1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:19,720
Speaker 1: Mmmmm. Welcome to the State of the Lakers postgame show

2
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,520
Speaker 1: on DASH Radio. Rog and I are pleased to finally

3
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,640
Speaker 1: announce that the that the Lakers looked like the Lakers,

4
00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:29,840
Speaker 1: the Lakers that we had hoped they would be for

5
00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,360
Speaker 1: the first time this season. Um and you know what,

6
00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,479
Speaker 1: I'm sure some people who haven't been paying attention will

7
00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,440
Speaker 1: try to undercut to some extent, but was a really

8
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,839
Speaker 1: impressive win against a really good team that has shown

9
00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,120
Speaker 1: some flashes of defense in the last week that we

10
00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,240
Speaker 1: really haven't seen much in recent NBA history, taking high

11
00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:56,640
Speaker 1: powered offenses and holding them to the eighties and nineties. Um,

12
00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,959
Speaker 1: like Denver, like Atlanta, like the Clippers. Just a really

13
00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,280
Speaker 1: good basketball team that is that is smartly put together.

14
00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:05,960
Speaker 1: And the Lakers, who have not been a good basketball

15
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,080
Speaker 1: team this year, finally put some stuff together that we

16
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,280
Speaker 1: knew they needed to put together in order to compete

17
00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,039
Speaker 1: and and got the job done. Roge, what what what

18
00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,840
Speaker 1: is your overarching you know, thirty thousand feet type of

19
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,840
Speaker 1: opinion from this game to start with? So I don't

20
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,319
Speaker 1: know if I'm at thirty feet yet, Like I'm still

21
00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,240
Speaker 1: you know, the plane is kind of going up as

22
00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,160
Speaker 1: I just kind of the plane just went up. But

23
00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,880
Speaker 1: it was nice to have Lebron back. I guess, like

24
00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,000
Speaker 1: that was I guess my first kind of take away.

25
00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:36,000
Speaker 1: The last few games we were kind of analyzing the

26
00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:37,880
Speaker 1: team without him, and like I said, you have to

27
00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,000
Speaker 1: find kind of lineups that are effective without Lebron playing.

28
00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:42,680
Speaker 1: But it was just good to have him back. And

29
00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,120
Speaker 1: he definitely kind of sleep walked through a lot of

30
00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,240
Speaker 1: this game. Um, he didn't really try on defense until

31
00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,040
Speaker 1: the fourth, but that fourth quarter was really calming for me.

32
00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,800
Speaker 1: I don't know about you, Jason, but like just to

33
00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,160
Speaker 1: see that they have this gear to go to, like

34
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,280
Speaker 1: it was pretty clear. It was kind of just like,

35
00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,680
Speaker 1: let's walk through this. And in the fourth quarter it

36
00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,040
Speaker 1: was O time and they really just went Lebron a

37
00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,040
Speaker 1: D screen and roll. They knew they ran this a

38
00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,960
Speaker 1: billion times quickly. Ron came off, hit to a D.

39
00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,160
Speaker 1: He score. Lebron comes off, he gets to the rim.

40
00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,560
Speaker 1: It was nice to see that that pet play is

41
00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:13,480
Speaker 1: still there and then be able to turn on the

42
00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,480
Speaker 1: defense right go on these defensive runs as we talked

43
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,960
Speaker 1: about and we needed to see, and they did that tonight.

44
00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,280
Speaker 1: Ten points I think for the calves for a lot

45
00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:23,320
Speaker 1: of that for to close the half as well. I

46
00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,440
Speaker 1: think they went on like a thirteen oh run or something,

47
00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,320
Speaker 1: so you can see the remnants there of a good defense.

48
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:30,440
Speaker 1: But yeah, those are kind of my initial thoughts. How

49
00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,919
Speaker 1: about you. So let's start with Lebron because I'm actually

50
00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,440
Speaker 1: gonna be pretty critical with him tonight, but I'm gonna

51
00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,160
Speaker 1: save it for later because he was so good at

52
00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,200
Speaker 1: the end of that game that that happen to be

53
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,760
Speaker 1: what we lead with. You know. One of the reasons

54
00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,360
Speaker 1: why I've always valued Lebron, you know, compared to his peers,

55
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,359
Speaker 1: is because of the well rounded nature of his game.

56
00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,880
Speaker 1: What he can do defensively when he's dialed in, what

57
00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,880
Speaker 1: he can do as an isolation score, what he can

58
00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,919
Speaker 1: do to attack mismatches, but most importantly, what he can

59
00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,639
Speaker 1: do when a defense is geared up to stop it,

60
00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,240
Speaker 1: because that's the most important thing. Like it's not about

61
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,240
Speaker 1: what you can do in your individual matchup, because nine

62
00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,880
Speaker 1: times out of ten, when the ship hits the fan

63
00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,480
Speaker 1: in the biggest playoff moments, they're throwing multiple bodies at you.

64
00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:21,280
Speaker 1: They're throwing they're mixing coverages, they're sending doubles, they're trapping,

65
00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,959
Speaker 1: they're they're they're helping off the weak side corner. They're

66
00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:28,000
Speaker 1: doing all sorts of crazy stuff. And Lebron is, without

67
00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,160
Speaker 1: a doubt, the very best player in the game right

68
00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,600
Speaker 1: now at deciphering that type of defense. And that sequence

69
00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,600
Speaker 1: at the end of the game was such an interesting

70
00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,840
Speaker 1: basketball sequence because when you when you beat a team

71
00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,360
Speaker 1: with one specific play, they're always going to shade and

72
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,760
Speaker 1: adjust in that direction to try to stop at the

73
00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:50,960
Speaker 1: next time. And it was so interesting to watch him

74
00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,200
Speaker 1: go through the progression of that a D pick and

75
00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,760
Speaker 1: roll and they threw little wrinkles in like they would

76
00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,320
Speaker 1: have bays Moore set a quick little pin screen down

77
00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,560
Speaker 1: on a eas man so that a D would have

78
00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:03,560
Speaker 1: just a tiny bit of separation as he was coming

79
00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,400
Speaker 1: up to set the screen. But the cycle was pretty

80
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,040
Speaker 1: simply pick and roll DA D. They stayed home on Lebron.

81
00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,200
Speaker 1: He just threw a pocket pass, a D lays it up.

82
00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,680
Speaker 1: Very next possession, pick and roll d D. Lebron's going

83
00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:17,600
Speaker 1: down the lank. This time the guy in the drop

84
00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:19,880
Speaker 1: covers is a little bit closer to the rimp to

85
00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,520
Speaker 1: try to watch out for a D and that pocket past.

86
00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,960
Speaker 1: So Lebron just continues all the way and finishes, and

87
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,960
Speaker 1: then on the third one, this time they kind of

88
00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,720
Speaker 1: sent help from the week side corners and Lebron swings

89
00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,360
Speaker 1: it reverse across the court to Baysmore in the corner

90
00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,240
Speaker 1: who's wide open. There's a rotating defender. He swings it

91
00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,320
Speaker 1: to Bradley knocks down a wide open three. And then

92
00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,200
Speaker 1: the following possession they just switched the pick and roll,

93
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,440
Speaker 1: because when you're having trouble, when you're having trouble with

94
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:50,800
Speaker 1: your traditional pick and roll coverage with guys dying on

95
00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,200
Speaker 1: the screen, if you just switch it, it usually will

96
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,640
Speaker 1: force you to isolate. Well, Lebron's just isolated Jared Allen

97
00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,400
Speaker 1: and took him right to the basket and made a three.

98
00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,919
Speaker 1: And then on the final possession, they literally trapped Lebron

99
00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,080
Speaker 1: on the pick and roll and A D slipped it,

100
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,400
Speaker 1: but Carmelo's man stepped into the lane to take away

101
00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,880
Speaker 1: the dump pass, and Lebron just swung into Carmelo and

102
00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,480
Speaker 1: made a three. And that progression, that ability to decipher

103
00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,920
Speaker 1: each and every possible defensive counter to your pick and

104
00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,960
Speaker 1: roll uh that you're running with Lebron and a D,

105
00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,960
Speaker 1: that is what makes him a top tier superstar in

106
00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:28,720
Speaker 1: addition to all the other things that he does. And

107
00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,720
Speaker 1: that's what that's what makes us Laker fans so optimistic

108
00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,279
Speaker 1: because that type of defense deciphering is exactly what you

109
00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,600
Speaker 1: need to win playoff games. And again, I'm gonna be

110
00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,039
Speaker 1: critical of Lebron later on because I thought he was

111
00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,120
Speaker 1: really bad defensively in this game, and I thought it

112
00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,880
Speaker 1: trickled down in a lot of ways. But that little

113
00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,400
Speaker 1: stretch he went and that game was back and forth

114
00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:51,360
Speaker 1: and back and forth, and the Caps you get a

115
00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,039
Speaker 1: little lead and then the Lakers would fight back, then

116
00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,479
Speaker 1: all of a sudden it was over because of like

117
00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,600
Speaker 1: a six or seven possession stretch where one of the

118
00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,440
Speaker 1: best play it was in the world, just apart and

119
00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,440
Speaker 1: having that in your back pocket as a weapon is

120
00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,279
Speaker 1: such an asset for this team. Yeah, for sure. And

121
00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:11,320
Speaker 1: I've like and I don't think it's a coincidence that

122
00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,080
Speaker 1: happened when a d was at the five right as well.

123
00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:15,719
Speaker 1: I believe Adio was at the five when they made

124
00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,280
Speaker 1: their running. Yeah, and I was on the I was

125
00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:20,479
Speaker 1: on the boat early that I thought DeAndre Jordan could

126
00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,600
Speaker 1: play those first six you know, five minutes it will

127
00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:24,960
Speaker 1: be fine, but I think I'm starting to turn over

128
00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,320
Speaker 1: onto the other side. Like the offense is just too

129
00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,400
Speaker 1: ugly when he's out there. And even when Dwight was

130
00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:31,320
Speaker 1: out there, I thought tonight it was bad. Um he

131
00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,080
Speaker 1: kind of gets he gets off the loose, a lot,

132
00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,200
Speaker 1: off the hook a lot with DeAndre Jordan and not

133
00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:38,320
Speaker 1: playing the way he does. But yeah, like I feel

134
00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:39,880
Speaker 1: like we're gonna have to go to this a d

135
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,320
Speaker 1: at the five more. Like Russ just can't get going.

136
00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,560
Speaker 1: And I thought that second quarter when I think the

137
00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,120
Speaker 1: Calves made like ten straight shots in a row, I

138
00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,560
Speaker 1: believe that was Um. That was with like Russ. I

139
00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,880
Speaker 1: think it was Russ, Um Dwight and like Mellow and

140
00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,720
Speaker 1: you saw Vogo kind of Vogo kind of put his

141
00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,919
Speaker 1: foot down, right, Malik Monks only played four minutes in

142
00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,919
Speaker 1: that first half. Carmela was getting picked on relentlessly, and

143
00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:02,760
Speaker 1: I don't like those lineups when he's out there with

144
00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,039
Speaker 1: just Dwight, and I think he was also Leak Monk

145
00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,719
Speaker 1: and he's like the main help defender, so every single

146
00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,680
Speaker 1: time it's just a pick and roll. And they have

147
00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,520
Speaker 1: really like high powered guards, right, Daris Garland a guy

148
00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,400
Speaker 1: who can pull up. It's called Saxton as well, but

149
00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,400
Speaker 1: mainly it was Garland. He was coming off. D White

150
00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:19,560
Speaker 1: was up and it's Carmelo's job to help, and they

151
00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,720
Speaker 1: just got picked on relentlessly. And I thought this was

152
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,600
Speaker 1: the first time I saw Vogo kind of put his

153
00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,840
Speaker 1: foot down, like, no, if you're not gonna make that rotation,

154
00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,240
Speaker 1: you're not gonna play. He pulled a mellow for Baysmore

155
00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,320
Speaker 1: Monk got pulled instantly, and then Austin reaves man like,

156
00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:32,880
Speaker 1: I don't know if he wants I don't know if

157
00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:34,000
Speaker 1: you want to be if he wants to be the

158
00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:35,960
Speaker 1: next guy we talked about, But I said, I just

159
00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,680
Speaker 1: I just thought he was huge, man like, like, I

160
00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,200
Speaker 1: know it's not flash here or anything, but everything he

161
00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,600
Speaker 1: does kind of just comes off the screen just because

162
00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,440
Speaker 1: of how our other guards defend. Like he plays well.

163
00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,920
Speaker 1: He got a lot of like uh close to jump

164
00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,080
Speaker 1: all plays. He just in the right He's just in

165
00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,880
Speaker 1: the right place. He chases over screens correctly, he makes

166
00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,360
Speaker 1: the right read and it just fits our defensive coverage.

167
00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:57,840
Speaker 1: What do you think of Austin reads? Because I thought

168
00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,400
Speaker 1: I treated that he might need to start, like if

169
00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:01,920
Speaker 1: we're gonna go to this a D of the five,

170
00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,680
Speaker 1: which it seems like it needs to. And maybe just

171
00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,600
Speaker 1: because the injuries, DeAndre Jordan will continue to start here

172
00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,040
Speaker 1: and maybe the win tonight continues that as well. But

173
00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,160
Speaker 1: I feel like we're gonna have to eventually go small

174
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,240
Speaker 1: and without injuries, he might be the one that fits

175
00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,640
Speaker 1: in what do you see from Austin Reeves. So yeah,

176
00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,040
Speaker 1: so let's so this is actually the perfect a little

177
00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,480
Speaker 1: segue into the Laker defense because I thought Austin Reeves,

178
00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:27,000
Speaker 1: Avery Bradley, and Dwight Poward in particular, phase more two

179
00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,800
Speaker 1: as well had a little stretch in the second quarter

180
00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:35,880
Speaker 1: in particular. But those those four guys ignited the Laker defense,

181
00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,080
Speaker 1: and the Stars ended up following suit. As bad as

182
00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,400
Speaker 1: Lebron and a D were defensively to start the game,

183
00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,920
Speaker 1: they both were outrageously good and at the end of

184
00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:50,319
Speaker 1: the fourth quarter blowing up stuff around the rim. So

185
00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:55,120
Speaker 1: but the backwards, the ask bactwards. Part of that is

186
00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,160
Speaker 1: the fact that it started with the role players, and

187
00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,960
Speaker 1: that so to be I'm saying that as a massive

188
00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,800
Speaker 1: compliment to Austin Reeves, to Avery Bradley and to those guys. However,

189
00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,920
Speaker 1: it shouldn't work that way. And that's that's the one

190
00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,480
Speaker 1: thing that I'd like to see to see shifted moving

191
00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,199
Speaker 1: moving forward, is it needs to be Lebron and a

192
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,280
Speaker 1: D and Russ that set that example because you know

193
00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,800
Speaker 1: what like that, that sort of thing will make it

194
00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,840
Speaker 1: so that these because there's a consistency you can expect

195
00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:24,840
Speaker 1: from those guys, but the other guys on the perpherty

196
00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,960
Speaker 1: like Mellow, like MOLIEKMNK, those guys are are inconsistent with

197
00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,120
Speaker 1: their defensive effort or lack their ball together, and so

198
00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,439
Speaker 1: they're going to be more willing to put in that

199
00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,840
Speaker 1: type of effort and gain that type of identity if

200
00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,240
Speaker 1: they see the stars do. And I thought it was

201
00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,680
Speaker 1: kind of unfortunate tonight that it required the role players

202
00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,439
Speaker 1: to come in, uh you know, specifically role players that

203
00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:49,839
Speaker 1: were never intended to be part of this rotation to

204
00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,000
Speaker 1: begin with, like Bradley, like Reeves, who came in and

205
00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,800
Speaker 1: ignited the team. As as awesome as it was and

206
00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:57,440
Speaker 1: as great as those guys are, and we're gonna talk

207
00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,720
Speaker 1: a lot about what they did to help you know

208
00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,400
Speaker 1: why it works with them on the floor, But I

209
00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:06,640
Speaker 1: just I don't as an identity of this team. It

210
00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:09,559
Speaker 1: needs to trickle down from the top and and I'm hope,

211
00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:13,080
Speaker 1: I'm hopeful that moving forward, that's something that Lebron and

212
00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:16,720
Speaker 1: a d and Russe will embrace, because that's pretty shameful

213
00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,000
Speaker 1: when the undrafted kid comes in and finally gets you

214
00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,920
Speaker 1: to start playing hard, Like the kid who's literally fighting

215
00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,560
Speaker 1: for his spot in the league is the one that

216
00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:28,600
Speaker 1: finally convinces you to hit the jets a little bit,

217
00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,240
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. But yeah, I mean, the

218
00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,520
Speaker 1: Austar reach thing is that simple. It's just it's it's

219
00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:36,360
Speaker 1: bottled up energy that is just being released, you know, unendingly.

220
00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,440
Speaker 1: And during his during his shift on the floor, he

221
00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,959
Speaker 1: literally is selling out on the defensive end, even at

222
00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,679
Speaker 1: the expense of his body. He's diving in, getting two

223
00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:46,400
Speaker 1: hands on the ball every time a guy picks up

224
00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,680
Speaker 1: his dribble, putting his chest and face annoy. He's gonna

225
00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:52,560
Speaker 1: get elbows, he's gonna get you know, shoulders in the

226
00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,480
Speaker 1: chin and all sorts of crazy stuff. He's gonna take

227
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,480
Speaker 1: the beating. He's putting in the work because it's a

228
00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,160
Speaker 1: dirty job. It's a dirty job. The chase dudes over

229
00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,199
Speaker 1: the top of pick and roll when in the NBA

230
00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:05,800
Speaker 1: the other team is running sixty pick and rolls at night,

231
00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:07,560
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like, it's a dirty job, right,

232
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,720
Speaker 1: and someone's got to be willing to do it. And

233
00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,920
Speaker 1: so far early in the season, Reeves and Bradley and

234
00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,000
Speaker 1: Baysmore have been the three guys who have been willing

235
00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,760
Speaker 1: to do it. Yeah, and you brought up the Reeves defense,

236
00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,800
Speaker 1: and that's all true, but I think even on offense

237
00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,199
Speaker 1: as well, Like I don't think you talked about him

238
00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:24,400
Speaker 1: as like a guy who attacks closeouts, right, He's really

239
00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,280
Speaker 1: good at that, and I thought you saw him like

240
00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,240
Speaker 1: as a connector. Again, tonight he had a couple of

241
00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:31,000
Speaker 1: like really nice passes where he like shot fake drove

242
00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,600
Speaker 1: and then like cross core passed to the corner and mellow,

243
00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:35,280
Speaker 1: and then he had one with the ball moved and

244
00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,000
Speaker 1: I think he like passed fake found Russ at the rim,

245
00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,240
Speaker 1: like he just knows how to play. And again those

246
00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,240
Speaker 1: are all cliches, I guess, but he's just really good

247
00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:45,320
Speaker 1: as a guy who's a connector who can put play

248
00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,800
Speaker 1: next to stars and it just fits. And his defense

249
00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,160
Speaker 1: is at a baseline level enough. And again he'll get

250
00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,120
Speaker 1: picked on and stuff like that. But I thought, just tonight,

251
00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,800
Speaker 1: putting him on the guards like Ruby, Ricky Robio got

252
00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,160
Speaker 1: him a couple of times. And again Ricky Roubrio turns

253
00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,440
Speaker 1: into Steph Curry mixed with Damian Lillard and the Lakers.

254
00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,720
Speaker 1: For some reason, you could see Carmelo being like man,

255
00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:04,760
Speaker 1: I put a hand up in like a step back

256
00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:07,120
Speaker 1: left three on the wing side. But I thought, like

257
00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:09,320
Speaker 1: Austin Reis did a nice job on him as well.

258
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:11,520
Speaker 1: And again, I'm just trying to fit and see how

259
00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,800
Speaker 1: like if eight is gonna start at the five, you

260
00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,280
Speaker 1: need two other wing guys next to Russ and Lebron,

261
00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,880
Speaker 1: and like if if Reeves is the guy, I think

262
00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:20,680
Speaker 1: he can fit until we get our kind of full

263
00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,200
Speaker 1: rotation going. But yeah, I thought he was really good,

264
00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,320
Speaker 1: and shout out to Avery Bradley Man. He was a

265
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,880
Speaker 1: plus twenty. I think um at the end of the

266
00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,000
Speaker 1: third or something like that, he was a plus twenty.

267
00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,800
Speaker 1: And he just fits Vogel's kind of defensive style, like

268
00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,240
Speaker 1: you could tell Vogel likes him. They have that connection

269
00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,079
Speaker 1: from and I think he's gonna play a lot going forward,

270
00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:39,760
Speaker 1: especially if his three is going down. But he's just

271
00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:44,720
Speaker 1: a tenacious guy, high like point of attack defense. Yeah,

272
00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,480
Speaker 1: but like that that like Tenation's point of attack defender

273
00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:49,640
Speaker 1: gets into you, like, you know, as a little sturdy,

274
00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,679
Speaker 1: doesn't you know, give up anything, like goes around screens,

275
00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,599
Speaker 1: chases like that just fits what Vogel wants defensively. You

276
00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,160
Speaker 1: could tell like he went to him over Molikue Monk

277
00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,000
Speaker 1: and you know, every Bradley wasn't even on the team

278
00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:01,800
Speaker 1: him to like a couple of weeks ago, but he

279
00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,400
Speaker 1: went with him over Mi League mon because he's the

280
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:05,920
Speaker 1: guy who's gonna defend harder. And Bradley knows the system,

281
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,720
Speaker 1: knows the plays. Um, he's coming off these like little handoffs.

282
00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,079
Speaker 1: He had a nice like I think dribble handoff with

283
00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:12,839
Speaker 1: a d race coord at the rim. He just kind

284
00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,200
Speaker 1: of knows the team and he fits. I think he's

285
00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:16,960
Speaker 1: gonna play a lot going forward. But yeah, I shout

286
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:18,440
Speaker 1: out to them base more as well. But I thought

287
00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,199
Speaker 1: he played his role. Um, just high effort guys, and

288
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:22,920
Speaker 1: I think you need that. I want to ask you

289
00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,719
Speaker 1: this because we're going into this stretch of like we're

290
00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,000
Speaker 1: playing a bunch of bad teams, right, I'm not sure

291
00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,560
Speaker 1: who they played next. Yeah, back to back, back to

292
00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:34,319
Speaker 1: back with Houston at home Sunday Tuesday, and then Thursday

293
00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:36,320
Speaker 1: they played okay see again at home and then on

294
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,400
Speaker 1: Saturday go to Portland. So you got three straight really

295
00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,920
Speaker 1: really really really really bad and then uh and then

296
00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,199
Speaker 1: they'll up for I'm wondering, like if we're about to

297
00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:47,480
Speaker 1: see something like bad habits kind of build up, because

298
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,040
Speaker 1: I thought that's what tonight was like, even though I

299
00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:51,640
Speaker 1: thought it would be a little different because of what

300
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:53,880
Speaker 1: happened and okay see, like and again I thought they

301
00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,400
Speaker 1: started well, but then they completely again took the foot

302
00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,360
Speaker 1: off the gas. Some of that is line up as well,

303
00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,280
Speaker 1: but like we might see a couple of bad habits

304
00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,160
Speaker 1: because you could tell A D and Lebron really coasted

305
00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,240
Speaker 1: through that first half, Like, look, Evan, Evan moment was

306
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:07,679
Speaker 1: really good, Like I think that guy is going to

307
00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:09,959
Speaker 1: be special, but he was like was seven for ten

308
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,880
Speaker 1: in that first half. Like there was just no resistance

309
00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:14,960
Speaker 1: on the defensive end. And I tweeted this before, like

310
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,760
Speaker 1: our defensive talent isn't good enough to where if Bron

311
00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:19,680
Speaker 1: and a D are disengaged on the end and we're

312
00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:21,160
Speaker 1: just not going to defend, well, what do you think

313
00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:22,960
Speaker 1: about like, do you think there's some bad habits they

314
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:24,880
Speaker 1: are going to be built here as we're going into

315
00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:28,520
Speaker 1: the stretch with some more bad teams. Yeah, I mean

316
00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:30,880
Speaker 1: I think I think Russ in particular will want to

317
00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:35,160
Speaker 1: get his revenge on Oklahoma. But but but the Houston

318
00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,800
Speaker 1: ones in particularly, I mean, here's the thing, and this

319
00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,800
Speaker 1: is what we were talking about this from an identity perspective,

320
00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,080
Speaker 1: right because I was actually talking with Samus Fonder about

321
00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:47,760
Speaker 1: this on Twitter earlier, Like, you know, the Lakers were

322
00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,920
Speaker 1: so much fun to root for because you know, people

323
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,720
Speaker 1: like rooting for people who work hard. That's just it's

324
00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,480
Speaker 1: just the reality. Like, it doesn't It doesn't make you

325
00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:59,400
Speaker 1: more likable as an athlete to to coast and b

326
00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,720
Speaker 1: as your right through stuff, even if you do get wins.

327
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,240
Speaker 1: That's an unlikable trade. You know what was Zack Loo

328
00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,840
Speaker 1: did a really good job of this pointing this out

329
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:12,280
Speaker 1: in the season. From the start from training camp, Lebron

330
00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,920
Speaker 1: and a d embraced the defensive end in a way

331
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,240
Speaker 1: that Lebron in particular had not done so since two

332
00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:23,920
Speaker 1: thousand in Cleveland, and it set a tone that trickled

333
00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,640
Speaker 1: down the roster and that's how they went twenty four

334
00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:28,960
Speaker 1: and three to start the year. They had extremely good

335
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,160
Speaker 1: defensive habits that started from the top down. And what's

336
00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,120
Speaker 1: been really unfortunate about this season in particular is, you know,

337
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,280
Speaker 1: a d we had a tendency to cut Anthony Davis

338
00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,680
Speaker 1: slack because he's so incredibly talented, and the same goes

339
00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,320
Speaker 1: for Lebron, Like Lebron had fifteen points in the first

340
00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,640
Speaker 1: half and had some dunks and you know, uh was

341
00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:53,040
Speaker 1: it was pretty active offensively, but it's like, actually, he

342
00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:54,880
Speaker 1: was hurting the team in a lot of ways defensively,

343
00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,400
Speaker 1: And the same goes for Anthony Davis, Like, how who's

344
00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:59,840
Speaker 1: gonna look at Anthony Davis who's averaging twenty eight points

345
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,880
Speaker 1: and shooting coming into tonight and be like, you have

346
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,480
Speaker 1: to be better. You know, it's hard to do that,

347
00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,720
Speaker 1: but that's the reality of their talent level as Tier

348
00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:12,520
Speaker 1: one superstars, guys who are above everyone else in the league,

349
00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:17,280
Speaker 1: Like shooting isn't enough if you're coasting through the game

350
00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,120
Speaker 1: on the defensive end of the floor, and especially with Lebron,

351
00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:23,560
Speaker 1: like it's Lebron, Like these dudes literally grew up watching you.

352
00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,240
Speaker 1: A lot of these younger guys on your team, like

353
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,040
Speaker 1: Malik Monk grew up watching you. You don't think he's

354
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,000
Speaker 1: going to watch you stand with your hands on your

355
00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,520
Speaker 1: hips and watching Darius Scarland lay up the ball and

356
00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:38,040
Speaker 1: offering no help and think like, like, I guess I

357
00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:39,480
Speaker 1: don't have to do that either, you know what I mean?

358
00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,560
Speaker 1: Like it's it trickles down, and so from that standpoint,

359
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,080
Speaker 1: like I'm hopeful that in these Houston games and in

360
00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,680
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City game, that Lebron and a d just

361
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:52,440
Speaker 1: attap the game themselves to try to, you know, set

362
00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,040
Speaker 1: that tone early, which will trickle down because at the

363
00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:56,880
Speaker 1: end of the day, when you're up twenty six, like

364
00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:58,920
Speaker 1: they were in Oklahoma City the other night, you'd like

365
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,960
Speaker 1: to have those guys it out there for quarter, you know,

366
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,280
Speaker 1: you'd like to have them rest like a lot of

367
00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:06,600
Speaker 1: the two thousand sixteen Warriors, you know what I mean,

368
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:11,440
Speaker 1: Like have a d quarters this year. That's possible if

369
00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,800
Speaker 1: against the games against the teams like Houston, you put

370
00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,840
Speaker 1: people away, put teams away, and don't let it drag out.

371
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,760
Speaker 1: But you and I both know how this is gonna go.

372
00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,720
Speaker 1: It's gonna get ugly. Um, I just it's just this

373
00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:28,280
Speaker 1: team's identity. To this point, they've shown me that they're lazy.

374
00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:32,840
Speaker 1: So if that changes, then I will change my take

375
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,639
Speaker 1: on what the team's identity is. But right now, every

376
00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,719
Speaker 1: single game this year, they've had a lack of focus

377
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:40,199
Speaker 1: and effort on the defensive end of the floor for

378
00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,879
Speaker 1: extended stretches of the game, which wasn't the case in

379
00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,600
Speaker 1: previous years. So that what would tell you that there

380
00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:48,840
Speaker 1: would change in Houston all of a sudden. Yeah, for sure,

381
00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:50,280
Speaker 1: that's what it seems like it's going to be. And

382
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,480
Speaker 1: again I thought tonight after that Oklahoma City kind of lost,

383
00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:55,320
Speaker 1: there would be a little bit different. I thought, like

384
00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:57,800
Speaker 1: the starting ened, they come out and play well, but

385
00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,560
Speaker 1: maybe that just second quarter there where like Calves again

386
00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:02,600
Speaker 1: hit tense straight at any ready, like the lineups either

387
00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,760
Speaker 1: mellow Dwight next to them. But let's move on to

388
00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:07,879
Speaker 1: Russ because obviously Russ is gonna be the story. Like

389
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,919
Speaker 1: I said every single night, I thought today again, he

390
00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:12,520
Speaker 1: had a lot of like I don't know how many

391
00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:14,760
Speaker 1: turnovers he had. He should have probably had double if

392
00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,720
Speaker 1: like his teammates didn't catch them. He does a lot

393
00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:19,280
Speaker 1: of like this. He still does a lot of this,

394
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,280
Speaker 1: like where he drives, expects help, there's no help, and

395
00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:23,960
Speaker 1: it's like he's in the air and now he has

396
00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,919
Speaker 1: to throw it back out and it's like it's pretty

397
00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,280
Speaker 1: much a turnover, even though someone does catch it. But

398
00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,560
Speaker 1: I thought like that transition with Lebron, I thought that

399
00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,600
Speaker 1: was something that was nice, like we found them kind

400
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,560
Speaker 1: of connecting transition. I thought like they found something as

401
00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:37,919
Speaker 1: well at the end of the game, where like it

402
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,000
Speaker 1: was pretty like that's how the end of the games

403
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:41,480
Speaker 1: are gonna go. Right in the playoff games are now

404
00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,119
Speaker 1: Lebron's gonna have the ball, he's gonna have a D

405
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,520
Speaker 1: as a screener, and Russ is gonna be off the ball.

406
00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,200
Speaker 1: And I thought they kind of found something. They stuck

407
00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,440
Speaker 1: him kind of in that dunker spot there when a

408
00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:51,879
Speaker 1: d was at the five and it and it works

409
00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:53,959
Speaker 1: because you don't have another big in there. But like

410
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,560
Speaker 1: I thought, he played okay, it was again another Russ game.

411
00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,680
Speaker 1: What do you see from him tonight? So to rewatch

412
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:04,280
Speaker 1: the fourth quarter to see exactly the way Cleveland guarded

413
00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,320
Speaker 1: him in those pick and roll actions that they spam. Um,

414
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,920
Speaker 1: I thought he, like you said, he was in the

415
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,280
Speaker 1: dunker spot. I thought I thought he might have been

416
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,080
Speaker 1: in the strong side corner for some of it, but

417
00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,240
Speaker 1: I need to rewatch it because I just honestly don't

418
00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,920
Speaker 1: remember exactly. But over the course of the game, from

419
00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,080
Speaker 1: the beginning, it was such a textbook Russell Westbrook type

420
00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,960
Speaker 1: of game. Like early early on, you have him bully

421
00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:30,520
Speaker 1: Darius Garland to the basket for a layup, like that's

422
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:33,000
Speaker 1: match up hunting that I think is gonna be devastating

423
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,400
Speaker 1: in playoff series, is especially against a team like Brooklyn

424
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,960
Speaker 1: for instance, Like he's gonna be able to take Patty

425
00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,320
Speaker 1: Mills or Kyrie Irving and just bury him in the

426
00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:44,959
Speaker 1: basket on on occasion in a way that will force

427
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,439
Speaker 1: Brooklyn to have to send double teams, which will trickle

428
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,520
Speaker 1: down to open shots he had. He hit. The three

429
00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:53,760
Speaker 1: that he took was wide open at the top of

430
00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:55,520
Speaker 1: the key, so much so that he had a chance

431
00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:57,280
Speaker 1: to think about it, which I think is almost good

432
00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,359
Speaker 1: for him, like he should always be thinking not shoot,

433
00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,600
Speaker 1: But if the defense is literally making him, then he

434
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:05,840
Speaker 1: can really get set up, get balanced, get his hands

435
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:07,880
Speaker 1: on the laces and knock it down, which he did.

436
00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,240
Speaker 1: And then and then there was another possession where he

437
00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:15,000
Speaker 1: caught the ball on the left corner and Jared Allen

438
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:16,960
Speaker 1: like chased him off the three point line. He just

439
00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:19,240
Speaker 1: went in and dunked it like that's the but he

440
00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:22,600
Speaker 1: but he took his time to set up for his shot,

441
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,679
Speaker 1: which baded Jared Allen to coming out that kind of

442
00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,040
Speaker 1: patience with his jump shot is is really good. And

443
00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,040
Speaker 1: then he also had an offensive refound on the first quarter.

444
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:32,439
Speaker 1: All good, but he also had three turnovers in the

445
00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,920
Speaker 1: first quarter, and like two or three additional plays where

446
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:36,480
Speaker 1: like you said, when he put his head down and

447
00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:38,480
Speaker 1: just barreled into the lane when there wasn't really anything

448
00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,160
Speaker 1: there and just threw the ball back out And two

449
00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:43,680
Speaker 1: of them in particular, were deflected and very easily could

450
00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:46,480
Speaker 1: have been turnovers for dunks, but just happened by the

451
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,000
Speaker 1: luck to bounce into the hands of Lakers. So that's

452
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:51,400
Speaker 1: the rust of Westbrook experience, right. I just described five

453
00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:53,639
Speaker 1: good plays and five point plays, Like that's kind of

454
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:55,800
Speaker 1: the way it goes. And every time I see that,

455
00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,200
Speaker 1: I just think to myself, like, if he can somehow

456
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,720
Speaker 1: find a way to try to him back on some

457
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:03,679
Speaker 1: of the bad, this guy can really raise the ceiling

458
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,119
Speaker 1: of the team. But but overall, I thought it was

459
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:10,000
Speaker 1: more or less your average type of Russ performance. The

460
00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,320
Speaker 1: big thing that I'm looking to look at in the

461
00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:16,000
Speaker 1: tape tomorrow is how they utilized Russ in those pick

462
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,280
Speaker 1: and roll actions and whether or not because if Cleveland,

463
00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,840
Speaker 1: if Cleveland was staying home on Russ, then it's kind

464
00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:28,240
Speaker 1: of fools gold, right, because any really good defensive team

465
00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,320
Speaker 1: is going to ignore Russ in those situations. So you know,

466
00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:35,480
Speaker 1: I'm really interested to see, uh really really look back

467
00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,280
Speaker 1: at those pick and roll possessions and see what Cleveland

468
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,399
Speaker 1: was doing with Russ. But overall, good game, just typical Russ,

469
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,960
Speaker 1: good and bad, mixed type of deal. Yeah, So for

470
00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:47,080
Speaker 1: us only thirteen shot attempts in thirty four minutes, he

471
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,760
Speaker 1: was eight of thirteen um put in a five or six, six,

472
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,320
Speaker 1: five assists, six rebounds. But I thought he did away

473
00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:55,440
Speaker 1: with those like really bad shots like you always talking

474
00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,560
Speaker 1: about Tim the fat right, like he took something. He

475
00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,960
Speaker 1: took those banker three baker banker like mid range shots,

476
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,000
Speaker 1: which I kind of I'm okay with. I think he

477
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,600
Speaker 1: hits those in okay percentage where like he's in the

478
00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,879
Speaker 1: post isolation, Lakers aren't really running anything and he's just

479
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:10,560
Speaker 1: against the switch and he tries to bank it in.

480
00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,080
Speaker 1: But like those like transition mid range pulled up, I

481
00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:15,720
Speaker 1: thought he kind of took those away. Um, he took one.

482
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:17,720
Speaker 1: He only took one. Three and he made it. It

483
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:19,320
Speaker 1: was that one where he's wide open at the top.

484
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,399
Speaker 1: You talked about it, but he didn't take those like

485
00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:23,200
Speaker 1: you know, I made a layup. Let me come down

486
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,240
Speaker 1: and and do like a job step three or one

487
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,040
Speaker 1: of those. Like he took all those out. And maybe

488
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,000
Speaker 1: that's just like the result of playing next to Lebron,

489
00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:32,320
Speaker 1: I guess. And I thought like they were staggered pretty

490
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,560
Speaker 1: nicely tonight. Um. And when he got to play with

491
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:37,320
Speaker 1: like a D at the five, I thought it looked

492
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:39,480
Speaker 1: pretty good. Like him and a D ran a couple

493
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:41,080
Speaker 1: of ball screens and it looked like it was kind

494
00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,040
Speaker 1: of working. Um, he got a lob to a D

495
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:44,840
Speaker 1: on one of the players. In the fourth, he got

496
00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:46,840
Speaker 1: to the rim he finished. Um, this was one of

497
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,199
Speaker 1: the better like Russ games. Even if you put in

498
00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,719
Speaker 1: the turnovers, which are never gonna go away, that's just

499
00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:53,840
Speaker 1: kind of the that's just kind of what you get

500
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,000
Speaker 1: when you play with Russ. So I thought he was okay, like,

501
00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,520
Speaker 1: this is what it should be, right, thirteen shot attempts.

502
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:00,440
Speaker 1: Maybe that's a little a little low, but he was

503
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,160
Speaker 1: super efficient on him and that's all you can really ask.

504
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,240
Speaker 1: And I thought he fit kind of the defense as well.

505
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:07,960
Speaker 1: I thought his defense was fine um in the fourth too,

506
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,160
Speaker 1: But yeah, that's kind of what I saw from Russ

507
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,000
Speaker 1: Who else? Who else do you want to talk about

508
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,399
Speaker 1: from tonight? Well? I wanted to talk a little bit

509
00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:16,560
Speaker 1: more about the defense, so you know, but what was

510
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,600
Speaker 1: so interesting about the last couple of years with the

511
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,160
Speaker 1: Lakers is, you know, for as much as people would

512
00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,240
Speaker 1: make fun of the Lakers, is particularly the Spectrum sports

513
00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,640
Speaker 1: Net broadcast would always throw up that graphic like Lakers

514
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:31,240
Speaker 1: haven't scored in four minutes and thirty two seconds, and

515
00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:32,840
Speaker 1: it would be like ticking on the bottom of the screen.

516
00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:34,600
Speaker 1: They actually used it tonight at the start of the

517
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,159
Speaker 1: fourth quarter, which I thought was primarily a result of

518
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,720
Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook co opting the ball from Lebron. And then

519
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,280
Speaker 1: when then when Lebron finally was like enough of this

520
00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:46,800
Speaker 1: and to control, things kind of settled down. But the

521
00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:49,880
Speaker 1: what's what was so funny about that as teams, people

522
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:51,800
Speaker 1: would make fun of the Lakers for going through these

523
00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:55,679
Speaker 1: extensive scoring droughts. You and I would always point out

524
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,680
Speaker 1: in almost every win there was there was a pivotal

525
00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:02,280
Speaker 1: defense of stretchy like a stretch, a stretch of the

526
00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,399
Speaker 1: game where they just choked the life out of the

527
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,880
Speaker 1: other team. And during that stretch, you know, even if

528
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,679
Speaker 1: the Lakers only scored, you know, in a in a

529
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,560
Speaker 1: twelve minute quarter, even if they only scored twenty two points,

530
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:17,439
Speaker 1: they'd end up holding the other team to like nine

531
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,040
Speaker 1: or something like that, you know, and they win. That

532
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,480
Speaker 1: was the identity of that team. There was always that

533
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:27,119
Speaker 1: pivotal defensive stretch. And this year there have been a

534
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,959
Speaker 1: handful of short defensive stretches a couple of minutes here,

535
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,000
Speaker 1: a couple of minutes there, where the right lineup is

536
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,480
Speaker 1: out there and they get a bunch of stops. But

537
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,639
Speaker 1: they had never been able to put multiple of those together,

538
00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,320
Speaker 1: or an extended one of those together. In the first

539
00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:45,240
Speaker 1: three quarters tonight are more like the first two and

540
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,119
Speaker 1: a half quarters tonight. There was that one stretch in

541
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,480
Speaker 1: the second quarter to the end of the quarter where

542
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,480
Speaker 1: you know, for about four minutes they held the calves. Uh.

543
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,440
Speaker 1: It was either scoreless or nearly scoreless. I can't remember

544
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,600
Speaker 1: what it was, but all around that was Garba defense.

545
00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,760
Speaker 1: But with two minutes and forty something seconds left in

546
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,399
Speaker 1: the third quarters, all the way to the two minute

547
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,639
Speaker 1: fifteen second mark in the fourth quarter, when the Cats

548
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,760
Speaker 1: took out all their starters, so over one quarter, twelve

549
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,320
Speaker 1: minute and twelve and a half minute stretch, basically they

550
00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,560
Speaker 1: helped the Cats to ten point. Yeah, that is a

551
00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:24,320
Speaker 1: that is a vintage l a Laker defensive stifling. We're

552
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,159
Speaker 1: literally choking you to death and and we're but the

553
00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:31,919
Speaker 1: difference is this team can score the ball so well, Like,

554
00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,000
Speaker 1: get over that two minutes and forty something seconds at

555
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,760
Speaker 1: the end of the third the Lakers scored twelve points,

556
00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,000
Speaker 1: you know, and then and then the start of the fourth,

557
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,760
Speaker 1: the Lakers got really sloppy offensively and they gave up

558
00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,240
Speaker 1: those ten That's where those ten points basically were scored,

559
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,280
Speaker 1: the ten points that Cleveland scored, and then they like

560
00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,880
Speaker 1: completely strangled them again. And their offense is so nuclear

561
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,520
Speaker 1: with the shooting that they have now because the guys

562
00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,240
Speaker 1: around Anthony Davis and Lebron are are so much better

563
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,520
Speaker 1: at shooting the ball up and they were in previous years,

564
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 1: like Carmelo for instance, they just completely blew the game open.

565
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,040
Speaker 1: All of a sudden, you're up twelve and it's pretty

566
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:10,000
Speaker 1: much over. Now Here comes the Calves taking their starters

567
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,000
Speaker 1: at the game point. Being like, I always wanted the

568
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,439
Speaker 1: addition of offensive talent to this team to be something

569
00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,080
Speaker 1: that complemented the defense, not something that replaced the defense.

570
00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,040
Speaker 1: That was never gonna work. Trying to outscore teams was

571
00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,080
Speaker 1: never going to be a way that this could work.

572
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,679
Speaker 1: The only way to look at it was if we

573
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:33,200
Speaker 1: infuse some offensive talent with this group, maybe the offense,

574
00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,560
Speaker 1: maybe our runs would be even more explosive and even

575
00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,919
Speaker 1: more dominant. It was meant to raise the ceiling of

576
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,960
Speaker 1: the team, not to change the identity of the team.

577
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,320
Speaker 1: And so that's the key moving forward for me. That stretch,

578
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,200
Speaker 1: that twelve minute stretch, that needs to be like your basketball,

579
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 1: like your basketball needs to be we are the same

580
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,840
Speaker 1: as our championship team with more offensive talent, so that

581
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:56,760
Speaker 1: our runs are even more explosive and so that we're

582
00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:58,719
Speaker 1: even more dominant. That needs to be the way that

583
00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:01,520
Speaker 1: the Stars think, the way they approached the game, because

584
00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,080
Speaker 1: if that's the case, this team will win the title.

585
00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,840
Speaker 1: But if it becomes a swap thing where we're giving

586
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,200
Speaker 1: away a bunch of ground defensively and making up for

587
00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,919
Speaker 1: it offensively, this team will lose to somebody in the

588
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:15,639
Speaker 1: Western Conference playoffs, probably a Phoenix, probably a Utah, probably

589
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:17,760
Speaker 1: Golden State. That's that's kind of the way I see

590
00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:20,840
Speaker 1: it in my opinion. Yeah, like you talked about that

591
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,680
Speaker 1: defensive the four, they shut the calves water off like that,

592
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,800
Speaker 1: that's what they Basically, they completely shut the just and

593
00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:28,880
Speaker 1: it was a complete diversion from the whole game, right,

594
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:30,840
Speaker 1: So like they were coming off these screens and they

595
00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,159
Speaker 1: were doing whatever they wanted. And in the fourth, Lebron

596
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:34,960
Speaker 1: and a d were like, no, like we're gonna be

597
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,800
Speaker 1: there on the help. Lebron is there, right, He's he's

598
00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:39,680
Speaker 1: the help defender. That's his job now. And I think

599
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,399
Speaker 1: it was like russ Um when they made that running

600
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,440
Speaker 1: You talked about like that they have the offensive score

601
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,199
Speaker 1: now the offensive was mellow tonight, right, Like you can't

602
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,679
Speaker 1: help off Mellow, especially when he's on like that, like

603
00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,000
Speaker 1: he was obviously on and you could tell you kind

604
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:54,240
Speaker 1: of loves playing in l A And that's pretty cool.

605
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,280
Speaker 1: But it was like Russ Bradley, A D. Lebron and

606
00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:01,080
Speaker 1: Mellow and and three of those people are for from

607
00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:04,760
Speaker 1: that team. Right. We forget that KCP started in the playoffs,

608
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:06,640
Speaker 1: but all year it was Avery Bradley and you could

609
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,400
Speaker 1: tell like they kind of turn it was great. Yeah,

610
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,600
Speaker 1: and you could tell they fit right in defensively, like

611
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:14,240
Speaker 1: Avery Bradley would you know, fight over the screen and

612
00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:16,879
Speaker 1: eighties right there and eighties able to take away the

613
00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,320
Speaker 1: shot from Garland and take away the past the lab

614
00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:21,399
Speaker 1: to Jared Allen or to Mowbley and and then they

615
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,360
Speaker 1: would come down the other end and Lebron has the ball,

616
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,760
Speaker 1: uh someone eighties screen and then they find Mellows. So

617
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:28,919
Speaker 1: but yeah, their defense in that fourth quarter. I just

618
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:31,359
Speaker 1: needed to see that at least a few times. Like

619
00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,240
Speaker 1: I don't need to see it. I want to see

620
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:34,800
Speaker 1: it every night. That would be great. I just don't

621
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:36,520
Speaker 1: think that's what we're gonna get with this team. Like

622
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,640
Speaker 1: this team has pretty it's been pretty clear. Where was

623
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,480
Speaker 1: six games in now and uh, they've given this kind

624
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,320
Speaker 1: of lackluster effort um a few times, and I feel

625
00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 1: like that's what we're gonna continue to get, especially with

626
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,720
Speaker 1: the schedule going as it is against Houston, Oklahoma City,

627
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:51,240
Speaker 1: but just to see that it was really cool because

628
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,280
Speaker 1: you're right, that was the identity of the team, that

629
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,440
Speaker 1: they can really just turn your water off, and that's

630
00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,200
Speaker 1: what they did against Garland and Mobley and all those dudes.

631
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,520
Speaker 1: They couldn't score ten points in the fourth I think

632
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:03,080
Speaker 1: a lot of that was free throws as well. I

633
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,560
Speaker 1: have to go back and watch the fourth quarter, but

634
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 1: it felt like a lot of those were free throws

635
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,320
Speaker 1: and really weird, dumbfouls. But uh, but yeah, that was

636
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:11,960
Speaker 1: it was. It was great to see that they still

637
00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,080
Speaker 1: have that in them. And I feel like every Bradley's

638
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,320
Speaker 1: gonna play a time going forward. Don't about you, but

639
00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:18,200
Speaker 1: I just that's what it felt like from this game.

640
00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,040
Speaker 1: To me, I was gonna see a lot more Avery

641
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:24,239
Speaker 1: Bradley if he plays this well, he will. Yeah, you know,

642
00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:26,840
Speaker 1: the next the next step for me in my opinion,

643
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,560
Speaker 1: because like Cleveland's a good basketball team, You're gonna see

644
00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:31,600
Speaker 1: a lot of Laker detractors over the course of the

645
00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,040
Speaker 1: next forty eight hours trying to point out that Cleveland

646
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,320
Speaker 1: sucks and they don't. If you look at the way

647
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:40,000
Speaker 1: they're constructed. They're they have two bigs, but one of

648
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:41,680
Speaker 1: them is a stretched big. So it's very similar to

649
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,240
Speaker 1: the way the Lakers look with their big lineups, and

650
00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,600
Speaker 1: they're they're big man that they're playing in that Dwight

651
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,320
Speaker 1: DeAndre Jordan's role is a much much better version of

652
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,520
Speaker 1: Dwight in DeAndre and that's that's Jared Allen. He's a

653
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,120
Speaker 1: very very good player at that position, Glory Marketing, really

654
00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,120
Speaker 1: good shooter. And then both of their guards can can

655
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:02,760
Speaker 1: pick you apart out of pick and roll. So they're

656
00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:06,320
Speaker 1: a good basketball team, but they're not at the level

657
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,360
Speaker 1: of a Phoenix or a Golden Spit or a Utah.

658
00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,680
Speaker 1: So so the next step for me that the thing

659
00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,880
Speaker 1: that would really solidify my optimism in this group is

660
00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,320
Speaker 1: one of those twelve ten, ten, twelve fifteen minute stretches

661
00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:25,640
Speaker 1: against one of those teams where they completely shut them down.

662
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,040
Speaker 1: Like the perfect example I'd use would be that Denver

663
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:31,640
Speaker 1: game last year, back when Lebron and Navy were healthy

664
00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,840
Speaker 1: before before the Achilles issue, where they took that Denver

665
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,440
Speaker 1: team and just completely shut them down in the second half,

666
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:43,000
Speaker 1: like to the point where Yoga Yokitchen Murray looks completely helpless.

667
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:44,920
Speaker 1: You know that kind of thing that once I see

668
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,440
Speaker 1: one of those stretches that will kind of solidify it

669
00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:50,080
Speaker 1: for me. But so I actually the question for you now,

670
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,240
Speaker 1: So you know, one of the big things that I've

671
00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:56,760
Speaker 1: been hammering home all summer is this idea that accountability

672
00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:01,840
Speaker 1: will transform inferior or defensive player years into defensive players

673
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,600
Speaker 1: that can do their job. Now, there's a couple of so,

674
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,440
Speaker 1: for instance, like Kyle Kuzma. Kyle Kuzma was a slow

675
00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:11,600
Speaker 1: footed six nine player who you know, in terms of

676
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,760
Speaker 1: his lateral quickness in his first step is pretty blow

677
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:17,680
Speaker 1: average for an NBA player, but he had some size,

678
00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,320
Speaker 1: but that was where he was lacking. So he became

679
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,600
Speaker 1: after being an inferior defensive player to start the campaign

680
00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,640
Speaker 1: and then was really inconsistent in the in the in

681
00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:37,120
Speaker 1: the Luke Walton years, but he became a very solid

682
00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:39,760
Speaker 1: defensive player for the Lakers towards the end of the

683
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:44,840
Speaker 1: championship season and extending into last year. So God, serius

684
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:50,040
Speaker 1: heard me serious, stopped, thank you. I have home pods

685
00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:54,680
Speaker 1: and they're obnoxious anyway, So um, sorry about that guys anyway.

686
00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:58,840
Speaker 1: So um, so, the point is that they were able

687
00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:03,080
Speaker 1: to convert Kuzma up into a passable and serviceable defensive

688
00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:06,520
Speaker 1: player now there. So there's two kind of elements to

689
00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:08,320
Speaker 1: that that are necessary. One, you have to have at

690
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,760
Speaker 1: least something that you bring to the tables an athletes.

691
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,720
Speaker 1: So for instance, Mellow, it's his size. He's big enough

692
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:16,360
Speaker 1: that if he gives a ship enough, he should be

693
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,400
Speaker 1: able to be serviceable. Molik Monk is a very good athlete,

694
00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:22,280
Speaker 1: so even though he's very thin, he's got half decent

695
00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,400
Speaker 1: size at six three in long arms and he's a

696
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,240
Speaker 1: very good athlete, so he has some tool to build around.

697
00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,720
Speaker 1: And then the other big thing is the other players

698
00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:31,480
Speaker 1: on the floor have to be good defensively, so it

699
00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,240
Speaker 1: requires Lebron in a D to be you know, all

700
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,200
Speaker 1: defense level players for this to make sense. But I'm

701
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:40,040
Speaker 1: a big believer that they can be converted. So my

702
00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:44,520
Speaker 1: question for you is, with Frank showing tonight that he

703
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:49,160
Speaker 1: is willing to bench players, including high profile players, for

704
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:52,880
Speaker 1: not defending, do you think that over the course of

705
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,480
Speaker 1: the season through accountability, that some of these inferior Laker

706
00:32:56,520 --> 00:33:01,280
Speaker 1: players can become like Kyle Kuzma, serve supple defense supporters.

707
00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:03,560
Speaker 1: I think they can. I think Kyle Kuzin is a

708
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,280
Speaker 1: great kind of example of this because under like Luke

709
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,400
Speaker 1: Wall and I remember Kyl Klusma didn't even have like

710
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,640
Speaker 1: a defensive stance really like it was really bad. Under Vogel,

711
00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:15,600
Speaker 1: it developed and he became you're right, a service wild defender.

712
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,320
Speaker 1: Kyle Kuzmin is also at like six seven six eight

713
00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:20,720
Speaker 1: or something, so he did kind of have the tools

714
00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:22,600
Speaker 1: to mix for that, like I think some guys can

715
00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:24,480
Speaker 1: of Like I think Leek Monk can be better than

716
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,040
Speaker 1: like what he's shown. I think there's like a baseline

717
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,080
Speaker 1: level that he can get to um, but there's also

718
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,120
Speaker 1: a cap, right, there's a ceiling. It's a small guard.

719
00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:34,040
Speaker 1: He's kind of light. He's not gonna become some great defender,

720
00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:37,160
Speaker 1: but he can become better. I think accountability and if

721
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,680
Speaker 1: your minutes are gone, I'm sure him playing only four

722
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,040
Speaker 1: minutes tonight is a wake up call. Right, Lake Monk

723
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,640
Speaker 1: signed here probably thought, you know, he's gonna it's gonna

724
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,720
Speaker 1: play a bunch off the bench, and he got bench

725
00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,160
Speaker 1: for Austin Reeves, the undrafted kid who came out and

726
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:52,640
Speaker 1: is playing better defensively. So I'm sure that is a

727
00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:55,520
Speaker 1: step up. I still think that's I don't know if

728
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:57,600
Speaker 1: it's a skill and the effort thing. Like I think

729
00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:00,520
Speaker 1: blaming defense all on effort is also a mistake as well.

730
00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:02,800
Speaker 1: I think it's also like lack of focus, lack of

731
00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:05,400
Speaker 1: lack of skill, lack of knowledge, like there's things there.

732
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:07,720
Speaker 1: But you're right. I think Bobo putting his foot down

733
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:09,640
Speaker 1: like tonight. I think tonight was like the first time

734
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:11,960
Speaker 1: he really kind of he really kind of put his

735
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,640
Speaker 1: foot down, especially with pulling Mellow as well for baseball

736
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:16,920
Speaker 1: right away, just showing that you'll you'll do that. I

737
00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:18,400
Speaker 1: think that can be a wake up call. But I

738
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,800
Speaker 1: think it's gonna take time. Um, we're probably not gonna

739
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,160
Speaker 1: see those kind of real developments until the middle of

740
00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:25,000
Speaker 1: the season. And that would be a whole new team

741
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:27,439
Speaker 1: as well. We'll get three new rotation guys, three guys

742
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,000
Speaker 1: who are supposed to be part of the defense. But

743
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:31,880
Speaker 1: I think it can. I just I don't know to

744
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:36,240
Speaker 1: what extent that it would. What do you think, Yeah,

745
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,839
Speaker 1: so I do as well. I think it's a it's

746
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:43,239
Speaker 1: a it's a simple fact of urgency, right like if

747
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:46,479
Speaker 1: you're if you're a Malik monk and you are as

748
00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:50,799
Speaker 1: bad defensively as he was in the San Antonio game. Um,

749
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:55,319
Speaker 1: but you know Frank's not pulling you, and you have

750
00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,080
Speaker 1: the confidence to continue to be aggressive offensively to what

751
00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:00,400
Speaker 1: he was. I mean it basically the the shot of

752
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:02,759
Speaker 1: that game, in that pull and that pull up three

753
00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:05,720
Speaker 1: on the left wing, Like there's no urgency, there's nothing

754
00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:08,680
Speaker 1: that's convincing you to sit down and get in that stance,

755
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,080
Speaker 1: like you know, you have an order of operations when

756
00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,640
Speaker 1: you're playing, Like it's for all of us, for all

757
00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:15,839
Speaker 1: of us old men, all of us guys that are

758
00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:19,280
Speaker 1: just you know, washed playing basketball at our rec league

759
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,200
Speaker 1: or our l a fitness. Like when you go up there,

760
00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:25,359
Speaker 1: you might have a list of priorities. And your list

761
00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:27,799
Speaker 1: of priorities might be like get a sweat, you know,

762
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,480
Speaker 1: it might be like, you know, try try to work

763
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:33,719
Speaker 1: on your shot. Maybe you're working on your post play.

764
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:35,920
Speaker 1: Maybe you get satisfaction at a scoring and that's what

765
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,840
Speaker 1: matters the most of you. But the only way to

766
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,480
Speaker 1: actually sit in a stance and do all the things

767
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:46,080
Speaker 1: that you need to do to get defensive stops at

768
00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:49,799
Speaker 1: your position, which like I said, is dirty work, you

769
00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:52,440
Speaker 1: have to actually want to do it. I mean, the

770
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,440
Speaker 1: easiest way to uh, to want to do it is

771
00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:59,520
Speaker 1: to tie that to winning. That was always will work

772
00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:01,640
Speaker 1: for me, and that's what all that's what works for

773
00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:05,080
Speaker 1: most of the best defensive players in the NBA. It's

774
00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,680
Speaker 1: not that they enjoy sitting in a defensive stance and

775
00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:12,399
Speaker 1: running over picking rolls all day long. It's they love

776
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:17,279
Speaker 1: winning so much, or should say, they hate losing more

777
00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:19,799
Speaker 1: than they hate defending, you know what I mean. And

778
00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:23,560
Speaker 1: from that standpoint, they they drive that to the top

779
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:26,600
Speaker 1: of their list and it becomes their number one priority,

780
00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:29,080
Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, it starts to dictate what

781
00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,759
Speaker 1: they do on the court. And that to me, that

782
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,280
Speaker 1: to me, is where it starts. And so this season

783
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:38,440
Speaker 1: to start, because there's been no urgency because of injuries,

784
00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:41,920
Speaker 1: Frank has been forced to play some guys and he

785
00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:44,440
Speaker 1: was never able to build that urgency. Like what do

786
00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:46,439
Speaker 1: you think Belief Monk is thinking right now, Like he's

787
00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:49,359
Speaker 1: probably happy that the Lakers gotta win, right, but there's

788
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:51,879
Speaker 1: no way in the world that he's not sitting on

789
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,560
Speaker 1: his smartphone right now like kind of thinking to himself,

790
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:56,960
Speaker 1: like man, like I want to be out there, Like

791
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,560
Speaker 1: I think be out there so so how do you

792
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:02,520
Speaker 1: get out and Malik, you get out there by doing

793
00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:05,120
Speaker 1: what Austin Reaves is doing, selling your soul on the

794
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:09,840
Speaker 1: defensive end of the floor. You know, like like Malik

795
00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:13,520
Speaker 1: Monks made more shots than than Austin this year. Malik

796
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:15,960
Speaker 1: Monk has made bigger shots than Austin this year. He

797
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,040
Speaker 1: made the biggest shot of the year probably and that

798
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:20,920
Speaker 1: in that three along the left wing with san Antonio.

799
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,560
Speaker 1: So what did the Laker fans care most about? They

800
00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,120
Speaker 1: seem to like Austin more so far. Why because they

801
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,399
Speaker 1: want to win and they know that Austin right now

802
00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:33,440
Speaker 1: is helping them win to greater extent. So that's your pathway, Malik,

803
00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:36,160
Speaker 1: that's your pathway to a bigger contract, that's your pathway

804
00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:38,680
Speaker 1: to a bigger role, that's your pathway to being a

805
00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:41,960
Speaker 1: significant piece on a winning basketball team. Is caring about

806
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,440
Speaker 1: the defensive end of the floor. So that urgency I

807
00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 1: think will trickle down into his physical tools being applied

808
00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:51,040
Speaker 1: in the proper, proper way, which is selling out on

809
00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:53,160
Speaker 1: the defensive end. And he can be he can and

810
00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:57,120
Speaker 1: should eventually be a good defensive player. I think he

811
00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:00,799
Speaker 1: has that capability. Yeah, he has like the letic tools, right,

812
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,200
Speaker 1: it doesn't really have the size. But also, like Malik Monk,

813
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:05,640
Speaker 1: I think that that's all true. And again, like to

814
00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:07,960
Speaker 1: play on Vogel's team, I think you're gonna have to

815
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:10,360
Speaker 1: defend at a certain level. But Lik Milik Monk was

816
00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:13,480
Speaker 1: brought here to get buckets, right, to score, Like that's

817
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:15,520
Speaker 1: the main reason kind of why they brought him here.

818
00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:17,439
Speaker 1: I think there's line up stuff you can do as well.

819
00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:20,200
Speaker 1: It's like, but the Milik Monk, you still see this

820
00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,920
Speaker 1: like untapped potential, right, But when you see Carmelo, you're like,

821
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,600
Speaker 1: he's not going to get better defensively, right, Carmelo is

822
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,640
Speaker 1: just gonna be who he is. So there's like this

823
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:29,480
Speaker 1: line you kind of you kind of have to walk

824
00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,680
Speaker 1: with it. I think link Monk will be better, But again,

825
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:33,440
Speaker 1: like I still see him as a guy that was

826
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:35,480
Speaker 1: brought here to get buckets, and which is why I

827
00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:37,400
Speaker 1: would like to see him kind of with that starting

828
00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,759
Speaker 1: group or play more minutes next to a d next

829
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:42,200
Speaker 1: to Lebron, two guys who can kind of cover for

830
00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:45,760
Speaker 1: him defensively. He was pulled really quickly because of his defense,

831
00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:47,400
Speaker 1: but also I thought like he was next to I

832
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:49,359
Speaker 1: think it was next to Melo and he was next

833
00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,680
Speaker 1: to Dwight and one other person. I don't remember who

834
00:38:51,719 --> 00:38:54,040
Speaker 1: it was. But it wasn't a great defensive line of either.

835
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,600
Speaker 1: But you're right, yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't. It wasn't.

836
00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:59,040
Speaker 1: It wasn't a great line of your really quickly to

837
00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,480
Speaker 1: throw to throw Malika bone to your point, like, well,

838
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,200
Speaker 1: like I said, the two important qualifiers are it needs

839
00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:08,839
Speaker 1: to be Lebron in a D carring and they need

840
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,920
Speaker 1: to be in that baseline of athletic town. Like the

841
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:15,439
Speaker 1: point is is like even Kyle Kuzma, if I threw

842
00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 1: him out there and some of those garbage lineups, he's

843
00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,719
Speaker 1: going to get barbecued too. So there's a there's a

844
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,360
Speaker 1: baseline here. Like Carmelo looked pretty solid defensively in Crunch

845
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:28,080
Speaker 1: Times tonight. Why because he was around Baysmore and Bradley

846
00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,400
Speaker 1: and Lebron in a D. So you so you're a

847
00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,200
Speaker 1: thousand percent right about that part, Like you need to

848
00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:35,719
Speaker 1: set them up to succeed, but they also have to

849
00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,919
Speaker 1: meet you halfway. Like it's it's part part of Frank

850
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,600
Speaker 1: setting him up to succeed, but it's also part of them,

851
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:45,080
Speaker 1: you know, agreeing to the commitment that Frank is asking

852
00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:48,360
Speaker 1: for sure, and I feel like we're gonna rewatch like

853
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,480
Speaker 1: that first half is gonna look so different to me,

854
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,960
Speaker 1: Like they didn't even make the calves make like two decisions.

855
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:55,799
Speaker 1: It was just a quick like screen roll, wide open

856
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,640
Speaker 1: shop for Lori Market and wide open dunk for Jed Allen.

857
00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:00,719
Speaker 1: In the second half, they really tied it down. I

858
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,759
Speaker 1: wanted to ask you this because was Rondo Rondo wasn't hurt?

859
00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:05,480
Speaker 1: Was he well? I think he was on the injury

860
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:07,920
Speaker 1: report for something, but I think it was still able

861
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:11,240
Speaker 1: to play. But we got zero Rondo Westbrook lineup tonight.

862
00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:13,759
Speaker 1: Actually Ron don't even play, So I'm wondering, what do

863
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,400
Speaker 1: you think? Was that just him hurt? Was that him

864
00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,120
Speaker 1: now kind of getting out of the rotation? What do

865
00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:21,600
Speaker 1: you think? Because that's what I noticed big in this game.

866
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,760
Speaker 1: There was no Rondo Westbrook lineup to piss us off tonight.

867
00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:27,800
Speaker 1: And maybe that's just because he was kind of I

868
00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:30,160
Speaker 1: think he was nursing, like a sore ankle or something

869
00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:32,600
Speaker 1: like that, but no no minutes from I don't think

870
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:35,080
Speaker 1: I think it's all Lebron. I think it's ro. It's

871
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:39,480
Speaker 1: that simple, like he was out of the rotation. I

872
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:41,560
Speaker 1: think after the first game or after the second game.

873
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:44,959
Speaker 1: It was all about the fact that when Lebron went down,

874
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:48,279
Speaker 1: they needed playmaking in those bench lineups, and so they

875
00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:50,279
Speaker 1: had to go to Rondo. And for the record, like

876
00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:53,040
Speaker 1: you know, this is the one big thing that had

877
00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:56,240
Speaker 1: me like chill out about the last couple of games,

878
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,719
Speaker 1: because then even the Spurs win was ugly as all hell,

879
00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:02,319
Speaker 1: you know, but like what like what b what was

880
00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:04,839
Speaker 1: the what was the exact quote that Basemore said. Oh yeah,

881
00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:06,640
Speaker 1: he was like He's like we were without our head.

882
00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:09,919
Speaker 1: Haunt showed and that's the truth. That's the truth, man.

883
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 1: Like you know, we talked, we we talked extensively about

884
00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:15,719
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis and some of his shortcomings in terms of

885
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:20,160
Speaker 1: like leadership um uh in the last pod. And there's

886
00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,200
Speaker 1: some truth to that, Like there there are guys that

887
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,560
Speaker 1: that kinda are going to do better when they get

888
00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:31,439
Speaker 1: behind the more boisterous personality, and that's what what Ron

889
00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:35,120
Speaker 1: is and in all of the guys they like the

890
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:37,480
Speaker 1: whole when when he went down, everything fell out of whack,

891
00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:40,720
Speaker 1: including but not limited to they had to play Rondo

892
00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:43,600
Speaker 1: because they needed somebody to put all these guys in

893
00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:46,799
Speaker 1: the right spots offensively, and and that was why they

894
00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:48,399
Speaker 1: had to pill play Rondo. But you're right, I don't

895
00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:50,719
Speaker 1: think it's associated with the injury. My hope is that

896
00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:54,560
Speaker 1: if Lebron is healthy, you won't see Rondo unless it's

897
00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:57,840
Speaker 1: garbage time. Yeah for sure. But yeah, I thought that

898
00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:00,760
Speaker 1: was just interesting, uh that we didn't get to see him,

899
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,319
Speaker 1: and it was just purely purely Russ and Lebron kind

900
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:05,200
Speaker 1: of running the show. And I thought they found some

901
00:42:05,239 --> 00:42:07,759
Speaker 1: gooding in lineups with that. Russ got to play with

902
00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:09,680
Speaker 1: a D at the five with a couple of shooters

903
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:13,839
Speaker 1: I think it was Russ Reeves, a D Carmelo and

904
00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:16,439
Speaker 1: one other person, and that worked. Russ got to the rim.

905
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:19,520
Speaker 1: You saw him like be able to open up, attack

906
00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:22,120
Speaker 1: the basket, find a D. I thought they found some

907
00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:25,240
Speaker 1: things that worked tonight. So this is a good window.

908
00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:27,360
Speaker 1: I feel like, do you have anything else from tonight

909
00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,640
Speaker 1: to really touch on? I'm good man, let's get like

910
00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:50,640
Speaker 1: two collars up here and calling tonight for sure, Lebron

911
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:54,799
Speaker 1: twenty three? Are you there? So what's going on in

912
00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:59,440
Speaker 1: so obviously you know I remember I came on after

913
00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:02,000
Speaker 1: the Okay, see game, and I was kind of talking

914
00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:04,840
Speaker 1: a bit more about Frank and things that he needed

915
00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:09,080
Speaker 1: to do offensively and with lineups, and I think especially

916
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:13,040
Speaker 1: the second half of the third quarter and the fourth quarter,

917
00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,879
Speaker 1: you saw a lot more of like stuff that I

918
00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:20,000
Speaker 1: think I expected from the team, especially defensively because I

919
00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:31,480
Speaker 1: think we lose him. Yeah, I think I think it

920
00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:35,239
Speaker 1: might have cut off. Well. He did bring up something

921
00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:38,200
Speaker 1: interesting though about Frank, because you would you and I

922
00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:44,200
Speaker 1: had specifically mentioned that the formula of the team was

923
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:46,880
Speaker 1: give Frank the defense and give Lebron the offense. And

924
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:50,279
Speaker 1: we kind of saw that tonight, right You saw you

925
00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:54,560
Speaker 1: saw Frank implemented defensive scheme with personnel that completely shut

926
00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:57,600
Speaker 1: down Cleveland, and then you saw Lebron picked him apart

927
00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:00,799
Speaker 1: on the other end. So the partners if the partnership

928
00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:04,200
Speaker 1: only works if you know the offensive coordinator and the

929
00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:07,440
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator are both there. In the offensive coordinator was

930
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:11,080
Speaker 1: gone for the last two games, So there's I will

931
00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:13,400
Speaker 1: always stand behind Frank because I don't think it's a

932
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:17,200
Speaker 1: coincidence what happened the last two years. Yep, me either.

933
00:44:18,880 --> 00:44:20,880
Speaker 1: I feel like I don't know, I'm getting this weird

934
00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:23,600
Speaker 1: like feeling with a d kind of also walking through

935
00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:26,200
Speaker 1: these games. Like, like we said, we give him a

936
00:44:26,239 --> 00:44:28,120
Speaker 1: lot of slack, but like he's the one that's twenty eight,

937
00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:30,320
Speaker 1: he should be the one that's going off. But maybe

938
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:33,440
Speaker 1: it's just rubs off from from Lebron And also but

939
00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:35,160
Speaker 1: the whole point of Russ was to kind of wake

940
00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:37,120
Speaker 1: them up through these games, right, Like so it's kind

941
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:40,440
Speaker 1: of a strange thing kind of going on. Harsh Are

942
00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:44,000
Speaker 1: you there? Yeah, yeah, I'm here. What's going on in?

943
00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:51,640
Speaker 1: I'm good? How are you? We're doing well? Okay? So, uh,

944
00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:54,759
Speaker 1: I guess the twenty three just mentioned about Google's line

945
00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:57,040
Speaker 1: up staying I was in this uh the room. We

946
00:44:57,040 --> 00:44:59,400
Speaker 1: were discussing the same thing that you don't know. Google

947
00:44:59,480 --> 00:45:03,080
Speaker 1: made the right adjustments in this game to you know,

948
00:45:03,440 --> 00:45:06,000
Speaker 1: effectively because you know, in last game, I remember that

949
00:45:06,560 --> 00:45:09,000
Speaker 1: there was one line up which had Westbrook and Rondo

950
00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:11,920
Speaker 1: in it, and I don't know what Bogle was thinking

951
00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:15,440
Speaker 1: to put Westbrook and Rondo at the same time on

952
00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:18,200
Speaker 1: the floor, because you know, to ball dominant guys two

953
00:45:18,239 --> 00:45:22,600
Speaker 1: ball handlers, uh, effectively, you know, they are useless without

954
00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,560
Speaker 1: the ball in their hands. But you know, Bocal did

955
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:28,840
Speaker 1: the right things, Uh, we made mostly the right adjustments

956
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:32,799
Speaker 1: called the time out, not the right times to make,

957
00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:35,400
Speaker 1: you know, really change the momentum of the game in

958
00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:38,080
Speaker 1: our favor. So prop two over for that, you know,

959
00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:41,760
Speaker 1: and I wanted to ask you on your opinions about

960
00:45:41,880 --> 00:45:45,239
Speaker 1: what is what will be Carmelos and carmel Anthony's role

961
00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:49,320
Speaker 1: when you know, uh n n and all those guys

962
00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:51,600
Speaker 1: will will be coming back from injured because you know,

963
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,719
Speaker 1: we won't see Carmelos shooting ball that much, you know,

964
00:45:54,760 --> 00:46:00,319
Speaker 1: when these guys come back. So it's still and things.

965
00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:03,240
Speaker 1: So first of all, with Frank, we need to give

966
00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:07,040
Speaker 1: Frank a very important compliment or very important bit of slack,

967
00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:11,000
Speaker 1: and that's that he when the ship hits the van,

968
00:46:11,719 --> 00:46:15,680
Speaker 1: he will make adjustments. He you know, all season in

969
00:46:15,719 --> 00:46:18,719
Speaker 1: the championship year, it was all smooth sailing, right, Like

970
00:46:18,719 --> 00:46:22,040
Speaker 1: the Lakers just dominated throughout the regular season, so we

971
00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,160
Speaker 1: didn't see him have to do too much and people

972
00:46:25,160 --> 00:46:27,960
Speaker 1: would complain about lineups here and there. But then when

973
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,080
Speaker 1: push came to shove and they were playing Houston and

974
00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:32,640
Speaker 1: Houston wasn't playing a center, guess what, we didn't play center.

975
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:35,520
Speaker 1: So you know, for for all of the things, that

976
00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:38,239
Speaker 1: people give Frank a hard time for when push comes

977
00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:42,640
Speaker 1: to shove, he makes the adjustment. And what was interesting

978
00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:45,799
Speaker 1: about this season is it happened earlier, right like you

979
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:51,320
Speaker 1: were expecting this, this transition to defensive oriented players to

980
00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:53,760
Speaker 1: eventually happen, but it happened in the fifth game because

981
00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:57,720
Speaker 1: they were having they were having issues with with defense.

982
00:46:57,760 --> 00:46:59,799
Speaker 1: I've caused him to fall down two and three like

983
00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:03,879
Speaker 1: the urgency struck early this year, and Frank made adjustments.

984
00:47:03,920 --> 00:47:06,840
Speaker 1: But the thing you mentioned about Carmelo was interesting because

985
00:47:08,160 --> 00:47:10,879
Speaker 1: I'm not worried about None coming back or th HD

986
00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:13,040
Speaker 1: coming back affecting his minutes. The big one is gonna

987
00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:18,000
Speaker 1: be Trevor Reasa. So when Trevor Reason comes back, if

988
00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:21,040
Speaker 1: he's hitting thirty eight percent of his threes, you kind

989
00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:23,680
Speaker 1: of have to play him instead of Melow. But if

990
00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:26,600
Speaker 1: he turns into something more like what Wesley Matthews was,

991
00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:30,000
Speaker 1: where you know, three out of four nights he goes

992
00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:33,080
Speaker 1: one for six from three or worse than I think,

993
00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:35,680
Speaker 1: you have to go with Carmelo because as the fifth

994
00:47:35,680 --> 00:47:40,480
Speaker 1: player alongside all of those other defensive players, Mellow is

995
00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:44,880
Speaker 1: okay enough defensively that his super high offensive ceiling becomes

996
00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:49,279
Speaker 1: worth it. But Trevor Reasa is so much better defensively

997
00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:51,960
Speaker 1: that if he can knock some shots down, I think

998
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:55,359
Speaker 1: Melo's minutes and up going to him. What do you think, Roger, Yeah,

999
00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:57,799
Speaker 1: like I've always said, I wanted mellow kind of the

1000
00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:01,120
Speaker 1: ten to fifteen minute kind mark. Right now he's playing

1001
00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:03,680
Speaker 1: I think like twenty plus UM, and we'll see if

1002
00:48:03,719 --> 00:48:06,200
Speaker 1: that kind of continues. But yeah, having him as a

1003
00:48:06,239 --> 00:48:08,120
Speaker 1: space so like, if his shot is going, that's a

1004
00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:10,480
Speaker 1: huge threat to put next to. Like I always said,

1005
00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:12,719
Speaker 1: next to Russ ron a d you need like some

1006
00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:15,960
Speaker 1: knockdown shooters. I thought Wayne Allenton could be that guy,

1007
00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,399
Speaker 1: and maybe he can't defend at a baseline level enough

1008
00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:20,640
Speaker 1: to play. But Carmelo is a guy who's also a

1009
00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:23,960
Speaker 1: fearless shooter. He's guy's gonna take the shot when it's open. Um.

1010
00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,080
Speaker 1: I think that's a big kind of thing playing next

1011
00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:28,560
Speaker 1: to these guys and he's gonna play. UM. I don't

1012
00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:30,919
Speaker 1: know how much. When those guys get back, we'll see,

1013
00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:33,080
Speaker 1: we'll see how a reason plays. A Reason should be

1014
00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,000
Speaker 1: the guy, like you said, Jason, that fits right into that. UM.

1015
00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:37,640
Speaker 1: But I think th HD is also going to get

1016
00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:39,880
Speaker 1: a shot. But yeah, I would like Carmelo at that

1017
00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:42,839
Speaker 1: TIF mark. But if he's hot, like he can play, um,

1018
00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:44,799
Speaker 1: if you can cover up for him defensively like we

1019
00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:47,239
Speaker 1: saw tonight, if you put him next to bron and

1020
00:48:47,280 --> 00:48:50,279
Speaker 1: a D when they're engaged as help defenders, you can

1021
00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:53,200
Speaker 1: kind of hide Carmelo in that way where it's tougher

1022
00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:55,520
Speaker 1: to pick on him. And I think he'll play. I

1023
00:48:55,520 --> 00:48:57,800
Speaker 1: think a guy like that who's a knockdown shooter, I

1024
00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:00,760
Speaker 1: think he's over again this year on his Catain shoots,

1025
00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:03,360
Speaker 1: those like isolation shots. You'd like the host kind of

1026
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:06,200
Speaker 1: be minimal, but that's just that's kind of the game

1027
00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:07,759
Speaker 1: you get when you get Carmelo on the floor, but

1028
00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:11,160
Speaker 1: he's taking and making threes like that. It's electric. It's

1029
00:49:11,360 --> 00:49:14,000
Speaker 1: especially if you combine it with the engaged defensive Brown

1030
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,320
Speaker 1: and Eddy. So we'll see. I don't know if a reason.

1031
00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:17,600
Speaker 1: I think the reason is going to come in and

1032
00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:20,480
Speaker 1: play a big part. But if mel sitting shots, he's

1033
00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:25,200
Speaker 1: gonna play for sure. Yeah, And the thing is about

1034
00:49:25,480 --> 00:49:28,440
Speaker 1: you know somebody. I remember in the second quarter he

1035
00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:31,080
Speaker 1: was being targeted back to back, you know, in the

1036
00:49:31,120 --> 00:49:35,640
Speaker 1: picking roll positions because you know he wasn't contributing much defensively,

1037
00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:41,040
Speaker 1: So I think about what the Carmelo's shortcomings are. You know,

1038
00:49:41,360 --> 00:49:44,560
Speaker 1: he tends to go you know, what do you call it?

1039
00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:48,600
Speaker 1: It tends to go cold sometimes because I don't know,

1040
00:49:48,680 --> 00:49:52,600
Speaker 1: so that that that accounts for somebody. So that was

1041
00:49:52,680 --> 00:49:57,360
Speaker 1: my that was my concern. What would be Carmelos futurement

1042
00:49:57,400 --> 00:50:01,000
Speaker 1: and come back comes back? Because you know, Desai is

1043
00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:04,560
Speaker 1: a better defender and Mogil tends to lean towards a

1044
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:08,279
Speaker 1: better defensive player and compromise a bit of offense on

1045
00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:15,359
Speaker 1: the offense because he's a defense find good. Yeah, I agree, Yeah,

1046
00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:18,279
Speaker 1: I mean there's alwa there's always a balancing act, right

1047
00:50:18,480 --> 00:50:21,839
Speaker 1: like if on any given night, you know, it could

1048
00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:25,719
Speaker 1: be a very Bradley, it could be Malik Monk, you know,

1049
00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:28,960
Speaker 1: it could be Trevor Reasa, it could be Carmelo Anthony.

1050
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:33,120
Speaker 1: That's the the option that exists now that did not

1051
00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:37,960
Speaker 1: exist in previous seasons. And previous seasons you went with

1052
00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:41,400
Speaker 1: you know, Shrewder and KCP, or you went with Danny

1053
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:44,960
Speaker 1: Green and KCP and you just you crossed your fingers

1054
00:50:44,960 --> 00:50:47,919
Speaker 1: and you hope they made shots, you know, because they're

1055
00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:51,600
Speaker 1: just there was no better option. And the difference with

1056
00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:55,040
Speaker 1: this year is Frank will have options. It's gonna be like, hey,

1057
00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:58,920
Speaker 1: this particular team, on this particular night, I prefer that

1058
00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:01,400
Speaker 1: little extra bit of offense, even if we give that

1059
00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:04,839
Speaker 1: little inch away on the defensive end in crunch time

1060
00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:08,480
Speaker 1: with Molik Monk or with with Carmelo Anthony those that

1061
00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:10,759
Speaker 1: is to me. To me, it's a versatility is all

1062
00:51:10,800 --> 00:51:12,640
Speaker 1: it is. And so that that's why I was a

1063
00:51:12,640 --> 00:51:16,920
Speaker 1: fan of the moves over the summer. The problem, the

1064
00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:20,719
Speaker 1: thing that I know failed to account for, at least

1065
00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:24,160
Speaker 1: early on, is that you know, your defensive identity comes

1066
00:51:24,200 --> 00:51:27,000
Speaker 1: from a group, It comes from a like a total

1067
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:28,960
Speaker 1: vibe in the locker room, and when you trade out

1068
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:31,680
Speaker 1: a bunch of defensive minded players for offensive minded players,

1069
00:51:32,320 --> 00:51:36,560
Speaker 1: sometimes that whole identity shifts. And so that's gonna be

1070
00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:39,480
Speaker 1: their challenge this year is making sure that they recapture

1071
00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:46,240
Speaker 1: that identity with this group of guys. But I in theory,

1072
00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:50,359
Speaker 1: having options is good. It makes for more decision making

1073
00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:53,640
Speaker 1: on Frank's part, which obviously is a challenge, but it's

1074
00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:57,360
Speaker 1: a good challenge if that makes sense. But then you

1075
00:51:57,360 --> 00:52:00,640
Speaker 1: could see him kind of looking for those defensive minded players,

1076
00:52:00,640 --> 00:52:02,759
Speaker 1: which was why I think Gavery Brawdley is gonna play

1077
00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:04,719
Speaker 1: a whole time going forward. And he's a guy that's

1078
00:52:04,719 --> 00:52:08,120
Speaker 1: also connected to that team. I think it just makes

1079
00:52:08,120 --> 00:52:10,839
Speaker 1: sense with the injuries we have. He fits kind of

1080
00:52:10,880 --> 00:52:13,839
Speaker 1: the Kendrick Nunn spot I guess for right now. UM,

1081
00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:16,920
Speaker 1: and I think Austin Reeves as well since he's defending.

1082
00:52:17,400 --> 00:52:21,480
Speaker 1: He's playing pretty well. But Marge, I appreciate you coming up.

1083
00:52:21,760 --> 00:52:24,200
Speaker 1: We're gonna get um one more person up here and

1084
00:52:24,200 --> 00:52:30,160
Speaker 1: then uh call it to night. Thanks hating man, appreciate it.

1085
00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:49,279
Speaker 1: Thank you. Yes yo, yo, can you hear me? We

1086
00:52:49,320 --> 00:52:53,200
Speaker 1: can hear you. What's going on? Man? Okay, joined kind

1087
00:52:53,200 --> 00:52:54,600
Speaker 1: of late, so I don't know if you guys covered

1088
00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:57,240
Speaker 1: this already. My apologies, but I wanted to talk about

1089
00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:00,799
Speaker 1: um uh like an identity age with the team. So

1090
00:53:00,840 --> 00:53:02,560
Speaker 1: I know a lot of the times that people are

1091
00:53:02,560 --> 00:53:06,160
Speaker 1: talking about how they're trying to recreate UM like a

1092
00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:10,000
Speaker 1: defensive oriented team just with like a like a steroid

1093
00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:12,640
Speaker 1: it up offense and like if you get what I'm

1094
00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:16,399
Speaker 1: trying to say. But right I think that I think

1095
00:53:16,400 --> 00:53:20,759
Speaker 1: that what we saw today is that that throughout three

1096
00:53:20,800 --> 00:53:23,040
Speaker 1: quarters of a game, the Lakers are like trying to

1097
00:53:23,080 --> 00:53:25,960
Speaker 1: keep it close, just trying to find out, especially early

1098
00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:28,799
Speaker 1: in the season, what's working and what's not. And then

1099
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:32,319
Speaker 1: once they like walk in they can get like key

1100
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:35,319
Speaker 1: stops down the stretch instead of doing what they did

1101
00:53:35,400 --> 00:53:37,640
Speaker 1: the last two years, which is like getting stops every

1102
00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:41,279
Speaker 1: single like quarter. And um, I don't know, what do

1103
00:53:41,320 --> 00:53:44,120
Speaker 1: you guys think about? Um, like just like that kind

1104
00:53:44,120 --> 00:53:46,480
Speaker 1: of identity instead of clamping for a whole forty eight

1105
00:53:46,480 --> 00:53:50,120
Speaker 1: minutes because I know, like, for example, last year, Miami

1106
00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:53,320
Speaker 1: was like they had a bunch of like terrible guard

1107
00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:56,440
Speaker 1: defenders in terms of like not like overly terrible, but

1108
00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:58,320
Speaker 1: like they weren't like good defenders, but they had to

1109
00:53:58,520 --> 00:54:02,480
Speaker 1: like exceptional defenders in Bam and Jimmy right, And that

1110
00:54:02,640 --> 00:54:04,640
Speaker 1: was their formula as well, which is like just get

1111
00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:06,839
Speaker 1: the key stops down the stretch because you have two

1112
00:54:06,880 --> 00:54:09,160
Speaker 1: of the best defenders in the league. And that's like

1113
00:54:09,200 --> 00:54:10,960
Speaker 1: similar to what the Lakers have right now. So I

1114
00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:13,440
Speaker 1: don't know, like what you guys have to say about that.

1115
00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:17,480
Speaker 1: So we we did talk a little bit about the

1116
00:54:17,560 --> 00:54:20,000
Speaker 1: identity earlier, but just to kind of take it a

1117
00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:22,560
Speaker 1: step further with what you're bringing up, like you know

1118
00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:25,359
Speaker 1: the problem. So Pete Pete from Like a Film Room

1119
00:54:25,360 --> 00:54:26,920
Speaker 1: has been hitting on this a lot on on his

1120
00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:30,320
Speaker 1: pop this idea that like, can you go on defensive runs?

1121
00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:33,640
Speaker 1: Can you have a five minute stretch where you put

1122
00:54:33,640 --> 00:54:36,279
Speaker 1: a game away? And for the record, that's what the

1123
00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:40,040
Speaker 1: Lakers did tonight, they had a couple of defensive runs.

1124
00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:44,600
Speaker 1: So that is, in essence, what a defensive identity is. However,

1125
00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:48,400
Speaker 1: it's a it's a balancing act. Like you. This is

1126
00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:50,880
Speaker 1: why I like tracking defensive rating over the course of

1127
00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:55,000
Speaker 1: the season, because if your defensive runs are too few

1128
00:54:55,040 --> 00:54:59,759
Speaker 1: and too far between, it'll manifest as a defensive rating

1129
00:54:59,760 --> 00:55:04,200
Speaker 1: that's I'm where in the range instead of top five range, right,

1130
00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:06,840
Speaker 1: and that that can be a problem that can cost

1131
00:55:06,880 --> 00:55:09,840
Speaker 1: you not only basketball games in the regular season, but

1132
00:55:09,920 --> 00:55:12,080
Speaker 1: that is your identity. At that point, you are a

1133
00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:15,840
Speaker 1: team that only defends for short bursts and for the

1134
00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:19,320
Speaker 1: rest of the game coasts and that becomes your identity.

1135
00:55:19,360 --> 00:55:21,560
Speaker 1: The reason why identity matters is that's what you fall

1136
00:55:21,640 --> 00:55:24,880
Speaker 1: back on when the ship hits the fan, when it

1137
00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:28,560
Speaker 1: is a when it is a game four and it's

1138
00:55:28,640 --> 00:55:31,480
Speaker 1: series is two to one, and it's the third quarter

1139
00:55:31,600 --> 00:55:36,520
Speaker 1: and the scores seventy two and Lebron's jumpers not going

1140
00:55:36,560 --> 00:55:39,000
Speaker 1: in and Anthony Davis is jumper is not going in,

1141
00:55:39,560 --> 00:55:41,319
Speaker 1: and that the other team is kind of shutting off

1142
00:55:41,320 --> 00:55:45,320
Speaker 1: the rim and you're having trouble scoring. Like that's adversity,

1143
00:55:45,719 --> 00:55:49,560
Speaker 1: and in those moments you always fall back on what

1144
00:55:49,680 --> 00:55:53,560
Speaker 1: your identity is, which your habits are. And so that's why, Like,

1145
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:57,239
Speaker 1: if you are a team that just goes on defensive

1146
00:55:57,320 --> 00:56:00,960
Speaker 1: runs and over the course of the season those runs

1147
00:56:01,040 --> 00:56:03,800
Speaker 1: were few and far between, you might try to start

1148
00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:07,040
Speaker 1: that engine and it just might not be there. That

1149
00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:09,879
Speaker 1: gear that you're trying to hit might not be there

1150
00:56:09,920 --> 00:56:13,000
Speaker 1: when you need it. In my opinion, the top five

1151
00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:16,160
Speaker 1: defensive team, a team that cares about that end and

1152
00:56:16,239 --> 00:56:19,880
Speaker 1: has that defensive identity, when they need to start that engine,

1153
00:56:20,160 --> 00:56:23,440
Speaker 1: it'll start, and they'll be able to get the necessary

1154
00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:27,440
Speaker 1: stops when they need to to carry them through troublesome

1155
00:56:27,480 --> 00:56:30,480
Speaker 1: stretches of NBA playoff games. So that's why I see

1156
00:56:30,520 --> 00:56:33,640
Speaker 1: it as so important. But we did talk more extensively

1157
00:56:33,680 --> 00:56:37,080
Speaker 1: about this identity change earlier in the pod, so you'll

1158
00:56:37,080 --> 00:56:39,480
Speaker 1: be able to listen to that on our podcast feed.

1159
00:56:39,719 --> 00:56:41,640
Speaker 1: Uh here in about a half hour. I just want

1160
00:56:41,680 --> 00:56:44,360
Speaker 1: to quickly like speak on because I think comparing it

1161
00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:46,960
Speaker 1: to Miami, Like, I think that's very interesting, that's kind

1162
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:49,920
Speaker 1: of fascinating to me. In Miami now Lass Kyle Lowry

1163
00:56:49,920 --> 00:56:52,160
Speaker 1: and they look pretty great at least onto events from

1164
00:56:52,160 --> 00:56:54,200
Speaker 1: the games that I've seen. But I think the Lakers

1165
00:56:54,239 --> 00:56:56,960
Speaker 1: their identity, Like you can talk about this identity and stuff,

1166
00:56:56,960 --> 00:56:59,799
Speaker 1: but it all wraps around Anthony Davis, right, Like that's

1167
00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:02,239
Speaker 1: or their identity should kind of start from and then

1168
00:57:02,280 --> 00:57:04,359
Speaker 1: you can branch out from that. But if he looks

1169
00:57:04,400 --> 00:57:06,680
Speaker 1: disengaged from the first two courters, or he doesn't look

1170
00:57:06,840 --> 00:57:09,080
Speaker 1: like he's ready to be the help defender every single night,

1171
00:57:09,239 --> 00:57:11,360
Speaker 1: then you're just not gonna able to build this identity.

1172
00:57:11,360 --> 00:57:14,719
Speaker 1: Like obviously not having the great guard defenders and Crusoe,

1173
00:57:14,840 --> 00:57:18,200
Speaker 1: k CP, even Danny Green, even Dennis Shrewder to his

1174
00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:21,000
Speaker 1: extent um, all those guys are great, but like this

1175
00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:22,840
Speaker 1: has to start with a D and until we see

1176
00:57:22,920 --> 00:57:25,160
Speaker 1: him kind of put his foot down like Vogel put

1177
00:57:25,200 --> 00:57:27,080
Speaker 1: his foot down, a D needs to put his foot

1178
00:57:27,120 --> 00:57:30,000
Speaker 1: down as well. Right in that season, he talked about

1179
00:57:30,000 --> 00:57:33,280
Speaker 1: holding people accountable, you know, having Lebron make First Team

1180
00:57:33,280 --> 00:57:35,720
Speaker 1: All Defense, all this stuff um that he talked about,

1181
00:57:35,760 --> 00:57:38,200
Speaker 1: and we didn't really see it last year, um because

1182
00:57:38,200 --> 00:57:40,400
Speaker 1: then we gave some excuses for it, for the reasonings

1183
00:57:40,440 --> 00:57:42,520
Speaker 1: that there were. But this year it should be different.

1184
00:57:42,520 --> 00:57:44,680
Speaker 1: I need to see this every single nighte not just

1185
00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:47,160
Speaker 1: from Lebron. I can expect it only from a few

1186
00:57:47,200 --> 00:57:49,400
Speaker 1: spots here and there, but eighties twenty eight, like this

1187
00:57:49,480 --> 00:57:51,800
Speaker 1: is his time to take over, at least on defense.

1188
00:57:51,840 --> 00:57:54,600
Speaker 1: I don't expect him be him to be the offensive engine,

1189
00:57:54,640 --> 00:57:56,840
Speaker 1: but he can be the defensive engine, um and be

1190
00:57:56,960 --> 00:57:59,600
Speaker 1: that identity that I guess. I think Butler and Bam

1191
00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:01,440
Speaker 1: are for Miami, like a D has to be that

1192
00:58:01,800 --> 00:58:03,040
Speaker 1: for us. But I think that's a great point. I

1193
00:58:03,080 --> 00:58:07,919
Speaker 1: like that comparison there from with Miami. Yeah, good stuff, man. Yeah,

1194
00:58:07,920 --> 00:58:09,800
Speaker 1: I just I don't know. This team gives me the

1195
00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:13,600
Speaker 1: shades of light seen calves, where like there weren't really

1196
00:58:13,640 --> 00:58:16,040
Speaker 1: a good defense, but in the last quarter of a game,

1197
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:18,720
Speaker 1: Like I don't know. Teams had a hard time scoring

1198
00:58:18,720 --> 00:58:21,600
Speaker 1: in the playoffs, especially too, just because like they were

1199
00:58:21,640 --> 00:58:24,640
Speaker 1: an offense like German team, but at the end of games,

1200
00:58:24,680 --> 00:58:27,520
Speaker 1: like you had Lebron James on the defensive end making

1201
00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:30,640
Speaker 1: plays and like Chumper and all them, So like, yeah,

1202
00:58:30,680 --> 00:58:32,800
Speaker 1: I don't know, that's what this team kind of reminds

1203
00:58:32,840 --> 00:58:34,480
Speaker 1: me of. So yeah, that's why I just asked that

1204
00:58:35,640 --> 00:58:38,480
Speaker 1: the two seventeen Caves are an interesting comp and and

1205
00:58:38,800 --> 00:58:41,000
Speaker 1: one of the things that I think people forget about

1206
00:58:41,000 --> 00:58:45,480
Speaker 1: that team is, you know, as as much as they

1207
00:58:45,520 --> 00:58:49,280
Speaker 1: had the Warriors as an excuse, which I've always said that, Like,

1208
00:58:49,680 --> 00:58:52,280
Speaker 1: I think the Warriors being so good that year is

1209
00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:55,360
Speaker 1: exactly why Lebron let his foot off the gas Defensively,

1210
00:58:55,800 --> 00:58:58,480
Speaker 1: I think Lebron knew that there wasn't much of a chance,

1211
00:58:59,120 --> 00:59:02,840
Speaker 1: and he one of his biggest weaknesses is that when

1212
00:59:03,160 --> 00:59:07,000
Speaker 1: when Lebron doesn't actually sense the trophy, he can be

1213
00:59:07,200 --> 00:59:09,920
Speaker 1: somewhat pouty and somewhat passive aggressive, and he can be lazy,

1214
00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:12,160
Speaker 1: and he can do those sorts of things. Um, but

1215
00:59:12,240 --> 00:59:14,760
Speaker 1: that's actually a really interesting comp I'm hopeful that this

1216
00:59:14,840 --> 00:59:18,120
Speaker 1: is going to go a different direction very soon. Um.

1217
00:59:18,160 --> 00:59:22,160
Speaker 1: But I was literally tonight thinking about how they reminded

1218
00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:24,640
Speaker 1: me of the two thousand eighteen Cats, because the two

1219
00:59:24,640 --> 00:59:28,800
Speaker 1: thousand eighteen Caps used to consistently find themselves behind against

1220
00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:33,280
Speaker 1: bad teams, which was which was like a recurring theme

1221
00:59:33,320 --> 00:59:35,720
Speaker 1: throughout that season, Like it just was like, here they

1222
00:59:35,720 --> 00:59:38,040
Speaker 1: are playing the Knicks again and they're down by fifteen,

1223
00:59:38,120 --> 00:59:39,720
Speaker 1: and you're like, what in the world is going on

1224
00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:42,439
Speaker 1: with this team? You know? But uh that that team

1225
00:59:42,480 --> 00:59:46,200
Speaker 1: also was pretty old if you remember. But but I'm

1226
00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:50,160
Speaker 1: hopeful that this team, based on what they've done in

1227
00:59:50,200 --> 00:59:52,840
Speaker 1: previous years with Lebron and Nydy, I'm hopeful that this

1228
00:59:52,920 --> 00:59:56,240
Speaker 1: team will shift away from that identity soon. But that

1229
00:59:56,360 --> 00:59:58,440
Speaker 1: certainly is their identity now and they deserve to be

1230
00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:02,720
Speaker 1: called out for that. Yeah, for sure. I appreciate it, guys. Thanks, thanks,

1231
01:00:02,720 --> 01:00:05,840
Speaker 1: appreciate you. Roger. Did you have anything else to night made? No?

1232
01:00:05,960 --> 01:00:08,480
Speaker 1: I think that's good. I appreciate everyone that came and

1233
01:00:08,600 --> 01:00:11,280
Speaker 1: stayed on a on a Friday night here after a

1234
01:00:11,280 --> 01:00:14,360
Speaker 1: really nice win. Yes, thank you guys all so much.

1235
01:00:14,360 --> 01:00:18,040
Speaker 1: As usual. Um, we will be back on Sunday night

1236
01:00:18,560 --> 01:00:23,000
Speaker 1: for the Rockets game. This will be airing on actually

1237
01:00:23,440 --> 01:00:25,439
Speaker 1: may not be airing on dash radio because I guess

1238
01:00:25,440 --> 01:00:27,640
Speaker 1: our Houston show will air on dash radio, but this

1239
01:00:27,640 --> 01:00:32,959
Speaker 1: one will be on our podcast feed on on all

1240
01:00:33,000 --> 01:00:35,360
Speaker 1: of your podcast platforms within the next half hour, so

1241
01:00:35,440 --> 01:00:37,480
Speaker 1: we sincerely appreciate you guys support. We will see you

1242
01:00:37,480 --> 01:00:38,960
Speaker 1: in a couple of days. Thanks everyone,