WEBVTT - Law Murray on Clippers-Mavericks 0:00:10.080 --> 0:00:12.680 On this bonus episode of the Check, time to lay 0:00:12.720 --> 0:00:15.520 down the wall on the Clippers. As Clippers Insider are, 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:17.920 Law Murray is here to break down the Clippers chances 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:20.079 in the Mavericks series as well as to give his 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:22.079 opinion on the rest of the NBA playoffs and play 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:25.880 in very insightful stuff. He gives us the really real 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:28.760 never holds back his opinion, which is why we love him. 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:32.000 We busy all week, Anthony, So drop that motherfucker beat 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:47.640 that should be Rihanna all right on this special bonus 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:52.360 episode Clippers Insider, who's been on the beat for fucking forever. 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:55.120 He joined my other show bet MGM Tonight, which airs 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.920 seven to eleven Eastern on the radio in most major 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:00.360 markets as well as live on YouTube and TWI, which 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:03.080 I was joined by my co host Ryan Horbot, who's 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.080 the other voice you hear in this interview. Let's get 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:07.759 right into it. 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:10.119 Talk about the playing tournament and the playoffs. We walk 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.840 come out now, Law Murray from the Athletic thanks man 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:14.039 for giving us some time. How you doing. 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:16.520 I'm doing well. I'm glad to not be in the 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:18.000 plays towards me, that's for sure. 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.440 Yeah, I actually wanted to start with that Lakers Pelicans matchup. 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:23.440 I just the more I think about this, man, I 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:25.520 actually like Los Angeles in this game. They're one and 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:27.119 a half point underdogs. How do you see this one 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:29.240 playing out? And who would you lean with? 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:32.200 I don't understand why the Lakers are underdogs, Like we've. 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:36.319 Seen this matchup in high profile situations multiple times already, 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:41.120 and unless the Lakers, maybe that's what it is, Like 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:44.320 people think the Lakers are ducking smoke, but like, if 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:49.440 it's strictly going to be a legitimate game competition between 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:53.200 the Pelicans, the Lakers understand what they need to do to. 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:53.960 Beat the Pelicans. 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:58.680 So I really that the only reason, the only reason 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:03.320 they would be underdogs is because obviously beating the Pelicans 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:06.760 would lead to a first round series against the Denver Nuggets, 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:09.480 who are the only team that the Lakers probably have 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:13.200 an issue within the Western Conference overall. I believe that 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.360 I'm not sure there was another team, well, Sacramento, but 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:19.280 obviously Sacramento. 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:20.240 Is just hoping to get to the playoffs. 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.120 But the risk that you take is, let's say you 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:27.160 throw the Pelicans game. Sacramento Kings are you know they're 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:29.320 one win away? From meeting you there. And then you 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:32.400 got the Golden State Warriors, who the Lakers struggled with 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.120 this year. They only beat them once out of four times, 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:38.720 and that took double overtime and a ridiculous level of foul. 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:42.359 So, I mean, the easiest path to the playoffs for. 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:44.280 The Lakers and if they want to get a seven 0:02:44.280 --> 0:02:46.600 game series is to just do what they've done all 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:48.440 year against the New Orleans Pelicans. 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.440 Yeah, beat the hell out of them. Yeah, that's pretty 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.040 much in hype. I think the Pelicans beat them once 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:56.440 at the crowd, but it was like not a high 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:58.960 stakes game at all. The play in turn of the 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.360 n season tournament and then the last game of the season, 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:03.840 which the Pelicans very much needed to win, they just 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:05.919 could not show up. I want to get your thoughts 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:10.720 on Kawhi Law because there's now reports like you can 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:12.680 make whatever you want to make out of what Chris 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:16.680 Broussard says. But Chris Bouchard says that he is hearing 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:19.960 that Kawhi has a lot of swelling in his knee. 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.000 He was in contact with someone in the know and 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.560 they said they are concerned. Don't know what to make 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:28.639 of that. What do you make of that reporting and 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:29.400 what do you know. 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:33.560 I mean, he probably does have swelling. He's dealing with 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:37.680 inflammation and a need at ended. Last year because of 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:41.360 the meniscus tear, he had a recedure on his knee 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.760 over the off season, and then obviously in twenty twenty 0:03:44.800 --> 0:03:46.400 one you tour the Aco. 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:47.720 It was a partial tear. 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:50.280 But when you get surgery, doesn't matter if it's a 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:55.120 partial tear, complete tear, whatever, like, it's still surgery and 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:56.920 you still need a rehab and you still need to 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.440 get it back. And the perspective that I have is 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.160 the last time that we've had Againstance where Kawhi was 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.920 on a road trip got sent home for treatment because 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:10.720 of the new discomfort. It was to start the last 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:13.400 year when he came off the Benks for a couple 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.080 of games and then they went to Oklahoma City. It 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:17.880 was supposed to be for a mini series. He wind 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:19.799 up going home in the middle of that mini series. 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.640 He didn't come back to play for another three weeks. 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:27.200 So the best case scenario, or not even the best 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:30.880 case scenarios, he's practicing, he plays Game one, there's nothing 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.840 to talk about. But I'm thinking that we got to 0:04:34.880 --> 0:04:40.839 see him practice and that will assuage any concerns that exists. 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:44.440 You want to see him play. But if that timeframe 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:48.520 matches up with the timeframe that I described back in 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:52.280 October and November twenty twenty two, then that puts his 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:56.440 status for Game one in some jeopardy and that's obviously 0:04:56.520 --> 0:04:59.640 going to be a concern for Kawhi. Now for the Clippers, 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:03.160 Toronto Loo doesn't seem to be super bothered. I'm not 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:07.800 sure if that's because of an opportunity to have some 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:12.200 gamesmanship here with the Mavericks, Like no one quite knows 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.200 the status of Kawhi as well as the readiness of 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:17.960 the Clippers to play without Kauai more than Toronto Lou. 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:21.600 So if Toronto Lou's saying that he's not as concerned, 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:24.840 then Burger's just going to have to wait and see. 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:25.640 How it is with Kawhi. 0:05:25.680 --> 0:05:29.960 But it definitely helps to run that the Clippers that 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:31.000 played well without him. 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.240 Don't you feel like Kawhi is one of those players. 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:36.440 I've said this before. You came on last segment where 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:41.440 it's like Kawhi Leonard questionable day to day knee inflammation, 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:46.360 Kawhi Leonard questionable knee inflammation. Kawhi Leonard all of a 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:51.320 sudden has entered like has season ending surgery. Like that's 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:53.760 kind of how they approach That's kind of how they 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.080 approach Kawhi. That's what happened in twenty twenty one when 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:00.000 he was supposed to play the Suns. That's what happened. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:02.240 And the last time he got injured as well, where 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:06.160 they don't really give us any real information until he's 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:06.920 like shut down. 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:09.839 Yeah, I mean, and that's what I'm used to. Is like, 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:12.160 the difference here is we knew. 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.960 That he was dealing with a serious injury last year 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:15.719 and the year before. 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.840 When they call it a spring, like you can dig 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:20.600 as much as you want to. It's like, Okay, he. 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.000 Tore something, so you guys can let us know what 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.000 he tore. But they're not describing this as a spring. 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:30.760 They are describing this as inflammation. And that's why I 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:34.520 always use the previous reference because I've been covering this 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:37.520 team for way too long and have been dealing with 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:41.120 this way too long. It's like, I'm never comfortable. I'm 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:44.920 never content with what we have. You know, the best 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:48.400 version of Kawhi is the guy playing on the floor 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.320 and even then you're like, you know, I remember being 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:53.800 on the road, being in Philly, being Orlando. 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:56.320 It's like, man, every time he gets the ground, he's 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.040 getting up, flex in his hands, flexing his wrists and whatnot. 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:00.960 And had to ask him about that. That's the last 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:01.920 time I talked to him. 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:05.520 So when it comes to this, I don't believe that 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:10.320 Kawhi is dealing with us an injury that's going to 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:11.520 end his season. 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:14.360 I don't think we're dealing with that right now. Obviously 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:16.800 you don't want him to have a setback, and I don't. 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.280 Think he's dealing with that either. But I don't think 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:21.320 this is load management. I don't think that this is 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:24.640 the team hiding something. I think he's dealing with, you know, 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:28.640 a case where that knee has flared up on him 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:31.800 and he's in a bit of a race right now. 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:36.440 To be ready. And I think that that's the tricky part. 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:39.720 Is you're so used to the misinformation, or at least 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:43.200 the lack of transparency. But I don't think that they're 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:46.080 hiding anything more serious than that. 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:48.920 Another injury is obviously Giannis, and it looks like he's 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:51.040 doubtful for Game one with the calf strain. I hate 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:53.920 this matchup for the Box against the Pacers. They can't 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:55.600 stop him. I think the Pacers have scored like two 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:57.679 or one hundred and thirty five points in every single 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:00.120 game against Milwaukee this year. How do you see that 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:02.640 series playing out? Do you give Indiana any chance, especially 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:03.880 if Giannis isn't one hundred percent? 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:06.920 I give Indiana a great chance to win that series 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:12.000 of like a great chance even if Giannis was there. 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:15.880 And the reason for it is because the Pacers have 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:20.080 been one of the best offenses in the NBA all 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:20.720 season long. 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:22.440 I mean, are league. 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:25.760 The best if you want to look at the how 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:28.760 the whole season played out, I mean you're talking about 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:32.080 a team that is confident scoring the basketball and they 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:35.920 don't do it in ways that like the Boston were 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:38.680 the best offense, but the Boston Celtics they were the 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:41.760 best offense in league because they pretty much were like, 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.200 as talented as we are, we're just gonna line up 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:48.959 an entire rotation of shooters. And that's not to take 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:51.040 away from what Boston can do. Besides that, I mean, 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:54.320 Jason Tatum Jylen Brown are obviously buckets Beyond shooting. Three 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:56.880 is but those guys are the worst shooters in the rotation. 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:00.319 That says a lot. What the Indiana Pacers do is 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:04.360 a little bit more complex. Tyrese Haliburn gets his guys 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.439 incredible shots every time down. They're the only team in 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:09.480 the league that made more than fifty percent from the field. 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:13.800 Why that matters for the Bucks. The Bucks basically changed 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:17.120 head coaches twice in the last year because they weren't 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:20.240 sure how they wanted to play basket Paul, they weren't 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:23.000 sure who they wanted to be led by. And now 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:25.400 you're at a situation where they're not playing well, their 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:29.320 stars hurt, which this always happens to DCS teams, Like 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:32.200 just talked about the Clippers. Well, Doc is very. 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:33.960 Used to playing shorthanded at some point. 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:38.040 Plus he just got done with with Joe l you know, 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:41.520 in Philadelphia, being compromised injury all three of those years 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.120 in Philadelphia. Now he comes to the Bucks and Giannis 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.880 might not be ready to start the series. It's this 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:49.199 is a great matchup for the Indiana Pacers, but they 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:52.920 know that Damian Lillard, as great as he is, as 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:55.000 far as having the reputation of being a killer in 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:58.280 the playoffs, he also is one of those guys who 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:02.000 defensively you can attack and if Tyrese Halibergan has a 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:05.200 whole series where a Bucks team that struggles to force 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:08.320 turnovers where they're definitely not forced turnovers against Indiana, And 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:10.480 if you don't force ERNs against Indiana, they're just going 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:12.880 to get to their spots and those spots are likely 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:14.920 going to end up with Buckets And that's going to 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.360 be tough on the Bucks for a full seven game series. 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:19.480 Not to jump around too much to go back to 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:21.120 the Clippers, because I do want to get your insight 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:23.000 on the rest of the league in the playoffs in general, 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:28.160 but you know James Harden, Like we're getting playoff James 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:31.800 Harden early last twenty four games, he's averaging fifteen nine 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.280 to five, and I know, like that's probably wrong to 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:36.280 pick on him in that way, in that general of 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:40.679 a way, but like, what is explaining the declining productivity? 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:43.240 What do you think Paul George is perplexed by it? 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:47.320 Like what should we expect from him? And like just generally, 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:49.160 how do you expect this matchup to go? 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:53.680 When it comes to James. I'd be more concerned. 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:57.160 If one Kawhi is not there, putting more pressure on 0:10:57.280 --> 0:11:01.280 James to score to basketball, but also too, like I 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:05.000 feel like I was more concerned before the Clippers won 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.520 seven out of eight. I think Russell West Were coming 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:11.440 back was huge for someone like James because it gave 0:11:11.600 --> 0:11:14.480 James another guy who you can take some pressure off 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:14.880 from a. 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:17.120 Ball healing standpoint, a guy who. 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.840 Can push James on the floor, off the floor in 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:21.920 the huddles and all that, and a guy who can 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:25.920 just another guy who can guard like Russell West were 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.439 coming back helped the team win seven out of eight games, 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:30.719 games that they needed to clinch, everything. 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:31.320 They needed to clinch. 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:35.600 So that's that's the that's going to help James out 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:38.840 in this playoffs series. If James is going to play 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:42.160 with Kawhi and Paul, you're talking about James is the 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:45.040 third best guy, which is a situation he hasn't been 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.760 in since maybe Oklahoma City. That is that's gonna be 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:53.800 huge for him because now James job is pretty simple. Offensively, 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:56.960 get the ball to Paul and Kawhi and to the 0:11:57.040 --> 0:12:00.480 role man and then hit just a couple of those 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:04.360 step back three is a game, and then defensively, just 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:07.520 be there, just be a presence, and I think James 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:08.520 can do that. 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:09.000 He is. 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:11.280 I feel like James is going to be ready for 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:14.680 this plostseason. I feel like James from a coaching standpoint 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:16.880 is going to be ready. He's got one of the 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:19.280 best head coaches that he's gotten to work with in 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:23.400 a playoff series. The relationship is good there, which it 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:26.000 wasn't always good with Doc in Philadelphia. 0:12:27.400 --> 0:12:30.760 The pedigree and the accolades to challenge James. 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:33.280 But the connection wasn't quite there. I think the connection 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:37.320 is better there and this is a good series for James. 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.600 Harden like Dallas is not the type of defense that 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.240 is going to be focused on taking a player like 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:43.959 James away. 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:45.120 I think Dallas is. 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:49.720 A physical Dallas is upgraded at the rim incredibly well, 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:53.480 and that's going to be a consideration. But because Daniel 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:56.000 Gafford has been so instrumental to Dallas, I feel like 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:58.400 that's actually going to help the Clippers because that helps 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:00.400 a guy like a visinss Zubat say on the on 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:03.680 both ends as well. So I feel like it's going 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:06.360 to be a tough series. I think that the Kawhi 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:09.120 is uncertainty is going to be something that makes things 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:12.600 way hard on the Clippers, then it should be if 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:13.880 he was completely fine. 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.880 But I think if this does go seven, the Clippers. 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.240 I feel like, getting home court advantage, they can win 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:22.440 that game seven like they did back in twenty twenty one. 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:26.440 Yeah. I in terms of like the Kyrie Luca pairing, 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.040 do you think that's working? Do you think that is 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:30.840 something that's going to be a problem for the Clippers 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:34.040 to stop? I guess, like, what if you're covering the Clippers, 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:35.920 which you are if you're a Clipper fan, Like, what 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.720 scares you the most about the mass I think. 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:40.040 What scares you the most is the fact that you 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:45.920 don't know exactly how well they match up against the 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:49.080 Mavericks because you haven't seen the version of the team 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.440 that they are now, So you're betting on just your 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:53.640 team being better than them. 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:55.320 It's really that simple. 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.560 Dallas has played the best basketball in the league in 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:01.440 the Western Conference over the last quarter of the season, 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:04.120 and they've done it in a way that we've never 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:08.840 seen the Mavericks win before with Luka Doncic, and that's defensively, 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.760 like they actually defended well. So when you look at 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.960 that level of success, if nothing else, it gives Dallas 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:19.280 a lot of confidence, and that when the way that 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:22.800 they're playing, what gives the Clippers confidence is that the 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:27.800 Mavericks were playing teams like the Clippers. From a personnel standpoint, yes, 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.480 the Mavericks have Kyrie Irving, they did not have that 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:34.120 level of shot creation to help Luca in. We're talking 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:39.000 about guys like Trey Burke and the not all NBA 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:41.760 version of Jalen Brunson, like Jalen didn't play in the 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:45.880 bubble and Jalen let's just say that my vivid memory 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.280 of Jalen Brunson in the twenty twenty one playoffs is 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.400 Luke Canard coming into the game and stealing the ball 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:53.720 from him, like not the Jalen Brunston that you saw 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:57.960 against the Jazz and the Maverick or against the Suns 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.560 in twenty twenty two, or the guy seeing one the 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:04.760 Knicks right now. So Kyrie's an upgrade there, But the 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.800 Mavericks don't have a Chris as brasigis either. And even 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:10.680 the version of Christafs that in twenty twenty one was 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:14.080 basically diminished by his own coaching staff. You know, no 0:15:14.200 --> 0:15:16.080 post offs, they weren't going to give him the ball 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:19.080 in his spots. Is everything catered to Luca everything? 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.800 Now, like you don't you don't have that mismatch up front, 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:24.240 Like as good as. 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:27.880 Gafferd's playing as just better than Pj's ben in Dallas 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:29.920 compared to Charlotte, guys are to. 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:36.000 I gotta ask you really quick. I played before the 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.680 season for the second consecutive year, actually third Clippers NBA 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:42.880 Finals prices eighteen to one. How nervous? Just should I 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.400 be about this series against Dallas? I'm thinking about hedging 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:47.760 and betting from Dallas? Man, Yeah, just tell me the 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:51.120 truth because I want to believe. Man if Kawhi is healthy, 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.440 I still believe, but I don't know. The last couple 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:54.800 of weeks, I just don't feel as good. 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:55.120 Should I had? 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:56.840 Should I play some Dallas? Or do you feel good 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:58.200 at least about the first round here? 0:15:58.600 --> 0:15:59.080 Honestly? 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.760 If I I've hedged, like this is as toss up 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:06.080 a series as it gets, I still feel like the 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.560 Clippers can win it. I even feel like they can 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:12.800 get a game or two if Kawhi is not there, 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:16.640 Like that's how good the matchup I feel like is 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:20.040 from a personnel standpoint for the Clippers. But that's no 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:23.160 disrespect to the Mavericks. There's no disrespect to Luka Dacic. Like, 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:27.440 the fact is this is going to be a really 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:32.360 tough series. Toughest series to call, I feel like of 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.160 all of them in the first round, no matter how 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:39.080 the playing tournament winds up. So I think the Clippers 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:41.560 will win it. I wouldn't want to bet on it. 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:43.240 That's that's my takeaway. 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:46.640 So the Timberwolves play the Suns in the last game 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:50.360 of the season, and the Suns have been very erratic 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.800 and now they have to play the Suns again. Anthony 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.600 Edwards for whatever reason, law is just awful against the Suns. 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:01.080 Feels like they got probably the worst matchup that they 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:03.520 could have gotten in the first round. Oh, what do 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.159 you think about this series? Like what are the key matchups? 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:09.879 And like what makes the Sun so difficult on Minnesota. 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:13.640 I'm gonna just say this, this is the series where 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:17.320 Anthony Edwards mid range game. This would be a great 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.280 time for him to find it, and every nine again 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:24.080 you see him had it. But I feel like the 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:27.160 way that the Timberwlves play defense, this is the best 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.840 defense in the NBA, and the Timberwolves, they they take 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:33.240 the three ball away. They take a lot of what 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:36.120 you want to do in isolation away. They have really 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:37.239 Gobert waiting for you. 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:38.119 They have the. 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:42.639 Size right, but they give you the entire mid range 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:46.120 because of all the things that they take away. And 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:49.080 guess what, the Phoenix Suns live in the mid range. 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:52.679 So that's a problem the quarter. 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.360 Yeah, like the Suns are they they've become the most 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:57.760 accurate three point shooting team over the last quarter of 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:01.000 the season, and so that makes the Suns a little 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:04.680 bit harder to defend because again, as good as Minnesota 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:08.440 is taking the three ball away, it's still the three 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:11.480 point shot in this era of the NBA. Like you 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:13.640 got guys who can hit them. It's obviously a lot 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:17.240 harder to defend the Suns. Really, they just haven't been 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:20.000 shooting threes for most of the year, but now they're 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:23.640 starting to take more threes. This is their their jump 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:28.600 shooting team and the way they can get those shots. Again, Minnesota, 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:30.800 they want you to shoot in the mid range. But 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:33.280 the problem with the Suns is they hit those shots. 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.119 That's going to be a challenge for Minnesota defense. But 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:40.840 again coming back to Minnesota's offense, they're inconsistent. They're trying 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:44.440 to work Karl Anthony Talons back. That's always hard when 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:48.400 you played so long, and they played reasonably well without Cat, 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:51.480 but now to get him back, they got to reintegrate that. 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:55.359 And the thing with an is and is really good 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:59.480 when he can kind of ease his way into games, 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:01.399 he can eat his way into a series. 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:03.280 Probably you can't really do that. 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:07.560 He's gotta be a one from day one and wear 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:10.200 number five. Let's see what he's got for the people. 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:13.480 Yeah, I'm surprised that the Sixers, I mean, I'm surprised 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.040 that the Knicks wanted that two seed to play the 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:20.119 loser of the or the winner of the Heat Sixer 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:22.840 series instead of just playing the Pacers in that three 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:23.720 to six matchup. 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:24.480 But here we are. 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:28.080 I placed a little Heat Future plus sixteen hundred to 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:30.840 win the East just because it's April and that's when 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:33.920 the Heat Thrive placed the Little Sixers Future just because 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:36.800 you never know when Embiad's gonna be healthy. But like say, 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:40.080 it's Heat versus the Celtics kind of feels like do 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:41.879 or die for the Celtics in this one. Do you 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:43.000 give the Heat a chance? 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:47.560 I think the Heat a chance simply because they're comfortable. 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:50.919 You know, they would be comfortable in any playoff series 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:54.040 like this is where exposor as you mentioned, this is 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:55.679 where X sposter Jimmy Butler. 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:57.000 They thrive. 0:19:57.160 --> 0:19:59.480 But my thing with the my thing with the Heat 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:02.639 is they're so inconsistent. I'm not sure if they're going 0:20:02.720 --> 0:20:05.080 to survive the playing tournament. We saw last year they 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:08.320 were the seven and dropped to eight and the Bulls 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:11.280 were one quarter away from keeping them out of the playoffs. 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:15.480 Now from there, he had a fortuitous run all the 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.040