Speaker 1: You're tuned into Heat Check with Trista Krick.
Speaker 2: This episode of the Heat Check, We've got a special
Speaker 2: bonus episode with the Voice of the Sun's John Bloom.
Speaker 2: He drops some inside about the Sun's Nugget series, whether
Speaker 2: Yoki should have been suspended for pushing owner Matt Ishpia,
Speaker 2: and his thoughts on whether Phoenix can out last Denver.
Speaker 2: Great conversation that happened with my co host and I,
Speaker 2: Ryan Horvaught on bet MGM tonight. I hope you enjoy.
Speaker 1: Did you think this team was in trouble just because
Speaker 1: obviously you have Kevin Durant, you have Devin Booker, But
Speaker 1: it almost kind of feels like, or felt like this
Speaker 1: team was trying to like figure things out on the fly.
Speaker 3: No doubt, you know, because it's almost unparalleled territory for
Speaker 3: a team to put together, you know, this group when
Speaker 3: you have a star like Kevin Durant, you know, joining
Speaker 3: a team this late in the game, and the fact
Speaker 3: that he was injured when they got him obviously kept
Speaker 3: him from playing for a while. Then he finally joined
Speaker 3: him and then got nicked up, so they had to
Speaker 3: you know, kind of watch it and make sure that
Speaker 3: he was ready to go when the playoffs came, and
Speaker 3: that left a lot of us wondering, well, how good
Speaker 3: can they be?
Speaker 4: You know, how good is this team?
Speaker 3: And I think everybody, including the Denver Nuggets, were wondering
Speaker 3: that before the series started. And when the series got
Speaker 3: started here in the Mile High City, the Nuggets definitely
Speaker 3: made a statement. I thought they played very, very good basketball.
Speaker 3: Game one, they ran us out of the gym pretty much,
Speaker 3: and then Game two, you know, it was a different story.
Speaker 4: We got a little bit murky there for a while.
Speaker 3: Neither team was really firing offensively, get credit to both defenses.
Speaker 3: But then the offenses came alive in the second half,
Speaker 3: and more so for Denver, the home team, and they
Speaker 3: rode the wave of their crowd and they got the
Speaker 3: job done. And Chris Paul got injured in the third
Speaker 3: quarter and that kind of changed the dynamic for the Suns.
Speaker 3: They were able to adjust, but not well enough to
Speaker 3: beat a very good Denver team. And I don't want
Speaker 3: to sell that short. I do think Denver is legit.
Speaker 3: I mean, they were number one for a reason almost
Speaker 3: the entire season. But here we are wondering, you know,
Speaker 3: how good could this Devin and Kevin show Be, and
Speaker 3: you know, during those losses there were you know, kind
Speaker 3: of glimpses of brilliance between them and their supporting cast.
Speaker 3: But then we waited to get back to Phoenix and
Speaker 3: see if they could get it done at home, and
Speaker 3: they were able to.
Speaker 4: They even the score.
Speaker 3: It was a fascinating couple of games in the Valley,
Speaker 3: no doubt about it. If you got a chance to
Speaker 3: watch it, I would guess that you would agree with that.
Speaker 2: What do you think the biggest changes were with the
Speaker 2: supporting cast that sort of flipped the script in terms
Speaker 2: of how Phoenix was able to compete with Denver, who's
Speaker 2: been one of the deeper teams in the West.
Speaker 3: You know, there's that whole old axiom of the role
Speaker 3: players always step up at home. So I guess that
Speaker 3: may have played a role that they were more comfortable
Speaker 3: at home. But there's another part to this, and that
Speaker 3: is through this entire process, Manti Williams and his entire
Speaker 3: coaching staff have been trying to figure out what the
Speaker 3: best groups are to put on the floor together. It's
Speaker 3: understandable because you took not just Michel Bridges, who had
Speaker 3: a phenomenal season, not just in Phoenix, but also when
Speaker 3: he went to Brooklyn and Cam Johnson two starters off
Speaker 3: the floor, but you had Jay Crowder not playing all season,
Speaker 3: and they were used to those three guys playing a
Speaker 3: huge amount of minutes at the forward spots. So all
Speaker 3: season long has been this project of trying to determine
Speaker 3: which groups work well. And I guess that's part of
Speaker 3: chemistry right on the floor. And so I give the
Speaker 3: coaches credit because during the entire season what they did
Speaker 3: do was they make sure made sure that everybody was
Speaker 3: engaged and in that room right now, They've got a.
Speaker 4: Lot of different types of players.
Speaker 3: It's not just like replicated, you know, long athletic wings
Speaker 3: that you see in some markets around the NBA. You
Speaker 3: go to these teams, You're like, man, they've got like
Speaker 3: eight of the same guy right in this specific locker room.
Speaker 4: It's not like that.
Speaker 3: Everybody kind of has their own skill set. And I
Speaker 3: think that's made it even more challenging for the Sun
Speaker 3: coach is to figure out when and where to put
Speaker 3: guys into the lineup. So now they've inserted TJ. Warren
Speaker 3: and Terrence Ross. Those guys weren't playing against the Clippers
Speaker 3: in Round one and now they and they weren't playing
Speaker 3: in Denver, but the last two games of Phoenix they
Speaker 3: made a definite impact. Jock Landale as well, stepping in
Speaker 3: as a backup center to DeAndre eight and has been huge.
Speaker 3: And Campaign coming back from his injury was obviously timely
Speaker 3: considering now Chris Paul dealing with the with the groin
Speaker 3: that he's going to be out with again tomorrow night
Speaker 3: for Game five.
Speaker 4: I just found that out right before we jumped on
Speaker 4: this call.
Speaker 2: You know, you talk about like the playoff environment being
Speaker 2: different than you know, the regular season, but to me,
Speaker 2: it feels like what has and maybe you can just
Speaker 2: give me your insight since the Chris Paul injury, it
Speaker 2: feels like the Phoenix Suns want to play with much
Speaker 2: more pace, which gets them You're just out into transition,
Speaker 2: getting easier buckets versus Chris Paul, who wants to bring
Speaker 2: the ball up a little bit more methodically set the offense,
Speaker 2: and maybe that makes it difficult against a Denver team
Speaker 2: that's playing really good defense. Do you think that that
Speaker 2: that's been like a key piece in terms of getting
Speaker 2: guys like Campaign who play a little faster, Terrence Ross
Speaker 2: who wants to get out into transition as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think in essence, it was kind
Speaker 3: of a forced adjustment, wasn't it, because you had to
Speaker 3: make a move with no Chris Paul available, so Campaign
Speaker 3: comes in. He's always been that change of pace guy.
Speaker 3: You know, he uses his speed as a weapon, and
Speaker 3: he's he's kind of crafty around the hoop. He likes
Speaker 3: to get to the basket, but he can also shoot
Speaker 3: the three, and he's one of those streaky three point shooters,
Speaker 3: but for the most part through this season was a
Speaker 3: solid three point shooter. So you would hope if you're
Speaker 3: the Suns, that he can kind of regain the form
Speaker 3: he had when he stepped in for an injured Chris
Speaker 3: Paul two years ago in the playoffs, actually played fantastic
Speaker 3: ball for the Suns and led them to many wins.
Speaker 3: He averaged something like fifteen points and eight assists a game,
Speaker 3: very low turnovers, just like his predecessor and CP three does.
Speaker 3: So you know, the hope is that Chris gets back
Speaker 3: as soon as possible. I'm not going to try to
Speaker 3: tell you the Suns are better without one of the
Speaker 3: best point guards to ever play, but what it's done
Speaker 3: is It's made the Nuggets adjust to what the Sons
Speaker 3: are doing with campaign. With those hit ahead passes, it's
Speaker 3: not just about Cam, you know, changing the pace. That
Speaker 3: hit ahead pass that Devin Booker hit Kevin Durant with
Speaker 3: right before the half last night was massive, and they've
Speaker 3: done that a handful of times on both ends. KD
Speaker 3: hitting Book and Book hitting KD. So that's a big
Speaker 3: weapon that I think they'll continue to use with or
Speaker 3: without Chris Paul on the floor.
Speaker 1: Do you think this is sustainable? I mean, I don't
Speaker 1: know that Devin Booker is gonna be able to shoot
Speaker 1: eighty percent from the floor and drop forty five points.
Speaker 1: But for them to win this series, would you agree
Speaker 1: they need one big game? I'd say from DeAndre et
Speaker 1: In like four points in Game two, eight points yesterday,
Speaker 1: I'm three or six shooting. I know that he probably
Speaker 1: he misses Chris Paul probably the most, not being able
Speaker 1: to get put in that pick and roll situation. But
Speaker 1: do you feel like they're gonna need him to go
Speaker 1: off one game or do you think this is sustainable
Speaker 1: to win games with just you know, Durant, Devin Booker
Speaker 1: and then you know, pick your role player off the bench,
Speaker 1: whether it Shimmet or Landry Shamet or anybody else.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a good question.
Speaker 3: Right now, I would say that, do I think that
Speaker 3: the Sons can win this series the way they're playing currently? Yes,
Speaker 3: I think they proved to me the last couple of games.
Speaker 3: You know, you had Nikola Jokic come for fifty three
Speaker 3: and they still beat him. The game before that, he
Speaker 3: went for thirty, seventeen and seventeen and lost. So to me, yes,
Speaker 3: we're talking so much about Devin Booker and Kevin Durant,
Speaker 3: it is it sustainable? Well, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokics
Speaker 3: are playing just as many minutes. Is it sustainable for them?
Speaker 3: So that's why I feel confident that if the Sons
Speaker 3: can continue to play their game as they played the
Speaker 3: last couple games, they can get it done against the Nuggets.
Speaker 3: Now ask me again, who they're playing next? Is it
Speaker 3: the Warriors? Is it the Lakers? Totally different ball of wax,
Speaker 3: And we're gonna have to see, you know, what the
Speaker 3: game plan looks like for that next opponent. And I'm
Speaker 3: just hopeful that we get there.
Speaker 2: Fiery rhetoric from John bloom Hope to continue it. Michael
Speaker 2: Malone came on in the presser and said that it
Speaker 2: was ridiculous that Jokic got a technical foul for a
Speaker 2: very dangerous shove of owner and fan Matt Ishbia stripped
Speaker 2: the ball from his hands. I heard you feel just
Speaker 2: a little differently about that, and whether you know how
Speaker 2: your take is on that Jokic Ishpia interaction.
Speaker 4: I do.
Speaker 3: I mean I was there obviously watched it from my
Speaker 3: own angle where we broadcast the games from a little
Speaker 3: bit above the floor. You know, my first emotion, slash
Speaker 3: hope was that he would not get suspended. I just
Speaker 3: want to get that clear and out out there that
Speaker 3: you know, my hope is that Nikola Yokich is going
Speaker 3: to play. These teams have been putting forth their best efforts.
Speaker 3: It's been classic. It's been an amazing series so far,
Speaker 3: and I wanted to continue. So yeah, that was my hope.
Speaker 3: And I am a fan, by the way, in addition
Speaker 3: to being a broadcaster for the team for fifteen years,
Speaker 3: I've been a fan of the Sun since I was
Speaker 3: thirteen years old. It's been thirty plus years of chairing
Speaker 3: for this team, so you know, I can look at
Speaker 3: it from multiple angles. Part of my job is taking
Speaker 3: phone calls from fans after games at home, and I
Speaker 3: do the play by play on the road because we've
Speaker 3: got a ninety year old Hall of Famer Al McCoy
Speaker 3: still calling the home games in his final season is
Speaker 3: fifty first as the voice of this team. But another
Speaker 3: elements in my life. I'm surrounded by attorneys. Okay, I'm
Speaker 3: married to one, I'm the son of one, I'm the
Speaker 3: son in law of one, and the brother in law
Speaker 3: of one. Okay, they're all around me, and so my
Speaker 3: brain goes to what those folks were probably thinking. And
Speaker 3: I'm talking about the attorneys that are surrounding Adam Silver
Speaker 3: and the NBA in those offices today as they decided
Speaker 3: it deliberated whether or not to suspend Nikola Jokicic for
Speaker 3: what happened with matt Ishbia. And I want to take
Speaker 3: matt Ishbia out of this conversation, not because he's my boss,
Speaker 3: but because I just think in general, the idea of
Speaker 3: this play is it's a fan with the ball in
Speaker 3: his hands having it ripped out of his hands by
Speaker 3: a player. A player should never make any sort of contact.
Speaker 4: With a fan. We all know this, Okay, it.
Speaker 3: Should never happen. It can't happen because it leads to
Speaker 3: horrible things, and we've seen them happen in the past.
Speaker 3: It doesn't lead to anything good. And in fact, you
Speaker 3: could think about how everything went on last night and
Speaker 3: how lucky we are that it went the way it
Speaker 3: and I'm glad the fan got taken care of that.
Speaker 3: Reached down and tried to attack with Nakola. I don't
Speaker 3: think he was in bounds either, that's out of bounds.
Speaker 3: But what I'm trying to think about is how can
Speaker 3: the league keep something horrible like the malice from the
Speaker 3: mouse in the Palace, which I happen to be covering
Speaker 3: the Pistons at the time. I wasn't at that game.
Speaker 3: I was out of town for that game, But yeah,
Speaker 3: I mean that I have a lot of friends who
Speaker 3: are right in the middle of that, and that was horrifying.
Speaker 3: And if you haven't seen the documentary, go watch it.
Speaker 3: You'll see how horrifying that was. But last night could
Speaker 3: have led to something even worse, and I don't want
Speaker 3: to see that in the NBA, and the NBA certainly
Speaker 3: doesn't want to see that. So my mind is thinking
Speaker 3: those attorneys are right now probably turning out. I'm silver, Look,
Speaker 3: we've got to lay down a law here. By the
Speaker 3: letter of the law, he should be suspended. The other
Speaker 3: angle of this in my own brain, as I told you,
Speaker 3: I'm a fan, right, so I got to come clean
Speaker 3: with you. Even though this is our first conversation as
Speaker 3: a group. I'm thinking of my mind. Fifteen to six
Speaker 3: teen years ago, the Sons got completely screwed by the
Speaker 3: league when they had Amari Stanenmeyer and Boris da get
Speaker 3: suspended for leaving the bench to try to aid their
Speaker 3: teammate who just got belted into the side, right into
Speaker 3: the scorers table.
Speaker 4: That was that storyline.
Speaker 3: They got suspended, they end up losing to the Spurs
Speaker 3: and Suns fans have never ever forgiven the league for that,
Speaker 3: and I don't blame them, okay, because.
Speaker 4: I'm one of them.
Speaker 3: So these are all the emotions flitting around in my head, like, oh, well,
Speaker 3: maybe the Sons will get a solid out of this
Speaker 3: because that went down.
Speaker 4: This will all be karma kind of turning itself upside down.
Speaker 4: But it didn't.
Speaker 3: He got fined twenty five k is what I read. Yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm fine with that. I still want him to be
Speaker 3: suspended elite.
Speaker 2: Flopper though, yes, elite flopper.
Speaker 4: That was clearly Yeah. You know, here's the thing, he's
Speaker 4: still balls.
Speaker 3: He plays, you know, in like a league with his
Speaker 3: mortgage company, So he's out there probably trying to draw
Speaker 3: fouls on his subordinates.
Speaker 1: John if Marcus smart, if I have to watch him
Speaker 1: do it for two and a half hours every single
Speaker 1: time the Celtics play, then he could do it himself.
Speaker 4: All right.
Speaker 1: So I'm a gambling and I have some money to
Speaker 1: play around with.
Speaker 3: Real quick, go on, can I ask you, guys, because
Speaker 3: I really am curious, what did you think should have happened.
Speaker 2: I don't think he should have been suspended just because
Speaker 2: I thought that there was one You're right, the letter
Speaker 2: of the law, but I think it would have been
Speaker 2: a really really bad look for a two time MVP
Speaker 2: to get suspended in a crucial game five. I think
Speaker 2: at that point there's an integrity of the game thing,
Speaker 2: and if the Suns end up winning this inn seven
Speaker 2: or whatever it is, you don't want an asterisk for
Speaker 2: game five.
Speaker 1: Okay, So if I'm a Suns fan, I'm super pissed
Speaker 1: because growing up, like I remember the series between the
Speaker 1: Heat and the Knicks where guys like Ewing are getting
Speaker 1: the Ewing isn't even available. He's in street clothes and
Speaker 1: he gets suspended for game five or game six or whatever.
Speaker 1: You know, PJ. Brown, all those guys, and you remember that.
Speaker 1: But I want to see the best product, and I
Speaker 1: want to see the best players, and if the Suns
Speaker 1: are gonna win, I want to see, you know, Durant
Speaker 1: beat Jokich. So yeah, I'm fine with it, but I
Speaker 1: would get the where the beef would be.
Speaker 2: That's all the time that we have for the Heat.
Speaker 2: Check check back with us Friday for an all new episode.
Speaker 2: Check back for bonus episodes that happened intermittent like this one.
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening, and we'll see you Friday.