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Speaker 1: All right, welcome to tonight. You're at the volume. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

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Speaker 1: Hope all of you guys are having a great first

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Speaker 1: week of the year. We have an awesome show today,

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Speaker 1: that epic showdown between the Celtics and the Thunder. We're

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Speaker 1: gonna be breaking that game down from the perspective of

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Speaker 1: both teams. The Golden State Warrior it's got a huge

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Speaker 1: win against the Orlando Magic last night, one that they

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Speaker 1: very badly needed as the Magic continue their slide. And

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Speaker 1: then we have three mail bad questions for the end

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Speaker 1: of the show as well. You guys are the Joe

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Speaker 1: Fourget started subscribe to a brand new YouTube channel. I

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Speaker 1: mean a lot to me if you guys would take

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Speaker 1: a second to scroll down and hit that subscribe button.

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Speaker 1: Don't forget about our podcast feeds. Wherever you get your

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Speaker 1: podcasts under Hoops Tonight, follow me on Twitter at Underscore

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Speaker 1: Jason lt That's where I put film threads on most

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Speaker 1: mornings as well as show announcements. I did a film

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Speaker 1: thread on both of today's games, including an extensive film

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Speaker 1: thread on Celtics thunders. You guys can find that on

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Speaker 1: my Twitter feed. And the last but not least, keep

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Speaker 1: dropping mail bad questions in the YouTube comments so we

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Speaker 1: can keep hitting them throughout the week. All right, Well,

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Speaker 1: we had a showdown between the top two teams in

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Speaker 1: my power rankings yesterday and it did not disappoint. And

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Speaker 1: you know, early on there was a very specific matchup

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Speaker 1: that was going horribly for the Celtics. We talked a

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Speaker 1: lot about Boston's defensive personnel and there's a lot of

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Speaker 1: focus on Jason Tatum, who I think is capable of

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Speaker 1: being one of the best permit defenders in the league

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Speaker 1: when he's locked in. You saw some of that against

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Speaker 1: Shake Guild just Alexander down the stretch of this game.

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Speaker 1: Jalen Brown is another wing athlete. Christaps Porzingis has a

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Speaker 1: rim protector. Al Horford is the excellent team defender, the

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Speaker 1: guy that can cause Joel Embiid problems. And there's a

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Speaker 1: lot of focus in those departments. But the Celtics actually

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Speaker 1: have one of the best defensive guard course that you'll

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Speaker 1: find in the league. Derek White and Drew Holliday are

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Speaker 1: both excellent guard defenders, and Shay was just cooking those dudes.

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Speaker 1: Outside of a late possession where Derek White got to

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Speaker 1: stop on shake Guildes Alexander, it was a lot of

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Speaker 1: him just going right around those guys and either finishing

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Speaker 1: at the rim or wrecking havoc with the pass. And

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Speaker 1: specifically Drew Holliday just looked like he was stuck in

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Speaker 1: the mud in this game. He was bad on both

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Speaker 1: ends too, freight from the field with three turnovers on

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Speaker 1: the other end, but really really struggled defensively. Got benched

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Speaker 1: for Peyton Pritchard late in the game. Derek White did

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Speaker 1: a better job on both ends of the floor, but

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Speaker 1: he struggled to stay in front of shit. That was

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Speaker 1: the key matchup early on. And then the other thing

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Speaker 1: that I thought the Thunder did really well is they

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Speaker 1: attacked Porzingis when he was roaming off the ball. This

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Speaker 1: is a thing that we see a lot around the

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Speaker 1: league these days is taking your primary rim protector and

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Speaker 1: just putting them on the worst offensive player from the

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Speaker 1: other team, at least the worst off ball other player

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Speaker 1: right or offensive player, And then that puts you in

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Speaker 1: a position where you know you might concede some catch

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Speaker 1: and shoot threes to that guy, but if he's roaming

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Speaker 1: around wrecking havoc on all of the other action elsewhere

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Speaker 1: on the floor, it can be a beneficial trade off

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Speaker 1: for you. Right. But what the Thunder did, which I

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Speaker 1: thought was really smart, is again porzingis in that case,

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Speaker 1: his focus is on the other four guys. He's not

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Speaker 1: hyper concerned with what the bad offensive player is doing.

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Speaker 1: He spent most of the game on Josh Giddy and

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Speaker 1: a good amount of it on Aaron Wiggins as well.

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Speaker 1: And one of the things I liked is they just

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Speaker 1: look to get Josh Giddy the ball one way or another.

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Speaker 1: There was a you know, a play where they had

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Speaker 1: Giddy with the ball the right elbow and it's all

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Speaker 1: this other action going on, and it looks like it's

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Speaker 1: designed to get someone else the ball, But then Josh

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Speaker 1: Gitty just rips to the left and gets by Porzingis

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Speaker 1: and gets an and one off the glass. He hit

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Speaker 1: another three in Porzingis's face in the right corner on

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Speaker 1: a play where Porzingis was just being a little passive

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Speaker 1: because he's not worried necessarily about Josh Gitty as a scorer.

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Speaker 1: Josh Gitty hit a second half three off of a

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Speaker 1: dig down, hit a couple of threes. There was a

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Speaker 1: play where he was on Aaron Wiggins and he's watching

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Speaker 1: the rest of the floor and they just backscreen for

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Speaker 1: him and Aaron Wiggins cuts along the baseline that hit

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Speaker 1: him and he gets a wide open layup. It's a

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Speaker 1: very important, you know, counter when they have a guy

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Speaker 1: that they're using as a roamer to make sure that

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Speaker 1: he also has to account for the guy that he's

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Speaker 1: actually guarding. And you know, one of the other things too.

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Speaker 1: And I've talked about this on the show before. This

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Speaker 1: is another common theme around the league where it's like,

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Speaker 1: we don't think this guy can shoot, so let's just

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Speaker 1: give him wide open looks. And they did that with

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Speaker 1: Josh Gitty again, and it's like, I understand that as

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Speaker 1: an initial strategy, but I think you need an audible

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Speaker 1: from it quickly, because one these guys are pros and

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Speaker 1: two most bad shooters in the NBA are actually streaky shooters,

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Speaker 1: and if they start to feel good with their shot,

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Speaker 1: they can really knock him down. And so it's one

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Speaker 1: of those things where like it's one thing if you

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Speaker 1: leave him wide open and he misses the first one,

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Speaker 1: he might spiral mentally, and that might be a good

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Speaker 1: strategy for you the rest of the game. I'll give

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Speaker 1: you an example like the like when the Lakers decided

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Speaker 1: to ignore Miles Turner in the n Season Tournament championship game.

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Speaker 1: He ended up going one for five. It worked out.

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Speaker 1: The one he made was late in the game. He

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Speaker 1: had already missed a bunch of them, right, It's like

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Speaker 1: that worked out in that case. But there have been

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Speaker 1: plenty of examples this year where the Lakers ignored a

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Speaker 1: guy I think like Dante Xum from the Mavericks, and

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Speaker 1: he keeps making shots and they keep ignoring him, and

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Speaker 1: it's like, this is a professional basketball player. He's gonna

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Speaker 1: make shots, right, And so they conceded the open threes

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Speaker 1: to Josh Gidty, and instead of adjusting when Josh Getty

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Speaker 1: started making them, he kept making them. He ended up

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Speaker 1: hitting two massive ones late in the game. And then

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Speaker 1: for Boston, their best success was coming from their two

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Speaker 1: man game with Jason Tatum and Derek White, or Jayson

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Speaker 1: Tatum with Peyton Pritchard. And the main reason why they

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Speaker 1: were having success there is, again, you've got a bigger

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Speaker 1: defender loudort On Jason Tatum, who they do not want

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Speaker 1: to switch under any circumstances. And then you've got these

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Speaker 1: smaller guards, you're thinner guards guarding Peyton Pritchard or Derek White,

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Speaker 1: and so they don't want to switch and they don't

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Speaker 1: want to hedge because those guys, you know, Derek White

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Speaker 1: and Peyton Pritchard can both shoot, you know, catch and

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Speaker 1: shoot threes off the move relatively easy. Derek White's been

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Speaker 1: killing teams with that this year, and so they were

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Speaker 1: able to get a lot of paint touches out of it.

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Speaker 1: That was the primary driving force of Boston's offensive success,

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Speaker 1: although they did have a lot of the typical offensive

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Speaker 1: issues you come to expect from Boston, like Tatum hunting

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Speaker 1: pull up threes. He took seven more pull up jump

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Speaker 1: shots in this game, leading to only six points. That's

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Speaker 1: been a consistent theme throughout this season and then as

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Speaker 1: a team just taking a lot of like early clock,

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Speaker 1: more difficult threes rather than you know, running some offense

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Speaker 1: to try to get higher quality shots, and so okay,

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Speaker 1: so he started to pull away. In that third quarter,

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Speaker 1: they started to get hot with their three point shooting

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Speaker 1: right like. They hit two quick threes to start the

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Speaker 1: third quarter which quickly get them the lead, and then

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Speaker 1: they just start to slowly pull away, and then the

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Speaker 1: Thunder bench really grew the lead. In the early fourth quarter.

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Speaker 1: Jalen Williams Jay will the backup center, ended up hitting

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Speaker 1: a huge above the break three on the left wing,

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Speaker 1: basically in a bailout situation at the end of the clock.

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Speaker 1: That felt like free money. That was an awesome shot.

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Speaker 1: Vasili J Mitchitch had a really nice like pump fake

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Speaker 1: drive a closed out kickout pass to Keason Wallace in

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Speaker 1: the right corner which he made Jadub Jaylen Williams was

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Speaker 1: starting forward. He ended up hitting a nasty little driving

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Speaker 1: fade away over Luke Cornett and then suddenly the thunder

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Speaker 1: were up eighteen and it seemed like the game was over.

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Speaker 1: But then the Celtics made a run and they were

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Speaker 1: awesome on offense. In this run a lot of the

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Speaker 1: same things I was just talking about. Derek White hit

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Speaker 1: a couple of wing threes, actually scored on ten consecutive

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Speaker 1: possessions up until Jaln Brown's garbage time three late in

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Speaker 1: the game when it was already over, and they made

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Speaker 1: it into a game. But when you're down eighteen, you

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Speaker 1: have to play perfect defensively, and they just gave up

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Speaker 1: too many baskets on the other end against the Shake

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Speaker 1: Gilders Alexander Chet Homegrin pick and roll action and so

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Speaker 1: what I want to do here, which is what I

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Speaker 1: thought was the most interesting part of this game. Down

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Speaker 1: the stretch, when Boston really locked in and tried to

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Speaker 1: make it a game, they put Jason Tatum on Shake

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Speaker 1: Gildos Alexander, and then from there Shay started spamming the

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Speaker 1: Chet pick and roll to try to get easy shots

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Speaker 1: despite the fact that Jason Tatum was causing some disruptions

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Speaker 1: on the ball. And from there a really interesting chess

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Speaker 1: match took place, one that kind of reminded me of

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Speaker 1: the type of adjustments that you see in a playoff series,

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Speaker 1: and I wanted to dive into that. On a possession

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Speaker 1: by possession basis. So first time they were on the

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Speaker 1: pick and pop. Now again, just imagine shake gild A

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Speaker 1: Sallex Enter on the ball. Chet comes to set the screen.

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Speaker 1: Porzingis is basically showing to help Tatum as she's coming

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Speaker 1: over the top of that screen, and Chet is popping

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Speaker 1: to the three point line. So the first time they

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Speaker 1: run it, Peyton Pritchard rotates off of j Dub and

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Speaker 1: they actually end up forcing a turnover. So the second

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Speaker 1: time they do it, for whatever reason, Pritchard just doesn't rotate.

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Speaker 1: He's guarding Josh Giddy this time in the left corner.

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Speaker 1: Shay comes off the screen, Chet pops to the left

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Speaker 1: wing extended, and Pritchard just doesn't rotate for whatever reason,

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Speaker 1: even though he just did on the previous possession, and

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Speaker 1: Chet hits the wide open three. Important note because Chet

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Speaker 1: on unguarded catch and shoot jump shots this year is

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Speaker 1: shooting forty seven percent. That's one point four to two

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Speaker 1: points per shot, so that's something that you can never

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Speaker 1: afford to do. And from there we start to see

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Speaker 1: the beginnings of a personnel shortcoming for Boston. That's showing

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Speaker 1: to the surface, which is basically that Porzingis is not

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Speaker 1: fast enough to show on ball screen while recovering to

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Speaker 1: Chet at the three point line. No shame in that.

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Speaker 1: There's like two centers in the league that can do that,

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Speaker 1: maybe three, like go Bear Anthony Davis and and you know,

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Speaker 1: Bam out of Bio maybe Draymond. Like there's only a

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Speaker 1: small handful of guys that are that are fast enough

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Speaker 1: to do that. So there's no shame in that. But

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Speaker 1: that was the personnel shortcoming that they started to have.

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Speaker 1: Right so, third time down the floor they go to

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Speaker 1: run that that same pick and pop action. Right this time,

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Speaker 1: Jalen Brown is the weak side guy in position to rotate.

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Speaker 1: He actually stunts into the passing lane and then recovers

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Speaker 1: it gets Shay to hesitate. Chet's not open anymore, Porzingis

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Speaker 1: can recover. Now Shay's stuck on an island with Jason Tatum.

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Speaker 1: That's what the that's what that little dig down rotation

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Speaker 1: or fake, little you know, stunt into the passing lane

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Speaker 1: that Jaylen Brown accomplished. It gave Jason Tatum the opportunity

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Speaker 1: to guard Shae on an island and try to get

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Speaker 1: a stop. Shae goes left, gets to a pump fake

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Speaker 1: and Tatum jumps out of his shoes and lands on

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Speaker 1: top of Shae, sends him to the foul line. Right,

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Speaker 1: So we've run it three times now and the Thunder

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Speaker 1: have gotten a bucket on two of the possessions. Five

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Speaker 1: points and three possessions. So spamming that action again. There's

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Speaker 1: so much focus on, you know, the individual defense. It's like, oh,

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Speaker 1: Jason Tatum on Shae Gilde Alexander and I understand people

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Speaker 1: want basketball to be one on one so bad, but

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Speaker 1: it's just not that. It's it's all about a five

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Speaker 1: man unit and what they can accomplish together. This is

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Speaker 1: a great example of how like, even if you have

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Speaker 1: a great person to throw at an individual, if they

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Speaker 1: have an action they can run that brings multiple defenders

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Speaker 1: into the action, they can have success. And again, like

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Speaker 1: even if Tatum does a better job and gets a

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Speaker 1: stop on Shae there because of the pick and popp

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Speaker 1: or they give up the basket, that would still be

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Speaker 1: three points and three possessions. So we get our first

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Speaker 1: major adjustment. On the fourth possession down the floor, the

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Speaker 1: Thunder go back to that Shade Chet pick and pop.

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Speaker 1: This time, though Boston switches Derek White onto Chet home

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Speaker 1: and in the possession when shit in the idea there

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Speaker 1: is just you're putting an athlete. You're putting a much

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Speaker 1: faster player, bringing more foot speed into the action. And

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Speaker 1: so Derek White can kind of soft hedge and be

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Speaker 1: there to help as the screen is going by, but

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Speaker 1: then he has the speed to recover to Chet. So

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Speaker 1: on this possession, Shay ends up throwing a kickback pass

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Speaker 1: to Chet, who tries to drive on Derek White. Derek

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Speaker 1: White guesses the close out angle right beats Chet to

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Speaker 1: that right hand drive and ends up taking the ball away,

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Speaker 1: so they end up getting a stop. And one of

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Speaker 1: the interesting things there, there's two little adjustments I think

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Speaker 1: that you'd see from the Thunder in a playoff series

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Speaker 1: if they kept doing that. One, give the ball to

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Speaker 1: Chet at the foul line and just let him go

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Speaker 1: to work against Derek White. I think I think he's

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Speaker 1: demonstrated that he can have success there. And then two,

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Speaker 1: you know, Chet was setting a lot of ghost screens

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Speaker 1: down the stretch, and there's a very important distinction between

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Speaker 1: when to ghost screen and when to actually screen. So

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Speaker 1: to be clear, what is a ghost screen. A ghost

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Speaker 1: screen is when I run up like I'm gonna set

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Speaker 1: a screen, but without actually setting one. I basically just

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Speaker 1: get right to where I'm about to set a screen,

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Speaker 1: and then I shoot off to the three point line.

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Speaker 1: And basically the idea there is I'm trying to get

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Speaker 1: my guy to hedge, because if he hedges and I

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Speaker 1: slip out, I have an opportunity for a quick catch

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Speaker 1: and shoot three or a lot of times you'll see

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Speaker 1: that and pick and roll from big guys slipping to

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Speaker 1: the short role and they're looking for an opportunity to

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Speaker 1: catch that over the top pass. But it only is

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Speaker 1: open if the guy hedges, right. If the guy doesn't

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Speaker 1: hedge and he's staying home, then it's actually more important

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Speaker 1: for you to set a screen because if you set

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Speaker 1: the screen and the guy's not actually hedging, your defender

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Speaker 1: is not actually hedging, then I might be able to

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Speaker 1: actually set a solid screen on Jason Tatum, which would

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Speaker 1: get Shaite downhill right. And so that was one other

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Speaker 1: adjustment I think they would have picked up on film

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Speaker 1: in a playoff series. It's like, hey, when they put

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Speaker 1: Derek White on you, we need to read whether or

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Speaker 1: not he's hedging. He's not hedging. We need to set

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Speaker 1: solid screens and try to get Shaye separation from Jason

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Speaker 1: Tatum so he can get downhill. So fifth time down

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Speaker 1: the floor, this Derek White adjustment has caused some problems,

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Speaker 1: so they go to a double drag action. They bring

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Speaker 1: two screeners up into the action. I think it was

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Speaker 1: Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren if I remember correctly, and

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Speaker 1: on that possession, it ends up leading to a switch

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Speaker 1: from Boston, Shay gets Derek White on him. This is

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Speaker 1: when Derek White gets that key stop that I was

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Speaker 1: telling you guys about, although Jalen Brown ends up getting

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Speaker 1: beat back door basically by Lou Dort for offensive rebound

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Speaker 1: put back. So the sixth time down the floor they

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Speaker 1: go back to Porzingis on. Chet still goes screening, not

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Speaker 1: setting good screens, and what ends up happening is the

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Speaker 1: pop's not open because Chet's not setting a good screen

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Speaker 1: and Porzingis is in a really soft coverage. He's not

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Speaker 1: back in a He's back instead of up in the hedge,

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Speaker 1: so it ends up in his Shae Tatum iso. Anyway,

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Speaker 1: Shay's icing isolating Tatum on the left wing. Christops Porzingis

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Speaker 1: is guarding Chet Holmgren, but he's way down at the

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Speaker 1: foul line. Okay, and again this is an example of

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Speaker 1: what I'm talking about. Tatum, good one on one defender, hasn't.

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Speaker 1: The only score Shay has on him at this point

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Speaker 1: is a pump fake foul, which Tatum's probably not gonna

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Speaker 1: fall for the next time. Right, So instead of letting

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Speaker 1: Tatum guard Shay, Porzingis is way too far in help,

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Speaker 1: Shay just throws an easy kickout pass to Chet at

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Speaker 1: the above the break and he knocks down yet another three.

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Speaker 1: Like we mentioned earlier, that's an extremely high percentage shot.

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Speaker 1: You could argue Chet's one of the best standstill shooters

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Speaker 1: in the league. So bad help. Another big defensive mistake

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Speaker 1: from Boston as they get another basket. So, for those

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Speaker 1: of you guys keeping track, we had five points through

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Speaker 1: three possessions. They didn't score on the fourth, so five

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Speaker 1: through four. They get an offensive rebound put back on

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Speaker 1: the fifth, so we're up to seven on five, and

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Speaker 1: then on the sixth possession they give up a three.

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Speaker 1: Now we've given up ten points in six possessions. So again,

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Speaker 1: Boston literally scored on ten consecutive possessions down the stretch

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Speaker 1: of the game, but they gave up baskets give up

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Speaker 1: ten points on six possessions, which ends up being basically

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Speaker 1: what prevents Boston from ever getting the opportunity to gain

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Speaker 1: the lead seventh time. Down the floor, they go back

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Speaker 1: to Derek White on Chet Holmgren. It's a really interesting

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Speaker 1: possession where they just had a lot of struggle with

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Speaker 1: this a couple possessions ago, so they don't bring Chet

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Speaker 1: into the action. On the other side, you could see

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Speaker 1: Josh Giddy and Jalen Williams kind of debating which one

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Speaker 1: of them should go set the screen. They hesitate too long,

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Speaker 1: Shay has no choice but to attack Jason Tatum and Iso.

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Speaker 1: That's when he takes the really really difficult fade away,

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Speaker 1: drifting into the baseline along the right block and he

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Speaker 1: ends up missing there. So in total ten points over

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Speaker 1: seven possessions, basically looking at Shay heliocentric ballscreen game right

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Speaker 1: so down the stretch after as we see there, because

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Speaker 1: they started to figure it out with the Derek White

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Speaker 1: on chrisops Porzingis thing, there were defensive mistakes in there

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Speaker 1: that still led to ten points for the Thunder on

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Speaker 1: seven possessions, but from a schematic standpoint, they figured out Now,

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Speaker 1: if we have Eric White on krisops Porzingis and we

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Speaker 1: have Jason Tatum on Shay, they don't get the same

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Speaker 1: high quality shots. As long as we follow our defensive

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Speaker 1: principles elsewhere on the floor, go to a good step

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Speaker 1: for the Celtics, Right, But I always talk about diversity

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Speaker 1: of shot creation. Shay is a shifty skill guard, right,

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Speaker 1: Jalen Williams is a downhill athlete. This is why I

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Speaker 1: always talk about like the spamming actions or heliocentric basketball

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Speaker 1: should be used in short bursts. Identify your advantage, get

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Speaker 1: whatever you can out of it. When the adjustments are

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Speaker 1: made and they've started to figure it out audible quickly,

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Speaker 1: one of the things that happens in basketball is you

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Speaker 1: see the same thing over and over and over and

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Speaker 1: over again. The defense just kind of figures out how

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Speaker 1: to guard it just by virtue of they practiced guarding

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Speaker 1: it over the course of the previous dozen possessions. Right,

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Speaker 1: So it's important to know when you've kind of squeezed

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Speaker 1: the sponge for all it's worth, make an adjustment down

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Speaker 1: the stretch. All Jalen Williams. The last couple of possessions,

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Speaker 1: Jalen Williams Peyton Pritchard on him. Key mistake here. I

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Speaker 1: thought from Boston as well, Drew Holliday didn't play particularly well.

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Speaker 1: I shouldn't even say didn't play. Drew Holliday was garbage

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Speaker 1: in this game. It's not a good Drew Holida game.

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Speaker 1: He'd be the first person to tell you that it happens.

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Speaker 1: Sometime guys play. Sometimes guys play bad games. Right, But

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Speaker 1: Joe Mizoula ends up going with Peyton Pritchard down the

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Speaker 1: stretch of the game. This is where it's a personnel

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Speaker 1: shortcoming because Jalen Williams is like, wow, I have Peyton

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Speaker 1: Pritchard on me. I'm going right through this dude, And

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Speaker 1: he just drives right into him, bullies in with the

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Speaker 1: shoulder behind the back. Drouble goes into the lane and

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Speaker 1: draws a foul and gets to the foul line right,

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Speaker 1: So easy bucket. And again, do you remember how I

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Speaker 1: said Derek White got a key stop on Shaye Late

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Speaker 1: You actually, if I remember correctly, you got a second

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Speaker 1: one too, on a step back three that Shaye took

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Speaker 1: in between these two possessions. But like again, it's because

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Speaker 1: Derek White got lots of possessions and at the end

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Speaker 1: of the game he was focused enough to play really

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Speaker 1: good defense. Right. I would have given Drew that same leeway.

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Speaker 1: I'd have been like, you've played like shit tonight, no worries,

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Speaker 1: Go get a stop for me. Now, go get a

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Speaker 1: stop for me. Go do what you've done your entire career.

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Speaker 1: Go get a stop. And instead, like Drew Holliday, even

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Speaker 1: on a bad night, just has a much better chance

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Speaker 1: of staying in front of Jalen Williams in that situation

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Speaker 1: than Peyton Pritchard does. I thought that was a mistake.

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Speaker 1: Next two trips down the floor, the previous the one

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Speaker 1: after that, shake Kyils Alexander ended up I think taking

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Speaker 1: a step back three over Shakekil's with Alexander if I

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Speaker 1: remember correctly, or excuse me, over Derek White if I

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Speaker 1: remember correctly. But then the last one, Shay's got Jason

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Speaker 1: Tatum on him and Jalen Williams has Derek White on him,

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Speaker 1: and they end up going with a kind of like

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Speaker 1: a quick little dribble handoff to get a switch. And

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Speaker 1: now Jalen Williams is coming down against Jason Tatum. Jason

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Speaker 1: Tatum is in a trail position, he's in a passive switch,

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Speaker 1: So like there's a difference between switching aggressively, meaning like

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Speaker 1: I set the screen and my guy just shows hard

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Speaker 1: and like applies ball pressure versus like a really passive switch,

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Speaker 1: where like when he's coming off the screen, the guy's

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Speaker 1: kind of waiting for him below the level of the screen.

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Speaker 1: And you might ask yourself, why in the world is

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Speaker 1: Jalen Williams looking to attack Jason Tatum down the stretch

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Speaker 1: instead of one of the smaller Boston guards, And the

427
00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,240
Speaker 1: answer is simple, Jason Tatum was so far back on

428
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:21,000
Speaker 1: his heels. Jay Dubb just hit the jets, and like,

429
00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,000
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum is a better athlete than Jay Dubb, but

430
00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,720
Speaker 1: not when he's got a running start like that, JDub

431
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,200
Speaker 1: ends up getting downhill and taking that little short fade

432
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,120
Speaker 1: away over the top that ends up being the dagger.

433
00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,560
Speaker 1: Really really impressive move, a great example of diversity of

434
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,440
Speaker 1: shot creation, right, Like your skill guard spammed an action

435
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:41,960
Speaker 1: for ten possessions or seven possessions and got you ten points.

436
00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,080
Speaker 1: That was great, But towards the end it became clear

437
00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,240
Speaker 1: that Boston was starting to figure out the action right

438
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,399
Speaker 1: and they were weaponizing their two best defensive players on

439
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:56,840
Speaker 1: SCHET in on SGA right, So you had another matchup

440
00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,920
Speaker 1: that you could go to with a different perimeter shot

441
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,960
Speaker 1: creator in Jalen Williams that provides a different style of

442
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:05,359
Speaker 1: shot creation, real downhill force. He ends up getting downhill

443
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:07,000
Speaker 1: twice at the end of the game and getting you

444
00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,000
Speaker 1: four points out of it. That was a perfect example

445
00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,920
Speaker 1: of that specific dynamic you know. On the Boston front,

446
00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:16,679
Speaker 1: their offense was fine. Again, there were some bad shots

447
00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,080
Speaker 1: in that fourth quarter. Tatum took a couple of bad

448
00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:21,440
Speaker 1: step back threes that I really didn't like. But before

449
00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,439
Speaker 1: Jalen Brown's three at the end of the game, when

450
00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:26,040
Speaker 1: the game was basically over, Boston scored on ten straight possessions.

451
00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,160
Speaker 1: So offense wasn't the story of this particular game. Now

452
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,600
Speaker 1: it is worth mentioning part of the reason they went

453
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:35,359
Speaker 1: down eighteen was bad offense. A lot of the things

454
00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:37,400
Speaker 1: I talked about earlier, bad pull up jump shots, bad

455
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,280
Speaker 1: early clock threes when they could have gotten better shots.

456
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,119
Speaker 1: But that's where the game was lost. And then you

457
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,000
Speaker 1: essentially find yourself in a position where you have to

458
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,280
Speaker 1: play perfect down the stretch, and it's like you scored

459
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:51,560
Speaker 1: ten straight times great, but the Thunder ended up getting

460
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,080
Speaker 1: something like I want to say it was it was

461
00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,240
Speaker 1: four points in their final three possessions, So that'd be

462
00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:00,280
Speaker 1: fourteen points over their final ten possessions. And that's one

463
00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:04,399
Speaker 1: offensive rating that's not gonna be enough to get it

464
00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,320
Speaker 1: done when you're down eighteen early in the fourth quarter.

465
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,200
Speaker 1: So the next question is are the Thunder a legitimate

466
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,439
Speaker 1: championship contender. This is a team that I have waited

467
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,960
Speaker 1: up until this point to add to my championship contender

468
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,080
Speaker 1: list for a lot of different reasons that we don't

469
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,720
Speaker 1: have to get into. But let's take a deep let's

470
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,920
Speaker 1: take a deeper look at it. So the key factors

471
00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,840
Speaker 1: that I look at with championship contenders right half court offense,

472
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,760
Speaker 1: half court defense. They're top five in both categories. They're

473
00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,160
Speaker 1: the number one half court offense in the league right now.

474
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,720
Speaker 1: They have diversity of shot creation right like, they've got

475
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,399
Speaker 1: a shifty guard that's more of a skill guard. They

476
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,719
Speaker 1: have like an athletic guard in Jalen Williams. They've got

477
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,480
Speaker 1: a skill big to kind of tie it all together.

478
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,600
Speaker 1: They don't really have as much power in the lineup

479
00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:51,720
Speaker 1: as i'd like like Jalen Williams is really the only

480
00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,679
Speaker 1: guy that brings power, and that's one concern to me

481
00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,680
Speaker 1: because I think power offenses thrive in the playoffs more

482
00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,320
Speaker 1: than skill offenses do in a lot of cases. But

483
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,399
Speaker 1: to put it simply, I don't think this team is

484
00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:05,159
Speaker 1: going to struggle to score in the playoffs. I think

485
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,000
Speaker 1: they have enough on that end of the floor. Now. Defensively,

486
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,000
Speaker 1: they have versatility in terms of their coverages right like,

487
00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:13,120
Speaker 1: they're good in drop coverage. They have an excellent point

488
00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,359
Speaker 1: of attack defender to throw out the best players in

489
00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:18,400
Speaker 1: the league, and Loud Dort. I actually loud Dort's become

490
00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:20,399
Speaker 1: in my opinion, one of the most valuable players in

491
00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:22,879
Speaker 1: the league with his ability to guard the best perimeter

492
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,600
Speaker 1: weapons in the league while well being difficult to screen

493
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,159
Speaker 1: while being a plus offensive player. On the other end

494
00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,200
Speaker 1: of the floor, they have a really good rim protector

495
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:32,480
Speaker 1: and chet Holmgren. So that's kind of the two brackets

496
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,120
Speaker 1: of that kind of drop coverage concept. Right. They also

497
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,159
Speaker 1: have switchability to like they don't have a lot of

498
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,840
Speaker 1: easy targets, and they're good in help side. I have

499
00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:45,400
Speaker 1: two major concerns with the Thunder. Their overall physicality. Boston

500
00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:49,000
Speaker 1: made nine field goals in the paint in that fourth quarter,

501
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,119
Speaker 1: they had four offensive rebounds. Just in the fourth quarter,

502
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,800
Speaker 1: they scored on ten consecutive possessions down the stretches. I've

503
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,359
Speaker 1: said several times already Boston had a one to thirty

504
00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,440
Speaker 1: seven offensive rating in that quarter. I think I think

505
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,880
Speaker 1: they showed a good example of how okay, so he's

506
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,240
Speaker 1: a little on the thin side, they're not. You know,

507
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,879
Speaker 1: they have some stout players, guys like Lou Dorton Jalen Williams,

508
00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,440
Speaker 1: but almost every other guy on the roster is thin

509
00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,120
Speaker 1: and somebody that can be physically bullied in some cases,

510
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 1: and I think that that just makes it a little

511
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,520
Speaker 1: bit tougher when games turn into rock fights, right. And

512
00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,440
Speaker 1: then lastly, the inability to rebound. They gave up an

513
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,880
Speaker 1: off They give up an offensive rebound on thirty three

514
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,520
Speaker 1: percent of their opponent's misses this year. That is the

515
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,640
Speaker 1: second worst mark in the league, which I think would

516
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,320
Speaker 1: be a problem in a seven gamer. That said, I

517
00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:36,159
Speaker 1: do want to add them to my contender's list, So

518
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:40,840
Speaker 1: the question is where you can. And one last note

519
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,560
Speaker 1: on the contender piece too, I think part of it

520
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,080
Speaker 1: is Shay, Like, Shay is just reaching that point now

521
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:47,959
Speaker 1: where he's a top tier superstar and we have to

522
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,480
Speaker 1: include him in the list of guys that can definitely

523
00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,680
Speaker 1: be the best player on a championship team. Like, here's

524
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:57,159
Speaker 1: the thing. Is Tatum a better playoff player overall? Probably?

525
00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 1: Like I said out a poll earlier, like who would

526
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,679
Speaker 1: you take in a playoffs with two early even teams

527
00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 1: on Twitter? And it's like sixty forty favoring SGA. At

528
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,439
Speaker 1: this point, I actually sided more with Tatum just because

529
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,880
Speaker 1: he's way more experienced, which I've always thought matters when

530
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,119
Speaker 1: you get to that level. And two, Tatum really can

531
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,400
Speaker 1: inflict the game physically, Like he can really put his

532
00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,080
Speaker 1: physical imprint on a playoff series in a way that

533
00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,480
Speaker 1: he didn't used to be able to. I think something

534
00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:24,720
Speaker 1: silly like him switching on to Shay and really doing

535
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:26,399
Speaker 1: a nice job down the stretch of this game is

536
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,480
Speaker 1: a great example of impact that extends beyond half court

537
00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,240
Speaker 1: shot creation. But Shay is clearly much better in the

538
00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,480
Speaker 1: chess match, Like he's one of the best chess match

539
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,359
Speaker 1: players in the league. There's only a small handful of

540
00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:40,600
Speaker 1: guys that'd take over him. So and I think it

541
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,640
Speaker 1: would translate well to the postseason. So I do think

542
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,240
Speaker 1: the Thunder are a contender. The question is where. So

543
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,040
Speaker 1: I wanted to update my contender tier. I still have

544
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:53,040
Speaker 1: Denver at one, Boston at two, then a drop off.

545
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,800
Speaker 1: I have Milwaukee at three, the Lakers at four. I'm

546
00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:01,040
Speaker 1: gonna put the Thunder in at five, and then I

547
00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,600
Speaker 1: have the Wolves at six, the Suns at seven, the

548
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,000
Speaker 1: Warriors at eight, and all of these teams I think

549
00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,920
Speaker 1: need a trade to take a step up, as I've

550
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,080
Speaker 1: talked about all season, to get into that Denver Boston tier.

551
00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:15,560
Speaker 1: I think Milwaukee needs an excellent point of attack defender,

552
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:17,960
Speaker 1: something they do not have on the roster. I think

553
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,280
Speaker 1: the Lakers need a point of attack defender that can

554
00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,880
Speaker 1: also play off the ball. Their primary offensive players are

555
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,399
Speaker 1: not good enough offensively. Like the Bucks, I think can

556
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:29,879
Speaker 1: get away with a more limited offensive point of attack

557
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,360
Speaker 1: defender by virtue of the fact that their half court

558
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,320
Speaker 1: offense has been so good because of Damon Giannis. Right

559
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,840
Speaker 1: like that to me is they have a little bit

560
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,159
Speaker 1: more margin for error there. The Lakers need like a

561
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:43,040
Speaker 1: legit two way guy. They need a guy that can

562
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:46,040
Speaker 1: defend at the point of attack. Slot Torrian prints onto

563
00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:50,720
Speaker 1: lesser defense defensive assignments, and that is a plus offensive player.

564
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,560
Speaker 1: The Thunder I think absolutely need a low man, something

565
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,359
Speaker 1: I've been talking about all season. They need a big

566
00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,359
Speaker 1: forward that can slot between Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren,

567
00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:01,560
Speaker 1: that moves John to the bench, that can help them

568
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,160
Speaker 1: in help defense situations, that can help them in rock fights,

569
00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,040
Speaker 1: that can help them on the defensive glass. That to

570
00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:09,080
Speaker 1: me is the need that they need to fulfill to

571
00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:11,800
Speaker 1: get back up into that top tier with Denver and Boston.

572
00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:16,320
Speaker 1: They're way more talented than even the Lakers, than even Milwaukee,

573
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,760
Speaker 1: Like the Thunder arguably have some of the most talent

574
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,400
Speaker 1: in the league. They're a lot closer to Boston than

575
00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,320
Speaker 1: anybody else's in terms of like total talent down the roster.

576
00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,600
Speaker 1: But they're super young, and they're super inexperienced, and everything

577
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,920
Speaker 1: about NBA history tells us those teams type tend to underachieve.

578
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:37,600
Speaker 1: Super young, super inexperienced, super thin and small. That to

579
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,640
Speaker 1: me is what kind of keeps them down right now.

580
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:43,040
Speaker 1: A veteran forward that can help them with their size

581
00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,440
Speaker 1: and physicality, that would go a long way to addressing

582
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 1: a lot of those problems and getting them up into

583
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,719
Speaker 1: that list. The Wolves, I don't really even know if

584
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,400
Speaker 1: there's a trade that would get them into that top tier.

585
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 1: I'm a little concerned just in general about their half

586
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,920
Speaker 1: court offense, and I don't think that there's necessarily a

587
00:28:57,960 --> 00:28:59,920
Speaker 1: move they can make. It really just comes down to

588
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,240
Speaker 1: they're six for me, but their pathway to winning is

589
00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,880
Speaker 1: aunt just goes up a crazy level in the playoffs

590
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,560
Speaker 1: and out executes all the best shot creators in the league.

591
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,280
Speaker 1: But I just find that to be somewhat unlikely. The Suns,

592
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,760
Speaker 1: they desperately need some sort of perimeter forward that can

593
00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,760
Speaker 1: play on both ends of the ball, a type of

594
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:20,720
Speaker 1: player that we've been talking about for a while, but

595
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,160
Speaker 1: specifically a physical forward basically think of like a bigger,

596
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,680
Speaker 1: stronger version of Eric Gordon. That's what they need, is

597
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:31,080
Speaker 1: like a big forward that can defend that can also shoot.

598
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:33,640
Speaker 1: I just don't think that they have the resources to

599
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:35,959
Speaker 1: actually make that a sort of move, So I kind

600
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,400
Speaker 1: of view them as a long shot contender. And then

601
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,960
Speaker 1: the Warriors, to me, if they get a star, like

602
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,240
Speaker 1: if they a secondary star, like if they flip Kaminga

603
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:47,040
Speaker 1: and Chris Paul for Pascal siakam Or Kamenha and Chris

604
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,239
Speaker 1: Paul for Jeremy Grant Or Kamena and Chris Paul and

605
00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,640
Speaker 1: picks for Lori Markinen, like, I just think they instantly

606
00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:55,280
Speaker 1: become one of the best teams in the league because

607
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:58,280
Speaker 1: it's Steph Curry, it's Straymond Green, it's Klay Thompson, it's

608
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,840
Speaker 1: Andrew Wiggins, and it's a a really really good secondary

609
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,920
Speaker 1: star forward. I think that team is in that top tier.

610
00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:08,040
Speaker 1: So that's where they shake out as for now as

611
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:10,800
Speaker 1: it pertains to the Thunder. In the big picture, would

612
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,440
Speaker 1: I would imagine get them a couple seasons a playoff

613
00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,680
Speaker 1: experience and give them a little bit a year's in

614
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,400
Speaker 1: the weight room and years of just experience and growth

615
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:23,880
Speaker 1: and just growing into a grown man basketball team. And

616
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:27,400
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna be a perennial top tier championship contender.

617
00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,280
Speaker 1: Like every year, They're gonna be in that Denver Boston tier.

618
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,920
Speaker 1: It feels like almost a certainty for me at this point.

619
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:38,640
Speaker 1: The Boston Oklahoma City matchup, I thought Boston showed down

620
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,080
Speaker 1: the stretch that they can have some success slowing down

621
00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,640
Speaker 1: the Thunder offense, and they show that they have lots

622
00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,600
Speaker 1: of physical advantages all over the floor in terms of strength.

623
00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,760
Speaker 1: I thought that was a pretty clear takeaway from that

624
00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,960
Speaker 1: fourth quarter run that Boston had. If they started a

625
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,440
Speaker 1: seven game series tomorrow, I think I'd pick Boston to

626
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:58,280
Speaker 1: win in six or seven, depending on who had home court. Again,

627
00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:00,800
Speaker 1: I just think those physical advantages would wear them down

628
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:02,720
Speaker 1: over the course of the series. But a very very

629
00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:06,960
Speaker 1: very entertaining example of that matchup that we got to

630
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,240
Speaker 1: see last night. All Right, moving on to Magic Warriors.

631
00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:12,800
Speaker 1: So I'm not gonna go too long on this game,

632
00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,640
Speaker 1: but the Magic ended up going up ninety three ninety

633
00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,000
Speaker 1: two on a Franz Wagner layup with eight minutes and

634
00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,880
Speaker 1: thirty three seconds left. Then they go on a defensive run. Now,

635
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,560
Speaker 1: if you really look at the Warriors post Draymond Green suspension,

636
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:26,840
Speaker 1: they've not been a very good defensive team. If I

637
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,960
Speaker 1: remember correctly, I think they're nineteenth in defense since the

638
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,520
Speaker 1: Draymond Green suspension. But you can win games with defensive

639
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,520
Speaker 1: runs as long as you have the offense to actually

640
00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,320
Speaker 1: turn that run into a lead. Right, So it's ninety three,

641
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,600
Speaker 1: Excuse me, it's ninety three ninety two with eight thirty

642
00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,280
Speaker 1: three left in the fourth quarter and the Warriors give

643
00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,280
Speaker 1: up just ten points over the next seven and a

644
00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:50,680
Speaker 1: half minutes as they take an eleven point lead and

645
00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:53,840
Speaker 1: a lot of key contributions. I thought Klay Thompson did

646
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,920
Speaker 1: a really nice job in Pala Mancarro. He got him

647
00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,360
Speaker 1: a few times with the bully ball, but down the

648
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,320
Speaker 1: stretch he got several stops in a row. Really nice

649
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:06,080
Speaker 1: job absorbing contact and then attacking the shooting pocket. Again.

650
00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:10,040
Speaker 1: When it comes to size mismatches in the post, defensively,

651
00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,840
Speaker 1: you do not want to try to challenge up top.

652
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,040
Speaker 1: You want to disrupt the base and disrupt the shooting

653
00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:19,520
Speaker 1: pocket those so you want to absorb blows to where

654
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,680
Speaker 1: he's not getting easy easy lift close to the basket,

655
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,200
Speaker 1: and then when he exposes the basketball low, you have

656
00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,720
Speaker 1: to attack it there. If you attack it high, those

657
00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:31,000
Speaker 1: dudes are trained to finish over contests all day long,

658
00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:33,440
Speaker 1: especially when they have size. But when you attack the

659
00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:35,880
Speaker 1: shooting pocket you can disrupt that motion. You get a

660
00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,280
Speaker 1: key strip on Paalow late in the game. I thought

661
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,440
Speaker 1: Clay was awesome. It's a great example of I wrote

662
00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:43,480
Speaker 1: in my notes, losing the battle but winning the war

663
00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:47,080
Speaker 1: there were times when Paalow scored on on Clay in

664
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,400
Speaker 1: just bullyball possessions. But again it's like, if you can,

665
00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,400
Speaker 1: you know, over a seven possession sample over the course

666
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:55,800
Speaker 1: of the game, hold him to two or three buckets,

667
00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:57,960
Speaker 1: then you've done your job. And I thought Clay did

668
00:32:57,960 --> 00:32:59,960
Speaker 1: his job. I thought Brandon Pizemski had a really nice

669
00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:04,200
Speaker 1: defense game, digging down into passing lanes and driving lanes

670
00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,680
Speaker 1: and getting steals and deflections. He was also doing a

671
00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,240
Speaker 1: really nice job peeling off and boxing out the center.

672
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:12,120
Speaker 1: It's one of the most important jobs in defensive rebounding.

673
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,440
Speaker 1: Is like somebody shoots the ball and your rim protector

674
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,120
Speaker 1: has to leave his man to go contest a shot.

675
00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:21,400
Speaker 1: Trace Jackson Davis leaves his man a lot to try

676
00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,160
Speaker 1: to block shots, which a team like Orlando can have

677
00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:26,920
Speaker 1: success on the offensive glass in that vacancy that opens

678
00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,080
Speaker 1: up there. But I thought Pazemski was doing a really

679
00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,800
Speaker 1: nice job of boxing that man underneath the backboard whenever

680
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,480
Speaker 1: he had an opportunity when Trace Jackson Davis was going away,

681
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,600
Speaker 1: which helped them on the defensive glass. Trace in general,

682
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,000
Speaker 1: I thought, had a really good game. Another example of

683
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,320
Speaker 1: that high motor athlete. I've always been talking about just

684
00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:46,720
Speaker 1: active hands, smart help. Had some key contests at the

685
00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:48,480
Speaker 1: rim late in the game. A block on a Lobb

686
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:51,840
Speaker 1: pass on a Jalen Suggs close out attack, a block

687
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:54,400
Speaker 1: on a Mo Wagner post up when Movanger was bowling

688
00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:56,240
Speaker 1: his way to the rim, a lot trace was awesome.

689
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:58,760
Speaker 1: Johnathan Kaminga had a big block on a Jalen Suggs

690
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:00,880
Speaker 1: baseline drive late in the game, and he was in

691
00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,600
Speaker 1: good position on his weak side rotations. Just a really,

692
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,400
Speaker 1: really good defensive effort from a lot of key guys

693
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:08,680
Speaker 1: as the Warriors went on a defensive run. As matter

694
00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:11,480
Speaker 1: of fact, they ended up scoring five points just off

695
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:15,040
Speaker 1: of turnovers in that fourth quarter. I think Klay had

696
00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:17,560
Speaker 1: a really good offensive quarter in the fourth. He hit

697
00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:19,799
Speaker 1: the big three after the Magic went up ninety three

698
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,400
Speaker 1: to ninety two. He hit a classic Klay Thompson movement

699
00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:24,520
Speaker 1: three coming off a screen towards his right to put

700
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,360
Speaker 1: them back up ninety five to ninety three. Very next possession,

701
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,600
Speaker 1: he hit Tray Jackson Davis slipping the same action again

702
00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,320
Speaker 1: makes the three pulls the hedge pulls the screen defender

703
00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:36,840
Speaker 1: further out. The second time able to hit the slip,

704
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:38,799
Speaker 1: he ended up getting free throws at it. He had

705
00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,520
Speaker 1: a transition runout dunk, and then he had a big

706
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:43,720
Speaker 1: backcut for a layup late in the game when Steph

707
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:48,400
Speaker 1: was running the point. But most importantly, Steph got his

708
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,760
Speaker 1: groove back, something that we've been waiting on for a while.

709
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,560
Speaker 1: Steph's previous ten games twenty three points, three rebounds, five

710
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:56,680
Speaker 1: assists per game, forty one percent from the field in

711
00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,600
Speaker 1: thirty six percent from three. It's really hard to win

712
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:02,960
Speaker 1: when your superstars playing bad basketball, and Steph was playing

713
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,440
Speaker 1: bad basketball by his standards, But last night looked like

714
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:08,440
Speaker 1: the real Steph had a lot of success late in

715
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:12,000
Speaker 1: the game attacking Goga Patadz and pick and roll, particularly

716
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 1: splitting that action so when Goga hedges, he had an

717
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:17,080
Speaker 1: opportunity to kind of shoot that gap, beat him for

718
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:19,440
Speaker 1: a layup once. Then he snaked to the pick and

719
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,080
Speaker 1: roll and dragged him out to the right wing in

720
00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:24,040
Speaker 1: a switch and hit a three in his face. Had

721
00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:26,400
Speaker 1: some success against Jalen Suggs, beating him off the dribble,

722
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:27,840
Speaker 1: and got to a nice step back three in the

723
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:30,400
Speaker 1: fourth quarter as well. Just looked like the real Steph

724
00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:34,400
Speaker 1: thirty six points and six assists on twenty shots. A

725
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:36,880
Speaker 1: couple of other shout outs. I thought Andrew Wiggins had

726
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:38,640
Speaker 1: a couple of key scores in the second half on

727
00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,960
Speaker 1: Gary Harris in post ups. Big part of the Warriors

728
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,520
Speaker 1: offense right now is attacking mismatches with their wings. Jonathan

729
00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,160
Speaker 1: Kaminga had four assists last night. That's only the second

730
00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,640
Speaker 1: time this season he's had four assists in a game.

731
00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:52,920
Speaker 1: Tends to play on an island a lot, right, Like

732
00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:55,760
Speaker 1: when he's running out in transition or when he's attacking

733
00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:57,520
Speaker 1: out of the post, he can be really good. He

734
00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:01,000
Speaker 1: scored in the post again on Anthony Black, drawing a foul.

735
00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:03,720
Speaker 1: He's up to fifty six post ups this year, including

736
00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:06,440
Speaker 1: passes leading to one point one to one points per possession,

737
00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:08,600
Speaker 1: which is excellent. When he shoots out of the post,

738
00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,680
Speaker 1: he draws a foul twenty two percent of the time,

739
00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,080
Speaker 1: So like when he's on an island, he actually is

740
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,319
Speaker 1: a very useful player. But the Warriors are not an

741
00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,680
Speaker 1: on an island team very often, right, and so it's

742
00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:20,120
Speaker 1: important to be able to play in their normal motion.

743
00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:22,040
Speaker 1: And one of the things I thought Jonathan Minga did

744
00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,120
Speaker 1: a really nice job of last night was doing the

745
00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:26,560
Speaker 1: Draymond thing, which is when you catch the ball on

746
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,760
Speaker 1: the perimeter, your first thing is where's Steph? Where is Clay?

747
00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:32,040
Speaker 1: Are they open? If they are, I'm gonna throw him

748
00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:34,000
Speaker 1: the ball. And he was hovering around that top of

749
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,720
Speaker 1: the key area a lot and throwing those rifle swing

750
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:38,960
Speaker 1: passes to those guys and got assists out of it.

751
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,799
Speaker 1: He had four cysts, and I thought it was a key,

752
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:45,160
Speaker 1: little like moment of growth from Jonathan Kaminga in terms

753
00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:48,520
Speaker 1: of his role on this team. All right, moving on

754
00:36:48,719 --> 00:36:52,200
Speaker 1: to the mail bag. So I've got four questions for

755
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,840
Speaker 1: you guys today before we get out of here. I

756
00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:57,759
Speaker 1: do have four. I said three earlier, but it's four.

757
00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:00,520
Speaker 1: It seems like there are a lot of teams in

758
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,359
Speaker 1: need of a starting caliber small forward this year. Who

759
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:04,960
Speaker 1: are some names that you think could be on the

760
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:06,640
Speaker 1: move and where they might be going? And on a

761
00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:10,000
Speaker 1: larger scale, what does this need say about the state

762
00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,560
Speaker 1: of the league in basketball? So it's not just small forwards.

763
00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:15,879
Speaker 1: I look at it more as like there's a lot

764
00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:18,359
Speaker 1: of guys that need more of like a perimeter, two

765
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:20,120
Speaker 1: way guy, and there are a lot of teams that

766
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,440
Speaker 1: need for like a low man two way guys. So

767
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:24,440
Speaker 1: like the teams that need more of a perimeter two

768
00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:26,200
Speaker 1: way guy are like the Lakers and the Bucks. I

769
00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:28,600
Speaker 1: think the MAVs are another team that could be looking

770
00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:30,560
Speaker 1: to make a smaller version of that type of deal,

771
00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:32,600
Speaker 1: just as a guy that they could throw at the

772
00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:35,120
Speaker 1: best perimeter players in the league. It's been a lot

773
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,959
Speaker 1: of Derek Jones Junior to start this year, and and

774
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,239
Speaker 1: Derek Jones Junior is fine, but I think they could

775
00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:45,160
Speaker 1: use another option there. The teams that are looking for

776
00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,640
Speaker 1: more of a low man or like the Pacers or

777
00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,680
Speaker 1: the Kings, or the Thunder or the Warriors, right like,

778
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:53,239
Speaker 1: these are teams that have good perimeter defenders, but they

779
00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:57,160
Speaker 1: need help and interior physicality that those are examples of

780
00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:01,040
Speaker 1: those teams. The kind of raymind guys that I look

781
00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,560
Speaker 1: at this year that it could be available. Anybody from

782
00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,560
Speaker 1: Brooklyn is Brooklyn's falling apart, so look at Dorian Finney Smith.

783
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,560
Speaker 1: McHale Bridges is another guy I think that could be

784
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:14,160
Speaker 1: had potentially if the slide for Brooklyn continues. Alex Caruso

785
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:18,960
Speaker 1: from the Chicago Bulls is another guy. Javon Carter from

786
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,080
Speaker 1: the Chicago Bulls is another guy be looking at. He's

787
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:23,040
Speaker 1: another guy that could be more affordable. There are a

788
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:24,719
Speaker 1: lot of those types of guys out there that I

789
00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:27,440
Speaker 1: think teams will be going after. Alex Cruso is up

790
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,600
Speaker 1: over forty five percent from three this year, by the way,

791
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,520
Speaker 1: pretty crazy the low man that I look at. There's

792
00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:35,840
Speaker 1: three big ones, Louri Markin and Jeremy Grant, Pascal Siakam,

793
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:38,560
Speaker 1: and they're all very different, right, Like Luri Markinen is

794
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:42,359
Speaker 1: this like outstanding offensive play finisher, right just a dead

795
00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,359
Speaker 1: eye shooter, a guy that can screen and roll the rim,

796
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:46,799
Speaker 1: a guy that can beat mismatches in the post. Like

797
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:50,279
Speaker 1: he's a just really like a imagine like a big

798
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:52,600
Speaker 1: giant forward version of Klay Thompson. He's like a tip

799
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:54,239
Speaker 1: of the spear kind of guy. I think. I think

800
00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,480
Speaker 1: he's really valuable. Jeremy Grant is more of like a score.

801
00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:00,160
Speaker 1: He's a guy that like attacks mismatches in the post.

802
00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,000
Speaker 1: That all takes a lot of like ISO pull up

803
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:04,320
Speaker 1: jump shots and stuff. But he's shooting the ball really

804
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:06,719
Speaker 1: well off the catch this year and has been really

805
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:08,640
Speaker 1: good and effective scoring out of the post. So I

806
00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,960
Speaker 1: think he's more a lesser version of Lori markin In

807
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,239
Speaker 1: for lack of a better term, but Jimmy Graan has

808
00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:16,880
Speaker 1: had some impressive moments of perimeter defense this year. I

809
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,040
Speaker 1: still think he's got that in him if he's willing

810
00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:20,600
Speaker 1: to buy into a role, and he's a guy that

811
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:23,239
Speaker 1: I'd be open to looking at, especially if you're a

812
00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:25,600
Speaker 1: team that can't get into the bidding war for Lori

813
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:28,120
Speaker 1: markin In and then Pascal Siakam. This is a guy

814
00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,520
Speaker 1: that I think both the Warriors and Lakers should be

815
00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:33,799
Speaker 1: calling on, mainly just because I view him as a

816
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:36,319
Speaker 1: guy that I think is one of the best available

817
00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:40,200
Speaker 1: players per value. He's you know, kind of gone under

818
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:41,640
Speaker 1: the radar in a lot of ways because he's not

819
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:44,359
Speaker 1: a very good shooter. But this is a guy who's

820
00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,440
Speaker 1: a transcendent athlete. This is a guy that was so

821
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,920
Speaker 1: damn athletic that Draymond Green was struggling to handle him

822
00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 1: in the twenty nineteen playoffs. Right, this is a guy that, like,

823
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:57,239
Speaker 1: if you like, when he is asked to do a

824
00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:59,680
Speaker 1: ton with the basketball, like he has the last couple

825
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:03,759
Speaker 1: of years. He can be somewhat underwhelming as a postseason player, right,

826
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,360
Speaker 1: but when he's in a position where he's playing alongside

827
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,359
Speaker 1: guys who do a lot of that stuff for him,

828
00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:11,600
Speaker 1: and he can really focus his effort and energy to

829
00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,759
Speaker 1: just inflicting his physicality on the game. He can be

830
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:18,440
Speaker 1: a game changing athlete. And so even though teams like

831
00:40:18,480 --> 00:40:20,640
Speaker 1: the Warriors and Lakers might not be interested in him

832
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,400
Speaker 1: from a shooting standpoint, I look at it as like,

833
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,400
Speaker 1: just for the price for the caliber of player that

834
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:29,239
Speaker 1: you're getting back, you put him like a wig in

835
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:34,520
Speaker 1: Siam Draymond frontline, a Siakam Lebron Anthony Davis frontline. Those

836
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:38,080
Speaker 1: are front lines that could like absolutely maul some of

837
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:40,400
Speaker 1: the bigger front lines in the league, even teams like

838
00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,680
Speaker 1: Denver and so I think that that could be a

839
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,200
Speaker 1: real swing piece this year that teams should be looking

840
00:40:46,239 --> 00:40:50,480
Speaker 1: out for. All right, next mail back question. All right,

841
00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,279
Speaker 1: I actually missed a small part there. What does this

842
00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:56,400
Speaker 1: need say about the state of the league in basketball?

843
00:40:56,600 --> 00:41:00,160
Speaker 1: Pretty quickly? I just think it's a clear indicator of

844
00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:04,080
Speaker 1: of the obvious fact that weak side responsibilities matter a lot,

845
00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:07,000
Speaker 1: or I should say role player responsibilities matter a lot.

846
00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:08,799
Speaker 1: There are a lot of teams this year that have

847
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:13,239
Speaker 1: stars that are playing well that are not necessarily succeeding

848
00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:15,439
Speaker 1: to the extent that they should, right, Like we've seen

849
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:17,239
Speaker 1: this with Damon Giannis. I know they're doing good in

850
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,640
Speaker 1: the regular season in terms of standings, but they've lost

851
00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:23,200
Speaker 1: a lot of big games and struggled specifically because of

852
00:41:23,239 --> 00:41:25,880
Speaker 1: something silly like who's guarding the other team's point guard,

853
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,879
Speaker 1: Like who's picking up the in applying ball pressure during

854
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:33,200
Speaker 1: this game? Like they just that singular role not being

855
00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:35,920
Speaker 1: filled has made it so that the Bucks look bad

856
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,480
Speaker 1: in big games. That's a real problem to keep an

857
00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:41,000
Speaker 1: eye on, right. Like the Lakers, it's like Lebron James

858
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,480
Speaker 1: and Anthony Davis both playing way better than last year,

859
00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:47,480
Speaker 1: both like legitimately playing at a top ten level this season,

860
00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:50,319
Speaker 1: and they're a five hundred basketball team in large part

861
00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:52,759
Speaker 1: because they don't have a guy that can pick up

862
00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:54,839
Speaker 1: at the point of attack and knock down a three

863
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:58,040
Speaker 1: at a high rate. Like it's a legitimate issue for them.

864
00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,880
Speaker 1: I think it's these teams like Oklahoma City that have

865
00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,160
Speaker 1: so much skill and they have a rim protector, or

866
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,680
Speaker 1: the Pacers as well, so much skill, have a rim protector,

867
00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:09,080
Speaker 1: but not having a lowman, and you're seeing just how

868
00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:12,840
Speaker 1: fundamentally important a lowman is in big time matchups, and

869
00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:15,280
Speaker 1: I just think it's a As the game has become

870
00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:17,359
Speaker 1: more spread out and there's more talent on the floor,

871
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:20,320
Speaker 1: it's become more important than ever to have guys that

872
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,000
Speaker 1: are willing to do the dirty work on both ends

873
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:27,040
Speaker 1: of the floor. Next question, do you honestly think the

874
00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:29,560
Speaker 1: Suns will be healthy around playoff time? Knowing the injury

875
00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:33,080
Speaker 1: history of the three stars on their roster. So here's

876
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,000
Speaker 1: the thing, it's let's just say for this, I would

877
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:37,799
Speaker 1: say there's a good chance that they're healthy and there's

878
00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:39,880
Speaker 1: a good chance they're not right, So let's just call

879
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:43,960
Speaker 1: it fifty to fifty. If it's fifty to fifty, there's

880
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:46,799
Speaker 1: we all know that if they get hurt, they're not

881
00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:49,359
Speaker 1: a threat. But that can be said about every team

882
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,160
Speaker 1: in the league. I believe that if the Nuggets lost

883
00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:55,640
Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon or KCP or Michael Porter Junior, they would

884
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:58,600
Speaker 1: go from being a top tier championship contender to the

885
00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:01,279
Speaker 1: lower tier. Like, lose a player and kicking you down

886
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:04,680
Speaker 1: a tier is a reality for every single team in

887
00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:09,080
Speaker 1: my opinion, except for maybe Boston. Like maybe Boston could

888
00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:11,840
Speaker 1: afford an injury to one of their guys, right, But

889
00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:14,600
Speaker 1: outside of that, like, no team really has that type

890
00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:17,160
Speaker 1: of flexibility, And so when it really comes down to it,

891
00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:19,719
Speaker 1: it's like, do you want should we just right off

892
00:43:19,719 --> 00:43:21,600
Speaker 1: the Suns all year and be like, screw it, they're

893
00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:24,520
Speaker 1: gonna be hurt. No, Like, we have to prepare for

894
00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:28,400
Speaker 1: the potential, you know, eventuality that that they're healthy and

895
00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:30,879
Speaker 1: what could happen if they are. And I think that's

896
00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:34,160
Speaker 1: the purpose of the way that we should cover them,

897
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,720
Speaker 1: if that makes sense. A lot of Nuggets fans upset

898
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,080
Speaker 1: that I had them lower in my power rankings. I'll

899
00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,880
Speaker 1: just pull one comment here. Nuggets ranked too low. The

900
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:45,759
Speaker 1: ten wins out of their last twelve games, played one

901
00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:47,560
Speaker 1: loss they let slip away and should have won. The

902
00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:50,680
Speaker 1: most recent was definitely an embarrassing performance. But they're nowhere

903
00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:53,400
Speaker 1: near as low as eight. So a couple things. My

904
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:57,320
Speaker 1: power rankings are designed to be a vehicle with which

905
00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:00,279
Speaker 1: I can honor or pay respect to teams play good

906
00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:02,880
Speaker 1: regular season basketball. That was one of the decisions we

907
00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:05,080
Speaker 1: made early in the year, Like, I don't want my

908
00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,520
Speaker 1: power rankings to be the same as my contender rankings.

909
00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,399
Speaker 1: The Nuggets are number one in my Contender rankings. There

910
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:13,479
Speaker 1: has not been a single moment this year, not even

911
00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:17,040
Speaker 1: for a split second, not even during stretches when Jamal

912
00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:19,440
Speaker 1: Murray was out and they looked bad, Like I have

913
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:23,479
Speaker 1: not even for a second doubted or had any sort

914
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:26,440
Speaker 1: of change of heart as it pertains to Denver being

915
00:44:26,560 --> 00:44:29,759
Speaker 1: number one on my Contender's list, Like I am, I

916
00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:33,360
Speaker 1: trust them more than everyone else, and it's not particularly close,

917
00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:36,960
Speaker 1: and like I'm a big believer in Denver, right, But

918
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:40,799
Speaker 1: they're nine and eleven against teams that are five hundred

919
00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:44,000
Speaker 1: are better this year, and in my Power Rankings list,

920
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,440
Speaker 1: the teams that are above just have more impressive wins.

921
00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:53,520
Speaker 1: And I'm using that list, that specific list for regular

922
00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:57,800
Speaker 1: season kudos, and so that that's the purpose of that list.

923
00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,160
Speaker 1: And so Denver fans like them being eight and in

924
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:03,839
Speaker 1: the Power rankings. More has to do with the fact

925
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:06,399
Speaker 1: that they've just been They've been a really good standings team.

926
00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:08,920
Speaker 1: They're fifteen to zero against below five hundred teams, which

927
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:11,200
Speaker 1: is what's carried them in the standings, but in the

928
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:14,759
Speaker 1: bigger games, by the way, mostly because of things like

929
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,640
Speaker 1: Jamal Murray being out and Aaron Gordon missing a big

930
00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:20,880
Speaker 1: game against the thunder like there's no question. That's why,

931
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:25,000
Speaker 1: which is why I'm not worried about them for the postseason.

932
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:28,160
Speaker 1: But but for my power rankings list, there are teams

933
00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:31,560
Speaker 1: out there that have been more impressive in terms of

934
00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:34,880
Speaker 1: winning big regular season games and just the totality of

935
00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,520
Speaker 1: regular season accomplishments. That's why I have Denver at eight

936
00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:40,080
Speaker 1: at this point. It has nothing to do with what

937
00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:43,360
Speaker 1: I see as their championship potential. Go look at the

938
00:45:43,360 --> 00:45:45,759
Speaker 1: teams I have above them, and look at them in

939
00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:49,000
Speaker 1: big games. Look at their key like signature wins this year.

940
00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:50,919
Speaker 1: Most of the teams above them have a lot more

941
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:55,040
Speaker 1: in that specific department. Last question, I started tweaking my

942
00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:57,319
Speaker 1: shooting form since I have bad habit of shooting with

943
00:45:57,360 --> 00:45:59,160
Speaker 1: way too high of an arc. How should I go

944
00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:02,080
Speaker 1: about fixing it? How feasible is it to just lean

945
00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:04,680
Speaker 1: into it? Love the show, keep it up. So I

946
00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:07,840
Speaker 1: have a philosophy of a shooting form, and it's a

947
00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:11,000
Speaker 1: philosophy of gain from coaching kids, because, as you can imagine,

948
00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:12,479
Speaker 1: when you coach kids, you coach a lot of kids

949
00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:14,920
Speaker 1: that bad shooting form. And it's really a simple to me,

950
00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:19,759
Speaker 1: like there are a million different ways to shoot a basketball,

951
00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:22,960
Speaker 1: and I think it's way less important to focus on

952
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,880
Speaker 1: the particulars of your release and more on little details

953
00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:30,680
Speaker 1: like how is your balance, are you good at making

954
00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:33,200
Speaker 1: sure you have a good wide base and going straight

955
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:35,440
Speaker 1: up and down all the time, and getting good lift

956
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:40,840
Speaker 1: like that's step one, particularly because most shots in basketball

957
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:42,359
Speaker 1: are on the move in some way, shape or form.

958
00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:44,759
Speaker 1: Even when you're spotting up, you might be relocating, you

959
00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:46,719
Speaker 1: might have just played a lot of defense, and so

960
00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:49,359
Speaker 1: you're tired. Legs and lift are a huge part of it.

961
00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:51,600
Speaker 1: From there, the second bit of it is like any

962
00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:54,080
Speaker 1: energy transfer is what I refer to it as, but

963
00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:57,960
Speaker 1: energy transfer is how do you get from your feet

964
00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:00,600
Speaker 1: through to the top of the shot in a way

965
00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:06,120
Speaker 1: that has no wasted energy, that has no unnecessary movement,

966
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:10,560
Speaker 1: which then creates a muscle memory that is simple that

967
00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:13,960
Speaker 1: you can replicate. If you can do that, if you're

968
00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:17,440
Speaker 1: balanced and you have good energy transfer, meaning you have

969
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:21,080
Speaker 1: a good you know, routine that doesn't have wasted energy

970
00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:23,759
Speaker 1: that you can that you can reproduce every single time.

971
00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:26,200
Speaker 1: You can be a good shooter even if you shoot

972
00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:27,920
Speaker 1: with a ton of arc, even if you shoot with

973
00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:30,400
Speaker 1: very little arc, even if you shoot with opposite thumb,

974
00:47:30,719 --> 00:47:32,880
Speaker 1: even if you shoot with one hand, even if you

975
00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:35,680
Speaker 1: shoot without jumping super high, even if you jump while

976
00:47:35,719 --> 00:47:39,160
Speaker 1: shooting or shooting, even if you shoot while jumping super high,

977
00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:42,319
Speaker 1: that to me is way less important. Then do you

978
00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,080
Speaker 1: have good lift? Are you doing the exact same thing

979
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:47,200
Speaker 1: every time? It's got to be replicable, replicable. When I go,

980
00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:50,040
Speaker 1: I shoot on the shooting machine at least twice a week,

981
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:52,320
Speaker 1: so I do a lot of different kinds of shooting drills.

982
00:47:52,320 --> 00:47:55,160
Speaker 1: I do a lot of like one person, one ball,

983
00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:58,799
Speaker 1: like movement shooting drills. That's that's where I do all

984
00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,399
Speaker 1: my off the dribble and movements in the primary goal.

985
00:48:01,440 --> 00:48:05,440
Speaker 1: There is like trying to do game speed and like

986
00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:08,160
Speaker 1: add a lot of complication to it. Right when I'm

987
00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:10,520
Speaker 1: on the shooting machine, I just do stand still shooting.

988
00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:12,480
Speaker 1: And when I'm on the shooting machine, I have this

989
00:48:12,600 --> 00:48:16,760
Speaker 1: constant mentality there are two shooting machines here, the machine

990
00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:19,279
Speaker 1: that's throwing me the ball, and then me. I need

991
00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:21,879
Speaker 1: to be a machine. How does the shooting machine get

992
00:48:21,880 --> 00:48:24,080
Speaker 1: the ball to me in the same spot every single time?

993
00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:27,680
Speaker 1: Because it's literally like a little catapult that's going like

994
00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:30,720
Speaker 1: this and with the same spring on the same hinge,

995
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:33,759
Speaker 1: throwing the ball to the same spot every single time. Right,

996
00:48:34,080 --> 00:48:36,680
Speaker 1: That's what I need to be as a shooter. I

997
00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:40,120
Speaker 1: need to have a form that like looks the exact

998
00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:44,239
Speaker 1: same every single time with very little wasted movement. And

999
00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:47,080
Speaker 1: I need to look like a shooting machine. And if

1000
00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:49,319
Speaker 1: I do that, I'm going to be more consistent as

1001
00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:53,080
Speaker 1: a shooter. And so again I wouldn't focus so much

1002
00:48:53,120 --> 00:48:56,279
Speaker 1: on this particulars of your form. Just make sure that

1003
00:48:56,360 --> 00:48:59,000
Speaker 1: you have good fluidity and energy transfer and make sure

1004
00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:01,239
Speaker 1: you have good lift, make sure you're doing the same

1005
00:49:01,239 --> 00:49:03,279
Speaker 1: thing every single time. All right, guys, that is all

1006
00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:05,359
Speaker 1: I have for tonight. We'll be back tomorrow breaking down

1007
00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:08,080
Speaker 1: the packed Wednesday night slate as always. I appreciate you guys,

1008
00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:36,920
Speaker 1: and we'll see you then. The volume