February 26, 2024 • 18 mins
Sarah talks with NBA senior writer John Schuhmann about his new Power Rankings. What is motivating the Celtics and plenty of questions surrounding the Nuggets and Suns as the season heats up.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcoming into NBA Pulse to production of iHeartRadio in the NBA.
I'm Sarah Coustak, NBA analysts of the Yes Network, and
today is Monday, and from our extraordinary core group of
NBA journalists, We're joined now by NBA dot Com senior
writer John Schumann, who Shoe has another set, fresh set
of power rankings out today and sitting at that number
(00:23):
one spot, no surprise, they have remained up. There has
been the Boston Celtics, winners of eighth straight. We will
get into them, and just a bit the number two team,
Minnesota Timberwolves number two spot last week, up from number five,
is the Oklahoma City Thunder sitting in three, the Los
Angeles Clippers in the number four spot, and the Denver
(00:43):
Nuggets jump up from number six to the number five spot.
We're gonna dig a little deeper into a handful of
these teams, Shoe, and in a reminder, you got Nuggets,
you got a different stats notes on all thirty teams
within here. So it's always fun to continue to kind
of look at where teams are at at this point
of the season. But I want to begin with that
number one team, the Boston Celtics, who have just been cruising.
(01:06):
They haven't had the toughest schedule of late, but nonetheless
they've won eight straight games. They have been shooting the
lights out, they have been highly highly efficient. It feels
like they are continuing to run away with things. Look
at the fact that they're seven and a half games
ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers at this point. I would
ask you what's impressed you with the Celtics at this point?
(01:31):
But I think they have been rolling since the jump
of the season. Are they the runaway favorites to you?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Like it?
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Do you think how they're playing now will translate in
the same way with what we're going to see in
the postseason?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I think so for the most part, But I mean
I've thought so in the past too. The last year
I thought it, the year before I thought it, you know,
like just because they've been so good in the regular
season and they seem, you know, to execute really well.
Like they're a team that can find a matchup that
they like and execute out of that. Their team that's
(02:07):
very switchable defensively and can defend in different ways. But
they've always been that. I think they're just a little
bit better this year, and I think the Chris Kristaps
Porzingis brings a different element, a somewhat unguardable element.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Porzingis catches, fires, it hits again. Kristaps Porzingis now with
sixteen points, He's only taken nine.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Shots, especially when he's in like his picking pop game,
or when he gets a switch in the post. It's
such a tough matchup for opposing defenses. Bade them to
Porzingis this time puts it on the floor.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
They just knocking them down twenty two now for Porzingis.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And then when you combine that with the you know,
the one on one talent of Jason Tatum especially and
Jalen Brown as well, it's you know, it is hard
to imagine a team beating them for times out of seven,
but you know, I mean we've seen it in the past.
I mean this year, they're you know, first offensively and
(03:09):
third defensively. Right now, I think as we speak, you know,
we were talking a long time about the Pacers having
the most efficient offense in NBA history. Well the Pacers
have dropped and that is now the Boston Celtics, and
they're also in the top three defensively. But you know, what.
They were in the top three on both ends of
the floor last year and only the third team last year.
(03:32):
They were the third team in the twenty seven years
for which we have played by playback data to rank
in the top three on both ends of the floor.
The other two teams were two Warriors teams that won
the championship, and they didn't win the championship. You know,
they came up short in the conference finals, going down
three to the Heat. So, you know, I think there's
still that there's never it's never going to be a
(03:54):
sure thing. And I don't know even if I would
take the Celtics versus the field at this point, just
because you have the Nuggets who just want a championship.
You have you know, Milwaukee that has you know, championship DNA,
and you have teams like the Clippers, and you know
(04:15):
Phoenix that's really talented and Minnesota that's got the number
one defense in the league. So you know, yes, they're
the best team. They've got a like you said, five,
like a five game cushion over all those Western Conference
teams in the lost column just for the best record.
They're they're going to have the best record in the league.
For sure they're gonna have home court advantage throughout, but
(04:36):
you know that was you know, the case in the
conference finals last year too.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
How much do you think I'm always interested in this
with teams, and in particular with the Celtics in this group,
I think we talk a lot about the addition of
christ Pausing as the matchup problem he presents, but also
Drew Holliday, and you know just how that has changed
the dynamic of what they do, how they play. When
you go through a season and you are this far ahead,
(05:05):
not only in the standings, but so many games, you're
not playing as many tight game, close game situations, how
do you think that impacts you or impacts a group,
and maybe even two with the coaching staff, I know
we talk a lot about how far this group has gone,
but at what point will they be able to finally reach,
you know, reach not just the finals again, but actually
(05:25):
win that championship. But Jill missoula comfort level of him,
how he's gonna look in the second year, what that
looks like in the change of regular game scenarios as
opposed to the adjustments and the changes coaching that need
to take place throughout the course of the postseason. Do
you think there's any factor that impacts that with not
necessarily being in those scenarios or the pressure or lack
(05:46):
thereof through the course of the regular season where they're
at at this point down the stretch, I think.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
You still there. There will still be a few games
between now and the end of the season that will
feel a little bit like playoff games that will give
them opportunities to try some things out or experience those
sort of moments. I mean, we saw it. It was
about maybe five five or six weeks ago when they
(06:13):
hosted the Nuggets. That felt like a playoff game, and
it was slow paced, it was adjustments, it was a
great It was one of the best games of the
season that we've seen. And I think those are the
games that they have to look forward to. I think
they obviously just need to take care of business against
the bad teams that they face and come out unscathed
(06:38):
and maybe, you know, try to put them away early
so they can keep their guys fresh. But I think
they can also really look forward to, you know, those
games against good teams that are healthy and rested, and
they might have a couple of those coming up. They
have you know, Dallas this week. Next week they're at
Cleveland at Denver atennis. You know that, Well, next week
(07:02):
will be I think, you know, a great week to
watch them because the Cavs have been really good second
place in the East, and you get the Nuggets, like,
you know, a possible finals matchup Phoenix, if possible, fine
finals matchup. So I think those are the tests, right, Like,
as long as you know both teams are rested and healthy,
(07:25):
then you're gonna get an opportunity to see playoff basketball
in the regular season.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You said a buzzword. We're gonna move from the top
team in the league and a team that was the
top team when all of a sudden done last season,
the Denver Nuggets, and then show this is the fun
part that I just get to ask you questions. I
don't need to have a dog in the fight. I
don't need to actually make power rankings myself. But I'm
gonna put on my Denver Nuggets T shirt. I got
(07:51):
friends that coach for the Broncos, I got cousins that
live in Colorado. The Denver Nuggets, as we mentioned, you know,
the former champs of last season. Nikola Jokic has been
just extraordinary. As of late, they had finished they had
finished the break on a three game losing streak. They've
come out of it. They just had a nice win
over the Warriors last night. But they're number five in
(08:14):
your power rankings. They're up from number six. So you
believe that right now. And we've already talked about the Boston's.
But Minnesota at number two, Oklahoma City at number three,
in the Clippers at number four. You feel strongly about
those three teams being ahead of the Nuggets at number five.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
I think just the way they've been playing. Yeah, I
think those three teams have stronger resumes when you take
into account recency and quality wins and a little bit
ahead to ahead. You know, the Nuggets went one in
three versus Oklahoma City. I think they lost the last
three in that matchup. They're two and one against the Clippers,
(08:51):
but they lost one the last game against the Clips.
They're ower and one against Minnesota. Those teams. Teams haven't
played in a while, but so there's a little bit
of that. You know, they went into the break with
a three game losing streak, not playing particularly well. You know,
they've won three straight coming out of the break and
like you said, Nikolou Jokic is just putting up ridiculous numbers.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
The elbow hands it back to Murray. There's that two
man game that it's so difficult to stop.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
The win against the Warriors coming back from a little
bit of a deficit on Sunday was really good, and
you know, they'll have more opportunities, you know, to play
to get more quality wins going forward. So I don't
think when I put them fifth that that they're necessarily,
you know, the fourth team i'd picked to win the
(09:39):
Western Conference Finals. I think I would still favor them
against all those teams ahead of them right now, but
just as the way they're playing and with you know,
several weeks left in the season, you know, I don't
feel any urgency to say, oh, you know, this is
definitely the best team in the West or you know,
(10:00):
you know. I mean, if it was based on like
championship expectations, then the power rankings wouldn't change much. I
guess over the course of the season, right like the
Celtics and Nuggets would be one and two probably all year,
maybe with the Clippers hanging you know, the Clippers, I
guess would be the one team that's whose expectations have
(10:20):
changed the most since the start of the season, right,
you believe that now?
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I do? I do, especially with what they're playing, with
the way they're playing, how they're playing. You know, they
had a tough loss against Oklahoma City, but yeah, no,
I feel you. I'm giving you a hard time. All
these teams have been fun and for Denver too, I
think something to continue to watch and that they are monitoring.
Michael Malone had talked about Jamal Murray and how they're
managing his shin splints. He did. He was excellent against
(10:48):
the Warriors last night, twenty seven points and shot the
ball really efficiently. But I have had those. I don't
know if you have had those. I think you look
at this point of the season just what that looks like,
because that's not in injury that quickly goes away or
you could necessarily just sit in and have it be
paid free.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
So yeah, it's also a team with a little bit
less depth than they had last year and more dependent
on that starting lineup and absolutely and doesn't seem to
be any buyout again. You know, I guess there's still
a few more days before you know, players can be
playoff eligible after they've been bought out, but right now
it doesn't seem like they're adding anybody in the buyout
(11:29):
market to sort of help their depth.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah. Yeah, a little jammed up up top there with
the top four teams and the Western Conference. In the
middle of the Western Conference, it feels even more compressed.
We're gonna get one of those to one of those
teams that had a nice win last night, the Phoenix Suns.
After the break, welcome back to NB Pulse their acoustic
(11:56):
joined by the great John Schumann who has his Power
Rankings out this week. The Phoenix Suns, currently sitting eighth
in your rankings, had a nice win against the Lakers
last night, and it's interesting to watch the Sun's team
how well they've played at home, they have struggled on
the road. They beat Los Angeles one twenty three, one thirteen,
(12:17):
and it was some big games from Grayson Allen from
Royce O'Neill. Once again, Bradley Beal did not play. He
has missed the last four games and his miss good
chunks of the course of this season. And she I
know you'll get into It's kind of interesting when you
look at the potential that you have with Devin book
or Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, but just questions on one,
(12:38):
if they will be healthy and two if they are
have they had a much time? Is enough time to
really acclimate themselves to one another and how the look
of the season. But the pickup of Royce O'Neill, I
think it has been huge on both ends of the
floor for Phoenix and continuing to fortify their death. They're currently,
as I said, how tight things are in the Western Conference.
(12:58):
They're currently sitting in six. But it's all about percentage
points because you got Sacramento, Phoenix, and New Orleans all
with the same record, and Dallas right behind them. Dallas
has went on a terrace of late despite losing in Indiana.
They do have Kyrie back. But when you look at
this Phoenix Suns team, all those things considered, what is
(13:19):
your hope that they will be able to make a
real push here down the stretch, factoring in the talent
that they have but also the question marks that come
with it.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, I mean I feel like we're still just waiting
for them to really put their foot on the gas.
I was hoping, you know, it would come coming out
of the all Star break, but they lost their first
two games, as you noted, on the road, losing in
Dallas and then losing in Houston. So yeah, they've they've
got a little bit of a They're not quite the Rockets,
(13:52):
who have like the biggest home road discrepancy in the league,
but they are have like a home road going thing
going on. Their last even losses have all been on
the road. They've won eight straight at home. Five of
those eight straight wins at home have come against teams
with winning records, so that's a good thing. So they're
they you know, they had been sort of not good
(14:13):
against other good teams, but now they're now sixteen and
sixteen against the other seven teams that are currently above
five hundred, so they're getting some quality wins. But you know,
you'd like to see them get some road wins. You'd
like to see them be a little bit more convincing.
Great news is that they've won two fourth quarters by
at least five points, two straight fourth quarters by at
(14:34):
least five points for the first time this season. They
remain the worst fourth quarter team in the league. But again,
and that went over the Lakers on Sunday, they saw
a twenty point deficit cut to five at the end
of the third quarter, and you know, they had blown
so many fourth quarter leads, but they were able to
(14:56):
hold on and you know, went by I think it
was by ten. So it's good to see them execute
and went a fourth quarter against a pretty good team,
or at least a team that's been playing well. But
still you're still waiting for a little bit more. You know,
this home road thing. They have more road games than
(15:17):
home games remaining. Thirteen of their final twenty four games
are on the road, and they're only one in four
against the four teams or the top four teams in
the West, you know, and their defense has been terrible
in those five games that they've played against those top
four teams. They will play the Thunder at home later
(15:38):
this week, so that'll be another good, another really good test.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Very good indicator. And to me, that's where when you
talk about their closing, inability to close, the challenges that
come with closing, that's where the questions come in for me,
because in theory, what you have is closers. When you
look at a Bradley Beal, at a Kevin Durant and
a Devin Booker, and that is time and time spent
together and time on the floor and just kind of
(16:02):
figuring out what that looks like. And so I think
they have all the pieces and as we mentioned, you know,
with them, I think their depth players you had, you know,
talked about Bulbull. There's different players who have contributed in
solid ways at different points of the season. But I
will be interested to see how things look. And I
think you cannot overstate the importance we keep talking about
(16:24):
the how tight things are in the Western Conference, the
difference between the six seven c the difference between getting
out of the play and the difference between what it
may look like to have home court, all of those
things being so heavily predicated on matchup base there's a
lot of teams that it will look really great depending
on matchup and it may be a challenge given the others.
(16:45):
So fun time of year. She was always we appreciate
your time, we appreciate your power rankings, and set it again.
You got great stuff on every single team here in
the league. To take a look at it, at what
they're doing as if late this.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Is my favorite start of the week.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, let's go.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Okay, so we points in the paint have been tracked
for the last twenty eight seasons, right starting in ninety
six ninety seven. We're gonna go back to the Nuggets
for a little quick one here. So in those twenty
eight seasons, there have been thirty four nine and twenty
total games, including playoffs. In those thirty twenty total games,
(17:24):
there have been ten instances where a team has scored
at least eighty eight points in the paint, and two
of those ten instances have been the Nuggets the last
two times the Wizards have played in Denver. So last
year the Nuggets set a record with ninety eight points
in the paint against the Wizards, and then this past
week they scored eighty eight points in the paint against
(17:46):
the Wizards.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So wow, what's that?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Ten instances in more than thirty four thousand games and
two of them are Wizards at Nuggets in the last
let's see thirteen or fourteen months or something like that.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Shoe. I love, that's good. We I feel like we
need to name this, We need a segment, We need
a I know Ernie has his needo stat of the night,
but uh, maybe we can get a sponsor for you.
He can remain sponsorless, but no I love that. That's
good stuff. I thought it was going to be a
hookey stat. I thought it was gonna be a hooky stack.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
That straight wins. I'll say that that's my favorite. That's
my other favorite stat of the week, the hokeey so
the lady hook on t straight.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I love it all. Shoot, you're the absolute best. We
appreciate all your time. We'll continue to read, watch, and
we look forward to talking with you again soon.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
All right, sir. Thanks.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
NBA Post with Sarakhustack is a production the NBA and
iHeart Radio. Please rate, review, and subscribe on the iHeart
Radio app or wherever you get your podcast
Welcoming into NBA Pulse to production of iHeartRadio in the NBA.
I'm Sarah Coustak, NBA analysts of the Yes Network, and
today is Monday, and from our extraordinary core group of
NBA journalists, We're joined now by NBA dot Com senior
writer John Schumann, who Shoe has another set, fresh set
of power rankings out today and sitting at that number
(00:23):
one spot, no surprise, they have remained up. There has
been the Boston Celtics, winners of eighth straight. We will
get into them, and just a bit the number two team,
Minnesota Timberwolves number two spot last week, up from number five,
is the Oklahoma City Thunder sitting in three, the Los
Angeles Clippers in the number four spot, and the Denver
(00:43):
Nuggets jump up from number six to the number five spot.
We're gonna dig a little deeper into a handful of
these teams, Shoe, and in a reminder, you got Nuggets,
you got a different stats notes on all thirty teams
within here. So it's always fun to continue to kind
of look at where teams are at at this point
of the season. But I want to begin with that
number one team, the Boston Celtics, who have just been cruising.
(01:06):
They haven't had the toughest schedule of late, but nonetheless
they've won eight straight games. They have been shooting the
lights out, they have been highly highly efficient. It feels
like they are continuing to run away with things. Look
at the fact that they're seven and a half games
ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers at this point. I would
ask you what's impressed you with the Celtics at this point?
(01:31):
But I think they have been rolling since the jump
of the season. Are they the runaway favorites to you?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Like it?
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Do you think how they're playing now will translate in
the same way with what we're going to see in
the postseason?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I think so for the most part, But I mean
I've thought so in the past too. The last year
I thought it, the year before I thought it, you know,
like just because they've been so good in the regular
season and they seem, you know, to execute really well.
Like they're a team that can find a matchup that
they like and execute out of that. Their team that's
(02:07):
very switchable defensively and can defend in different ways. But
they've always been that. I think they're just a little
bit better this year, and I think the Chris Kristaps
Porzingis brings a different element, a somewhat unguardable element.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Porzingis catches, fires, it hits again. Kristaps Porzingis now with
sixteen points, He's only taken nine.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Shots, especially when he's in like his picking pop game,
or when he gets a switch in the post. It's
such a tough matchup for opposing defenses. Bade them to
Porzingis this time puts it on the floor.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
They just knocking them down twenty two now for Porzingis.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And then when you combine that with the you know,
the one on one talent of Jason Tatum especially and
Jalen Brown as well, it's you know, it is hard
to imagine a team beating them for times out of seven,
but you know, I mean we've seen it in the past.
I mean this year, they're you know, first offensively and
(03:09):
third defensively. Right now, I think as we speak, you know,
we were talking a long time about the Pacers having
the most efficient offense in NBA history. Well the Pacers
have dropped and that is now the Boston Celtics, and
they're also in the top three defensively. But you know, what.
They were in the top three on both ends of
the floor last year and only the third team last year.
(03:32):
They were the third team in the twenty seven years
for which we have played by playback data to rank
in the top three on both ends of the floor.
The other two teams were two Warriors teams that won
the championship, and they didn't win the championship. You know,
they came up short in the conference finals, going down
three to the Heat. So, you know, I think there's
still that there's never it's never going to be a
(03:54):
sure thing. And I don't know even if I would
take the Celtics versus the field at this point, just
because you have the Nuggets who just want a championship.
You have you know, Milwaukee that has you know, championship DNA,
and you have teams like the Clippers, and you know
(04:15):
Phoenix that's really talented and Minnesota that's got the number
one defense in the league. So you know, yes, they're
the best team. They've got a like you said, five,
like a five game cushion over all those Western Conference
teams in the lost column just for the best record.
They're they're going to have the best record in the league.
For sure they're gonna have home court advantage throughout, but
(04:36):
you know that was you know, the case in the
conference finals last year too.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
How much do you think I'm always interested in this
with teams, and in particular with the Celtics in this group,
I think we talk a lot about the addition of
christ Pausing as the matchup problem he presents, but also
Drew Holliday, and you know just how that has changed
the dynamic of what they do, how they play. When
you go through a season and you are this far ahead,
(05:05):
not only in the standings, but so many games, you're
not playing as many tight game, close game situations, how
do you think that impacts you or impacts a group,
and maybe even two with the coaching staff, I know
we talk a lot about how far this group has gone,
but at what point will they be able to finally reach,
you know, reach not just the finals again, but actually
(05:25):
win that championship. But Jill missoula comfort level of him,
how he's gonna look in the second year, what that
looks like in the change of regular game scenarios as
opposed to the adjustments and the changes coaching that need
to take place throughout the course of the postseason. Do
you think there's any factor that impacts that with not
necessarily being in those scenarios or the pressure or lack
(05:46):
thereof through the course of the regular season where they're
at at this point down the stretch, I think.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
You still there. There will still be a few games
between now and the end of the season that will
feel a little bit like playoff games that will give
them opportunities to try some things out or experience those
sort of moments. I mean, we saw it. It was
about maybe five five or six weeks ago when they
(06:13):
hosted the Nuggets. That felt like a playoff game, and
it was slow paced, it was adjustments, it was a
great It was one of the best games of the
season that we've seen. And I think those are the
games that they have to look forward to. I think
they obviously just need to take care of business against
the bad teams that they face and come out unscathed
(06:38):
and maybe, you know, try to put them away early
so they can keep their guys fresh. But I think
they can also really look forward to, you know, those
games against good teams that are healthy and rested, and
they might have a couple of those coming up. They
have you know, Dallas this week. Next week they're at
Cleveland at Denver atennis. You know that, Well, next week
(07:02):
will be I think, you know, a great week to
watch them because the Cavs have been really good second
place in the East, and you get the Nuggets, like,
you know, a possible finals matchup Phoenix, if possible, fine
finals matchup. So I think those are the tests, right, Like,
as long as you know both teams are rested and healthy,
(07:25):
then you're gonna get an opportunity to see playoff basketball
in the regular season.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You said a buzzword. We're gonna move from the top
team in the league and a team that was the
top team when all of a sudden done last season,
the Denver Nuggets, and then show this is the fun
part that I just get to ask you questions. I
don't need to have a dog in the fight. I
don't need to actually make power rankings myself. But I'm
gonna put on my Denver Nuggets T shirt. I got
(07:51):
friends that coach for the Broncos, I got cousins that
live in Colorado. The Denver Nuggets, as we mentioned, you know,
the former champs of last season. Nikola Jokic has been
just extraordinary. As of late, they had finished they had
finished the break on a three game losing streak. They've
come out of it. They just had a nice win
over the Warriors last night. But they're number five in
(08:14):
your power rankings. They're up from number six. So you
believe that right now. And we've already talked about the Boston's.
But Minnesota at number two, Oklahoma City at number three,
in the Clippers at number four. You feel strongly about
those three teams being ahead of the Nuggets at number five.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
I think just the way they've been playing. Yeah, I
think those three teams have stronger resumes when you take
into account recency and quality wins and a little bit
ahead to ahead. You know, the Nuggets went one in
three versus Oklahoma City. I think they lost the last
three in that matchup. They're two and one against the Clippers,
(08:51):
but they lost one the last game against the Clips.
They're ower and one against Minnesota. Those teams. Teams haven't
played in a while, but so there's a little bit
of that. You know, they went into the break with
a three game losing streak, not playing particularly well. You know,
they've won three straight coming out of the break and
like you said, Nikolou Jokic is just putting up ridiculous numbers.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
The elbow hands it back to Murray. There's that two
man game that it's so difficult to stop.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
The win against the Warriors coming back from a little
bit of a deficit on Sunday was really good, and
you know, they'll have more opportunities, you know, to play
to get more quality wins going forward. So I don't
think when I put them fifth that that they're necessarily,
you know, the fourth team i'd picked to win the
(09:39):
Western Conference Finals. I think I would still favor them
against all those teams ahead of them right now, but
just as the way they're playing and with you know,
several weeks left in the season, you know, I don't
feel any urgency to say, oh, you know, this is
definitely the best team in the West or you know,
(10:00):
you know. I mean, if it was based on like
championship expectations, then the power rankings wouldn't change much. I
guess over the course of the season, right like the
Celtics and Nuggets would be one and two probably all year,
maybe with the Clippers hanging you know, the Clippers, I
guess would be the one team that's whose expectations have
(10:20):
changed the most since the start of the season, right,
you believe that now?
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I do? I do, especially with what they're playing, with
the way they're playing, how they're playing. You know, they
had a tough loss against Oklahoma City, but yeah, no,
I feel you. I'm giving you a hard time. All
these teams have been fun and for Denver too, I
think something to continue to watch and that they are monitoring.
Michael Malone had talked about Jamal Murray and how they're
managing his shin splints. He did. He was excellent against
(10:48):
the Warriors last night, twenty seven points and shot the
ball really efficiently. But I have had those. I don't
know if you have had those. I think you look
at this point of the season just what that looks like,
because that's not in injury that quickly goes away or
you could necessarily just sit in and have it be
paid free.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
So yeah, it's also a team with a little bit
less depth than they had last year and more dependent
on that starting lineup and absolutely and doesn't seem to
be any buyout again. You know, I guess there's still
a few more days before you know, players can be
playoff eligible after they've been bought out, but right now
it doesn't seem like they're adding anybody in the buyout
(11:29):
market to sort of help their depth.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah. Yeah, a little jammed up up top there with
the top four teams and the Western Conference. In the
middle of the Western Conference, it feels even more compressed.
We're gonna get one of those to one of those
teams that had a nice win last night, the Phoenix Suns.
After the break, welcome back to NB Pulse their acoustic
(11:56):
joined by the great John Schumann who has his Power
Rankings out this week. The Phoenix Suns, currently sitting eighth
in your rankings, had a nice win against the Lakers
last night, and it's interesting to watch the Sun's team
how well they've played at home, they have struggled on
the road. They beat Los Angeles one twenty three, one thirteen,
(12:17):
and it was some big games from Grayson Allen from
Royce O'Neill. Once again, Bradley Beal did not play. He
has missed the last four games and his miss good
chunks of the course of this season. And she I
know you'll get into It's kind of interesting when you
look at the potential that you have with Devin book
or Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, but just questions on one,
(12:38):
if they will be healthy and two if they are
have they had a much time? Is enough time to
really acclimate themselves to one another and how the look
of the season. But the pickup of Royce O'Neill, I
think it has been huge on both ends of the
floor for Phoenix and continuing to fortify their death. They're currently,
as I said, how tight things are in the Western Conference.
(12:58):
They're currently sitting in six. But it's all about percentage
points because you got Sacramento, Phoenix, and New Orleans all
with the same record, and Dallas right behind them. Dallas
has went on a terrace of late despite losing in Indiana.
They do have Kyrie back. But when you look at
this Phoenix Suns team, all those things considered, what is
(13:19):
your hope that they will be able to make a
real push here down the stretch, factoring in the talent
that they have but also the question marks that come
with it.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, I mean I feel like we're still just waiting
for them to really put their foot on the gas.
I was hoping, you know, it would come coming out
of the all Star break, but they lost their first
two games, as you noted, on the road, losing in
Dallas and then losing in Houston. So yeah, they've they've
got a little bit of a They're not quite the Rockets,
(13:52):
who have like the biggest home road discrepancy in the league,
but they are have like a home road going thing
going on. Their last even losses have all been on
the road. They've won eight straight at home. Five of
those eight straight wins at home have come against teams
with winning records, so that's a good thing. So they're
they you know, they had been sort of not good
(14:13):
against other good teams, but now they're now sixteen and
sixteen against the other seven teams that are currently above
five hundred, so they're getting some quality wins. But you know,
you'd like to see them get some road wins. You'd
like to see them be a little bit more convincing.
Great news is that they've won two fourth quarters by
at least five points, two straight fourth quarters by at
(14:34):
least five points for the first time this season. They
remain the worst fourth quarter team in the league. But again,
and that went over the Lakers on Sunday, they saw
a twenty point deficit cut to five at the end
of the third quarter, and you know, they had blown
so many fourth quarter leads, but they were able to
(14:56):
hold on and you know, went by I think it
was by ten. So it's good to see them execute
and went a fourth quarter against a pretty good team,
or at least a team that's been playing well. But
still you're still waiting for a little bit more. You know,
this home road thing. They have more road games than
(15:17):
home games remaining. Thirteen of their final twenty four games
are on the road, and they're only one in four
against the four teams or the top four teams in
the West, you know, and their defense has been terrible
in those five games that they've played against those top
four teams. They will play the Thunder at home later
(15:38):
this week, so that'll be another good, another really good test.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Very good indicator. And to me, that's where when you
talk about their closing, inability to close, the challenges that
come with closing, that's where the questions come in for me,
because in theory, what you have is closers. When you
look at a Bradley Beal, at a Kevin Durant and
a Devin Booker, and that is time and time spent
together and time on the floor and just kind of
(16:02):
figuring out what that looks like. And so I think
they have all the pieces and as we mentioned, you know,
with them, I think their depth players you had, you know,
talked about Bulbull. There's different players who have contributed in
solid ways at different points of the season. But I
will be interested to see how things look. And I
think you cannot overstate the importance we keep talking about
(16:24):
the how tight things are in the Western Conference, the
difference between the six seven c the difference between getting
out of the play and the difference between what it
may look like to have home court, all of those
things being so heavily predicated on matchup base there's a
lot of teams that it will look really great depending
on matchup and it may be a challenge given the others.
(16:45):
So fun time of year. She was always we appreciate
your time, we appreciate your power rankings, and set it again.
You got great stuff on every single team here in
the league. To take a look at it, at what
they're doing as if late this.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Is my favorite start of the week.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, let's go.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Okay, so we points in the paint have been tracked
for the last twenty eight seasons, right starting in ninety
six ninety seven. We're gonna go back to the Nuggets
for a little quick one here. So in those twenty
eight seasons, there have been thirty four nine and twenty
total games, including playoffs. In those thirty twenty total games,
(17:24):
there have been ten instances where a team has scored
at least eighty eight points in the paint, and two
of those ten instances have been the Nuggets the last
two times the Wizards have played in Denver. So last
year the Nuggets set a record with ninety eight points
in the paint against the Wizards, and then this past
week they scored eighty eight points in the paint against
(17:46):
the Wizards.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So wow, what's that?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Ten instances in more than thirty four thousand games and
two of them are Wizards at Nuggets in the last
let's see thirteen or fourteen months or something like that.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Shoe. I love, that's good. We I feel like we
need to name this, We need a segment, We need
a I know Ernie has his needo stat of the night,
but uh, maybe we can get a sponsor for you.
He can remain sponsorless, but no I love that. That's
good stuff. I thought it was going to be a
hookey stat. I thought it was gonna be a hooky stack.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
That straight wins. I'll say that that's my favorite. That's
my other favorite stat of the week, the hokeey so
the lady hook on t straight.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I love it all. Shoot, you're the absolute best. We
appreciate all your time. We'll continue to read, watch, and
we look forward to talking with you again soon.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
All right, sir. Thanks.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
NBA Post with Sarakhustack is a production the NBA and
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