Nerd Sesh - NBA Playoffs Reaction: Warriors UPSET Edwards & Wolves, Haliburton & Pacers STUN Cavs

The nerds react to Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors having to fight past Steph Curry's mid-game injury to upset Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1, then break down how Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers STUNNED Donovan Mitchell and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2.

Timestamps

00:00:23 - Warriors-Timberwolves

00:30:43 - Pacers-Cavaliers

#Volume

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. No, Oh my god, how could he do that?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Don't watch.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
What Charles Darwin.

Speaker 4 (00:20):
The nerves is where it's at.

Speaker 5 (00:23):
Welcome everybody back into Nerd Sash as always, I'm Carson Brebern.
Alongside me is Logan Camden, and you already know the drill.
We got two wild playoff basketball games to talk about tonight.
Just absolute mayhem in the association tonight. And even though
the first game had a historically anomalous comeback and just

(00:44):
absolute insanity at the end, I still think the second
game was the crazier outcome because with Steph Curry out
for a vast majority of this game, Logan he left
early in the second quarter with a hamstring strain, did
not return. The Golden State Warriors still did not just
beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. They beat them convincingly, shocking win.

(01:09):
How did they get it done? And how much credit
do you give to the Warriors for this compared to
how much blame do you put on the Timberwolves.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's definitely a give and take with both of those.
I mean, there's no way Minnesota should have lost this game.
You're telling me you're gonna give me three quarters without
Steph Curry. That's a game that you have to come
away with, Like, it's inexcusable to me, but I think
you do have to give credit to the Warriors first
and foremost to this collective team defense, especially what we
got in the first half. The Warriors allowed thirty one

(01:39):
points in the first half. It's Golden State's franchise record
for points allowed in a first half in a playoff game.
In the second quarter, they allow only eleven points, four
field goal made field goals made total in that period,
and in the first half overall, Minnesota goes oh of
fifteen from deep.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
I mean, insane stuff.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Anthony Edwards is scoreless until the third quarter.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
In this game.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
And I mean, Minnesota has been really good. As critical
as I have been of Minnesota's clutch offense. As Van
Gundy pointed out on the broadcast, this has been the
second best offense in basketball since Julius Randall's return and
the beginning of March. Like, I think it's a really
impressive feat that the Warriors were able to disrupt this
Minnesota offense the way that they were able to, as

(02:27):
well as dominate on the glass. And that's another area
where I'm really disappointed. With Minnesota in this one. They
got crushed on the glass. Golden State was grabbing a
ton of offensive rebounds. I think Jimmy comes away with
like seven in this one. Everyone was super active on
that end, and just with the really large physical and
athletic advantage that I think Minnesota possesses, that should not happen.

(02:50):
So this is a really, really great win for Golden
State to keep Minnesota at bay with Steph off the
floor and hold on to this lead. But it's also
a really ugly loss for this Minnesota offense and for
Anthony Edwards.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Man.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
I definitely think it's a little bit of both. But
hey man, anytime the Doves win a game without Steph Curry,
it's really massive and offensively.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
Got to tip your cap.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
To Draymond forgetting it going early in this game, draining
a bunch of threes. I said it, dude, if they're
gonna give you open ones, test it early if the
shots fall, and keep going back to it.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
And that was a big thing.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
And then I'm happy to announce I'm a proud owner
of Buddy healstock once again. And call me crazy Carson.
I think it's still on the rise, man, I think
I may have bought. You know, look, I fucked up.
I fucked up big time with my stock portfolio. But hey, yeah,
I think I can make some money on this investment.
Buddy heel Man a hero, He's a superhero.

Speaker 5 (03:46):
Yeah, it's an incredible buddy game. It's an incredible shooting
first half from Draymond just stepping in to above the
break threes when Rudy is trying to totally ignore him
so he can be parked in the paint like those two.
Being able to infuse that sort of three point shooting
is honestly the difference in this game, because the Warriors
inside the arc got nothing. Man, I think that they

(04:09):
shot like thirty seven percent inside the arc, but they
shoot forty three percent from beyond the arc and they
make eighteen threes. Meanwhile, Minnesota got nothing going from beyond
the arc in this entire game, which I do think
is really really damning for them. I thought that the
Warriors did a really nice job defensively. I thought that

(04:31):
they executed their game plan to perfection. They protected the
hell out of the paint and they loaded up on
Anthony Edwards and Julius Randall's drives. But it's inexcusable to
me the extent to which that baffled aunt In Randall
and the extent to which they played totally out of
control and continued to try to force drive after drive

(04:52):
into these pack paints and tried to finish in traffic.
Like I understand that the Timbrels spot up shooting was
really bad in the game. They should have taken fifteen
more threes than they did, though, because at some point
you just got to believe in the law of averages
were getting good shots from the perimeter. Out of the
drive and kick game they could have been, I should
say they never got the drive and kick game started.

(05:15):
Ant and Randall were just very stubborn and they were very,
very bad in their offensive process. I thought that they
both played horrible games. And I understand that the ant
box score is going to come away looking a little
bit better because of what he did in that fourth
quarter in what was a pretty fake comeback, And like
when they did stay home on shooters, and if they

(05:35):
didn't help aggressively, Anthony Edwards was going to walk his
way to the rim, and like we saw more of
that in the second half. But when they were helping aggressively.
He was extremely inefficient. He obviously couldn't get the jumper
going in this one, and he was as zero as
a playmaker. And Julius Randall is just like throwing the
ball around all over the floor.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
It was terrible.

Speaker 5 (05:55):
And like, when I think about one of the concerns
I had coming into this playoff run, it was the
collective playmaking of those two. It was the question of
can they consistently make the right decision when defenses are
gonna load up on their drives and dare them to
consistently beat them as passers? And then I just thought
they were both so good in that role against the

(06:15):
Lakers that they had really assuage a lot of those concerns.
This was an f performance for both of them, And
so you give credit to the Warriors, but this is
the worst loss of the playoffs, Like it should not
be possible to lose a game to the Warriors without
Steph Curry when you have as much talent as the
Timberwolves do. And part of it you can just say
is okay, freak three point shooting differential, But the Timberwolves

(06:38):
offensive process was really bad. Their stars were really bad defensively.
I didn't think that they brought the necessary intensity until
really the fourth quarter of this game, and then still
like they're somehow letting Buddy Heald get open. Looks like
when Buddy Heeld is coming around a handoff, man, I'm
blitzing that shit when Steph cur isn't on the floor.

(06:58):
Buddy Heeld is the mostangerous weapon out there. Buddy Healed
was a more dangerous weapon than Jimmy Butler, who still
really never seized control of this game. Like he played okay,
I guess, and he made his impact on the offensive
glass like you mentioned, but he shoots seven of twenty
from the field. I thought that he was struggling to
really get by people on drives. He was being deterred

(07:20):
by Gobert, like he was really driving to try to
just pass out and wasn't super successful getting downhill. So
Buddy's the one dude who just has like that a
plus trade out there offensively, and they let him beat
them with it a bit too much in this game.
So I thought it was really really bad form Minnesota,
especially on the offensive end, but defensively, ninety nine points

(07:42):
is not a big number to let up. I still
think it's too big a number to let up to
the Warriors without Steph Curry.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, I completely agree. There's no way they should have
lost this game. And I don't wanna. I thought Anthony
Edwards did a much better job in the second half,
getting going when they needed him and feeling it.

Speaker 4 (07:59):
But you gotta get four quarters.

Speaker 1 (08:02):
Man. It's like, when we're gonna put an into these
conversations like last episode, I was talking juggling him Tatum
and Steph, it's like, you just can't have performances like this, man.

Speaker 5 (08:11):
And this was a horrible half, absolutely horrible.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
This just felt like a really big swing game for
the Timberwolves, like a prove it game, almost, you know
what I mean. No, Steph Curry, Hey, pressure's off. First
game of the series.

Speaker 4 (08:24):
We're at home.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Let's seize control, let's take advantage, and you let this
golden opportunity, the golden State gives you just slip through
your grasp off of To me, Carson, it's damning that
Randall and Edwards in this offense was this ugly and
you get this bad of a shooting performance. To me,
the uglier aspect really is the effort category. Though, like.

Speaker 4 (08:45):
Ninety nine points isn't a.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
Lot to allow to the Warriors, and it's not a
really bad overall defensive performance. But again, man back to it,
like the rebounding and closing out in the process. It's
just a really really ugly loss. And dude, like the
Warriors role players, I felt like didn't even play that well,
Like Buddy Heal played great, right, But I mean, dude,

(09:07):
you've got Pat Spencer out there giving you real minutes
in this game. You've got Ki Minga doing nothing, man,
just out there getting up and down the floor, like
this is Carson. This is the worst loss for Minnesota
since was it that Bucks game that they were playing
in that bult down. I mean, this is the worst

(09:27):
loss to me, and it's worse. It's worse when you
have a guy like Steph Curry off the floor like
that was a monumental meltdown in the fourth quarter. This
is just a game where they were never in control
when Steph Curry was off the floor after the first quarter. Man, Like,
I think this is a worse loss than that. And
I wouldn't say I'm like nervous or anything about them
the rest of the way in this series. But this

(09:48):
is a really discouraging game, and I think you just
have to be a little bit more concerned about some
of these Minnesota red flags that we may have glossed over.

Speaker 5 (09:57):
All of their worst tendencies, all the things that made
me more hesitant about them coming into the playoffs were
at their absolute worst tonight. Do I think they can
get these things figured out? I do, Like I think
that Ant is somebody who at times takes a little
bit too adjust to seeing certain coverages. Like if you
think about Game two against the Lakers, was a really

(10:19):
bad playmaking game from him, and then he bounced back
and I thought was excellent as a playmaker in games
three through five, but he's gotta be more willing to
make those kickout passes. I thought that he struggled with
double teams out right tonight as well, just really really bad.
And then obviously like Devincenzo can't make a shot, Conley
can't make a shot. Really, nobody outside of nos Reed
and Jade McDaniels could shout out to those guys for

(10:40):
still getting theirs. I thought nas Reed was great in transition,
and he shot the ball well, had a few bad
turnovers of his own, but Jade McDaniels also just looks
so comfortable with like those short range shots right now.
So those were really the only two guys who I
think are deserving of any praise in this game. The
effort stuff that you hit on is also huge. First
of all, the Warriors role players are coming in and

(11:02):
they have major, major skill limitations, but they are busting
their asses out there. Pat Spencer playing his ass off.
Gary Paytony, it is, dude, he played some good minutes tonight.
He's getting to that little hook shot runner. He gets
you two offensive rebounds, he gets you two steals like
he was making some plays happen out there. Gary Payton

(11:23):
the Second gave you good minutes. When he knocks down
two threes, that's always a good sign because that means
you get to reap the benefits of the other good
stuff that he does. He's on the offensive glass, he's
making plays as a passer. Cavon Looney comes in and
I thought really impacted this game in the fourth quarter
when Gobert was kind of taking over with his size
a bit and Looney really neutralized that. So he gives

(11:44):
you some good minutes, and then obviously is Buddy and
Draymond who step up with just their offensive infusions. And
then obviously Draymond is absolutely pivotal to this entire defensive
game plan that I was praising the Warriors for. I
thought that he was excellent as an interior defender, and
he's just been so so great defensively in these playoffs.

(12:04):
But for the Wolves to get out worked on the
glass like this man, for the Warriors to be plus
six in terms of offensive rebounds, that just should never happen,
especially when Looney doesn't even play that much. I mean,
he plays fourteen minutes and they're going double big the
Wolves are for an extended stretch of this game. Like

(12:25):
that is completely inexcusable, and I think it just speaks
to the fact that they came into this game like
they were stuck in mud and they never really got
out of it. And I can't excuse that in the
second round of the playoffs, and like, this is a
huge opportunity for you to steal a game when Steph
Curry isn't on the floor. Now, I thought the Wolves
were just gonna be the better team coming into this series,

(12:46):
so at home, maybe I shouldn't frame it as stealing,
but realistically, with the way that they played tonight, like
the only way they were going to win this game
was with Steph being out, and they still couldn't do it,
and they still couldn't come close.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
What's the blame pie for you? Is the biggest pie?

Speaker 4 (13:01):
Does that go to Ant?

Speaker 5 (13:04):
I think it's a collective Ant and Randall. I thought
Ant in the first half was absolutely horrific, and then
I thought he was able to get some more clean
drives in the second half. It's still a really bad
game from him overall, and I hold him to a
higher standard.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
So I would say probably.

Speaker 5 (13:21):
Thirty five percent and thirty five percent Randal, and then
the rest of it is just like the bad three
point shooting and the insufficient effort from the whole team.
But I really did think it started with their stars
not knowing how to attack this defense because they could
never get things going on the offensive end.

Speaker 4 (13:42):
That's what I wanted to ask you. Next.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
Let's say hypothetically the Warriors come back with this same
game plan for Minnesota offensively, what can Ant and Randall
do differently to be better in Game two?

Speaker 5 (13:53):
Driving kick Man, make the reads the reads are there
like they are driving barreling into pact paints, playing out
of control, playing dumb basketball. So it's not an overly
difficult adjustment to make, Like they have to trust their
shooters and they have to beat the Warriors as playmakers.
They were just tested in this way against the Lakers

(14:14):
and they did a pretty good job of it. So
there's no reason that they should revert to being this bad.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
As this is.

Speaker 1 (14:21):
This is a step up interns.

Speaker 5 (14:22):
Absolutely defense, it's absolutely a better defense, and we talked
about this coming in. They are absolutely better equipped to
execute a really good scheme. And by the way, part
of the reason for that is, well, they have much
better rimp protection than LA did because they have a
Draymond Green who's a special rimp protector for his size,
and they have a lot more speed to rotate out
to shooters and run them off the line. And you

(14:44):
did see them do that on a few occasions, but
I thought it was mostly just Ant and Randall taking
a really bad shot diet and not being nearly as
active and selfless as playmakers as they needed to be.
Sef Curry Logan, we don't know what his status is,
but it's not a good indicator that he's not even

(15:04):
able to return to this game in the playoffs. Now
we saw Jimmy come back with an accelerated timeline from
the glute contusion. Obviously they're going to have him out
there as soon as they can. But a hamstring strain
is not an easy thing to come back from. It's
a dangerous thing to force because it can get worse,
and you have the whole kinetic connections of the lower

(15:26):
body that you don't really want to test, and like
the effects can really be lingering, Like that really really
hinders your explosiveness when your hammy isn't right. I think
it goes about saying the Worries have no chance in
this series without him, But what do you think they
have to do to stay alive until he gets back
out there.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
They bought him a game. That's the way I'll look
at it is it's like you came away with the
dupe in this one, and so it's like we push,
we pushed a next game and hope we win. If
we win, all right, we'll let Steff sit out a
little more. Like I think that it was really crucial
that they won this one just to give him that
cushion if he needs it instead of trying to rush
back and potentially making things worse. I hate hamstring injuries because,

(16:09):
like you were just mentioning more importantly than anything else,
it's like your legs just make everything else go. In basketball,
if you don't have your legs, you're not gonna have anything.
And it's really hard to overcome something like that. Jimmy
has got to be better. That's key number one for me.
If STEP's not going to be out there on the floor,
Jimmy's got to get into takeover mode. He has got
to be the guy creating shots and opportunities and more importantly,

(16:31):
creating advantages because I think if you play an extra period,
the Wolves probably win this game.

Speaker 5 (16:37):
Like, yeah, they.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
Were storming back in the fourth quarter and finally looked
like he was kicking into gear, and the Warriors offense
was ugly, putrid, I mean, nasty, grotesque stuff. Nobody wants
to take a shot. Jimmy has to take it on
him as his responsibility to get downhill and to create
those advantages. And it's not gonna be easy. But you
need Jimmy really taking over. You need Buddy really active

(17:03):
off ball, moving and spraying, knocking down shots. And I
think you need all the role players just continuously moving,
never letting this defense get comfortable, because it's not like
the Warriors have a skill advantage. Right to me, it's
gonna have to be through that grit and grind and
you know, just intelligent basketball b pods and GP two
cutting off ball in making plays happen, guys doing little stuff.

(17:27):
It's gonna be all hands on deck.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
Man.

Speaker 1 (17:28):
The Warriors answered the call today with the defense, with
the rebounding, with energy, with the effort. But the two
biggest keys to me are just how you generate that offense.
And I think it starts with Jimmy and Buddy and honestly,
lov Man. If you gonna need it, and they gonna
be giving Drev shots, stay aggressive, Dre. Keep shooting. See
what happens. Like if you can get off to a
hot start like this, that really helps a Warriors team

(17:51):
that's stagnated, Dude, to start this game. I mean, they
were over fifty percent from behind the arc after at
least deep into the second quarter. Don't know if they
ended up being over fifty percent from deep after the
first half. Shooting is going to be crucial for Golden
State as well. Man, But I'm not as worried about
the defense man. I think the defense and the rebounding,
I think they can consistently reach out level. It's really

(18:12):
gonna be about the offense.

Speaker 5 (18:14):
I don't know if I agree with the rebounding. I
don't know about taking a much more decisive edge on
the boards.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
I don't know if it's going to be every game
like this, but you know what I mean, they can
bring the intensity there.

Speaker 5 (18:25):
They're a really good defense man, and that's got nothing
to do with Steph Curry essentially, like they were the
number one defense in basketball after the Jimmy Butler trade, So.

Speaker 2 (18:33):
That is very real.

Speaker 5 (18:34):
That is what gives them the floor to be competitive
in a game like this, and then they just need
to get pretty lucky with the shooting variants as they
did in this one where the Timberwolves can't make anything
and the Warriors shoot it really really well. From me
on the arc, but I agree with you, Jimmy has
to be able to grab hold of these games more
than he did in this one, which I'm not super

(18:56):
encouraged about, honestly. And I don't know how much of
this to put on the glute contusion that he's playing through,
but he's not really getting by people. Like his offense
right now is basically, I'm either gonna find my way
to the line, which he's excellent at, or it's a
shot diet of pretty tough jumpers, which he's made a

(19:18):
decent amount of, but like he's not an efficient jump
shooter overall, he really can't live off of that. So
basically the Warriors whole offense is just gonna be ball
movement and trying to create open threes for good shooters. Basically,
Buddy healed, and it would be really big if Pods
could get going as well, because he's the only other
guy who's been shooting it at like forty percent from

(19:39):
deep for the better part of the year. But Bud,
he's on an absolute heater right now. I think they
need to continue to play him like he's the closest
thing to a Steph Curry replacement that they have, and
he's very, very far from that. But just with his
off ball movement, with his ability to come around screens
and handoffs and just pull and still be efficient on
some more difficult threes off movement, that's kind of the

(20:02):
best offense they're going to get that and potentially Jimmy
stepping up. That being said, the Warriors shouldn't be able
to win another game in this series if the Wolves
play up to their potential at all, because I did
think defensively, when their intensity picked up in that fourth quarter,
you saw like they can just overwhelm the Warriors athletically,
and they're going to contain the ball. Nobody's gonna be
able to beat them off the dribble. They can overwhelm

(20:24):
shooters and run them off the line, or just close
out really hard and like they're forcing shot clock violations.
The Warriors offense really melted down for a stretch there,
and that's not surprising. The Timberwolves should be able to
keep them from scoring basically at all when Steph is out.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
If Steph does come back.

Speaker 5 (20:42):
Does this game change your outlook on how good of
a chance the Warriors have to win this series?

Speaker 1 (20:48):
Well, I mean, just considering the fact that they stole
this game without Steph, Yeah, it changes it a little bit.
But I had Wolves in seven. I expected some of
the stuff we saw in this game. Honestly, the only
thing that went in the way of the warriors favor
that I really expected was the off shooting night. Now,
I couldn't have expected it to be this bad. Like
this was like as bad as it could get shooting

(21:09):
wise from behind the arc. But I'm still gonna go
Wolves in seven. I expected the Doves experience and defense
to get him a game or two. I definitely didn't
expect to win a game script like this for Golden State.
But I think this one goes the distance. I think
we're in for a battle, and I'm impressed with the
Doves team. Man.

Speaker 4 (21:28):
I'm really impressed with Steve Kerr in just the fight.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
That this team put up, man Like, absolutely, just like
the mental toughness that it takes, you know what I mean,
man Like Mentally, I don't know, it'd be really hard
for me to even have that belief for that fire
in my stomach after our best player leaves if I
was a player on the Warriors, like they didn't stop.

Speaker 4 (21:49):
I'm still gonna stick with t Wolves in seven though.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
But I think we're in for a really good series, man, Dude, Carson,
I think I don't want to get ahead of myself. Man,
I think we could just be in for an all
time playoffs in Jenn just well we are, However, you're shaping.

Speaker 4 (22:02):
Up to me.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
Like every series in totality, I think this has been
an awesome playoffs thus far.

Speaker 5 (22:09):
It's been incredible. It's been so so much fun, and
tonight was another example of that really with the first game.
Second game is a bummer because Steph goes out, but
the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (22:18):
Still do find a way to win it.

Speaker 5 (22:20):
I also lean on the Timberwolves still figuring a lot
of this stuff out, being more consistently locked in defensively,
being more physical, using their athletic advantages on that side
of the ball. I do think they'll win the battle
on the glass more convincingly. I think Ant and Randall
will clean up their offensive process. And this was a
team that was top five and three pointers made and

(22:41):
three point percentage this regular season. They are on a
two game historic slump, like they missed what was at
the time the most three pointers in a game in
the playoffs and NBA history. They shot fifteen percent in
Game five against the Lakers from deep. Now they shoot
sixteen percent in this one. So you can't just write
that off like you think that'll work itself out. But

(23:03):
this is a next level sort of shooting slump that
they're in over these last two games, and that does
have to get a lot better because they need to
be able to capitalize on those drive and kick opportunities.
But I do think they'll be able to. I do
think this game is an aberration for the Timberwolves, but
it's just terrible, and I think that basically everybody who
we've already lambasted fully deserves it. Jay Prum gives us

(23:25):
a generous donation thank you, says Warriors needed this one
series over if we lost.

Speaker 2 (23:30):
I agree.

Speaker 5 (23:31):
I agree because I don't want to speculate, but I
kind of can't imagine that Steph plays game two, and
to have a chance, you need to at least get
one without Steph. I hope he makes a miraculous recovery,
but I don't know hamstring strain, and they know within
like ten minutes of him being in the locker room
that he's not coming back. That's not a good indicator.

Speaker 1 (23:53):
I don't think it's worth it rushing him back, though
I'd give him the next game off.

Speaker 5 (23:59):
Yeah, I don't want to rushing back either. Like you said,
they bought themselves a little time, but this is a
thirty seven year old guard. I'm not playing with his
health as desperately as they need him. They got one,
and that's big for keeping their chances alive. Supernova says,
one point in the first half is in a top
five player, logan, your thoughts.

Speaker 1 (24:19):
Keep the same energy whenever this happens to somebody else, Man,
when Lucas shits his pants, or when An hits his pants,
or when Tatum shits his pants.

Speaker 5 (24:26):
If people do keep the same energy. In fact, I
think people have a lot more enthusiasm when Jason Tatum
does it than they do for Anthony Edwards.

Speaker 1 (24:33):
I think they do.

Speaker 4 (24:34):
I think they do have a lot more enthusiasm. That's
all I'd say is if.

Speaker 1 (24:37):
We're gonna do this with Ant, and I think Ann
earned it. Ant played a really, really horrible first half.

Speaker 4 (24:43):
And you gotta cash that check.

Speaker 1 (24:45):
But you know it, don't. It doesn't change the fact
of who I think that and is or what he's
capable of. And I think he's gonna bounce back in
a big way in the rest of this year's I
don't think Golden State has a good answer for him,
but no, no doubt, man. I mean, it's embarrassing, but
I just think, like when this happens to Steph when
this happens to Tatum, when this happens to Ant, you

(25:07):
shouldn't let one game define.

Speaker 4 (25:10):
A player for you or define you know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
I don't want to just absolve him and say that,
like he needs to be more consistent. Obviously he needs
to be better, But these type of games are susceptible
to happen to any kind of player of any caliber.
But it was ugly, and I think this is a limitation.
That's why him and Tatum. That would be the edge
that I would give Aunt if you were gonna put
Ant Overtatum is the fact that he's always a more
reliable scorer. But you see it in this one man, Like,

(25:35):
you know, even as ineffective as Tatum is as a
scorer or a playmaker, dude, I never feel like his
impact was as negative as it was his Ants in
that first Totally agree.

Speaker 5 (25:43):
Yeah, I think that's a great point to make, even
though Ant was good on the glass, Like, what was
so damning about this Ant game to me is that
it's one point on zero for ten shooting and he's
making terrible decisions and he's forcing it and he's not
amplifying any of his team mates. Like, that's the reason
that I have been more hesitant to Crown and compared

(26:05):
to you Logan. I mean, it's literally been the playmaking.
And then he was playing at a top five level
last series. I wouldn't call him a top five player yet,
but he was playing at that level because he was
bringing that consistent high level playmaking and it's not always
super crazy stuff, but like he's consistently beating doubles, he's
consistently making the right reads when they load up on him,

(26:25):
and he was doing none of that in this game.
So that's the biggest thing that he has to be
more consistent with and this was a really really bad
performance from him on that front. That's more concerning than
any of the scoring stuff early on in this game
in my opinion, because this is just a game where
it wasn't meant for him to be a scorer, where
he's were going to let him be a scorer. When
they did, he scored easily, but the game plan is

(26:46):
he got to beat you as a passer and he
didn't do it.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Or even like stuff, it's like Steph's gravity is always
going to be more of an impact in that and
you trust him way more of the decision maker with
his veteran experience. So they're very marginal things. And I
have yet to fully stamp Ant is that top five
kind of player just yet. Even as high as I
am on him, I'm not gonna lie. He's very close
for me. Like I said, I'm Curry, Luca, Tatum, and

(27:10):
Ant are all kind of in the up in the
air for me, and I'm figuring out where they're going
to land in that top ten. But this this doesn't
change overall who Andy is, man, and I hope he
figures I hope he figures it out. I don't think
this is a super tough matchup for him, but credits
to the Warriors defense and what they did in that
first half.

Speaker 4 (27:27):
Man, that was super impressive.

Speaker 5 (27:29):
He's got to get the pull up three gone too,
because last couple of games he's one of sixteen from deep.
That's outlier bad shooting. You think like Ant was an incredible,
incredible three point shooter in the regular season, But with
all this stuff, like margins in the playoffs are small,
sample size in the playoffs are small, you really can't
afford to be off at anything in a vast majority

(27:50):
of cases for four or five games, because that can
be your season right there.

Speaker 2 (27:54):
So he's got to be way, way, way, way way.

Speaker 5 (27:57):
Better than he was tonight. I do think that he'll
bounce back and play back.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Though.

Speaker 5 (28:00):
We do have one more super chat, but it's about
the Indiana Pacers, So we are gonna save that, Cameron,
but we see your super chat. We're gonna take a
quick break right now to get some quick words from
DraftKings and then we are going to talk about the
Indiana Pacers and they're historic win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
The NBA eighty two.

Speaker 5 (28:26):
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(28:50):
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Speaker 2 (29:44):
The Crown is yours.

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Speaker 3 (30:15):
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Speaker 2 (30:43):
Logan.

Speaker 5 (30:43):
Tyres Halliburton has been able to hit them with the
overrate that twice now in these playoffs because after being
voted the most overrated player in the NBA, he has
hit two game winners, and not just that, he has
been the engine of two historic come for the Indiana Pacers.
I saw automatic. NBA tweeted out an amazing stat today.

(31:06):
All other teams in the last twenty years when facing
a seven plus point differential I believe in the last
minute in the playoffs are a combined one in three
hundred and eighty four. The twenty twenty five Indiana Pacers
logan are two and zero in those spots, and in
both of those games it's been Tyre's Halliburton who has

(31:26):
brought them back from the brink of death and has
just made some incredible shots. And he did it again
in this one. I just want to start with his
clutch performance. How special was that from Halley?

Speaker 1 (31:41):
I mean, I don't get what else he has to
do to prove himself anymore, man Like, these are huge
moments on the biggest age possible. These are the biggest
games of this young man's career, the biggest moments, and
he's come through. I think he's just proving what we've
already known about how and how special he is.

Speaker 4 (32:01):
Like it's just so.

Speaker 1 (32:04):
Funny to me, Like how he's proving the one thing
that people have been super critical about Halle, like wrong
against Giannas, took him to the hole. He took Giannas
straight to the Cup game on the line, ice in
his veins sprayed at three over tie Jerome, And I
want to give Halle credit here. One I do have
to lament the Cavs inexcusable loss. We'll talk more about

(32:27):
their side in a minute. I didn't think that that
was a foul on I think was it on Donovan Mitchell?
Was that the last foul the shooting.

Speaker 5 (32:36):
Call on how he's drive.

Speaker 4 (32:38):
Yeah, m hm.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
I didn't think that was the right call. I thought
the refs blew that one. I thought that Mitchell stayed
vertical for the most part and didn't initiate contact, So
I didn't like the fact that they sent him to
the line. That being said, they didn't get the rebound,
and I thought that was really really bad defense by
Ti Jerome there on the last play. It's like, one,

(33:03):
I don't want them to get a three pointer off
at all. I am running whoever I am guarding off
the line, and I get you don't want to foul
them on the three point attempt, right, So you might
practice a little bit back because you don't need to
jump into you and give them three free ones at
the line. But I'm damn sure not letting you take
a shot to get ahead in the game.

Speaker 4 (33:20):
I'm gonna make you take a two to tie the
game up.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
Right. To me, that was inexcusable, and that's the shot
like that, to me is a game. It's either a
game plan thing or just a lack of focus. That's
the shot that Halliburton wants, and I'm not letting him
get to that look for game.

Speaker 4 (33:36):
So Halle has answered the bill in.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
All of these big moments and come through super clutch
in these moments. But I thought the Cavs really bungled
the ending of this game, and I thought there was
no way they should have lost it so ironically, much
like last game. I thought this was a missed opportunity
from Cleveland down Mobiley Hunter and Garland. But shout out
in Indiana, man, and I don't think anybody, no Halliburton

(34:01):
hat will be tolerated any further. I think we were
on the right side of history with that one.

Speaker 5 (34:06):
Man.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
I'm laughing at everybody who was laughing at Halle at
the beginning of this year two years ago. The people
that were hating on Halle, Like, have.

Speaker 5 (34:14):
You seen what our good friend Drew from Pickasida is doing.
He's trying to pass himself off as a Pacers fan.
He's trying to act like he's one of the enlightened.
Too late, brother, you said unforgivable things about our darling
Midwestern rim.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
And Drew can can stealing it. Man. I love those guys,
but they deserve to eat a little crow on this one.

Speaker 5 (34:32):
I couldn't agree more. Halle is clutch as hell man
And you want to know the craziest number, He is
now ten of eleven on game time and go ahead
shots in the last two minutes this season. Like you
think back to that Bucks game, it's Tyres Halliburton who
scores fourteen points for you in the last six minutes

(34:54):
of that game between the final minute of regulation and
then overtime. Twice within that game he brings you back
the brink. And then this was not close to his
best game, Like his wrist was clearly bothering him, so
he was much less involved in the offense than normal,
and a vast majority of the possession to possession load

(35:15):
was falling on Andrew Nemhart, who I thought was kind
of struggling to bear that and made a lot of
mistakes and had some difficulties dealing with the pressure.

Speaker 2 (35:23):
And he also made some good decisions.

Speaker 5 (35:25):
But the Pacers offense certainly was not in its best
hands because those are Tyres Haliburts. And even though he
was clearly uncomfortable with the risk, Like the whole fourth quarter,
I was thinking, you have to get more Halley. The
whole game, I was thinking, you have to get more Halley,
because even though it was bothering him his wrist like.
His shots still looked good, his finishing still looked good.

(35:46):
He was still getting by people at will. And he's
just the best decision maker and their best scoring guard.
He's their best offensive player by a country mile. And
when you need it most, he steps up and he
shows you that all the same last minute and a half,
he blows by Jared Allen, gets a bucket, he blows
by Isaac Occorro, gets you a bucket. Then he blows
by Ty Jerome gets fouled, hits the first free throw,

(36:08):
ends up grabbing his own miss off the second, and
then steps back on Ty hunting that step back three
games it. It's what you said, man like. The one
thing that people want to act like Hallie can't do
is beat you at a high level as a score,
which he is absolutely more than capable of. This is
a guy who for several months last year was averaging

(36:28):
a super efficient twenty four points per game while he
was leading a historic offense, and consistently weaponizes his scoring
threat to make everybody around him better. Like watch game
one of this series, how does Hollie put the caves away?
In that one he's torching Jared Allen Off switches over
and over again because he's a lethal pull up shooter

(36:49):
and he's more difficult to stay in front of than
a lot of people want you to believe.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
He's shifty.

Speaker 5 (36:54):
And then yeah, if he gets by you and he
draws help, he's gonna make the right read as a
passer because that is his oh special te.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
I think my issue with Core, my issue with them
acting like he's not a really good scorer though, is
the fact that he has great touch from everywhere on
the court. And that's what empowers him to be a
great playmaker, is that threat. It's like he wouldn't be
as great of a playmaker if he couldn't get buckets.

Speaker 5 (37:18):
That's the whole am, that's the whole thing, man, And
like he is one of those guys who is special
in his ability to organize an offense and understand where
the ball needs to go, understand where the advantages are.
He's great at all of that, like pure point guard stuff,
but he is also a legitimate advantage creator. He is
somebody who draws a ton of attention as a scoring threat.

(37:40):
He's just more inclined to use that threat to make
everybody around him better and get them great shots. But
if you need a clutch bucket, he is the guy
to give it you to you and he has shown that.

Speaker 2 (37:49):
Man.

Speaker 5 (37:50):
I mean that clutch number is insane, bro ten of
eleven on those gotta have it shots in the last
two minutes this year, and big picture, he's just balling
out in these playoffs so impactful offensively, always more so
than the box score will tell you. When he's on
the court in these playoffs, Indiana has a one to
twenty four offensive rating. When he's off, they have a

(38:10):
one ten offensive rating. That's a fourteen point swing on
the offensive end. He's creating one point one points per
possession out of pick and roll and he's creating one
point two six points per possession on isolations. Those are
both excellent numbers. That ISO number is crazy, and it's
a combination of his scoring value and his elite playmaking value,

(38:31):
always making the right decisions, best decision maker in basketball.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
And it's not a.

Speaker 5 (38:35):
Coincidence that this guy led the number one playoff offense
last year and now he's leading the number two playoff
offense this year. Like he's just a phenomenal basketball player.
He's one of the most special offensive talents we have
in the league, and he is somehow consistently wildly underrated,
and he is demanding his respect right now with these
sort of big moments, in these big performances. And I'm

(38:58):
just so happy to see it because the guy's in
credit and he's got his team in great position now
to make their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals run.

Speaker 2 (39:05):
That's not an easy thing to do, not at.

Speaker 1 (39:08):
All, man, And I mean, he was the catalyst for
turning this thing around. What also makes this super impressive
to me is the fact that you didn't get big
games from some of the supporting cast, Like I didn't
think Sakam or Turner played anywhere close to like their
best games.

Speaker 5 (39:23):
Now, Turner was pretty good, he was able to give
him some big buckets attacking mismatches, but it was the
second straight quiet Seakham game.

Speaker 1 (39:31):
Yeah, but I mean, Nie Smith comes through and like,
the depth on this team is really great. But yeah,
normally when other guys struggle around how they like this,
I'm not gonna win, Like you know, normally, you're gonna
get a better game from Siakam, a better game from Nemhord.

Speaker 4 (39:45):
Those are prerequisites for winning.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
And it sucks, man, It just sucks for the Cavaliers
to weighte such a like super.

Speaker 4 (39:53):
Human Donovan Mitchell game. I mean wow, like.

Speaker 1 (40:00):
The burden on him in this game, and like the
stamina that it took to keep coming down every single
possession in serving Buggets to almost give you fifty points
in ten assistant This one dude, Mitchell got to the
line twenty one times and made seventeen shots. Like, what
a great Donovan Mitchell game. You couldn't have asked him
to do anything more with all of these guys out.

(40:21):
And I get this is so hard for Cleveland, but
it's got to be deflating. Man. You lose both of
your games on your home floor. Now you waste this
kind of game. You have an utter collapse. And I
thought you got really good production out of the collective
in Cleveland. I thought Jared Allen had a really good game.

(40:42):
I thought Max Struce had a phenomenal game. I thought
you got really good minutes from Starter Dean Wade, from
Sam Merrill, from Javonte Green, from Craig Porter Junior, the hustle, energy,
defense effort, the one guy that I point the finger
at for this game and for Game one as well,
is ty Jerome. Man.

Speaker 4 (41:00):
I don't think ty Jerome.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
Has lived up to what he's needed to do in
these first two games at all. And I don't want
to put all the Game one on him. And I
thought he had an all right game, but I thought
he could have played better this game. I'm very comfortable
with laying at his feet man. I thought he was
the guy that needed to deliver more in these kind
of circumstances, even down to the late moments, like you're

(41:24):
saying getting blown by on Halle on that last possession,
the shot getting shot over, and people are saying, well,
what do you can do? What can you do? Get
up in Halle's grill on that last shot, make sure
that you don't give him that big of a cushion
on a step back three. It's like Halliburton is a
great pull up shooter, but at the end of the day,

(41:44):
Halliburton has that set catapult kind of shot where if
you're playing him close on ball pressure, he shouldn't be
able to get off that clean of a look. And
so down to the late game execution, down to the
offensive game that you got start to finish from Ti Jerome.
I thought he was a massive, massive letdown in this
game and a huge component of why Cleveland lost this one.

(42:07):
Like not that you expect Ti Jerome to give you
e leite production every night, but in a game where
you're missing Hunter, Mobley and Garland, he is the guy
that you expect to pick up the slack and to deliver,
and he didn't.

Speaker 5 (42:20):
Not only did he not deliver, man, he goes one
of fourteen. It's one of the ten worst shooting performances
from the field we've seen in the playoffs since the
merger with that many attempts. So it's a historically bad
performance from Ty Jerome and he was absolutely the worst
player for them and to end in this game the

(42:40):
worst underperformer. I just think he looks really overwhelmed by
the level of ball pressure that he's dealing with, by
the level of physicality he is just consistently putting up
these really tough runners and flop in two bro Well
he should because he's not getting calls like I mean,
he just like runs into Miles turn and collapses early

(43:01):
in this game. There's been a lot of that in
these two games where he's not even getting up a
legitimate look at the rim. But part of it is
his floaters just being off, and he is amazing at
that shot, normally one of the best in basketball, but
I think there's a reason that he looks so uncomfortable,
and even the shot that is usually his bread and butter, like,

(43:22):
he's consistently missing short and he is forcing over some
defenders who are really giving him trouble. So he is
the culprit for the full forty eight But when it
comes to the last forty eight seconds, I mean just
a complete meltdown by a number of guys for the Calves.
They were up seven, and like I do just want
to walk through how catastrophic this was. Because I'm giving

(43:45):
props to Hallie and he made some special plays, but
he shouldn't have had the opportunity to do that if
the Calves didn't mess up so horrifically on their end.
Up seven with forty eight seconds left, can't keep Aaron E.
Smith off the offense glass. When Siakam misses both free throws,
he gets a put back dunk off the second miss.
Then Mitchell commits an offensive foul against Aaron E. Smith

(44:08):
when he's dealing with some ball pressure and he gets
the ball back. Seakham scores. Then they're trying to inbound.

Speaker 2 (44:15):
They're up three. Max Struce throws the ball.

Speaker 5 (44:18):
Away trying to find Ty Jerome, who was jostling for
position with Andrew Nemhart, and like Strus, just totally misread
his leverage and threw the ball to a spot where
it was incredibly easy for Nemhar to just sort of
discard Jerome and then go get it and start a
transition opportunity. And then you have the whole Halley sequence
that we already broke down.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
So it is an.

Speaker 5 (44:39):
Unimaginably bad choke in a game where for forty seven
minutes the Cavs did everything they needed to win and
they could not afford to lose this game.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
Like your season is on the line.

Speaker 5 (44:52):
You're down Evan Mobley, you're down Darius Garland, you're down
DeAndre Hunter, and still you're up seven in the final minute,
Like you did your job until winning time and you
lose and now you're down two zero and we don't
know when these guys are coming back. Like what we
were talking about with the Warriors losing, Steph, you have
to at least buy yourself time. You have to at

(45:15):
least buy yourself some margin when you're down key guys,
and the Calves were so so close to doing that,
and then they failed to put this game away. And
I feel horrible for Donovan Mitchell because of that. And
he absolutely was involved in some of these key sequences
where the Calves blew the game, Like he had the
offensive foul against aaron Ne Smith. He let me Smith

(45:37):
get past him on that offensive rebound that putback, which
was a pretty clear lane violation on Nees Smith if
we're being honest, but rest probably aren't gonna call.

Speaker 2 (45:45):
That in that spot.

Speaker 5 (45:46):
So he fouled Tyrese Haliburn, like he was involved in
some of these really bad moments for the Cavs in
the last minute. But he also had forty eight points
and nine assists, and he was plus thirteen in his minutes,
like the Calves were minus fourteen in the twelve minutes
without him. That's really where they lost this game, as
much as the choke at the end. And it was

(46:07):
just a superhuman Mitchell performance, man. I mean, they could
not keep him away from the rim. He was getting
to the bucket at will, getting to the line at will,
and he created a ton of looks for his teammates.
He created seventy two points of offense in this game.
I thought he was the best player on the floor
by far. And yes, he took a lot of shots,

(46:27):
but I thought that he struck a better balance than
he did in Game one of taking over but also
still getting his teammates involved. And also he was just
getting like the kind of shots that I want him
taking over and over and over again. This wasn't a
thirteen to three point attempt Donovan Mitchell game because the
three ball was off for him.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
Again.

Speaker 5 (46:45):
This was a downhill, dominant sort of performance from him,
and he was just so so great for almost this
entire game.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
And it's just really really brutal.

Speaker 5 (46:55):
That they let it slip away like that, because, like
you said, Man, I thought they did a lot of
things right. For the first forty seven minutes of this game.

Speaker 2 (47:03):
I thought that.

Speaker 5 (47:03):
Max Struce was really really good. He is an offensive weapon.
He is just such a great shooter, and he was
active on the offensive glass. He's an underrated playmaker. So
he gives them twenty three big points. But then he
has a terrible snafu in the last minute. And really,
I mean where they built this lead and where this
game felt so dramatically different than Game one to start

(47:24):
was their defensive intensity in that first quarter was phenomenal.
They were pressuring the ball like hell, they forced nine turnovers.
They were keeping Indiana out of transition where they're at
their best, like they were stifling them. I thought Isaac
Ocorro gave you some great defensive minutes. And maybe part
of Hallie's passivity was also related to just like Okoro

(47:45):
being attached to him like glue the whole game when
he was on the floor. But the Cavs couldn't quite
keep up that defensive level after the first quarter. And
Indiana's just a special offense and they got things going.
They have thirty five in the second quarter, thirty four
in the third quarter, thirty six in the fourth quarter.
They have so many contributors. Like I thought Miles Turner

(48:05):
was pretty good. I thought Benedict Mathern was excellent. He
was cutting well, he hit a three. Aaron Ne Smith
has just been like an A plus role player in
the playoffs so far, with the defensive effort that he's bringing.
You taking on that Mitchell matchup not that he offered
a ton of resistance in this one, but he made
a couple of big plays, and he's a really good

(48:26):
defensive player. He's been great on the offensive glass, and
he's been shooting the shit out of it. So those
guys collectively did enough, and that's something that you can
really consistently bank on with Indiana.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
I love Hallie.

Speaker 5 (48:38):
I will always hype him up as the engine of
this team special offense, and he often doesn't get enough credit.
But they do have great depth, and they do have
so many reliable contributors and that came through for them
in this one.

Speaker 1 (48:52):
I do want to give the Cleveland collective credit for
the defense they played in this game.

Speaker 2 (48:56):
Though.

Speaker 1 (48:56):
I really liked the ball pressure and the intensity that
we saw from Cleveland from the jump. I thought, for
the most part, they did a really good job on Indiana.

Speaker 4 (49:05):
The only area that I.

Speaker 1 (49:06):
Was disappointed in was them conceding open threes. I thought
that Nieman did get a lot of good looks, especially
from the corner, which they could do better at.

Speaker 4 (49:14):
But that's what sucks so bad about this one.

Speaker 1 (49:17):
Man, I don't think Cleveland could have outside of closing
better in that final minute. I don't know how the
first three quarters could have gone any better for them,
Donovan Mitchell taking over it, getting contributions from everybody. It's like,
I really do think man if Ty Jerome just plays
a little bit better.

Speaker 4 (49:32):
Like they just come away with this game.

Speaker 1 (49:34):
This Yeah, this feels like I mean well and also
just feels like the end of the road for Cleveland,
Like this is a really hard hole to dig yourself
out of. Man, you gotta win these next two games.
You gotta win two on the road. You gotta steal
them back in Indiana probably down you know, two of
your five best players.

Speaker 2 (49:55):
So do you think that their season is over?

Speaker 1 (49:58):
I mean, I if I was a gamb Man, which
I'm not. Pacers and seven.

Speaker 5 (50:05):
Okay, so let me ask you, can they still win
this series without Mobiley, Garland and Hunter?

Speaker 4 (50:12):
You can cut it in Mobley?

Speaker 5 (50:14):
Do you think they can't win this series just without Mobley?
I think Garland is really important offensively because Ty has
struggled so much. Also, just like their overall three point
shooting has not been what we're used to from the Cavs.
This team was top two and three's made top two
and three point percentage this year and They've shot what
like twenty six percent from deep collectively over these two games,

(50:38):
so that's been really bad. Garland is just such a
pick and roll master and such a great shooter and
such a great playmaker. He makes a huge difference. Mobi
also makes a big difference. I was really impressed with
their defensive start to this game without him. I thought
that they would struggle more on that side of the
ball to really offer any resistance to Indiana. But yeah,
I mean, if they don't have those guys, they cannot

(50:59):
win this series. The Cavs depth is really good, and
props to Max Strus and props to Sam Marrow for
giving some good minutes in this one, and props to
Dean Wade for giving some good defensive and rebounding minutes.
And their offensive depth is phenomenal. But their depth isn't
good enough to overcome missing those guys. So let me
ask the second part of this question. Do the Calves

(51:20):
still have a legitimate chance to win this series if
they get those guys back shortly?

Speaker 1 (51:25):
For sure?

Speaker 4 (51:27):
I don't think you can spare a game, though.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
I think they gotta be back next game, or at least.

Speaker 4 (51:30):
One of them.

Speaker 1 (51:31):
You need and Hunter Hunter's really impactful, don't get me wrong,
but you need one of Garland or Mobley back for
next game. If Garland or mobiley. If Garland and Mobley
both are out next game, I would put the.

Speaker 4 (51:46):
Nail in the coffin.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
I think the Calves are cooked, and like I said,
I think even if they do come back, this is
a really difficult hole to dig yourself out of, especially
when you're dealing with the team as good as the Pacers,
because that's the other component of this. I thought this
is going to be a struggle of a series, even
with the fully healthy Calves, because I have that much
respect for the Pacers now that they have gifted them

(52:09):
two games in this cushion.

Speaker 4 (52:12):
I just think it's too much to overcome. Man.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
I think that Indiana's gonna come away with this one.

Speaker 5 (52:17):
If they get Mobley and Garland back for Game three,
I think they can win this series because I do
think that they're the better team at full strength. But
winning four or five versus Indiana with how dynamic that
Pacers offense is is going to be really hard, and
if they do get them back, it's probably going to

(52:38):
be rushed like this toast brain is clearly bothering Garland.
He reportedly doesn't feel comfortable exploding and like he's already
missed a good bit of time with it. I think
that the timeline for Mobley's injury is normally a week
to two weeks. I think it's similar for DeAndre Hunters. So,
like all of these guys would be getting rushed back

(53:00):
because it's the playoffs and that's what you do. But
you're not necessarily getting the best versions of them even
if you do get them back out there. So I
think the most realistic outcome at this point is just
that the Pacers do win this series.

Speaker 2 (53:12):
I don't think it's a lock.

Speaker 5 (53:14):
If the Calves get those guys back, then I think
that they do still have a real chance, but it's
going to be really difficult for them to pull off.
I mean, they really have to be exceptional because the
margin at this point is next to zero.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
I mean they've really lost their margin.

Speaker 5 (53:30):
By losing this game, which is why it's just so
so brutal. And like, I am really happy for Hallie,
and I'm really happy for the Pacers because they're such
a good team and they deserve to have a deep
playoff run with the level they're playing at. But boy,
am I bummed for the Calves because if this is

(53:51):
how their season ends, you lose your second, third, and
fifth best players. That's just absolutely brutal. Like if people
try to use this to discredit them, I don't know
what to say to you. Man, if you're gonna try
to get off your twenty fifteen Hawks takes when the
Calves are without.

Speaker 1 (54:09):
It's just low hanging fruit, man, And.

Speaker 5 (54:12):
I mean stupid, and it's wrong, and like, legitimately, I
don't know how you can even take yourself.

Speaker 1 (54:18):
See, the Caves is just so much better in that team.

Speaker 5 (54:20):
Man way, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson and Andre Guidala
from the Peak Warriors, I don't think they'd be as good.
It doesn't even work because, yeah, I'm saying before Kevin Durant,
all right, we're taking all those guys away. Like, if
you take away three of the top five players on
a team, yeah, it's gonna make a really big difference
no matter how good their depth is. And the Calves

(54:41):
really deserved a chance at a title healthy this year.
I did think that Boston and Okac were the top
two favorites, but the Calves were that clear third favorite
for me at full strength, and it would be a
real bummer to see them deprived of that opportunity, and
I do worry that that might be on its way
to happening. We do have a super chat in a

(55:02):
question from Cameron who says it would still be wild.
But considering they've been the best team in the playoffs
so far, is there a world where Indiana wins it all?
If so, what percentage one percent?

Speaker 4 (55:16):
I don't mean to be like a downer, but like.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
For them, and Indiana's got such a unique style of
winning basketball games. I want to give props the friend
of the show, Jason, host of Hoops Tonight.

Speaker 4 (55:30):
I mean, we were doing our previews series.

Speaker 1 (55:32):
Dude, he earmarked two teams that could potentially go on
a deep playoff runs, like dark horse championship contenders, and
they were two that I know we were pretty high on,
but he actually made the case and that was Indiana
and that was Minnesota. You know, is those real dark
horse contenders. And so Indiana has such a strong identity
in such an advantage in one area, and it's that

(55:53):
elite offense and the fact that they can manufacture.

Speaker 4 (55:55):
It at will.

Speaker 1 (55:56):
I don't think there's anything you need to look further
past than the clutch game against Milwaukee. The fact that
they erase that deficit so quickly, and the fact that
they erase this deficit so quickly, Indiana can just put
points up in bunches, and so that gives them something
special that they can hang their hat on. They could
lean to them making a really deep run. The reason

(56:20):
I only say one percent. Boston to me also has
that advantage because they have an elite offense, but they're
also an elite defense. There's a huge gap there, So
I think Tatum would have to be off and KP
would have to be really bad. But I give them
a chance. I mean, that series last year is really close.
I give them a little slim chance against Boston. The
real issue for me is when we whoever we get

(56:40):
out of the West, if it was Okay, see if
it was Denver. That's the one that I have a
really hard time seeing them overcome. But I don't know, man,
Indiana's gonna be here every single year as long as
they have Halle in this corps.

Speaker 4 (56:56):
Like, Indiana's a really.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
Good team, They're just not a defense man. That defense
is just what keeps them from being a real title contender,
but I wouldn't put I think they're going to get
to the ECF back to back years, which is one
hell of an accomplishment for them.

Speaker 5 (57:09):
So if they do knock out the Cavs outside of
Boston and Okse, is there anybody else who you view
as like being a level above India.

Speaker 4 (57:17):
Denver more than them? For sure?

Speaker 1 (57:18):
I just think Jokic would be I think Jokic would
terrorize them in that series. So honestly, I don't know
if a tier above is the way to put it,
but I would have Denver and Golden State I think.

Speaker 2 (57:34):
Above Indians, the Golden State in Minnesota.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
Probably Indiana is still probably really low on my playoff
total poll, but they're a great team.

Speaker 5 (57:44):
Wow, maybe I'm higher on them than you are, Like
I think that they are more of a legitimate threat
than the Warriors. I think that their offense different tier. Really,
I just think their defense has improved a lot, And
that's the big reason that I wish that I had
been even more of an advocate for the Pacers coming

(58:05):
into the playoffs, like I did talk about the really
good basketball they've been playing for three quarters of the year,
but like their defensive improvement is very real, going from
what they were last year twenty fourth in defensive rating
to whatever they were this year, fourteenth. Like their ball
pressure is legitimate, their point of attack defense is legitimate,

(58:26):
their rim protection is solid. They're not a very good defense.
They have their limitations in terms of real high end
like big front court defensive players. Outside of Jaris Walker,
he's pretty good, but he's not going to play so
much for you because of his offense.

Speaker 2 (58:42):
They're not a.

Speaker 5 (58:42):
Good rebounding team usually, but there are respectable defense. I
think that Hallie's improved there. And then offensively, they're as
reliable as it gets. Their pace translates and they're a
great half court offense.

Speaker 2 (58:58):
But this is back to back.

Speaker 5 (59:00):
Here's where we're talking about a top two playoff offense,
and they churn it out regardless of opponents. So I
do think that like Boston and OKC are still at
a different level as being two way forces who are
elite on both ends. But I think that Indiana has
an offense that can go toe to toe with anybody,
and their defense isn't as good as the Calves, but

(59:23):
I think that they have fewer outright weak points, Like
when you think about the Boston matchup, it's so easy
for them to target Darius Garland every time down the floor.
Indiana doesn't have a guy like that. Everybody is competitive
defensively at the very least. So after those top two
I wouldn't put them comfortably below anybody else. I would
have them with Denver in Minnesota, not comfortably below them,

(59:46):
like just in terms of their ability to beat all
these teams in.

Speaker 1 (59:49):
A bad tier like tier.

Speaker 5 (59:50):
Yeah, yeah, I'd have them in the same tier, and
I would have them above the Warriors. And we'll see
what happens with the Caves. I think that the Knicks
the least scary of all the remaining playoff teams. But
I do think the healthy Calves are really, really great,
and I do think that they're a top two team
in the East. And I'm very bummed for them, and

(01:00:11):
I feel so bad for Cavs fans, Like, if this
is how your season goes out, I'm so sorry, because
this is one of their best seasons ever. They won
sixty four games, they had a top twenty net rating
in NBA history, they had three all NBA caliber players,
and to go down two of them. Really can't emphasize
enough how much of a bummer that is.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
On that depressing note. I'm gonna pick up.

Speaker 5 (01:00:35):
Morale by shouting out Tyrese Halliburn again. And I'm working
on a halle Glaze YouTube video, so hopefully that will
be up tomorrow. Any last thoughts before we get out
of here, Logan.

Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
Fourth quarter legend, nas Reed, nas.

Speaker 5 (01:00:51):
Reed, he did his part today. The Minnesota timberlves in
totality did not. I had some notes about Andrew Nemhart's
performance that we didn't get to. How am I going
to talk about him being rattled by the ball pressure,
making some horrible passes, missing Miles Turner, very open off
a couple rules, but also making a few nice reads
in the last couple of minutes. I guess I'm just
going to talk about it now. Those are basically my

(01:01:12):
thoughts on Andrew Nemhard's performance. I thought that he gets
a cus for this game. Good player. Asked to take
on a big role in this game offensively that maybe
he wasn't fully equipped for. But he was good defensively,
solid on the glass. So that's the Pacers experience.

Speaker 3 (01:01:28):
Man.

Speaker 5 (01:01:28):
He got a whole lot of good basketball players playing
some good basketball out there. We will be back tomorrow
night reacting to the two games.

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
On that slate.

Speaker 5 (01:01:37):
I really cannot wait for Game two of Thunder Nuggets.

Speaker 2 (01:01:41):
That is as good as it gets.

Speaker 5 (01:01:44):
And if you want to join us for that journey,
well you know where to find us right here on
our YouTube channel. You can catch all of our post
game live streams. You can watch those in the moment
or you can watch them back after the fact, and
you can listen to all of our full episodes across
all audio platforms. You can also catch all of our
YouTube video essays and breakdowns. As I mentioned, Hopefully we'll

(01:02:04):
have one on Halle Up either tomorrow or the next day.
So all of that stuff is on our channel, and
you can follow with scross social if you want, TikTok
and Instagram at nerd sessh, Twitter at nerd Underscore sesh.
You know what was a crazy experience I had today,
Logan So my YouTube algorithm recommended to me a trivia
time episode of ours from our old Nerd Sash channel

(01:02:25):
and it was five years old, and I watched some
of it and I thought, Wow, what a journey man. No, honestly,
I said, damn, we know a lot more ball now.
Like I asked you a question about the leading tackler
in the two thousands, and you were like Zach Thomas
ray Lewis, and I was like, good guesses. But then

(01:02:45):
I was thinking to myself, I bet it's London Fletcher.
If it wasn't either of that, right, Well, that's correct.
You five years ago didn't think of it so fast,
So you've improved, dude. You asked me a question about
scoring champs to miss the playoff, and I got the
first few pretty quickly, but then I wasn't mustering up
pistol pete and I was just like, you idiot, you buffoon.

(01:03:08):
How do you not know this?

Speaker 1 (01:03:09):
Bro?

Speaker 4 (01:03:09):
It's men's mental health month.

Speaker 5 (01:03:10):
Bro, it's men's mental health month. So I gotta go
easy on myself.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
And we're just we're promoting positive self.

Speaker 4 (01:03:17):
Talk this month.

Speaker 5 (01:03:18):
Bro, we are man. Listen, I'm not being negative. I'm
actually highlighting growth. I'm highlighting growth among young men in
their twenties who could have gone and become radical alt
right in sel freaks and instead just got even deeper
into podcasting and sports trivia. You know, maybe it's not
the ideal path that our parents would have envisioned. But
it's good enough. It's better than some of the alternatives.

(01:03:42):
I guess that's my takeaway graduations on five years of
Nerd Sash almost six years. Actually, that's what they don't
want you to know. I found out to you guys
for enduring not all of it with us. If you have,
you're probably one of our parents. But thank you for
however much of the journey you have enjoyed with us.
We appreciate you, guys.

Speaker 4 (01:04:00):
Thank you guys for tuning in to night.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
We'll be back tomorrow if you can believe it or not.

Speaker 5 (01:04:05):
Man, it's unbelievable. It's just unbelievable. Every night we're here.
I was thinking as I was watching that episode, it
looks like we're both trapped in very dark and dank basements,
which we still are. Actually we both are still contained
in our cages, but the lighting is a lot better.

Speaker 4 (01:04:19):
I was gonna say, the ring light makes a world
of difference.

Speaker 2 (01:04:22):
Progress, progress with that. As always, I've been Garson Brabber,
I have

Speaker 1 (01:04:27):
Been Logan Kanson, and this was Nerd Sash