speaker 1: the to the weeds a little bit. The Nuggets got

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Speaker 1: called for eighty two fouls in this series and the

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Speaker 1: Lakers got called for eighty three.

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Speaker 2: That there is no.

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Speaker 1: Any sort of directed attempt to blow the whistle more

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Speaker 1: in the Lakers favor free throw disparity. The Nuggets shot

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Speaker 1: more free throws than the Lakers and three of the

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Speaker 1: five games. In the last game, Yo Kis didn't shoot

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Speaker 1: a free throw. Yokis attempted forty six shots within five

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Speaker 1: feet of the rim in the series and shot twenty

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Speaker 1: seven free throws. Lebron attempted fifty five shots within five

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Speaker 1: feet of the rim, most in the league among all

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Speaker 1: playoff players so far, and he shot just twenty three

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Speaker 1: free throws. Jogic got a better whistle around the basket

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Speaker 1: than Lebron did in the series. Lastly, free throw differentials

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Speaker 1: are just a part of the game. You don't just

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Speaker 1: hand out free throws evenly the way you hand out treats.

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Speaker 1: To your dogs at home. Okay, you get one, you

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Speaker 1: get one. It's not just a hand out that the

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Speaker 1: refs to. You earn trips to the line. The MAVs

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Speaker 1: have shot twenty seven more free throws than the Clippers

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Speaker 1: in the first round. Has anybody talked about a free

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Speaker 1: throw conspiracy? The Celtics have shot twenty six more free

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Speaker 1: throws than the Heat in the first round. Has anybody

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Speaker 1: talked about a free throw conspiracy? The Magic have shot

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Speaker 1: twenty more free throws than the Calves in the first round.

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Speaker 1: Has anybody talked about a free throw conspiracy? No, because

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Speaker 1: guess what. You earn trips to the line by grifting,

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Speaker 1: by attempting shots near the rim, on rolls and cuts

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Speaker 1: and drives and all these different ways that you earn

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Speaker 1: trips to the line. On defense, by defending without fouling, again,

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Speaker 1: within the context of the NBA playoff rules, prevent your

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Speaker 1: opponent from getting to the line. The MAVs have done

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Speaker 1: a better job than the Clippers at generating trips to

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Speaker 1: the line defending without fouling. So if the Celtics so

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Speaker 1: have the Magic, it is a super common thing in basketball.

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Speaker 1: There's absolutely nothing remarkable about what's happening with the Lakers

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Speaker 1: except for the fact that they're the Lakers. Like again,

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Speaker 1: like when you when you look at it, I've put it.

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Speaker 1: It's it's really as simple to me, Like, the burden

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Speaker 1: of proof is on you. If you're gonna say something

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Speaker 1: stupid like the league is conspiring to give free throw

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Speaker 1: attempts to the Lakers so that they can win games,

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Speaker 1: you have to provide the evidence. Okay, what evidence is

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Speaker 1: there other than the free throw differential? None, there's none.

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Speaker 1: There's no like communicate among the league office that someone

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Speaker 1: is found in some sort of secretive manner. There's no leaking,

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Speaker 1: there's no there's no video evidence. There's literally nothing except

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Speaker 1: for the result that people don't like, which is completely unremarkable.

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Speaker 1: In NBA history, there have been dozens and dozens and

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Speaker 1: dozens of teams that have had higher free throw differentials

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Speaker 1: than the Los Angeles Lakers have this year. In last year,

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Speaker 1: the only reason they have the differential they have is

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Speaker 1: they were top five in both defending and without fouling

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Speaker 1: and getting to the foul And you know who's second

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Speaker 1: place on that list, the Boston Celtics.

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Speaker 2: You know why the gap was so wide?

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Speaker 1: Because the Celtics were awesome at defending without fouling all year,

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Speaker 1: but because they take a million jump shots, they were

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Speaker 1: twenty fourth in free throw attempts, so they don't get

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Speaker 1: to the line. That's why they don't have as big

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Speaker 1: of a differential. But guess what, they still were the

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Speaker 1: second best free throw differential team all season. So are

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Speaker 1: you shocked that they've attempted twenty twenty six more free

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Speaker 1: throws in the Miami Heat.

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Speaker 2: No, that's what they do. They're better at it.

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Speaker 1: So again, like I understand that, Like on the surface,

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Speaker 1: it's one of those things where it's like, Okay, you

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Speaker 1: have the Lakers, right, you have Lebron James, you have

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Speaker 1: this free throw differential. It seems a little funky, right,

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Speaker 1: But there's a reason why it's a story now and

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Speaker 1: it wasn't for the rest of this sequence because guess what,

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Speaker 1: early Lebron Lakers teams didn't have as big a free

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Speaker 1: throw differential as other teams around the league. Again, it's

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Speaker 1: not even in the top forty among teams post merger.

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Speaker 1: It is completely unremarkable. There's nothing remarkable about it except

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Speaker 1: for the fact that it's the Lakers and nobody has

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Speaker 1: the evidence in any way, shape or form to try

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Speaker 1: to demonstrate some sort of conspiracy. And lastly, if you

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Speaker 1: think that that's the case, if you want to jump

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Speaker 1: out on conspiracy lane, the burden of proof is on you.

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Speaker 1: You're the one who has to back up your absurd

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Speaker 1: fucking claim, right, and again, it's just completely absurd.

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Speaker 2: Look at these numbers.

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Speaker 1: Eighty two fouls for the Nuggets, eighty three for the Nuggets.

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Speaker 1: The Nuggets literally got called for fewer fouls than the

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Speaker 1: Lakers in that playoff series.

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Speaker 2: They shot more free.

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Speaker 1: Throws than the Lakers, and three of the five games,

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Speaker 1: Yoki's got a better whistle than Lebron at the rim

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Speaker 1: within five feet of the rim, he attempted forty six shots,

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Speaker 1: got twenty seven free throws. Lebron attempted fifty five and

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Speaker 1: shot just twenty three free throws. It's not even remotely

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Speaker 1: close to the highest free throw differentials we're seeing in

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Speaker 1: other playoff series in this first round. So like again,

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Speaker 1: Nuggets fans, you have the best team, you have a

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Speaker 1: substantial chance to win the championship. You're not a victim.

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Speaker 1: That's fucking lame ass behavior. Like you use some critical thinking,

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Speaker 1: you like, look through the basic facts that are laid

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Speaker 1: out in front of you and stop jumping to that

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Speaker 1: conspiracy theory. It's completely absurd. It's legitimately one of the

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Speaker 1: dumbest things I've seen in my time covering the NBA.

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Speaker 1: One last note on the officiating note Lebron and Jokic.

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Speaker 1: So I've dealt with Lebron fans complaining about the way

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Speaker 1: he gets officiated forever as a Laker fan. I see

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Speaker 1: it all the time. Lebron bullies his way to the basket,

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Speaker 1: gets hacked. No call Laker fans on the feed is NonStop,

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Speaker 1: like Lebron gets a terrible whistle, blah blah, blah blah.

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Speaker 1: I have always been perfectly with the whistle that Lebron gets.

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Speaker 1: And the main reason why is I want Lebron to

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Speaker 1: be able to play bully ball. I think that if

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Speaker 1: you let somebody hit Lebron back, but you let Lebron

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Speaker 1: hit them, Lebron's gonna win that battle more often than not.

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Speaker 1: And so I want Lebron to be able to use

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Speaker 1: that off arm and drop that shoulder and bully his

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Speaker 1: way to the basket and get away with a bunch

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Speaker 1: of shit. And I'm okay with the defender getting away

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Speaker 1: with a bunch of shit, because that is an arrangement

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Speaker 1: that is gonna work in Lebron's favor and work in

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Speaker 1: the lakers favor. I feel the exact same way about

432
00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,480
Speaker 1: Nikola jokicch. You know why I was okay with them

433
00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,640
Speaker 1: overturning that call, the late one where Anthony Davis fouled him.

434
00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,119
Speaker 1: You're damn right, Anthony Davis fouled him on that play.

435
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,560
Speaker 1: Go watch the play again, and just watch Nikola jokicch.

436
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,560
Speaker 1: Just watch the Jokic he literally drops his shoulder and

437
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,600
Speaker 1: his chicken winging and literally hitting Anthony Davis like a

438
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,119
Speaker 1: football sled. Jokic is a bully ball player. He is

439
00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:59,160
Speaker 1: trying to go through people constantly. As a Nuggets fan,

440
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,240
Speaker 1: you should want that. Yes, Jokic leaves games with scratches

441
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,520
Speaker 1: on his arms and he's beat the hell, but he's

442
00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,240
Speaker 1: beaten them to hell even worse, and you want that dynamic,

443
00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:13,760
Speaker 1: Trust me, you do. If you started, if they called

444
00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,960
Speaker 1: a tighter whistle on Jokic with guys hitting him, they'd

445
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:18,920
Speaker 1: have to do the same thing with him hitting other

446
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:21,840
Speaker 1: guys and he'd get another two or three offensive fouls.

447
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:23,120
Speaker 2: A game, so would Lebron.

448
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,680
Speaker 1: You don't want that bullyball players in a rock fight

449
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:31,040
Speaker 1: environment like the NBA playoffs, you want Jokic to bully

450
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:32,879
Speaker 1: his way to every spot on the floor whenever he

451
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,640
Speaker 1: wants and to get away with whatever, and you want

452
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:37,520
Speaker 1: to allow the other team to hit him back.

453
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:40,720
Speaker 2: That is the best case. Now as far as Mike.

454
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,160
Speaker 1: Malone goes, like, I hate when players bitch about officials

455
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,000
Speaker 1: because I think it's a loser mentality. The one time

456
00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:49,560
Speaker 1: I kind of understand it is from the head coach,

457
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,760
Speaker 1: and because all it is is politicking, right, Like Mike

458
00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:59,000
Speaker 1: Malone is politicking to get a better whistle from for

459
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,720
Speaker 1: Nikole Jokic. That's part of his job as the coach,

460
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,240
Speaker 1: right He's trying to tug on the strings of the

461
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,919
Speaker 1: league office to get a better whistle. Whether or not

462
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:09,679
Speaker 1: that works, who knows, But it's just about trying to

463
00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:12,160
Speaker 1: scratch and claw for every advantage that you can get.

464
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,840
Speaker 1: I totally understand and respect that. So like that's all

465
00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,680
Speaker 1: Mike Malone's trying to do. But Mike Malone knows deep

466
00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,959
Speaker 1: down that Yokic plays bullyball. Yokic is like the serial

467
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:24,280
Speaker 1: chicken wing guy like he everybody has their little thing

468
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,120
Speaker 1: that they do that they cheat. Lebron does this too

469
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,240
Speaker 1: when he gets a driving Giannis and Lebron do it

470
00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:32,800
Speaker 1: on drives where like they'll get that leverage, drop that

471
00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:34,960
Speaker 1: shoulder and then they'll like pull the ball through like

472
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,959
Speaker 1: this to get where they're going to the basket. Lebron

473
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,840
Speaker 1: and Giannis do that all the time. Right, Yokic is

474
00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,480
Speaker 1: in the post right like he spins and when he

475
00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:46,320
Speaker 1: goes to that spin, he jerks that left elbow around

476
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,560
Speaker 1: and gets to that left hand and it's a chicken

477
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,560
Speaker 1: wing technically by the book, you want Jokic to get

478
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,520
Speaker 1: away with that. And the only way you're gonna get

479
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:55,480
Speaker 1: Yokic is gonna get away with that is if you

480
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,240
Speaker 1: let people hit him back. And so again, I can

481
00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 1: just speak to this from personal expence as someone who's

482
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,240
Speaker 1: rooted for Lebron for the last twenty years, like you

483
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 1: want him to be able to play Bolli ball. Jason,

484
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,400
Speaker 1: kind of a mailback question. This is the second time

485
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:10,879
Speaker 1: in the last two to three years that you've had

486
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,800
Speaker 1: the best perimeter defender. As a guy who has arguably

487
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,720
Speaker 1: the best back line defender behind them, Wiggins and Draymond

488
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,919
Speaker 1: and now Jaden and Rudy. What do you think it

489
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,320
Speaker 1: is that allows those guys to excel on the perimeter

490
00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,480
Speaker 1: when they have elite defense behind him. So a big

491
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:25,200
Speaker 1: part of it, I put it down to two things.

492
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,119
Speaker 1: Aggression is a big part of it, right, So like,

493
00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,360
Speaker 1: if I can actually be Ford aggressive on the offensive

494
00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:34,000
Speaker 1: player be actually willing to reach in and like gamble

495
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:36,879
Speaker 1: for steals and stuff on the on the perimeter, I

496
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,800
Speaker 1: know that when he gets downhill, he's going to slow down.

497
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:41,679
Speaker 1: And that's the second piece of this, right. So Like

498
00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:43,600
Speaker 1: if I come off of balls screen and I get

499
00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:47,439
Speaker 1: excellent separation from Jaden because he gambled for a steal

500
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,560
Speaker 1: on the other side of the screen, I'm not going

501
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,399
Speaker 1: to just cook downhill on the screen and challenge go

502
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,080
Speaker 1: Bear at the rim. That's stupid, right, Like go Beart's

503
00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:57,440
Speaker 1: going to be waiting there in his high drop coverage,

504
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,800
Speaker 1: giving Jaden a chance to recover, and as a result

505
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,520
Speaker 1: of that, I'm probably going to slow down and try

506
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:05,840
Speaker 1: to make a read and see if something else opens up.

507
00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,520
Speaker 1: That is what gives the opportunity for Jaden to come

508
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,600
Speaker 1: in with back pressure. That's like that bracket concept that

509
00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:15,679
Speaker 1: I'm talking about, that that back end bracket of Draymond

510
00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,720
Speaker 1: or in this case, Rudy Gobert causes the ball handler

511
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,800
Speaker 1: to come off of those screens with a certain level

512
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,280
Speaker 1: of hesitation and patience with it instead of like downhill

513
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,239
Speaker 1: verve right. And so as a result of that, that

514
00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,320
Speaker 1: gives those on ball defenders a better opportunity to provide

515
00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,720
Speaker 1: back pressure. And so again, like it's always we always

516
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:35,640
Speaker 1: think of like best permitter defender as like a one

517
00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:38,240
Speaker 1: on one thing. The reality is is the most common

518
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,360
Speaker 1: play type in the NBA is a ballscreen. It has

519
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:42,920
Speaker 1: been for a very long time, and the vast majority

520
00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,879
Speaker 1: of these actions are two on two or three on three,

521
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,240
Speaker 1: maybe even two on three or three on four, let

522
00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:51,640
Speaker 1: alone one on one, and even in one on one

523
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,080
Speaker 1: situations there's backside help. So but again, like if kd

524
00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:57,960
Speaker 1: is isolating Jada McDaniels on the right wing, or Devin

525
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,840
Speaker 1: Booker is isolating Jade McDaniels on the right wing, you

526
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,200
Speaker 1: just have Gobert waiting in the back line. And again,

527
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,680
Speaker 1: like we can talk about individual skill sets all we want,

528
00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:07,879
Speaker 1: but at the end of the day, basketball is a

529
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,320
Speaker 1: team sport and it is more complicated than just the

530
00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:16,080
Speaker 1: on ball responsibility. Does Jokic have the highest floor in

531
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,640
Speaker 1: NBA history? There was a lot of chatter of him

532
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:20,920
Speaker 1: not having a good game five, a good game five,

533
00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,359
Speaker 1: and he's still finished with a near twenty five twenty

534
00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,840
Speaker 1: and ten triple double. Does that defensive play on Lebron

535
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,520
Speaker 1: right after Murray's shot with a few seconds left typify

536
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,359
Speaker 1: a high floor impact play that doesn't show up in

537
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:32,760
Speaker 1: a box score. This is a really interesting question, and

538
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,280
Speaker 1: I'm inclined to agree. I think Jokic probably does have

539
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:38,560
Speaker 1: the highest floor in NBA history. Other high floor players

540
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:40,919
Speaker 1: in NBA history, Lebron's famous high floor type of guy,

541
00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,280
Speaker 1: they're usually bigger, stronger athletes, right because on the nights

542
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,600
Speaker 1: that your jump shots not falling, you can still impact

543
00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,880
Speaker 1: the game at a super high level with just your athleticism, right.

544
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,360
Speaker 1: But Jokic takes that to another level because he's groundbound.

545
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,800
Speaker 1: And what I mean by that is like even Lebron,

546
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,600
Speaker 1: if he's not as engaged athletically as he needs to be,

547
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,399
Speaker 1: can be less impactful than if he's super engaged athletically,

548
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,960
Speaker 1: Right with Jokic because he's groundbound, meaning like his advantage

549
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,520
Speaker 1: is literally just by standing. So like, for instance, if

550
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,120
Speaker 1: he's running two games with Murray and two man game

551
00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,640
Speaker 1: with Murray and Ad has to show on the other

552
00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:18,679
Speaker 1: side of the screen and Jokic rumbles down the like

553
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,879
Speaker 1: Jokic can rumble down the lane two three steps and

554
00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:23,840
Speaker 1: just kind of stand there and shield a guy off

555
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:25,439
Speaker 1: with one arm and grab the ball with his right

556
00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:27,159
Speaker 1: hand and like tap it back into the basket or

557
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:29,320
Speaker 1: left hand to tap it in. So like he has

558
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,360
Speaker 1: he has this ability to impact the game just through

559
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,480
Speaker 1: his sheer size to the extent that it doesn't even

560
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,600
Speaker 1: necessarily like he could even have a game where he's

561
00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:41,240
Speaker 1: jogging in transition and still be deeply impactful because he's

562
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,560
Speaker 1: an excellent defensive rebounder, a guy that's going to clean

563
00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,919
Speaker 1: up a bunch of stuff around the rim, and obviously

564
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,640
Speaker 1: he's a great screener and stuff and things along those lines. Right,

565
00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:53,320
Speaker 1: So like I view I view Jokic because he's a groundbound,

566
00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,560
Speaker 1: massive human being that can rely on size to be

567
00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 1: the highest floor player that I've ever seen. Because you're right,

568
00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,400
Speaker 1: I didn't think he had a great series by Jokic's standards,

569
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,840
Speaker 1: and his numbers were absolutely absurd. And again, the things

570
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,879
Speaker 1: you're complaining about, if you're talking about the low end

571
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,240
Speaker 1: of Jokic in the series, it's mainly the defensive end.

572
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:14,440
Speaker 1: He just really struggled guarding pick and roll and he

573
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,199
Speaker 1: couldn't guard a d in the post. But it's like,

574
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,320
Speaker 1: in spite of all of that, he was super deeply impactful.

575
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,399
Speaker 1: And like, what I thought was fascinating is Mike Malone

576
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,679
Speaker 1: giving him the Defensive Player of the game chain and

577
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:25,879
Speaker 1: then specific did you notice what he said right after

578
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,600
Speaker 1: that he handed him the defensive Player of the game chain,

579
00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:31,280
Speaker 1: And then I think he had eighteen defensive rebounds if

580
00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,480
Speaker 1: I remember correctly, and he's like had eighteen defensive rebounds.

581
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:37,600
Speaker 1: I thought that was super fascinating because defensive rebounding is

582
00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:39,560
Speaker 1: a huge part of the defensive end of the floor.

583
00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:43,200
Speaker 1: That's how you end a defensive possession. Literally doesn't matter

584
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,200
Speaker 1: if your first time, if you get a stop on

585
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:46,880
Speaker 1: the first possession, if you can't clean it up. Remember

586
00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,560
Speaker 1: Game four of Nick sixers, eleven of the knicks twenty

587
00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:52,920
Speaker 1: points in the fourth quarter were second chance points. They

588
00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,600
Speaker 1: were getting stops on the first possession and couldn't clean

589
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,120
Speaker 1: up the defensive rebound right, So like that's a huge

590
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,880
Speaker 1: value defensively. Even if Yoke which was getting cooked in

591
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,840
Speaker 1: specific coverages, he was still a deeply impactful defensive player

592
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,800
Speaker 1: because of his defensive rebounding ability. And guess what, totally

593
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:10,920
Speaker 1: different series next round. He's not dealing with the role

594
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,080
Speaker 1: man that can do things damage on the roll theway

595
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,040
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis camp. He's not dealing with a guy that

596
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,880
Speaker 1: can score on him individually in the post, in Rudy Gobert.

597
00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,920
Speaker 1: And so like that's why I say, like scoring is

598
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:23,480
Speaker 1: going to be such a huge part of Jokic in

599
00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,760
Speaker 1: the next round. He's not going to be taxed as

600
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,760
Speaker 1: much defensively as he was in the Lakers series, So

601
00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,479
Speaker 1: he's going to have more energy and kind of like

602
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,360
Speaker 1: bandwidth to handle weight on the offensive end of the floor.

603
00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,200
Speaker 1: And then also the last piece that defensive play on

604
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,000
Speaker 1: Lebron right after Murray shot, Yeah, it was a really

605
00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,640
Speaker 1: smart play, so Lebron identified Lebron. It was high IQ

606
00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:48,120
Speaker 1: meets high IQ right, because like Lebron identified quickly, like shit,

607
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:49,920
Speaker 1: they got a bucket. We don't have a time out.

608
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:51,440
Speaker 1: I have three seconds. Let me see if I can

609
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,680
Speaker 1: get a running start here he came sweeping along the

610
00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:57,120
Speaker 1: baseline and got that catch. Jokic identified it and cut

611
00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,160
Speaker 1: Lebron off and made him get rid of the basketball.

612
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,120
Speaker 1: If Lebron as a head of steam and he elevates

613
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,440
Speaker 1: cleanly from you know, fifty feet, that shot has you know,

614
00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:08,120
Speaker 1: maybe a five percent chance of going in. By making

615
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,280
Speaker 1: him pass it off to Torrian Prince and Taurian Prince

616
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:14,000
Speaker 1: have to like from a from a dead stop, have

617
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,800
Speaker 1: to get a shot up that drops from like a

618
00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,240
Speaker 1: five percent chance to like a one percent chance. Right, So,

619
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,720
Speaker 1: like you substantially increase your chances of avoiding the miracle

620
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,440
Speaker 1: shot by just a really smart read from Nikole Jokich

621
00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:28,520
Speaker 1: at the end of the game. Last question, Jason, I

622
00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:30,479
Speaker 1: have the Knicks representing the East. Do you think they

623
00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 1: can beat Boston. I feel like they've jumped up a

624
00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 1: level as a team, and Brunson really seems ready for

625
00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 1: the moment. I do think they can beat Boston, but

626
00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,280
Speaker 1: it would I will have them as a substantial underdog.

627
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:43,760
Speaker 1: There's a few things that work in their favor. I

628
00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:45,920
Speaker 1: think they're a tougher team. I think they're a more

629
00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,960
Speaker 1: physical team. I think they are more engaged and bought

630
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:52,680
Speaker 1: in team in terms of like consistency of effort and execution, right.

631
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:56,240
Speaker 1: I also like their hierarchy. Everything runs through Jalen Brunson.

632
00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:59,120
Speaker 1: It's like a very clear this is what we're gonna

633
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,280
Speaker 1: do every time down the floor. But bottom line is

634
00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,760
Speaker 1: they're just going to have a steady diet of fresh

635
00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:08,920
Speaker 1: and capable perimeter defenders. Derek White will see time on him.

636
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:10,840
Speaker 1: Drew Hollidy, We'll see time on him. I wouldn't be

637
00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:13,240
Speaker 1: surprised if Jalen Brown spends a good amount of time

638
00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:16,480
Speaker 1: on him, if he were to get into that matchup right,

639
00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 1: And so like it's just a lot to ask for

640
00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:21,840
Speaker 1: Jalen Brunson to keep up with that high powered Celtics offense.

641
00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:25,959
Speaker 1: But like the whole method is New York has to

642
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:28,680
Speaker 1: drag that game down into the mud in a super

643
00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,280
Speaker 1: physical way and where Boston out to where the jumpers

644
00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,200
Speaker 1: start missing. And if you bait Boston into that, and

645
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:37,240
Speaker 1: you do enough damage on the offensive glass, and you

646
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:40,400
Speaker 1: do enough damage in transition to support Jalen Brunson as

647
00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:42,880
Speaker 1: a shot maker, if you drag it into the mud,

648
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,920
Speaker 1: it's possible that Jalen can alpha dog these guys but

649
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,600
Speaker 1: in order to do that, you're going to have to

650
00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,720
Speaker 1: absolutely dominate the dirty work areas of the game. And

651
00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:52,920
Speaker 1: it's just a lot to ask. And the talent advantage

652
00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 1: for Boston is significant. Porzingis being out for that series

653
00:31:55,880 --> 00:32:00,000
Speaker 1: is another thing. Without rim protection that could make it

654
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,080
Speaker 1: a little easier for Jalen to work in ball screens.

655
00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,120
Speaker 1: But don't be surprised if you see Boston go to

656
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:05,920
Speaker 1: a lot of switching in a situation like that to

657
00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:09,560
Speaker 1: try to tire out Jalen Brunson attacking in isolation. But

658
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:11,160
Speaker 1: they're not out of this yet. They still got to

659
00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:14,240
Speaker 1: get through Philly. I think Philly will be favored in

660
00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,960
Speaker 1: Game six for good reason. I think the Knicks would

661
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,200
Speaker 1: win in Game seven. I think they've demonstrated that they're

662
00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:22,640
Speaker 1: a slightly better team to this point in the series.

663
00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:24,720
Speaker 1: But you can't write off talent like Maxi and MBI.

664
00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,000
Speaker 1: They have just good a chance to get out of

665
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:31,000
Speaker 1: that series as the Knicks do. All right, guys, that

666
00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:33,480
Speaker 1: is all I have for today. We're going to be

667
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,080
Speaker 1: back tonight after the final buzzer of MAVs Clippers Game five.

668
00:32:37,200 --> 00:33:03,160
Speaker 2: I will see you guys. Then the volume