Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hello, and welcome inside
our three of The Jason Smith Show with my bast
friend Mike Harmon. Uh. Fourth quarter, Golden State leads Memphis
nine seven, just under four minutes left to go. Uh.
(00:46):
John Morant now with thirty six and seven boards for
the Grizzlies. It has been some kind of game here
with the Grizzlies facing a must win in Game two.
And I'll tell you this much, Mike, is that watching
the How do I say this? The discrepancy between the conferences? Right, Well,
(01:08):
there's good teams in the East, all the best teams
in the Western Conference, and yeah, injuries can happen, and
we can see it going on, and we can see
it happening any you never know. Look, Devin Booker's injury, Uh,
put the playoffs on its ear for a little while,
and and many You know, anything can happen at any time.
But you just watch the level of basketball. It's being
played by the four teams left in the West and
(01:30):
the four teams left in the East. And I'm sorry,
whoever comes out of the West is winning the title.
And I don't even see it being a particularly close final.
Whoever comes out of the East, whether it's the Bucks
the Sixers, could still do it because if Embiid comes back,
why not. Look, all these teams are faulty. Look, the
Heat are good, But are they unbeatable? No, if Tyler
Hero doesn't go off off the bench, you can beat
(01:51):
the Heat pretty easy. It's not. It's not a case of, hey,
these teams are playing at a really really high level.
In they're great. The Celtics are really beatable. Uh. You
are seeing games up and down on the East where
one night one team wins by twenty. The next night
the other team wins by twenty. It's not happening in
the West. The Western The West have the best team,
whether it's the Sun's, whether it's the Grizzlies or the Warriors.
(02:15):
Whoever comes out of the West it's gonna be like
the old days in the a f C and NFC
where in the eighties and nineties, whoever won the NFC
Championship Game was gonna win the super Bowl because that
was usually the Cowboys or the forty niners, and it
was the Broncos or the Bills getting to the super Bowl,
then you knew they were gonna lose. Well, it looks
(02:35):
Elway got it going late in his career when he
had Terrell Davis. He's fine, but let you knew that's
what it was. The level of play just wasn't the
same the the the a f C rep was not
what the NFC REP was and why the NFC title
game was that the facto super Bowl that's gonna happen. Now,
whoever comes out of the West is winning it. It
doesn't matter who they're gonna be, whoever comes out of
(02:56):
the East, and it's gonna be it's gonna be five
games six at the outside because the teams in the
West are just that much better. Look at you. I
love the bold tags, hot takes. In the end. You know,
styles make fights, and all those teams in the East
do they get to play bullyball with the generally the
undersized quicker players of the West, and all the teams
(03:19):
you mentioned are the catalysts are are smaller guys? Do
they get to be bodied up a little bit? Or
are we gonna talk called touch files to where they're
in trouble? Right, because it's a different brand basketball being
played in the East as well. I look at the
East as uh, these are all incomplete teams, right, They're
(03:44):
all teams that have issues and and for different reasons. Right,
for different reasons. Because the Bucks issue is, boy, no
Chris Middleton won the title last year. The Bucks issue
is no Chris Middleton? Is he coming back? We don't
know the Sixers, we knew what would be a tough
go for them, and now without Joel Embiid, who knows
what's gonna happen. By the time the guy gets back,
Doc says he's doing okay, but has no idea when
(04:06):
he's gonna play against the Celtics. Hey, Celtics were a
good team. Celtics really are starter driven and they're not unbeatable.
They're they're not a team that boy, Hey, it's a
different guy every night. The Celtics pretty much have a
formula need to go right every single time. As you
can see, they can get blown out, but at any event.
But look that blowout win tonight without the defensive Player
(04:28):
of the Year. They held the Bucks to eighties six boys. Yeah,
but they got they but they got their butts kicked
in the first game when they had him. How great
is that? Take away that robe? Take away that special
robe you had for winning the the award. I'm taking
it away if if I thought for a second there
could be that they could a team in the East
(04:48):
could all put it together and say, all right, we
can match up. But they can't. They can't that the
top players on on all the top teams in the
West are all just that much better. They're all just
so much better. And and I, like I said, I
don't even know that would be close. You know, it
could be a four game sweep whoever comes out of
the West. And I look, my money's on either Phoenix
or the Warriors. I picked Phoenix before the playoffs began
(05:10):
because I think picking against them was just foolish. Devin
Booker's injury really open things. You jumped off them as
fast as you could know you just you didn't. You
didn't know what well Yeah, you're missing Devin Booker, Chris Paul. Yeah,
but you're missing You're missing Devin Booker. And that's a
really big deal, man, that's a really big deal. But
(05:31):
you saw it where that team comes into place. Yeah,
but you're when you were just trying to sell me
about starters what you're missing Star. But you can't say
the same thing for Joel and Be because you know
they're not going anywhere without him. Steve Rivers, that is true,
That is true. That's years ago. How want to bring
(05:52):
the hate go ahead? That's one one to him. Yeah,
he won one a long long time ago. How is
this my fault? How's my fault? Now? It shouldn't be
my fault, should be my fault? Why did I I'm
not even in this contention? Are you ever looking at
Magic roster though? Sean? Stop stop bringing that up. Stop
bringing that, Stop bringing that up. Yeah, I know. Yeah,
(06:17):
we had a three one lead with those guys, but
we're only in eighth place. Take look, I'm done with Doc.
I'm done with Doc. I'm done with Doc. But all
the teams are just better at top to bottom, right
and and and the the East was really competitive, and
I think we got lost a little bit with Boy,
look how many teams are good in the East, and
it's were they good or was the East just competitive?
(06:38):
Because now it looks like, uh, you got a bunch
of fifty win teams, nice fifty win teams that are
playing in the playoffs. That's what the East looks like
to me. And I don't know that any of these
teams can give anybody in the West to run for
their money in the final. I don't know that anybody can. Yeah, again,
it goes back for me of how are we officiating?
Because if the Celtics get to play their brand of
(06:58):
basketball and the the Milwaukee Bucks get to body you
up and just bully you, I think they can hang
in the series. But that's the beauty of it. They're
gonna play it out. We're gonna go game by game,
and we're gonna analyze everything is the best and the
worst in the world every game that gets played. That's
the way the playoffs work, Jason, because right now the
Rangers are the worst three overtime playing team you've ever seen.
(07:25):
Twitter at how about a Fresca might get swollen dome.
NHL talked with my best friend Mike Harmon live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. If you're a valued customer,
you deserve a simple gesture of appreciation from your credit
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(07:47):
limitations they do apply well. Calling a hot route right
now because to talk about the NBA Playoffs the best
way we know how. Let's play. No, it's the Magic
Johnson Twitter game. No, it's the Magic Johnson Ninja Twitter games,
(08:09):
springing it on you. I didn't I didn't see that.
I'm yeah, buddy, Magic Johnson, the most obvious and vanilla
tweeter uh in the world. We play the Magic Johnson
Twitter game. Your job is easy. You decide if what
I give you was a Magic Johnson tweet or if
it's completely made up by me. He has been tweeting
following the games earlier tonight. So it's time for the round,
(08:32):
playing as myself, Mike Harmon, Alex tishert Mons Bolan. You
know it's her second time. Do you feel more confident
for the Magic Johnson Twitter game? Moncey No, Okay, that's
all right, good, that's all right, that's good. Okay, here
we go. This Buck Celtics series could go seven games?
(08:52):
That a magic Johnson tweet? Sure? Why not? Okay, yeah, yeah,
why not? J and I see what you're doing here.
That isn't one but nice try but it is? Is
it part of a longer one? I think that's sneaky
if it's part of a longer one. No, no, no, no.
I always give you the whole tweet. I give you
the whole tweet. Okay, I still say no the red
(09:15):
hot Alex tie shirt? Does he does Alex tie shirt?
Stay red hot? This Buck Celtics series could go seven games.
That is not magic. Johnson tweets, you guys drinking hoops
to make me look stupid. I just know Sports Boston
(09:37):
played great team defense and the two superstars showed up
big tonight. Jalen Brown finished with thirty points and six
assists and Jayson Tatum finished with twenty nine points and
eight assists. They got a big performance off the bench
from Grant Williams with twenty one points. Is that a
magic Johnson tweet? Is he played? Giarizing from the ap leads,
(09:59):
U said the magic Johnson tweet. People know Jalen Brown
and Jason Tatum had big games and they got a
big performance off the bench from Grant Williams with twenty
one point Sure. Okay, no, okay, see Jason, you're trying
to get smart here. Now you're trying to make me
(10:20):
believe you're going to go another no or yes here.
But I know what it is and it is not,
so it is no. Just follow along. This is how
you stay hot. Who's on first? Just let it watch
over you alright, just let it go. Welcome to the game.
That's what we do. Mon said, No, you're in the clear.
That is you kidding me. Blew it. The Boston Celtics
(10:51):
returned the favor tonight and blew out the Bucks one
a magic Johnson tweet. That was the ing salvo before
he started orising got everybody else. The Boston Celtics return
the favorite to night and blew out the Bucks one
o nine. I'm gonna say no, it's not not a
(11:13):
match tweet. Okay, did he capitalize being Boston? Did he? Jason,
the being in this capitalized and you took a second there,
you hesitated. I'm gonna say no, that is a magic Johnson. Yeah,
tight shirt, you were so hot you've lost it? Yeah,
what the heck? That's what happened to the Magic Johnson
(11:35):
twitter game. Man, you get hot and then you just
lose it and it's spirals for you from there. But
I want to play. This is why I'm hot. He
was trying to impress Monsey and now he's taking her
down a dark path. I was just trying to beat her.
He was trying to beat me. Just because the Grizzlies
lost game. Wanted home to the Warriors. Don't count them
out for game two? Is that a magic Johnson tweets?
(11:57):
I hate you. No, I'm gonna say no, alright, I'm
gonna say yes. Why do you both take both answers?
I don't like this anymore. That's not fair, all right, Mike,
I'm with you. No, that is not magic. Carry me, Mike.
(12:19):
The Nets need to helpe Ben Simmons can be the
missing piece next season alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Oh no, is that a magic Johnson tweet? The Nets
need to hope Ben Simmons can be the missing piece
next season alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Well, that
wouldn't meet from today, But it seems like that could
(12:42):
be a magic Johnson tweet. Yeah, I'll go with it,
looking for a redemption arc that is whoa whoa hold on? Oh? Sorry,
t I should go ahead. Didn't even say no. I
was yes, yes it is. That's when we go with yes, Mike,
would you say? I said, yeah, Jason, I feel like
(13:04):
magic would he would be more sure of that. I
don't think he said maybe. I'm gonna say no, no, no, no,
that is no magic final one? What a game? Stop it?
What a game? Yes? Okay? That a magic john period
(13:25):
exclamation point? Gave me something? Is that a magic Johnson tweet?
What a game? I need the end? Something? Three exclamation points?
How about three? Three? If it was two, it would
have changed my answer? And now that it's three seven
(13:45):
seven seven? Uh? Would you say, Mike? Yeah? I said yeah,
No it's not oh gosh, not again. You know what?
He doesn't see it seemed like a three kind of guy.
Don't think he did three. I'm saying I saw the
latest episode of Winning Time. You're wrong? Does he use three? Okay?
(14:06):
I'm still saying no, sorry? That was next level? Right now?
Is that spoiler that loves come back. That is say
not please a Magic doesn't matter. Still dead. He is
(14:28):
he yes, he is, And it was his fault. He
is his five. I mean he ejected into the canopy.
It's his fault. It's act ejected. So there it is
another award winning episode of the Magic Johnson Twitter Game.
Oh we got another version coming up in the final
hour the show. No worries, but yes, what a game.
The Grizzlies have just put the finishing touches on a
(14:51):
one oh six, one oh one win over the Golden
State Warriors. This series is now tied of one game.
Apiece John morand get thing it done in the final
minute forty seven points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals.
This is why I say whoever comes out of the
West is gonna win the NBA title. We have more
(15:11):
on all the heroics and the drama at the end
of this one coming up next right here, keep it
right here. I feel like our show is just getting started.
Jason and Mike. This is Fox Sports Radio. Be sure
to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app,
(15:34):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with my best
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(15:57):
do apply. Well, you know this is why I say
you can have Luca and Trey Young and Zion at
every other young star in the game. These are all
great players. Give me John morand he's just different. He
is just a different guy. And I thought Donovan Mitchell
(16:18):
might be the guy to take the mantle from Kobe Bryant,
be the next Kobe Um that's already happened him or me?
Who's er Dobert and Mitchell watching him tonight, especially down
the stretch a one point devisit with two minutes left
to go, It was a John morand floater to free throws,
(16:39):
another floater to free throws, and the Grizzlies beat the Warriors.
I mean the guy, really, if you're looking, who's gonna
be the next Kobe Bryant. Who's gonna be that guy.
It's John morand he is here and it is spectacular.
Also here with us now Fox Sports one NBA Insider extraordinaire.
You can follow him on Twitter at Rick Buker. It
(17:02):
is the aforementioned Rick Buker. Rick, what's happening? Man? Oh?
Just doing uh at least the joining game two of
the basketball tonight. But that's the That's about it. That
was That was phenomenal, and I expect that we're gonna
get a few more games like that. I thought that
this would be one of the most intriguing series, and
(17:22):
indeed it is proving to be. Backed. Are you with
me on John Morant? The next Kobe? I mean it's
it's it's sort of I mean really, I mean the
guy what he's doing the same kind of things Kobe
did when he was young, at the end of games,
taking the shots, He's doing everything. Yeah, I don't know
if it's Kobe. I hate to take any one guy,
but in terms of the next the next guy who
(17:45):
can carry his team to a championship and is capable
of doing everything, uh, you know, the one. The one
caveat I would say is that Kobe was always a
pretty good defensive player as well. That's where he followed
Jordan's and right now is more staff with with getting
(18:06):
there faster. Steff couldn't finish at the rim the way
Jaw can, and Uh doesn't have the athleticism or the
lift that Jah has. Obviously, Steff a better shooter from
the beginning, both of them being guys that needed defensive
players around them. But as far as the leadership, the
(18:26):
the willingness to to drag his team there, the fearlessness
down the stretch, yeah, he's got it. He's got it
as much as as Kobe. He's got that if factor
that I as the Tiger that I think is so vital.
Uh And you can't you can't manufacture it. You either
you either have that fearlessness or you don't, and certainly
(18:47):
John Morand has demonstrated it. And I just I think
this is such a great experience. This is what I
love about the forging of players like John Morand in
going up against a Steph Curry led team and a
championship caliber team, is that you're not just beating another
team that wants to get to the finals. You're beating
(19:09):
a team that already knows how to get there, and
so whether they win the series or not, this is
gonna be a tremendous learning experience for John. The Memphis
Grizzlies by my matth the final fifteen points for Memphis tonight,
and every time he goes to the rim, there's two
two thoughts for me, Rick, Wow, this is amazing. Please
that guy coming over to help, don't hammer him? Yeah yeah, yeah, Well,
(19:31):
I mean, here's the thing. So, first of all, the
dude is like Gumby. I mean, he bounces off the
floor more often than anybody I've seen, continues playing, and uh,
you can't. You can't hit guys the same way that
that you once could. Um and his his his ability
to um to not take direct direct hits, I think
(19:55):
is what's so impressive. It's kind of the difference between
him and uh and say a Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose
was was almost violent in his moves, and he took
a lot of hits directly. He was built much stronger
simply by means of survivals. Jaw is not going to
approach it the same way. He's a little more willowy,
(20:16):
and he seems to like avoid the hardest contract I
mean the hardest hits he takes is when he gets
knocked out of the air and lands on the floor.
The floor is the hardest, the hardest hits on him.
And uh, you know he's don't have to learn how
to be more judicious when it comes to that. But
right now, my goodness, I mean, just what a what
(20:38):
a show. And it's not just that he's athletic, like
his footwork and his jukes when he's floor bound are
as good as everything else. I mean, he had one
bucket where he had Jordan's pool falling down and Draymond
Green going the wrong direction. It looks, uh, it looked
like a guy looked like a cop clearing a trap. Again,
(21:00):
now you go that way, you go that way, and
you know it gets me Rick, And I'm gonna go
back to the shot he missed at the end of
regulation that could have won Game one. The speed he
has when he's ten or fifteen feet from the defender
and still he gets by him and the defenders still
can't backpedal enough to stay in there for and contest
(21:22):
the shot attempt. I mean that that's something where yeah,
I get blown by guys and you see it. But
This is when guys are one on one. This is
what Hey, I got ten ft or fifteen feet and
he still gets behind them. Yeah. Well, and it's not
only that, but he's going a hundred miles an hour,
and yet he finds a way to lay the ball
off the glass softly with enough because I mean, normally
(21:44):
you have with a normal human being, you're going a
hundred miles an hour, your shot is probably gonna be
going on a hundred miles. The ball is gonna be
on a hundred miles off the off the backboard. Um.
His ability to control his body and lay it up
softly while you know her link towards the rim like
a missile is also another extraordinary bit of magic that
(22:07):
John Rant seems to have mastered. Fox Sports Radio Jason
Smith Show with Mike Armen on the Hotline with us
FS one analysts sometimes host always a guest here uh
and friend of the show. It's Rick Buker at Rick
Buker's where you you find him on Twitter r I
C b U C h E R. And he's got
the on the Ball with Rick Buker podcast as well.
(22:28):
Download that give it five stars. Evangelized, Hey, Mother's Day
is coming up. Give that as the gift. That's the
link of goodness. What I'm I'm all about. Everybody wants
a part of it. Everybody needs knowledge, Rick, Right, my
podcast is for all you mothers out there. That is right.
That's what my my late uncle used to yell all
(22:50):
the time. Everyone's a mother sometimes. All right. So going
back to something you you noted about the series in
terms of physicality, we had the draym on green and
direct ejection and then he goes on his podcast and
does the thing, and then tonight you have Dylan Brooks
laying the hammer. John Morand tried to take the file,
but we saw how that ended, uh for Gary Payton
(23:13):
a second. So I think folks are forgetting that it
is a different, different world that we're living in in
an NBA basketball and saying playoff fall is not the
same as it was thirty years ago. Yeah, no, there's
there's there's no comparison. And I mean it's going back
to the Draymond thing. Um. Look, the rules are that
(23:35):
if you hit a guy in the head, uh, it's
a flagrant one. And the rules are that if it's
a non basketball play, it's a flagrant one. So he
hit Brandon Clark in the head. That's a flagrant one.
And then he pulled them down by the jersey, that's
a flagrant one. Adam together, that's flagrant two. I just
(23:58):
that's that's the way it is, and there are and
it's funny that dispose them and not not coincidental. I
think that it's both Dylan Brooks and and Draymond because
both of them attempt to get an edge even though
we don't allow physicality. They try to do things that
are going to irritate the opponent and are going to
(24:19):
make them hedge their bet a little bit. Um. Look,
Draymond Green can't jump with Brandon Clark at this point
in his career. Brandon Clark and Brennon Clark is not
a um a puzzle to figure out the way Nicola
Yokich is Like Nikola Yokich. You're trying to decipher his skills.
(24:41):
Brandon Clark is just has a great instinct for rebounding,
has a very quick jump and uh and and you're
just trying to meet his athleticism. Well, Draymond Green can't
do that at this point. And so if I can
make Brandon Clark second guests himself when he goes up like,
(25:04):
am I gonna get my jersey, yank, I'm not gonna
get knocked out of the air. I'm not gonna get
hit in the head that might slow him down shut
the fraction and allowed Draymond Green to catch up or
to even to balance the scale in that category. And
I think what the referees are are sending as a
message in these first two games is we're not gonna
(25:24):
allow you guys to gain that advantage, even if it's
not like a damaging injurious I mean in the case
of of of Gary Payton, unfortunately it was, but for
the most part, like we're not doing physical damage, but
we're not going to allow you to do mental damage
by by working the edges. And and honestly, I you know,
(25:49):
we can bemoan the fact that they don't do it
the same way anymore and that they should be able
to have a little more latitude. Um, as long as
they're consistent, I'm good with it, and they haven't. They
weren't very consistent in the first round, but it would
appear to be that they're cleaning it up in the
second round. Rick Buker NBA Insider with us here the
Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmen. Alright, something that I
(26:10):
mentioned earlier in the show, Rick, give me an agree
or disagree? You're ready? I disagree? Ok? Yeah, I was
gonna say the Nick stink. Alright, Hey, Rick disagreed, Nicks
is gonna win the title. Let me right, let me
let me tweet that out. Rick Buker says Nicks to
win title next year. Um, we're seeing good basketball from
(26:35):
some nice fifty win teams in the Eastern Conference. I
don't see any of these teams beating whoever comes out
of the West, which is likely going to be one
of the top three teams, whether it's Phoenix or Golden
State or Memphis. It's just seeing what's going on in
the West. It's just at a different level. And and
while the teams are good in the East, they all
have problems. The Bucks have injury problems, the Sixers have
(26:56):
injury problems. Celtics rely a lot on their starters. I
just I just don't see any of these teams putting
together in a seven game series beating whoever comes out
of the West. I would say, Um, the exception is Milwaukee,
And because I believe that um by the time we
get to the finals, that they will have Chris Middleton back.
(27:17):
And because this is a Milwaukee team that beat Phoenix
last year, as you all know, and they are a
better team now. Jantekompo is a better player, and their
depth is far greater the experience that they gained from
making the run and winning a championship. I just feel
like the Milwaukee Bucks have are are in that championship
(27:41):
form of when we need to turn it up, we
can turn it up. And otherwise we're gonna see once
we've demonstrated or we've come to understand that we can
we can beat the opposition, whoever the opponent is, then
we're gonna do what it's necessary ry to beat them.
(28:01):
But we're not looking to blow them out and give
them our best performance every game because we know we're
gonna need that down the line, because we know we're
shooting for sixteen wins. So when we can bank a
little energy or effort, which I think is what you
saw tonight, then that's what we're going to do. And
so but the rest of them, Miami, it was not impressed.
(28:26):
I honestly I expected them to dominate the sixers without
Joe l Embiid and James Harden being a shadow of
himself far more than than they did. And so, um,
but I think Milwaukee, Um, I think they're legit, and
I think that Boston is going to give them a
(28:46):
decent test and they'll be ready to go. But I
would fully expect whoever wins this series between Boston and Milwaukee,
that that's the team that's going to be coming out
of the East. All right, right before I let you go,
I want to get your take on this. It just
came down. Uh you know, Mike mentioned it the dirty
play earlier tonight from Dylan Brooks. Gary Payton a fractured
(29:10):
left elbow going to have an m r I tomorrow,
so likely they're gonna be without him for a while. Yes,
this is going to hurt the Warriors. How much is
this going to hurt them? Well? Look, he was starting,
Um he was. He was a guy who, in playing
small ball against Memphis was a vital piece matching allowing
(29:31):
the the Warriors to match the Grizzlies athleticism. So um,
it probably means that we see a little more of
Jonathan cominga and Jonathan Comminga is not going to knock
is not going to be the floor spacer that Gary
Payton is. UM, So it has an effect. I don't
(29:52):
if you if you like the Warriors going in there
shouldn't be enough to make you think that it's going
to tilt the scales. The bigger question for me is
not Gary Payton. It's Clay Thompson. Clay Thompson, UM, I
don't know he missed it. I'm gonna say his last
five or six shots, some of which were forced. The
(30:15):
old Clay Thompson, you gave him those shots and you
live with results because more often than not they would
go down. Uh, that's not this Clay Thompson. And in
some ways it's not Steph Curry. Steph Curry has to
pick his spots. And I think you saw it like
he had difficulties shaking free tonight Like there the old
(30:40):
guard for the Warriors, UM, is not what they were
the last time they went for the for a championship.
Jordan Poole is doing a lot for them, and so
it's not Gary Payton. I'm not worried about the absence
of Gary Payton as much as I'm I'm I would
be concerned earned about the potential decline of Klay Thompson.
(31:05):
He's on Twitter at Rick Buker. That is at Rick
Buker Fox Sports one NBA Insider. Check out his On
the Ball podcast with Rick All kinds of great stuff
on there Again information on Twitter at Rick Buker. Rick
has always buddy appreciated my friend. We'll talk to you soon.
Thanks Rick. Be sure to catch live editions of The
Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
(31:28):
seven pm Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is
called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time,
but it's more about the stories about what made these
people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along
the way. We talked to coaches, we talked to players,
We tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it.
(31:51):
I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with
Doug Gotlieb on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcast m Fox Sports Radio,
The Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Uh an incredible end of game from Memphis as they
(32:11):
beat Golden State one oh six one oh one too
even up their series at one game a piece. You know,
we've talked a little b about John morand will have
more on him coming up in about ten minutes or so.
But you know, one thing, Mike, that that Rick Buker
sort of alluded to a little bit, but it's it
really bears. We have to just hit this home. Um.
Tonight was a game for the first time the Warriors
(32:35):
looked old. You know, this is the first time they
looked old. They looked their age. And it's not that
they're incredibly old. Look, Klay Thompson is thirty two. But
Clay Thompson played a lot of minutes in coming back
for his first action in two years. I said at
the time, why why do you have to ramp him
up and give him twenty minutes night right away? Within
(32:55):
two weeks he was up over thirty minutes a night.
He's gonna hit the wall. Right. The guy hadn't played
in a couple of years, Just like Chris Paul last year.
It's too much basketball. Hit the wall in the finals.
It's gonna happen for Clay Thompson. It looks like it's
happening now. Right. He's had three games in a row.
He is not shot. Well, you know, Steph Curry had
difficulties tonight finding the open spots. Uh, that's a bit,
(33:17):
that's something I didn't know. But but when you get old,
you get old right away. Uh. This was the first
time I watched the Warriors since they since the beginning,
right since the beginning of their run, when when Steve
Kerr showed up and said we're gonna do things a
little bit differently in X, Y and Z, where they
looked old and that's dangerous. That's day because Memphis looked
like we had we had all, we had, all the
(33:38):
young legs, we had everything we needed. John Moran scores
the last fifteen points of the game, which is unbelievable,
and they look eventually father time comes for everyone. Uh
is this definitive? Now? The Warriors all they're done, they're done. No,
the Warriors need to do some things. Jordan Pool needs
to start now and play forty five minutes a night.
You gotta taken take advantage of his young legs. But tonight,
(34:01):
Clay and Steph, it's it's the first time they've looked
old where oh boy, they really can't get free. They
can hit those shots, they don't get up and down
the floor and transition like they did and find the
open spots like we've seen them. Tonight was that night, Well,
we saw a few shots from Steph Curry, he bagged
home a three, he break to three, you know, fighting
to get space enough. As a team, they went seven
(34:23):
of thirty eight from three point range, seven thirty eight. Uh.
Throughout it, Steph Curry three of eleven and Clay was
two or twelve. Clay also trying to hustle things, trying
to find space, had that big traveling call with seventeen
seconds left as well, So you you had a bunch
of circumstances were normally you've seen composure, right, we go
(34:46):
back to old school and we gotta keep our composure.
They didn't, and yet they were still right on the
cusp of winning this game, right, and it was the
heroics of John Morant that we're able to bring them
to victory. Obviously, the Grizzlies play without Dylan Brooks, the
Warriors without Gary Payton the second so now all of
(35:06):
a sudden, we we start rotating and trying to find
where you're eating minutes, who's getting touches, and trying to
orchestrate the offense, and for a night, the Warriors looked
the shell of their their normal, calm, collected um, methodical
kind of squad. A lot of rush shots and all
credit to the Grizzlies, right, the defensive pressure and guys
(35:30):
that just kept flying past that you weren't getting open
open looks and clean looks right, just enough to distract
and force things. Just a hair off and that's all
it takes and you walk away with the victory. So
now you've got your split and move forward. But curious
to see what Steve Kerr does with Gary Payton. He
missing time right, there's no way based on this diagnosis
(35:52):
he's playing. So how do you get and energize Clay Thompson. Yeah, look,
I I think it's less from a more Jordan Pool
of Jordan Pool will slide into the starting lineup because
you know, there's only so much you can do. They'll
still start all three of them. But if Clay, if
Clay can't hit shots, man, I mean that's I mean,
what else you gonna do? Right? I mean you to
(36:15):
be that guy? Right? And when he's sixteen for fifty
one the last three games, he is six for twenty
eight from three point range. Doesn't mean he's never gonna
hit threes again, doesn't mean he's suddenly done being this guy,
but he is not quite the same player. And can
he be defended now throughout a seven game series. I
think he can. I think the Memphis Grizzly Show tonight, Hey,
(36:37):
we don't have to let these guys get all these shots.
We can. We can throw their hammer down here and
maybe you pick your spots in decide. Okay, tonight, we're
gonna focus on Clay. We're gonna exhaust him, and you know,
you see what happens when when Jordan Pool comes out.
But if I'm if I'm Memphis, I'm walking out of
this game going, hey, we don't have to let them
go up and down the floor and hit shots all
the time on us. We can get bodies in their
faces and not let them feel so comfortable that, hey,
(36:59):
this is how Steph hits those threes, and I'll Clay,
it's those threes because guys get lost in transition up
the floor. I'm feeling great if I'm Memphis right now,
and I think defensively we can get in their heads
and we can win this series. Well, body up a bit, right,
that's where we're talking about the physicality of it with
Rick Buker a little bit earlier. Uh. And you know,
as much as you can say, all right, Golden State
(37:20):
didn't do this, that or the other. For Memphis, Baine
and Clark combined for fifteen points and Brooks was ejected
one of your leaders on this squad. So yeah, the
fact that you got carried by John Morants is one thing,
but you've got to expect better performance and a more
consistent effort from the rest of that squad that helped
(37:41):
carry you throughout the season. His performance, you want to
talk about his performance, his performance, the guy's performance. Twitter
at how about a fresca? Mike gets swollen down the
Jason Smiths Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. We
have more on this game coming up next, including just
what John Moranta is doing that is absolutely better than
what anybody else in the NBA is. It's next right here.
(38:02):
This is Fox