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Speaker 1: welcome to Hoops Tonight, presented by Fan Duel here at

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Speaker 1: the volume. Happy Friday, everybody. We are live on AMP.

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Speaker 1: Don't forget if you're watching this on YouTube or on

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Speaker 1: first place that you guys can get these shows. We

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Speaker 1: have a jam Pack show today. We're bringing my guy

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Speaker 1: Carson on and we're gonna hit five big questions around

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Speaker 1: the league, just like we did last week. You guys

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Speaker 1: seem to like that, obviously. I always love talking basketball

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Speaker 1: with Carson. We're gonna be hitting on a ton of teams.

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Speaker 1: That incredible offensive explosion between the Dallas Mavericks and the

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Speaker 1: Philadelphia seventy six ers. We're gonna talk a little bit

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Speaker 1: about what's wrong with the Los Angeles Clippers, and then

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Speaker 1: we're gonna hit some Eastern Conference teams, a lot of

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Speaker 1: Celtics a lot of bucks of the New York Nicks

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Speaker 1: on a seven game winning streak with some impressive wins,

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Speaker 1: and we're talking a little bit of the Warriors as well.

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Speaker 1: You guys know the drill before we get started. Subscribe

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Speaker 1: to the Volumes YouTube channels so you don't miss any

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Speaker 1: more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at Underscore

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Speaker 1: Jason lt. So you guys don't fit us, So you

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Speaker 1: guys don't miss any show announcements. And then, last but

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Speaker 1: not least, for whatever reason, you guys miss one of

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Speaker 1: these shows and you can't get back over to YouTube

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Speaker 1: to finish. Don't forget. You can find them wherever you

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Speaker 1: get your podcasts. Under Hoops tonight, all right, let's bring

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Speaker 1: my guy Carson on. Carson, what's up man? I'm excited

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Speaker 1: to talk some basketball with you man, as am. I

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Speaker 1: grate to be back on as always, And as you said,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna start by talking about a really exciting game

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Speaker 1: that we saw last night between the Sixers and the MAVs.

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Speaker 1: Dallas ended up winning one thirty three one twenty six.

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Speaker 1: We saw forty plus from both Luca and Kyrie. Who

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Speaker 1: do you think that game said? More about Jason Philly

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Speaker 1: or Dallas, So I'm probably gonna go a direction that

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Speaker 1: you guys won't expect. I feel like that game was

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Speaker 1: the perfect encapsulation of what this season would look like

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Speaker 1: for the Dallas Mavericks. I've said a lot over the

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Speaker 1: course of their struggles here since Kyrie and Luca have

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Speaker 1: been playing together that I think that their limitations in

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Speaker 1: front court size and personnel, just defensive personnel, dirty work

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Speaker 1: personnel in general, are going to make it so that

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Speaker 1: Luca and Kyrie have to be out of their minds

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Speaker 1: offensively to give them any chance to beat good teams.

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Speaker 1: And make no mistake, it was an impressive win yesterday,

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Speaker 1: but that was the high end of the shot variants

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Speaker 1: equation there. They shot fifty two percent from three fifty

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Speaker 1: five percent from the field. Luca and Kyrie seemingly made

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Speaker 1: every single one of their difficult pull up jump shots

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Speaker 1: there was. There was just an element of shot result

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Speaker 1: there that I don't think you can dependably count on.

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Speaker 1: And I want to be clear, I'm not trying to

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Speaker 1: shape this entire Kyrie trade around this topic, because that

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Speaker 1: particular move was made in a way that made it

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Speaker 1: extremely difficult for them to contend within this season because

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Speaker 1: of the way it depleted them. I'll give you an example.

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Speaker 1: When the Lakers made the trade for Anthony Davis, they

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Speaker 1: gave up everything, like literally everything. Every good basketball player

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Speaker 1: on the team that was not named Lebron James went

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Speaker 1: out the door. But they had a full off season

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Speaker 1: to target players that would compliment them and to fill

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Speaker 1: the specific holes they would need with that particular pairing.

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Speaker 1: And again, it's gonna be a little tougher for Dallas

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Speaker 1: because they're gonna have to work more on the margins

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Speaker 1: in terms of like the mid level exception and maybe

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Speaker 1: a trade here there. They've got a few draft picks

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Speaker 1: they can use, but this summer they'll be able to

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Speaker 1: go into it with, Hey, this is our core. We've

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Speaker 1: got Kyrie and Luca. Let's put you know, this specific

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Speaker 1: type of personnel. You know, I think they can forego

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Speaker 1: some offensive skill set with the role players and prioritize

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Speaker 1: defense just because of the level of offensive skill that

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Speaker 1: Luca and Kyrie have. But last night it would concern

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Speaker 1: me because they could not have possibly played better offensively

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Speaker 1: and Philly was still hanging tough, like even when they

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Speaker 1: threw that punch to start the third quarter, right there

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Speaker 1: at the end of the third early fourth, they got

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Speaker 1: cold for a little bit and Philly was back into

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Speaker 1: it like that. So I do think that that was

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Speaker 1: a little bit concerning. I don't know that they'll be

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Speaker 1: able to shoot that well to beat any good team

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Speaker 1: four times out of seven. What do you think. I

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Speaker 1: really like the angle that you've taken here. I mean,

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Speaker 1: this is, in a lot of ways an encapsulation of

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Speaker 1: the Dallas Mavericks experience this year. It was one of

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Speaker 1: the best collective backcourt performances I can remember in my life,

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Speaker 1: and through three quarters it was like the MAVs were

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Speaker 1: effectively playing perfect offensive basketball just because of unbelievable pull

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Speaker 1: up jump shooting from Luca and Kyrie, who were a

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Speaker 1: combined I think thirteen of twenty in this game or

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Speaker 1: something like that's absurd from beyond the arc, and then

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Speaker 1: their ability to get the defense in rotation and to

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Speaker 1: find shooters who were unbelievable. I mean, they were twenty

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Speaker 1: five or forty eight from deep in this game. We

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Speaker 1: know that's what they're capable of. At the same time,

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Speaker 1: there's a reason that they're four and five since Kyrie's debut,

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Speaker 1: and that reason is that they're twenty fifth and defensive

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Speaker 1: rating and they have maxie Klibaback, now, which is nice.

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Speaker 1: He does. I mean, he is their best defensive option

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Speaker 1: in multiple situations. He's the best guy for them to

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Speaker 1: go small ball five, certainly against a lot of big wings.

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Speaker 1: He's their best option. But as you said, he's not

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Speaker 1: enough to correct just a glaring deficiency in terms of

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Speaker 1: front court in overall defensive talents. So this is why

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Speaker 1: I don't view them as a legitimate contender this year.

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Speaker 1: It's as you said, they have to be perfect offensively

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Speaker 1: to beat good teams, and I just don't think it's sustainable.

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Speaker 1: Luca and Kyrie may be the most talented scoring back

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Speaker 1: or we've ever seen, but bottom line, they can't score

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Speaker 1: forty plus every night, and you can't trust Reggie Bullock

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Speaker 1: in the supporting cast to shoot as well as they did.

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Speaker 1: What I will say on the Philly front is I

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Speaker 1: don't think there's as much to take away. This isn't

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Speaker 1: as much of like a quintessential wow, look at the

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Speaker 1: highs and the lows as it is for the MAVs.

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Speaker 1: This was, though, I thought, a good point for the

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Speaker 1: argument that you have made many times about the value

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Speaker 1: of bigs being diminished in today's NBA because of their

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Speaker 1: exploitability defensively, and I thought that's why the MAVs had

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Speaker 1: such a great offensive game. Of course, shop making, right,

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Speaker 1: you have to make twenty five or forty eight threes,

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Speaker 1: but man, a lot of those forty eight threes were

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Speaker 1: wide open because of their repeated exploitation of Joel Embiid

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Speaker 1: in space. Whether it's not a pick and roll him

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Speaker 1: dropping them shooting right over that, or if it's just

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Speaker 1: his inability to recovering contest shooters at all. I mean,

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Speaker 1: and Beid got embarrassed in this game, and that's why.

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Speaker 1: Obviously he's a great rim protector, but he is in

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Speaker 1: a lot of ways exploitable defensively, like a well, I'm

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Speaker 1: not gonna bring up yok, but you know right, he's

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Speaker 1: not the kind of complete, great defensive big man that

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Speaker 1: like a Jaren Jackson junior is. So I don't think

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Speaker 1: it's any coincidence that the six or seventeen old run

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Speaker 1: they got them right back into this game was them

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Speaker 1: going smaller and beat on the bench Paul read out

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Speaker 1: there because they could finally actually guard a five out offense.

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Speaker 1: So I don't think that Dallas is gonna face enough

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Speaker 1: teams that have that sort of exploitable center, and who

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Speaker 1: are I mean, really, it's Yoki's right who they could

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Speaker 1: go out in a playoff series, but I think Yoki

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Speaker 1: just too complete offensively and the Nuggets are too good

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Speaker 1: offensively and better defensively than the MAVs. So I don't

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Speaker 1: think that that matchup exploitation is enough for them to

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Speaker 1: like make it through. But it does show you that, man,

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Speaker 1: if you're gonna play a traditional big out there, the

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Speaker 1: MAVs can absolutely kill you. And it also says I

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Speaker 1: think the Sixers are lucky that there isn't really that

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Speaker 1: kind of insane pull up jump shooting team out east.

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Speaker 1: In that same way, because the mav scored thirty two

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Speaker 1: points in the paint and they scored one hundred and

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Speaker 1: thirty three points, it doesn't matter that Joel Embiid is

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Speaker 1: a force in there. They're not even going in there.

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Speaker 1: They're just shooting right over and they're going around him

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Speaker 1: over and over again. So that would probably my big takeaway,

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Speaker 1: on top of what you already touched on, that's a

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Speaker 1: super interesting element that I haven't really even thought about.

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Speaker 1: And I'm really glad you brought that up, Like matchups

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Speaker 1: are everything in the NBA playoffs, and you're right, like

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Speaker 1: Boston is not a good pull up jump shooting team,

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Speaker 1: Miami's not a good pull up jump shooting team. The

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Speaker 1: Waukee's not a good pull up jump shooting team. They're like, really,

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Speaker 1: the only team that would be capable of consistently get

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Speaker 1: causing Philly problems in that type of situation is Cleveland,

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Speaker 1: and I don't think they'll face them. I think I

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Speaker 1: think it's an extremely low percentage chance that they'll end

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Speaker 1: up in that type of matchup. Now that that could

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Speaker 1: be a problem when they get out of the Eastern

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Speaker 1: Conference for sure, but it is super interesting how that

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Speaker 1: matchup element has to be factored in. I want to

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Speaker 1: give Embiat some credit, like some of it was shot making,

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Speaker 1: Like I mean, Luca hit a couple of step back

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Speaker 1: thories on Joel that he contested really well, it's not

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Speaker 1: so much even to me. It was the drop coverage

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Speaker 1: in rotation, drawing that second defender and then easily getting

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Speaker 1: wide open shots on the back line. That is a

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Speaker 1: consistent problem we see with drop coverage bigs, with their

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Speaker 1: inability to be impactful in pick and roll defensively when

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Speaker 1: they have to really come out from the rim. And again,

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Speaker 1: that's just been one of my fundamental basketball ideologies forever.

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Speaker 1: It's why I've always had Embeat and Yokich kind of

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Speaker 1: further behind the perimeter guys that we have around the league.

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Speaker 1: It's not that I don't see their value. I think

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Speaker 1: it's more just a product of the way the game

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Speaker 1: of basketball has changed, and just the sheer amount of

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Speaker 1: footspeed and offensive skill on the floor and the way

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Speaker 1: those things can be exploited really quickly. Before we move

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Speaker 1: on on the Dallas front, you know this idea, you know,

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Speaker 1: I've always said pull up because we're gonna We're gonna

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Speaker 1: have a very similar conversation here in a minute about

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Speaker 1: the Clippers. Pull Up shooting is monumentally important as a

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Speaker 1: playoff skill, as like a ceiling raiser, But in my opinion,

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Speaker 1: it cannot be your foundational ability as a basketball team.

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Speaker 1: You have to have an identity that extends into the

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Speaker 1: physicality areas of the game, whether that's you're an excellent

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Speaker 1: defensive team or you're a team on offense that can

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Speaker 1: relentlessly punish the rim. Because those things can be depended

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Speaker 1: on on a night in, night out basis in the

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Speaker 1: postseason in a way that pull up jump shooting cannot.

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Speaker 1: I mean, last year the Brooklyn Nets are the perfect example.

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Speaker 1: They were by far the best pull up jump shooting

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Speaker 1: team in the league. Kyra Irving and Kevin Durant, We're

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Speaker 1: damn near fifty percent on pull up jump shots through

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Speaker 1: that entire regular season. And then they got into Boston

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Speaker 1: and suddenly their pull up jump shooting dropped into the

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Speaker 1: mid thirties and that was their only identity. Suddenly they

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Speaker 1: got swept. And so I think that's just something that

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Speaker 1: we can learn from these teams, is that, like we

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Speaker 1: have to look at that high level skill as a

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Speaker 1: ceiling raiser and it cannot be a foundational skill, which

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Speaker 1: we'll get into a little bit more here With the Clippers,

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Speaker 1: I agree with that point completely, and I think it's

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Speaker 1: something that we've seen bite the Clippers in meaningful situations

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Speaker 1: the couple times that we have seen them in the playoffs,

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Speaker 1: and now they've got bigger problems than just pull up

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Speaker 1: jump shooting there oh and four with Russell Westbrook, they

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Speaker 1: continue to slide in that fight for the five six

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Speaker 1: seven spot that they're in with Golden State in Dallas. So, Jason,

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Speaker 1: what's wrong with the Clippers and how concerned are you?

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Speaker 1: So there's several problems in my opinion, I used to

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Speaker 1: say this a lot about the Lakers, but when you're

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Speaker 1: underachieving to this extent, when you have that kind of

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Speaker 1: talent on the roster, it's usually a bunch of different things.

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Speaker 1: I want to be clear here upfront too, because we're

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Speaker 1: not going to talk a lot about Russ today. I

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Speaker 1: don't think Russ is the problem with this recent losing streak.

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Speaker 1: I think he's played fine. I think his good has

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Speaker 1: outweighed his bad at least to some extent. He had

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Speaker 1: a rough second half last night, and he wasn't too

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Speaker 1: great in the second half against Denver. But for the

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Speaker 1: most part in his shifts, he's been I think a

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Speaker 1: positive impact player, and he's been a decent fit. I

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Speaker 1: think there's a I think there's a couple of key problems,

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Speaker 1: and the one I want to focus on here to

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Speaker 1: start is that exact same thing we were just talking

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Speaker 1: about with the Dallas Mavericks. Did you know that the

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Speaker 1: Los Angeles Clippers are twenty ninth in points in the

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Speaker 1: paint scored. So like, I think this is a basketball

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Speaker 1: concept that we lose sight of all the time, where

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Speaker 1: it's like we'll see Marcus Morris as like the seventh

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Speaker 1: best player on the Clippers or whatever, hit like a

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Speaker 1: really nifty pull up jump shot in the middle of

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Speaker 1: the lane, and then you'll see Norman Powell like like

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Speaker 1: come off of a dribble handoff and rise up and

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Speaker 1: knockdown at three, and then obviously everything that Paul George

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Speaker 1: and Kawhi Leonard can do off the dribble, and you

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Speaker 1: go like, man, this team just has an insane amount

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Speaker 1: of offensive skill. And they do, but once again, the

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Speaker 1: vast majority of that offensive skill is predicated on perimeter

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Speaker 1: ball handling and perimeter shooting. They do not have a

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Speaker 1: downhill presence. They well, they do with Russ Now, but

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Speaker 1: they haven't been able to weaponize that yet. They do

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Speaker 1: not have a consistent paint presence. And that to me

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Speaker 1: goes back to our conversation from the beginning, if you're

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Speaker 1: not otherworldly defensively, which we Strangely enough, the Clippers have

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Speaker 1: not been very good defensively as of late after they

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Speaker 1: were great to start the season. I think there's another

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Speaker 1: conversation to have about being too wing heavy, because as

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Speaker 1: much as wings can help in a bunch of versatility

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Speaker 1: type situations, they are not great at the point of attack. Typically,

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Speaker 1: like there is a making no mistake, there's still a

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Speaker 1: place for guards in the NBA. Guards are very quick,

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Speaker 1: they have low centers of gravity, they can slide their feet,

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Speaker 1: and they can contain ball handlers. There's a point where

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Speaker 1: you have too many guards on the floor and suddenly

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Speaker 1: you're you start to lose other areas of the game.

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Speaker 1: But you do need to have the ability to contain

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Speaker 1: ball handlers on the perimeter. There are a lot of

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Speaker 1: guys in the Clippers rotation that are are lengthy and

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Speaker 1: tall and skilled and can shoot, but do not have

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Speaker 1: quick feet, and that causes them problems getting caught in

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Speaker 1: rotation on the defensive end of the floor. So they

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Speaker 1: do not have that high end defensive ceiling we're hoping for,

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Speaker 1: and offensively, they don't have an identity that lives in

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Speaker 1: the paint that they can rely on. So really with

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Speaker 1: the Clippers, it's like, are they hitting their perimeter shots

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Speaker 1: and they haven't been as of late, and you've seen

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Speaker 1: them losing as a result. And the last thing I

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Speaker 1: want to say is just Paul George in his last

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Speaker 1: nineteen games, twenty one points per game, forty six percent

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Speaker 1: from the field, thirty six percent from three, not a

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Speaker 1: minute's restriction thing. He's playing thirty four minutes a night.

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Speaker 1: He's not getting to the ram. Norman Powell is averaging

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Speaker 1: more restricted area makes than Paul George over that span.

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Speaker 1: His shot selection in general has been really just shitty.

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Speaker 1: In my opinion, He's just taken a lot of really

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Speaker 1: difficult off the dribble jump shots is just a part

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Speaker 1: of his normal shot diet. The way I look at it,

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Speaker 1: he had that interview with JJ Reddick and he's like, oh, yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know, I'm comfortable sliding into the second role, and

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Speaker 1: like I admire the psychology of that, like the selflessness

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Speaker 1: and all that and the willingness to buy in. But

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Speaker 1: the reality is is that's not how basketball works anymore.

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Speaker 1: Like you can have two sometimes even three as long

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Speaker 1: as their complimentary skill sets go to guys, like there's

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Speaker 1: no reason for you to have to withhold things offensively.

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Speaker 1: And Paul George is not being the aggressive, assertive superstar

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Speaker 1: that he's capable of being, and it's actually hurting the

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Speaker 1: team right now. And in the twenty twenty one playoffs

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Speaker 1: when he took them to the ceiling that he did

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Speaker 1: nearly making the finals without Kawhi Leonard, he was a

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Speaker 1: relentless rim attacker that used his pull up jump shooting

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Speaker 1: as a counter to that, and that has completely flipped

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Speaker 1: on its head, and I think has led to a

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Speaker 1: lot of his recent struggles. So they've got a lot

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Speaker 1: of things wrong with him, But I think in large

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Speaker 1: part it starts right now with offensive approach being perimeter

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Speaker 1: first as opposed to paint first. I think that's a

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Speaker 1: great point that you make about PG and that has

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Speaker 1: that many times been like the determining factor in what

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Speaker 1: Paul George are gonna get. Are we gonna get Paul George,

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Speaker 1: who sure is a great pull up jump shooter but

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Speaker 1: is settling consistently, or are we gonna get eight free

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Speaker 1: throws a game downhill force, therefore enhancing his playmaking impact. Two.

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Speaker 1: That's the best Paul George when he blends those two,

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Speaker 1: And I agree he hasn't done that well enough recently.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, I think there's a lot of concerns with

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Speaker 1: this team, and I agree completely with your reliance on

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Speaker 1: pull up jump shooting and overall jumpshooting. Point, we have

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Speaker 1: seen to a t the Clippers manufacturer at least the

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Speaker 1: first couple of years of the KAUAIPG pairing all time

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Speaker 1: regular season offenses, all time shooting teams, and then in

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Speaker 1: the three playoffs series they've won, they've shot about forty

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Speaker 1: percent from deep. In the two playoff series they've lost,

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Speaker 1: they were under thirty four percent from deep in both.

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Speaker 1: It's like there isn't a counter, there isn't an alternative,

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Speaker 1: There isn't a Hey, we can have a Lebron just

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Speaker 1: impose as well in the game and get downhill over

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Speaker 1: and over again, eat up sixteen free throws right create

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Speaker 1: shots for others by being in the pain, attacking the

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Speaker 1: paint they don't have. So I agree that is a

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Speaker 1: big problem that this team is facing. I will say, though,

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Speaker 1: I'm very concerned about the defensive regression that we've seen

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Speaker 1: from them since January first. They're twenty third in defensive rating,

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Speaker 1: and I do not think these small ball lineups that

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Speaker 1: they're trotting out are tenable in playoff situations. I think,

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Speaker 1: as you said, they've lost something at the point of attack.

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Speaker 1: Like I think even Pat bev Right was an upgrade

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Speaker 1: compared to anything that they have on this roster in

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Speaker 1: terms of guarding, like dynamic guards. And so if you're

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Speaker 1: putting Russ out there, who is not a good defender,

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Speaker 1: and now with Russ out there as well, I will

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Speaker 1: say I do think that he hurts this team. Like, yes,

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Speaker 1: he has played well in a vacuum. When he has

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Speaker 1: the ball in his hands, he's been good, I'll say,

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Speaker 1: because he has so much space to work with here,

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Speaker 1: he's attacking open paints, he is shooting all around him. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: there's been some turnovers. Yeah, he's been baited into some

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Speaker 1: mid range pull ups that aren't great, But overall he's

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Speaker 1: been productive there. The problem is when you look at

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Speaker 1: down the stretch in that King's game, or when you

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Speaker 1: look at late in this Warriors game and teams literally

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Speaker 1: are not guarding him because he shoots thirty point seven

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Speaker 1: percent on wide open threes. Now you have a guy

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Speaker 1: who's completely ineffective away from the ball. His athleticism is

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Speaker 1: playmaking doesn't matter because he doesn't even have the opportunity

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Speaker 1: to get downhill because nobody's guarding him. Like that, to me,

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Speaker 1: is just really problematic when you also don't have good

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Speaker 1: enough defensive personnel. Overall that Yokis matchup, they were fronting

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Speaker 1: him the entire game, and he gave him a forty

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Speaker 1: point triple double. Like I just think there's too many

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Speaker 1: flaws here to consider them a legitimate contender. What we've

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Speaker 1: talked about offensively, I do think the rust fit bottom line,

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Speaker 1: in crunch time minutes, you don't want a decision making liability.

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Speaker 1: You don't want him taking the ball out of the

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Speaker 1: hands of Peg and Kauai, and he's a liability away

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Speaker 1: from the ball, and yet we've still seen Tyler play

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Speaker 1: him in crunchtime minutes in three of these four games.

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Speaker 1: So I think there's a lot to be concerned about

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Speaker 1: with LA and I do not see them as a

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Speaker 1: top like contender. I think they get out physical in

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Speaker 1: a lot of matchups. I think their pull up shooting

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Speaker 1: reliance hurts them, and I don't think their defense is

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Speaker 1: good enough. We've just seen a lot of regression there.

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Speaker 1: So you had some Warriors points you wanted to hit

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Speaker 1: on from this game. They're now better than five hundred

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Speaker 1: without Steph this year and have had a couple of

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Speaker 1: incredible third quarters just this week, So what's your take

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Speaker 1: on them? So really quickly, I just want to say,

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Speaker 1: I do agree with what you're saying about Russ, But

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Speaker 1: to me, that's the late game situation, which is what

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Speaker 1: I've been saying this whole time. Don't play him in

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Speaker 1: those specific situations, and then you can benefit from the

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Speaker 1: positives without as many of the negatives. I will say, though,

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Speaker 1: their offense has struggled just as much when he's been

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Speaker 1: off the floor. So that's particularly why I've been defensive

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Speaker 1: of him in this particular situation, is like he has

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Speaker 1: been brought in to assist in specific areas and they're

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Speaker 1: struggling everywhere else, and so he's becoming like the easy

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Speaker 1: narrative target in this particular situation. So I you know,

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Speaker 1: and as far as the Clippers as a threat, I

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Speaker 1: one hundred percent agree. They cannot beat Denver, which means

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Speaker 1: they need an extremely fortunate path to get out of

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Speaker 1: the conference, which would would then in turn expect them

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Speaker 1: to beat all of those particular teams, which I don't

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Speaker 1: necessarily think they would. So I view them like in

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Speaker 1: that tier with like Memphis and Cleveland and teams that

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Speaker 1: are like interesting and talented, but don't really have that

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Speaker 1: much of a significant chance to win the title. So

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Speaker 1: I just wanted to really quick shout out Steve Kerr

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Speaker 1: because you know, he went jankie last night with Draymond

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Speaker 1: Green just completely blatantly ignoring Russell Westbrook sitting down in

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Speaker 1: the paint. And then a couple nights ago against Portland,

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Speaker 1: and I actually misinterpreted this in my first rewatch. I

429
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:37,240
Speaker 1: was watching and I was so hyper focused on Kavan

430
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:39,480
Speaker 1: Looney and Draymond Green operating on the back end that

431
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,280
Speaker 1: I thought it was a three two zone. It actually

432
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,159
Speaker 1: was a box in one. Shout out to some of

433
00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:45,360
Speaker 1: the people in the comments on our video that corrected

434
00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:50,560
Speaker 1: me on that the boxing one is a super janky

435
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:52,240
Speaker 1: thing that you might not be able to get away

436
00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:54,159
Speaker 1: with seven times in a series, but it helps you

437
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,840
Speaker 1: win that one game in a must win situation with

438
00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:03,359
Speaker 1: Steph Curry out Andrew Wiggins out a that is a

439
00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:09,240
Speaker 1: regular season just outwitting your opponent and finding a way

440
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,159
Speaker 1: to get a win when you're down twenty something against

441
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:14,800
Speaker 1: the decent talented team in Portland. And then last night,

442
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,960
Speaker 1: same thing. Like I thought before that game that the

443
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,480
Speaker 1: Warriors had little to no chance of winning because of

444
00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,520
Speaker 1: how much talent the Clippers do have and how desperate

445
00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,680
Speaker 1: the Clippers were for a win, and then their perimeter

446
00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,560
Speaker 1: size advantages that they have over the Warriors, and I

447
00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,359
Speaker 1: was I was flat out wrong and incredibly impressed with

448
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,920
Speaker 1: the way the Warriors grind it out a just literally

449
00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,760
Speaker 1: a chess match type of win. And what I appreciated

450
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,199
Speaker 1: so often during the regular season, you'll see coaches just

451
00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,959
Speaker 1: stick with their base scheme because they almost look at

452
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,399
Speaker 1: each game as effectively a practice and they're trying to

453
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:51,520
Speaker 1: build like habits and tendencies for the postseason. And what

454
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,280
Speaker 1: I appreciate about what Steve Kerr has done is he's like, nah,

455
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,639
Speaker 1: screw that we have ground to make up in the standings.

456
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,679
Speaker 1: This is playoff basketball from out till the end of

457
00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,320
Speaker 1: the season. We are coaching every single game as if

458
00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:06,680
Speaker 1: it is a must win situation. Now, Steph Curry's coming

459
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,720
Speaker 1: back on Sunday against the Lakers, so they can probably

460
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,479
Speaker 1: slide back into a more traditional model from there. But

461
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,000
Speaker 1: I just to me, that is that level of like

462
00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,760
Speaker 1: absolute commitments to making the stretch run that you like

463
00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,919
Speaker 1: to see, and it's making me want to put the

464
00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,000
Speaker 1: Warriors up on that top tier of contenders, which we'll

465
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,400
Speaker 1: talk about here in this next question. I agree completely.

466
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,400
Speaker 1: There's been urgency, it's been really fun to watch, and

467
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:35,760
Speaker 1: the battle for seating for them does matter. It could

468
00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:37,560
Speaker 1: be the difference between playing the Kings in the first

469
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,720
Speaker 1: round and the Nuggets if you fall into that play

470
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,159
Speaker 1: and you know, you lose your first playing game, or

471
00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:43,880
Speaker 1: of course you can miss the playoffs entirely. I don't

472
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,600
Speaker 1: think that'd be likely, but it's possible. So it's been

473
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,840
Speaker 1: very fun and the Dubs are looking better for sure.

474
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:52,879
Speaker 1: The NBA season is heating up, and now is the

475
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,399
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480
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481
00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:14,879
Speaker 1: scores and three's drained. My favorite bet this weekend is

482
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:18,040
Speaker 1: the Bucks at home against the Sixers. They're a five

483
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,040
Speaker 1: and a half point favorite, but they're on a big

484
00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:21,920
Speaker 1: winning streak and this is one of those moments where

485
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,760
Speaker 1: they have an opportunity to send a clear message that

486
00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:27,919
Speaker 1: legitimizes their winning streak. I think they're gonna beat the

487
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:31,520
Speaker 1: Sixers handile, so I'll take the Bucks minus five and

488
00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,680
Speaker 1: a half on Saturday night. So don't miss the chance

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493
00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,280
Speaker 1: get ready because fanduels come in soon. Make sure you

494
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Speaker 1: check out FanDuel dot com slash mass and take advantage

495
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496
00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,880
Speaker 1: FanDuel an official sports betting partner of the NBA, nobody

497
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,360
Speaker 1: looking better right now than the Milwaukee Bucks Jason who

498
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:07,639
Speaker 1: have won fifteen straight games. Given that, should they be

499
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:11,879
Speaker 1: the title favorites, I think so, I think again, Like

500
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,159
Speaker 1: I had them as my second favorite coming into the season.

501
00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:17,679
Speaker 1: We'll talk a little bit more about Golden Stay here

502
00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:19,840
Speaker 1: in the second My main skepticism there is just their

503
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,240
Speaker 1: playoff path and just how difficult the next few months

504
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:23,959
Speaker 1: are going to be in just what that means for

505
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,520
Speaker 1: an old veteran team that has some guys that have

506
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,639
Speaker 1: been in and out of the lineup this year. But

507
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,440
Speaker 1: in terms of every team, when you factor in their

508
00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,800
Speaker 1: current predicament in the standings and what they look like

509
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,680
Speaker 1: as a basketball team, the Bucks check the most boxes.

510
00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,160
Speaker 1: They are the number one defense in the league. They

511
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,200
Speaker 1: have the best player in the league in my opinion,

512
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,399
Speaker 1: and Janis. They have championship pedigree, so they know what

513
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:47,600
Speaker 1: it takes at every single level. They've experienced the pain

514
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,360
Speaker 1: of loss and the joy of the final goal. They

515
00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:54,840
Speaker 1: understand that up and down nature of the NBA playoffs.

516
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:57,520
Speaker 1: Their half court offense has actually been pretty good. That's

517
00:25:57,520 --> 00:25:59,119
Speaker 1: been one of the big knocks on the Bucks throughout

518
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:02,760
Speaker 1: the regular season, but this season, when Chris Middleton, Drew Holiday,

519
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:04,760
Speaker 1: and Janis are on the floor together, they have one

520
00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,000
Speaker 1: hundred and one offensive rating in the half court, which

521
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,440
Speaker 1: is fine. It's perfectly fine. It's not Denver with Yokitchen,

522
00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:14,479
Speaker 1: Murray and Porter, but it's a good half court offense,

523
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,000
Speaker 1: good enough. They're spot up shooting and spot up a

524
00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:19,199
Speaker 1: close out attacking has improved. They're all the way up

525
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,199
Speaker 1: to twelfth in the league for the whole season now,

526
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,040
Speaker 1: which was one of their biggest weaknesses early on. Shout

527
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 1: out to Joe Engles, Shout out to Chris Middleton coming

528
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,960
Speaker 1: back and helping in that specific department. And I think

529
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,280
Speaker 1: out of all of the teams that we consider top

530
00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:35,119
Speaker 1: tier contenders or really anybody that we consider to be

531
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,040
Speaker 1: a potential contender, I think they're the best equipped team

532
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,520
Speaker 1: in the league to win rock fights. And way too

533
00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,480
Speaker 1: often we see these games a Denni grate down into

534
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,840
Speaker 1: rock fights when everyone My favorite example of this was

535
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 1: the other night when Philly was playing Miami, where like

536
00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,840
Speaker 1: even the skill players on the floor completely lose their

537
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,359
Speaker 1: jump shot just because the game is so physical and

538
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,359
Speaker 1: everyone's at a rhythm and it's just super disjointed, and

539
00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,040
Speaker 1: it's like, hey, do you have a guy that can

540
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,800
Speaker 1: just barrel into four people and make a layup? Oh? Heait?

541
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,600
Speaker 1: Jimmy Butler did, and Philly didn't, and so they ended

542
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,879
Speaker 1: up losing, right Like, I think Milwaukee's uniquely equipped for

543
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:10,400
Speaker 1: those specific types of battles. So I think that that

544
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,680
Speaker 1: inherently puts them as my championship favorite right now. I

545
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,520
Speaker 1: do only have Boston as the other top team in

546
00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:21,240
Speaker 1: that tier, but I am extremely tempted to put Golden

547
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,760
Speaker 1: State back in that tier. They beat another good team

548
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,400
Speaker 1: last night without their two best players. They're in kind

549
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,360
Speaker 1: of in a sneaky good position in the standings with

550
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 1: an outside chance of getting especially if they can kind

551
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,679
Speaker 1: of time things out to get the sixth seed to

552
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,320
Speaker 1: catch Sacramento in the first round. I really like how

553
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,919
Speaker 1: that would line up for them going Sacramento, Memphis, Denver,

554
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,200
Speaker 1: or whoever is in the one seed through the rest

555
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,200
Speaker 1: of the conference. They also check I think as we're

556
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,480
Speaker 1: going down boxes, I think they check the most boxes

557
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:51,560
Speaker 1: out of the Western Conference teams. Like I do think

558
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,119
Speaker 1: Steph is a better playoff player than Nickel Yokich. I

559
00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:58,000
Speaker 1: think they're a better defensive team when they're completely healthy

560
00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,480
Speaker 1: and put together. With Andrew Wiggins healthy and playing like

561
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,000
Speaker 1: the top tier perimeter defender that he is, I think

562
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,040
Speaker 1: they're better defensively. I think they've got more experience. I'm

563
00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,720
Speaker 1: just extremely tempted to put them back in that tier.

564
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,159
Speaker 1: And Denver is starting to fall back off on the

565
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,960
Speaker 1: defensive end. They have started to let go the rope.

566
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,000
Speaker 1: They're just a little bit. They've slipped down to fourteenth

567
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,680
Speaker 1: in the league after getting up very close to getting

568
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,800
Speaker 1: into that top ten. But I will say this, if

569
00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,960
Speaker 1: Golden State keeps winning at the way they're right they're winning,

570
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,399
Speaker 1: they could end up falling into a Phoenix matchup in

571
00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,360
Speaker 1: the first round, and that could be extreme. Well, first

572
00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:35,320
Speaker 1: of all, extremely interesting for us because can you imagine

573
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:39,080
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant with his newest super team versus the Golden

574
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,480
Speaker 1: State Warriors in a seven game series in the first round.

575
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:43,600
Speaker 1: It just be incredible for us. So I wouldn't be

576
00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:45,720
Speaker 1: surprised if they try to kind of meander their way

577
00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:47,440
Speaker 1: down to the sixth seed, just because that's a much

578
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:51,000
Speaker 1: easier playoff path. But again, when I'm comparing that to

579
00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:52,640
Speaker 1: the Bucks, it's just so much more has to go

580
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,240
Speaker 1: right for Golden State. And then with Boston, I still

581
00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,400
Speaker 1: have some concerns about their execution on the playoff stage.

582
00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,760
Speaker 1: So I think Milwaukee's the safest bed. I agree, and

583
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,440
Speaker 1: this is the side that I've been on. I also

584
00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,240
Speaker 1: agree that it is still a top tier of Boston

585
00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:10,360
Speaker 1: and Milwaukee. I think they're honestly two of the most

586
00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,800
Speaker 1: talented teams of this century. I do like Golden State

587
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:16,880
Speaker 1: a lot, and the depth has also come along with them, right,

588
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,320
Speaker 1: I mean, Devincenzo for twenty plus games has been great.

589
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,960
Speaker 1: Kamingo's looked his best, you know, He's not necessarily battle

590
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:25,160
Speaker 1: tests that are polished for that stage, but improving. So

591
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,920
Speaker 1: I still think though it comes down to me basically

592
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:33,600
Speaker 1: to a faith in Yannis versus Tatum in a lot

593
00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,880
Speaker 1: of ways, I think both of these rosters are absolutely loaded,

594
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,560
Speaker 1: having incredibly high two way ceilings. But I think you

595
00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,280
Speaker 1: put it well, the rock fight environment, the hey, I

596
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:45,680
Speaker 1: will get mine no matter what right you can build,

597
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:47,920
Speaker 1: the wall, you can double me relentlessly. I might not

598
00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,280
Speaker 1: even have, as we saw last year, my best perimeter

599
00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:52,480
Speaker 1: shotmaker on the floor. I'll get my thirty four and

600
00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:54,920
Speaker 1: seven with solid efficiency and dominate the game. On the

601
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,160
Speaker 1: other end of the floor, that's Yannis. And when both

602
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,320
Speaker 1: these teams have great supporting casts, I have to favor

603
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 1: that over sometimes decision making, liability, sometimes over really relying

604
00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:07,080
Speaker 1: on the jump shot, the difficult shot making that may

605
00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,840
Speaker 1: not go his way. With Tatum, I do think that

606
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,239
Speaker 1: that does matter when again, both these teams are so

607
00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:16,680
Speaker 1: strong top to bottom, and I think the ingles and

608
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,680
Speaker 1: the crowder editions on the wings are hugely important. I

609
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:21,800
Speaker 1: think this Bucks team is better than the team that

610
00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,560
Speaker 1: won the title, and they're gonna have a tougher path.

611
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,400
Speaker 1: I think Boston's better than anybody who they played in

612
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:30,520
Speaker 1: that run, and they might have to face Philly two

613
00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:32,000
Speaker 1: right before they even get out of the East. Like,

614
00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:33,840
Speaker 1: that's a really, really tough path. This is the best

615
00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,640
Speaker 1: top three out East of this century too, I would

616
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,600
Speaker 1: confidently say. But I do believe that they're cut out

617
00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:41,840
Speaker 1: for it. They have an elite shooting ceiling. They are

618
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:44,680
Speaker 1: going to be elite defensively. They have a three headed

619
00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:47,320
Speaker 1: monster at the top with the best player alive, and

620
00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,680
Speaker 1: they have great depth on the wings that can be physical.

621
00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,680
Speaker 1: They're big, they have dynamic shot making. I think that

622
00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:55,480
Speaker 1: they have it all and Boston has a lot of

623
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:59,720
Speaker 1: it too. But yeah, that Yannis, that physicality factor does

624
00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:06,520
Speaker 1: mane lean Milwaukee. Okay, let's talk about another team out East.

625
00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:10,080
Speaker 1: It has been really the second hottest in the league

626
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,520
Speaker 1: as of late, and that is the New York Knicks,

627
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,160
Speaker 1: who will continue to climb in those standings up to

628
00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,080
Speaker 1: the five seed now and creating separation with the rest

629
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:22,800
Speaker 1: of that field. Out East. What's their ceiling? Jason, how

630
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:27,080
Speaker 1: seriously should we take them? You know, everything comes down

631
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,440
Speaker 1: to Julius Randall and Jalen Brunson, as I've been saying

632
00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,920
Speaker 1: all season, and you know, during this seven game winning streak,

633
00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,640
Speaker 1: it really is this simple. They're doing all the same

634
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:39,160
Speaker 1: things they've done all season, but Julius Randall and Jalen

635
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:43,000
Speaker 1: Brunson have produced like superstars on the offensive end of

636
00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:45,520
Speaker 1: the floor during this stretch. All year long, They've been

637
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,760
Speaker 1: a pretty good defense, not a great defense. I kind

638
00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 1: of look at them like the Memphis of the Eastern

639
00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,080
Speaker 1: Conference from the standpoint of like their physical profile, like

640
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:55,520
Speaker 1: they are going to kill you on the rebound, on

641
00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:57,920
Speaker 1: the glass, on both ends of the floor, They're going

642
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,160
Speaker 1: to be a good defensive team. They don't have that

643
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,880
Speaker 1: same defensive ceiling as Memphis. But honestly, Mitchell Robinson starting

644
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,120
Speaker 1: to flash some of that high level shot blocking and

645
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,800
Speaker 1: rim protection that you get from a Jaren Jackson. So

646
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,400
Speaker 1: you're starting to see a little bit of that. But

647
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,200
Speaker 1: they've always struggled when the game slows down. They haven't

648
00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,960
Speaker 1: been a great half court team on either end of

649
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,320
Speaker 1: the floor. They've got too many entry points on offense,

650
00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:24,480
Speaker 1: and when they're on offense, their stars are somewhat limited, right,

651
00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:28,760
Speaker 1: but during this specific stretch, those stars have been incredible.

652
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:31,000
Speaker 1: During the seven game winning streak, they're seventh in defense.

653
00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,360
Speaker 1: What you would expect, best rebounding percentage in the league

654
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,320
Speaker 1: by mile, over fifty five percent of available rebounds. But

655
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:40,200
Speaker 1: both Jalen Brunson and Julius Randall Brunson twenty eight points

656
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:42,080
Speaker 1: per game on fifty three percent from the field forty

657
00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,600
Speaker 1: three percent from three, Julius Randall twenty seven seven and

658
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:47,440
Speaker 1: four on forty nine percent from the field thirty nine

659
00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,920
Speaker 1: percent from three. And suddenly they're super tough to beat.

660
00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:52,600
Speaker 1: And then they've been just racking up the wins, back

661
00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,680
Speaker 1: to back road wins in Atlanta and Washington, which are

662
00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:57,840
Speaker 1: not easy. I mean that they're not great teams, but

663
00:32:57,880 --> 00:32:59,760
Speaker 1: they're not easy wins to get. Then they come home,

664
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,680
Speaker 1: they eat the shit out of the Pelicans, and then

665
00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,680
Speaker 1: they got the signature win against Boston, which I watched yesterday,

666
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:08,520
Speaker 1: albeit without Jaylen Brown. But Julius Rando just came right

667
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,680
Speaker 1: out the gates and was gunning over the top with

668
00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,200
Speaker 1: pull up shooting from three and was knocking shots down.

669
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,240
Speaker 1: Mitchell Robinson was locking down the paint and now Boston

670
00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:19,480
Speaker 1: was missing a lot of their open threes in that

671
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:23,280
Speaker 1: particular game. But I always, I always want to give

672
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 1: some of the credit for that sort of shot result

673
00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,320
Speaker 1: to physical teams, because lyft is a huge part of

674
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:30,960
Speaker 1: jump shot result, And when you're battling the best rebounding

675
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:33,360
Speaker 1: team in the league and they're you know, beating up

676
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:35,280
Speaker 1: and playing physical on the defensive end of the floor,

677
00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:37,760
Speaker 1: I do believe that sort of thing directly leads to

678
00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,840
Speaker 1: shot result in some cases. But that's not to say, like,

679
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:44,240
Speaker 1: obviously I'd picked Boston over New York in a series.

680
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:47,120
Speaker 1: But the point is is like when they defend that

681
00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:50,560
Speaker 1: way and they rebound that way and they get superstar

682
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:54,120
Speaker 1: level production out of their stars, they suddenly become very good.

683
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:58,040
Speaker 1: Now the question what is their ceiling. It's entirely up

684
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,000
Speaker 1: to those two guys. If they are efficient twenty seven

685
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,920
Speaker 1: point per game scorers in the playoffs, they can beat anyone,

686
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,720
Speaker 1: end of story. But the reality is is, you know,

687
00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:10,319
Speaker 1: the NBA playoffs notoriously exposed basketball players for who they

688
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,400
Speaker 1: really are. And my guests as to what will happen

689
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:15,680
Speaker 1: is that when they get into the postseason and the

690
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:18,920
Speaker 1: physicality ratchets up and the defense is ratchet up another level,

691
00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:22,200
Speaker 1: that they'll come back down to their realistic level, which

692
00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:25,319
Speaker 1: is low twenty point per game scoring on moderate efficiency,

693
00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,200
Speaker 1: and I think from there they'll have some issues. But

694
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,640
Speaker 1: last thing I'll say, I you know, it's kind of

695
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:34,120
Speaker 1: shaping up with the way the standings are coming along,

696
00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:36,239
Speaker 1: that they might end up facing the Calves in that

697
00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,040
Speaker 1: first round series. I give the Knicks a real chance

698
00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,200
Speaker 1: to win that series. I think the Calves are an

699
00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:43,919
Speaker 1: extremely flawed team on their own, and I think specifically

700
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,840
Speaker 1: their flaws play into New York strengths, especially with the

701
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,479
Speaker 1: Tom Tivotau and his ability to ignore shooting to help

702
00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:53,680
Speaker 1: around the paint, and the way that's going to make

703
00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:56,640
Speaker 1: things difficult with Cleveland in their lack of front court

704
00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,200
Speaker 1: offensive skill. So I give them a puncher's chance, a

705
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,600
Speaker 1: real chance that I'd say, I'd have to think about it.

706
00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:03,320
Speaker 1: I might even pick the Knicks to win that series,

707
00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:05,920
Speaker 1: but I would give them no chance to beat Boston.

708
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,760
Speaker 1: I mean, as we're discussing, as we're discussing their ceiling,

709
00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:12,080
Speaker 1: I agree with you. I think that that is shaping

710
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:17,799
Speaker 1: up to be a really interesting looking series, because I

711
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:20,000
Speaker 1: do think that there are clear advantages that the Knicks

712
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,120
Speaker 1: have right significantly better depth, better wings, and as you said,

713
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:28,720
Speaker 1: when they have that dynamic star tandem, then they can

714
00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:31,560
Speaker 1: easily go toe to toe with Cleveland. I mean, they

715
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:35,160
Speaker 1: may not have the defensive ceiling, but they have other

716
00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:38,360
Speaker 1: things that can compensate for that. Outside of that, though, yeah,

717
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:41,839
Speaker 1: I really don't think just because of how good the

718
00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:43,480
Speaker 1: top of the East is, there's any world in which

719
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:45,799
Speaker 1: I can see the Knicks making like a conference finals run.

720
00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,040
Speaker 1: They are so much better than the team two years

721
00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:51,440
Speaker 1: ago that everybody, I think really overhyped, like that was

722
00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,280
Speaker 1: a bad offensive team. We knew that all year. People

723
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,319
Speaker 1: just decided to ignore it because it was exciting, and

724
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:58,839
Speaker 1: it was like, yeah, they're overlying on Randall. They can

725
00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,359
Speaker 1: load up on him and if his jump shot isn't

726
00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:04,600
Speaker 1: consistently falling, they'll get dismantled by the Atlanta Hawks. And

727
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,120
Speaker 1: you know, this team is in an entirely different stratosphere

728
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:11,960
Speaker 1: right now because of Jalen Bronson, and also, I mean

729
00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:14,960
Speaker 1: the role guys are improved like quickly. Josh Hart, those

730
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,239
Speaker 1: guys are first Team All Role Player right now. They

731
00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:20,479
Speaker 1: are doing their jobs exceptionally well. This bench is really good,

732
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:23,319
Speaker 1: but it's Brunson man. Like you said, I mean, he's

733
00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:25,279
Speaker 1: been one of the best guards in the league in

734
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:29,240
Speaker 1: this calendar year. He's been unbelievable. And he's an incredibly skilled,

735
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:32,600
Speaker 1: versatile pick and roll score, high level shotmaker on all

736
00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:38,160
Speaker 1: three levels, good playmaker, good leader, competitor. He's the difference maker.

737
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:39,520
Speaker 1: He's the reason that this is now a team do

738
00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:42,240
Speaker 1: you look at and say, yeah, they're a legit playoff

739
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:45,520
Speaker 1: caliber team. And Randall has been much better after another

740
00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:47,760
Speaker 1: slow start of this year, and his jump shots actually

741
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:50,279
Speaker 1: come back to some extent, like not quite at two

742
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,439
Speaker 1: years ago level, but also better than last year where

743
00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,560
Speaker 1: it was like, oh my god, is this guy literally

744
00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:56,759
Speaker 1: just exactly the same jump shooter he was before and

745
00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,680
Speaker 1: there were no fans in the stands. He's at a

746
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:01,839
Speaker 1: happy medium where he's like thirty five percent from deep,

747
00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:04,319
Speaker 1: forty two percent from mid range, and when he's at

748
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,280
Speaker 1: his best, when he's physical, when he's making good decisions

749
00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,040
Speaker 1: with the ball, when his jump shots falling, Yeah, he

750
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:10,759
Speaker 1: can be a really impactful top two guy offensively. So

751
00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:13,480
Speaker 1: I think we view this team very Similarly, I just

752
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,359
Speaker 1: don't think when you're comparing them to the top three, right,

753
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:20,960
Speaker 1: those teams have more star power, they have really strong depth,

754
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,600
Speaker 1: They are more gifted on both ends of the floor. Right.

755
00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:27,040
Speaker 1: It's just there's a different level that I don't think

756
00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:29,040
Speaker 1: the Knicks can get to in a seven game series.

757
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,080
Speaker 1: But they've been really fun. They've overachieved my expectations, and

758
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:36,640
Speaker 1: that Brunson deal, which I wasn't sure about, is clearly

759
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:38,960
Speaker 1: a massive difference maker, and you know, gets them one

760
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,000
Speaker 1: step closer to where they would like to end up.

761
00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:43,839
Speaker 1: He's done the work. I mean, he's flat out done

762
00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:45,640
Speaker 1: the work, So shout out to him. But I mean

763
00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,680
Speaker 1: it's really the simple Take the top two guys out

764
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:50,640
Speaker 1: of every one of these teams. Take you know, Randall

765
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:54,120
Speaker 1: and Brunson out, Take the Jay's out for Boston, Take

766
00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:57,320
Speaker 1: Drew Holiday and Janis out, and who has the better roster.

767
00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:00,640
Speaker 1: It's Boston and Milwaukee by a mile. So you're asking

768
00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:07,320
Speaker 1: is for Jalen and Julius to dramatically outplay Jannis and

769
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:10,000
Speaker 1: True Holiday or the two js, which is just too

770
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:12,480
Speaker 1: much to ask. So it's just it's just the reality

771
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:15,560
Speaker 1: of their predicament. Those two guys. Are you know Brunson's

772
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,120
Speaker 1: better off is probably the second or third best player

773
00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:19,880
Speaker 1: on the team, And same thing with Julius Randall if

774
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:22,839
Speaker 1: you're looking to win a championship. Yeah, And I still

775
00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:26,680
Speaker 1: have current concerns about Randall's offensive consistency and efficiency. And

776
00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:29,279
Speaker 1: RJ you know, is a beast of his own. He

777
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:31,480
Speaker 1: doesn't have that sort of expectation, but he does get

778
00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:34,000
Speaker 1: a significant volume in this offense, and that can be

779
00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,320
Speaker 1: pretty ugly at times. Yeah. Absolutely, the most. He is

780
00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,799
Speaker 1: the most predictable offensive player I've ever watched in terms

781
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:42,479
Speaker 1: of driving, direction and shot selection, Like you, I feel

782
00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:44,040
Speaker 1: like watching the TV. I know what he's going to

783
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:47,560
Speaker 1: do next every single time. Yeah, and a lack of

784
00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:51,399
Speaker 1: skilled shot making like the intermediate game is, it's not there.

785
00:38:52,719 --> 00:38:55,319
Speaker 1: Let's talk about one more Eastern Conference team who we

786
00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:58,880
Speaker 1: have touched on here within these conversations. The Celtics have

787
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,520
Speaker 1: been quite CONSI instantly right at the top of the

788
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:04,120
Speaker 1: league this year. I mean literally from the jump last

789
00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:07,400
Speaker 1: year obviously made the finals, slow start, incredible, finished the

790
00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:11,120
Speaker 1: regular season. Jason, Is this Boston team better than last

791
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:17,800
Speaker 1: year's I think, I think I think they're much better. Yeah,

792
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:20,520
Speaker 1: their defense isn't quite as sharp as it was last year.

793
00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:23,440
Speaker 1: They're giving up about five points more per one hundred possessions.

794
00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:25,000
Speaker 1: I do think a big part of that is them

795
00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:27,839
Speaker 1: kind of buying into the long view of the NBA

796
00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,960
Speaker 1: regular season, like Man Boston Boston night in and night out.

797
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,840
Speaker 1: Their effort during the springtime last year and the regular

798
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:37,040
Speaker 1: season was off the charts, and I don't think it's

799
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,879
Speaker 1: realistic to expect them to do that again, especially when

800
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,839
Speaker 1: you understand, like once you've you've seen this with all

801
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,480
Speaker 1: the veteran teams around the league, once you like thoroughly

802
00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:48,400
Speaker 1: embrace and understand that from mid April to mid June,

803
00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,680
Speaker 1: you're going to be going through this incredible physical grind,

804
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:53,759
Speaker 1: like you do, bank some energy there. So I don't

805
00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:56,200
Speaker 1: really hold them over the accountable to that. I do

806
00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:58,560
Speaker 1: think that they'll be able to reach the same defensive

807
00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:01,160
Speaker 1: ceiling when they get to the season. But they are

808
00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:04,120
Speaker 1: a much better offensive team than last year. Malcolm Brogden

809
00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:06,360
Speaker 1: has been a home run trade to bolster their decision

810
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:10,959
Speaker 1: making and ball handling. To me, in general, their guard

811
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 1: corps I think is sneaky, one of the best guard

812
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,600
Speaker 1: corps in the league. And it goes completely under the

813
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:18,719
Speaker 1: radar because of the focus on the two Jays. But

814
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:23,360
Speaker 1: they're a much much better clutch team and execution team

815
00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:25,839
Speaker 1: than they were last year. So this is crazy. Check

816
00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:28,640
Speaker 1: this out. Last year, the Celtics were the second worst

817
00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:31,120
Speaker 1: win percentage in the entire league in clutch games. They

818
00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,279
Speaker 1: were thirteen and twenty two in the postseason. We saw

819
00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,799
Speaker 1: that specific problem rise up time and time again. They

820
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,759
Speaker 1: lost five clutch games in last year's postseason, which was

821
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:43,239
Speaker 1: more than everybody else, albeit they've played longer, but even

822
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:45,799
Speaker 1: above and beyond that, we just know from watching the

823
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:49,280
Speaker 1: games that last year they struggled with execution in ball handling,

824
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:52,760
Speaker 1: but in this particular season, they've completely flipped the script.

825
00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:55,000
Speaker 1: They've been the second best clutch team in the league.

826
00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:57,560
Speaker 1: They are twenty one and eight in games that have

827
00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,000
Speaker 1: been within five points with less than five minutes left.

828
00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,160
Speaker 1: They have almost a two to one assist a turnover

829
00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,080
Speaker 1: ratio and clutch situations this year. So that speaks to

830
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:06,880
Speaker 1: them just taking better care of the ball. They've just

831
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,480
Speaker 1: been sharper in those areas. But the problem is, and

832
00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:10,960
Speaker 1: you talked about this a little bit when we were

833
00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:13,880
Speaker 1: talking about contenders, but the league around them has gotten

834
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:18,000
Speaker 1: a lot better. Milwaukee I think is not only much

835
00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:19,960
Speaker 1: better than last year, but I agree with you. I

836
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:22,520
Speaker 1: think they're a much better version of the championship team

837
00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:24,960
Speaker 1: that won a few years back. Albeit that team was

838
00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:28,600
Speaker 1: very much a war of attrition, last man standing type

839
00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:30,360
Speaker 1: of team, which is a credit to you. They're a

840
00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,840
Speaker 1: deserving champion, but their path through the playoffs was bizarre

841
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:38,680
Speaker 1: to say the least. Right, But like Milwaukee's much better,

842
00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:41,000
Speaker 1: Philly I think is much much better than they were

843
00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:44,279
Speaker 1: last year. And then the Western Conference, you're either going

844
00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,600
Speaker 1: to get a Golden State team that is the defending

845
00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:51,080
Speaker 1: champion that somehow gets right in time and peaks and

846
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,160
Speaker 1: gets out of the Western Conference, a Denver Nuggets team

847
00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:56,919
Speaker 1: that is a matchup nightmare. When we were talking about

848
00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:59,080
Speaker 1: half court offense earlier, did you know that Michael Porter,

849
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:02,520
Speaker 1: junior Jamal Ali and Nicola Yokich have an offensive rating

850
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:06,440
Speaker 1: in the half court of one eleven this year, which

851
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:11,160
Speaker 1: is just unbelievable. That's like ridiculous, like static set defense

852
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:14,400
Speaker 1: environment scoring one hundred and eleven points per one hundred possession,

853
00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:16,480
Speaker 1: So that presents a whole other monster. It's like or

854
00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,239
Speaker 1: maybe you'll get lucky and it'll just be Lebron James

855
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:21,880
Speaker 1: and Anthony Davis and Los Angeles Lakers, you know, or

856
00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:27,520
Speaker 1: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. It could be or Kevin Freakin, Durant,

857
00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:30,600
Speaker 1: Devin Booker, Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton. Right, So, like

858
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:33,680
Speaker 1: it's just the Western Conference is going to spit out

859
00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:36,480
Speaker 1: some ridiculously good team at the end of all of this,

860
00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:38,839
Speaker 1: and you've got a tougher challenge up at the top

861
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:41,319
Speaker 1: of the East. So like this is by the way, Well,

862
00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:44,120
Speaker 1: I've always been such a big believer in repeatedly loading

863
00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,400
Speaker 1: the deck, like don't give up upgrading your roster. I

864
00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:49,320
Speaker 1: give the Celtics a ton of credit for the Malcolm

865
00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,440
Speaker 1: Brogden trade, you know, going for Mike Mascala, you know,

866
00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:56,680
Speaker 1: the going being aggressive to try to improve on the margins.

867
00:42:56,719 --> 00:42:59,960
Speaker 1: I think has served them well because if they play

868
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:01,640
Speaker 1: as well as they did last year in the postseason,

869
00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:05,279
Speaker 1: they'll lose in the conference finals. But they have given

870
00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:08,000
Speaker 1: themselves a fighting chance. I still think they're the most

871
00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,920
Speaker 1: talented team in the league, So if they do play

872
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:13,560
Speaker 1: to their actual ceiling on both ends of the floor,

873
00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:16,480
Speaker 1: I think they'll get the trophy, but you always have

874
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:19,319
Speaker 1: to bake in their kind of inexperience from a ball

875
00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:23,120
Speaker 1: handling perspective, and that obviously gives That's why I'm leaning

876
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:27,560
Speaker 1: towards Milwaukee. But I do think that Boston is significantly

877
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:30,719
Speaker 1: better than they were last year. I agree completely. They

878
00:43:30,719 --> 00:43:33,800
Speaker 1: have been from the jump. I mean, who isn't better

879
00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:35,440
Speaker 1: on this team than they were last year? Right, Like

880
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:39,120
Speaker 1: Tatum has been more consistently great. Brogen obviously has been

881
00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:42,560
Speaker 1: an awesome edition. Derek White is like an entirely different player.

882
00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:44,840
Speaker 1: You know, Derek White was a problem at times in

883
00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:46,680
Speaker 1: last year players he couldn't make a shot. He just

884
00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:49,799
Speaker 1: averages like twenty and six in an entire month while

885
00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:52,200
Speaker 1: playing the Lade defense. I agree with you completely. I

886
00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:55,719
Speaker 1: think money just also say there's a lot of nights,

887
00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:57,680
Speaker 1: a lot of knights where I think Marcus Smart is

888
00:43:57,719 --> 00:44:00,400
Speaker 1: the third best like true guard on this team, right,

889
00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:03,720
Speaker 1: because I considered Jason and Jalen Wings, they're their own category.

890
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:09,240
Speaker 1: Derek White and Malcolm Brogden are incredibly talented basketball players,

891
00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:14,279
Speaker 1: so complete versatile. Yeah, in a lot of ways, they

892
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:17,640
Speaker 1: are like the thing that scares me most about picking Milwaukee,

893
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:22,359
Speaker 1: because that's the new dynamic that this team has. But yeah,

894
00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:24,600
Speaker 1: it's even like you talk about the back end of

895
00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:27,400
Speaker 1: the rotation, just specific matchup guys who are competent, you know,

896
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,799
Speaker 1: adding like a Muscala, you know, Howser actually becoming a

897
00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:32,360
Speaker 1: decent player this year, Blake. I don't know if that

898
00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:36,640
Speaker 1: really matters, but it certainly doesn't hurt. And then I

899
00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:40,319
Speaker 1: agree with you. The lack of consistently defense compared to

900
00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:44,680
Speaker 1: last year doesn't concern me because their personnel is identical

901
00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:48,520
Speaker 1: and we know the ceiling that they're capable of. So

902
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:52,760
Speaker 1: I think this team is loaded, and as I've said,

903
00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:56,439
Speaker 1: I think that this is the most talented top two

904
00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:59,120
Speaker 1: out East of this century. I think that we are

905
00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:02,080
Speaker 1: in for an absolute war in the conference finals. And

906
00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:05,799
Speaker 1: as good as the West is, I still do view

907
00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:08,160
Speaker 1: whoever comes out of the East as a significant favorite

908
00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:10,200
Speaker 1: because I think they have by far the least question

909
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:14,880
Speaker 1: marks and they've consistently shown US elite elite basketball and

910
00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:18,479
Speaker 1: have incredibly high ceilings. Yeah, the only team that would

911
00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:20,280
Speaker 1: come out of the West that I'd be really tempted

912
00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:22,880
Speaker 1: to pick over either of those teams would be Golden State,

913
00:45:23,239 --> 00:45:27,000
Speaker 1: just because Like again, it was all like conventional wisdom

914
00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:31,000
Speaker 1: going into last year's NBA Finals, screamed Boston just just

915
00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:34,120
Speaker 1: knowing everything we knew about them from a talent perspective,

916
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:37,480
Speaker 1: and I picked Golden State for that specific reason. Just there,

917
00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:42,160
Speaker 1: they just that team for whatever reason, You're just always

918
00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:46,000
Speaker 1: going to get their absolute best punch, whereas with some

919
00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:47,520
Speaker 1: of the other teams around the league, it's like, well,

920
00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:50,600
Speaker 1: which team are we getting tonight? You know what I mean? Um,

921
00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:53,600
Speaker 1: But yeah, I you know, I'm glad you brought up

922
00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:57,200
Speaker 1: specifically Derek White and Malcolm Brogten because those two guys,

923
00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:03,760
Speaker 1: their their offensive creation has been just through the roof good. Um.

924
00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:06,680
Speaker 1: Both of them are good point of attack defensive players.

925
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:09,400
Speaker 1: I think that they're I mean, Carson, you could tell

926
00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:10,959
Speaker 1: me if you think I'm wrong. Is there any team

927
00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:14,600
Speaker 1: in the NBA that's got a better two um individual

928
00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:17,520
Speaker 1: defenders for Yannis and Grant Williams and Al Horford, Like

929
00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:21,319
Speaker 1: I mean, I would go maybe Draymond Green as an individual,

930
00:46:21,920 --> 00:46:26,120
Speaker 1: but like in terms of like a duo, like how

931
00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:28,799
Speaker 1: how great is that off the bench to have a

932
00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:31,480
Speaker 1: weapon in Grant Williams that you can deploy on Jannis

933
00:46:31,520 --> 00:46:34,960
Speaker 1: who can competently at least make him work harder in

934
00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:37,560
Speaker 1: those situations. But so much of this though, it's like

935
00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:39,279
Speaker 1: it's so funny because we were talking about this with

936
00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:43,080
Speaker 1: the Nicks earlier, But like you the whistle gets swallowed.

937
00:46:43,719 --> 00:46:47,759
Speaker 1: Everyone's offensive fouling and defensive fouling. Everybody a ton of

938
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:51,080
Speaker 1: content like you're you're weirdly allowed to like travel around

939
00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:53,480
Speaker 1: the basket and stuff in the postseason when every when

940
00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:56,760
Speaker 1: everything just gets and it's like, I want the football

941
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,279
Speaker 1: player in that situation, and that's Yannis and that's just

942
00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:01,680
Speaker 1: that one big wildcard that just screws all of this

943
00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:04,120
Speaker 1: up is just they won't be able to load up

944
00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:06,240
Speaker 1: on Jannis the way that they did last year because

945
00:47:06,239 --> 00:47:08,560
Speaker 1: of the spot up shooting that's going to be around him.

946
00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:11,240
Speaker 1: And as that series progressed, as good as Grant Williams

947
00:47:11,280 --> 00:47:13,520
Speaker 1: and Al Horford were, Johanna started to go through them

948
00:47:13,520 --> 00:47:17,680
Speaker 1: like tissue paper when it mattered. Yeah, all right, guys,

949
00:47:17,719 --> 00:47:20,000
Speaker 1: that is all we have for today. As always, we

950
00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:23,000
Speaker 1: sincerely appreciate your support. We will be back tomorrow morning.

951
00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:26,200
Speaker 1: I'm staying up late tonight to record on all of

952
00:47:26,239 --> 00:47:28,880
Speaker 1: tonight's games, but that will be uploaded first thing in

953
00:47:28,920 --> 00:47:31,360
Speaker 1: the morning on Saturday. I appreciate you guys rocking with

954
00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:41,560
Speaker 1: us and we'll see you next time. The volume