Colin’s joined by Jason Timpf, host of “Hoops Tonight” to break down all the NBA playoff action!
They start with the bevy of blowouts we’ve seen so far, and why the NBA needs to reduce the early rounds from seven games to five (3:15). They debate whether the Rockets should target Giannis and what players they should be willing to part with in order to get him (7:45).
They discuss why the Knicks have actually LOST ground to the Celtics (12:30), how Jason Tatum’s leap this season has improved the Celtics (16:30) and why Russell Westbrook has become the “tone setter” for the Denver Nuggets (26:30).
Finally, they debate whether Luka Doncic can be a “championship player” despite his weakness on the defensive end of the floor (35:30).
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!
#Volume #Herd #HoopsTonight
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume, blending Vice's signature dynamic storytelling with the high
octane world of sports. Vice Sports brings an exciting and
diverse range of programming that goes beyond the game. From
action pack live events to gripping behind the scenes documentaries,
to hard hitting investigative pieces and in depth profiles of athletes, coaches, teams.
(00:23):
Vice Sports captures the raw energy, drama, and passion that
makes sports truly unforgettable. Catch live events and other exclusive
sports programs only on Vice TV. Go to vicetv dot
com to find your cable channel. Well, usually when we
(00:44):
do instant reactions, we have something to urgently react to.
But I knew the Warriors were in a little trouble
when mid second quarter Butler and Curry hadn't scored. But
you know, this is a bigger point, Jason, is that
I've been on this for years. The quality of college
basketball is not very good. I mean the national champion,
(01:06):
Like you watch Florida play a very good college basketball team,
they would have seven or eight straight possessions that they
were wasted possessions they didn't run a play. College basketball
offensively is a tough watch. That's why almost every good
college basketball program lives on defense. I mean Saint John's, Florida, Houston,
Gonzaga is the rare. We're actually better on offense annually
(01:29):
than defense, and they do it because they have a
great coach and a great system. But you watch it
and the ratings are good because of urgency. The NBA
quality is insane. But a three game first round, which
had probably never happened. Darryl Morey said, give me a
game first round. But I've always argued, you don't need
(01:51):
seven games. If you want to keep it in the finals.
For historical symmetry, totally get it, but you don't need
seven game first rounds now. I will say the argument is, well,
what about Clippers Nuggets? And my takeaway is if it
goes five or seven, that's a coin flip series. I mean,
you can't tell me one team's definitively better. It's almost
(02:12):
like the Piston's Nicks five or seven. Whoever wins wins.
I'm not losing sleep, but I thought tonight was a
bit embarrassing for the league, Like it's just a bad look.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
It's so consistent over the years. I in my series
preview for this series, when I picked the Warriors in six.
I was like, they're gonna get blown out probably in
game five. If one of the things that happens when
you see one of the things you see when you
root for the same team for over a decade, you
become very familiar with their personality. Yeah, And like we
saw an extremely similar game in Memphis three years ago
(02:46):
in that series where they were up three to one,
went on the road and just got demolished before they
came home and closed the deal. It's in. It's it's
just there's already a natural kind of like urgency swing
from side to side in a series after each team wins,
you know, like Houston gets Game two, you know Golden
State's gonna come out in Game three and just play
an amazing game, right, Like you know Houston's gonna throw
(03:08):
a great punch in Game four after Golden State wins
Game three. Right. But when you have this situation where
a team has a three to one advantage and they
know they have a home close out opportunity in the bank,
it almost always ends up being kind of a shalacking
in these types of situations. And it's happened to the
Warriors in the past as well when they lost to
(03:29):
the Lakers in twenty twenty three. Lakers took a three
to one lead, they went to Golden State, Golden State
beat them, then they head back to LA and LA
closes the deal. It's kind of like the natural flow
of series. And to your point, when you have such
a consistency in that regard, that just says this is
too long. We're wasting too much time here.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So I think it's interesting. So Houston is a team
that I said this today on FS one is that
Oklahoma City is a similarly young team but better and
they've got a ton of draft picks. You're not going
to leapfrog them. Whereas every one of their young players
to me, has sort of a defined role. Houston has
(04:07):
Jalen Green, who's athletic, but I still don't know what
his offensive game is in the half court, he's just athletic.
And so I do think Houston's gonna have to make
take a swing. I think a Kevin Durant fits well,
maybe they get into the I mean, they may have
more than anybody for Jannis. But so we were talking
about this, Jason McIntyre and I were talking about this,
and I said I would Houston has told people Amn
(04:31):
Thompson no chance, and it's funny watching him tonight with
five steals in the first half. When I watch Amn Thompson,
I absolutely know what he is. He's a physical, tough
defense often is the best part of his game, hustle.
He has a defined even though he's a kid, he
has a defined game, and that's one of the first
(04:54):
things I look for. Actually, if Zion could have stayed
in shape, I thought he had a very defined game,
Like I knew what he was. Jalen Green, I don't
know what he is, and I always feel like I
don't care if it's a talk show host or a
basketball player or a politician. If you don't, if you
can't kind of what what are you? And if I'm
(05:14):
struggling with that three years into your political career, it's like,
I'm not sure you are anything other than maybe smart
or aspirational or driven. So I think I look at
it and I think if they went into the Yannis sweepstakes,
you'd have to give up two really good players. Would
you give up Shamgon, Jalen Green and two firsts? Because
(05:39):
I think if I'm Milwaukee, I'm gonna have multiple suitors.
I'm going to get a Malik an og and four.
You know, I don't think the Knicks. You know, I
gave up so many first for Michale Bridges. Let's just
talk Houston. What would Houston give up in your opinion?
You run the rockets for Yannis.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Well, first of all, Colin at the I'm going to
try not to be too insensitive here, but I'll tell
you what Jalen Green is. He's salary filler. That's what
he is. At this point in his career. He has
demonstrated through multiple years with Houston that there are certain
things that he just hasn't figured out in terms of
how to bring consistent, winning impact every single game. When
he's got his pull up three point shot going and
(06:19):
he's making good decisions at the rim, he looks like
an all star caliber player that can lift that team
to greatness. But two out of three games he struggles
to accomplish those things, and then suddenly the inattentiveness off ball,
the poor decision making, all that just rises to the surface.
And so he needs to go somewhere where he can
go make mistakes for a while because he just needs
a lot of time, right and you know, Amn Thompson,
(06:40):
to me, should be untouchable. I would not give up
a mental honest, I think that unlike the only reason
I would ever consider giving up a player of a
Men Thompson's caliber is if I was certain that we
would be a runaway favorite the next season, you know,
like like, for instance, if OKC wanted to make a
move for Giannis, they should be more willing to part
(07:01):
with someone like a Jalen Williams for instance, when you
consider the fact that they would immediately become a runaway
championship favorite. Right, But Houston with Giannis is still like
they'd be very good defensively, but it wouldn't be perfect, right.
A Men Thompson is the level of prospect that I
think has the potential to be like the Scottie Pippen
of this eras the most devastating perimeter athlete defensively that
(07:25):
we have in the sport. Intimidate but he has exactly
but he has a lot more offensive pop than people realize,
and wait till he starts to piece some of these
parts of his game together. He can handle the ball
a little bit. He's got a pretty decent set of
moves in one on one situations. Once he polishes up
mainly the short range mid range shot making and adds
(07:47):
a little bit of muscle, he's going to be a
guy that can easily average twenty points a game in
this league very efficiently, potentially more.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
And he is really a physical I mean most young
players Jason are not that physical. He has a twenty
nine to thirty three year old physicality to him. When
I watch him play.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
It's it's the type of athlete that is most valuable
in the modern MBA, which is rangy but also strong
because there's a lot of rangy dudes that can get
shoved around. But like there's a when you can bring
physicality and the ability to cover ground. I mean, that's
what made Draymond, you know, the best defensive player of
this eras he could cover ground, but he was also
big and strong and could win ground battles and there's
(08:27):
just a there's a ton of value there. So like
if I was running the rockets, I would literally I
would negotiate earnestly, but I'd get a deal done. And
what I mean by that is everything's on the table.
But amen, Thompson, if you want Shangun Jabari Smith Junior
and Jalen Green will make it happen, you know, like
whatever it is you need to do to make it happen.
Because one of the things that Houston has is depth.
They just have a lot of good players. They can
(08:49):
afford to give up three rotational players for Giannis and
not be in a situation where they don't have the
requisite talent to compete next year.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Fuba is my favorite way to watch live sports, NFL,
NBA playoffs, MLB, college sports, and more. I love it.
They have over two hundred live channels, live sports shows, movies, news,
and they offer an incredible base plan for sports fans.
We must have sports channels including FS one, ESPN, NFL
Network in the Big Ten Network, watch the NFL, NBA, baseball,
(09:19):
college sports, tennis, golf, F one and more. And they
have a special offer for my fans. Go to FuboTV
dot com slash Colin. That is me and I love
Fubo TV. I've been telling you this for years. I
watch it on planes, I watch it in ubers, I
watch it at home. Go to FuboTV dot com slash
Colin for twenty five bucks off each month for two
(09:43):
months of the pro plan that's FuboTV dot com slash
Colin for fifty bucks off, I'm going to throw something
at you. This was my take on the Nick Pistons
is a year ago, the Pistons were in a rebuild
and the Knick thot McHale Bridges was going to get
them right up next to Boston, and yet five point
separates he seems in five games. And my take is
(10:05):
they gave up a little too much for McHale Bridges.
Though I think everybody, myself included, kind of liked the deal.
But the problem was, when you're talking vs. V. Nicks Celtics,
is that Jalen Brunson og and McHale Bridges and Cat
we know what they are. Tatum made a leap, and
Peyton Pritchard went from Nina game to the best guy
(10:27):
in the league off the bench, and so two of
the Celtics. Because Jalen Brown has established what he is,
Tatum is playing with the confidence today that we thought
he should have been playing with four years ago. I
don't think his skills necessarily that much better, but go
look at his first quarter scoring against Orlando. He's a
much more aggressive player. And by the way, Steph's been
(10:48):
burned by this is that Steph sometimes defers. Steph's smart, collaborative,
a great teammate NBA fans, And it's not a criticism,
it's a reality. They were ward aggressive, even if it's
like over the top Westbrook aggressiveness, like they just I mean,
and Westbrook jumps off the TV much. I mean, just
(11:09):
you can't when he's on the floor, you can't. Okay,
Westbrook's right there, there could be a seven foot of
That's just I always said with Andrew Wiggins, is he
on the floor? Is he playing? Does he have? I mean?
So my point being is is that the problem that
the Knicks face and I think they have to swing
big is they thought McHale bridges really bridge the gap.
They were inches behind Boston, Tatum Pops, Pritchard Pops, and
(11:32):
it's like, oh god, they did. They lost ground. Actually,
so I look at the Knicks and think, let's not
waste our time here. Cleveland and Boston both got significantly better.
New York is what. They just have good players. They've
got to take a big swing.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
You know. I think I think people have missed the
point on Boston in a lot of ways, in the
sense that they look at them as a team that's
led by all these big wings that are super versatile,
and I think that was the direction that the Knicks
were trying to match. But it's much more of a
team wide concept of the ability to piece together these
lineups where everyone can guard. That's really the foundational concept
(12:15):
that makes the Celtics so unbeatable if you look at it,
Mikhale Bridges Og Andnobi and Josh Hart in theory, are
these three rangy wings that can do a lot of
work defensively, but because they're bracketed by these two weak points,
there's almost like a diminishing return and having that type
of defensive talent because of the way teams can still
(12:35):
get them in rotation, like it's still the Pistons in
the half court, Kate Cunningham bringing Jalen Brunson's man into
the action and getting great looks attacking even though he's
got Ogn and Obi on him. Whereas if you're with
the Celtics and you run that exact same thing at
a Derek White good luck, you run that exact same
thing at a Drew Holliday good luck, and Peyton Pritchard
(12:56):
competes his ass off defensively, and so that really is
the foundational trait that everybody's missing. Is like you're seeing
this situation where the Knicks copied almost on the margins
in a way that has a diminishing return because of
their bill. They almost would have been better off looking
for like waiting and holding their firepower for a better
(13:16):
player than putting all their cards in the Michale Bridges
type of basket, because McHale Bridges would have been more
valuable if Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns were replaced
by more versatile, defensive minded stars, and they're just not.
And so I think the ultimately, it doesn't matter how
good your on ball defender is if I can put
him in an action that gets me an advantage.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, I kind of felt for it. I thought McHale
Bridges got him close. I didn't think he would be better,
but I thought, oh, they'll compete if they could win
a game, maybe a second in a seven game series
or you know, you know, and it's like, no, you know,
I will say this about Jason Tatum. I mean, again,
he feasted on Orlando, but this was the best year
he's had as a pro. He had a really really
(13:57):
good year. Is that we do this sometimes in society
attention with all these media platforms, attention is a currency,
and Jason isn't an attention seeker, and it probably makes
him a much more balanced to human. I'm watching his
post game last night. If you told me he ran
(14:19):
a tech company, or you're like, oh, yeah, he's a
professor at the local college, I would be like, yeah,
he comes up and he's thoughtful, and he's got interesting
pace when he talks, and none of it's I just
my takeaway is he's got the personality in some ways
of just like a great friend or just a guy
(14:41):
you'd want in a band. It's like he's thoughtful. And
the truth is pro athletes are sometimes delusionally, delusionally confident,
and it's sometimes it works. Like you read I've read
the I remember reading the book The Three Ring Circus
on the Kobe Shak stuff from Jeff Pearlman, and like,
I love Kobe, but oh, good, good lord, he was
(15:04):
a lot. I mean he was seventeen eighteen nineteen. You're like,
this guy's abnoxious. He'd be the you know, it's the
guy that you never could depend on to take you
to the airport, you know. But it's like that's sort
of what that's sort of what made him great, like
that obnoxiousness. So I just look at Tatum and I
think sometimes am I punishing him because he's so patient,
(15:29):
thoughtful and collaborative. I mean, I feel like now when
I look at him and I'm like, hey, he'd just
be the best teammate.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Right, I think that it's okay to change our opinion
based on new information. And what I mean by that
is Jason Tatum, in his inconsistent level of aggression in
his last of top end was a legitimate part of
why they struggled over the years. And then last year,
(15:56):
with an overwhelming talent advantage, they made it through the
East and Tatum contributed in a big way, especially with
his defensive versatility and his playmaking in the half court.
But he didn't show that superstar upside in that playoff run.
And so I think this is the first time really
that I'm watching Jason Tatum, and I'm watching him from
(16:18):
start to finish through a playoff series, command things in
a way with a level of aggression and with the
same level versatility showed in recent years, but also bringing
the high end scoring pop Colin. He had three straight
thirty five point games. He had two total in the
entire playoff run last year. Like this is like it's
okay for us to be, Like Tatum is growing up
(16:39):
into Like I don't think he was a top tier
superstar until this year.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Now I think he is exactly how I feel.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
And I think it's okay. I think it's okay to
be Like he's growing into the player that some people
thought he was and I disagreed for a while, and
now I'm there where it's like it's the versatility and
it's the top end, like the big one. For me,
it's a Game four and I'm watching the difference in
the maturity with the way that he's attacking switches against
guards down the stretch against Orlando, while Pallo is not
(17:09):
getting good shots doing the exact same thing on the
other end of the floor. And I'm like, oh, it's
like it reminds me of the old days when I'd
watch Lebron or some other grown up do it to
Tatum when he was the young guy. Like Tatum is
growing into like he almost looks like a thirty thirty
one year old star as a twenty six, twenty seven
year old star because he's got so much experience in
these big moments over the years. But it's a combination
(17:30):
of two things, Colin, you mentioned it. This is a
huge piece the confidence. There is a calm, cool and
collected demeanor that he has in the half court now
that he just didn't have in the past. That to
me is part of his growth. And then the second
piece of it, he finally brought along this shot making piece,
which was so inconsistent for him over the years. He
had it in the past, but he wasn't as big
(17:51):
and strong and versatile. Then he got big, strong and versatile,
but he didn't have the shot making. Now he has both,
and he's confident and he looks like a top three
player in the NBA right now.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Boxing's biggest weekend is here in Draft Kings Sportsbooks. Heating
Up it All kicks off Friday in Times Square, Ryan Garcia,
Devin Haney, and Tiafimo Lopez light up New York City
that on Saturday, the King returns. Canelo Alvarez is back
on his own pay per view, and Sunday it's a
can't miss moment. Naowa Inua makes his electrifying US debut
(18:23):
in Las Vegas. This is a fight weekend for the
history of books and DraftKings. Sports books got you a
front row seat to all the actions. So who you got?
Who's walking out with a w and each of these
fights sound off, But remember we're taking picks, not betting advice.
New to DraftKings, You're gonna love it. All you have
to do is about five bucks. Five bucks, and you'll
get two hundred bonus bets instantly. Five bucks get you
two hundred to play with only on DraftKings. The crown
(18:45):
is yours.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York
called eight seven seven eight hope and wire text hopein
why four six seven three six nine In Connecticut. Help
is available for problem gambling called eight eight eight seven
eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org.
P Lease play responsibly on behalf of Boothill Casino when
resorting Kansas twenty one and over. Agent eligibility varies by
jurisdiction Voyd and Ontario. New customers only Bonus bets ekspire
(19:09):
one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance. Four additional
terms and responsible gaming resources see dkanng, dot Co, slash Audio.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Okay, I have to mention this, as I've always said,
in our business, and you're in this business, is I'm not.
It's not flip flopping. If you give me new stuff,
I'll have a new opinion. I have never liked six
four and under players Derrek Rose, John Wall Westbrook that
(19:43):
can't aren't pure shooters. Nash Curry, little guys don't lead
the titles anyway. Historically, Curry's and Outliar Isaiah Thomas, both,
by the way, really good perimeter shooters. Therefore, when you're
six four and under and can't, especially with no handcheck,
you get to the rim and you get hit by
the redwoods and you just hit the floor too often.
(20:04):
Now Dwayne Wade had a little bit of this because
he was never a gifted outside shooter. But Dwayne was
built like a like a running back. I mean, he's
he looks like an NFL player. So I was always
like with Westbrook, I'm like, listen, man, this is just
it just doesn't work for me. But I said, I
watched him last night, and I thought he was last night.
(20:26):
The tone center of every great player in that game
is that Jamal Murray would have an amazing second half.
Jokicch was off. I never trust Gordon or Porter offensively,
although I really love Gordon as a player. He is
so relentless that he almost makes teammates guilty if they
(20:48):
don't play with energy. Like I mean, you can see why,
like Harden and Westbrook they're good buddies. They go to Houston,
they didn't get along, and I think part of it
was Westbrook is like, Bro, I know you were out
last night, but you can't bring that last game for
the Clippers. I mean, Harden might as well have been
a hologram. I mean, he was invisible. But I watched
(21:10):
Westbrook and I think, all these years later, what I
appreciate about him is he plays so hard. He almost
forces you as a teammate to play harder because you
and I know this. Some nights, this is asking a
lot eighty two games playoffs. I mean, Jokich last night
just doesn't have it. And I was like kind of
(21:30):
blown away by Westbrook last night and this new found
ability to hit a three, but it's his energy was
just ridiculous last night in the first half.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, it's infectious. It I'm so Glad you said it
like that, because I've always felt that way in team basketball,
Like when there is somebody on your team that is
busting his ass on defense, you look like an idiot
if you're out there next to him not doing the
same thing. It screams on film, and like, trust me,
like these film sessions, like I remember when I was
(22:02):
in college, Like it's embarrassing when you're sitting in the
room and you're not doing your job, like and the
coaches pausing the screen, and like you're jogging back in
transition defense and he's standing up there pointing at you
in front of your teammates. Like it laziness stands out
on the TV, it stands out in film. It especially
stands out juxtaposed with an energy bunny, and like that
there's a ton of value there, you know. I've like
(22:24):
really grown to appreciate Russell Westbrook in this phase of
his career in a way that I didn't in the past. YEP,
a couple of different things. He is a guy that
his motor and physicality actually translates in the postseason really well,
because he's a very physical player. So like, and we've
seen so many examples of this in NBA history, the big,
(22:46):
strong athlete who plays hard just has a lot of
utility when it's a rock fight, when it's like super
super physical. During the regular season with the Lakers, there
was just so much time where he was asked to
do more than he was capable of. But as this
has shifted towards him being in a smaller role, he's
polished up his jump shooting. Like you mentioned earlier, like
(23:06):
he put in work behind the scenes. He understood, oh,
if I'm going to stay in this league, I'm going
to need to be able to hit a corner three.
And so he's put in a lot of work behind
the scenes. The second piece of it finding a fit
that works. So, for instance, Jokic, we've talked about this
on the show before, inverts your spacing. He brings the
center away from the basket. That makes it so there's
fewer redwoods around the basket. And so Russ is Russ
(23:30):
had a layup missing problem over the years, and he's
missing fewer layups in Denver because he's getting easier cuts
right around the rim. And so when you combine the
little bit of corner three point shooting, the ability to
finish because of the lack of congestion under the rim
with the Yolkic team, and then you add to it
just the way his physicality translates to the playoffs. He's
(23:51):
become a very useful player for the Nuggets now, like
a flat out important player in the championship goals.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
No question. And I know that isn't the be all
end all, but there is something about when you turn
a television on and you come into the second quarter,
the players that add something you can usually spot in
like two possessions, Like you're like, oh, you like to amend.
(24:18):
Thompson's a great example. You're like, shit, man, that dude
is physical. He's an intimidating presence. Obviously, great scores almost
all have that. Russell Westbrook jumps to the TV screen.
He is just straight gin on the rocks. It's like, pow,
it hits you. It's who's this guy like cutting you?
(24:38):
Jimmy Butler's got that too. When he's really into it.
It's like, dude, who is Like when you're a pro
athlete and can kind of intimidate other pro athletes and
it's a man's got it. Butler's got it. Russell's got it. No,
and you know, it's funny watching Westbrook. I'm thinking, could
he have always shot threes like this? He's now shooting
him because he's probably a little less you know. I mean,
(25:01):
everybody comes down a little bit athletically, and he was
so hyper athletic. But it is amazing to me to
watch him shoot threes. I don't know if the shooting
style has changed, but last night, I'm like, it looked smooth,
it looked confident and comfortable.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
He's more compact, there's less wasted motion. He's getting good
energy transfer, like it's straight up and down, there's no hitch.
I think. I think taking more corner threes has been
really big for him because it just takes that little
extra bit of distance off. But it's at the end
of the day, it's work. It's repetition. I mean Aaron Gordon,
Aaron Gordon is now like a legitimately good three point shooter.
(25:39):
You want to know how he built a gym at
his house and he shot hundreds and hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of shots for years and years
and to turn himself into this kind of player and
not Aaron Gordon has now transformed himself into a player
that kind of changes the future of the Nuggets because
of his ability to shoot the three really really well.
One last thing I wanted to say, the Russell Westbrook thing,
which I think is fascinating, Like the James Harden juxtaposition
(26:01):
is crazy to me because you know, there there is
like levels to competitive fire, right, Like, Like I'm not
gonna sit here and say James Harden wasn't playing hard
because you know, he was guarding Jokic for parts of
the game. He was a big part of the way
their defensive scheme was set up to keep zoobots on
the back line. But like there was such a palpable
(26:22):
difference in intensity except Westbrook aside for a second, look
at Jokic yelling and screaming. Look at the way he
acted in game two when his team fell apart, when
he made a scene on the sideline, ripping those guys
a new one. There's a level of it. He's screaming
at the right, there's like a light in his eyes.
It's it's hard to explain, like an intensity in his
eyes as a competitor in that game, and James Harden
(26:44):
looked half asleep, and and it's it's weird. Because like
I think part of it stems from the way that
over the course of a series, coaches start to scout
out your pet actions, they found the coverage that works
best at that point in the series. The one defender
in this case, Christian Brown, has been eye to eye
with James Harden so many times now in this series
(27:05):
that he's starting to pick up on some of his
tips and the way that he likes to set up
his moves. And you start sitting on that same left
to right crossover, right to left crossover a bunch of times,
it starts to take on a resemblance for you, and
you can start to pick up on those cues and
be ahead of things. And it's always right around this time, Colin,
right around game five, game six, and a coin flip
type of series that you see as things get really
(27:28):
hard for Harden, he kind of just like relaxes and
with Jokich he goes four to thirteen last night, But
he's the best player on the floor because he's just
super intense and he's hyper focused on every advantage on
every possession because he knows what it takes.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, it's like Steven Adams, isn't it his class But
the other night I'm watching Steven Adams for Hueston. I'm
like christ these the most consistent player, Like He's just
I think, and I love players like that. Now it's
time for power players, brought to you by bmw the
Ultimate Driving Machine, and today's power player is Jamal Murry,
who gave us an electrifying performance in the Nuggets Game
(28:03):
five win over the Clippers. Wow. Knock down eight threes,
dropped forty three points. What a second half, His highest
total since the Disney World pandemic bubble. If Jamal Murray
continued to shoot like this, he and Jokic and the
Nuggets could be on their way to hoisting another Larry
O'Brien trophy. So what is it that sets apart these
power players from the rest? Bottom line, it's their attention
(28:24):
to detail innovative playing styles from reletless drive for performing
at the highest level. The same goes for bmwix everything
you love about the Ultimate Driving Machine electrified. It's not
just scoring. By the way, before we close this out,
because we're going to both go watch the Laker game.
We got into this discussion today. The Mavericks shouldn't have
(28:47):
traded Luca but and Jack Lowe was talking about this
on the Ringer is that I would never trade Mahomes,
Alan Lamar Jackson, but I would now take a call
on Joe Burrow because of two major injuries. I would
take a call. I'm not looking to trade him. I
(29:08):
would take a call on Jalen Hurts, who I still
think small and okay in the pocket. But there are players,
you know, like Lebron in his prime got you guaranteed finals.
MJ got you guaranteed titles. Kareem got you titles. In
Luca's prime, he guarantees you buckets and those are great.
(29:29):
But there is a difference between the Lebron and his prime,
and I think now he'll be in better shape next year.
The Lakers won the trade. I'm not in any way
insinuating they didn't crush it, but I think this little
peak at Luca. Let's face it, when he's on your team,
(29:50):
you just watch him more. Even if you love the NBA,
you watch him more. Can you look at him now
and you watch as much NBA as anybody, But is
there a part of you, even ten percent that goes
I get Houston, I get Dallas and Nico taking the call.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
So just because there is a reason to do something
doesn't mean it's reason enough. And like I see the
reason like they call it. I'm I'm I don't. I
don't want to be overly critical of Luca here, because
it is tough to come into a team right in
the middle of the season and to do all of
the things that he's being asked to do. But let
me just pause it, like, let me just present it
(30:28):
like this. If Luca outplays ant do the Lakers win
the series? Let me let me give you one more.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Literally, the last game at was like six of seven
against him. So I think that is they don't put
Luca on ant a ton because for obvious reasons. So
I'm not sure what the answer.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Is to that. So in the fourth quarter in this series,
which is where the games have been decided, Yes.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
The guy Soda was in these close games all year long.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
They did.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
I mean, so it's like that is who they They're
not pretty enough offensively to blow good teams out. They're
in all all their games look like this.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Luca has five made field goals and one assist in
the fourth quarter in the series, and has ten made
field goals and seven assists in the fourth quarter in
the series, he has dramatically outpaced Luca's output when the
games have been on the line late. Luca is shooting
five to seventeen in the fourth quarter in the series,
and he looks blatantly exhausted every single time down the
(31:35):
stretch of these games. There's been so much focus on
the fact that he had to play twenty four straight minutes.
You know who else played twenty four straight minutes in
that game, Anthony Edwards, he looked fantastic. Julius Randall played
twenty three and a half of the twenty four available minutes.
He looked fantastic. He's Garden Lebron, grabbing rebounds, doing all
that kind of stuff. Lebron, who's forty years old, had
(31:56):
three of the most absurd defensive plays I've seen. Like,
Lebron almost single handedly stole that game with defense.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Yeah, dis stretched the Vincenzo block, and then Fitty Smith
shot in on the other end.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yeah, and then he stripped Nasried on the very next possession,
got another stop, and then he did strip Anthony Edwards
on what was kind of an iffy call. Aunt was
kind of already slipping when he was like, but it
was good defense on that play. The point being like,
there were four stars in that game that all played
basically the entire second half. Three of them looked like
they were spry. For the record, they're all better athletes.
I'm not expecting Luca to be out there flying around
(32:27):
like a six to eight freak athlete in those situations,
but I would expect him to look like Luca. I
would expect him to look like Luca. And the bottom
line is is every single time a game has been
hanging in the balance in this series late, Ant has
looked like Ant and Luca hasn't, and the Wolves have
immediately taken control and won the series. And so I
(32:48):
don't think it's negotiable at all at this point whether
or not Luca's conditioning is standing in the way of
whether or not they could have won the series. The
Lakers controlled the first three quarters. They are capable, They're
capable of beating this team and in the biggest the
like for instance, I saw some criticism of Lebron for
having zero points for the record, Lebron does deserve some criticism.
(33:08):
He had a bad turnover late. I didn't like the
three he took off the left wing. Zero points, like
find a way to score something. But he only took
two shots in that fourth quarter. You know why, because
this team has a construct. The construct is we need
Luca to create offense for us. That's his one job.
This is one job everyone else, like Lebron's job on
this team is to be Draymond Green on the other
(33:30):
end of the floor, you know. And like, yes, Lebron
could have and should have done more. But I left
that game very disappointed because I felt like Luca, when
the series was hanging in the balance, didn't even look
remotely like himself. If he makes that layup against NOAs Reed,
which by the way, is just maybe a little bit
more conditioned athlete than he is right now, doesn't even
(33:52):
have to be in peak condition, just in good enough
shape to get the lift to get that ball up
off the backboard, they win the seri they did, don't
win the series. They win the game. It's two two.
But instead he smoked it and then didn't get back
and transition defense and left nas Reed open. He hit
a three, and all of a suddenly seven point game
was a two point game, right right, So like I
am a huge believer in Luca, I genuinely think he
(34:13):
could be the best player in the league. There's a
version of this if he gets in shape where he
is the best combination of scoring and playmaking talent in
the NBA after jokicch age is out, And if he
is and he also gets in good shape and becomes
just an above average defensive player, that's the best basketball
player in the world. It's an achievable outcome for him.
He just has to put in the work behind the scenes.
(34:34):
And by the way, it's not too late. Maybe he
can flip the script. But the Lakers are not winning
tonight and Friday and Sunday unless Luka Doncic outplays Anthony
Edwards and he he has to win that matchup.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Yeah, no, I think that's really well put. Is that
any listen, It's just years ago I said, and I
got so much pushback. I said, he's a better version
of Carmelow He's a better version, there's no question. But
Carmelo is one of the great I mean, one of
the great offensive talents we've seen in fifteen years. Like
(35:07):
he was an absolute bucket against every defender in the league.
And the truth is so is Luca. But I say
this most great players, at least for about a seven
year window in their prime, were great defenders. Now you
can be Bird and Staff where you're trying really hard
(35:27):
but you're limited. That's also okay in the locker room.
But mailing it in sends a message, Harden, Luca Mellow.
It sends a message like you, guys take it from here.
And you know, a lot of times in the NBA
you don't face a profound offensive player on the other end,
But when you and Aunt are matching up and aunts
(35:48):
this ascending, dynamic player that you can't take your eyes off,
you notice, like Luca's defense is noticeably awful. And I
think it was well said by you.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Okay, let's well given some credit. We can give a
hands some credits to like Colin, like he has been
so so, so incredibly good. Yeah, in the series, he's
growing before our eyes. You said the other day that
he's the best young player in the league. I agree.
I think I think he's the fifth best player in
the world right now, Like he's playing unbelievable best now.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
I think we've been looking because of the emergence of
great international players, which I do not think is bad
for the league. Shoheo Tani. I will argue forever is
great for baseball. I don't care. But I think Tatum
and Ant have emerged as the guys. I think it's indisputable,
and this we're seeing it in real time. One in
the East, one in the West. It's not deniable because
(36:38):
they're on the floor with other good players. Ben Caro
has been up and down. Luca looks over matched, like
when you can put great players on him and you're like,
oh wow, Yeah, they've separated worldwide, and so it's good
for the NBA. I don't think it's necessary to have
a domestic face of the league. It helps. It's something, right, Jason,
(36:59):
great toff. Let's go watch the Lakers.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Yep, see you next week. Colin the volume
Speaker 1 (37:08):
M HM
The volume, blending Vice's signature dynamic storytelling with the high
octane world of sports. Vice Sports brings an exciting and
diverse range of programming that goes beyond the game. From
action pack live events to gripping behind the scenes documentaries,
to hard hitting investigative pieces and in depth profiles of athletes, coaches, teams.
(00:23):
Vice Sports captures the raw energy, drama, and passion that
makes sports truly unforgettable. Catch live events and other exclusive
sports programs only on Vice TV. Go to vicetv dot
com to find your cable channel. Well, usually when we
(00:44):
do instant reactions, we have something to urgently react to.
But I knew the Warriors were in a little trouble
when mid second quarter Butler and Curry hadn't scored. But
you know, this is a bigger point, Jason, is that
I've been on this for years. The quality of college
basketball is not very good. I mean the national champion,
(01:06):
Like you watch Florida play a very good college basketball team,
they would have seven or eight straight possessions that they
were wasted possessions they didn't run a play. College basketball
offensively is a tough watch. That's why almost every good
college basketball program lives on defense. I mean Saint John's, Florida, Houston,
Gonzaga is the rare. We're actually better on offense annually
(01:29):
than defense, and they do it because they have a
great coach and a great system. But you watch it
and the ratings are good because of urgency. The NBA
quality is insane. But a three game first round, which
had probably never happened. Darryl Morey said, give me a
game first round. But I've always argued, you don't need
(01:51):
seven games. If you want to keep it in the finals.
For historical symmetry, totally get it, but you don't need
seven game first rounds now. I will say the argument is, well,
what about Clippers Nuggets? And my takeaway is if it
goes five or seven, that's a coin flip series. I mean,
you can't tell me one team's definitively better. It's almost
(02:12):
like the Piston's Nicks five or seven. Whoever wins wins.
I'm not losing sleep, but I thought tonight was a
bit embarrassing for the league, Like it's just a bad look.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
It's so consistent over the years. I in my series
preview for this series, when I picked the Warriors in six.
I was like, they're gonna get blown out probably in
game five. If one of the things that happens when
you see one of the things you see when you
root for the same team for over a decade, you
become very familiar with their personality. Yeah, And like we
saw an extremely similar game in Memphis three years ago
(02:46):
in that series where they were up three to one,
went on the road and just got demolished before they
came home and closed the deal. It's in. It's it's
just there's already a natural kind of like urgency swing
from side to side in a series after each team wins,
you know, like Houston gets Game two, you know Golden
State's gonna come out in Game three and just play
an amazing game, right, Like you know Houston's gonna throw
(03:08):
a great punch in Game four after Golden State wins
Game three. Right. But when you have this situation where
a team has a three to one advantage and they
know they have a home close out opportunity in the bank,
it almost always ends up being kind of a shalacking
in these types of situations. And it's happened to the
Warriors in the past as well when they lost to
(03:29):
the Lakers in twenty twenty three. Lakers took a three
to one lead, they went to Golden State, Golden State
beat them, then they head back to LA and LA
closes the deal. It's kind of like the natural flow
of series. And to your point, when you have such
a consistency in that regard, that just says this is
too long. We're wasting too much time here.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So I think it's interesting. So Houston is a team
that I said this today on FS one is that
Oklahoma City is a similarly young team but better and
they've got a ton of draft picks. You're not going
to leapfrog them. Whereas every one of their young players
to me, has sort of a defined role. Houston has
(04:07):
Jalen Green, who's athletic, but I still don't know what
his offensive game is in the half court, he's just athletic.
And so I do think Houston's gonna have to make
take a swing. I think a Kevin Durant fits well,
maybe they get into the I mean, they may have
more than anybody for Jannis. But so we were talking
about this, Jason McIntyre and I were talking about this,
and I said I would Houston has told people Amn
(04:31):
Thompson no chance, and it's funny watching him tonight with
five steals in the first half. When I watch Amn Thompson,
I absolutely know what he is. He's a physical, tough
defense often is the best part of his game, hustle.
He has a defined even though he's a kid, he
has a defined game, and that's one of the first
(04:54):
things I look for. Actually, if Zion could have stayed
in shape, I thought he had a very defined game,
Like I knew what he was. Jalen Green, I don't
know what he is, and I always feel like I
don't care if it's a talk show host or a
basketball player or a politician. If you don't, if you
can't kind of what what are you? And if I'm
(05:14):
struggling with that three years into your political career, it's like,
I'm not sure you are anything other than maybe smart
or aspirational or driven. So I think I look at
it and I think if they went into the Yannis sweepstakes,
you'd have to give up two really good players. Would
you give up Shamgon, Jalen Green and two firsts? Because
(05:39):
I think if I'm Milwaukee, I'm gonna have multiple suitors.
I'm going to get a Malik an og and four.
You know, I don't think the Knicks. You know, I
gave up so many first for Michale Bridges. Let's just
talk Houston. What would Houston give up in your opinion?
You run the rockets for Yannis.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Well, first of all, Colin at the I'm going to
try not to be too insensitive here, but I'll tell
you what Jalen Green is. He's salary filler. That's what
he is. At this point in his career. He has
demonstrated through multiple years with Houston that there are certain
things that he just hasn't figured out in terms of
how to bring consistent, winning impact every single game. When
he's got his pull up three point shot going and
(06:19):
he's making good decisions at the rim, he looks like
an all star caliber player that can lift that team
to greatness. But two out of three games he struggles
to accomplish those things, and then suddenly the inattentiveness off ball,
the poor decision making, all that just rises to the surface.
And so he needs to go somewhere where he can
go make mistakes for a while because he just needs
a lot of time, right and you know, Amn Thompson,
(06:40):
to me, should be untouchable. I would not give up
a mental honest, I think that unlike the only reason
I would ever consider giving up a player of a
Men Thompson's caliber is if I was certain that we
would be a runaway favorite the next season, you know,
like like, for instance, if OKC wanted to make a
move for Giannis, they should be more willing to part
(07:01):
with someone like a Jalen Williams for instance, when you
consider the fact that they would immediately become a runaway
championship favorite. Right, But Houston with Giannis is still like
they'd be very good defensively, but it wouldn't be perfect, right.
A Men Thompson is the level of prospect that I
think has the potential to be like the Scottie Pippen
of this eras the most devastating perimeter athlete defensively that
(07:25):
we have in the sport. Intimidate but he has exactly
but he has a lot more offensive pop than people realize,
and wait till he starts to piece some of these
parts of his game together. He can handle the ball
a little bit. He's got a pretty decent set of
moves in one on one situations. Once he polishes up
mainly the short range mid range shot making and adds
(07:47):
a little bit of muscle, he's going to be a
guy that can easily average twenty points a game in
this league very efficiently, potentially more.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
And he is really a physical I mean most young
players Jason are not that physical. He has a twenty
nine to thirty three year old physicality to him. When
I watch him play.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
It's it's the type of athlete that is most valuable
in the modern MBA, which is rangy but also strong
because there's a lot of rangy dudes that can get
shoved around. But like there's a when you can bring
physicality and the ability to cover ground. I mean, that's
what made Draymond, you know, the best defensive player of
this eras he could cover ground, but he was also
big and strong and could win ground battles and there's
(08:27):
just a there's a ton of value there. So like
if I was running the rockets, I would literally I
would negotiate earnestly, but I'd get a deal done. And
what I mean by that is everything's on the table.
But amen, Thompson, if you want Shangun Jabari Smith Junior
and Jalen Green will make it happen, you know, like
whatever it is you need to do to make it happen.
Because one of the things that Houston has is depth.
They just have a lot of good players. They can
(08:49):
afford to give up three rotational players for Giannis and
not be in a situation where they don't have the
requisite talent to compete next year.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Fuba is my favorite way to watch live sports, NFL,
NBA playoffs, MLB, college sports, and more. I love it.
They have over two hundred live channels, live sports shows, movies, news,
and they offer an incredible base plan for sports fans.
We must have sports channels including FS one, ESPN, NFL
Network in the Big Ten Network, watch the NFL, NBA, baseball,
(09:19):
college sports, tennis, golf, F one and more. And they
have a special offer for my fans. Go to FuboTV
dot com slash Colin. That is me and I love
Fubo TV. I've been telling you this for years. I
watch it on planes, I watch it in ubers, I
watch it at home. Go to FuboTV dot com slash
Colin for twenty five bucks off each month for two
(09:43):
months of the pro plan that's FuboTV dot com slash
Colin for fifty bucks off, I'm going to throw something
at you. This was my take on the Nick Pistons
is a year ago, the Pistons were in a rebuild
and the Knick thot McHale Bridges was going to get
them right up next to Boston, and yet five point
separates he seems in five games. And my take is
(10:05):
they gave up a little too much for McHale Bridges.
Though I think everybody, myself included, kind of liked the deal.
But the problem was, when you're talking vs. V. Nicks Celtics,
is that Jalen Brunson og and McHale Bridges and Cat
we know what they are. Tatum made a leap, and
Peyton Pritchard went from Nina game to the best guy
(10:27):
in the league off the bench, and so two of
the Celtics. Because Jalen Brown has established what he is,
Tatum is playing with the confidence today that we thought
he should have been playing with four years ago. I
don't think his skills necessarily that much better, but go
look at his first quarter scoring against Orlando. He's a
much more aggressive player. And by the way, Steph's been
(10:48):
burned by this is that Steph sometimes defers. Steph's smart, collaborative,
a great teammate NBA fans, And it's not a criticism,
it's a reality. They were ward aggressive, even if it's
like over the top Westbrook aggressiveness, like they just I mean,
and Westbrook jumps off the TV much. I mean, just
(11:09):
you can't when he's on the floor, you can't. Okay,
Westbrook's right there, there could be a seven foot of
That's just I always said with Andrew Wiggins, is he
on the floor? Is he playing? Does he have? I mean?
So my point being is is that the problem that
the Knicks face and I think they have to swing
big is they thought McHale bridges really bridge the gap.
They were inches behind Boston, Tatum Pops, Pritchard Pops, and
(11:32):
it's like, oh god, they did. They lost ground. Actually,
so I look at the Knicks and think, let's not
waste our time here. Cleveland and Boston both got significantly better.
New York is what. They just have good players. They've
got to take a big swing.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
You know. I think I think people have missed the
point on Boston in a lot of ways, in the
sense that they look at them as a team that's
led by all these big wings that are super versatile,
and I think that was the direction that the Knicks
were trying to match. But it's much more of a
team wide concept of the ability to piece together these
lineups where everyone can guard. That's really the foundational concept
(12:15):
that makes the Celtics so unbeatable if you look at it,
Mikhale Bridges Og Andnobi and Josh Hart in theory, are
these three rangy wings that can do a lot of
work defensively, but because they're bracketed by these two weak points,
there's almost like a diminishing return and having that type
of defensive talent because of the way teams can still
(12:35):
get them in rotation, like it's still the Pistons in
the half court, Kate Cunningham bringing Jalen Brunson's man into
the action and getting great looks attacking even though he's
got Ogn and Obi on him. Whereas if you're with
the Celtics and you run that exact same thing at
a Derek White good luck, you run that exact same
thing at a Drew Holliday good luck, and Peyton Pritchard
(12:56):
competes his ass off defensively, and so that really is
the foundational trait that everybody's missing. Is like you're seeing
this situation where the Knicks copied almost on the margins
in a way that has a diminishing return because of
their bill. They almost would have been better off looking
for like waiting and holding their firepower for a better
(13:16):
player than putting all their cards in the Michale Bridges
type of basket, because McHale Bridges would have been more
valuable if Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns were replaced
by more versatile, defensive minded stars, and they're just not.
And so I think the ultimately, it doesn't matter how
good your on ball defender is if I can put
him in an action that gets me an advantage.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, I kind of felt for it. I thought McHale
Bridges got him close. I didn't think he would be better,
but I thought, oh, they'll compete if they could win
a game, maybe a second in a seven game series
or you know, you know, and it's like, no, you know,
I will say this about Jason Tatum. I mean, again,
he feasted on Orlando, but this was the best year
he's had as a pro. He had a really really
(13:57):
good year. Is that we do this sometimes in society
attention with all these media platforms, attention is a currency,
and Jason isn't an attention seeker, and it probably makes
him a much more balanced to human. I'm watching his
post game last night. If you told me he ran
(14:19):
a tech company, or you're like, oh, yeah, he's a
professor at the local college, I would be like, yeah,
he comes up and he's thoughtful, and he's got interesting
pace when he talks, and none of it's I just
my takeaway is he's got the personality in some ways
of just like a great friend or just a guy
(14:41):
you'd want in a band. It's like he's thoughtful. And
the truth is pro athletes are sometimes delusionally, delusionally confident,
and it's sometimes it works. Like you read I've read
the I remember reading the book The Three Ring Circus
on the Kobe Shak stuff from Jeff Pearlman, and like,
I love Kobe, but oh, good, good lord, he was
(15:04):
a lot. I mean he was seventeen eighteen nineteen. You're like,
this guy's abnoxious. He'd be the you know, it's the
guy that you never could depend on to take you
to the airport, you know. But it's like that's sort
of what that's sort of what made him great, like
that obnoxiousness. So I just look at Tatum and I
think sometimes am I punishing him because he's so patient,
(15:29):
thoughtful and collaborative. I mean, I feel like now when
I look at him and I'm like, hey, he'd just
be the best teammate.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Right, I think that it's okay to change our opinion
based on new information. And what I mean by that
is Jason Tatum, in his inconsistent level of aggression in
his last of top end was a legitimate part of
why they struggled over the years. And then last year,
(15:56):
with an overwhelming talent advantage, they made it through the
East and Tatum contributed in a big way, especially with
his defensive versatility and his playmaking in the half court.
But he didn't show that superstar upside in that playoff run.
And so I think this is the first time really
that I'm watching Jason Tatum, and I'm watching him from
(16:18):
start to finish through a playoff series, command things in
a way with a level of aggression and with the
same level versatility showed in recent years, but also bringing
the high end scoring pop Colin. He had three straight
thirty five point games. He had two total in the
entire playoff run last year. Like this is like it's
okay for us to be, Like Tatum is growing up
(16:39):
into Like I don't think he was a top tier
superstar until this year.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Now I think he is exactly how I feel.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
And I think it's okay. I think it's okay to
be Like he's growing into the player that some people
thought he was and I disagreed for a while, and
now I'm there where it's like it's the versatility and
it's the top end, like the big one. For me,
it's a Game four and I'm watching the difference in
the maturity with the way that he's attacking switches against
guards down the stretch against Orlando, while Pallo is not
(17:09):
getting good shots doing the exact same thing on the
other end of the floor. And I'm like, oh, it's
like it reminds me of the old days when I'd
watch Lebron or some other grown up do it to
Tatum when he was the young guy. Like Tatum is
growing into like he almost looks like a thirty thirty
one year old star as a twenty six, twenty seven
year old star because he's got so much experience in
these big moments over the years. But it's a combination
(17:30):
of two things, Colin, you mentioned it. This is a
huge piece the confidence. There is a calm, cool and
collected demeanor that he has in the half court now
that he just didn't have in the past. That to
me is part of his growth. And then the second
piece of it, he finally brought along this shot making piece,
which was so inconsistent for him over the years. He
had it in the past, but he wasn't as big
(17:51):
and strong and versatile. Then he got big, strong and versatile,
but he didn't have the shot making. Now he has both,
and he's confident and he looks like a top three
player in the NBA right now.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Boxing's biggest weekend is here in Draft Kings Sportsbooks. Heating
Up it All kicks off Friday in Times Square, Ryan Garcia,
Devin Haney, and Tiafimo Lopez light up New York City
that on Saturday, the King returns. Canelo Alvarez is back
on his own pay per view, and Sunday it's a
can't miss moment. Naowa Inua makes his electrifying US debut
(18:23):
in Las Vegas. This is a fight weekend for the
history of books and DraftKings. Sports books got you a
front row seat to all the actions. So who you got?
Who's walking out with a w and each of these
fights sound off, But remember we're taking picks, not betting advice.
New to DraftKings, You're gonna love it. All you have
to do is about five bucks. Five bucks, and you'll
get two hundred bonus bets instantly. Five bucks get you
two hundred to play with only on DraftKings. The crown
(18:45):
is yours.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York
called eight seven seven eight hope and wire text hopein
why four six seven three six nine In Connecticut. Help
is available for problem gambling called eight eight eight seven
eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org.
P Lease play responsibly on behalf of Boothill Casino when
resorting Kansas twenty one and over. Agent eligibility varies by
jurisdiction Voyd and Ontario. New customers only Bonus bets ekspire
(19:09):
one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance. Four additional
terms and responsible gaming resources see dkanng, dot Co, slash Audio.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Okay, I have to mention this, as I've always said,
in our business, and you're in this business, is I'm not.
It's not flip flopping. If you give me new stuff,
I'll have a new opinion. I have never liked six
four and under players Derrek Rose, John Wall Westbrook that
(19:43):
can't aren't pure shooters. Nash Curry, little guys don't lead
the titles anyway. Historically, Curry's and Outliar Isaiah Thomas, both,
by the way, really good perimeter shooters. Therefore, when you're
six four and under and can't, especially with no handcheck,
you get to the rim and you get hit by
the redwoods and you just hit the floor too often.
(20:04):
Now Dwayne Wade had a little bit of this because
he was never a gifted outside shooter. But Dwayne was
built like a like a running back. I mean, he's
he looks like an NFL player. So I was always
like with Westbrook, I'm like, listen, man, this is just
it just doesn't work for me. But I said, I
watched him last night, and I thought he was last night.
(20:26):
The tone center of every great player in that game
is that Jamal Murray would have an amazing second half.
Jokicch was off. I never trust Gordon or Porter offensively,
although I really love Gordon as a player. He is
so relentless that he almost makes teammates guilty if they
(20:48):
don't play with energy. Like I mean, you can see why,
like Harden and Westbrook they're good buddies. They go to Houston,
they didn't get along, and I think part of it
was Westbrook is like, Bro, I know you were out
last night, but you can't bring that last game for
the Clippers. I mean, Harden might as well have been
a hologram. I mean, he was invisible. But I watched
(21:10):
Westbrook and I think, all these years later, what I
appreciate about him is he plays so hard. He almost
forces you as a teammate to play harder because you
and I know this. Some nights, this is asking a
lot eighty two games playoffs. I mean, Jokich last night
just doesn't have it. And I was like kind of
(21:30):
blown away by Westbrook last night and this new found
ability to hit a three, but it's his energy was
just ridiculous last night in the first half.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, it's infectious. It I'm so Glad you said it
like that, because I've always felt that way in team basketball,
Like when there is somebody on your team that is
busting his ass on defense, you look like an idiot
if you're out there next to him not doing the
same thing. It screams on film, and like, trust me,
like these film sessions, like I remember when I was
(22:02):
in college, Like it's embarrassing when you're sitting in the
room and you're not doing your job, like and the
coaches pausing the screen, and like you're jogging back in
transition defense and he's standing up there pointing at you
in front of your teammates. Like it laziness stands out
on the TV, it stands out in film. It especially
stands out juxtaposed with an energy bunny, and like that
there's a ton of value there, you know. I've like
(22:24):
really grown to appreciate Russell Westbrook in this phase of
his career in a way that I didn't in the past. YEP,
a couple of different things. He is a guy that
his motor and physicality actually translates in the postseason really well,
because he's a very physical player. So like, and we've
seen so many examples of this in NBA history, the big,
(22:46):
strong athlete who plays hard just has a lot of
utility when it's a rock fight, when it's like super
super physical. During the regular season with the Lakers, there
was just so much time where he was asked to
do more than he was capable of. But as this
has shifted towards him being in a smaller role, he's
polished up his jump shooting. Like you mentioned earlier, like
(23:06):
he put in work behind the scenes. He understood, oh,
if I'm going to stay in this league, I'm going
to need to be able to hit a corner three.
And so he's put in a lot of work behind
the scenes. The second piece of it finding a fit
that works. So, for instance, Jokic, we've talked about this
on the show before, inverts your spacing. He brings the
center away from the basket. That makes it so there's
fewer redwoods around the basket. And so Russ is Russ
(23:30):
had a layup missing problem over the years, and he's
missing fewer layups in Denver because he's getting easier cuts
right around the rim. And so when you combine the
little bit of corner three point shooting, the ability to
finish because of the lack of congestion under the rim
with the Yolkic team, and then you add to it
just the way his physicality translates to the playoffs. He's
(23:51):
become a very useful player for the Nuggets now, like
a flat out important player in the championship goals.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
No question. And I know that isn't the be all
end all, but there is something about when you turn
a television on and you come into the second quarter,
the players that add something you can usually spot in
like two possessions, Like you're like, oh, you like to amend.
(24:18):
Thompson's a great example. You're like, shit, man, that dude
is physical. He's an intimidating presence. Obviously, great scores almost
all have that. Russell Westbrook jumps to the TV screen.
He is just straight gin on the rocks. It's like, pow,
it hits you. It's who's this guy like cutting you?
(24:38):
Jimmy Butler's got that too. When he's really into it.
It's like, dude, who is Like when you're a pro
athlete and can kind of intimidate other pro athletes and
it's a man's got it. Butler's got it. Russell's got it. No,
and you know, it's funny watching Westbrook. I'm thinking, could
he have always shot threes like this? He's now shooting
him because he's probably a little less you know. I mean,
(25:01):
everybody comes down a little bit athletically, and he was
so hyper athletic. But it is amazing to me to
watch him shoot threes. I don't know if the shooting
style has changed, but last night, I'm like, it looked smooth,
it looked confident and comfortable.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
He's more compact, there's less wasted motion. He's getting good
energy transfer, like it's straight up and down, there's no hitch.
I think. I think taking more corner threes has been
really big for him because it just takes that little
extra bit of distance off. But it's at the end
of the day, it's work. It's repetition. I mean Aaron Gordon,
Aaron Gordon is now like a legitimately good three point shooter.
(25:39):
You want to know how he built a gym at
his house and he shot hundreds and hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of shots for years and years
and to turn himself into this kind of player and
not Aaron Gordon has now transformed himself into a player
that kind of changes the future of the Nuggets because
of his ability to shoot the three really really well.
One last thing I wanted to say, the Russell Westbrook thing,
which I think is fascinating, Like the James Harden juxtaposition
(26:01):
is crazy to me because you know, there there is
like levels to competitive fire, right, Like, Like I'm not
gonna sit here and say James Harden wasn't playing hard
because you know, he was guarding Jokic for parts of
the game. He was a big part of the way
their defensive scheme was set up to keep zoobots on
the back line. But like there was such a palpable
(26:22):
difference in intensity except Westbrook aside for a second, look
at Jokic yelling and screaming. Look at the way he
acted in game two when his team fell apart, when
he made a scene on the sideline, ripping those guys
a new one. There's a level of it. He's screaming
at the right, there's like a light in his eyes.
It's it's hard to explain, like an intensity in his
eyes as a competitor in that game, and James Harden
(26:44):
looked half asleep, and and it's it's weird. Because like
I think part of it stems from the way that
over the course of a series, coaches start to scout
out your pet actions, they found the coverage that works
best at that point in the series. The one defender
in this case, Christian Brown, has been eye to eye
with James Harden so many times now in this series
(27:05):
that he's starting to pick up on some of his
tips and the way that he likes to set up
his moves. And you start sitting on that same left
to right crossover, right to left crossover a bunch of times,
it starts to take on a resemblance for you, and
you can start to pick up on those cues and
be ahead of things. And it's always right around this time, Colin,
right around game five, game six, and a coin flip
type of series that you see as things get really
(27:28):
hard for Harden, he kind of just like relaxes and
with Jokich he goes four to thirteen last night, But
he's the best player on the floor because he's just
super intense and he's hyper focused on every advantage on
every possession because he knows what it takes.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, it's like Steven Adams, isn't it his class But
the other night I'm watching Steven Adams for Hueston. I'm
like christ these the most consistent player, Like He's just
I think, and I love players like that. Now it's
time for power players, brought to you by bmw the
Ultimate Driving Machine, and today's power player is Jamal Murry,
who gave us an electrifying performance in the Nuggets Game
(28:03):
five win over the Clippers. Wow. Knock down eight threes,
dropped forty three points. What a second half, His highest
total since the Disney World pandemic bubble. If Jamal Murray
continued to shoot like this, he and Jokic and the
Nuggets could be on their way to hoisting another Larry
O'Brien trophy. So what is it that sets apart these
power players from the rest? Bottom line, it's their attention
(28:24):
to detail innovative playing styles from reletless drive for performing
at the highest level. The same goes for bmwix everything
you love about the Ultimate Driving Machine electrified. It's not
just scoring. By the way, before we close this out,
because we're going to both go watch the Laker game.
We got into this discussion today. The Mavericks shouldn't have
(28:47):
traded Luca but and Jack Lowe was talking about this
on the Ringer is that I would never trade Mahomes,
Alan Lamar Jackson, but I would now take a call
on Joe Burrow because of two major injuries. I would
take a call. I'm not looking to trade him. I
(29:08):
would take a call on Jalen Hurts, who I still
think small and okay in the pocket. But there are players,
you know, like Lebron in his prime got you guaranteed finals.
MJ got you guaranteed titles. Kareem got you titles. In
Luca's prime, he guarantees you buckets and those are great.
(29:29):
But there is a difference between the Lebron and his prime,
and I think now he'll be in better shape next year.
The Lakers won the trade. I'm not in any way
insinuating they didn't crush it, but I think this little
peak at Luca. Let's face it, when he's on your team,
(29:50):
you just watch him more. Even if you love the NBA,
you watch him more. Can you look at him now
and you watch as much NBA as anybody, But is
there a part of you, even ten percent that goes
I get Houston, I get Dallas and Nico taking the call.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
So just because there is a reason to do something
doesn't mean it's reason enough. And like I see the
reason like they call it. I'm I'm I don't. I
don't want to be overly critical of Luca here, because
it is tough to come into a team right in
the middle of the season and to do all of
the things that he's being asked to do. But let
me just pause it, like, let me just present it
(30:28):
like this. If Luca outplays ant do the Lakers win
the series? Let me let me give you one more.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Literally, the last game at was like six of seven
against him. So I think that is they don't put
Luca on ant a ton because for obvious reasons. So
I'm not sure what the answer.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Is to that. So in the fourth quarter in this series,
which is where the games have been decided, Yes.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
The guy Soda was in these close games all year long.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
They did.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
I mean, so it's like that is who they They're
not pretty enough offensively to blow good teams out. They're
in all all their games look like this.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Luca has five made field goals and one assist in
the fourth quarter in the series, and has ten made
field goals and seven assists in the fourth quarter in
the series, he has dramatically outpaced Luca's output when the
games have been on the line late. Luca is shooting
five to seventeen in the fourth quarter in the series,
and he looks blatantly exhausted every single time down the
(31:35):
stretch of these games. There's been so much focus on
the fact that he had to play twenty four straight minutes.
You know who else played twenty four straight minutes in
that game, Anthony Edwards, he looked fantastic. Julius Randall played
twenty three and a half of the twenty four available minutes.
He looked fantastic. He's Garden Lebron, grabbing rebounds, doing all
that kind of stuff. Lebron, who's forty years old, had
(31:56):
three of the most absurd defensive plays I've seen. Like,
Lebron almost single handedly stole that game with defense.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Yeah, dis stretched the Vincenzo block, and then Fitty Smith
shot in on the other end.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yeah, and then he stripped Nasried on the very next possession,
got another stop, and then he did strip Anthony Edwards
on what was kind of an iffy call. Aunt was
kind of already slipping when he was like, but it
was good defense on that play. The point being like,
there were four stars in that game that all played
basically the entire second half. Three of them looked like
they were spry. For the record, they're all better athletes.
I'm not expecting Luca to be out there flying around
(32:27):
like a six to eight freak athlete in those situations,
but I would expect him to look like Luca. I
would expect him to look like Luca. And the bottom
line is is every single time a game has been
hanging in the balance in this series late, Ant has
looked like Ant and Luca hasn't, and the Wolves have
immediately taken control and won the series. And so I
(32:48):
don't think it's negotiable at all at this point whether
or not Luca's conditioning is standing in the way of
whether or not they could have won the series. The
Lakers controlled the first three quarters. They are capable, They're
capable of beating this team and in the biggest the
like for instance, I saw some criticism of Lebron for
having zero points for the record, Lebron does deserve some criticism.
(33:08):
He had a bad turnover late. I didn't like the
three he took off the left wing. Zero points, like
find a way to score something. But he only took
two shots in that fourth quarter. You know why, because
this team has a construct. The construct is we need
Luca to create offense for us. That's his one job.
This is one job everyone else, like Lebron's job on
this team is to be Draymond Green on the other
(33:30):
end of the floor, you know. And like, yes, Lebron
could have and should have done more. But I left
that game very disappointed because I felt like Luca, when
the series was hanging in the balance, didn't even look
remotely like himself. If he makes that layup against NOAs Reed,
which by the way, is just maybe a little bit
more conditioned athlete than he is right now, doesn't even
(33:52):
have to be in peak condition, just in good enough
shape to get the lift to get that ball up
off the backboard, they win the seri they did, don't
win the series. They win the game. It's two two.
But instead he smoked it and then didn't get back
and transition defense and left nas Reed open. He hit
a three, and all of a suddenly seven point game
was a two point game, right right, So like I
am a huge believer in Luca, I genuinely think he
(34:13):
could be the best player in the league. There's a
version of this if he gets in shape where he
is the best combination of scoring and playmaking talent in
the NBA after jokicch age is out, And if he
is and he also gets in good shape and becomes
just an above average defensive player, that's the best basketball
player in the world. It's an achievable outcome for him.
He just has to put in the work behind the scenes.
(34:34):
And by the way, it's not too late. Maybe he
can flip the script. But the Lakers are not winning
tonight and Friday and Sunday unless Luka Doncic outplays Anthony
Edwards and he he has to win that matchup.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Yeah, no, I think that's really well put. Is that
any listen, It's just years ago I said, and I
got so much pushback. I said, he's a better version
of Carmelow He's a better version, there's no question. But
Carmelo is one of the great I mean, one of
the great offensive talents we've seen in fifteen years. Like
(35:07):
he was an absolute bucket against every defender in the league.
And the truth is so is Luca. But I say
this most great players, at least for about a seven
year window in their prime, were great defenders. Now you
can be Bird and Staff where you're trying really hard
(35:27):
but you're limited. That's also okay in the locker room.
But mailing it in sends a message, Harden, Luca Mellow.
It sends a message like you, guys take it from here.
And you know, a lot of times in the NBA
you don't face a profound offensive player on the other end,
But when you and Aunt are matching up and aunts
(35:48):
this ascending, dynamic player that you can't take your eyes off,
you notice, like Luca's defense is noticeably awful. And I
think it was well said by you.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Okay, let's well given some credit. We can give a
hands some credits to like Colin, like he has been
so so, so incredibly good. Yeah, in the series, he's
growing before our eyes. You said the other day that
he's the best young player in the league. I agree.
I think I think he's the fifth best player in
the world right now, Like he's playing unbelievable best now.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
I think we've been looking because of the emergence of
great international players, which I do not think is bad
for the league. Shoheo Tani. I will argue forever is
great for baseball. I don't care. But I think Tatum
and Ant have emerged as the guys. I think it's indisputable,
and this we're seeing it in real time. One in
the East, one in the West. It's not deniable because
(36:38):
they're on the floor with other good players. Ben Caro
has been up and down. Luca looks over matched, like
when you can put great players on him and you're like,
oh wow, Yeah, they've separated worldwide, and so it's good
for the NBA. I don't think it's necessary to have
a domestic face of the league. It helps. It's something, right, Jason,
(36:59):
great toff. Let's go watch the Lakers.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Yep, see you next week. Colin the volume
Speaker 1 (37:08):
M HM
Host
Colin Cowherd
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!