Nothin But Net
Nothin But Net
The Playoff Picture: Breaking Down the 2024 NBA Brackets w/ABC Kevin John
Western VS Eastern Conference Bracket Predictions with ABC10’s very own, KEVIN JOHN! 🏀🔥
Learn how to master your mindset, launch your career, and stay authentic as a content creator with Kevin John! 🎯
Check out the chapters below to find key moments and insider advice for your own journey! 👇
00:00 - 🎬 Welcome to Another Mind-Blowing Episode!
01:45 - 🎤 Meet the Hosts: Ritham, Koll, and Khaya
04:00 - 🚀 Why Chasing Your Dreams is Always Worth It
09:30 - 🎥 How Kevin John Launched His Career in L.A.
14:15 - 🏡 Moving from Hollywood to Small Town News
19:00 - 🧠 Master Your Mindset for Long-Term Success
25:00 - 🎯 How to Stay Authentic as a Content Creator
30:45 - 🌟 Best Advice for Young Creators Starting Out
36:30 - 💪 Hard Work, Faith, and the Power of Resilience
42:00 - 🛡️ Dealing with Haters and Internet Trolls
48:00 - ❌ Biggest Mistakes People Make in Their 20s
55:00 - 🔥 How to Balance Passion and Career Goals
1:01:00 - 🎬 Behind-the-Scenes Stories You’ll Love
1:07:30 - 📈 "Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude"
1:13:45 - 🏆 Hardest Challenges Kevin Had to Overcome
1:21:00 - 📝 Building a Legacy: Kevin’s Best Advice
1:28:00 - ⚡ Lightning Round: Rapid-Fire Fun!
1:34:30 - 🧠 Final Words of Inspiration to Future Creators
1:40:00 - 🎯 Closing Thoughts: Chase Your True Calling!
https://www.youtube.com/@NothinButNetPodcast
Hello everyone and welcome back to Nothing but Net, where we talk all things and everything basketball I'm Rhythm, I'm Cole.
Speaker 2:And I'm Kaya.
Speaker 1:And today we have a very special guest with us here today. Kevin John, Would you like to introduce yourself?
Speaker 3:Well, you did a great job of introducing me right there, rhythm, so I don't even know if I need to introduce myself. But yes, I am entirely blessed and thrilled to be here with you young guys today to talk some hoops, talking basketball, hanging out. There's not much better things to do in life than that. So thank you guys for having me on the show. No problem, I look forward to talking some ball with y'all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we love that we know you have a big career in broadcasting and other sports things. Can you tell us more about that, what you do, how you came up things like that? Absolutely.
Speaker 3:So I started off, actually, funny enough, before I got into broadcasting, I used to work in entertainment. So I did acting, producing, writing, modeling Totally joking. Did not model a day in my life, um, but yeah, I did a lot of things in entertainment. And then, after working as a starving artist in entertainment for like 10 years or 12 years, however long it was, I started working for this online network and I shouldn't say working, because I was more like volunteering, because it was free. Yeah, so it was this online network in los angeles, after buzz tv, that I was hosting programming for. Yeah, they opened up an entertainment division so I was doing entertainment hosting for them, hosting red carpet. Like you know, they would send me to these events as a entertainment correspondent. So this was red carpet events, movie premieres, um, any kind of big hollywood event. So I enjoyed it, love talking entertainment. So they, uh, opened up a sports show there. They were looking for a host for the sports show. They were like Kevin, you know a thing or two about sports. You want to host this new show. I said, why not, let's do it. So I started hosting a show there for about it.
Speaker 3:You know, about a year then I put a reel together, compiled a reel, sent it out to like 600 stations across the nation. Heard back from four stations out of like all the stations. Four stations Omaha, nebraska, victoria, texas, little Rock, arkansas and Kearney, nebraska. For only four stations I heard back from yeah, ended up getting my first job in Little Rock, arkansas, working as a sports anchor there. Um, I also had a stint in hattiesburg and meridian, mississippi. Then I went to tyler texas. I was at a station in tyler texas for about two and a half years and then I got the job in sacramento and that's where I currently work as as a sportscaster for abc10 here in the capital city wow that, that's a crazy story.
Speaker 1:So you started off in la and moved to the middle of nowhere to get your start off. That's insane. That's a great story.
Speaker 3:You know the thing is starting off in these careers. Sometimes, especially with broadcast journalism, you kind of have to go where the job is at.
Speaker 3:Absolutely and yes, in a perfect world you can start off in the city that you live in. Like, if I could have started off in LA, where I was living at the time, that would have been amazing. La is the number two market in the world as far as size DMA. Um, new York is number one, obviously. So it's it's. It's very rare I'm not going to say it's impossible, but I would say it's more improbable to start off in a top market. So you kind of have to move around, go to places in the middle of nowhere, like you said and build yourself up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like that, that. Uh, I can speak for all of us when I say we love what you do and we love how you do it. Uh could give us any like tips or, in the audience, any tips. Who wants to start doing this on, like podcasting and being a broadcaster, just being so entertaining that's a really good question.
Speaker 3:First tip that I would say is be yourself absolutely absolutely 100, unequivocally and unapologetically okay, be yourself, because if you're trying to be somebody, you're not, or you're trying to hold back or do too much.
Speaker 3:The one thing about the camera lens the camera lens does not lie and it shows who you are, your full authenticity. Um, how genuine you are. The camera lens does not lie. So my first bit of advice I would say is be yourself. Be your true, genuine, authentic self, because nobody can be you better than yourself. So, with that in being yourself, the second thing that I would say trust your dopeness. All right, what does that mean? We are, we have all been instilled or we have all you know, inherently, we all have gifts that we were born with, traits that we were born with. Yeah, I say we all have dopeness. You know we're all dope at something Right. So I say trust and be courageous in your dopeness, whatever it is that you do that's better than anybody else. Maybe you're great at you know putting words together or having an opinion on a certain thing, or maybe you're great at you know, uh, your, maybe your personality is your, uh, your calling card or whatnot, whatever it is, or whatever it is that you're great at or excel at. Trust that, and and do that to the best of your ability Every time.
Speaker 3:The third thing I would say is do not listen to haters. Okay, you can listen to mentors, listen to people you trust. Do not listen to haters. One thing about this business everybody's going to have an opinion about what you do and how you do it, and half the people that are commenting and talking are probably somewhere in their mom's basement eating a frozen pizza anyway. So you know, don't allow haters, naysayers, uh, critics, don't allow any of that stuff to take you, to take away from what you guys do so well. So do not listen to the haters. Do not listen to anybody that's out there other than people. You trust people. You look up to mentors and stuff out there other than people. You trust people. You look up to mentors and stuff like that, because the higher you go, the more people are going to talk about you and form an opinion. So do not, you know, do not, uh, I guess, uh, do not fall victim to that.
Speaker 3:Okay, now, that was the third thing, and then the fourth thing that I would say is just continue learning you. There's always so much more to to learn. My favorite quote of all time is by the late great john wooden. He was the legendary ucla basketball coach and he says is what you learn after you know it, all that counts. So what does that mean? You never know it all. Continue being a sponge. Continue learning new things, like you guys are doing. I always say if you do one thing every day to take a step towards your goal, doesn't have to be something astronomical. One thing every day to take a step towards your goal, you're doing the right thing. And the fifth thing, and the final thing that I would say yeah is be kind.
Speaker 3:Yeah, be kind, be of service. You know it's funny, this, this business is small. Everyone knows everyone. If you're a jerk to somebody or you treat someone wrong, that that that spreads like wildfire. So, be kind to everyone, be of service to everyone. And you know, always think you know. What can I do to help this person out, Not what can they do to help me out? Always go into every situation is how could I be of service? How can I help Rick Warren, great pastor, one of his quotes that he said that I love greatness is not determined by how many people serve you, but by how many people you serve, and always think about that whenever you're doing so. Those are, those are my five traits. One, um, the first thing that I said be yourself. Two, trust your dopeness. Three, don't listen to any haters. Four, always learn and be willing to learn. And five, always be kind and of service. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:That seems like great advice. I think we'll all take that into perspective. So you think we're ready to start this episode. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I was just about to say, just to segue into this. Kai always says to be the best, you got to be with the best. So we're here with the best and let's get started with talking some hoops. So how about we start with? You guys want to start with the Western Conference or the Eastern Conference. As we go into our playoff bracket, let's start with the East East with the east, east east. Start with the east. Okay, yeah, so should we start with one through eight? Let's, let's, let's, talk about calves heat. Um, you have anything to say?
Speaker 3:well, first thing, I'll say this if there's anything that conventional wisdom has taught us about the miami heat, that is the one team. Whether they're an eighth seed, whether they're a playing team, what have you? You can never count out exactly literally never count out. This is a team that just made the finals two years, yeah, two years ago, as a playing team.
Speaker 3:This year they were the 10th seed, I believe, in the east. Yeah and yeah, first ever 10th seed to make it out of the east of the playoff. So the one thing about the miami and I know everyone's saying, well, they don't have jimmy butler anymore and we all know playoff jimmy something else, and I'm sure we'll talk about that when we get to western conference of the golden state warriors yeah, but you can never count out eric spostra. There's really three coaches since I want to say since 2014 that have and those are the past 10 years that have all been with the same organizations. You have greg popovich, steve kerr and eric spostra yeah three incredible coaches have done incredible things with their program.
Speaker 3:So getting back to that, why it's easy to look at this on paper and say, oh, cleveland is, you know, way better than they, and we saw that yesterday. You can still never count out the Miami Heat you really can't shout out.
Speaker 2:I feel like everyone here knows I'm a Cleveland fan. I love Cleveland. I've been watching them for some time. My favorite player is Darius Garland and I feel like they had a great night last night. I feel like they they proved that they can really, uh, make an impact in the playoffs. All their play, a bunch of their players had good games.
Speaker 1:I think three of the players had 20 plus games and they just they just controlled the floor very well last night yeah, I was about to say um, I'll get into cleveland a little bit, but just talking about mi like um a thing, a consistent thing that I've seen with Miami even, uh, in the Jimmy Butler era when he was there is the role.
Speaker 1:Players always step up for Miami because we saw in their finals run Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Bruce they're all playing out of their minds, they're not on the team anymore, but we saw even in the play in game. Like you know always have love for Davion Mitchell, always have love for my boy there but he stepped up big time in overtime, not just on the offensive end but on his hustle with that big rebound against Trae Young, against his own shot, to get the ball back and get the end one. So I feel like I still have the Cavs winning but, like you said, you can never count out Miami due to the fact that everybody steps up and I feel like that's a testament to the coaching, like you said, with eric's bullshit, getting everyone involved, holding everyone accountable, and that's just the great thing about heat culture.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, and I like what you said too. You mentioned gabe benson, obviously undrafted, uh, guard, he went to saint mary's high school in stockton. Shout out to the 209. But, gabe, you know that year that they went, you mentioned, mentioned all those players Caleb, max Struess, all of these guys that they had their role players. How many of them were undrafted? Think about the amount of players that they had on that team that were undrafted. Yeah, and they were in AFC that year and they still stood up. Now, granted, when they got into the finals it was obvious that they were— yeah they lost in five games.
Speaker 3:It was obvious they were overmatched. But the fact that you get all of this out of your role players and out of undrafted players to play at an elite level night in and night out, and remember some of the teams they took down in order to get there, and you know, I think it's just one of those things they they took down boston very good. I mean obviously defending, obviously defending Eastern Conference Chaps, which I guess we'll talk about next, since they're the second seed or two seed. But you just look at what they're. Miami is a team. They don't fear anything.
Speaker 1:They don't care.
Speaker 3:They will walk into any gym. Thank you, Heat culture. They'll walk into any gym, any hostile environment. They don't care. We've all heard the same David against Goliath, right Goliath.
Speaker 4:That's pretty much the Miami Heat.
Speaker 3:Miami. They are, david, they do not care, they will go into battle. They don't care how big you are. Cleveland, an incredible team, this year had what? The second best record in the whole league, behind OKC, if I'm not mistaken, and you know, and you know just, they do so many things. Well, you have, uh, like you said, donovan mitchell, an incredible player. Darius garland, your favorite player, an elite rim protector, and evan mobley and, um, uh, jared allen, thank you. Who was, uh, jared allen, who was an all-star? What was just two years ago three years ago, 22, 2022, thank you. So you know, and I loved jared allen back when he was with the brooklyn nets. I was hoping that the Kings would acquire and get Jared Allen. But you look at, you know, their front court, their back court, they can kill you from so many different angles. There's a reason they were the top seed, the Goliath, but I'm going to still say the Miami Heat, you could never count them out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean for me like like a real testament is not for the cleveland cavaliers, and not just the fact that they went on multiple double digit win streaks throughout the season, not the fact that they started 17 and no, not the fact that they have virtually no weaknesses in their starting lineup and they have the depth to compete, but also when you look at the interviews that coaches said after playing cleveland. If you look at specifically the JJ Redick interview players after playing Cleveland, they always say like damn, these guys are good.
Speaker 1:I don't know how anyone's going to beat them. I've never seen a team where people come out of the game and say in their post-game interviews how fearful it was to play them because they're so good.
Speaker 1:So yeah for me it's just like I think it's. I don't. I don't see a 1-8 upset happening in this series. I, I mean I, I love me some miami heat basketball. I love me some miami heat, deep playoff runs, but I think I think calves and black five for me, honestly yeah, calves five or six, because, um, I just feel like cleveland is kind of like they're just too good for Miami to overcome them, because Miami is, I would say, even without Jimmy Butler.
Speaker 4:There's still like a threat in a way where they can like, still like challenge higher seeds, because you know you can have Tyra Hero or Andrew Wiggins or some of the role player guys that we mentioned.
Speaker 3:Hero's been balling too.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he's been doing really good this series and also in the play in game, but I, I, just, I just don't think that Miami has enough, I guess, fire, firepower, to be Cleveland in the seven game series.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause when you look at Cleveland from top to bottom, like going into, like they have four all-star caliber players. They have an all-star caliber backcourt Darius Garland, donovan Mitchell and they have an all-star caliber frontcourt elite defensively with my DPOI pick in Evan Mobley. And then their only real weakness going into the season which wasn't even a weakness, as we saw in the first half of the year was that small forward position they acquired De season, which wasn't even a weakness, as we saw in the first half of the year, was that small forward position. They acquired deandre hunter at the, the deadline to completely fix that, bringing a three and d wing player to, and he fits seamlessly with their team. You look at the bench they have. You know kai is six men of the year.
Speaker 1:One of his favorite player picked ty jerome in there, yeah, they have so many guys from top to bottom and it's just like not even talking about mi. It's just like how far can they go? This Cavs team and also new coach of the year, kenny Atkinson, his system was definitely like let's get the ball not out of Donovan Mitchell's hands, but let's kind of distribute it more and get more players involved, so it's not.
Speaker 1:Donovan Mitchell playing hero ball every possession and it is work to a T. That's why Kenny Atkinson he's my coach of the year pick also. I'm super high on this Cavs team, Not just to be Miami, but I'm excited to see how far they can go in the playoffs this year.
Speaker 3:It'd be nice. And I'd like to say too, the team that you're wearing, you know, the Sacramento Kings, defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers twice this season and at Golden Months that was just what two weeks ago or three weeks ago, whenever it was.
Speaker 4:So anyway, that was random.
Speaker 3:I just saw the sweater on I have to represent. But I agree with you guys, I don't see. As much as I revere and respect Spolstra Miami, the Heat culture, I just don't see them getting past.
Speaker 1:Cleveland in this series.
Speaker 3:I just really don't see them getting past Cleveland in this series. I just really don't. And I know that Miami is shocked. So many teams in the last several years in the postseason, so it's really hard to count Miami out of a series just because of what they bring and what they're capable of doing. I almost feel like it's blasphemous to say that they don't have an opportunity to win this series against Cleveland. But I I don't see it. I mean, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they'll take it to at least six games, but gosh, I mean, cleveland is just too much firepower. I don't know If something crazy could happen. I just don't see it.
Speaker 2:I see where you're coming from, because the heat just keeps doing it over and over and over again and just don't see it. Yeah, I see where you're coming from, because the Heat just keeps doing it over and over and over again and it's just like it's hard to beat. You know, it's hard to know when they're not going to, they're not going to clinch up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, like you said, like something crazy could happen. That feels like the motto for Miami Heat plow friends. But yeah, I think the Cows, I think I got the Cows taking this one.
Speaker 3:Maybe if they still had Jimmy, I would say, okay, maybe they can make a, do some upsets, you know, but it's just like you said with the Heat, I mean there's just while they do have some good players, there's no one on that team. I look at right now who has that killer instinct down by, you know, you know down by two, with 10 seconds left, like who? Who is that? And I love, I love hero and this is not a you know, any kind of jab at hero or whatnot, but I just, I just don't see it I do, yeah I, I.
Speaker 1:So we can say like calves and five, or six.
Speaker 4:You can say that five or six, yeah, I don't see the heater.
Speaker 2:I was gonna put up a fight, obviously exactly.
Speaker 3:They're not, especially when it goes back to miami. When the series goes back, miami has some of the most raucous fans, so I definitely see them stealing a game or two when they go back to miami, but I don't see them winning the series. Yeah, I hope I'm wrong. I hope miami shocks everybody yeah, but I don't see it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so should we go on to the two seed or celtics versus magic right?
Speaker 4:for me.
Speaker 1:Oh sorry, but I just have to say this thing one real quick like jason tatum. I love me some jason tatum. He did not play the best game in game one. He was honestly horrible. But derrick white stepped up, role players stepped up and it's just like their star players didn't play their best game and they still won. Like, like, who is beating this celtics team? They have the experience, they have the coaching, they have the star power, they have the depth. Like, like, just like talking about cleveland also, it's not just the first round series, it's just a matter of like, who is beating this celtics team in a seven game series? When I look at them on paper and when I watch them play, it's just like they're so dominant. That's just my thoughts.
Speaker 2:That's the word I was looking for, just dominance, dominance, dominance. Boston. I don't think they can be stopped. They're such a good team.
Speaker 4:What I was going to say is that in the first half of the Magic and Celtics, in the Magic we were up by I don't know one or two points, but it was very kind of low scoring. But the Celtics, like Rhythm said, their star players weren't really doing anything, it was really just Derek White and Peyton Pritchard and they were able to win the game by like 20 points. I'll score the Magic in the second half by a lot and with that I kind of I don't know. I think Cleveland might have a shot at beating boston in the eastern conference finals, but I don't know. Because if, like as a team, if your star players aren't able to do well in certain games and yet you're still blowing out the competition by, uh, double digits, then, um, you're, you're looking really good yeah, we saw that from okc, which we'll get to in a second but you.
Speaker 3:You know, one thing that's interesting that you mentioned is just the depth of a boston right jason tatum and jaylen brown, I believe, combined for 32 points or something like that. I think one had 17, one had 16 respectively. Now, granted, tatum did get injured and he went out. He did come back, um, but. But derrick White had 30 points and Peyton Pritchard I know you talked about your six-man of the year. Peyton Pritchard is my six-man of the year this year. He's just been an incredible force off the bench for Boston this year, but he's someone who's incredibly well. But also you've got to understand, if you take someone like Jalen Brown, he's somebody that even if he doesn't give you a lot offensively defensively, he's somebody that even if he doesn't give you enough a lot offensively defensively, he's a heck of a player. There's a reason that dude is a defending um series mvp. He's someone that can get it done on both sides of the court, really is a versatile uh forward as well and shout out former cal bear as well. But when you, when you have people like that, who can impact the game without just having to put up 30 points or 36 points or whatnot, they can impact it defensively, they can impact it, maybe offensively, getting other people involved. They don't have to score 30 a night in order to get their team to be good. Those are really the best players that I see, because they can impact the game other than just putting up astronomical numbers night after night.
Speaker 3:I think that's something, the something the Boston Celtics have been able to master, and the fact that, even though they did lose like a Jew holiday and who was a hell of a defender as well, and some of these other guys they're there, and Marcus smart, who was a really good defender I think it was the fifth player of the year that year that they went and they lost. So they've lost a lot of good defenders as well, but they still re-up, they still have. You know, like I said, jaylen brown is, I personally feel, one of the best two ways, um, as far as defense, offensively, um, throughout this league. So, while paulo bancaro did a heck of a job I think he had 36 or something like that in that game yeah, he's gonna show up, but they're gonna need a lot more than paulo bancaro to up. You know, if they want any chance in this series, boston is just too loaded.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you were talking about the Celtics defense also. I feel like the Celtics defense is elite, but also that has to go to how bad the Orlando Magic offense is Like they desperately need a three point shooter and I thought, I think that they they hope that would come in with Contavious Caldwell-Pope, but he has not been what they expected for him, signing him in free agency. So I think, yeah, the Orlando Magic can definitely need to add just a real alpha scoring guard, preferably next to Jalen Suggs when he comes back, which he is out also. So, yeah, the Orlando the opposite of your learning Magic offense was definitely down last game.
Speaker 3:It's funny, klay Thompson was one of the people who, before he, obviously went to Dallas last summer, who was rumored to go to the Magic because they wanted a sharpshooter guard there.
Speaker 4:What was that Could have used him?
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, clearly right now, as you can see. Also right now, as you can see also now that they're in, try young rumors also now. So we'll see what, what that happens. But but let's so we could say, like celtics in what?
Speaker 3:four or five honestly I say five, I think you think they can steal a game yeah, I think orlando will steal one um on their home court yeah celtics in five, yeah celtics because they have a talent.
Speaker 1:They have the habit, sorry, of like playing down to their competition kind of, instead of just full-out dominating. So that's why I can see them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we saw that last year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's go to 3-6, which is the game that is actually playing right now, Game 2, Knicks-Pistons. Do we have some first thoughts on that or I can go first?
Speaker 4:I can go first. Really, just in the game the Pistons, they were playing kind of well for the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter they kind of just imploded and weren't able to finish the game out and that's why they lost by 20 points. But really I just want to see more from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duran and all the young guys on the team, because Tobias Harris had what 25 points, which is something you don't really see that much from him, and Tim Hardaway had like 19, something like that. So you want, like the old guys kind of showed up, but then the young guys they weren't really ready yet. So I want to see more from them tonight and also further on in the series, if the Pistons have a chance to win, which they might be able to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you were talking about, like old versus new. Like for me, it's only the vets that actually showed out for the Pistons, like Tobias Harris, like you were talking about, and the young guys, their lack of playoff experience, which they just lost 28 straight games last year. Of course they don't have winning experience in the playoffs. The playoffs are a completely different game. Like we, we saw this, uh, with a lot of young teams like and I feel like you were talking about in the fourth quarter they just completely imploded on themselves.
Speaker 1:A 21 to 0 run is diabolical behavior. Um, and like you were talking about, tobias harris, like for me, like the pistons, really like they, they couldn't afford to waste a Tobias Harris performance like that Because, like you said, you don't know how many of those performances you're going to get out of a guy like Tobias Harris. The role players really stepped up but the young stars really didn't and that was kind of the difference. But also, I have to give credit to the Knicks, because you were talking about Cade Cunningham how he didn't step up at all. It's not just because Cade Cunningham didn't perform on the offensive end. Og Ananobi played great defense on Cade Cunningham throughout the entire game, even when the Pistons were up.
Speaker 1:And then you talk about, like campaign shout-out campaign, the campaign game, right, that 21-0 run run campaign was in the entire time when a guy like mikhail bridges, who wasn't performing his best, and tom tibideau that mikhail bridges is one of his guys, like he plays all 82 games he had the, the, the coaching intellect to sub out mikhail bridges. Uh, let the guys who were actually performing well, like josh hart campaign, all them come in. They went on a 21 to 0 run, which is still crazy to think about in the playoffs and, yeah, that that was the absolutely yeah, like you said, it was diabolical anytime you let it go out of 21 to over that.
Speaker 3:That that's the definition of diabolical, especially in the playoffs. That's just that. That should not happen. But the thing I'm going to say you guys were talking about new versus or young, uh, in regard to the detroit pistons is the one thing I have to realize. When it comes to the playoffs, experience is always going to to win.
Speaker 3:I personally think season we saw this last year uh okc was the first seed right and then, or excuse me, the top seed, number one seed like they are this year. They're one of the youngest teams in the league. Um, I know we'll get to them in a second, but I just feel that sometimes experience is something that's going to take you that much more further in the playoffs. And when you look at that 21 to 0 running um in the second half that they uh had, while detroit has had great in detroit, it's had one of the best turnarounds, I think when you just look at overall, was it last year or the year before where they were dead booty? Last, like in the East, their record was diabolical 14 wins last season, yeah.
Speaker 3:Diet. That's egregious, yeah, and just their turnaround to be where they're at right now, which is why I believe their head coach is also up for coach of the year, if I'm not mistaken yeah.
Speaker 3:So when you look at that Detroit and I always hate to say this because I think when any team is in the playoffs, they're looking to win and go on but I look at this Detroit team as like they're just happy to be here. Yeah, they just make. They are happy to be here, especially given what they've been through over the last uh, 14 months or 16 months with that organization. Yeah, they're excited to be here. I'm not expecting them to up, see, upset, uh, new york. New york made a deep run last year. Um, we've seen everything that new york has to offer and you have a guy like Jalen Brunson, who arguably can be an MVP candidate any given year just because of what he brings. You go out and you acquire Kat, who is probably the best shooting big man in the league right now, um, and then you go out and look at all of their other pieces. You talked about, about the defensive job. Og and an OB did Josh Hart. We know what he can do on both sides of the court and you just look at the, the depth of this particular team.
Speaker 3:I, I love Detroit and I think Detroit personally I feel Detroit may be the best story in the league this year because of what they, what they came from to where they are now. Yeah, but they're happy to be there. They're like, look, we made it, this is our, this is our finals, right here, we made it. I don't. I'm not sitting there saying they're going into it thinking, oh, we're going to get eliminated. Of course, when you make the playoffs, you want to go to the end. Yeah, but detroit doesn't really have the experience, the, the, the veterans on that team or kind of those intangibles that you need in order to make a deep playoff run in the NBA. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Well, also, I know the Pistons are a much more competent organization than us, but two years ago, when we were in the playoffs, when the Kings were in the playoffs and we were proud of our season, even though we lost in the first round and it's called, went well since then, so yeah I mean, I, I have faith in the pistons, but just a note about that.
Speaker 1:And then, um, when you're talking about like you were talking about cat and you were talking about all the the experience that new york has, like you were talking about jaylen brunson being an mvp candidate and tom timido literally said this, like when, when jalen brunson was out of the game for a little bit, he kind of tweaked something, but he came back in, tom timido said oh yeah, he just went to the locker room to grab his cape because he was gonna be a superhero and and he did that. He he dropped like 30 points. He let, he was in the game. That entire comeback, he was a part of it all.
Speaker 1:And yeah, it's just a great story that jalenlen bruston is cat. He got multi, he used a sar thompson's lack of experience to hunt inbound passes, yep, pretty much the entire fourth quarter. I remember he was, uh, guarding the inbounder and they got a five second violation to start the fourth quarter, just because I don't, I don't even know how it happened, but just cat was just bouncing up and down and it happened so and then he stole multiple ML passes from Assartops and so Cat had definitely stepped up not even on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end. For a guy who's seven foot, his perimeter defense was insane.
Speaker 1:And then yeah, it's just the Knicks experience and just ability for everyone to step up. It's just, my pick is still the Knicks.
Speaker 3:And, like I said, I love Detroit. I think they have one of the best stories as far as turnaround in the season this year, but I believe that is their victory. That is their victory that they had the turnaround.
Speaker 4:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:And they're happy Even if Detroit gets swept. I don't think they're going to get swept in the series, but just say they do end up getting swept. I still think they look at this season as a success because of what they were able to do Better and better.
Speaker 1:But also I don't know if it was the Knicks, not the Knicks, the Pistons owner or manager someone said that they're only letting people from the Michigan area like that Metropolis area buy tickets for the Pistons game. So I definitely think with that home court advantage, they can definitely win both home games, and if it comes back to a game six, then I feel like they can maybe steal that. So I feel like the Pistons home court advantage is definitely helpful, but I still got the Knicks in this one. I think the Pistons could definitely steal two, though, so I'm going to say Knicks in six.
Speaker 3:Knicks in six. Knicks in six it rhymes, it does rhyme. I don't know if I'll give them six. I guess I know Detroit will win one at home.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:I don't know, it's just hard. Like you know, 21 to 0 is just really hard for me to give faith in yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, but also the Pistons were in the lead for a majority of the game.
Speaker 3:That is true. That is true, I agree. Yeah, I can go. I don't know. I got you know what. I'm sorry Detroit. I got New York in five. New York in what. I'm sorry Detroit.
Speaker 1:I got. New York in five. New York in five, I got.
Speaker 3:New York in five.
Speaker 2:You can go both ways honestly Well either way, it's New York.
Speaker 1:Moving on to the second, half Exactly there you go and then let's move on to 4-5. So we have Pacers versus the Bucs and wow.
Speaker 2:I feel bad for Giannis, that's all I got to say who else to start off, I do want to say Tyrese Halliburton. He very well controlled the pace of the game. That's what I was going to say. He controlled how fast and slow the game was moving. He moved the ball really efficiently this game. That's what I can say.
Speaker 1:Tyrese Halliburton didn't have the best scoring game but, just like you were talking about with Jalen Brown Brown, he made all the right decisions. I was watching the game, tyrese Halliburton. He didn't shoot a lot of shots, he didn't get a lot of box score numbers, but I don't like. Correct me if I'm wrong. He didn't make a single mistake when he had the basketball in his hands. Whether it's making the right reads, whether it's knowing when to keep the ball for himself or pass or do anything, he never made a single wrong decision for the entire game and it worked. The Pacers blew out. So, yeah, just give props to Tyrese Halliburton. Former king.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're right, I mean Halliburton. I believe he only had 10 points in that game and 12 assists, if I'm not mistaken. So, yeah, when you look at the stat sheet at the end of the game, you don't look at the box score and be like, oh wow, halliburton was going off. Actually, pascal Siakam, if you asked me, kind of carried a lot of that load per se. There's a reason why that dude is a you know, all-star.
Speaker 3:But Tyrese Halliburton also from his experience, because I think he's been in the league what five years? Now is it 2020. So five years, five years, okay. Five years, five years, okay. So, even though you know that's still a significant period of time and you know that experience means a lot Because, remember, indiana made a run last year, yeah, so a lot of times when you're making these runs, that gives you confidence as well. So Tyrese is like I don't have to go out there and put up 25 and dish out 18 assists. You know a lot of playing well is knowing, trusting your team and trusting the pieces that are around you, which obviously Tyrese Halliburton has been able to do. On the other side, when you look at the Milwaukee Bucks, first of all, look at the fact Damian Lillard is out. I believe they said he may be able to play game two or game three, um, because he's still dealing with the blood caught in his calf, I think it was, or wherever it was.
Speaker 1:Deep vein thrombosis.
Speaker 3:I think Thank you for that technical the medical term there but I think they said Lillard could be back in Game 2 or Game 3. But you just look at Giannis I mean another guy. This year he was a finalist for the MVP him, jokic and Shea and Giannis is just doing everything he can by himself and that's no disrespect to you know, any other. I mean other Bucs players. Obviously he doesn't have Middleton anymore, who is a huge punch.
Speaker 1:They traded for.
Speaker 4:Kyle Kuzma Like anyone would? Be better than Kyle Kuzma.
Speaker 3:Didn't he have zero points? Didn't Kyle have zero points? He didn't record a single stat.
Speaker 1:Kyle Kuzma played 22 minutes while I was laying on my bed and we had the same amount of points in the Pacers-Bucks game that is diabolical right there.
Speaker 3:But, yeah, and Kyle's a great player. That was just bad all the way around. But you know, the thing with Giannis is, this is someone even I think it was last year when they got the first-round exit because they were, or was it the year before when they were the one seed Is that the year Miami took them, when Miami took them out? And then last year, of course, they didn't have the run that they wanted. So, really, kind of, since they won the championship back in 2021, it's kind of been a slow decline. Yeah, and you still look at the talent on this team. Anytime you have Giannis on your team, you're, you're, you're, you're going to be competitive. Um, obviously there were some issues this year. There's a reason that their head coach um is uh, you know it was no longer there. Hey, well, first of all, all they got rid of budenhoser. What was that the year?
Speaker 1:before last, if I'm not mistaken, after 2023, after 2023.
Speaker 3:They got rid of budenhoser, who's also without a coach. They got aj griffin right, they fired him and then they won.
Speaker 4:Yeah he's in tournament for doc rivers and doc rivers isn't really in. I would say he's a bad head coach, but he's not the greatest.
Speaker 3:I'll say this about Doc. I've interviewed him before. One of the nicest guys ever, but I personally feel he may be the most overrated coach in the history of the NBA and I mean that with love to him, because I think he's a great person, great guy, he's a player's coach. But the bottom line is, outside of a 2008 championship he won with a loaded Boston Celtics team. You know he's blown the most three one leads in a series. He did it with the Clippers. He did so the thing is with Doc. I love Doc, but I just, as soon as Milwaukee acquired him, I'm like they're not serious about going to the finals.
Speaker 2:They're not serious about that.
Speaker 3:And I say that with love, but really when you look at this series getting back to it the pacers, as great a team milwaukee is, and maybe if damien comes back and he's fully healthy in game three, game four, maybe this is a different series and maybe there's you know there's a way.
Speaker 3:Milwaukee, yeah, makes this competitive. Absolutely, I do think, without dame the pacers are just the more well-rounded, better team. I believe they're better coached. So I think this series can go seven games, depending on Lillard his availability when he comes back and whatnot. But, like I said, as long as the Greek freak is on the court, I always think you have a chance.
Speaker 1:Two things to say real quick. So you were talking about Damian Lillard coming back. I don't know if this is like a real thing, but when they got into that brawl and that fight in the game where Damian Lillard and Tyrese Halliburton were talking trash, pascal Siakam was like I just sent him home already. Why are you talking You're down and all that stuff? Dame seemed genuinely mad. I send him home already. Why are you talking You're down and all that stuff? Dame seemed genuinely mad. I don't know if this is a sign that he's going to come back and go demon time. He's going to go crazy and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:But I feel like an angry Damian Lillard or an angry Bucs team in general, with how dominant we know just the tandem of Giannis and Dame can be as individual players. Maybe they can win both games at home and take the series to a game six or a game seven, but right now, not even just like star power-wise and depth-wise, especially like, if you look at the Pacers' depth, like they have Aaron Neesmith and Andrew Nembhard, playoff riser role players that they have One of the best home court advantages. Also, with everyone wearing the shirts uh, warriors, fans, um, everyone was wearing the shirts. It was a loud arena. It was great. They had everyone stepping up, so I still feel like the pacers are the better team than the bucks in general. But if that, if that bucks star duo can step up, to which we know that they can be, then I can definitely see the bucks pulling this one off absolutely yeah, and my second thing you were talking about the bucks how it's all been downhill since their their championship run.
Speaker 1:I feel like it's kind of like I feel bad for yannis because if you look at 2022, which was the year after they won the championship, their first year after they had a 3-2 lead on the eastern conference champion, uh boston celtics and then um chris middleton.
Speaker 4:Chris middleton got hurt for games yeah for game six.
Speaker 1:Game seven they lost. So they haven't been healthy for that one game of 2023, which is the year after that they played miami first round. Yannis missed game one in game two, or he missed game one, I believe. He was hurt for part of Game 2. So he wasn't healthy. 2024, both Giannis and Dame weren't healthy. 2025, this year, dame isn't healthy. So I feel like we've never given the Bucs, have never had a fair shot with their championship core to run it back and actually like genuinely run it back, absolutely.
Speaker 3:I agree. It kind of reminds me of brooklyn, when they had durant um kairi and harden they none of it was barely any time that they were all healthy. Yeah, all together at the same time. And speaking of durant, that bucks championship, if durant's foot wasn't on the line, then that bucks may not have even you know went on the championship.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they may not even won the championship that year, but I do agree you want to. Really, your team is at its best when your star players are healthy and at its best, and I feel I agree with you. I feel we've been robbed of that, yeah, with milwaukee, because they've had injuries in the postseason the last couple of years, whether it was yannis or dame or whoever, and that does make a difference in a series like this.
Speaker 3:So, you know I agree. I want to see both of them healthy, seeing what they can do, because I believe if both of them are healthy I could see this series going seven games. I could see Milwaukee potentially winning it if they had everybody healthy, but right now Indiana's the better team.
Speaker 1:And yeah, I feel like also the fact that they haven't been able to run it back, a lot of the changes that they've made are kind of rash. It's like you fire Budenhoser after that exit, after the loss to Miami, when all the players loved him and he won a championship with that team. Middleton wasn't the best this year, but he's the second best player in your franchise's history. You trade him and a young stud for Kuzma who dropped a donut in the game.
Speaker 3:He had as many points as all of us. Yeah, all of them, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean. But definitely I can definitely see the Bucs pulling off the win, but also it's kind of just like to to yannis and and to all like the bucks championship court I was on that 2021 team that they haven't really been able to win it.
Speaker 4:Run it back, absolutely yeah, but for me, pacers in and I feel that, just because of the star power that the bucks have pages in six or seven, honestly, I think it's gonna be pacers in six because even with dame possibly coming back, uh, in game two or game three, I I just don't think Milwaukee's going to win because their perimeter defense just wasn't good in game one.
Speaker 4:And I think if that doesn't change, then Indiana's just going to be able to shoot the three ball, and they can shoot the three ball well, and I just don't think Milwaukee can come back from that.
Speaker 1:And guess what you were talking about? The perimeter defense. Guess who they traded. I don't know. I feel like maybe if the Bucs had one of the best perimeter defender points Wow, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't know, maybe they would actually be able to win this series.
Speaker 1:There's that guy on Boston. You know who I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I think it's like Drew Holiday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, maybe if they had him they could maybe, but I don't know, I don't know, did they win a championship with that?
Speaker 4:Maybe, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Maybe yeah. I feel like definitely the Pacers out-perimeter games and out-speeded the Bucs in that game, so I definitely just have the Pacers winning in six.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And now we move over. You want to just do like each first round, and then we move to the second round. So let's go to the West right now. All right, let's go.
Speaker 2:West 1-8.
Speaker 1:Wow, wow. Oklahoma City, memphis.
Speaker 2:I mean, it was a huge point difference 51 point difference 51.
Speaker 4:That was a point, wow. And the playoffs?
Speaker 1:It's kind of revenge because back in 2021 or 2022, when the Grizzlies were on their come up, that was like John Morant's all-star season they had the highest win in NBA history and it was against Oklahoma City so now.
Speaker 1:Oklahoma City got revenge for that. But I mean just just looking at OKC like I was just talking about this with Boston, and how Jason Tatum didn't have his best game when you're looking at Oklahoma City, shea didn't have his best game but everybody else stepped up. They had like I think it was six or six or seven players that were in double figures, right in points wise. So everybody steps up on oklahoma city and and and last off season I mean last season you were talking about their inexperience.
Speaker 1:Now they've had a playoff run to fix that experience yeah but also we saw that their, their biggest weaknesses were their interior defense and also their, their, their rebounding and their perimeter defense as well.
Speaker 4:And they fixed that.
Speaker 1:They got Alex Grusso and they got Isaiah Horenstein. Both pieces have been extremely helpful for the Oklahoma City to be one of the most dominant teams that we've ever seen this season. So I mean yeah, I got OKC going far in my opinion.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think they're going to win the championship. Wow, wow, I think they're going to win the championship.
Speaker 3:Wow, wow, dang, you just went straight to the end there.
Speaker 3:Spoiler alert you know when you're watching that game. First of all, all the Sacramento Kings fans out there remember that would have been the Kings facing OKC in that 51-point blowout, yeah, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the Kings didn't make it there, because they would have been humiliated and granted. All the matchup the Kings have had with OKC this year really have not been pretty. I think there was a couple of 20 point wins that OKC had against the Kings this year. Don't quote me on that, but you know this is just. We talked about David versus Goliath earlier. This is the definition of David versus Goliath. I mean, my God, this was just.
Speaker 3:You know, it's almost like they say like don't beat a dead horse. Right, okc was beating the dead horse. It was already dead and OKC was like nope, we're not. You know you're not done yet you could be more dead than already dead, so we're going to continue making you more dead. This was absolute annihilate. This was the definition of a mollywop, yeah, and the thing is is like yeah, it's 51 points. We already know the fifth largest win margin in playoff history, the uh, the largest margin in the history of a game one in the nba playoffs.
Speaker 3:But I think okc is out to prove to everyone this year who keeps saying, oh where, they're still young, they're, they, they're inexperienced. I think they're really on this revenge tour this year because of what happened last year and everybody just kind of counting them out. You know, because of their, their youth, because of the fact that this team hasn't truly been tested in the postseason and you know, shout out to memphis, like I mean, they tried, um, but it was, it was awful. I I think we're going to have a sweep. And I mean, going back to Memphis, I agree that, like I think that Memphis because Memphis is a hostile place I've been there several times their arena, fedex Forum, I believe it's called, unless it's something new now, but it's a you know, it's a great place.
Speaker 3:You're going to have home court advantage there, but this OKC team this year is this lethal and I'm not just talking offensively they put up what 130 or 20 I forgot how many points they put up on the 51 blowout, but defensively, yeah, they are exceptional, yeah they have go ahead.
Speaker 1:Shea has the number one defensive rating this year. That's all which is crazy. Their mvp point guard has the number one defensive rating this year. That's all I was about to say. Which is crazy, their. Mvp point guard has the number one defensive rating.
Speaker 3:Defensively, they are so freaking good. So this is about as a well-rounded team that you can have, and they also have the reigning NBA coach of the year as their head coach. So, yeah, so it's. I think this is the year for okc. I'm not unlike you.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying they're gonna win the whole thing, but they're gonna be really really good this post season and also oh, I feel like, after seeing this first game, it does give me a lot of leverage to say that they will win the whole series. I feel like I feel like, uh, unlike the celtics last year or this year we saw, they like to play with their food, they like to play down to their competition, like what they said earlier. And I feel like, okay, so he just consistently, just wants it more, they want to win, they want to win. I feel like they're just going to blow through this whole entire West Conference and win the whole thing. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, we've constantly talked about the importance You've talked about. They're going to steal a game at home. Like Memphis, they have a great home court advantage. Okc probably has one of the best home court advantages I've seen. Just because of the fact that I mean, I'll keep bringing this up Everybody wears the shirts right, and everybody wears the shirts. They have a roaring crowd because it's a small market team, right, it's not like a bunch of fake fans showing up. It's not like a bunch of celebrities showing up to the games. It's Oklahoma City, oklahoma. Like. What are we talking about? Right, they have a bunch of loyal fans. It's a loud atmosphere. It reminds me of Sacramento, honestly. So I feel like that home court advantage is going to be special. To make a deep laugh, run for the Thunder, just in there to say yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, I think this is really and it's unfair to say as we talk on my mic. It's unfair to say this about them because they were the top seed last year. I believe this is their coming out year Even though you can argue it was last year because they were the top seed but I truly believe this is their coming out year to say like we're no fluke, all right, we are really good. Yeah, we may not be as experienced as some of these older teams in the west, like the denver nuggets, golden state warriors, los angeles lakers, etc. We'll get through them.
Speaker 3:They may not have as many, as much experience as all of those teams, or even though the season veterans is all those teams, but I truly think this is their year to say we're here, like we are. We're here, we're legitimate. You guys need to take us serious and I think last year with the top seed, no one really took them serious. You respect them because they earned the top seed, but no one takes them serious. I think this year, other teams are going to take them very serious and say okay, we respect you, okc.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for me it's just like they've proven how dominant they've been this entire regular season and the fact that from November to either February or March I can't really remember the date that he came back Chet Holmgren was out for a significant amount of time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he missed a lot of time.
Speaker 1:Who's one of their top players and it just goes to show how much guys that they have like I was just talking about this with boston and cleveland as well, the fact that from top to bottom they have so many guys like, if you look at the like when, when they clinched the one seed and they were kind of resting, their guys, uh, jaylen williams, the other jaylen williams, jay will, uh, which people call him the group glazer, but he's still like, he's still nice. He came in and he was a walking triple double, just literally like from not playing quality minutes the entire regular season to finally getting his opportunity.
Speaker 1:He just like comes in and just like steals the show yeah, it's just like like there are so many guys to step up for any possible circumstance that they're thrown at, they can match it, so I feel like yeah, this is definitely the year for the club.
Speaker 2:They're clearly playing like they want to win and that's what's making them win.
Speaker 3:Hey can I say I just love the chemistry of okc, me too like they have so much. You could tell they are well tight-knit, bonded team if you ever watch their post-game interviews on the court. They're always having fun. They do it as a group. Sometimes they'll, you know, throw towels on the reporter.
Speaker 1:Reporter but that's the best job in the world, in my opinion. The oklahoma city, I think it's like.
Speaker 3:It's like I forget his name but yeah, I know you're talking about yeah that's the best job in the world.
Speaker 1:He literally just be like hey, what makes your life so consistent? Like the todd, my whole life is consistent and all, all the Oklahoma City players are like oh my gosh, they're so tough.
Speaker 3:They just love being around each other. It's so great he is just he's a vibe, OKC is a vibe, OKC is a vibe and that's why it's like you know OKC and not to get off subject, because we have to continue on OKC you mentioned this earlier when their fans are going to come out because it's oklahoma city. It's not like you have a bandwagon fan base like an la market or something else.
Speaker 3:You have diehard fans, it's oklahoma city yeah I think oklahoma city is what every small market team wants to be. The sacramento kings okay, see, sets the bar on what a small market franchise should be like. Yeah, as as acquiring talent, drafting good talent, and just what they've been able to build over there, I think it's exemplary. So OKC is a vibe. I don't even think I said it, but I got OKC sweeping Memphis.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I got it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't see how Memphis can win it yeah but also, like I know we're talking about Memphis Like, if we're going to talk about Memphis, I think the reason why they've looked a little different in terms of the way they play this year is because of the fact that they hired not just because of the fact that he recently became head coach, but Tumasa Silo, I believe, is his name they hired him it was either this year or last year as an assistant coach and he's kind of implemented a new system of slower paced basketball um, get into your spots, get into the right spots and they have an extremely talented roster.
Speaker 1:So he's kind of, uh, getting the ball out of john moran's hands, getting everyone involved, and I feel like we've we've seen john morant play worse this year because of it, because it's not a fast-paced style of basketball that John Morant is used to. But I feel like if this roster can continue to work with the new system that Tomas Asilo has in place, then I feel like, because he's a basketball genius from what I've seen from him and what I've heard media members talk about him, he's a genius. So I can definitely see Memphis getting back to the top seed that they used to be, especially because they were just the two seed in a tight Western conference just a couple months ago. So it's not like Memphis is a bad team, it's just the fact that OKC is just dominant.
Speaker 3:It's a really good team, and I mean give Memphis credit, because in order to make it um to this point, they you know they had to get through the um, through the plan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, and they.
Speaker 3:They had to defeat the Mavericks who had defeated the Kings, of course. Now Memphis, I believe they lost to the warriors, I believe was it in the first part of the play in, yeah, and even that was competitive at some point in time. But I I do agree with you, memphis was a team that was consistently in the top three or four in the west for the vast majority of the season. Um, you know, they fire taylor jenkins. What was that? Two weeks ago or a week ago.
Speaker 1:Nine games before the season the season nine games.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you fire taylor, you fire your head coach, and then you got this.
Speaker 3:You know now, granted, he had been with the the team so it wasn't like it was just some outsider that came in, yeah, but um, I've never seen someone fired that late with the playoffs, with with the team that's in the playoff hunt. It's just, uh, it's random, but but yes, I do agree that memphis has a little bit of adversity to overcome, but they are a good team. They were consistently in the top five, you know, in the West throughout the season.
Speaker 1:They just, you know, still OKC in four.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okc in four, I agree.
Speaker 1:Moving on to two versus seven. This is where I feel that we can see the first upset predicted is Rockets versus Warriors. So in my opinion, in game one it was just like the Rockets were completely outmatched on the perimeter, and it's just the fact that, when we're talking about Detroit also, the young guys didn't step up. We can see that with the Rockets. Also, jalen Green he deactivated from Instagram. He was like hey, I'm not going on Instagram for the playoffs, just to go 3 for 15 and 0 for 4 from 3. So that was something from Jalen Green.
Speaker 3:That was smart that he's not on social media.
Speaker 1:But then you look at the Rockets, I feel like for me, the only people that stepped up in that game one were Stephen Adams and Alperin Senghut. They played amazing. I love the double big lineup for the Rockets, but it's just the fact that Steph Curry's amazing, Jimmy Butler's amazing, All of the guys on the Warriors were stepping up on the perimeter. And the Rockets. We know that they don't have a half-court offense because they love to go in transition much like previous.
Speaker 3:They love to run.
Speaker 1:Yeah, much like previous Memphis Grizzlies teams, the Warriors knew that they stopped the transition, they made them slow down their offense to get to their spots and they completely exploited that. That's how they won the game. So I mean, if they can continue to do that throughout the rest of the series, then I think we can see an upset happening.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do want to say that the Rockets did get a whole lot of rebounds. They got the ball a lot, they touched the ball a lot, but they didn't make any shots because they don't have a solid offense yeah, a solid offense.
Speaker 1:Fred Van Vliet, championship point guard, supposed to be the veteran of the team. What was that performance like?
Speaker 4:He went like one for ten from three or something like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, something like that. That was crazy.
Speaker 4:Yeah, their half-court offense in general just isn't good and also I would say that them losing the turnover battle in the game also didn't help, especially because, like they were just giving the Warriors a lot of like um opportunities to just like score and the Rockets can't really score much themselves um. But I also, like for the Warriors, I think Jimmy Butler has kind of elevated the team like as much as we like would have thought this. Obviously. Obviously it's Jimmy Butler, but he's still not like the best like clutch playoff performer on the team. Obviously that's Steph, but I think he's still a huge playmaker on the team and I think he's still going to provide a lot for the Warriors.
Speaker 1:They're probably going to win this year. Yeah, also because when Jimmy Butler first got there and they started winning a bunch of games, jimmy Butler wasn't taking a lot of shots that Jimmy Butler should take and a lot of people were saying like sure, that's great, you guys have gone crazy, you guys have gotten a lot of wins, but Jimmy Butler, you know you need to step up come playoff time and the play-in as well as the playoff games. Jimmy Butler knows he is Jimmy Butler and he's taking a lot of shots and it's happening and it's working. So, yeah, they have two great playoff performances on their team. So I mean honestly, yeah, if you want to give some thoughts about the Warriors.
Speaker 3:So I'm going to say this first of all, golden State is not your average seventh seed, make no mistake about it. This is a very good team that just happened to fall to because, remember, toward the end of the regular season, from seeds, what was it? Three through eight or four through yeah, they were all identical or separated by half. I mean it was one of the tightest races to the finish that I've seen in the last several years. So, unfortunately, going to state just happened to fall in that tight race. But this is not your average seven, absolutely make no mistake about it. If you, personally, I feel that they're better than the houston rock is, just overall as a team.
Speaker 3:Now, no disrespect to houston. They rightfully earned that second seed and they had a heck of a year. There's a reason. Ime udoka is up for um coach of the year. He's an incredible, incredible coach. Um, we saw what he did with the celtics two years ago, even though he lost in the finals to the warriors, ironically. But at the end of the day, the houston rockets are a good team and I don't want to diminish what they've been able. Alperin you mentioned him earlier. He was an all-star this year. A lot of people felt that him being an all-star took away from Domana Sabonis being named an all-star this year. You can argue about that to your black and blue, but I do feel that Alperin is a hell of a player and, by the way, can we talk about his posterizing dunk on Draymond.
Speaker 4:Green, yeah that was crazy.
Speaker 2:Draymond.
Speaker 1:Green, who's a former, I feel like I should be DPO-wide this year.
Speaker 2:Gets dunked on by.
Speaker 3:Alperin, I was so happy watching that because I don't really like Draymond.
Speaker 1:A lot of people in Sacramento don't like Draymond, that's for sure.
Speaker 3:But yeah, he literally got posterized by Alperin. Not only has he won Defensive Player of the Year in the past, he's obviously one of the finalists for Defensive Player of the year this year and Alperin, just you know, just got baptized him there. So you know, with that being said, houston and Jalen Green, he's not going to have that horrific performance every game. He was awful in game one, but we still know what he can bring right. Dylan Brooks needs to be more of a disruptor. That's kind of he's kind of the, I guess, draymond Green equivalent to a certain extent um, that enforcer he.
Speaker 3:he gives you that defensive intensity, grit. Sometimes he does step out of line and do things we saw that with Memphis a lot but I think he needs to step more into this role. But I think when we talk about Odenu you guys were talking about it with the Detroit series, the Detroit Magic series. I think we're going to look at kind of the same thing with this series. You have the old heads, and when I say old heads, people who know championship basketball and have played, even though, yeah, four rings for that warriors team okay, and even though jimmy butler is yet to win a ring, he's been to the finals. What twice?
Speaker 2:since 2020 yes, so playoff experience yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:So this is really one of those things where I think experience is going to. I don't want to disrespect a two seed, because a two seed should be taken serious and revered, but in this particular battle, with Houston matching up against Golden State, I almost feel like Golden State is the two seed and Houston is the seventh seed, if we're really being honest, as far as matchup talent, you know, and all that other stuff. Coaching Granted, e-may is good I'd still take Steve Carell over him, but I just feel that Golden State is really the. They're basically they're the two seed, disguised as the seventh seed in this, because that's what they are and they just have. You know we could sit here and talk about go to state and what they have. We know what they're about. We know that they're uh, their mindset. We know the intensity they bring on both sides of the court.
Speaker 3:You talked about Steph being the closer Jimmy Butler there's a reason they call him playoff Jimmy. I think, playoff jimmy. I think in quite a few games when he first came out to the warriors, he was scoring like seven points in a game, eight points. Like he really wasn't doing anything offensively, he was kind of just sitting back that's always jimmy in the regular season recently exactly.
Speaker 3:And then what do you see in the playing game? He had what? 36 or 30 or whatever it was, don't quote me, but he flips a switch 25 last night, yeah, he dropped
Speaker 4:25 steph at 31 minutes as well.
Speaker 3:Steph and jimmy. Together they combined for what was it 57 or six, or I don't know 57, I think, yeah, 57, that was over half of the points because I think go to say it had 95 in that in that game.
Speaker 3:It was very low scoring it was low scoring, which I like. That's playoff, that's playoff intensity and defensive intensity, but the two of them together as closers. I got got Golden State winning this one in five, maybe six if Houston gets one. But I don't see Houston and I feel bad disrespecting a second seed or a number two seed like that, but I just don't see Houston winning.
Speaker 1:I'm getting like deja vu. A young, explosive, fast-paced offensive team. Who's the higher seed facing a lower seed Golden State Warriors team in the first round? What does this remind me of? I'm not really sure.
Speaker 3:Maybe a second or ten years ago Wow yeah, two years ago. But at least the Kings took it to seven.
Speaker 4:Yeah. And each game within that series, for the most part, was very competitive, except for when Steph dropped 50, but that's just Steph Game 7 was not as competitive.
Speaker 1:And Game 3. Game 3 was bad.
Speaker 3:Game 3 was bad, game 7 was bad, but that was a really incredible series.
Speaker 4:But you're right.
Speaker 3:A high, fast-paced offense and Golden State held Houston what 85? Yeah, yesterday. So that's just a seasoned team that knows what they're doing. And we saw that with the Kings being a third seed that year and Golden State was a sixth seed. Kings had home court advantage, but you had the older, seasoned team that came in there. They knew how to slow things down and take care of business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's just like when you talk about like they knew what to do. You have to give a testament to that, to coaching. Because even when, like Steve Kerr, when the Rockets pulled out their double big lineup of Stephen Adams and Alperin Sangoon, steve Kerr immediately said, hey, kevon Looney, hey Post, quinn, post, get in the game. And they've never played double big minutes together pretty much this entire regular season.
Speaker 1:They came in there for game one of the playoffs and immediately neutralized the double big lineups of Houston, which allowed them to open up their half-court office, their perimeter game, which we know that they're not good at. So the Golden State Warriors were able to take advantage and it's just like, yeah, they know what they're doing more than the Rockets know what they're doing. They know what to match everything that the Rockets throw at them.
Speaker 3:So it's just yeah. For me.
Speaker 4:I got.
Speaker 1:Warriors in the Rockets are still a very good team. They were the second seed so I still have to say, like I'm not disrespecting them, so I might say Warriors in five or six, because I think the Rockets can I mean the Warriors took one at home which is big, took one at home which is big. So maybe because of that, warriors in five or something like that.
Speaker 2:I feel like this series really opens my eyes to the fact that the playoffs is different from the regular season. It's way different.
Speaker 1:It's a different game.
Speaker 2:It's a thing where it's like the Golden State Warriors have so much experience, they have so much motive behind their winning the playoff series than the Rockets do. They've made it to the playoffs, they've completely changed their output and their outcome and their game completely, and they've made such a big change that it's already a win for them to be playing against this great team and be doing, I guess, all right.
Speaker 1:But you know, Can I just say it's also really funny about how the Rockets are missing the playoffs for five years after losing to the Warriors every single year in the Harden era. And the minute they come back, the right back at it is Steph Curry with that belt, ready to give BTA yet again. It's just like the moment they come back it's Steph Curry back at it again. That's just funny to me.
Speaker 3:They can't escape Steph's greatness.
Speaker 1:They can't escape him. So we say what Warriors?
Speaker 4:and Warriors, and I think Warriors and Pucks.
Speaker 3:I really want to give Houston some respect. Me too, I do. Because I just feel bad, just saying like, oh, warriors and five. You know what? I'm going to give Emei Udoka some credit. I think he's going to make a hell of some adjustments. I say that they still gain two, which is, I think, wednesday night, and I say that they steal another one, maybe because it's 2-2. I say they steal game two and they steal game five, because I think game five will be back in Houston if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 3:So I think it's Warriors in six.
Speaker 1:And we didn't even mention Ahmed Thompson, who has been fantastic.
Speaker 2:He's been doing great this whole season.
Speaker 1:Also, jabari and Ahmed, both have been fantastic on the boards. Kai was just talking about this. Like the rebounding battle is Houston's favorite. I feel like if they can actually turn those rebounds into makes, then they can definitely steal two games, like you were talking about. So yeah, then they can definitely steal two games, like you were talking about. So yeah, warriors in six, but still I've got to give credit to this Rockets team. And then we talk about the three versus six matchup in the West, which is my like the game one wasn't awesome, but my favorite matchup so far, which is Lakers-Timberwolves.
Speaker 1:Honestly, some quick thoughts, it's wow. Honestly, I would never expect the, the Lakers, with Luka and LeBron, to get to get blown out like that at home also. But when you, when you also look at it on paper, it's just like, like not even looking at game one, just looking at both teams. On paper, the Timberwolves obviously have better depth, better pieces in general to match anything that the Lakers can throw at them and, honestly, to me that's not really why it's surprising why the Timberwolves won that one. But also, when you look at it, jaden McDaniels was amazing, nas Reed was amazing was amazing and and um, defensively, like lebron. Um, you know he likes to to kind of treat game one as a little bit of like a kind of like test the waters, kind of feel, feel what we'll feel what's happening in the series.
Speaker 1:So what he was doing, he was going at guys, like multiple different guys, throughout the game and he was kind of figuring out who could he like physically go at um and challenge them and what he could win those challenges. So he went against julius rando and naz read this game and both of them held their own against the lebron james. So so that's definitely like an example of like. Like the timberwolves, everybody stepped up but in my opinion they're not going to shoot that good from three ever again this series, because that was insane.
Speaker 3:But yeah, 21 three-pointers and over 50% I think it was from downtown for them. It was insane. You know I'll say this and I'm going to reference this guy, this guy you guys are probably laughing at me, but Nico Harrison, when Nico, obviously I'm talking about the GM at the Dallas Mavericks when Nico made that Luka AD trade and I want to reference something. Nico said what Defense wins championships? The Lakers.
Speaker 3:When you looked at that game, particularly the second half, what was it? The third quarter, I think, when, um, or late second quarter, third quarter, when Minnesota started going on their run a D uh, if AD is on that team and you know, in the paint I think that A, a lot of their three-pointers were a lot of. The threes were uncontested first of all. But I think having AD in his presence there's someone who's a hell of a defender. I don't see like I'm just saying, basically, if the Lakers still had AD and they didn't have Luka and that Minnesota team played LA on Saturday, whenever that game was, I don't think you're seeing the same blowout. I truly don't think. And I understand Minnesota shot the lights out of that gym right there. Um, they're, they're. La's perimeter defense was atrocious in that game. But I do think Nico, who's one of the most infamous and probably um made fun of managed gms that there are. He was on to something when he said defense wins championships.
Speaker 3:Luca as phenomenal as luca is an offensive player and I think he had what a game. I 37, 35, 35. Yeah, he, he's phenomenal. I think luca dropped what 16 in the first quarter. I think it something.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he had like 37 in the entire game, I think yeah.
Speaker 3:So we know what Luka can do offensively, defensively, is where he's a liability, and we saw that in the finals last year with Dallas and Boston. So I'm saying all that to say, I'm not saying all that to say, well, hey, niko is right, no, no, right, no, no, no, I still think nico made a boneheaded decision. Yeah, and I would necessarily agree with that. But if I'm the lakers, I'm looking at my roster and I'm saying, okay, who is our defensive enforcer? Who is the person and austin reeves did not have the best of games either. Uh, gabe vincent didn't really have the best of game. Marie hotchimer, like, there's a lot of people. We can go down from LA and look and say, okay, you know, we need you to show up in this one Exactly.
Speaker 3:And I think LeBron only had like 19 or 18 or something like that. So he wasn't, you know, phenomenal. So I don't. When you look at all the firepower that LA has, they're not going to in game two. Bad, yeah, um, but you still have a minnesota timberwolves team who made it to the western conference finals uh, last year, I believe, I'm not mistaken and, um, you know, grant granted, you know it is what it is. They didn't, uh, dallas beat them in the western conference finals last year. But you're looking at a team who is extremely talented, who has nas reed, who is the reigning six man of the year robbed six.
Speaker 1:Men sorry, I like malik monk, that's my bad.
Speaker 3:Well, malik yeah yeah, a lot of people felt malik monk should have got it last year, but nas reed, who was phenomenal, shot the heck out of the ball. You have julius rando, who obviously was a part of that cat to New York trade, and then you have Anthony Edwards, who is an MVP candidate every year and a hell of a coach. So in this series it's tough. I can, it's really tough. I want to say that LA is going to get past Minnesota, but Minnesota is going to make it hard for them and this is definitely going at least six or seven games, I think it's going to be Minnesota in seven.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow.
Speaker 4:I think it's mainly because of the fact that LA's lineup is too small and Nas Reed and Rudy Gobert can kind of just do whatever they want in the paint and just kind of uh, space out well, and uh, I think if the Lakers had like, maybe, like went through with that Mark Williams deal, maybe it would have been different. I don't know. But um, I, I just, I just think, uh, the Lakers lineup is too small to contend with Minnesota.
Speaker 1:That's literally what I was about to say, because you were talking about defensive enforcer and I was waiting to say this while you were talking about this entire time. Nas Reed six, six, nine, six, 10. Jada McDaniel six 10. Rudy Gobert seven one. Julius Randall six nine. Jackson Hayes six, eight.
Speaker 1:That's their that's their that that they have, and maybe Mark Williams. I think if that trade went through then that would have helped them out. But Jackson Hayes couldn't catch a rebound. He could not catch a rebound the entire time that he was in the game. Jj Reddick said get out the game, we're going small the rest of the game and you can't do that against Minnesota. That's the one team in the NBA where I feel like you cannot go small against, just because of the fact that they have so many so much height, so much length, so many guys right.
Speaker 1:So I feel like definitely like you were talking about defensive enforcer, like the Lakers don't have that, it's not like Jackson. Hayes played a bad game. Oh, he'll come back next game. It's Jackson Hayes. We're not expecting Anthony Davis-level production out of him. Oh, he'll come back next game.
Speaker 4:Like it's Jackson.
Speaker 1:It's Jackson Hayes. Like we're not expecting Anthony Davis level production out of him especially because he's only six, eight Right. So I feel like like physically in the paint down low Minnesota has that every day against the Lakers. And then you were talking about an Austin Reeves not having the best game they. They put Anthony Edwards on that boy, austin Reeves out the gate and Anthony Edwards locked that down. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Credit to Ant on that yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's just like everything that the Lakers like Luka's fantastic offensively. Austin Reeves has been great this year. Lebron is LeBron James right, those three can do whatever they want, but anything that the lakers put or, uh, throw at the timberwolves, the timberwolves have the counter for that. That that's. That's exactly what I like, like the timberwolves team, like the. That's not the only reason they made the cat trade, but they also got back depth pieces, because j? Uh, julius randall was kind of like the matcher-upper for cat. He's not cat-level player. But they also got back Dante DiVincenzo, nikhil Alexander-Walker. They have so many depth pieces that they can use and it's just like this Timberwolves roster is just so talented it's deep.
Speaker 3:They got a lot of depth.
Speaker 2:Like.
Speaker 3:I said I don't know who that enforcer in the paint is going to be, obviously ad you're not going to get, you're not going to get another ad, another ad I mean. Hence I understand they got luca out of ad, but I mean, as far as a big man in the center, the kind of defense that ad gave you, the kind of player that he is defensively, like you said, um, minnesota is just just gonna have their way with them. Yeah, you mentioned the seven footers rudy gobert's, what? Seven one or seven two or whatever it is. Julius randall 610, 69, whatever it is. So you, you look at the, the players that they have, and I just don't see anyone. And I'll like, now I'm still, I still think la can win the series, just because I'm never gonna rule out LeBron, even at the age of 40 years old, and the adjustments that JJ Redick is going to make, even though it's his first year.
Speaker 1:He's a very smart guy, I was just talking about it. I was just about to say if you'll finish your play. I just have a point to say after that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, no, no, I was just going to say you know JJ, high basketball IQ, he can make adjustments and whatnot. And the Lakers, even though they were embarrassed on their and that's another reason too Minnesota did this. It wasn't like Minnesota did this at home, they came into LA and did this and they didn't just beat the Lakers, they mollywhopped them on their home court. The final score doesn't really prove how bad it was, because they had their garbage time people in with like sick. I saw bronnie getting minutes. By the way, not calling bronnie garbage, I'm not not saying that I'm not.
Speaker 1:I saw king's legend alex lynn.
Speaker 3:Alex lynn yes, alex lynn was getting minutes there, so you know there was a lot of garbage time in that game, so that's why the final score didn't uh, you know uh present what it is. But I do feel that min Minnesota just kind of came out and slapped the Lakers. They just kind of came in and shell-shocked the Lakers and now that Minnesota was able to steal one on the road, it's going to be a lot more difficult for the Lakers this series. But, with that being said, I'll never rule out any team that has lebron on it and luca don chich, who's one of the most generational, offensively talented players that we've ever seen. Right, the lakers are going to find a way to get back in this series now.
Speaker 3:I still think it goes at least six or seven games. This is not a five game or a sweep, by no stretch of the imagination. I still think the Lakers are going to find a way to get it done. And this is not to discredit Minnesota, especially when you look at their front court, when you look at the talent. This is a team that was in the Western conference finals last year, a darn good team. They have a lot of rim protectors, they have the length, they have size, but I just, I just think LA is going to find a way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh sorry, no, you can go, but I was just about to say, like this entire episode, the one consistent thing that we've been talking about with every team is experience. That's the one thing. And, yes, they have LeBron James, they have all these guys. But a very important key their head coach. Very first year, very first playoff game this time last year, he was on the couch on ESPN talking about he would be talking about this game. He was an analyst.
Speaker 4:Like we are right.
Speaker 1:So he's going to make adjustments. It's his very first playoff game, he's not used to the playoff atmosphere. Jj Redick, extremely smart guy, he's going to make adjustments for game two and for the series henceforth. And I feel like the Lakers we literally saw this in the game JJ Redick making adjustments because it didn't help the blowout at all, but they kind of figured something out very quickly at the end of the game which a lot of people didn't notice, which was matching up Luka with Anthony Edwards, making them go head-to-head, and they went on a 10-0 run, I believe at the very end of the game, to kind of put that in, and that was when Luka was being matched up with Anthony Edwards. So if they can continue to make these changes which JJ Redick, extremely smart guy, like you said if he can continue to at any point make changes, like really quick make changes, then I feel like the Lakers can pull away with this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in my opinion, I feel like it all comes down to if Minnesota can keep up this defensive consistency. I feel like they held the Lakers down so well. They made sure Austin Reeves didn't shoot. They kept LeBron under 20. They just did a great job defensively. The only person they couldn't stop was Luka, and that's what really made them prosper this series.
Speaker 1:I still think the Lakers can pull through. I hope shoot me if you can, but I still feel like they can pull through because they have LeBron James, like you just said that's my goat.
Speaker 3:You just, you just don't rule out certain things.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And that's it. You know death taxes and LeBron is going to find a way. You know I away. Yeah, you know I the man has been to what? 10 finals, if I'm not mistaken straight so.
Speaker 3:So he'll find a way. Like he, he knows what's at stake. I, I just can't. And this, as great a team as minnesota is, and honestly, would I be shocked if minnesota won this series in seven games. No, I would honestly say I'd be shocked at that. I'd be like, well, well, you know that they, they, I mean, there was a reason they were in the conference finals last year. And then they make the uh trade for Julius Randall and um, and obviously always playing at an MVP level. I, I would not be shocked if Minnesota somehow came back and I shouldn't say came back, cause they're leading one to zero on the series but if they won the series, I just think the Lakers are going to find a way to pull it off and get it done.
Speaker 2:Like you said. You can't rule them out Exactly, but it's definitely going to be a hard-fought series.
Speaker 4:It's going to be a hard-fought series.
Speaker 1:Hey, I'm not saying this realistically. I think it's going to be like Lakers in 6 or 7.
Speaker 3:But, seven but minnesota stole.
Speaker 1:One game is still like as if I have. Ah, okay, shannon sharp. Yeah, lakers and five legs of five, but yeah lakers, and probably six or seven honestly, but yeah, I still, if the lakers can get one in minnesota, which is yeah because you were talking about the minnesota. They came into la, not the other way around, right? So if the Lakers can get one in Minnesota, that's huge to pull up the series.
Speaker 3:So, yeah definitely.
Speaker 1:I still feel the Lakers can pull through. Maybe Lakers in seven. I would say Lakers in seven. It's going to be a good series.
Speaker 3:It's going to go six or seven games, that's for sure, yeah.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so do we all have the Lakers moving on Because?
Speaker 2:that I'm sure I could debate it, but it could go either way.
Speaker 1:Okay, so now let's move on to 4-5, which?
Speaker 3:is our overtime game.
Speaker 1:That was so beautiful to watch, except for the coaching malpractice. I love Teron Liu. I think he's a great guy. But the Clippers the entire game they were spamming Harden-Zubach pick and rolls. That's literally what they were. The entire game they were spamming Harden Zubach pick and rolls. That's literally what they were doing the entire game and it led them to a 15, 20-point lead. I can't remember the exact number, but it led them to such a great lead. And then once the Nuggets started to kind of chip back at that they were like oh shoot, kawhi Leonard, ISO ball, you got that and it completely blew the game for them. I feel iso ball, you got that and it completely blew the game for them. So if they, I feel like if they kept with harden as the ball dominant player and not kawaii which kawaii is a fantastic player two time finals, mvp at that playoff, kawaii is a real thing. But still I feel like if they kept with that harden zubat pick and roll, it would have been a different outcome.
Speaker 2:But yeah, if it ain't broke, don't fix it exactly yeah.
Speaker 1:if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Speaker 3:it Exactly yeah, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, man the thing is. Denver is a really, really good team and they have one of the best players on the planet on their team who can literally do everything Pass, shoot, rebound inside, defend. Oh, go ahead.
Speaker 1:No, it was a little thing I'll defend there, but I.
Speaker 3:Okay. Here's the thing with yokich. I understand what you're defending like. He will take plays off sometimes, um, but he's still an enforcer, like when he wants to be, I'll say that much. But when you have, you know, this denver team has truly been fun to watch this year. Absolutely, with Christian Braun, with Aaron Gordon, with Westbrook coming off the bench Love him or hate him, and not to get off subject. But Westbrook, he had a really interesting game. You see him knock down a three with about 20 seconds to go, or 30 seconds to go to give them the lead. He then has an opportunity to win it at the end of regulation and he just dribbles in and dribbles off the clock. I don't know what he did or what was going on there. He pulled a.
Speaker 4:Houston.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's a good point. It just was. It was typical Westbrook. But then he comes up with the biggest play on the inbounds pass to James Harden and I think it went off Harden's hand. So you know, westbrook is one of those players.
Speaker 1:You live by Westbrook or die by Westbrook. I was just about to say you ride or die by.
Speaker 3:Westbrook. Yeah, you live or die by Westbrook because he's that kind of player. He's exciting to watch, for better or for worse. But I just feel that this Denver team, going back to the and it's hard to give Denver that the edge on experience, because on the Clippers you have someone like you just said, kawhi is a two time finals MVP. You have someone like James Harden who's never been in the finals but he's played excuse me, he was when it was okay, see back in 2012.
Speaker 3:Yes, when he was still coming off the bench. I don't even think he was a starter then Sixth man of the year.
Speaker 1:He was sixth man of the year, yeah.
Speaker 3:But you have someone like Harden who's been to the finals hasn't been there in over 10 years, obviously, but that's played a lot of playoff basketball. So this is not an inexperienced first experience team.
Speaker 3:When you look at the Clippers and you look at the Denver Nuggets, you have two teams that have had a lot of experience in the finals, in the playoffs and whatnot. So I think, ultimately, what's going to win this series is it's going to come down to coaching. And it's interesting you said Ty Lue had made the mistake going to Kawhi Iso toward the end of the game when Zubac and Harden had the pick-and-roll game going pretty well. I think this series is just going to come down to coaching.
Speaker 1:You can continue without.
Speaker 3:And I was going to say, when it comes to coaching, it's interesting that Michael Malone, who is a hell of a coach, and got this team to the finals two what was that? Two years ago, when they won the yeah, and you had another Taylor Jenkins type situation with Mike Malone, which I thought was very interesting, very interesting. Now, with that being said, you have what is it, adelman?
Speaker 1:Rick Adelman.
Speaker 3:Rick Adelman's son.
Speaker 1:Yeah, david Adelman.
Speaker 3:Yeah, who's who had stepped in as the interim head coach, but Denver this is a really interesting from the coaching standpoint, from their situation, what's going to happen with the series Cause I think if you look at talent on both sides denver and la, a lot of talent on both sides a lot of hall of famers on both sides, a lot of talent. I think coaching is going to be the the difference.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you were talking about coaching and I was just about to say a point about david adleman is, uh, their third best player. In my opinion, michael porter jr was unplayable and he didn't play him. He held the players accountable and he said in his post-game interview when Michael Porter Jr is ready to play good defense and swing the ball which is like a meme about him right then he'll get minutes. But he sat Michael Porter Jr that entire— it was either the fourth quarter or the second half yeah, but he sat him so that that that shows that he's really keeping his players accountable and it worked out at the end. So, yeah, this is definitely going to come back to coaching. I was literally just going to make that exact same plan.
Speaker 3:I completely agree it really does, which is real interesting why denver got rid of mike malone. Uh, what a week or two weeks before it was actually, I think it was the day before Denver was here to play the Kings that they fired him, or it was the day before, or the morning of, or whatever it was well, yeah, they fired him, and then their GM as well yeah, apparently they were like beefing or something, but exactly.
Speaker 3:I heard there was all kinds. I heard with Malone there was a lot of internal issues between him and the players.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I heard that he wasn't playing the young guys and he was more focused on Pickett and he wasn't playing Pickett. He was one of their young guys and ownership really liked him. The moment he got fired, Pickett dropped 20.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, and I think that they looked at Mike Malone and they were like, okay, we like him, but because what's going on, the internal battles that they're having? If you want a team to make a deep run in the playoffs, you got everyone has to be on all accord, everyone has to be all in, there has to be respect from both sides and while that, at the time, could look like an abrupt decision, who knows, depending on how the series turns out, it may.
Speaker 1:But getting back to the series, I honestly don't know who I have winning this um so confused also I think it's going to be the clippers and like seven games.
Speaker 4:But it could be the nuggets in seven games, because they're both like, they're both very good at their like, own thing, like. Obviously, on the nuggets you have yokich, who's the best player in the world right now, um and like what he brings to the floor, and but then on the clippers, you have a revitalized james hard and azubach, who is one of the best centers in the league, and uh kawaii, who we know what he can do in the playoffs. So honestly, I think it's the clipper powell also norman powell. Yeah, he's played very good.
Speaker 1:I gotta admit, love me some norman powell. I love the improvement he's made this season. He was not the best in that game.
Speaker 3:He was yeah, he was shot checking I can't yeah, but but overall power has had a really this season. He's really, yeah, uh, improved but go ahead, sorry but yeah, yeah, I, I think it.
Speaker 4:I think it's gonna be like clippers in seven, but I I wouldn't be surprised that denver wins the series, because I think both teams are just so evenly matched, yeah and I was just.
Speaker 1:I was just about to say about the. We were talking about home court advantage. Right, the Nuggets won at home. This is not like a game that the Clippers dropped. Of course you want to win every playoff game. Of course that's the goal, but it's not like the Clippers needed to win. I mean, every playoff game is a must win, but it's not like it was necessary for their series to keep in balance because this was a Nuggets home game. So I feel like the Clippers can still bounce back. It's not like they're in as big of a pit as the Lakers are or the Rockets are, who dropped games at home. So, yeah, it was a Nuggets home game. So I feel like, yeah, the Nuggets, the Nuggets should have won. Yeah, the Nuggets home game. So I feel like, yeah, the.
Speaker 3:Nuggets should have won. Yeah, the Nuggets should have won. But I agree, la is going to make it interesting on them. La is not going to make it, you know, especially when they come back to what is it? The Intuit Dome. It's going to be crazy them hosting playoff basketball there for the first time. I mean the wall, yes, there you go. It's going to be electric in there. So I do think that LA does have an opportunity to potentially win in seven, but I think I'm going to go with Denver in this series. I think, actually, I'm going to just say I'm going to go with Denver in this series, but it's hard. It's really hard because the Clippers are a dang good team. They got a lot of experience. They have a coach who's won an.
Speaker 1:NBA title.
Speaker 3:It's hard.
Speaker 1:I'm low-key, going to disagree with that, and here's why If you look at the trade deadline and it looks about this, there's only a couple teams with a top. It's either top five or top ten offensive rating and defensive rating since the trade deadline. The Clippers are one of them, along with the Celtics, the Thunder, those group of guys. They're in that tier. So it's just even with all this, the Clippers didn't play their best game. A lot of their guys didn't step up, for example, norman Powell. They still went to overtime and it was one inbounds play that James Harden messed up on. That lost them the game. So I feel like the Clippers.
Speaker 1:I got the Clippers winning this series, but I still think it's going to be a close one, maybe six or seven, something like that.
Speaker 2:But it's up to you two to decide the tiebreaker.
Speaker 1:I guess it's going to take the Clippers. That's 2-1 right there, cool I already said Clippers.
Speaker 3:Oh okay, I'm the lone nugget over here. I am the lone nugget over here, but I will say this I do 100% agree with you guys. This is going to be a competitive series and I don't think one particular team is going to run away with it. I'm going with the denver nuggets because they just won one two years ago. They have the makeup, they have championship basketball. I just feel the clippers are kind of cursed as an organization. I, I, I really do, I hate to say I just feel that they they're cursed. There's something they they can't get out of their own way. Um, I just feel that denver, if, if money is on the line, I'm going to denver because, also, they have one of the best players in the world on their team as well. Um, the only thing that makes me nervous about denver is the coaching change, the abrupt coaching change. But um, addleman has been in the system so he knows, he knows how it goes. I'm going Denver.
Speaker 1:I'm still going to say Denver, but if the Clippers did win the series, I'm not going to be shocked Like, oh man, I'd be like well, I could have seen that coming too Well, I guess I can see the point for Denver, but I guess, as a consensus, we're going Clippers. I guess Clippers in six.
Speaker 4:Seven Clippers in seven Seven.
Speaker 1:Clippers in seven. Clippers in seven. Okay, so now we're moving on to the second round. One hour and 35 minutes to go through the first round. Now we're going on to the second round. So in the Eastern Conference, let's go back there. So, first seed Cavaliers versus who do we decide for the four or five Pacers?
Speaker 4:Cavs versus Pacers this is going to be Cleveland's, because I think Indiana, I think they could probably take two games, but Cleveland is just the better team to have a better front court with Mobley and Jared Allen and I think that, with how inconsistent Halliburton has been this season, I just don't think he can outplay Donovan Mitchell in the seven-game series, at least right now. Maybe he can prove me wrong, but I think it's going to be Cleveland in six.
Speaker 1:Well, I have to say like we're kind of underestimating the Pacers. The Cavs are great, the Cavs are great, but the Pacers are great also. Yeah, I feel like every single player on their roster is a playoff riser, like when you look at especially I'm so high on this guy, andrew Nembhard Every single playoff game he's a role player but he steps up every single playoff game, like their roster is so deep. I'm still probably going to go Cleveland, but just because of the fact that what we see with Cleveland is not what we see with the Bucs, in the fact that they can match the Pacers' perimeter game and they cannot let the Pacers control the pace of the game, which is what the Pacers do for every team that they play. Their key thing is that they control the speed of the game, which I feel like the Cavs can definitely match that.
Speaker 2:They can absolutely match that. I feel like they move the ball very well. They can control a game's pace. They can do that very well. They get a lot of they're. They can control game space. They can.
Speaker 3:They can do that very well I like indiana and I like what this team has become over the last couple of years. I think they're really finding their identity and we that was indicative of their run last year but cleveland, my god that, that that is a really, really good team right there, um, and they just pose so many problems. I mean, you look around from their front court to their back court to offense, to defense, um, kind of like, okay, see, they're very well-rounded, they're just, they're just good from so many different areas. And I I'm thinking, okay, if I want ind, if I'm saying Indiana's gonna win this game, if I'm Indiana, what am I gonna exploit when it comes to, uh, cleveland, what is, what is the weakness that Cleveland has that I would want to exploit if I was them?
Speaker 3:yeah and looking at this Cleveland team, they don't have a lot of them yeah, it's like so. Cleveland's a team with with uh little weaknesses yeah, the only thing I would say about cleveland is just, I guess quote lack of championship experience on the team. I mean, I know they had donovan mitchell and donovan mitchell had some great runs with utah in the postseason um a few years ago. But you know, there's really not a lot of people on that cleveland team that have a whole lot of playoff experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was going to say shout out Tristan Thompson, oh godly.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I almost forgot Tristan Thompson. You're right, I almost forgot Tristan was on that team because he was on those Cleveland teams with LeBron that went to the finals and stuff.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, no, you're right, I totally forgot about Tristan Thompson. But let's be real. He's tristan thompson. But let's be real, he's more of a he's more of a bitch coach than a player coach. Um, but thank you, yeah, put some respect on tristan thompson. Totally forgot about him. Um, but yeah, you know, uh, so you know pascal siakam. Uh, when I look at indiana and their playoff experience, I think pascal made he was with the raptors team, right that one pascal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 2019 wasn't he on that team that won the championship. So, looking at Indiana, you have Pascal Siakam, who's won a title.
Speaker 1:Aaron Neesmith was on the final Celtics team in 2022.
Speaker 3:That's right, he was on that final team in 2022. Other than them, though.
Speaker 1:Their head coach was on the Dallas Mavericks was the head coach for the 2011 Mavericks who won the title. Oh, that's right that was the one.
Speaker 3:That kid was actually the point guard of that yeah, yeah and Dirk was on that squad.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're right, I forgot about that. So I mean they have a little bit of experience as well. But I still say Cleveland and I like where Indiana is at. I I love their ascension. I love what Tyrese has really done for that team over the last couple of years. Even though he took a small step back this year from what he was last year, I still think that Cleveland is the better team and I would take Cleveland in that series. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I would still. I would still say Cleveland, but it's like kind of play devil's advocate a little bit. This entire episode. We've been talking about experience and the Pacers completely outmatched the Cavs in terms of experience, not just because of their roster but also their head coach, the Cavs head coach, kenny Atkinson first-time head coach versus a championship-winning head coach. And also you have championship-winning players finals been-to players. The Cavs I mean the Pacers were just in the conference finals last year. Their entire roster has made a deeper playoff run than this current Cavs core.
Speaker 1:So I mean, it would kind of be like going against our rules that we've kind of made for ourselves throughout this episode to kind of pick against the Pacers just because they have the experience pedal. But if we want to go with the Cavs just because their team is flat out better and they've been one of the best teams this year, then I'm going to hear completely yeah, I feel like.
Speaker 2:I say that just because I feel like we could have won last year, in my opinion, if we didn't have our Darius Garland out and our bigs were not as good as they were this year.
Speaker 1:Darius Garland and Evan Mumbly both missed significance on last year, exactly.
Speaker 2:This year our bigs really stepped up, showed us what they can do. And they really, our bigs really stepped up, showed us what they can do. And we have Donovan Mitchell back and Darius Garland and I mean Darius Garland back and Donovan Mitchell and they're just proving that they can beat everyone on the court at the same time. They can do it all. Plus they have the great six-man, ty Jerome. They're just doing it all this year with great coaching, great plays. Everything is just working so well.
Speaker 1:This is the season I expected last season to be. Oh, interesting, okay. Well, I would not. I would still say calves in maybe five or six. But I would not be surprised whatsoever if the pacers pull off an upset, just like they did last year with the knicks, when everyone is counting the pacers out. I would not be surprised whatsoever because this pacers team is a good team. It's not like last year where, like they were kind of a fringe playoff team 6-C, they kind of just made it in. It was kind of like their breakout year. This year this Pacers team is here for it like full on.
Speaker 1:So yeah, if we're going to say Cavs, I would not be mad at that. So definitely yeah.
Speaker 3:Now Rick Carlisle, who's the Pacers. Head coach, yeah, coach, yeah, rick carlisle is an incredible incredible coach.
Speaker 1:I mean you reference the mavericks 2011 2011.
Speaker 3:yeah, rick carlisle knows ball better than pretty much any, and everybody, and just you, know he's really one of the best in the business. So I do agree with you on that and I do think that indiana is, you know, an incredible team. But, I'm sorry, there's something about Believe Land that's ready to believe, so I'm going to believe in them.
Speaker 1:That was a banger line.
Speaker 2:So what we said, cavs in, you said what I do love to see like Cleveland win, but during the regular season they did lose to the Patriots twice. Oh, they did, they did.
Speaker 3:Then again, that's regular season. They did lose to the pacers twice. Oh, they did, they did. Then again, that's regular season. Yeah, that is, it's a regular season, and they also lost to the kings twice. So that is true, remember the the kings went three and one. I guess the celtics and the calves this season yeah and who's watching the playoffs from the couch exactly. So yeah, well, but I mean that's still a good nugget, though. I mean I mean it. It's still fair game to bring up the regular season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but it's levels to it. It's a different game Levels to the game.
Speaker 1:But yeah, we could just say Cavs moving on to the conference finals for the first time since what? 2018? Yeah, so now let's move over to two versus three, which is going to be a banger series if everyone stays healthy, which didn't happen last year and it's probably not gonna happen, because tom tibbitt is the head coach of this next team, nick celtics I.
Speaker 4:I think it's gonna be celtics in five, because, simply because that like it's, it seems like every time the celtics play the knicks, the celtics just like go crazy and they just blow out the knicks and it's not very competitive. I just don't know why the knicks were what?
Speaker 4:oh for 10 against the top three seeds in every conference this year yeah, they just don't play good against the top wow, wow, clay got us straight for no reason but like I, I just I just don't see the knicks beating the celtics like, even like if they're fully healthy, because the celtics are even like if they're fully healthy, because the celtics are just the better team. They have more death. I would say their star players are better than the next star players, but that that can be debatable. But I just think, when it comes down to uh, like we've been talking about experience, the celtics are past champions, they know what it takes to get back to the finals and the knicks't and I feel like that could also play a role and also the Celtics, just they're just so, they're just good at basketball.
Speaker 3:You're good at basketball. There's something, a saying that we've all heard, and we've even referenced it in this Defense wins championships. When it comes to defense, I'm looking at the Celtics and I'm looking at the Knicks. The Celtics have incredible defense. You mentioned, you referenced, drew holiday earlier, um, because milwaukee, I think, was what you're talking about, milwaukee that got rid of him, or whatever. Um. Jaylen brown is a hell of a defender, um, and you have people on this celtic squad that you know I I don't want to say unconventionally, but they have intangibles yeah that I feel served, or serve them, um, in the post season that the new york knicks do not.
Speaker 3:Not a new york knicks day. You have some explosive individuals. You know, I love, I love cat, I love jaylen, um, I love, uh, um, um, I'm blanking on his name because I love him. I love josh hart, I love og and anobi I.
Speaker 3:I like a lot of the guys that the new york knicks have, but when I'm looking at an experienced team, the defending champions and the defense and offense, when you have a team where your two top guys score under what 18 points or 17 points or whatever, and they still win in a, in a in a blowout, that tells you right there how great your team is and the makeup of your team is. With that, can the New York Knicks win a game on a blowout? If Jalen Brown, jalen Brown, jalen freaking Brunson, good Lord. If Brunson has under, you know, 15 points and Cat has under 15 points and probably not, but that just goes to show how deep the Celtics are. And Drew Holiday, I still feel is probably one of the best defending guards in the league right now. So I don't see New York getting through that series against Boston. I think New York will make it interesting. I 100% believe New York will make it interesting, but I still have Boston, yeah well, I still believe Boston all the way also.
Speaker 1:But again, just to play a little devil's advocate, you were just mentioning how the Celtics' bench depth allows their star players not to have the best games. And then for Stilt to win, what's going to happen? Because we know the Knicks are notorious for their head coach, tom tibideau, playing their starters to the grounds until they can't walk anymore, right? So what's going to happen? When that's, the knicks starters inevitably match up with the celtics bench, that's when the knicks can go on runs, because the the celtics, they they use their bench a lot in games, but the knicks, their starters, are going to be there that entire time. So what's going to happen? That's a little thing that maybe the Knicks can go on some runs when the Celtics bench is in and their starters are still in, and also they match up defensively pretty good with the Celtics.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying that they're going to lock down Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown, but Mikkel Bridges has not been the best this year, but he's still a good defender. Oj Ananobi he's been fantastic, especially in the playoffs, in the one-game sample size that we've seen on Cade Cunningham and Josh Hart. Definitely they have guys who can match the offense that the Celtics bring with their defensive intensity, but for me still Celtics in five with their defensive intensity. But for me still Celtics in like five. Yeah, I think it's it Because the Knicks haven't beaten the Celtics or any top three seed this entire season, exactly yeah, and that's the thing.
Speaker 3:It's just really hard, especially when you look at the defending champs. You got to look Did they fall off from last year? Did they lose key players from last year? The answer to that is no. It's like okay, well, I don't see them falling off. And one person we haven't really brought up a lot throughout this we're talking about it is joe mazula.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love joe mazula. I I think he is one of the most brilliant coaches there are. Even listening to him, I love listening to his press game. He has so much knowledge, philosophy and stuff that he used. He's, he's, he's just a brilliant, brilliant individual and I don't think he gets enough credit for the job that he does with Boston, because you look at the talent that that team has. But I also think he's like the X factor as well. And Thibodeau very intelligent guy. We've seen that in every stop he's been to, whether it's Chicago, minnesota, new York what else am I missing that he's been. But anyway, every stop that he's been, thibodeau has produced for the most part. So you know, this is not anything to take away from Thibodeau, but it's just hard for me If I'm going to choose another team over Boston. What is it about Boston? That their weakness is being exploited? And I don't have that.
Speaker 1:I don't see that for the Knicks to exploit anything about Boston, honestly, celtics in five, that's disrespectful, because the Knicks have been a great team.
Speaker 2:But it's the Celtics, come on, it's the.
Speaker 1:Boston Celtics Cavs-Celtics Easter Conference Finals. We'll get back to that as we go to the West with one versus four matchup, oklahoma City versus who did we pick? We picked the Clippers. We picked the.
Speaker 3:Clippers. No, you guys picked the Clippers, I picked it. But we're going to go with the Clippers because majority rules.
Speaker 4:I think it's going to be the Thunder because they're just the better team and I don't see the Thunder really sputtering at all because obviously we saw that their role players can pick it up and it's not just Shea on that team that can do well in this last game. So I think mainly because of that they're just going to keep rolling and beat the Clippers in maybe five or six games.
Speaker 1:So you were just talking about this. The last point about the Celtics and the Knicks series what about the Celtics? Can the or what weaknesses about the Celtics can the Knicks exploit? And you said there's nothing. I'm looking at that with the same mindset with the Oklahoma City.
Speaker 1:Thunder versus the Clippers. What weaknesses do the Thunder have that the Clippers can exploit? But also taking the second part of that sentence away and just saying, like, what weaknesses do the Thunder have? Like is that crazy to say, but I mentioned this earlier before Like, they have their MVP point guard. They have role players on both offense and defense around them. They have both interior players Isaiah Harnstein on the defensive rebounding end, but they also have a tall guy in Shed Holmgren on the offensive end. They have shooters all around, as well as off-the-dribble scorers like Shea and J-Dub, as well as catch-and-shoot guys like Isaiah Joe and all of them this OKC Thunder roster. You said it was their coming-out year. I completely agree. This is their year. The Clippers have been a fantastic team and I was talking about how they're top five in both an offensive rating and defensive rating with Boston, in that same tier with Boston and Oklahoma City. So they're in that same tier with Boston and Oklahoma City. So they're in that same tier as well, and it's just yeah, I have OKC taking this easy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like, even if it was Denver, I feel like if it was Denver, it'd be a more competitive game.
Speaker 3:But with Thunder versus Clippers, I think the Thunder has it. Here's the thing. I'm going gonna go back to what I said initially. First of all, I have the Thunder taking it because the Clippers are cursed. All right, the Clippers, if anything's gonna happen, they are just cursed. The LA Clippers I love Kawhi and I love everything about him.
Speaker 3:I mean from someone who can take over offensively to someone who could be the best defender on the court, kawhi. If, as far as matching up, heck, I would put Kawhi on Shea, you know. I mean, granted, he can obviously go, kawhi can peel off and whatnot. But you, you just look at his ability and what he's able to do. I love Kawhi. You just look at his ability and what he's able to do. I love Kawhi. He's about as complete a player as one could be. The only thing about Kawhi is his availability, which is a whole other story. But other than that, kawhi's really the only person I really see giving OKC problems. But other than that, I don't see a situation or a manner where OKC feels outmatched from the Clippers and we're OKC feels, whether that's interior game, whether that's in the paint, whether that's perimeter. I don't see a situation where OKC feels that they are inferior to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, now we want to go back to what's been the common theme of this the whole time the experience. Sure, we can give. We can give clippers the experience. Matter of fact, two of the guys on the clippers or, excuse me, one of the guys on the clippers made his only finals run when he played for okc some, I'm sure shea gildas, alexander was in the sixth grade when harden was on okc and made it to the finals. So yeah, going back to the experience, I think anybody would give clippers the edge on the overhaul experience. You have a two times final mvp for them, whereas okc doesn't. So that's really the only edge I would give the clippers in this series.
Speaker 3:They've been there. They or, excuse me, their guys have been there. Um, they have the experience they can draw from that. The okc thunder are young, but this is their year, this is their coming out year and their year to prove to everybody. Hey, I know that we're inexperienced, but we have the talent and depth Because remember, when OKC made the finals the year hard made it with Durant and Westbrook and all of them I think Kendrick Perkins was on that team and some of those guys they were really young back then, yeah, and made it, you know. Granted, they got freaking, um uh, destroyed by the, I think, miami heat, that was the lebron wade, a bosh heat that destroyed them, but at any rate, they're okay. See the young team, I think, as they're going out, they're going out, they're coming out here and I see them defeating the clippers, despite the fact the Clippers have a ton of experience on them.
Speaker 1:And also like this is not like any sort of basketball analysis, but like I love when a player like has an extra motivation to play a team, like I was just talking about this with Dame and the Pacers Dame coming back and going crazy because Tyrese was trash-talking him on the bench and stuff. Shea played for the Clippers and they traded him like he was nothing. I feel like that would give Shea an extra edge to play like his MVP self against the.
Speaker 1:Clippers. I would love to see Shea do that. For me it's still Thunder.
Speaker 3:That's right, because, remember, they gave Shea up to acquire Paul George.
Speaker 1:Paul George yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3:And what happened with Paul George is in Philly right now. And what is Philly doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, watching on the couch, watching on the couch Philly's doing the same thing. We are.
Speaker 3:Exactly, but I agree with you.
Speaker 1:I like line um, you know, because um the clippers originally drafted shea, right?
Speaker 3:no, no the or no the hornets drafted in the nature yeah, traded in for miles, bridges, that's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right, yeah yeah, thunder and five games honestly yeah, yeah, I agree, yeah and then we move on to warriors lakers lebron versus steph again again.
Speaker 3:That's what the NBA wants, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that, and Celtics.
Speaker 1:Lakers, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Hopefully we don't get that.
Speaker 1:That would be peak, but anyway that would be a banger. Though if it was Celtics-Lakers, that would be a banger, but go ahead Sorry.
Speaker 1:I was just about to say this. We saw the exact same thing two years ago and, yes, Jimmy Butler wasn't on the team, but I still think that the result is going to stay fairly the same. I just think that if we're looking at these two teams, on paper they both don't have that good of a bench other than the top two guys. But then also you've got to factor in that third guy and Reeves. Who's guarding Reeves? The? If you got Draymond on either LeBron or Luka and then Jimmy Butler on either LeBron or Luka, like who's guarding Austin Reeves?
Speaker 3:you better put Moody on him or put Kameka not even with.
Speaker 1:Blaine and Butler, who you said you're going to put Butler on Butler's either going to be on Luka or LeBron, so then you going to put wait up. Who said you're going to put Butler on? Butler is either going to be on Luka or LeBron so then you can also put what is it Brendan? Yeah, you can put him on AR but in reality we all know how that matchup would go.
Speaker 3:So because didn't they remind me again, when they played each other, that was on Christmas right and AR had the, the walk-off, I think it was. That was the the warriors in in Lakers, right On.
Speaker 1:Christmas day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the Lakers. They have to walk off Cause AR had the last second shot. I think that's what. I think it was the, the both of them. I could be wrong, you I could be wrong, you can look that up but I think it was both the Warriors and the Lakers. So anyway, I'm saying that to say that I think that if we're looking at the I don't know man, it's hard for me to look at the series and say the Lakers are going to run away with it, um, cause golden state man is darn good and there's some dogs.
Speaker 3:They are some dogs, and the fact that the lakers don't have ad in the paint also makes me feel a little more advantageous for golden state.
Speaker 1:But who does golden state have in the paint, when you also?
Speaker 3:uh, kavan looney, who locked down domana sabonis two years ago. Well, at least on as far as the boards, kavan looney was huge in that series. Um, but I do agree with you like the warriors don't necessarily have the the paint enforcer, um, they have looney, who's done some good stuff. They also have, um, what's his face?
Speaker 1:I'm blanking on right now. What was that quinn post?
Speaker 3:yeah, quinn, yeah, who has been great, who's played some great minutes for them. But yeah, they don't have an ad equivalent in the post, which I do agree with you on um. So that's you know, I guess, whoever you want to give the advantage to on that but, I don't know if it goes lakers and golden state in this round.
Speaker 4:Oh man I, I think, I think it's going to be Golden State because of the fact that Jimmy Butler is on the Warriors. If it was just Steph Curry and it was the team that they had last year and the year before they wouldn't even be in the playoffs Well yeah, but also if they were in the situation you could count on Steph.
Speaker 4:But I think having Jimmy as that extra option in crunch time I think elevates the Warriors and we've seen what Jimmy can do in the playoffs and like how he can just go crazy and I think having that factor on your team just elevates the Warriors so much that I don't think the Lakers can win.
Speaker 1:I'm just going to stand by. My point that I made in the beginning is just that if we have Draymond and Jimmy Butler on Luka and LeBron who's getting Reeves? You know what I mean. And it's not like you can say the same thing for the Warriors on the Lakers, because nobody can hold Steph, be honest. But if you match up either LeBron or Rui Hachimura or any of those guys on a jimmy butler or a steph, it's not like they have a third guy like a draymond who can step up, because you know draymond ain't stepping up. Their best case would probably be podgemski, but we we know reeves is a better third option than that. So I feel like just purely based on lunch table high school matchups that were, if we're putting it out there, I feel like the Lakers got that age.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it's tough for me. I mean, I hear what you're saying when you're talking about defensive matchups and who you're going to put on who and how that's going to match up. The only reason I want to give golden state the edge is because of the fact that they got one of the best playoff closers in the league acquired him.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I think that's going to make a significant difference. Now I hear you, you can throw LeBron on Butler, you can throw Rui Hachimura on Butler, you can throw hell. You can even throw AR on Butler. I don't know how that's going to hold up up, but I hear you on what you're saying. Um, but I think I'm going to give golden state the edge in the series. I really do, and I say that just from every aspect.
Speaker 3:As far as, as far as the paint, um, I think that's kind of a toss-up, I think. As far as perimeter defense, I am going to give golden state the edge on that. Uh, because draymond is really good on the perimeter and he can defend. Um, steph can defend on the perimeter, um, so I'll, I'll give, I'll give the warriors the um, the, the um the edge on that. I'll give the. When comes to experience, which has been the common theme, it's hard because you have Steph and LeBron. Yeah, yeah, steph and LeBron, two of the most experienced finals people there are and you also have. You know, luke is young but he's getting older, so he has experience.
Speaker 4:He made it to the he was in the finals just last year. Jimmy Bowers went to the finals previous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so warriors are like a four, a four chip team.
Speaker 3:So so I think, when you look at experience, I don't even know if either one of those teams have the edge. I mean, of course the Lakers have some younger guys, but go to say it as younger guys, so and then when you look at coaching, I'll give Steve Kerr the edge over JJ Redick, and the only reason why is because Steve Kerr has the experience where JJ Redick is young. So I'll give the Warriors the edge when it comes to coaching. So, overall, I think I'm going to give the Warriors the edge on this series because of those factors. But I think LA is going to make it hard and I can see this going seven games.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, based on what I've seen defensively and offensively with the Warriors, like during the end of the regular season and the beginning of the first game of the playoffs, I feel like the Warriors have the lead.
Speaker 3:So I just got outnumbered. Hey man, I had Denver, okay, no one had Denver and I had Denver, so you know Well, Warriors, OKC Steph back in OKC for the conference finals.
Speaker 1:But let's go back to the East real quick. So we got Cleveland versus Boston.
Speaker 2:It's going to be a very close game, but I still do feel like Cleveland has it.
Speaker 3:Really you said Cleveland, yeah, oh, wow, I'm going Boston, you're going Boston, I'm going Boston.
Speaker 4:I want to say Cleveland so bad, but I think it's going to be the Celtics in seven games.
Speaker 1:And it's just younger.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean honestly, I think it's just that the Celtics have the better overall team, Like we've seen, like Cleveland, Like obviously they have their star players. Their frontcourt is really good, their bench is really good. I think just the Celtics just outmatched them. They just barely edged them in everything. Their star players Jason Tatum is better than Donovan Mitchell, their bench is better than the Cavs bench. And then their frontcourt. I mean the frontcourt, you could argue, but I think when Porzingis is on, I think he can be better than mobley, but I I think it's going to be celtic and so it's going to be really close yeah, in my opinion, like we wouldn't, this wouldn't even be a discussion if the, if the calves weren't so dominant, record wise, in the regular season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I feel like a big part of that is about why they got the one seed and not the celtics, is because of the fact that porzingis missed time and they were kind of coasting through the regular season. Because they're the reigning champs, they know when to turn it on and that's playoff time, right. So they were kind of taking it easy throughout the regular season, still being a really good team. They were the two seed, right. But I feel like if, if the, the, the places were switched and the Celtics were the one seed and the Cavs were the two seed, then everyone in this room would be saying Boston. I feel like Boston has that edge experience-wise, roster-wise, everything-wise.
Speaker 2:I still stand by my point. I still think Cleveland will win this series. Just because of the fact that I've watched their games this whole season, I feel like I told you before, I thought they would win last year and they fixed everything that they had wrong last year this year. Donovan Mitchell he's not on his own this year. He's not trying to be Mr Hero, darius Garland's back. He's back from his injury. He's playing great. He's not the clutchest player of all time, but he's doing what he has to do on the team. And our big men are back, like Evan Mobley, jared Allen and our what do you call it?
Speaker 3:Our bench is not that bad either, I feel like we just have every piece that we need to win this trip. I love your confidence there. I really do. I'm looking at it like this Boston knows what it takes to get there. They know what it takes to win on the highest level, why Cleveland has been phenomenal this year and I truly want to emphasize that they really have been phenomenal and I think that they exceeded a lot of expectations. I don't think there's no way in heck they get past Boston. I really don't. And I just say that you made a good point.
Speaker 3:You brought up Porzingis earlier. Do you remember in game one of the finals last year? He was the guy Porzingis was ridiculous, yeah, and keep in mind he had been out for a good period of time too, cause back in game one and just doesn't miss a beat. I mean, he was phenomenal in that. In the finals and you add porzingis to this already loaded boston roster drew holiday jaylen brown, jason tatum, derrick white, um and their bench, uh, with my sixth man, peyton pritchard, coming off, I, I just I don't see cleveland getting past all of that right there. I just don't. And I love cleveland, I love what I, I love what they've been able to do as a team, as players, as a coaching staff and I honestly feel bad saying this because I almost feel like I'm disrespecting cleveland to a certain extent. But boston, when they get going, they are a hard, difficult team to stop and I say that through three-point shooting let's see. Okay, we're just going to go three-point shooting, cleveland or boston, I'm taking boston if we're going to go defense overall, while cleveland has two hello rim protectors and jared and Evan Mobley who are the twin towers down there. Overall, I'm taking Boston because I like their perimeter defense, I like their backcourt defense.
Speaker 3:Um, maybe, when it comes to the paint, I'll give Cleveland the edge on that. As far as overall paint domination, I'll give Cleveland the edge on that. When it comes to coaching, I'm going to go with Boston. Um, when it comes to overall versatility, I'm going with Boston. When it goes to transition defense, I'm going to go with Boston. Um, I, I, I just don't, I really don't see, I, I just don't see Cleveland getting past Boston. And I love, and I, I know, I keep looking at you because I know you say Cleveland and I respect the fact, I respect that. That's a good um, you know prediction. I, I got Boston. I, I just got Boston.
Speaker 1:I don't, I don't, I just don't see how it's not Boston for me it's like you mentioned defense and I was just gonna say this point also. It feels like I'll correct me if I'm wrong every single player on Boston's team is a two-way player. Yeah, and and and. Then I look at the Cleveland team and I'm like they've been fantastic, like Donovan Mitchell he's a great defender also but then Darius Garland as a guy who has to guard one of Boston's five guys, how is that going to work out? Or you know, the big guys down low how are they going to guard Porzingis on the perimeter, because he's not just an interior player, he can also shoot. How are they going to fix that up? How are they going to space the floor the way Boston does with two big men on the floor? That's why I just got Boston on the floor.
Speaker 3:And I'm going to just sum it up with saying this With Boston you can have people like Tatum Brown, drew, that can have an offensively only put up 12, 13 points, 14 points maybe. With Cleveland, donovan Mitchell is going to have to be your main scorer. He's going to have to carry that offensive load which guess what On the defensive side it's gonna suffer a bit because he's gonna have to give you so much offensively in that series, whereas with boston they could share the wealth. They could say you know what, jalen brown, we need you to be great defensively on donovan. This game, or drew, we need you to be great defensively on donovan, so we're gonna peel back your offensive needs in this game. They have that meant. They have that much talent, that much depth and firepower that they can have off games. Donovan can't have a 14 point game, or darius can't have a 12 point game, or whatever, and cleveland still want to win. So that's why I say boston is just ultimately the you know that much more powerful.
Speaker 2:I see what you're saying, but Cleveland is a very consistent team this season. They've been very consistent. Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:We're disappointing the Cavs fan right here, but well, we're going Cavs, I mean sorry, celtics, celtics and honestly with the points that everyone's made when talking about this series, can Cleveland? You just said this. I don't want to be disrespectful to Cleveland at all, but it might be 5-5 or 6 to me.
Speaker 4:Honestly, Cleveland's too good to lose in five games. Okay, I think.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I could see Boston beating Cleveland in five games. I could see that, but I do want to. He says I've been disrespecting Cleveland a little bit. I want to give them respect and I'll say Boston in six games.
Speaker 1:Okay, I can say Boston in six too. So Boston in six. Boston to the NBA Finals. Two-time Eastern Conference champion back-to-back years.
Speaker 3:There you go.
Speaker 1:As we go to one versus seven seed, which could have been a first-round matchup if the Grizzlies beat the Warriors. But now it's going to be the Western Conference Finals matchup. In our predictions, the Thunder's still going to win. Yeah, I was kind of trying to make a huge build-up to a suspenseful thing. Maybe the Warriors can take it.
Speaker 2:Okc's just a better roster on paper I have to give it to them, but the Warriors are going to put up a fight.
Speaker 1:I can't like that's without a doubt. I think it's probably gonna be thunder in like five or six games. I don't see it going to seven. There's always like a, like a switch that flips in steph curry's head whenever he enters. Uh, uh, oklahoma city. Was it paycom center?
Speaker 1:I think that's their arena oh, big up, yeah, yeah uh, but whenever he goes there, it's, it's, it's just on. We. We've seen that in 2016. We've seen that when they used to play kevin durant and all them, but it's just like we were talking about the lakers series matchup wise, defensive matchup wise who are going to throw on steph and jimmy butler? That's not the same case for this okc series, because they have so many guys that they can throw on steph and uh and um, jimmy butler, because you were talking about the fact that for the Celtics, if you need your good players to take the load off defensively or offensively, so they can keep their stamina intact for the other side of the floor.
Speaker 1:They have that because they can be like Shay guard, like you can guard Brandon Podrzemski. We can live you with that if you can drop 35 for us, and we'll put J-Dub and we'll put Aaron Wiggins I don't know, I'm just naming guys who are actual good defenders on that Thunder team. We can put them on. Steph and Jimmy Butler, you can rest and you can just drop 50 for us, be our MVP, and that's what it comes down to for me for this Thunder team. So that's just. I got the underwin in this.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm going to disagree with all of you guys. Okay, let me explain why. Remember, we brought up Steph. Going back to Paycom, if you guys remember, in 2016, it was the year the Warriors were 73-9, right? Remember they went into OKC. Okc took a 3-1 series lead on a 73-9 team, right, yeah? And we know how that series ended up. It ended up so bad that Kevin Durant left that OKC team and went to the Warriors.
Speaker 3:The reason I say that I think we're looking at something like that this year, whereas OKC has the incredible, incredible roster, or, let me say, it's going to be the adverse of that. Let me explain OKC has done everything right this year defensively and I I'm glad you brought up shea's defensive uh rating um, okc has done everything that they're supposed to this year from a coaching perspective, from a player's perspective, there's nothing that they did wrong. The only reason I'm giving golden state is because when okc was up, three to one on them was that six years ago, seven years ago, whenever that was experience ultimately got golden state, like because go to state had been. They remember they had won the finals the year before that yeah they knew what it took.
Speaker 3:Okc was a young team. Then they got up three to one, probably got a little cocky Golden State, even though they had the better record than OKC during the regular season. They still knew who they were.
Speaker 3:They know their identity yeah and I want to say, as great as OKC is and as much as I've been a champion for their coming out party this year, I just feel Golden State, they know their identity, they know who they are and I think what's going to happen, I think it's going to be a similar thing. Okc may jump out to a two to zero series lead in this kind of start filling themselves. Golden state is going to say you know what, guys? We know who we are. Yeah, we know exactly who we are we know who we are, yeah.
Speaker 3:We know exactly who we are. We know our identity. We know we have two of the best closers in the game. We know that OKC is, as young and fun as they are, they're going to have weaknesses and Steve Kerr is going to find a way to exploit those weaknesses and I think that Golden State, as a seventh seed, is going to make a run in the NBA finals this year. And the only reason I say that is because of the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. I know there's Game 6 clay and they won't have Game 6 clay and I know that may hurt the Warriors too a little bit, but they do have playoff Jimmy.
Speaker 3:Playoff Jimmy yeah, and I do think that that's going to play a huge role in this matchup against OKC. Shall this be the Western Conference matchup? I think OKC is going to get shell-shocked when the Warriors really turn it on and maybe that inexperience spills over a little bit. But I love OKC. This is their coming out party. I'm a champion for OKC. I would love to see them in the finals because I believe in what they're doing there. But I believe a little bit more in the Golden State Warriors this year, wow, especially with what they have, what they've assembled, what they put together and the team that they have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like that and it does put a story behind the team. But I don't know, I'll still say Thunder.
Speaker 1:No, I can't even lie to you. That might have swayed me a little bit to pick the Warriors.
Speaker 4:I'm still going to pick the Thunder because, while I see what you're saying, I just don't think that the Thunder are going to lose to the Warriors, Mainly because of Shea and what he's been able to do this season. While he didn't have the best Game 1, it is Game 1 of the playoffs and I think he's going to have some really good games coming up as they kind of progress through the playoffs. And I just don't think the Warriors even with Jimmy Butler and how he's been crazy the last few years and also he had a great game one yesterday I just don't think it's enough to beat OKC.
Speaker 1:I'm going to be so completely honest. I can 1000 see that possibility happening of going up to oh getting cocky. And you have playoff steph, you have playoff jimmy butler and you have four-time nba champion head coach steve kerr it puts way more thought besides warriors to the finals. So uh, are we like tied dude too?
Speaker 3:Also too. I say that because Draymond as well, and I haven't talked a lot about Draymond throughout this whole thing, but Draymond also hits a switch and I think Draymond knows enough to psychologically get in the heads of OKC and their young guys, whether it's.
Speaker 3:Chet, whether it's Shea Jada, whoever I know that Draymond Green knows how to psychologically take those guys out of the game and while I do think that OKC is the quote-unquote better team and I would say the record, I think Golden State has what it takes and it hurts me to say that because I love OKC.
Speaker 1:And I don't like Golden State because I'm a Kings fan, exactly.
Speaker 3:Exactly, but I got Golden State and I think it's going to be a rematch of the 2022 finals. Warriors Celtics.
Speaker 1:I can 1,000% see that happening. So how do we?
Speaker 3:decide this. That is true because we're split right. We're split right now. We're split two and two.
Speaker 1:Did this sway any of you guys? I got swayed 1,000% Just because your roster is more talented, because OKC arguably had the most talented roster last year also.
Speaker 3:They got bounced in the second round by Dallas.
Speaker 2:Who had the experience. Okc has a very young roster so the Warriors can't take that.
Speaker 4:Alright, so is anyone going to switch? I guess it's Warriors-Celtics.
Speaker 1:I guess we're going Warriors-Celtics. I didn't mean to sway you guys either man.
Speaker 4:I wanted to say it was him. He opened my eyes.
Speaker 3:Because I could very well be wrong. Watch OKC sweep the Warriors in the Western. Conference Finals and I'm like oh there goes my that would never happen, but at least I don't think so.
Speaker 1:Anyway, yeah, that like whole rant that you went on about, like the story of why Golden State could get that, that like reminded me of when Brian Windhorst said like what's going on in Utah and everyone around the table was like captivated.
Speaker 4:What's going on in Utah? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That had me captivated. The entire time when you were talking about that, I like leaned forward and everything like that was actually that was a good one, but Warriors Celtics finals. We did all that hyping up for the Warriors, the Celtics.
Speaker 4:I'm going Boston. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry.
Speaker 4:I'm going Boston. Boston 6, maybe 5.
Speaker 3:I think Boston too good.
Speaker 4:They have the experience which they didn't have last time.
Speaker 3:And I was going to say too, I think Boston too good, they have the experience which they didn't have last time and I was going to say too, I think Boston really wants to avenge that loss in 2022 to the Golden State Warriors. So, as much as I am a ride or die hard Warriors throughout this, I'm not a ride or die Warriors fan. I'm just a ride or die Warriors playoff experience success. As much as I'm a ride or die warriors playoff experience success. As much as I'm a ride or die for that, I I think boston, because boston, see, the thing is, you're not going to get in boston's head. Draymond's not going to go down to boston and get in those guys heads or psychologically take them out of the game. Or, like boston is boston, boston's boston. They won last year. They were in the finals um what? Just a couple of years before? Like Boston is Boston. They're an absolute powerhouse.
Speaker 2:They're going to yeah.
Speaker 1:Like Cole said, they have the experience that they didn't have last time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Also they have. We were. We've been talking about this since the. The Lakers Timberwolves series is when we were talking about the Lakers. We're talking about the Lakers, we were talking about the Warriors. They don't have an Anthony Davis-level enforcer. Who's going to match Kristaps Porzingis? Who's going to match 6'10 Jason Tatum? You know what I mean Kabar Ludi. But like I said I've said this this entire video also is that I love when players have an extra reason, an extra reason to go an inch more to fight against a specific team.
Speaker 4:The Celtics 100% have that against the Warriors because they lost to the finals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so yeah, I mean all that hyping up for the Warriors just for us to say Celtics.
Speaker 3:I know right, Celtics 5,. Yeah, yeah, Celtics. Oh, I don't know how many is the series?
Speaker 1:How many games?
Speaker 3:how many games would this series go?
Speaker 1:I'm gonna go, I'll say six, five. I don't see anything I have somewhere between five and six.
Speaker 3:it's not gonna be four, it's not gonna be seven, it's some. Yeah, because I'm trying to think if I go five, then that means that then that means that I have Boston winning in Chase Center at least twice. If I go in five, if they win in five, god, that's hard, I don't know what I'm going to say. All right, yeah, you know what I'll go with Boston in five. The only reason I say Boston in five I think that Warriors OKC series is going to wear the Warriors out. I truly think them getting past OKC that's going to wear them, drain them out. So that's why I think they're just going to come into the Boston series a little fatigued mentally and physically.
Speaker 1:So I'll say Boston and five yeah but also what Kaya said way earlier, is Boston. They kind of like to play with their food a little bit.
Speaker 1:I know this is the NBA Finals, but I feel like I'm predicting them. They go up 2-0. They're not going to do what OKC did and completely blow it, but they're kind of going to get a little cocky. It's going to go back to Chase Center. Steph Curry is their home. It's the NBA Finals, it's Chase Center. They're going to get a win there. Then Boston realizes all right, let's lock in.
Speaker 2:Let's get this title.
Speaker 1:They win game four. Go back home. Win game five.
Speaker 3:It's just yeah, and they win five in Boston. Yeah, yeah, I agree, I can totally see that happening.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the official nothing but net ex-Kevin John predictions for the 2025 NBA playoffs are the Boston Subtics beating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in five games. How do we feel about that?
Speaker 3:No Lakers in five, Boston in five.
Speaker 1:Boston is a great episode. Thank you so much for coming on our show. It's truly been a pleasure having you on here it's it's been amazing and yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me on here and I want to tell all three of you guys what you're doing is outstanding. This work that you guys are doing is amazing analyzing these basketball games, providing your insight and knowledge and your guys's personalities. This is incredible. You guys are all going places. All I ask is remember to let people when you guys all blow up and whatnot. But this has been, this has been great. Thanks for having me on here and I look forward to witnessing all of your guys's inevitable success thank you so much.
Speaker 1:I truly that. So thank you to you for coming on our show, and thank you to the viewers for watching this episode, and we will see you next time. Goodbye, peace out. Celtics in five. Celtics in five.