WEBVTT - Let Em Meow 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:04.280 This crowd rises to its being what Carl slamming it? 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:09.360 Oh Carl, left wing free ball perfect Darl, both please pop? 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:12.560 They have a block the shot at the rim? How 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:14.680 with the left hand and of foul. 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:18.360 Welcome to Chase Doown Podcast, part of the Caves Media family. 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:20.599 I'm your host, Justin Rowan. The Chase Doown is presented 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:23.360 by Fubo, the official streaming partner of the Calves. Watch 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.840 over three hundred and fifty channels of live sports and TV, 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.920 including fan Duel Sports Network without cable. There's no cost 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:31.680 and no commitment. Try for free at FuboTV dot com 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:36.320 Slash Calves. The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached this sixty win threshold, 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.080 just the third time in franchise history. They have won 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:41.800 sixty games. There are is seven games left. They'd have 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:43.800 to run the table to have the best record in 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.760 franchise history, or go six and one to match the 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.919 best record in franchise history. That's how math works, and 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.280 this podcast works by me introducing my co host, Carter Rodriguez. 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:56.680 Carter, how you doing, buddy, I'm doing great. Uh. Sixty 0:00:56.720 --> 0:01:02.520 wins ain't nothing. Uh. I thought it went about as 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:05.280 good as you as you could ask for a game 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.040 like this to go where I feel like the Clippers 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:11.280 gave them a really really good punch and hit some 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:16.120 really really tough shots. You know this the listeners don't 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.160 that I missed the fourth quarter live because I was 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:22.679 doing dad stuff and I kind of messaged you to 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:26.480 be like, hey, was there like a pretty big drop off? 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:30.520 Is that why I got competitive again? And you're in 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:33.520 you know? The message I kind of got back was like, no, no, 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:36.920 like Clippers got hot, and really what I saw watching 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.319 that forth and like, obviously it's always easier when you 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:42.560 know that the Calves pulled it out, but like I 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.959 was kind of expecting to maybe feel like maybe Justin's 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:48.800 being too nice, but no, I really do. I felt 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:51.960 like the Calves were running really really good offense. They 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.880 were getting really clean looks and they were missing, and 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.840 the Clippers were hitting really really tough shots or the 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:00.920 guys that if you have to give an open shot, 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.160 the guys that were taking those, we were hitting. So 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:07.040 I felt like they the Clippers gave them a very 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:11.280 very strong punch and the Calves didn't stop playing Cavalier 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:15.359 basketball on the road to the win. Yeah, I totally agree. 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.840 Honestly, I feel like this game from a process standpoint, 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:22.040 was their best performance since the home win over Memphis, 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:26.680 which kind of kicked off at seventeen game road trip 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.320 essentially that the Caves had been on. I know that 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:31.480 there's a couple home games that were sprinkled in there, 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:33.120 but if you're only there for a night or two, 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:35.320 that's just another stop on the road trip here, not 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.960 unpacking your bags. As you say, that was a grueling, 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:42.280 grueling stretch, And frankly, I can't remember any Calves team 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:46.480 or any team having a stretch that extreme when you 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:49.280 look at it and take it back even further, because 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:51.600 that Memphis game was the second home game, but if 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:53.680 you take it back to the beginning of February, they 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:57.880 played twenty six games and only that one time did 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:00.160 they play two games in a row in Cleveland. The 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:04.920 entire time they are, you know, on the road, arriving 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.120 in the next city at four or five in the morning, 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.640 you know, quick turnarounds. I think there were four backed 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:14.480 backs within that stretch. That is a grueling, grueling stretch, 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.120 and I think, you know, I don't. I don't think 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:19.480 we thought that they'd struggle as much as they did, 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:21.880 you know, having a four game losing streak. This team 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:25.000 has done a really good job of bouncing back after losses. 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.640 But we did say at the beginning of March, hey, 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:31.680 they're playing the schedule right now. February was grueling, March 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.400 is even worse. This is something that is going to 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:38.600 have an impact on how they play, particularly with the one. 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:39.840 Seed basically locked up. 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:43.680 So if they struggle a little bit, if they look fatigued, 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.600 if they have cold shooting spells, that might be something 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:50.080 that you know, we may end up seeing this month. 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:52.240 We did that. We did see that. 0:03:52.480 --> 0:03:55.440 And I'd say even in this Clippers game with the 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.520 Cows didn't shoot particularly well from three, I thought it 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:01.480 was the most locked in they've I thought even when 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:03.920 the shots weren't going in, they stuck with the right 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:06.160 types of looks for the most part. I thought they 0:04:06.160 --> 0:04:09.200 were more prepared to play against the Clipper small ball lineup, 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:11.720 and I just thought, start to finish, this was their 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:14.720 best forty eight minutes since that Memphis game. 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:19.279 Yeah, important to note that in the Cavaliers absolute nightmare 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:24.480 March that had many people questioning this team's top end ceiling, 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:29.320 had them questioning their heart their toughness. They go eleven 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:35.560 and five. Yeah, that's a fifty six win pace. An 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.920 eleven and five month in any other season is a 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:43.240 great month. And like, I don't want to dismit, and 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:47.120 i'd say that in the tone there is inherently a 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.560 little dismissed. If it's a little snide, you know whatever, 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:53.760 But like, and I don't want to completely undermine the 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.279 fact that this was a hard month because even in 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:58.359 some of those wins, I don't think they were playing 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.600 their best basketball. A lot of their underlying metrics weren't 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:02.239 that strong. 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:04.839 Even in the winning streak, we said that they were slumping, 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:06.520 that they weren't playing their best basketball. 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:09.479 Yeah. So but with that said, like, if this is 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:12.680 the floor, like it's a pretty good floor, guys. And 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.839 I do think it's important for every single Cavs fan 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:18.200 who was feeling a little grumpy for the last two 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:22.400 weeks to acknowledge that, like, this is a higher teams 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:26.760 would beg for a floor this high. You know, the 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:29.440 Knicks almost certainly will not win at a fifty six 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:34.960 game pace this season. The Rockets are maybe knocking on 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:38.080 the door. Really only there might be three teams that 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:41.120 finished with fifty six games or wins or more this 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:45.000 whole season, and that was our pace for our worst month. Yeah, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:47.440 So like, I don't know, man, I just feel like 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:51.039 I have to lead with that context, in that perspective, 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:57.000 because no matter how grumpy we've been, like, it's still 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:58.440 first world problems, bro. 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:01.800 It really is. And you know, you look back on it. 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:04.200 The twenty sixteen Calves know what they did in March 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:07.000 eleven and five. They had the exact same record as 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:09.360 this Calves team. And if you look at the last 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:12.839 nine champions and how they've played in March, there's only 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.720 two that had a better record than the Calves, one 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.080 of them being the twenty seventeen Warriors that went twelve 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.040 and five, So really they cheated. They had just as 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:22.240 many losses. They just happened to play one more game. 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:24.280 We would have won the you know, the twelfth game 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:26.880 if we had seventeen games. And the only other one 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:29.800 is last year Celtics, who actually played better. They were 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:33.960 twelve and four, so they won one game more than 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.640 the Calves did in that stretch. If you look at it, 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:40.320 out of those nine champions over that stretch since twenty sixteen, 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:43.760 four out of the nine had a losing record in March, 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.960 forget you know, just eleven and five they had a 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:51.080 flat out losing record. So it is typically when you're 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:53.960 looking at the season, this is the month that correlates 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:58.279 with postseason success less than any other. But some of 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.479 the struggles we're seeing, trying to see, you know, the 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:03.400 guards get back on track, trying to get the core 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:05.239 all plane at a high. 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:05.919 High level. 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:09.680 That stuff that even if it doesn't translate to the postseason, 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:12.440 you're going to feel a little bit better. You're going 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.760 to have a little bit more confidence as fans and 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:18.520 honestly probably even as players if you're having success. So 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:20.680 what I'd like to see is for them to take 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.200 this win against the Clippers that I thought was really 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:27.200 really solid and build upon it and start to you know, 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:30.840 regain some of that positive momentum, even if you're going 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:33.160 to lose it with that play and break. 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.280 Yeah, And one thing I want to note before we'll 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:38.160 and we'll talk about the game. I promise you know, 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:40.880 this narrative stuff is tiring, but I do think it's 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:47.440 important as we've gone through this season. The other piece 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:50.080 of context I think that makes has made this month 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:53.880 hard is the fact that Boston and Okay see are 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:57.800 freaking electric right now, you know, like Boston's riding an 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:01.280 eight game win streak. Okay's right, a nine game win streak. 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.840 So like, yeah, there is a degree where you kind 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.200 of look around and go, well, those are the only 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:09.640 two teams we've been told by people like us to 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:12.840 care about for the rest of the season and look 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:16.160 at their form, look at our form? What's wrong with us? 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.640 You know? Now? Like you have correctly kind of pointed 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:23.800 out that Austin's had stretches like this. I mean, there's 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:26.600 a reason we've won five more games than them. 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:30.520 Not only has Boston had stretches like this. My analysis 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:33.800 on the podcast and when we talk privately is don't 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:35.439 read too much into it. This is a team that's 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:38.920 coming off the Olympics. They're tired. It's tough to repeat 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.000 months like this happened. It doesn't impact how if you 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:44.680 you know the regular season, you know what a Boston 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:48.880 also had from February twenty eighth all the way to 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.079 March twelfth. Do you know what they do? You know 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:56.120 where they were where Boston, Massachusetts? Oh man, two weeks 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:59.760 at home. We've had three days our one break in 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:02.280 This two month stretch was three days long. 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:07.160 On two, three, four, five, six, seven game homestand a 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:13.240 seven game homes dance economy. Wait, you know, sometimes you 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:16.320 know they're but boy are they about Boy are they 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:18.200 in the middle of paying for it though that they're 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:22.240 they're also wrapping like they're gonna have quite a few 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:26.959 on the road here in response. So I don't know, 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:29.200 and they're winning through those two Yeah. 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:31.400 You know, it's a dirty secret about the NBA schedule. 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:33.240 You end up playing forty one at home and forty 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.600 one on the road. So you know, that's that's why 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:39.280 when when teams go on these long stretches. For Boston, 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:41.280 I think they went like six and ten or something 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:43.280 like that in January where they just had. 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:44.280 A tough, tough month. 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:48.160 That kind of stuff happens, man like it particularly like 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:50.720 when it is something like that when you're out on 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:54.720 the West Coast. You know, when you're dealing with some 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:57.480 nagging injuries don A Mitchell, you know, coming back from 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.960 the groin injury, you're missing Tied Jerome with knee tendonitis. 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:03.040 It's just really really tough. 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:06.080 We talked about them getting in at five point thirty 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.880 in the morning from Portland, and then you're playing a 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.559 road back to back right after that. And not only that, 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:13.560 the second half of that back to back is against 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:16.000 a very physical Detroit Pistons team. 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:19.200 Yeah, and like, I do think you've made a very 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:22.520 good point that the Calves really are just playing against 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:25.800 the schedule because their magic number is down to four 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.520 for the one seed. You know, they have to go, 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:31.840 you know, four and four the rest of the way, 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:35.160 four and five, four and three, four and three. Jeez, 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.839 I can't do math right now. You're right, you're right, 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:43.360 four and three. No whatever, I'm not doing math live 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.360 on the pot. My brain is tired. But the magic 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:50.600 numbers four, you know, they would have to truly collapse 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:55.079 down the stretch in order to not hold on to 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:58.600 that one seed. And meanwhile, you're playing Detroit, who's fighting 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:02.520 for home court, like they're a game out of home court. 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:06.000 The Clippers are, you know, they're in the eight seat. 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:09.200 They're trying to get out of the play in like 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:12.120 like it is just all these teams they're playing are 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:17.000 fighting for their lives right now. And it does matter 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:22.960 when you are just trying to get yourself amped up. Yeah, 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:26.080 when you're tired and you're not playing your best, and 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:28.680 you know, like all your motivation has to come within 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.280 from within. That's not to say that they shouldn't figure 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:34.520 out how to motivate themselves, but like it's a different 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.520 starting point. You know, It's like you're playing a game 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:39.720 of Mario Kart and someone knows how to time up 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.480 that green light at the beginning to get that little boost, 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:44.480 And the Cavs are coming out of the gate with 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:48.360 you know, it's getting their tires bad starts. 0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:51.400 You know, in for that twenty six game stretch where 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:54.240 they basically were on the road the entire time traveling 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:57.400 twenty and six, they had were fourth, and net rating third, 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.240 and offense tenth in defense. As you said, I that's 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:03.920 the floor. That's encouraging. But when you're a team that 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:07.440 does not have the playoff track record that you know, 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.200 the Boston Celtics have, I shouldn't say you know, all 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:12.920 contenders because okay, season the exact same boat as us. 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:15.840 But when you don't have that track record, people are 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.199 going to pick nits. I think it's fair to pick nits. 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:22.200 If you already had doubts about the Cleveland Cavaliers, you know, 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:24.360 their ability to make it through two months of the 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.320 playoffs where it's going to be physical, it's going to 0:12:27.400 --> 0:12:29.839 be grueling, You're you're going to get tested. Teams are 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:32.040 going to be familiar with all of your pet sets. 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:35.360 If you see them struggle going through you know, schedule 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.880 adversity and playing through some injuries and things like that, 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:42.760 If it confirms your priors, you're going to hold on 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:46.200 to that, right because that's where your inclination is. If 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:48.840 you're an optimist like myself, you're going to say, well, 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.640 you got you gotta look at the context here. You know, 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:55.280 I still have those questions, Like I have questions about 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:57.320 how the offense is going to hold up in the playoffs. 0:12:57.480 --> 0:12:59.720 I want to see it until they actually do it 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:02.640 and do it for four rounds. You're going to have 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:06.959 some doubts. But you know, I can't really blame anyone 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:12.520 who has those doubts or you know already had some concerns, 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.680 particularly where some of those pain points are things we've 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.600 seen before in the past, like given off offensive rebounds. 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:25.480 Yeah, and like I do think these concerns are are 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:27.679 some of these concerns are real, and some of them 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:31.480 are fair, you know, like I've said this before in 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:33.360 like a lot of different ways, you know, a lot 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:36.600 of different rappers. But like every team has a fatal 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:40.560 flaw that will eventually kill them except one. You know, 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:45.120 like like almost no one, no team shows up perfect 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.920 and then accidentally loses. You know, everyone's got a thing 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.120 that when you're as a fan, you're washing and you 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:57.200 go like, you know, like with Boston, it's the it's 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.520 the it's it's just the hunting threes. And when they're 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.959 not going in, they don't get out of that rhythm. 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:04.400 They don't change what they're doing. 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:06.800 They they blow more leads than almost any team because 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:09.800 they play such an iso heavy style and just jack 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:11.120 up threes with Oka. 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.520 See almost every loss they have, you look at the 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:16.480 fourth quarter and they have like sixteen points and their 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:19.760 offense goes cold when Shay's sitting. Like, everyone's got a 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:22.040 fatal flaw, you know, it's just a matter of whether 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:25.600 you're good enough to accommodate it and whether that it's 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:29.440 so bad you know that you can't overcome it. But 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:34.080 like and like for this Caps team, like I have 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.760 scars tissue too as a fan, and when I've seen 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.000 this team getting mangled on the on the defensive glass 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:44.280 where they can't finish possessions, and Kenny's talking about calling 0:14:44.360 --> 0:14:49.120 tom Izzo for advice because the great quote, Yeah, because 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:52.000 the team is just not handling things on the boards. 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:54.880 Like I do get those concerns, and like I share 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.880 them to some extent. I just like I just think 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:01.080 everyone's being a little too black and white and how 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:05.080 they feel about those flaws, Like it's very easy to 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:07.080 point out a flaw and say that will be our 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:12.160 fatal flaw and you will probably be right. And I 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:15.000 still don't think it's an interesting discussion. What I think 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:18.880 as interesting as them figuring out how watching them figure 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:20.880 out how to account for that flaw. And that is 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:25.520 where I want to start tonight's kind of discussion about 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:29.440 this game itself. So the Clippers finished with ten offensive 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.720 rebounds in this game. The Cavs matched that Clippers had 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:35.360 a twenty six point five offensive rating in this one, 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.280 just offensive rebound rate in this one, that would be 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.320 good for twenty fifth in the league, just a little 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:45.640 bit above the twenty sixth overall Phoenix Suns. And I 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:48.440 thought it was a great answer from the team up 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:53.080 and down the roster on the glass, you know, because 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.920 they got punked by the Clippers on the glass just 0:15:55.960 --> 0:16:00.720 a few days ago. And I really want to point 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:05.400 out that, yes, the defensive the Bigs did better on 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.160 the boards. But if this, if there was ever any 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.080 indication that this was a group effort to to to 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:16.480 kind of handle that, it's this game. Jared Allen has 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:20.240 six defensive or nine defensive rebounds in this game. Very good. 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:25.120 Evan Mobley had six, it's fine. Donovan Mitchell has eleven. Yeah, 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:29.920 And and I saw a much more concerted effort from 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.400 the team up and down the roster to help the 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:37.920 Bigs out. It is too hard to wrestle a Vikazubac 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.400 and break off to go get that board when there's 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:45.400 other bodies in the fray. It's hard to get two 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.400 hands on the boards when you're wrestling a bear like 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:51.120 sometimes the best you're able to do is tap it. 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.480 And you know, there were a lot of plays where 0:16:55.360 --> 0:17:01.200 Okoro shows up and helps deflect Dean come in, Sam 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:07.840 crashes in. Donovan obviously was unbelievable at this twelve rebounds. Yeah, 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:11.000 in terms of just you know, getting into the space 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:14.960 where it's like all right, Jarrett or Evan you've got Zubach, 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:18.800 just keep him out of the way. We'll finish the 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:22.920 possession for you. And that's what good rebounding teams do. Yeah, 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:25.720 they do not just rely on their big to hoover 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:29.400 up every available board. And like, that's why I get 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:33.359 really frustrated when there's a lot of when when people 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:37.719 you know, immediately go to Dog Jarrett or Evan in 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.240 the wake of a poor rebounding game. And I've always 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:42.960 found I've felt this for like four years. It's like, hey, 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:47.320 everyone else has to help too, Like this is you know, 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.879 you your favorite stat is that Mitchell Robinson didn't average 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:53.560 ten rebounds against US two years ago. 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:57.720 Yeah, and Jared Allen, you know, he really nine and 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:00.640 seven against the Knicks, going against some the head nine 0:18:00.640 --> 0:18:01.080 and nine. 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:05.040 You know, like like it wasn't Mitchell Robinson that killed them. 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:07.639 It was RJ. Barrett, it was Josh Hart. It was 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:11.000 all these perimeter players swooping in while the caves either 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:15.360 leaked out or ball watched. And you know that when 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:18.040 we talk about fatal flaws or things that the team 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:22.399 like just structurally isn't that good at you look up 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:24.840 and down the roster and you don't see a lot 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:29.840 of rebounders outside of the two bigs. You know, like 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:33.760 Donovan is an okay rebounder for his position, Darius is 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.240 not a good one, Okoro is not a good one. 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:40.760 Struce's average hunter is below average. So like you look 0:18:40.840 --> 0:18:42.679 up and down the roster and you see, okay, this 0:18:42.880 --> 0:18:46.480 is a thing that like, no, you're not going to 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:50.320 bail yourself out with just raw skill. And rebounding is 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:54.359 a skill, yep. Is not an effort thing. It's part 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:57.720 of it obviously, but consistently knowing what angle to chase, 0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:00.240 being in the right spot. You know, there there's a 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:03.640 reason that some bigs go nuts and some don't. Why 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:06.560 Josh Hart is a menace, and it's not just because 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:10.040 of his motor He really has a keen sense for 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:13.200 where to go to get rebounds. Yep. And I don't 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:14.920 think that's something the Cabs are great at. So what 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:17.120 do you want to see them do in that structure? 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:21.880 You want to see them account for it with intentional 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:26.520 decision making. You know, you want to counter with, hey, philosophically, 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.000 we're going to help out the bigs today. Yep. And 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:32.439 I felt like they really did that in this game, 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.679 and it goes to show that you can overcome a 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:42.440 talent gap with rebounding by collectively working towards a single goal. 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:44.640 And I thought they did a great job of that tonight, 0:19:44.680 --> 0:19:45.919 and that's why I wanted to start with that. 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:49.199 No, I think it's a great point. I think you know, 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:52.240 it ties into what you were saying before. But every 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.920 team is going to have some flaws. Even the Boston Celtics, 0:19:55.960 --> 0:19:59.200 who have, you know, a very expensive, very stacked roster, 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:04.080 have their own flaws. It's just impossible. Particularly in this 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:07.119 salary cap era, we basically have only seen one team 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:11.200 that structurally has zero flaws, and that's the twenty seventeen Warriors, Right, 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:15.679 And that was a Fluke scenario of all Flukes scenarios. 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:18.760 To help construct that, you're going to have to find 0:20:18.920 --> 0:20:22.440 what those flaws are, understand that your opponents are going 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:25.199 to understand those flaws, and do what needs to be 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:28.000 done to mitigate that to make sure that it ends 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:32.760 up not being a fatal flaw. Right, that you're taking 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:35.560 some stuff off the table because you believe it brings 0:20:35.640 --> 0:20:38.159 more stuff onto the table. And this is why I 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:41.199 like playing a team like the Clippers. Twice in a 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:43.520 very short period of time. Yes, there was no Kawhi 0:20:43.600 --> 0:20:46.440 Leonard here, but the first time they played him, Zubach 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:48.639 gave them a lot of trouble. Even though the Cavs won, 0:20:48.680 --> 0:20:52.119 these Zubach minutes, those offensive rebounds, there's a wear and 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:55.520 tear effect to that. It's mentally draining, it's stopping you 0:20:55.560 --> 0:20:58.600 from getting out into transition. It's not what you want 0:20:58.640 --> 0:21:03.520 to see happen ten ten in terms of offensive rebounds totally. 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:07.960 Even you also struggled against them going small last time. 0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:10.920 You just did not seem prepared to it. They didn't 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:13.840 let them off the hook. That's an instance of the Clippers, 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:19.439 you know, sacrificing some interior defense and exposing a flaw 0:21:19.480 --> 0:21:23.359 potentially in the roster to attack a different flaw for 0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:26.920 the Calves. Calves this time, much more prepared. They made 0:21:26.960 --> 0:21:29.919 them pay. They attacked them at the rim, They go 0:21:30.480 --> 0:21:33.359 outscored them by twenty points points in the paint, sixty 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:36.640 two to forty two. Like that, that's what you want 0:21:36.640 --> 0:21:39.720 to see. I want to see adjustments. I want to see, Hey, 0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:43.280 the team did something to us, we didn't like it, 0:21:43.400 --> 0:21:45.680 and we hit them right back. We had the counters 0:21:45.680 --> 0:21:48.960 available and it wasn't hey, let's just go small when 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:51.640 they go small, you know, we'll go a little deanweight 0:21:51.720 --> 0:21:55.000