1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: The volume. 2 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 2: All right, welcome to hoops tonight. 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: You're at the volume heavy Thursday, everybody, hope all if 4 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: you guys are having a great week so far. Got 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: a jam packed show for you guys. Today, we're gonna 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: be hanging out West. I have three games I want 7 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: to hit on as the Oklahoma City Thunder finish an 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: incredibly impressive two day set, just absolutely beating the shit out. 9 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 2: Of the Warriors and the Lakers. 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: I want to dig into some numbers there that are 11 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: super exciting for thunders fans at Thunder fans, I want 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: to talk a little bit about the specific reason why 13 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: I thought the Lakers struggled so much last night. Later 14 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: on the show, Nikole Jokic a double nickel fifty five 15 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: against the Los Angeles Clippers, just absolutely Friday beats a 16 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: Zubots as well as Brook Lopez was sitting a ton 17 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: of threes. I want to get into a bunch of 18 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: stuff from that game on the perspective of both teams. 19 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: And at the tail end of the show, the Golden 20 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: State Warriors got a very nice bounce back win on 21 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: the road in San Antonio. Draymond Green did number one 22 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: on one as a defender against Victor Webbin Yama. Steph 23 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: Curry breaks out at with a thirty one point second 24 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: half as the Warriors get a big win there. I 25 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: want to dive into some stuff from both of those 26 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: teams in that game as well. There was also a 27 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: lot of Eastern Conference hoops last night. I didn't get 28 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 1: a chance to get to those games this morning because 29 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: I ran out of time, but I would like to 30 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: get to them in tomorrow's show. We have a very 31 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: light slate tonight, so if you have any questions regarding 32 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: last night's Eastern Conference games, drop them in the YouTube 33 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: comments in this show and we will get to them 34 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: in tomorrow morning's mail bag. You guys know the joke 35 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: before we get started. Subscribe to Hoops and I YouTube 36 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:44,639 Speaker 1: channel so you don't miss any more of our videos. 37 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 1: Follow me on Twitter at underscore jcnlt so you guys 38 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: don't miss show announcements. Don't forget about a podcast few 39 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: where you get your podcast under Hoops tonight. It's also 40 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: super helpful if you leave a rating in a review 41 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,559 Speaker 1: on that front. Jackson's doing incredible work on our social 42 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: media feeds on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Make sure 43 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: you guys, follow us there more content throughout the season. 44 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: In the last but not least, if you want to 45 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: get mailback questions in again, tomorrow is our mail bag. 46 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: This is your last episode to get questions in before 47 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: tomorrow's mailbag again, just go into the YouTube comments right 48 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: mail bag with Colin, write your question on the full 49 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: episode on YouTube, and we'll get to those in our 50 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: Friday mail bags throughout the remainder of the season. All right, 51 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: let's talk some basketball. So, in a stunning repeat of 52 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: what happened the previous night against Golden State, the Thunder 53 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: defense just completely dismantled a Western Conference contender, this time 54 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: on national television, and this time against a Lakers half 55 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: court offense led by Austin Reeves and Luka Doncic that 56 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: had been one of the very best in the league 57 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: to start this season. The Lakers that going into the night, 58 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: I think there were second or third right right in 59 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 1: that range in overall half court offensive rating. Even after 60 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: last night there's still I believe sixth and half court 61 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: offensive rating. That was one of the best half court 62 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: offenses in the league, and the Thunder just belt to 63 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: ass just completely shut them down. The Lakers posted a 64 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: stunning zero point seven to eight points per half court 65 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: offensive possession, just ridiculous defensive performance from the Thunder. I 66 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: was worried about how well Cason Wallace would hold up 67 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: on Luca because he's giving up so much size. This 68 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: is something we talked about in yesterday's show, and we 69 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: talked about at the beginning of the stream on playback. 70 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: After losing him a few times on the opening possessions, 71 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: I thought he was just fine in that matchup. The 72 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: rest of the game. I thought all of Oklahoma City's 73 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,239 Speaker 1: defenders did a fantastic job pressuring Luca on his way 74 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: up the floor. But then as Luca would get downhill 75 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: and as he get into that scoring zone in that 76 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: like you know, eighteen to twelve feet kind of range, 77 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: short range around the elbows or so, as soon as 78 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: you get into that area, they disconnect and they'd get 79 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: their hands off. So then when Luca would go with 80 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: those kind of janki gatherers to try to get up 81 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: into his mid range jump shot, they were keeping him 82 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: off the foul line for the most part. They forced 83 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: him into a lot of kind of just awkward shot 84 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: attempts where it seemed like Luca was more fixated with 85 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: trying to draw a foul than just playing basketball, and 86 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: it worked. They held him to just seven for twenty 87 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: from the field. Early in the game, I thought, okay, 88 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: Soe did a wonderful job of pressuring Luca in their blitzes, 89 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: got a bunch of deflections and forced him into four 90 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: turnovers in his first shift. They did an awesome job 91 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: on Luca, no problems there, and then they basically just 92 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: completely neutralized Austin. I thought they won that battle from 93 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: the opening tip. You could tell in Austin's first shift. 94 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: We were watching it on playback with Anthony Irwin, and 95 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: just right away you could tell there was a lack 96 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: of aggression. He gets like a little ball screen and 97 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: Hart and Stegin's pretty far back in a drop And 98 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,479 Speaker 1: this is a guy in Austin who's been torching teams 99 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: all year by attacking, attacking, attacking, getting into bodies, drawing fouls, 100 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,719 Speaker 1: getting all the way to the rim for finishes, and 101 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: Austin like settled for like a pretty tough drifting drop 102 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: coverage three on one of his first attacks when there 103 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: was a nice big runway in front of him with 104 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: plenty of opportunity to get ahead of Steam towards the basket, 105 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: and he just didn't want to. I thought that the 106 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: psychological side of it for Austin, he just didn't have 107 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: the right approach coming into the game. And then over 108 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: the course of the game, when Austin looked to attack, 109 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: he just couldn't get anything going. He was just four 110 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 1: for twelve with five turnovers in this game. And you know, 111 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: I saw a lot of negativity surrounding Austin after the game, 112 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: and like to be very clear, like, I don't think 113 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: it necessarily has anything to do with whether or not 114 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: Austin is good enough to justify a max contractor whether 115 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: or not he's good enough to be Luca's number two. 116 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: To me, like, set that this aside for a second. 117 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: It's more just if you're gonna have any shot to 118 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,359 Speaker 1: beat Oklahoma City, you need Austin to be better. So 119 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:44,679 Speaker 1: if Austin can't be better than that against Oklahoma City, 120 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: you're dead on arrival. I think he can be better 121 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: than that, but he certainly wasn't. Last night, the Thunder 122 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: defense took two guys who had essentially been frying everyone 123 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,160 Speaker 1: else in the league and just completely shut them down. 124 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: Combined eleven for thirty two from the field for Austin 125 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: and Luca generally kept them off the foul line relative 126 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: to the amount of drifting they were trying. Nine turnovers, 127 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,600 Speaker 1: and a Laker offense that has been one of the 128 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: best half court offenses in the league could not score 129 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: in the half court. I think we all might still 130 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:18,479 Speaker 1: be underrating this Thunder defense, if that's even possible. I 131 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: came up with a couple of basic stats this morning 132 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: to demonstrate this to you guys. So, according to Cleaning 133 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: the Glass, the Thunder have played three hundred and twenty 134 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: nine non garbage time possessions with Shake Gildess Alexander off 135 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: the floor. Three hundred and twenty nine possessions. That's like 136 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: more than three games worth of possessions three forty eight 137 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: minute games. With all that time with Shay off the floor, 138 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: they are outscoring teams by twenty one points per one 139 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:53,239 Speaker 1: hundred possessions plus twenty one net non garbage time no Shay, 140 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: they are whooping teams' asses without their best player on 141 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,280 Speaker 1: the floor. And it's because in those possessions they are 142 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 1: logging a ninety one defensive rating that is off the 143 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: charts good. They blew that game open last night, Like 144 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: when Shae left the game, they were up double figures. 145 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: I think they were up like twelve. They blew that 146 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: game open in the early second quarter last night. Was 147 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: Shay off the floor just with defense, just blowing up 148 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: Laker offensive possessions. Alex Cruso's ripping Austin Reeves at half court, 149 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: They're running down, hitting threes, getting easy baskets on cuts. 150 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: AJ Mitchell was torching the Lakers, just coming off a 151 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: simple two man game and hitting Hartenstein in the pocket. 152 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: The Thunder annihilated the Lakers in like a five minute 153 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: stretch to start the second quarter and blue the game 154 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: open because they are so damn good on defense. And 155 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: the crazy thing is is it doesn't seem to have 156 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: any sort of connection to who's on the floor. 157 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 2: You take Chet off the floor, for. 158 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: Instance, and Chet, by the way, I mean, I'm not 159 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: trying to undersell Chet. You watch Chet. He is the 160 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: anchor for this defense. He's unfreaking believable on defense. He 161 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: was amazing in each of the last two games. But 162 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: even if you take Chet off the floor, So no Chet, 163 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: no Shay, no j Dub, So none of their three 164 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: best players they have a plus twenty four net rating 165 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: in one hundred and fifty eight non garbage time possessions. 166 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: Because of how elite they are on defense, you take 167 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: dort off, they're great on defense. 168 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 2: Even if you take Alex. 169 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: Crusoe off the floor and Alex Cruso, the on numbers 170 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: with Alex Cruso on the floor with their defense are 171 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: like completely outrageous. You take Crusoe off the floor, they 172 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: have a one zh six point five defensive rating, which 173 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,719 Speaker 1: isn't transcendently great like it is when Alex is on 174 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: the floor, but that's still a ninety third percentile defense. 175 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: This preaches organizational excellence from the top down with Sam 176 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: Presty targeting high motor, high IQ athletic defensive players that 177 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: can also play in Mark Dagnel's system all the way 178 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: down to Mark Dagnall and just the standards that he's implementing, 179 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: the expectations, the attention to detail, the level of focus, 180 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: energy and intensity that he breeds into that team from 181 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: the top guy all the way down to the fifteenth man, 182 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: to the example that Shake Gill Alexander sets. He's getting deep. 183 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: Posted by Ruy Hachimura in a transition play and he's 184 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: fighting his ass off to scrap over the top and 185 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: poking the ball away on the post entry, getting deflections, 186 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: defending on the ball. Everyone from the top down is 187 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:43,559 Speaker 1: completely bought into this Thunder basketball identity, and so regardless 188 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: of who's on the floor, they look the same. They 189 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:54,239 Speaker 1: look the same. It is a consistency down the entire organization. 190 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: They're chewing teams up and spinning them out with his defense. 191 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: And then you bring in the fact that they have 192 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: a perennial MVP candidate and shake Gilgess Alexander that's gonna 193 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: drop an efficient thirty every single night. Or the fact 194 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: that chet holmgrin this year is averaging nineteen points per 195 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: game on seventy two percent true shooting, drilling pick and 196 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: pop threes, drilling spacing threes along the left wing, putting 197 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 1: the ball on the floor, and scoring in the short 198 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: range with little right shoulder fade aways or left shoulder 199 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: fade aways. The dunker spot work that he does. He 200 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: catches everything and dunks everything when he is left open 201 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: underneath the basket, even if he's outside the lane line. 202 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: It's j Dubbs coming back to this. AJ Mitchell is 203 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: blossoming into the next great Thunder role player. As a team, 204 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,479 Speaker 1: they're growing as processors and just their read and react sequences. 205 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: I was talking with an OKC fan on playback last 206 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: night shout out Will, and we were talking about this, 207 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: but like, they're fun to watch now. There were times 208 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: in the past where it was like, Okay, we grind 209 00:10:57,679 --> 00:10:59,600 Speaker 1: things down in defense and then it's a lot of 210 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: Shae on one and the ball doesn't move really well. 211 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 1: There's a lot of breaking threes. They move the ball 212 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: really well. Now they have great player movement, the cutting, 213 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: the movement, the variety, and the way that they look 214 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: to attack. I've really enjoyed watching them this year. And 215 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: if you look at their schedule, they're about to win 216 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: their next six games for sure, and then after that, 217 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: you know, obviously every game on the schedule, you can 218 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 1: argue they're gonna be favored. This team is about to 219 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: be eighteen and one. That would mean they'd only need 220 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: to go fifty two to eleven to get to seventy wins. 221 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: That's less than a sixty eight win pace, and they 222 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: won sixty eight games last year, so all they have 223 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: to do is essentially maintain the pace they had last year. 224 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:50,679 Speaker 1: And they're gonna win seventy one games right now. At 225 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 1: this point, I think it's roughly a coin flip that 226 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: they're gonna get to seventy and they have a good 227 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,560 Speaker 1: chance to make a run at the all time record, 228 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: the seventy three wins record, because if you have that 229 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:08,920 Speaker 1: flexibility to be that good regardless of who's on the floor, 230 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: if you're consistently chewing up and spitting out teams with 231 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: your defense, even with two of your top three perimeter 232 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: defenders out of the lineup, to your top four perimeter 233 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: defenders in JW and Loudort out of the lineup, if 234 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: you're still getting stops with chet Holmgren off the floor, 235 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: if you're still able to run up the score and 236 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: blow teams out when your MVP level ball handler is 237 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 1: on the bench. The last time we saw anything like 238 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: this was the KD Steph Warriors, and that had two 239 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: of the top three players in the world, two of 240 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: the top twelve players. 241 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 2: Of all time. 242 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: Had one of the very best defensive players of this era, 243 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: if not the best, in Draymond Green. Klay Thompson, who 244 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: was the second best shooter in the world in an 245 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: elite perimeter defender, a guy who's capable of going for 246 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: thirty seven points in a quarter, and Andre Guadala arguably 247 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,680 Speaker 1: the best wing defender of his era, certainly in the 248 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,680 Speaker 1: top two or three, and a beautiful connective fit with 249 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: that Warriors offense. It was like this greatest roster ever 250 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: assembled and okaysee is chewing up and spitting out teams 251 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: at that level right now with guys out of the lineup. 252 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: I I just couldn't be more impressed with the thunder 253 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: and the way they've looked to start this season. On 254 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: the Lakers front, there's going to be a tendency over 255 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: the next couple of days to focus on the roster 256 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: and its limitations, and I don't want to pretend those 257 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: limitations don't exist. The Lakers did look on athletic last night. 258 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: DeAndre Ayton really seemed to struggle with just the level 259 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 1: of intensity and physicality underneath the basket. You know, if 260 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:43,559 Speaker 1: Rui wasn't getting a wide open three, he seemed to 261 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: be struggling to score, put the ball on the floor 262 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:46,840 Speaker 1: in the midrange a little bit, and was struggling to. 263 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 2: Get off there. 264 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 1: Like there's there's certain things where they looked a little 265 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: athletically over matched last night. But I always start with 266 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: the stars. Everything for me trickles down from that idea 267 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 1: of exactly what I said about Stephen Curry in the 268 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: Tuesday night game. If you guys remember Steph couldn't break 269 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 1: down Oklahoma City's defense last night, Luka Doncic couldn't break 270 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 1: down Oklahoma City's defense, and neither could Austin. Luca was 271 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: drawing two to the ball, but he wasn't beating the 272 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: blitz with the right pass. He had a couple of 273 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: buckets that he got out of it, but there were 274 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: a lot of turnovers, and there were several sequences where 275 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: he made like the wrong read, like, oh, the guy's 276 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: wide open in the corner and he's actually guarded on 277 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: the wing, but I'm gonna throw it to the wing, 278 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: where now it's got to be a second pass to 279 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: the corner, and so now Shay can make the rotation 280 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: to Jake Laavia, he's no longer open. The blitz worked, 281 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: or a deflection or a pass that didn't quite get 282 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: into the right spot. And it's not one hundred percent 283 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: Luca's faulted. There were some plays where guys were there 284 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 1: were several sequences where I thought, instead of short rolling, 285 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: guys were rolling too hard to the rim. And now 286 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you're just making for some really 287 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: difficult passing angles. I don't want to pretend like if 288 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: it's all Luca's fault, but the bottom line is when 289 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 1: Luca was in single coverage or drop coverage situations, he 290 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: was unable to score when he got two to the ball. 291 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: He was unable to compromise the defense with the right 292 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: read going to Austin, same exact concept, Unable to score 293 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: when he had scoring opportunities, unable to consistently generate quality 294 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 1: advantage opportunities when he would pass the. 295 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 2: Ball from there. 296 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: I don't expect anybody in the league to just thrive 297 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: in any sort of matchup against an elite basketball team 298 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: if you can't set them up with advantages. In other words, 299 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 1: I don't care if that was Herb Jones at the three, 300 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon at the four, and Jared Allen at the five, 301 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:42,640 Speaker 1: just three excellent above average starters as role players. Two 302 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: a guys at those positions next to Austin and Luca, 303 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 1: they're still getting their ass kicked last night. If Austin 304 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 1: and Luca can't compromise Oklahoma City's defense. I think it's 305 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: important to separate those issues. Yes, do the Lakers have 306 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: an athleticism shortcoming? 307 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 2: Absolutely? 308 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: Is Is Lebron gonna be able to help? Yeah, to 309 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: some extent. Is it gonna be enough? Probably not. They're 310 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: probably still gonna need some sort of assistance in athleticism 311 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: in two way play at some point down closer to 312 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: the trade deadline, through the flipping of contracts like Max 313 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: Kliba and Gabe Vincent and things along those lines, like, Yeah, 314 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: that's a conversation we can have, but they're dead on arrival. 315 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: If Austin and Luca can't generate quality shots, if Lebron 316 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: can't help them generate quality shots against the Thunder. We 317 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: talked about this all the time. It's about advantage creation. 318 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 2: If you. 319 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: Establish easy opportunities for your role players because of how 320 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: good your stars are, they're probably gonna thrive. If you 321 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: don't generate quality opportunities for them, because you're not setting 322 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 1: them up with great advantages, they're probably gonna look limited. 323 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: And that's what it came down to for me last night. 324 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: Austin and Luke weren't breaking the Thunder defense at the 325 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 1: point of attack, which was shortening all those windows, all 326 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: those driving lanes, all those closeouts, every little opportunity was 327 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 1: just tight and congested, and so of course they really 328 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 1: struggled against an elite defense when they weren't being gift 329 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: wrapped advantages, which is the job of Austin and Luca. 330 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: So I just think it's I think you're gonna see 331 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff talk about the Lakers roster over 332 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,359 Speaker 1: the course of the last over the course of the 333 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 1: next couple of days before they play again. I think 334 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,880 Speaker 1: that's kind of missing the point of what happened last night. 335 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 1: If Austin and Luca go in there and they drop 336 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 1: sixty on sixty five percent true shooting, and they don't 337 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,400 Speaker 1: turn the basketball over and okaysee starts reacting to them, 338 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: and they make the kickout passes and the reads that 339 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: get guys quality opportunities. I think Ruey has a better game. 340 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: I think Eaton has a better game. I think Jake 341 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: Gravey has a better game. I think all of them 342 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,239 Speaker 1: have better games. I think those things are connected, and 343 00:17:57,359 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 1: I just think I think last night was mostly about 344 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: Okay just destroying the Laker offensive initiators. One last note 345 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: on the Lakers before we move on Luka Doncicch in 346 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: his last five games has taken eighty eight jump shots 347 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: and he's gotten just sixty four points to zero point 348 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,439 Speaker 1: seventy three points per shot. It's been something that kind 349 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: of started to show in that Miami Heat game, and 350 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,440 Speaker 1: it's been pretty consistent down the line over the course 351 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 1: of the last week and a half. If lucas not 352 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: making jump shots, it kind of takes him down from 353 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: that like I'm in the conversation with the very best 354 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: player in the world like Jokic to I'm just another 355 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: guy in that top tier, and that to me is 356 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 1: kind of like a differentiator between the levels that Luca 357 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: can reach. And he just hasn't been shooting the jump 358 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: shots super well as of late. Obviously, small sample size 359 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: was a small sample size when he's shooting amazing to 360 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: start the year. It's a small sample size when he's 361 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:54,640 Speaker 1: shooting terribly right now. Ultimately, what level this team can 362 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: get to is gonna have a lot to do with 363 00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: what does Luca's large sample jump shooting look like. Is 364 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,920 Speaker 1: going to be able to consistently knock down those short 365 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: jump shots, especially when they get into big playoff moments, 366 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: just something to keep an eye on as we get 367 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: further into the season. Today's show is brought to you 368 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: by our new presenting sponsor, hard Rock Bet. We've entered 369 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,119 Speaker 1: into our favorite time of the year between the NBA 370 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: and college hoops. 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Must be 397 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: twenty one plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, 398 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia to play. Terms and 399 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida called one eight 400 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 1: three to three play wise In Indiana, if you or 401 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,880 Speaker 1: someone you know has gambling problem and wants help, call 402 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 1: one eight hundred and nine with it gambling problem called 403 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: one eight hundred gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, 404 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:58,639 Speaker 1: or Virginia. Nuggets Clippers did not look great early for 405 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:00,640 Speaker 1: the Nuggets. Last night came John and left the game 406 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 1: with some kind of like arm shoulder injury in his 407 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: shooting arm, so let's hope that's not too serious. Christian 408 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: Brown sprained his ankle. Jamal Murray was having a rough 409 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,680 Speaker 1: shooting night. The Denver defense was rough to start the game, 410 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: but Nikole Jokic kept them in the game by just 411 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: absolutely frying the Clippers center rotation. He got a lot 412 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: of one on one opportunities against Zubots and Zubots again, 413 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: is like in theory, one of the better Jokic defenders 414 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 1: in the league is a guy that can kind of 415 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,879 Speaker 1: match his size and mobility and IQ and he just 416 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: cooked him, just absolutely cooked him last night. Then brook 417 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,920 Speaker 1: Brook Lopez came in, he cooked him too. He torched 418 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 1: both of them and picking pops and spacing situations. He 419 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 1: had five out of six threes last night. He's up 420 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: to thirty nine percent on the season. That was a 421 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: big part of what kept him in the game early, 422 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 1: you know, hitting a big three in the second half, 423 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:50,639 Speaker 1: two that capped off a run that put him up 424 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: by fourteen. But he had thirty three points in the 425 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: first half alone to keep the Nuggets afloat while things 426 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: were coming apart. A little bit, and then in the 427 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: second half, David Adelman starts Tim Hardaway Junior and Spencer 428 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: Jones in the Cam Johnson and Christian Brown spots, and 429 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: as a group, they locked in on defense and they 430 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: started to get a bunch of stops. They started to 431 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: get out in transition. Jokic got a couple easy transition buckets. 432 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 1: Tim Hardaway hit a couple of threes with that unit. 433 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:18,000 Speaker 1: You know, watching him with the starting group was super 434 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: interesting to me because I think there's this like kind 435 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: of there's this concept that can feed on itself with 436 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: catch and shoot shooting when you're being aggressive. So like 437 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: Jokic is hunting Tim Hardaway Junior with kickout passes because 438 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,719 Speaker 1: he knows Tim wants to shoot, he knows Tim will shoot, 439 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 1: and Tim's knocking down shots, and I think it's like, 440 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: you know, we'll see what this Cam Johnson injury ends 441 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: up being and how long he ends up being out. 442 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 1: I'm hoping it's not something serious going on with his shoulder. 443 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 1: But again, when you look at Michael Porter Junior and 444 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: what his fit was like with his team, he was 445 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,399 Speaker 1: so aggressive off the catch that it was kind of 446 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 1: self feeding in the sense that as he would make shots, 447 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: guys would hunt him more, that would lead to more opportunities, 448 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 1: which was why Michael Porter Junior was the kind of 449 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:06,920 Speaker 1: guy that on any given night could go for twenty 450 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,680 Speaker 1: five thirty points and just kind of was a ceiling 451 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,200 Speaker 1: razor for that Denver offense. There's been a bad combination 452 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: with Cam of like not super aggressive off the catch, 453 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 1: but also not making shots. And I just thought it 454 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: was interesting seeing Tim with the starters in that second half, 455 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: like that first shift in the second half, because it's 456 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: a reminder that, like this stuff will feed on itself, 457 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: Like I watched Jokic hunting Tim because he knows he 458 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 1: wants to shoot and he knows he's gonna knock the 459 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: shot down, and that both of those areas are kind 460 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: of tilting in the wrong direction for Cam, and I 461 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 1: just want to see when Cam comes back. That's what 462 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: Michael Porter Junior was doing, That's what Tim Hardaway Junior 463 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 1: is doing. Be super aggressive off the catch. That will 464 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: then allow the team to start hunting you more, which 465 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: will then help you get an even better rhythm. Or 466 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: then we can start seeing Cam go for twenty twenty 467 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: five points in a night and be that ceiling raising 468 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: player that we know he's capable of being. So yokichends 469 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:02,719 Speaker 1: up hitting a three at the top of the key. 470 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: It makes up what ninety to fifty six or ninety 471 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: to seventy six if I remember correctly, that kind of 472 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,200 Speaker 1: blew it open and that a Denver never really looked 473 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 1: back from there. Jokic finished the game with fifty five points, 474 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: twelve rebounds, and six assists. And again, that's one of 475 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: the best Yokic defenders in the league. Last night that 476 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:26,200 Speaker 1: Jokic just looked completely comfortable against made him look hopeless. 477 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 1: Jokicch in the post. I want to zoom in on 478 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 1: this concept for a minute. When Jokic shoots out of 479 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: the post this season, he is thirty four for forty 480 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 1: four from the field. That's seventy seven percent. We often 481 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,360 Speaker 1: talk about his short range touch, right, Like, the big 482 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,200 Speaker 1: difference between Jokic and a lot of the other elite 483 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: scorers in NBA history is he's not a guy that's 484 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 1: going to get to a mid ranger that he makes 485 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:54,879 Speaker 1: half the time, or a three that he's going to 486 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 1: make forty percent of the time. He's going to get 487 00:24:57,359 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: to something closer to the basket and he's going to 488 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: hit it two thirds of the time. That's been the 489 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 1: calling card for Jokic, mid sixties on floaters and hooks 490 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 1: at his absolute peak high sixties, right around seventy percent. Right, well, 491 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: how about the mid seventies. Yokic has started this season 492 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 1: twenty eight for thirty eight on floaters and hooks at 493 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:25,880 Speaker 1: seventy four percent from the field on those shots. He's 494 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 1: sixty four percent on mid range jumpers. That's crazy, eighty 495 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:35,120 Speaker 1: one percent on layups. That's crazy. He's somehow even more 496 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,760 Speaker 1: deadly as a short range shot maker than he used 497 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: to be. And it's turning the Jokics post up into 498 00:25:42,119 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: far and away the most dependable play in the entire 499 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: game of basketball right now when you factor in all 500 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: Jokics post ups. So this is shot attempts, turnovers, passing 501 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: sequences out of his post ups. Anytime you throw the 502 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,960 Speaker 1: ball to yokicch in the post. According to Synergy, the 503 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:03,679 Speaker 1: Nuggets have a sixty two percent chance of putting points 504 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 1: on the board in that possession. Just shy of two 505 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: thirds of the time that you dump the ball down 506 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,560 Speaker 1: to Jokic in the post, you're scoring on that possession 507 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,200 Speaker 1: and in terms of large sample efficiency, how about a 508 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: one thirty one offensive rating on possessions where you post 509 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: Nikola jokicap pretty insane last six games for Yokic's averaging 510 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: thirty six points, twelve rebounds, and eleven assists, seventy four 511 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 1: percent from the field, fifty six percent from three, eighty 512 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,480 Speaker 1: six percent from the line. This is the best offensive 513 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:45,679 Speaker 1: basketball player ever, playing the best basketball of his career, 514 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: and in a field where Yannis has been unbelievable, and 515 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: Luca obviously before last night has been unbelievable, and che 516 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 1: yojess Alexander has been unbelievable, and Victor Wimbnyama has been unbelievable. 517 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: Jokic still just looks like he's better than all those guys. 518 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: He's just playing unbelievable basketball right now. Thirty six twelve 519 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:10,120 Speaker 1: and eleven over his last six games on seventy four 520 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 1: fifty six splits. It's unbelievable stuff. On the Clippers situation, 521 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: I don't want to spend too long here because they're 522 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 1: kind of drifting out of relevance at this point in 523 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 1: the NBAL, though that we'll see if they end up 524 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:26,919 Speaker 1: making some trades that end up affecting other teams. You know, 525 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:31,439 Speaker 1: I understood the thought process behind going after you know, 526 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 1: when you make the trade, the Norman Powell trade, right, 527 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: and it brings back John Collins. There was an important 528 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:39,719 Speaker 1: order of operations that they were going with. 529 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:39,960 Speaker 2: There. 530 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,120 Speaker 1: There's an athletic dynamic when you have a really big 531 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,439 Speaker 1: athletic forward who plays hard, which is what John Collins is. 532 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 1: He's like a high motor athlete at the ford position, 533 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: and you layer that alongside real size and rebounding physicality 534 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,959 Speaker 1: at the center position with Zuobots, Right. We see this 535 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: elsewhere in the league. A perfect example of it is 536 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,560 Speaker 1: literally like what Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon represent together. 537 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 2: Right. 538 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,879 Speaker 1: We've seen you know, crazy versions of it defensively with 539 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,919 Speaker 1: like Giannison Brooke back in the heyday of the Milwaukee Bucks. 540 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:12,160 Speaker 2: Right. 541 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,200 Speaker 1: But when you have that like big athletic forward next 542 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: to the big bruising center, and that athletic forward's job 543 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: is just to be this like kind of wrecking ball 544 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 1: on the margins, there's like a there's an athletic dynamic, 545 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: a physicality dynamic that they were trying to bring to 546 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: the table by making the John Collins trade and that 547 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: has worked for the record, like John Collins has looked 548 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 1: like he helps this basketball team in some real ways. 549 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: The problem is is you end up sending Norman Powell 550 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: out in the process. Right, And I understood the thought 551 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: process of like, okay, well, what if you bring in 552 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 1: Bradley Beal. Can Bradley Beal when he's healthy be a 553 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: rough approximation of what Norman Powell was in theory? Yes, 554 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: it was a high risk play. Right if if Bradley 555 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: Beal ends up coming in and looking good and John 556 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: Collins comes in and fills that very specific need, Okay, 557 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: we're cooking with Greece, right, cooking with gas whatever, the 558 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: expression is, Right, You're in good shape there. But you 559 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: get the terrible combination of Bradley being both bad when 560 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:22,440 Speaker 1: he's on the court and now injured. And he was 561 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 1: injured on and off throughout the stretch before he ended 562 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: up injuring his hip, right, so you get basically nothing 563 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: out of Bradley Beal. It gets exacerbated by the fact 564 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: that James Harden comes into camp in a little less 565 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: good of shape than he was last year. Gets exacerbated 566 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: by the fact that Kawhi Leonard ends up getting hurt. 567 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 1: It gets exacerbated by the fact that Chris Paul ends 568 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: up coming in and not playing super well to start 569 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,360 Speaker 1: the season, and now things are going south, and like 570 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 1: again there's a lot of like discussion surrounding Okay, should 571 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: the Clippers have kept Norman Powell. Well, if you keep 572 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: Norman Powell, you gotta pay him. If you got to 573 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: pay him, now, you're tying up your cap longer term. 574 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:01,360 Speaker 1: If you type your cap longer term, you're kind of 575 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: more committed to this core. I think the Clippers more 576 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 1: or less we're looking at this season as somewhat of 577 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: a last hurrah. Anyway, there's no reason to like really 578 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 1: invest long term into this particular group. They wanted to 579 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 1: retain flexibility. So if you sign Bradley Beale to a 580 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: discounted contract, it just theoretically is a more flexible type 581 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 1: of move than signing Norman Powell. So like, on the 582 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: one hand, it's easy to just be like, well, they 583 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 1: let Norman Powell walk. That was a bad idea. Now 584 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: they're not as good. Well, it's like, were they going 585 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 1: to win the title? Probably not. They were just a 586 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:38,760 Speaker 1: second tier contender. Anyway, everyone seemed to be aware of that, 587 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: so making the move to tie up your cap long 588 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:46,840 Speaker 1: term to give yourself a better shot when you're still 589 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,760 Speaker 1: not a top tier contender, Like, I'm not going to 590 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: judge the Clippers for making that move. That said, you know, 591 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: we talk a lot about how when you're looking at 592 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,480 Speaker 1: your spectrum of potential outcomes as a team, there's like 593 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 1: things that need to happen on the good side for 594 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 1: you to reach your goals, and then there's things that 595 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,719 Speaker 1: could go the other way to lead you being bad. So, 596 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: for instance, like with the Thunder, if you look at 597 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: all the injuries that they've had in order for them 598 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: to be successful, you needed Shay to be better than 599 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: he was last year. He has been. You needed Chet 600 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 1: to take an offensive leap he has. You needed one 601 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:23,440 Speaker 1: of your deeper bench ball handlers to kind of pop 602 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:27,800 Speaker 1: on offense. You have Aj Mitchell has popped right. You 603 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:31,440 Speaker 1: needed to maintain the defensive identity from last year, even 604 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,719 Speaker 1: though you're in a defending champion campaign where usually effort 605 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 1: can wayne a little bit. They've been amazing on defense 606 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: to start the season. So all of these little swing 607 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 1: factors have gone in the positive direction, and you're getting 608 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: a thunder team that's going to be eighteen and one 609 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 1: in a week and a half. 610 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 2: Right. 611 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:49,960 Speaker 1: Similarly, with the Clippers, what would you have needed for 612 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: things to go right for them? You would have needed 613 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:54,760 Speaker 1: Bradley be able to stay healthy and to be, you know, 614 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: seventy percent of what Norman Powell was. You needed Kawhi 615 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 1: Leonard to stay healthy and play at it at least 616 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,480 Speaker 1: a second tier superstar level. You needed James Harden to 617 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:05,840 Speaker 1: come into camp just like he did last year and 618 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 1: set the tone from the start of the season as 619 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 1: an advantage creator. You needed Chris Paul to come in 620 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: and be what he was last year, one of the 621 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: best pick and role players in the NBA. You needed 622 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: all of these things to go your direction, and instead 623 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 1: they all went the opposite direction. You know, you see 624 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: a team one of the Clippers now like three and eight. 625 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 1: They're having a brutal start to the season. Whenever you 626 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: see stuff like that, you can't blame one thing. It's 627 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: all of the things. James not quite as good, Kawi 628 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 1: Hurd again, Norman Palell's gone having a career year down 629 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 1: in Miami. Bradley Beal's injured again, and when he was healthy, 630 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,240 Speaker 1: he wasn't playing well. Like all those things go the 631 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 1: opposite direction. Now you're looking at a three and eight 632 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: Clippers team, So, like, I think it's way too early 633 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 1: in the season to just bail on things. You want 634 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:52,960 Speaker 1: to see how it goes. Maybe Kawhi Leonard comes back 635 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: and things get better. Maybe they're able to make a 636 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: trade at some point for a higher level offensive player 637 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: to kind of help anchor things. There's a very into 638 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 1: this story where they can write the ship. But if 639 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 1: we get another month into this and they're ten and twenty, 640 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: that's where you need to start having more complicated conversations 641 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: about capitalizing on the assets that you have in order 642 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: to set up your next phase of Clippers basketball. And 643 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,560 Speaker 1: they don't know their pick. I was reading the thing 644 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: this morning. Okay, see has their swap for the next 645 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: two years? Is that could get pretty That could get 646 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: pretty brutal for the entire NBA if the Clippers end 647 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,960 Speaker 1: up going south. And okay, so he ends up capitalizing 648 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: on it all right, Warrior spurs One small bright spot 649 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: from a rough night for me last night as a 650 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: basketball fan, as I watched my Lakers get completely and 651 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: utterly dismantled, I did go on a rant yesterday about 652 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: how I thought the Warriors were better than they've looked 653 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,480 Speaker 1: to this point, and I predicted that they would go 654 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:57,719 Speaker 1: into San Antonio and win. I think they're gonna beat 655 00:33:57,760 --> 00:33:59,560 Speaker 1: San Antonio tonight. And even though they were on the 656 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: tail end back to back, and that ended up being 657 00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 1: one of the few things I was right. 658 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 2: About last night. 659 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,680 Speaker 1: I just thought they had a light workload against Oklahoma 660 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 1: City because of the blowout, Right, you didn't have big 661 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:12,359 Speaker 1: minute totals for anybody. I thought it was a really 662 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 1: tough game for Steph to come back, like going from 663 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,520 Speaker 1: you know, being out with that upper respiratory illness which 664 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 1: can affect her conditioning so much. Stepping into that Oklahoma 665 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:26,520 Speaker 1: City blenders just a really tough game. But he built 666 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:28,440 Speaker 1: it a little built a little bit of rhythm, got 667 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,520 Speaker 1: his wind. He looked like he was an awesome rhythm 668 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,360 Speaker 1: last night. As far as back to backs go on 669 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,440 Speaker 1: the road, it was a short flight, right, like you're 670 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 1: just going from Oklahoma City to San Antonio. And then 671 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: I thought the Golden State defense was a good matchup. 672 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 2: For the Spurs. I thought they were built well for it. 673 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 1: They've got the types of physical defenders to guard Wenby, 674 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:49,200 Speaker 1: and they've got the coach and Steve Kerr that's going 675 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 1: to be able to see any sort of opportunities to 676 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:53,440 Speaker 1: double team and cause the same problems that Wenby's had 677 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:56,320 Speaker 1: in the past. Now it looked different than I expected, 678 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: because I thought the Warriors would double Wenby more, and 679 00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 1: they did on occasion when he would get a smaller 680 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 1: defender on a switch. They were doubling basically every time 681 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: he put the ball on the floor and Draymond wasn't 682 00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:07,839 Speaker 1: on him, they were sending a double team, but they 683 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: essentially let Draymond stick in one on one, and Draymond 684 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: did a number on him in this game. And it's 685 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: like it's all relative because like Wemby's insanely talented, and 686 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: he had thirty one fifteen to ten in this game. 687 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:22,640 Speaker 1: Kind a little bit of a rhythm late in the 688 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,120 Speaker 1: game on Draymond when the game was already out of reach, 689 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: and hit a couple jump shots over the top of him. 690 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:30,319 Speaker 1: But for the most part, he was capitalizing on the 691 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,440 Speaker 1: opportunities when he got Draymond off of him. Whether Draymond 692 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: was on the bench and Jimmy was the primary defender 693 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:41,239 Speaker 1: or chaos situations like off ball situations when Draymond was 694 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,160 Speaker 1: in help or you know, transition, that sort of thing. 695 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:47,719 Speaker 1: He found his way to score. But in his one 696 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: on ones, I think he missed his first seven shots 697 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:53,399 Speaker 1: with Draymond guarding him one on one. In the second half, 698 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:57,040 Speaker 1: in particular, you could see him, even in single coverage 699 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:00,880 Speaker 1: against Draymond look not comfortable putting the ball on the 700 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:02,960 Speaker 1: floor and kind of just passing the ball out of 701 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 1: those one on one. So, just a wonderful job from 702 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 1: Draymond Green, who's arguably the best defensive player of this 703 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:10,799 Speaker 1: era and still to this day is one of the 704 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 1: most impactful defensive players in the league. I thought he 705 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 1: did a wonderful job on Victor wembin Yama last night. 706 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,840 Speaker 1: And then Steph Curry just exploded in the second half, 707 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:21,640 Speaker 1: thirty one points on thirteen shots. Just in the second half. 708 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: Got a couple of clean looks against Wemby in deeper 709 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 1: drop coverages where ball screens. They ran like a little 710 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,439 Speaker 1: double screen at the top where Wemby was sagging way back, 711 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 1: like almost around the elbow. Easy breezy, little pull up 712 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: three for Steph Curry. He found a one on one 713 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:38,200 Speaker 1: matchup that he really liked. He liked Julian champagnee one 714 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:40,000 Speaker 1: on one, and he was giving him a bunch of 715 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,880 Speaker 1: work every time he got him where there was a transition, 716 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: cross match or through a screening action, he just was like, 717 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:46,840 Speaker 1: get out of my way. I'm just gonna attack Julian 718 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:48,880 Speaker 1: Champagne one on one, a little bit of a bigger, 719 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,279 Speaker 1: slower wing compared to some of the other guards. It's 720 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 1: all he had to do was really get into his 721 00:36:52,719 --> 00:36:54,560 Speaker 1: body and then step back and then he was able 722 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:57,399 Speaker 1: to get a good amount of separation. He was beating 723 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,160 Speaker 1: Wemby in switches just by driving past him, generated shots. 724 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: Passing out of that. He drew a foul on him 725 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,000 Speaker 1: by driving past him and then doing the textbook kind 726 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:07,279 Speaker 1: of like jump backwards type of play to draw the 727 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: foul on Wemby. He got loose in the chaos of transition. 728 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,720 Speaker 1: In offensive rebounds, Gary Payton was awesome in this game 729 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:16,279 Speaker 1: on the offensive end as like a cutter and as 730 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: a screener. Little release valvel underneath the basket also did 731 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: a bunch of damage on the offensive glass. He had 732 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:22,960 Speaker 1: a sequence late in the game where he got back 733 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:26,080 Speaker 1: to back offensive rebounds that both led to Steph Curry threes. 734 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,120 Speaker 1: Missed the first one, but made the second one in 735 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,759 Speaker 1: that left corner. Steph just did a ton of damage 736 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:34,000 Speaker 1: in the chaos of the game in the second half 737 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,080 Speaker 1: as well. It just looked like he was in a 738 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,919 Speaker 1: much better rhythm than he was in against ok Se 739 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:43,120 Speaker 1: and he finished with forty six points, five rebounds, five assists, 740 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:46,560 Speaker 1: just one turnover, got to the foul line sixteen times. 741 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,520 Speaker 1: Really nice game from Steph Curry. I thought Jimmy Butler 742 00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:51,080 Speaker 1: was excellent in this game. Kind of started with the 743 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:53,560 Speaker 1: rescue possession. He hit like a contested catch and shoot 744 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,320 Speaker 1: three along the right wing when the shot clock was 745 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,800 Speaker 1: running down. But he hit so many big threes in 746 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,799 Speaker 1: the second half the Spurs were basically daring him to 747 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:02,759 Speaker 1: shoot sagging way off. He had a big one in 748 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: crunch time along the left wing as well, the usual 749 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:09,400 Speaker 1: kind of little bits of shot creation when Staph was 750 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 1: off the floor once again drawing fouls by getting into 751 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:14,480 Speaker 1: the teeth of the defense and taking weird driving angles 752 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:17,799 Speaker 1: and getting defenders out of position. Moses Moody deserves a 753 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:19,880 Speaker 1: ton of credit for the damage he did in the 754 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:22,640 Speaker 1: first half of this game that helped keep them attached 755 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:23,920 Speaker 1: when the Warriors got off to a little bit of 756 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,360 Speaker 1: a rough start again. We mentioned Gary Payton in the 757 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,239 Speaker 1: job he did on offense in the second half. Just 758 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:32,239 Speaker 1: a really nice bounce back win for the Warriors. I 759 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:36,000 Speaker 1: did want to talk briefly about this Jonathan Kamingas stuff, 760 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:41,319 Speaker 1: So after the thunder game, I thought this was kind 761 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:44,200 Speaker 1: of lame. But there was a lot of passive aggressive 762 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:47,880 Speaker 1: comments being made by the Warriors veterans that seemed to 763 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:52,520 Speaker 1: be targeted towards the younger players. Specifically. No one was 764 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,600 Speaker 1: named by name, but it was pretty clear they were 765 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,080 Speaker 1: hinting at guys like Jonathan Kaminga and Brandon Pajemski in particular. 766 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: I thought it was kind of lame because it was like, 767 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,480 Speaker 1: you got your ass kicked against Oklahoma City because all 768 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:06,080 Speaker 1: of you played poorly, like and Steph in particular had 769 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:09,719 Speaker 1: a bad game against Okay see and no shame in that. Okay, Okay, 770 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:11,360 Speaker 1: So he just did the same thing to Luca and Austin. 771 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:14,560 Speaker 1: Oklahoma City is a transcendently great defense. They did the 772 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,279 Speaker 1: same thing to Kevin Durant earlier in the season. They 773 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:19,319 Speaker 1: are a huge pain in the ass. It's not about 774 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,239 Speaker 1: Oklahoma City. I just thought, let me just let me 775 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:27,640 Speaker 1: rephrase it like this. Okay, So you don't want to 776 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,960 Speaker 1: play Kaminga with the starters. You don't think he's a 777 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,759 Speaker 1: good fit. You think your lineup construction makes more sense 778 00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:36,600 Speaker 1: to bring him off the bench in a smaller role. 779 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:39,080 Speaker 1: You want to go with the guy like Will Richard 780 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:41,680 Speaker 1: in the starting lineup or Moses Moody in the starting lineup. 781 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: You want guys that are more natural fits and Golden 782 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:49,120 Speaker 1: State system. That's fine. Just say that, Just say, hey, 783 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:51,080 Speaker 1: you know, we tried the cominga with the starters thing 784 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: to start the season. You know, he had his moments, 785 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,680 Speaker 1: had some reads that he made that he wasn't making 786 00:39:57,719 --> 00:39:59,719 Speaker 1: in years past, a little bit more refined in some 787 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,560 Speaker 1: of his attacks. But ultimately, now that we're a few 788 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:04,399 Speaker 1: weeks into this thing, now that we're almost a month 789 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 1: into this thing, we think he's better coming off of 790 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:07,400 Speaker 1: the bench. 791 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,799 Speaker 2: We're going to transition into that role. Just say that. 792 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:13,319 Speaker 1: Like, do I think Kaminga has been very good in 793 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:14,440 Speaker 1: the last week and a half or so. 794 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:14,680 Speaker 2: No. 795 00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:17,359 Speaker 1: Do I think he's starting to regress a little bit 796 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:22,240 Speaker 1: in some key areas, Yes, But like passive, aggressively, essentially 797 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,160 Speaker 1: blaming him for the situation that the team is in 798 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,200 Speaker 1: is ridiculous. You toast it off a game against the 799 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:32,480 Speaker 1: Pacers because your stars were fucking off like Steph was 800 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:34,640 Speaker 1: brutal at the end of that game. You lost a 801 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 1: couple more games. 802 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:36,480 Speaker 2: Because Steph got sick. 803 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:40,440 Speaker 1: That happens the situation you blew a game against Milwaukee 804 00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:46,960 Speaker 1: where Jannis didn't play like you like, take some personal responsibility, 805 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:49,840 Speaker 1: like again, I'm you know me, I've never been a 806 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:51,800 Speaker 1: huge fan of the kaminga fit. I think again, he 807 00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:54,840 Speaker 1: showed some positive strides to start the season. I have 808 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:57,680 Speaker 1: been an advocate generally for trading him over the course 809 00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:00,120 Speaker 1: of the last couple of years. So I'm not disagreeing 810 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:02,879 Speaker 1: with you in principle about the idea of the way 811 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,080 Speaker 1: the team should be run in terms of the rotation. 812 00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:07,919 Speaker 1: But like I did, think it was kind of lame 813 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 1: for them to take those like pretty passive aggressive stances 814 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,040 Speaker 1: in the press conferences after Oklahoma City and again you 815 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,719 Speaker 1: want to give them some competitive leeway. Again, it's a 816 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:20,359 Speaker 1: thunder ass kicking, right. No one's happy after an ass kicking, 817 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:22,719 Speaker 1: And when you're grouchy, you might say some things you 818 00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:25,759 Speaker 1: might not otherwise say. But I just thought it was like, hey, like, 819 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:27,920 Speaker 1: you guys got your ass kicked. It wasn't Jonathan k 820 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: minga's fault. Like, yeah, he had a few turnovers in 821 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,479 Speaker 1: that game, he made a few bad decisions. Johnathan kming 822 00:41:32,560 --> 00:41:34,160 Speaker 1: is not the reason you get your ass kicked by 823 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: the thunder. I thought it was just kind of a 824 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:38,799 Speaker 1: little bit ridiculous to target those guys the way that 825 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:40,400 Speaker 1: they did. And I know they denied it, and I 826 00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:44,120 Speaker 1: know Draymond was going after Kevin o'connory yesterday and you know, 827 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:46,719 Speaker 1: basically saying that he wasn't talking about those guys. But 828 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: that's just if you've learned anything as an adult, I 829 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,280 Speaker 1: deny deny as literally just the approach that everyone takes 830 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:56,319 Speaker 1: with any sort of accusation of any kind. I still 831 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:59,839 Speaker 1: remain bullish on the Warriors. Really nice bounce back, Wayne. 832 00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:02,000 Speaker 1: We're going to be covering them on playback on Friday 833 00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 1: night for round two of that of that Spurs Warriors matchup. 834 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:09,919 Speaker 1: I just again, I'm I'm just I just don't think 835 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:12,319 Speaker 1: there's any need for the post game stuff that we 836 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,960 Speaker 1: saw on Tuesday night on the Spurs front. I loved 837 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:20,719 Speaker 1: how Wemby found opportunities to score when he got free 838 00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:24,760 Speaker 1: of Draymond. There's this idea that some young basketball players 839 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:27,080 Speaker 1: have where it's like, I've got a demonstrate that I 840 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:29,880 Speaker 1: can beat this guy, and it's like, no one's giving 841 00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:33,920 Speaker 1: you bonus points for scoring against the other team's best defender. 842 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:39,520 Speaker 1: That's just playing stupid basketball. When you get guarded by 843 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,520 Speaker 1: one of the best defensive players of all time, your 844 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:48,040 Speaker 1: goal should be get him off of me, Like find 845 00:42:48,160 --> 00:42:51,239 Speaker 1: a way to not have to score against Draymond, and 846 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:55,120 Speaker 1: he did throughout the game, little guard screens that would 847 00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:56,600 Speaker 1: get him switched onto a guard where you get a 848 00:42:56,680 --> 00:42:58,880 Speaker 1: quick opportunity to attack, or a quick opportunity to draw 849 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:01,880 Speaker 1: devil team and pass out it getting Draymond's screen. And 850 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:03,759 Speaker 1: you could see a lot of that in the second half, 851 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:07,320 Speaker 1: like using screens on Draymond so that as the ball handler, 852 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:10,040 Speaker 1: Wenby could get into some over the top shots off 853 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:14,520 Speaker 1: of the dribble. Transition chaos, offensive rebound chaos, all those opportunities. 854 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: Find your dozen times a game where you can get 855 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,319 Speaker 1: that dude off of you, be aggressive, and that's how 856 00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:24,200 Speaker 1: you end up with thirty one, fifteen and ten despite 857 00:43:24,239 --> 00:43:27,640 Speaker 1: struggling with the individual matchup of Draymond Green. So I 858 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:31,360 Speaker 1: was really impressed by Wemby there He and dearon Fox 859 00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,839 Speaker 1: have to take better care of the ball though. One 860 00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 1: of the things that we're seeing early on with the 861 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,360 Speaker 1: Fox Wemby pairing is in ball screens teams are defending 862 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:41,839 Speaker 1: them three on two consistently. Warriors did it a bunch 863 00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:44,080 Speaker 1: last night, and so those corner skips are open and 864 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:47,240 Speaker 1: deeron Fox is sneaky good at that. The spurs generated 865 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:50,720 Speaker 1: to like completely butt naked corner threes off of Wenby 866 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 1: Fox two man game where you know, Fox kind of 867 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:58,480 Speaker 1: got downhill, low Man comes over, finds that little passing 868 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:00,359 Speaker 1: angle and makes that swing out to the cour They're 869 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:03,200 Speaker 1: gonna get a lot of really good shots out of 870 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:06,600 Speaker 1: the Dear and Fox ballscreen situation, both with Wemby off 871 00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:09,600 Speaker 1: the ball and with Wenby as the screener. That that's 872 00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:13,440 Speaker 1: going to work. But the turnovers killed them. There were 873 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:16,399 Speaker 1: a couple of bizarre turnovers from darreon Fox in this game. 874 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:18,600 Speaker 1: He had a lob in this game that was like 875 00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:22,360 Speaker 1: maybe like seven or eight feet too high. Some swing 876 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:25,440 Speaker 1: passes and cross court passes from all from those two 877 00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 1: and from Steph Castle. Steph Castle had a bad one 878 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,200 Speaker 1: in the second half that he turned over to Steph. 879 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:32,960 Speaker 1: There's a certain amount of ball security stuff with san 880 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:34,880 Speaker 1: Antonio right now. It's starting to come to the forefront 881 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:37,160 Speaker 1: that they got to work through in order to get 882 00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:38,880 Speaker 1: to where they want to go. All right, guys, It's 883 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:40,960 Speaker 1: all I have for today is always sincerely appreciate you 884 00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:43,520 Speaker 1: guys for supporting us and supporting the show again. We 885 00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:46,320 Speaker 1: will be back tomorrow morning for our mailbag, and I 886 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:48,120 Speaker 1: want to touch on some of those Eastern Conference games 887 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:50,680 Speaker 1: from last night, So drop your questions regarding those games 888 00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:54,360 Speaker 1: and anything else. Anything is fair game in the YouTube comments, whatever, 889 00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:58,760 Speaker 1: mail bag tomorrow and then again tomorrow night on playback 890 00:44:58,960 --> 00:44:59,840 Speaker 1: for Warrior Spurs. 891 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:00,879 Speaker 2: I'll see you guys. Tat