Playoff Surprises, Embiid Hobbled, Teams Who Will Get Swept ft Rajon Rondo | Episode 24 | BULLY BALL
April 23, 2024 • 41 mins
This week on BULLY BALL, Rachel and Boogie are joined once again by Rajon Rondo to discuss the first week of the NBA Playoffs. Which teams have surprised so far? Which teams are at risk of getting swept and are the likeliest to? Plus, Joel Embiid is not 100%, what is the fix to his injury issues?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to Bullyball, presented by DraftKings.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I am Rachel Nichols as always, mister DeMarcus Cousins and
bride John Rondo is back. This makes my day. We
are talking to you Boogie in Taiwan. You are back
there with the Taiwan beer Leopards, which I learned only
after your last stint is not the Taiwan beer Leopards,
but the Taiwan beer Leopards. But I have to say
(00:30):
in my heart they will always be the beer Leopards.
And I'm going to make my own merch that just
says beer Leopards. And that's how I'm going to appear
in the podcast next week.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So just be ready for that.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
I'm cool, we need that.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
How's it going over there for you so far?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I saw that you got into a little, a little
thing with an opposing player on their bench.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
But this is like little? Is this Kentucky Louisville beef?
Like spilling over? Didn't he go to a little but what?
What's what's happening here? What happened? Do we have a clip? Producer, Nate?
Can we see the clip? Here we go?
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Commentary there, I've heard I've heard those words before really.
Speaker 5 (01:33):
A couple of seons in my day.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
Shout out to Jayalen Johnson man. First off, man, he
was a little frustrated. You know, I put some veteran
moves on him, got into some foul trouble. But in
the beginning I was trying to talk to the young fella, like, look,
you're taking your frustration out on the wrong guy.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Should be mad at the I didn't call the fouls.
I created him, but he called them.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
His emotions was a little all over the place, you know,
he got the chirping here and there.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So we had some back and forth, but at the
end of the day it was hoo. We kept it cool.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
We shook hands at the end, and we actually ended
up playing again the next night, and uh, you know
it was it was a lot better of an exchange.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Man.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
I think he understood. Oh sorry about that.
Speaker 6 (02:20):
I think he understood, you know where I was coming from.
You know, just as far as you know how to
play the game, how to you know, not use your
hands on defense and things like that. So I understand
that when it comes to this game, people get frustrated.
It happens all the time. You know, you say things
you don't really mean sometimes.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Look at the growth.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
You fee you feel me though, you feel me, don't smoke.
Shout out to Jalen Johnson.
Speaker 6 (02:51):
He's a talented young kid, bright future, and we're gonna
keep it hooped.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
That's all I got to say.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Look at the player you raised, though, Look look at
that all those all those hours in Sacramento, all of
the all the time put in there to you about temperament,
I can see the game.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
You can take all the credit.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
I can't take all the credit, but you know it's
about growth, and I'm happy to hear his response on
what happened a couple of days ago.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
So shout out to the big fella.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
But like the bat, there you go.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
All right, the adventures of the beer Lepers, and yes,
I'm gonna keep calling them Matt. We will continue to
follow over the next few weeks. Let's talk a NBA
playoffs though, because they started over the weekend. Of course,
every single home team won this weekend, which has not
happened in years.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So I just want to go rapid fire with you guys.
Big picture. Uh, let's start with you book. What stood
out to you the most?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (03:47):
For me, what I've seen so far is and I
may be speaking early on this, but I really feel
like we're starting to see the turning point in the
league to where the youngsters are, you know, starting to
take over. And it's still a little early, but we
saw a lot of dominant performances from you know, this younger,
(04:09):
you know age group of guys that's coming up in
our league right now, the Shades, the Anthony Edwards, the.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Obviously the Lucas and guys of that nature.
Speaker 6 (04:18):
So I'm like I said, I may be speaking early,
but I just feel like we're now about to see
that shift in the in the NBA to where it's
it's you know, it's the new kids on the block
and they're now starting to push kind of push the
older guys out. And obviously that's exciting times because it's
always that question about, you know, what happens when this
(04:41):
next group pushes out the Steph the Lebron's, Kevin Durance.
You know, they are getting to that age where their
days are starting to become, you know, more and more limited,
and the dominance isn't as dominant as it once was
at a certain time. So exciting times are head the future.
The NBA is in great hands obviously. But for me,
(05:04):
that's what I really noticed the most about the playoffs,
Like even when it comes to us determining, you know
what we feel like what team is gonna, you know,
come out on top with these round And you know,
when we think about the guys of oh, we think
about those guys that were used to dominate, like I said,
the Steps and obviously he's out, but you know the
(05:25):
Kevin Durant and Lebron James, and you think about these
guys and you automatically think, well, we know what they
can do, we know what they've done in the past.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
But like I said, it's.
Speaker 6 (05:33):
Now to the point where you know, times are shifting
and times are changing, and like I said, I think
that's exciting.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Well, look, Luca didn't have a great first game obviously,
but yes, you could have Steph Kady and Lebron a
Stipton baby maybe all out after the first round and
that would be a pretty big changing in the guard.
I mean, so you guys have been talking about Anthony Edwards.
I know y'all are proud of him.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Yeah, I'm sure you know he's been hearing about this game.
He's looking forward to this series. He's been talking a
week before about what he's going to do. When he
came out and showed it, especially in the third quarter,
he got every matchup he wanted. Russell Neil checked him,
KD checked him, everybody checked them. But obviously no one
got to stop and uh he took over the game.
And I think that's where the gap in the game
where Minnesota took the lead and never looked back. But
(06:20):
my biggest concerned game going in the game too is
all the role players. You know, if you look at
all the home teams, all the role players played well.
You name every team they won, except for probably New Orleans.
I would think all seven other seven teams, I'm looking
forward to their role players of what they're going to do.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Teams that lost, uh, none of the role players played well.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
You look at a good team like Phoenix, Eric Gordon,
he goes zero for five, zero points, Grayson dow and
four points. You pick a team the Lakers, Ady and
Brian can't play any better, uh, d Lo, Austin Reeves, Hachimura,
Torrian Prince. They have to play, they have to make three,
to have to shoot the ball and also just rebound
(07:05):
the basketball. I think every team that rebound the basketball
that want to rebound the edge dominate the game. So
those are my big concerns. And I think if the
role players player will on a road, which normally historically
they don't. And I think that's why we saw this
so important, that the teams wanted to get the home
court advantage.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
That's the thing.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Like, it's funny we're reminded every year the first week
of the playoffs. Yes, all the things we always say
about the playoffs are true, and that's why there is
such a drop off between what we know in the
regular season and what we know about the playoffs and
why teams that sometimes struggle in the regular season do
well in the playoffs. Like it's all true. Role players
play better at home. True, we saw that right. Young
inexperienced teams, you know, who are a little out of
(07:43):
their depth and aren't used to what a playoff environment
is like definitely struggle. Now obviously we're talking about some
of the young stars like Anthony Edwards was incredible, but
if you look at the Orlando Magic as a team,
they looked like that playoff environment was like a little
much for them. The Thunder, Yes, they were able to
pull out the win was incredible, especially at the end
of the game. You see why he's a finalist for
(08:03):
most Clutch, certainly on my most Clutch ballot. But like
they definitely looked out of their depth a little bit
for big chunks of that game and a little overwhelmed
even in their home amazing, I mean that environment, ok
s as bonkers, you know, they still looked a little
bit shaken of the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
So just some of that stuff we always talk about.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
It's a cliche for a reason, right, And that's what
stuck out to me from the first weekend was just
sort of like.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yep, t tick tick tick, all the things that we
normally say. It is interesting all the home teams won.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
There is a stat that something like seventy five percent
of the teams that win game one of a seven
game playoff series go on to win the series. And
obviously that's going to be skewed by the fact that
teams that win game one are normally the better team
at home, right, so of course they're going to go
on to do that. But it's still a stat for
a reason, and it still does tell you that seventy
five percent maybe of these teams that won over the
(08:55):
weekend will go on to win the series. We could
also see a couple sweeps here. I don't know, who
do you guys think is the most endanger of getting swept?
Where are you on that book?
Speaker 3 (09:07):
For me?
Speaker 6 (09:07):
Uh, I'm looking at this Lakers team.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
You're not saying the Celtics. I mean, you're not saying
the Celtics are sweeping the heat, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Lakers with the Lakers?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Okay, thank you some sanity, right, yes?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But the reason is is this.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
This Denver team has dominated this, this Lakers team for
a couple of years now.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Yeah, I would say, what.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
The bubble year with you? So, I mean, I don't
I don't really know what it hasn't well, how long
has it been, to be exact, it's been.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
It's been two years, but it's been you know, over
nine games.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Games are a lot right and row.
Speaker 6 (09:57):
It's definitely in Denver's favor. I feel like this Denver
team has they know this Lakers team. They pulled their card.
They know their weaknesses, they know their strengths, they know
them like the back of their hands. And it's it's
kind of, you know, crazy, because we feel like every
off season the Lakers build their team to match up
against you know, Denver, and uh, they just haven't found
(10:19):
that successful formula since that bubble year. So with that
being said, I feel like the Lakers are great.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
You think it's gonna be a sweep. I mean last
year was the sweep.
Speaker 6 (10:29):
I just don't see them. Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Think the Lakers are going to win one game at home.
Speaker 6 (10:35):
Don't.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
I don't see again, played a hell of a game.
I don't know if you can continue to match that.
But I have seen a match player at the level
and maybe there huh.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
I mean, well, we need fifty from both of them to.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Get a win, and they no, no, no, no, they they
gotta do what they just did. But the d Los,
I bet de Loo won't go with six for twenty,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
The Delo can definitely play a better game.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
No, he's definitely gonna play better game. Austin reeves to
play a better game. Tory and Prince Achi Mora and
matter of fact, then why didn't get a field goal
with tempo? So I mean these are things that like
can possibly happen and change the swing of the series.
Because Denver technically only won a third quarter. I mean,
Lakers had control until that third quarter got out of hand.
Pup H for three is the role players in net
quarter destroyed the Lakers, and the Lakers role players didn't
(11:23):
show up that quarter or their game period pretty much.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
But that's the thing that, like you say, role players
at home play better. I got to think in l
a at least I don't know who's gonna we're recording
this on Monday morning, I don't know who's gonna win
game two tonight. Maybe you all listening out there have
already seen that game, but I just I feel like,
at least at home they're good for one two, I
don't know.
Speaker 6 (11:44):
You know, I mean, I mean I don't see that.
I mean, why haven't we seen it all year? They
swept They got swept in the regular season. My thing
is basically better regular season? Was Austin resonna play better
regular Like It's not like this is their first loss
to them all season, Like they've been dominated for the
(12:05):
past two years. So for me, it's like, yeah, we
can sit here and name everything that went wrong in
the game they lost and say well that this was
done better.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Yeah they would have won.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
But that's what it's about. It's about adjustments, and I
think I don't see Bron getting swept right now, Bront
the past two years, Bron getting swept eight games in
the playoffs. Though I'm the one, he's already.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Year.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
I'm a better man, le Bron. I'm a bet Lebron.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I get you said all year, Denver, Denver, Denver, Denver, Denver.
I'm the one who said that. What the Lakers are
going to go as far as until they meet Denver. Right,
they could get to the conference finals if they meet
Denver there, or they could get to the first round.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
And now they're in the first round against Denver. So
there we go. I believe in Denver to win this series.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
But I got that got.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I think they're going to take a game or two somewhere.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Now. I'm not gonna bet the house, but I'm gonna
bet with Brown.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
But that is they're going to get one game.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
At least.
Speaker 5 (13:09):
Brown wn't get one game. He he don't go down
a joke at eight straight times in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I know in the players, low, brother, low, we just low.
You know what if we just it's the one game.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Jokers.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
He just grew.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Now maybe he's just grew.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Listen, the heat we got. We got switches to the heat.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Man, thank you.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
That's the problem. That's the damn sweet. I just don't
see it. I just don't see it. Man, they don't
have Jimmy and Rose there.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
I mean that there are a lot of role players
at that point, and the Celts have too many stars,
and their role players are you know, playing exceptional as well.
And like I said, that home court advantage you got,
I think they have five guys in double figures.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
It's just tough to beat. Man, they're two dynamic.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, it's it's it's right, you can't.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I mean you've got to your starters out, including your
best player, like it's and you're the eight seed to
begin with, and you barely get in.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Like I just I don't know. That's got sweet written
all over it to me. We'll see.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Look, Miami's gritty. Obviously, they always pull off the improbable.
That their home court advantage is really significant. I mean,
I love that building when it's all crazy, pumped and dough.
You've played in that environment, like during an NBA final,
it's like it's just it's sorry, conference finals, it's just bonkers.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
But it's still still I don't know it's got sweep.
It's got sweep to me. That's got sweep to me.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
We got to talk about another East series though, because
this is supposed to be one of the most competitive
series on the other end, the Nick sixer series, right,
we thought that could go six or seven games, but
now we got some injury questions. Joel embiid, I don't
know if he's actually that hurt or if he just
got a big scare. But Boog, when you do, like
does saying like he saw him just sort of play
it safe, do you have to tell yourself, I got
(15:01):
to get in there again. How mentally tough is that
for you?
Speaker 6 (15:05):
It can definitely be mentally tough. I've never experienced the
part where you know, you injure yourself, come back from
it and then you kind of have that scare. I've
never experienced that, but just coming back from injury in general,
it can definitely, you know, have a mental block on you.
It can have you uncomfortable in your movements, It can
(15:28):
have you not as confident in your abilities, and sometimes
you can play pretty gingerly. And I think we did
see that, you know, once he came back from the
scare where he more so settled for jumpers. He wasn't
as physical with you know, getting to the basket of
finishing around the basket or in the same manner with
(15:50):
the you know, the fantastic note that he did have
and with that play it wasn't the same you know,
tenacity that he usually plays with. So that is a
sign that you know, that scare or that injury is
in the back of his mind. But I mean, once
it's playoffs, it's playoffs, and you know, at the end
of the day, you kind of want to leave it
(16:11):
all on the floor. And sometimes it is to the
point where you know, you do something that you know
could harm you in that moment, but that's just the
stubbornness that kind of comes with athletes. But hopefully with this,
you know, he can get that injury under control. It
was weird to me to see, you know, blood coming
(16:33):
from his knee. I didn't quite understand that part. I
thought that was, you know, pretty weird. But at the
end of the day, we can look past all of
this just when it comes to Joel in general, Like
we've seen this story happen over and over and over again,
and for me, I've reached out to Joel before. My
(16:57):
question is at what point, point, dude, you start taking
the pressure off of those you know, knees and joints
and ankles and things of that nature. You know, you're
not the young spring chicken that you once were when
you first came into this league. Age is starting to
get on your side, So it has to be some
type of adjustments.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
You add, what are you talking about You're talking about diet,
What are you talking about.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Dying?
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Number one?
Speaker 6 (17:24):
Who has I feel like at some point the big
fella has to come down and wait and reason I
say that because.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Set it again.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
He's not obese, he's not crazy heavy.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Yeah, but it's hard.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
It's hard to play with three hundred plus pounds every night,
jumping up and down on those knees and your ankles
like that wear and tear.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Eventually it's going to get the best of you.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
And like I said, we keep seeing the same story
over and over and over again, and I just want
to know at what point is he going to make
that adjustment to lighten the load for the longevity of
his career. Even when it came to Tim Duncan, at
a certain point, Tim Duncan got slimmer, he even talked
about it. He wanted to have less weight on his
joints and on his knees and things like that. So
(18:13):
I think that's now the point that Joelle is at
and I feel like I don't know what it'll take
or who it'll take, but he has to embrace that
part of his career now just for the longevity of it.
And he's an incredible talent. He's an incredible player, and
I think he has all the ability with his talents
(18:34):
to be a champion at the end of the day.
But if he can't get his health under control at
some point, it's always going to be the same story
that we've been talking about, where he's injured in the
playoffs and how much can he give us this year
and will it be enough. I don't want to keep
(18:54):
having the same conversation. I want to see one hundred
percent healthy Joel and b from start to finishing his playoffs,
and I want to see him dominate from start to finish.
And I think it starts with his diet and just
dropping some weight. And I can say that because I
was in that position at one point. I understand, and
like I said, for the longevity of his career. I
(19:15):
think he's at that point where he has to make.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
That ju justin.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I just want to remind everyone that this beat up
Sixers team is the team that Cleveland one thousand percent
through their final game of the season. To avoid playing
the Sixers team, the Calves decided we'd rather take our
chances face the Magic in the first round where we
think we can win around, even though that puts us
(19:39):
on the Boston side of the freight train bracket, instead
of playing the Sixers, who.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
We're scared, Oh my god, we're terrified, and.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Then possibly having a much easier half of the bracket
to get to the conference finals.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
I don't know. This really offended me.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
It made me feel like, you don't have enough confidence
in your team that they could win a title or
at least get to the conference finals. So you're just
going to settle for We want to win around because
we want Donovan Mitchell to be happy. Donovan Mitchell is
one playoff series before. If you were Donovan Mitchell, dough
is winning around going to mean so much to you?
If your team fucking duck the smoke so that they
(20:17):
could like, oh, we're going to run around so we
can I mean, come on.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Man, they ducked the smoke, that's what That's what we're saying.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
They were up. I don't I don't have producer, Nate,
you can chime in. What was Cleveland that by? Were
they up by twenty?
Speaker 4 (20:31):
Like?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I mean, they were up significantly and they pulled everyone.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I mean, that's not to me, I know personally, that's
not That's something you talk about as a team. And
I'm pretty sure JB did talk to the guys. And
I've been in a situation where, like I said, we
was able to face Lebron early or when we could
duck them right. And obviously the guys we wanted to
we want to smoke early. But the person that was different,
and maybe their logic is different. You know, it's like, Okay,
(21:00):
we rather not face a physical and beat with the
players that we have. You know, we got Jared Allen
and we got Evan Mobley. If we face the Boston Celtics,
they are more talented, more skilled team. But at the
same time, we might got a shot, you know, and
we're not gonna overlook Orlando.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
But again, we have home court advantage.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
We can get Orlando, and who knows what can happen
against the Celtics, and if we're gonna have to face
the eventually anyway, why not face them early?
Speaker 4 (21:24):
You know, I'm say league, Yeah, I mean what it is,
and hopefully we'll get to see that matchup next round
and see how unfolds.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
But at the same time, I think for me, the
way they got handled last year in the nixt series
on the physicality, they didn't want to smoke with.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
A beat and.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
You know it is, But what is going to tell
you if you're Donovan Mitchell, then what does that tell you? Like,
that's the thing if this is all about, like, let's
give Donovan Mitchell a wins so that he still likes
it here and that he'll stay and they want to
ask for trade. Like, if I'm Donovan Mitchell, I want
to be playing in the conference finals and finals. I'm
gonna be playing for the first round.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
What are you telling?
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Yeah, but who's who's to say that? You know you're
going to get there either way? I mean, either route
you take, you should be trying.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Let's try.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
I definitely want to go into any playoff winning obviously,
no no doubt about it, you know, But again, I
can't I gonna speak for myself and my experience.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
Now this team is different. You know, JB's one of
my favorite coaches I've ever played for.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
So he's fantastic. I don't think that's that's why to me.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
I look at I look at it, Donovan Mitchell. I
look at at other guys on that roster, you know who.
I think a lot of them are really promising, interesting players.
I look at JB, who I think the world of.
Like I just I had in my head, and this
is just my assumption opinion. It had to have come
from management, and like that's where I wouldn't know.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
It's obviously it's over. It's done anyway. This is my feelings.
You shouldn't screw around with the basketball, guys. Let's move on.
I'm gonna throw three stats at you, guys. Two of
them are true. What is a lie?
Speaker 2 (22:56):
I have not seen this yet, so let's look. Oh,
one of them involves you, Jeanrondo, so you better get
this one right. Let's start with you, rajeon stat number one,
Jon Rondo has had two twenty assist games in the playoffs.
Stud number two, Dwight Howard holds the record for most
blocks in a playoff game with ten and number three.
(23:16):
James Harden, another star over the weekend, holds the record
for the most turnovers in a playoff game with twelve.
So Doe two stats, two truths and a lie. Three stats,
two truths and a lie.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
What do you got?
Speaker 4 (23:32):
I'm gonna go with the Dwight.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
It's a lie.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
M what about you, Buck? What do you got?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I'm gonna go with Rondo having twenty in a game
just because he's in front of me.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Oh yeah, Well, I'm gonna say I feel the producers
would not put that stat up about right if you've
been to twenty six games in the playoffs, do you know?
Or he's just assuming like me, I.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Think I remember the two. But let's see, I thought
I'll have more, right.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
I oh, I assume that they wouldn't have put that
up if it wasn't true. And then it's then it's
just a toss up for me. But I kind of
agree with you on Dwight. I feel like is the most.
I just feel like someone's had to have him more
blocks than ten. Yes, yeah, that's kind of where I
am on that. But okay, production Ad has come in.
He has told me, in fact that Jean, you did
(24:35):
indeed have two twenty six games book. You are the
most disrespectful co host in the history of podcast go host.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
James James Harden number is correct, and that the Dwight
Howard is in fact a lie.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Jean, we are correct. We know everything that ever is
to know about stats in basketball. I'm surprised no one
had more blocks in a game than ten though, because
it was it was ten, but it wasn't Dwight. It
was a three way tie involving chemo on two of
the players. But yeah, I would, I would. I don't
know twenty. Can't believe you didn't think he could get twenty.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
I was twenty with me.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
To wait, were you guys on? So one of those
twenty games was on the Pelicans.
Speaker 7 (25:22):
You were there. You were there for that game.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
You were on the court for that course he went
in the court. He was hurt. He'll come around.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
That was after that.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Wow, Now that's a lot too.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
You're right, you're right, you owe me that one.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
All right, next suver, next time, we're gonna have Nate
actually come in on the broadcast because he's got all
the information. All right, let's get to I'll take that
bet presented by DraftKings Minnesota versus Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
We touched on it.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Sota Leeds one to nothing. Wolves are minus one fifty
five to win the series. Sons are plus one twenty
five to win the series. So Vegas still seeing this
is you know, not a toss up obviously, but it's
not as wide a spread as on some of these
other series.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
So who you guys taking when don't you go first?
Which bet are you taking?
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Over?
Speaker 4 (26:25):
There? Bug?
Speaker 6 (26:27):
I'm liking this Minnesota team. I've liked them all year.
I like the shine that's coming with you know, Anthony Edwards.
He's really coming into form of being, you know, one
of the faces of the NBA, being an actual superstar
in our league, and we're watching it unfold right in
front of us. He had an incredible game against a
(26:48):
guy that he looks up to and was one of
his favorite players growing up. So just having that confidence
as a young guy performing on that big of a
stage is only gonna I feel like it's only gonna
better and we're going to see even better performances from
this young kid. Uh the supporting cast that they have
with Jamon Daniels on the on the perimeter, Garden, whatever
(27:13):
matchup is, you know, in favor of that night, and
you know you got the big fella underneath controlling the plant.
So they have a good, solid team all around, calling
the town's return. And he's gonna be a huge piece
of this team. It's a lot of talent with this team.
Na right here, man, So it's a lot of killing
with the kid. Last night, I was going to walk.
(27:33):
He went crazy to me every reason they won eighteen
points off the bench.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
So this this team is young and hungry.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
Uh, it is full of talent, and I think they're
They've shown all year that they are a true contender
and we're watching them, you know, continue to grow and
things unfold in front of us right now.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
So I'm leaning with Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
He sold me. Yeah, I'm in the same way. Yeah, definitely. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Well, look, Grayson allen rolled his ankle in Game one,
questionable for Game two. We don't know what's going to
happen there. Obviously, if he's out, that's going to be
another blow for Phoenix. I don't think this series is
going to be a sweep or anything. I think it
will be a tough series. You've got experienced guys, Kevin
Durant is still Kevin Durant. I'm sorry, I don't know
how he is still underrated, but I think somehow he's
(28:20):
still underrated in our league.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And like I just he has the potential to win
a game all by himself.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
But I do think that Minnesota is a more complete
team and as you said, no point guard is an
issue for them.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
I don't expect to see Brona swept last week the too,
So I mean, but you said like time to change him,
so yeah, I mean, yeah, hopefully hopefully Bubble can get
it done, you know, don't get swept.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
But again he's it ain't just a guarantee because he's
on the floor.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Now, Yeah, no, I don't you're right, you're right. I
just I don't know.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
I think he is like a nuclear capability like Brown's
a little different. He obviously can control and take over
a game in so many different ways. But Katie is
such a shoot, you're a shooter, Like, I don't know,
he could drop fifty, like, you know, he's got that
in him.
Speaker 7 (29:06):
Still, that's true sleeve, right, he got that on him.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Yeah no, no, no, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Like, look, I guess you're right.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, And look, Jade McDaniels, to your point, but he
was on my one of my one of my all
defensive teams. Like I just I think that that group,
they know who they are. They don't have a ton
of winning playoff experience, I'll grant you, but you know
a couple of players do. And I think that they've
obviously got a really good coach, and I just I
(29:42):
don't know. I look at them to win the series
for sure. Even though that bet that we're taken from
DraftKings not going to give us a ton of put
one hundred dollars down, not going to get quite as
much back as if we had put money on Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
But a winning bet is still a winning bet, that's
all I got to say. It's still worth placing. There
you go.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I'm going to get you guys on a Kentucky question
real quick, because we have not spoken to you since
Mark Pope was hired. What was your initial reaction? Have
you guys spent any time around him? What are your
thoughts as Kate as Kentucky goes forward here?
Speaker 4 (30:11):
I don't know much about him obviously what everyone else knows.
He's a champion. I think that's the best best hill
right their particular time.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Due to the fact that I think, you know, the
first couple of guys they couldn't get Uh he's a
familiar face. Wow.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
Do you see that?
Speaker 1 (30:26):
That was just a dry by right there on the
athletic department.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
No, no, no, not necessarily.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
I mean that's that's these are this is the facts,
I believe, you know, you know, I think miss did
the hell of a job, you know, getting getting Pope
in and you know, he's a cerebral coach. He has
a different style that I think people are going to
get accustomed to right now. This is about you know,
landing the talent. So for him, getting people accustomed to
who he is as a person, what he stands for,
(30:53):
what he's looking for in players. So it's going to
take time. But nevertheless, I don't think they'll be down
for long. And I think they had a nice little
transfer portal signing already or commit you know, he's still
committed a draft, but it was a big man.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
I think I was that dregs where's Yeah. So you
know that's a start and we'll see how it goes.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
Like I said, this is a matter of a waiting game,
and with so many players in the portal, you know,
it's no knocking Pope or wacality.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
This is this is the game, you know.
Speaker 5 (31:21):
I think obviously he did stay, it wouldn't have been
as many people that transferred or but you still got
guys like reach Upherd was going pro anyway. You know,
Rob was going pro.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
So it's going to be just my period anyway, and
I believe that it won't take long.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Do you know Pope book.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
No, I don't know Pope. I believe he was part
of the ninety sixteen. Yeah, so I was six, But.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
You could have run across I mean, you've played for
a few teams. I don't know if you ran across
him anywhere.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
I was.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Six.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, I think he just called us old.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
I was team. I mean, I.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Get it. I'm just saying I was six. That happens,
I know exactly.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
I was six.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
All Right, we can move on. I'm i'm, i'm i'm.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
I thought maybe one of you could have a personal connection.
Who knows, But okay, all right, great, well we will
see what happens. We will follow them, of course throughout
the recruiting period and next season because we have a
special interest in Kentucky on this podcast. I did want
to get two of you before we go about the Warriors.
Though I know people have discussed it infinitum over the
last week. We don't need to have, you know, break
down everything for people because it's already been poured over.
(32:40):
But you have such a unique perspective because Boogie, you
were in that locker room.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
You know everybody involved.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
So you had the experience obviously of being with the
Celtics and when that team, you know, two finals in
three years would have been to a third if KG
hadn't gotten hurt, and then had to decide whether to
break that up or not. Look, Clay is a free agent,
Chris Paul's not guaranteed next season, big decisions. I want
to say Clay still had decent numbers this past season,
(33:06):
especially once he sort of figured out who he was
on that team now and how he was going to play.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
He was not a disaster, So I just need to
stop that narrative.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
But he obviously was getting paid way more than what
he was producing, and so it's a question of is
he going to want to stay for the money that
they're probably going to offer him Andrew Wiggins struggled up
and down, totally inconsistent, also way too much money for
the production he gave. Draymond obviously just got the new contract.
He missed twenty seven games of his own making. They
(33:35):
were thirty three and twenty two in the games he
played thirteen and fourteen without him.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
So to me, that really speaks to a his value.
People who were like, oh, he's way overpaid.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
I can't believe that he's making that much money. Guess
what he impacts winning on that team to this day,
and he makes Steph Curry better. Steps on off numbers
with Draymond are completely clear, like he makes Steph Curry,
who was already one of the most elite players this
game has ever seen, even better. So to me, you
don't get rid of Draymond. You need to just basically
get Draymond to stay on the court and not do
bone headed things. And he is making a commitment to
(34:08):
do that, So to me, that decision feels easy to me.
The question then is Clay and Wiggans and some of
the other stuff that they need to do, And it
comes down a little bit to asking Steph, what are
you interested in? Do you want to keep this core
group together and is playing it out with them important
even if you guys aren't competing for championships anymore? Or
do you want us to strip things down and try
(34:30):
to give you the best chance to get another chip.
I don't know what would you guys want. I want
to start with you, Book, because you've been in that
locker room and you know how important Clay is to
the functioning of the team.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
What do you think.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
For me?
Speaker 6 (34:45):
I think the Warriors have put theirselves in a pretty
shitty hole when it just comes to Rosster construction, you know, assets, money,
all of those things. So for me to sit here
and try to, you know, figure out what would be
the right moves for them moving forward to correct their team,
(35:05):
I don't have those answers.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
I'm not gonna even act like I do, but I
do understand this part. I know the Warriors were bought.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
When this group came in and bought this Warriors team,
they bought him for about four hundred and fifty million dollars.
As of today, this franchise is now worth eight point
I want to say eight point five billion dollars. I
don't give a shit how many baskets Klay Thompson, missus.
(35:35):
He deserves the ride off in the sunset because at
the end of the day, when this owner gets this
and let's let's be clear, this is a hobby for
this owner. So when he's done with this hobby, he
gets bored with this hobby, he's going to be able
to go and collect eight points.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
It's not about the owner, It's about Steph, right, So
it's about Steph Curry.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
They will do whatever Steph wants.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
I absolutely feel confident in saying that, and that if
Steph wants to have clay with him the rest of
the time and it's special to play all as a
group together, and it's special to be able to finish
out together, and if that's more important to him than
definitely getting a chance to win again, then he totally
has the right to make that decision.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
And I think that there is real merit in that.
But it's a different decision than I want to compete.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
For a title again, and like that that's kind of
I guess what I'm asking is what would you do
or what would you say or want to do if
you were Steph Curry, or would you not want responsibility
and just say you guys make the call. What would
you do if you're Clay? Would you take less money
to stay in Golden State? Then you would get I
mean someone would offer him. I guarantee you someone will
offer him money this summer. But will you take less
(36:44):
to stay in Golden State? Like, what would you do
if you were either of those two guys?
Speaker 6 (36:48):
I think Steph. I think Steph at the end of
the day, wants his guys with him. He knows what
helped him create what they created there in Golden State.
So I know for a fact Dram and Clay, He's
gonna vouch for them no matter what.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
My thing is.
Speaker 6 (37:06):
If I'm Clay, I feel like he deserves to have
the arrogance that he has when it comes to the
man in the contract that he wants He's put in
the groundwork. He and I spoke on the value of
his team increasing the way it did because that didn't
happen because the owner bought the team.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
It happened because of those three.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
Guys and what they did in those amount of years
to help increase the value of this franchise. So on
top of having four championships, on top of being core
pieces in this group, they increase.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
All Star.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Everything that comes with that. I don't feel like that
can be overlooked regardless of Okay, but if.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
You give him that much money, if you if you
give him a big chunk of money, you don't have
that money to spend other places and to put you
into salary cap restrictions. That means you can't do like
league minimum thing, you know, like you can't do those
minimum exceptions and all that stuff. You just have to
decide what's more important to you, right, do you want
a more competitive team? If you do, then Clay's got
(38:12):
to take a big chunk less. If he's going to stay,
Clay has to decide what he wants to do. I
don't know what to do with Wiggins because I don't
know how much if you can trade him and get
anything back for him, or if you'd have to attach
something to him. They do have really good, promising young players.
They had some great play from some of the rookies
this year, but Wiggins is a huge financial drain on
them compared to the production you're getting. To me, Draymond
(38:35):
is worth the financial so that you're paying him. I
can see where that comes out on the court, and
with Clay it is a question of I agree with you,
he deserves all the money he could get because of
what he's done. But then that will have an impact
on whether this team can move other pieces around and wins.
So it's just a question of I mean, do what
would you want if you were staff or if you
were Clay. Would you want to stay but have a
(38:55):
less competitive team? Would you want to stay for less
and have a more competitive I mean, there's just a
lot of factors here.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
I just I don't know the relationship they have, you know.
Actually that's why I would have cousin answer their question.
More so personally, I don't know either of them. You
know that closely, and.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
You know what they've gone through over the years. You know,
we see it from a lands from the outside, but
internally you just doesn't.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
You just don't know.
Speaker 4 (39:19):
I think that will determine on the outcome of what
happens the next year with this team.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Well you you went through it in Boston and when
Danny Ainge she would trade his mother was like.
Speaker 5 (39:30):
Yeah, but we didn't win four championships, So you know,
it's a different one. It's different, you know, and it's
always what have you done for me?
Speaker 3 (39:37):
League?
Speaker 4 (39:37):
Lately. What have you done for me lately?
Speaker 2 (39:39):
League?
Speaker 4 (39:39):
So, you know, winning one.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Championship and the gave us a couple more years to
try to figure it out. And when we didn't, you know,
it was trying to move on, you know, just like
you know, their offense, the way they play, let's style
of play. It's time to move on from that. But
that's another that's another topic. Bro time for an update.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
But no, it's that's all I can say about it
as far as like when it's time, you.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Know, all right, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I'm gonna close by asking Boogie to explain what pillow
hands are.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
We were talking about boxing before we got on the air.
What are pillow hands?
Speaker 4 (40:19):
Well, Luka got hit with last night.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
Man, pillow hands. Man, it's just not the punch and
power that.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
You know, Okay you have, That's how you're gonna put it.
Speaker 6 (40:35):
Yeah, I'm gonna just put it okay, Okay, yeah, right,
stay out, stay out the way like what you started
the podcast with, right, just trying to.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Have a little fun.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
You can catch all episodes of Bullyball in the Drive
Kings Network, all the Smoke Productions YouTube channel. Listen to
us wherever you get your podcast, rate us view US,
pup of us up.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
In the algorithm.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
We will be following the adventures of the Taiwan beer
Leopards as we go over the next few weeks.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
We will be catching you up on the playoffs as
we go.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Thank you guys so much for being here, especially you
book from far flung regions of the world.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
We will catch you all next week. Thank you guys
so much for watching. Bye Boys,
Welcome to Bullyball, presented by DraftKings.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I am Rachel Nichols as always, mister DeMarcus Cousins and
bride John Rondo is back. This makes my day. We
are talking to you Boogie in Taiwan. You are back
there with the Taiwan beer Leopards, which I learned only
after your last stint is not the Taiwan beer Leopards,
but the Taiwan beer Leopards. But I have to say
(00:30):
in my heart they will always be the beer Leopards.
And I'm going to make my own merch that just
says beer Leopards. And that's how I'm going to appear
in the podcast next week.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So just be ready for that.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
I'm cool, we need that.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
How's it going over there for you so far?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I saw that you got into a little, a little
thing with an opposing player on their bench.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
But this is like little? Is this Kentucky Louisville beef?
Like spilling over? Didn't he go to a little but what?
What's what's happening here? What happened? Do we have a clip? Producer, Nate?
Can we see the clip? Here we go?
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Commentary there, I've heard I've heard those words before really.
Speaker 5 (01:33):
A couple of seons in my day.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
Shout out to Jayalen Johnson man. First off, man, he
was a little frustrated. You know, I put some veteran
moves on him, got into some foul trouble. But in
the beginning I was trying to talk to the young fella, like, look,
you're taking your frustration out on the wrong guy.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Should be mad at the I didn't call the fouls.
I created him, but he called them.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
His emotions was a little all over the place, you know,
he got the chirping here and there.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So we had some back and forth, but at the
end of the day it was hoo. We kept it cool.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
We shook hands at the end, and we actually ended
up playing again the next night, and uh, you know
it was it was a lot better of an exchange.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Man.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
I think he understood. Oh sorry about that.
Speaker 6 (02:20):
I think he understood, you know where I was coming from.
You know, just as far as you know how to
play the game, how to you know, not use your
hands on defense and things like that. So I understand
that when it comes to this game, people get frustrated.
It happens all the time. You know, you say things
you don't really mean sometimes.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Look at the growth.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
You fee you feel me though, you feel me, don't smoke.
Shout out to Jalen Johnson.
Speaker 6 (02:51):
He's a talented young kid, bright future, and we're gonna
keep it hooped.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
That's all I got to say.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Look at the player you raised, though, Look look at
that all those all those hours in Sacramento, all of
the all the time put in there to you about temperament,
I can see the game.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
You can take all the credit.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
I can't take all the credit, but you know it's
about growth, and I'm happy to hear his response on
what happened a couple of days ago.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
So shout out to the big fella.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
But like the bat, there you go.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
All right, the adventures of the beer Lepers, and yes,
I'm gonna keep calling them Matt. We will continue to
follow over the next few weeks. Let's talk a NBA
playoffs though, because they started over the weekend. Of course,
every single home team won this weekend, which has not
happened in years.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So I just want to go rapid fire with you guys.
Big picture. Uh, let's start with you book. What stood
out to you the most?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (03:47):
For me, what I've seen so far is and I
may be speaking early on this, but I really feel
like we're starting to see the turning point in the
league to where the youngsters are, you know, starting to
take over. And it's still a little early, but we
saw a lot of dominant performances from you know, this younger,
(04:09):
you know age group of guys that's coming up in
our league right now, the Shades, the Anthony Edwards, the.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Obviously the Lucas and guys of that nature.
Speaker 6 (04:18):
So I'm like I said, I may be speaking early,
but I just feel like we're now about to see
that shift in the in the NBA to where it's
it's you know, it's the new kids on the block
and they're now starting to push kind of push the
older guys out. And obviously that's exciting times because it's
always that question about, you know, what happens when this
(04:41):
next group pushes out the Steph the Lebron's, Kevin Durance.
You know, they are getting to that age where their
days are starting to become, you know, more and more limited,
and the dominance isn't as dominant as it once was
at a certain time. So exciting times are head the future.
The NBA is in great hands obviously. But for me,
(05:04):
that's what I really noticed the most about the playoffs,
Like even when it comes to us determining, you know
what we feel like what team is gonna, you know,
come out on top with these round And you know,
when we think about the guys of oh, we think
about those guys that were used to dominate, like I said,
the Steps and obviously he's out, but you know the
(05:25):
Kevin Durant and Lebron James, and you think about these
guys and you automatically think, well, we know what they
can do, we know what they've done in the past.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
But like I said, it's.
Speaker 6 (05:33):
Now to the point where you know, times are shifting
and times are changing, and like I said, I think
that's exciting.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Well, look, Luca didn't have a great first game obviously,
but yes, you could have Steph Kady and Lebron a
Stipton baby maybe all out after the first round and
that would be a pretty big changing in the guard.
I mean, so you guys have been talking about Anthony Edwards.
I know y'all are proud of him.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Yeah, I'm sure you know he's been hearing about this game.
He's looking forward to this series. He's been talking a
week before about what he's going to do. When he
came out and showed it, especially in the third quarter,
he got every matchup he wanted. Russell Neil checked him,
KD checked him, everybody checked them. But obviously no one
got to stop and uh he took over the game.
And I think that's where the gap in the game
where Minnesota took the lead and never looked back. But
(06:20):
my biggest concerned game going in the game too is
all the role players. You know, if you look at
all the home teams, all the role players played well.
You name every team they won, except for probably New Orleans.
I would think all seven other seven teams, I'm looking
forward to their role players of what they're going to do.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Teams that lost, uh, none of the role players played well.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
You look at a good team like Phoenix, Eric Gordon,
he goes zero for five, zero points, Grayson dow and
four points. You pick a team the Lakers, Ady and
Brian can't play any better, uh, d Lo, Austin Reeves, Hachimura,
Torrian Prince. They have to play, they have to make three,
to have to shoot the ball and also just rebound
(07:05):
the basketball. I think every team that rebound the basketball
that want to rebound the edge dominate the game. So
those are my big concerns. And I think if the
role players player will on a road, which normally historically
they don't. And I think that's why we saw this
so important, that the teams wanted to get the home
court advantage.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
That's the thing.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Like, it's funny we're reminded every year the first week
of the playoffs. Yes, all the things we always say
about the playoffs are true, and that's why there is
such a drop off between what we know in the
regular season and what we know about the playoffs and
why teams that sometimes struggle in the regular season do
well in the playoffs. Like it's all true. Role players
play better at home. True, we saw that right. Young
inexperienced teams, you know, who are a little out of
(07:43):
their depth and aren't used to what a playoff environment
is like definitely struggle. Now obviously we're talking about some
of the young stars like Anthony Edwards was incredible, but
if you look at the Orlando Magic as a team,
they looked like that playoff environment was like a little
much for them. The Thunder, Yes, they were able to
pull out the win was incredible, especially at the end
of the game. You see why he's a finalist for
(08:03):
most Clutch, certainly on my most Clutch ballot. But like
they definitely looked out of their depth a little bit
for big chunks of that game and a little overwhelmed
even in their home amazing, I mean that environment, ok
s as bonkers, you know, they still looked a little
bit shaken of the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
So just some of that stuff we always talk about.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
It's a cliche for a reason, right, And that's what
stuck out to me from the first weekend was just
sort of like.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yep, t tick tick tick, all the things that we
normally say. It is interesting all the home teams won.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
There is a stat that something like seventy five percent
of the teams that win game one of a seven
game playoff series go on to win the series. And
obviously that's going to be skewed by the fact that
teams that win game one are normally the better team
at home, right, so of course they're going to go
on to do that. But it's still a stat for
a reason, and it still does tell you that seventy
five percent maybe of these teams that won over the
(08:55):
weekend will go on to win the series. We could
also see a couple sweeps here. I don't know, who
do you guys think is the most endanger of getting swept?
Where are you on that book?
Speaker 3 (09:07):
For me?
Speaker 6 (09:07):
Uh, I'm looking at this Lakers team.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
You're not saying the Celtics. I mean, you're not saying
the Celtics are sweeping the heat, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Lakers with the Lakers?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Okay, thank you some sanity, right, yes?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But the reason is is this.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
This Denver team has dominated this, this Lakers team for
a couple of years now.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Yeah, I would say, what.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
The bubble year with you? So, I mean, I don't
I don't really know what it hasn't well, how long
has it been, to be exact, it's been.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
It's been two years, but it's been you know, over
nine games.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Games are a lot right and row.
Speaker 6 (09:57):
It's definitely in Denver's favor. I feel like this Denver
team has they know this Lakers team. They pulled their card.
They know their weaknesses, they know their strengths, they know
them like the back of their hands. And it's it's
kind of, you know, crazy, because we feel like every
off season the Lakers build their team to match up
against you know, Denver, and uh, they just haven't found
(10:19):
that successful formula since that bubble year. So with that
being said, I feel like the Lakers are great.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
You think it's gonna be a sweep. I mean last
year was the sweep.
Speaker 6 (10:29):
I just don't see them. Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Think the Lakers are going to win one game at home.
Speaker 6 (10:35):
Don't.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
I don't see again, played a hell of a game.
I don't know if you can continue to match that.
But I have seen a match player at the level
and maybe there huh.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
I mean, well, we need fifty from both of them to.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Get a win, and they no, no, no, no, they they
gotta do what they just did. But the d Los,
I bet de Loo won't go with six for twenty,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
The Delo can definitely play a better game.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
No, he's definitely gonna play better game. Austin reeves to
play a better game. Tory and Prince Achi Mora and
matter of fact, then why didn't get a field goal
with tempo? So I mean these are things that like
can possibly happen and change the swing of the series.
Because Denver technically only won a third quarter. I mean,
Lakers had control until that third quarter got out of hand.
Pup H for three is the role players in net
quarter destroyed the Lakers, and the Lakers role players didn't
(11:23):
show up that quarter or their game period pretty much.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
But that's the thing that, like you say, role players
at home play better. I got to think in l
a at least I don't know who's gonna we're recording
this on Monday morning, I don't know who's gonna win
game two tonight. Maybe you all listening out there have
already seen that game, but I just I feel like,
at least at home they're good for one two, I
don't know.
Speaker 6 (11:44):
You know, I mean, I mean I don't see that.
I mean, why haven't we seen it all year? They
swept They got swept in the regular season. My thing
is basically better regular season? Was Austin resonna play better
regular Like It's not like this is their first loss
to them all season, Like they've been dominated for the
(12:05):
past two years. So for me, it's like, yeah, we
can sit here and name everything that went wrong in
the game they lost and say well that this was
done better.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Yeah they would have won.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
But that's what it's about. It's about adjustments, and I
think I don't see Bron getting swept right now, Bront
the past two years, Bron getting swept eight games in
the playoffs. Though I'm the one, he's already.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Year.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
I'm a better man, le Bron. I'm a bet Lebron.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I get you said all year, Denver, Denver, Denver, Denver, Denver.
I'm the one who said that. What the Lakers are
going to go as far as until they meet Denver. Right,
they could get to the conference finals if they meet
Denver there, or they could get to the first round.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
And now they're in the first round against Denver. So
there we go. I believe in Denver to win this series.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
But I got that got.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I think they're going to take a game or two somewhere.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Now. I'm not gonna bet the house, but I'm gonna
bet with Brown.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
But that is they're going to get one game.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
At least.
Speaker 5 (13:09):
Brown wn't get one game. He he don't go down
a joke at eight straight times in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I know in the players, low, brother, low, we just low.
You know what if we just it's the one game.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Jokers.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
He just grew.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Now maybe he's just grew.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Listen, the heat we got. We got switches to the heat.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Man, thank you.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
That's the problem. That's the damn sweet. I just don't
see it. I just don't see it. Man, they don't
have Jimmy and Rose there.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
I mean that there are a lot of role players
at that point, and the Celts have too many stars,
and their role players are you know, playing exceptional as well.
And like I said, that home court advantage you got,
I think they have five guys in double figures.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
It's just tough to beat. Man, they're two dynamic.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, it's it's it's right, you can't.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I mean you've got to your starters out, including your
best player, like it's and you're the eight seed to
begin with, and you barely get in.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Like I just I don't know. That's got sweet written
all over it to me. We'll see.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Look, Miami's gritty. Obviously, they always pull off the improbable.
That their home court advantage is really significant. I mean,
I love that building when it's all crazy, pumped and dough.
You've played in that environment, like during an NBA final,
it's like it's just it's sorry, conference finals, it's just bonkers.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
But it's still still I don't know it's got sweep.
It's got sweep to me. That's got sweep to me.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
We got to talk about another East series though, because
this is supposed to be one of the most competitive
series on the other end, the Nick sixer series, right,
we thought that could go six or seven games, but
now we got some injury questions. Joel embiid, I don't
know if he's actually that hurt or if he just
got a big scare. But Boog, when you do, like
does saying like he saw him just sort of play
it safe, do you have to tell yourself, I got
(15:01):
to get in there again. How mentally tough is that
for you?
Speaker 6 (15:05):
It can definitely be mentally tough. I've never experienced the
part where you know, you injure yourself, come back from
it and then you kind of have that scare. I've
never experienced that, but just coming back from injury in general,
it can definitely, you know, have a mental block on you.
It can have you uncomfortable in your movements, It can
(15:28):
have you not as confident in your abilities, and sometimes
you can play pretty gingerly. And I think we did
see that, you know, once he came back from the
scare where he more so settled for jumpers. He wasn't
as physical with you know, getting to the basket of
finishing around the basket or in the same manner with
(15:50):
the you know, the fantastic note that he did have
and with that play it wasn't the same you know,
tenacity that he usually plays with. So that is a
sign that you know, that scare or that injury is
in the back of his mind. But I mean, once
it's playoffs, it's playoffs, and you know, at the end
of the day, you kind of want to leave it
(16:11):
all on the floor. And sometimes it is to the
point where you know, you do something that you know
could harm you in that moment, but that's just the
stubbornness that kind of comes with athletes. But hopefully with this,
you know, he can get that injury under control. It
was weird to me to see, you know, blood coming
(16:33):
from his knee. I didn't quite understand that part. I
thought that was, you know, pretty weird. But at the
end of the day, we can look past all of
this just when it comes to Joel in general, Like
we've seen this story happen over and over and over again,
and for me, I've reached out to Joel before. My
(16:57):
question is at what point, point, dude, you start taking
the pressure off of those you know, knees and joints
and ankles and things of that nature. You know, you're
not the young spring chicken that you once were when
you first came into this league. Age is starting to
get on your side, So it has to be some
type of adjustments.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
You add, what are you talking about You're talking about diet,
What are you talking about.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Dying?
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Number one?
Speaker 6 (17:24):
Who has I feel like at some point the big
fella has to come down and wait and reason I
say that because.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Set it again.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
He's not obese, he's not crazy heavy.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Yeah, but it's hard.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
It's hard to play with three hundred plus pounds every night,
jumping up and down on those knees and your ankles
like that wear and tear.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Eventually it's going to get the best of you.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
And like I said, we keep seeing the same story
over and over and over again, and I just want
to know at what point is he going to make
that adjustment to lighten the load for the longevity of
his career. Even when it came to Tim Duncan, at
a certain point, Tim Duncan got slimmer, he even talked
about it. He wanted to have less weight on his
joints and on his knees and things like that. So
(18:13):
I think that's now the point that Joelle is at
and I feel like I don't know what it'll take
or who it'll take, but he has to embrace that
part of his career now just for the longevity of it.
And he's an incredible talent. He's an incredible player, and
I think he has all the ability with his talents
(18:34):
to be a champion at the end of the day.
But if he can't get his health under control at
some point, it's always going to be the same story
that we've been talking about, where he's injured in the
playoffs and how much can he give us this year
and will it be enough. I don't want to keep
(18:54):
having the same conversation. I want to see one hundred
percent healthy Joel and b from start to finishing his playoffs,
and I want to see him dominate from start to finish.
And I think it starts with his diet and just
dropping some weight. And I can say that because I
was in that position at one point. I understand, and
like I said, for the longevity of his career. I
(19:15):
think he's at that point where he has to make.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
That ju justin.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I just want to remind everyone that this beat up
Sixers team is the team that Cleveland one thousand percent
through their final game of the season. To avoid playing
the Sixers team, the Calves decided we'd rather take our
chances face the Magic in the first round where we
think we can win around, even though that puts us
(19:39):
on the Boston side of the freight train bracket, instead
of playing the Sixers, who.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
We're scared, Oh my god, we're terrified, and.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Then possibly having a much easier half of the bracket
to get to the conference finals.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
I don't know. This really offended me.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
It made me feel like, you don't have enough confidence
in your team that they could win a title or
at least get to the conference finals. So you're just
going to settle for We want to win around because
we want Donovan Mitchell to be happy. Donovan Mitchell is
one playoff series before. If you were Donovan Mitchell, dough
is winning around going to mean so much to you?
If your team fucking duck the smoke so that they
(20:17):
could like, oh, we're going to run around so we
can I mean, come on.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Man, they ducked the smoke, that's what That's what we're saying.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
They were up. I don't I don't have producer, Nate,
you can chime in. What was Cleveland that by? Were
they up by twenty?
Speaker 4 (20:31):
Like?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I mean, they were up significantly and they pulled everyone.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I mean, that's not to me, I know personally, that's
not That's something you talk about as a team. And
I'm pretty sure JB did talk to the guys. And
I've been in a situation where, like I said, we
was able to face Lebron early or when we could
duck them right. And obviously the guys we wanted to
we want to smoke early. But the person that was different,
and maybe their logic is different. You know, it's like, Okay,
(21:00):
we rather not face a physical and beat with the
players that we have. You know, we got Jared Allen
and we got Evan Mobley. If we face the Boston Celtics,
they are more talented, more skilled team. But at the
same time, we might got a shot, you know, and
we're not gonna overlook Orlando.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
But again, we have home court advantage.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
We can get Orlando, and who knows what can happen
against the Celtics, and if we're gonna have to face
the eventually anyway, why not face them early?
Speaker 4 (21:24):
You know, I'm say league, Yeah, I mean what it is,
and hopefully we'll get to see that matchup next round
and see how unfolds.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
But at the same time, I think for me, the
way they got handled last year in the nixt series
on the physicality, they didn't want to smoke with.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
A beat and.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
You know it is, But what is going to tell
you if you're Donovan Mitchell, then what does that tell you? Like,
that's the thing if this is all about, like, let's
give Donovan Mitchell a wins so that he still likes
it here and that he'll stay and they want to
ask for trade. Like, if I'm Donovan Mitchell, I want
to be playing in the conference finals and finals. I'm
gonna be playing for the first round.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
What are you telling?
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Yeah, but who's who's to say that? You know you're
going to get there either way? I mean, either route
you take, you should be trying.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Let's try.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
I definitely want to go into any playoff winning obviously,
no no doubt about it, you know, But again, I
can't I gonna speak for myself and my experience.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
Now this team is different. You know, JB's one of
my favorite coaches I've ever played for.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
So he's fantastic. I don't think that's that's why to me.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
I look at I look at it, Donovan Mitchell. I
look at at other guys on that roster, you know who.
I think a lot of them are really promising, interesting players.
I look at JB, who I think the world of.
Like I just I had in my head, and this
is just my assumption opinion. It had to have come
from management, and like that's where I wouldn't know.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
It's obviously it's over. It's done anyway. This is my feelings.
You shouldn't screw around with the basketball, guys. Let's move on.
I'm gonna throw three stats at you, guys. Two of
them are true. What is a lie?
Speaker 2 (22:56):
I have not seen this yet, so let's look. Oh,
one of them involves you, Jeanrondo, so you better get
this one right. Let's start with you, rajeon stat number one,
Jon Rondo has had two twenty assist games in the playoffs.
Stud number two, Dwight Howard holds the record for most
blocks in a playoff game with ten and number three.
(23:16):
James Harden, another star over the weekend, holds the record
for the most turnovers in a playoff game with twelve.
So Doe two stats, two truths and a lie. Three stats,
two truths and a lie.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
What do you got?
Speaker 4 (23:32):
I'm gonna go with the Dwight.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
It's a lie.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
M what about you, Buck? What do you got?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I'm gonna go with Rondo having twenty in a game
just because he's in front of me.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Oh yeah, Well, I'm gonna say I feel the producers
would not put that stat up about right if you've
been to twenty six games in the playoffs, do you know?
Or he's just assuming like me, I.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Think I remember the two. But let's see, I thought
I'll have more, right.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
I oh, I assume that they wouldn't have put that
up if it wasn't true. And then it's then it's
just a toss up for me. But I kind of
agree with you on Dwight. I feel like is the most.
I just feel like someone's had to have him more
blocks than ten. Yes, yeah, that's kind of where I
am on that. But okay, production Ad has come in.
He has told me, in fact that Jean, you did
(24:35):
indeed have two twenty six games book. You are the
most disrespectful co host in the history of podcast go host.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
James James Harden number is correct, and that the Dwight
Howard is in fact a lie.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Jean, we are correct. We know everything that ever is
to know about stats in basketball. I'm surprised no one
had more blocks in a game than ten though, because
it was it was ten, but it wasn't Dwight. It
was a three way tie involving chemo on two of
the players. But yeah, I would, I would. I don't
know twenty. Can't believe you didn't think he could get twenty.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
I was twenty with me.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
To wait, were you guys on? So one of those
twenty games was on the Pelicans.
Speaker 7 (25:22):
You were there. You were there for that game.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
You were on the court for that course he went
in the court. He was hurt. He'll come around.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
That was after that.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Wow, Now that's a lot too.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
You're right, you're right, you owe me that one.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
All right, next suver, next time, we're gonna have Nate
actually come in on the broadcast because he's got all
the information. All right, let's get to I'll take that
bet presented by DraftKings Minnesota versus Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
We touched on it.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Sota Leeds one to nothing. Wolves are minus one fifty
five to win the series. Sons are plus one twenty
five to win the series. So Vegas still seeing this
is you know, not a toss up obviously, but it's
not as wide a spread as on some of these
other series.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
So who you guys taking when don't you go first?
Which bet are you taking?
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Over?
Speaker 4 (26:25):
There? Bug?
Speaker 6 (26:27):
I'm liking this Minnesota team. I've liked them all year.
I like the shine that's coming with you know, Anthony Edwards.
He's really coming into form of being, you know, one
of the faces of the NBA, being an actual superstar
in our league, and we're watching it unfold right in
front of us. He had an incredible game against a
(26:48):
guy that he looks up to and was one of
his favorite players growing up. So just having that confidence
as a young guy performing on that big of a
stage is only gonna I feel like it's only gonna
better and we're going to see even better performances from
this young kid. Uh the supporting cast that they have
with Jamon Daniels on the on the perimeter, Garden, whatever
(27:13):
matchup is, you know, in favor of that night, and
you know you got the big fella underneath controlling the plant.
So they have a good, solid team all around, calling
the town's return. And he's gonna be a huge piece
of this team. It's a lot of talent with this team.
Na right here, man, So it's a lot of killing
with the kid. Last night, I was going to walk.
(27:33):
He went crazy to me every reason they won eighteen
points off the bench.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
So this this team is young and hungry.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
Uh, it is full of talent, and I think they're
They've shown all year that they are a true contender
and we're watching them, you know, continue to grow and
things unfold in front of us right now.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
So I'm leaning with Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
He sold me. Yeah, I'm in the same way. Yeah, definitely. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Well, look, Grayson allen rolled his ankle in Game one,
questionable for Game two. We don't know what's going to
happen there. Obviously, if he's out, that's going to be
another blow for Phoenix. I don't think this series is
going to be a sweep or anything. I think it
will be a tough series. You've got experienced guys, Kevin
Durant is still Kevin Durant. I'm sorry, I don't know
how he is still underrated, but I think somehow he's
(28:20):
still underrated in our league.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And like I just he has the potential to win
a game all by himself.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
But I do think that Minnesota is a more complete
team and as you said, no point guard is an
issue for them.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
I don't expect to see Brona swept last week the too,
So I mean, but you said like time to change him,
so yeah, I mean, yeah, hopefully hopefully Bubble can get
it done, you know, don't get swept.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
But again he's it ain't just a guarantee because he's
on the floor.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Now, Yeah, no, I don't you're right, you're right. I
just I don't know.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
I think he is like a nuclear capability like Brown's
a little different. He obviously can control and take over
a game in so many different ways. But Katie is
such a shoot, you're a shooter, Like, I don't know,
he could drop fifty, like, you know, he's got that
in him.
Speaker 7 (29:06):
Still, that's true sleeve, right, he got that on him.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Yeah no, no, no, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Like, look, I guess you're right.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, And look, Jade McDaniels, to your point, but he
was on my one of my one of my all
defensive teams. Like I just I think that that group,
they know who they are. They don't have a ton
of winning playoff experience, I'll grant you, but you know
a couple of players do. And I think that they've
obviously got a really good coach, and I just I
(29:42):
don't know. I look at them to win the series
for sure. Even though that bet that we're taken from
DraftKings not going to give us a ton of put
one hundred dollars down, not going to get quite as
much back as if we had put money on Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
But a winning bet is still a winning bet, that's
all I got to say. It's still worth placing. There
you go.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I'm going to get you guys on a Kentucky question
real quick, because we have not spoken to you since
Mark Pope was hired. What was your initial reaction? Have
you guys spent any time around him? What are your
thoughts as Kate as Kentucky goes forward here?
Speaker 4 (30:11):
I don't know much about him obviously what everyone else knows.
He's a champion. I think that's the best best hill
right their particular time.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Due to the fact that I think, you know, the
first couple of guys they couldn't get Uh he's a
familiar face. Wow.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
Do you see that?
Speaker 1 (30:26):
That was just a dry by right there on the
athletic department.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
No, no, no, not necessarily.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
I mean that's that's these are this is the facts,
I believe, you know, you know, I think miss did
the hell of a job, you know, getting getting Pope
in and you know, he's a cerebral coach. He has
a different style that I think people are going to
get accustomed to right now. This is about you know,
landing the talent. So for him, getting people accustomed to
who he is as a person, what he stands for,
(30:53):
what he's looking for in players. So it's going to
take time. But nevertheless, I don't think they'll be down
for long. And I think they had a nice little
transfer portal signing already or commit you know, he's still
committed a draft, but it was a big man.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
I think I was that dregs where's Yeah. So you
know that's a start and we'll see how it goes.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
Like I said, this is a matter of a waiting game,
and with so many players in the portal, you know,
it's no knocking Pope or wacality.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
This is this is the game, you know.
Speaker 5 (31:21):
I think obviously he did stay, it wouldn't have been
as many people that transferred or but you still got
guys like reach Upherd was going pro anyway. You know,
Rob was going pro.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
So it's going to be just my period anyway, and
I believe that it won't take long.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Do you know Pope book.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
No, I don't know Pope. I believe he was part
of the ninety sixteen. Yeah, so I was six, But.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
You could have run across I mean, you've played for
a few teams. I don't know if you ran across
him anywhere.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
I was.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Six.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, I think he just called us old.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
I was team. I mean, I.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Get it. I'm just saying I was six. That happens,
I know exactly.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
I was six.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
All Right, we can move on. I'm i'm, i'm i'm.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
I thought maybe one of you could have a personal connection.
Who knows, But okay, all right, great, well we will
see what happens. We will follow them, of course throughout
the recruiting period and next season because we have a
special interest in Kentucky on this podcast. I did want
to get two of you before we go about the Warriors.
Though I know people have discussed it infinitum over the
last week. We don't need to have, you know, break
down everything for people because it's already been poured over.
(32:40):
But you have such a unique perspective because Boogie, you
were in that locker room.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
You know everybody involved.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
So you had the experience obviously of being with the
Celtics and when that team, you know, two finals in
three years would have been to a third if KG
hadn't gotten hurt, and then had to decide whether to
break that up or not. Look, Clay is a free agent,
Chris Paul's not guaranteed next season, big decisions. I want
to say Clay still had decent numbers this past season,
(33:06):
especially once he sort of figured out who he was
on that team now and how he was going to play.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
He was not a disaster, So I just need to
stop that narrative.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
But he obviously was getting paid way more than what
he was producing, and so it's a question of is
he going to want to stay for the money that
they're probably going to offer him Andrew Wiggins struggled up
and down, totally inconsistent, also way too much money for
the production he gave. Draymond obviously just got the new contract.
He missed twenty seven games of his own making. They
(33:35):
were thirty three and twenty two in the games he
played thirteen and fourteen without him.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
So to me, that really speaks to a his value.
People who were like, oh, he's way overpaid.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
I can't believe that he's making that much money. Guess
what he impacts winning on that team to this day,
and he makes Steph Curry better. Steps on off numbers
with Draymond are completely clear, like he makes Steph Curry,
who was already one of the most elite players this
game has ever seen, even better. So to me, you
don't get rid of Draymond. You need to just basically
get Draymond to stay on the court and not do
bone headed things. And he is making a commitment to
(34:08):
do that, So to me, that decision feels easy to me.
The question then is Clay and Wiggans and some of
the other stuff that they need to do, And it
comes down a little bit to asking Steph, what are
you interested in? Do you want to keep this core
group together and is playing it out with them important
even if you guys aren't competing for championships anymore? Or
do you want us to strip things down and try
(34:30):
to give you the best chance to get another chip.
I don't know what would you guys want. I want
to start with you, Book, because you've been in that
locker room and you know how important Clay is to
the functioning of the team.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
What do you think.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
For me?
Speaker 6 (34:45):
I think the Warriors have put theirselves in a pretty
shitty hole when it just comes to Rosster construction, you know, assets, money,
all of those things. So for me to sit here
and try to, you know, figure out what would be
the right moves for them moving forward to correct their team,
(35:05):
I don't have those answers.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
I'm not gonna even act like I do, but I
do understand this part. I know the Warriors were bought.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
When this group came in and bought this Warriors team,
they bought him for about four hundred and fifty million dollars.
As of today, this franchise is now worth eight point
I want to say eight point five billion dollars. I
don't give a shit how many baskets Klay Thompson, missus.
(35:35):
He deserves the ride off in the sunset because at
the end of the day, when this owner gets this
and let's let's be clear, this is a hobby for
this owner. So when he's done with this hobby, he
gets bored with this hobby, he's going to be able
to go and collect eight points.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
It's not about the owner, It's about Steph, right, So
it's about Steph Curry.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
They will do whatever Steph wants.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
I absolutely feel confident in saying that, and that if
Steph wants to have clay with him the rest of
the time and it's special to play all as a
group together, and it's special to be able to finish
out together, and if that's more important to him than
definitely getting a chance to win again, then he totally
has the right to make that decision.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
And I think that there is real merit in that.
But it's a different decision than I want to compete.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
For a title again, and like that that's kind of
I guess what I'm asking is what would you do
or what would you say or want to do if
you were Steph Curry, or would you not want responsibility
and just say you guys make the call. What would
you do if you're Clay? Would you take less money
to stay in Golden State? Then you would get I
mean someone would offer him. I guarantee you someone will
offer him money this summer. But will you take less
(36:44):
to stay in Golden State? Like, what would you do
if you were either of those two guys?
Speaker 6 (36:48):
I think Steph. I think Steph at the end of
the day, wants his guys with him. He knows what
helped him create what they created there in Golden State.
So I know for a fact Dram and Clay, He's
gonna vouch for them no matter what.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
My thing is.
Speaker 6 (37:06):
If I'm Clay, I feel like he deserves to have
the arrogance that he has when it comes to the
man in the contract that he wants He's put in
the groundwork. He and I spoke on the value of
his team increasing the way it did because that didn't
happen because the owner bought the team.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
It happened because of those three.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
Guys and what they did in those amount of years
to help increase the value of this franchise. So on
top of having four championships, on top of being core
pieces in this group, they increase.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
All Star.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Everything that comes with that. I don't feel like that
can be overlooked regardless of Okay, but if.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
You give him that much money, if you if you
give him a big chunk of money, you don't have
that money to spend other places and to put you
into salary cap restrictions. That means you can't do like
league minimum thing, you know, like you can't do those
minimum exceptions and all that stuff. You just have to
decide what's more important to you, right, do you want
a more competitive team? If you do, then Clay's got
(38:12):
to take a big chunk less. If he's going to stay,
Clay has to decide what he wants to do. I
don't know what to do with Wiggins because I don't
know how much if you can trade him and get
anything back for him, or if you'd have to attach
something to him. They do have really good, promising young players.
They had some great play from some of the rookies
this year, but Wiggins is a huge financial drain on
them compared to the production you're getting. To me, Draymond
(38:35):
is worth the financial so that you're paying him. I
can see where that comes out on the court, and
with Clay it is a question of I agree with you,
he deserves all the money he could get because of
what he's done. But then that will have an impact
on whether this team can move other pieces around and wins.
So it's just a question of I mean, do what
would you want if you were staff or if you
were Clay. Would you want to stay but have a
(38:55):
less competitive team? Would you want to stay for less
and have a more competitive I mean, there's just a
lot of factors here.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
I just I don't know the relationship they have, you know.
Actually that's why I would have cousin answer their question.
More so personally, I don't know either of them. You
know that closely, and.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
You know what they've gone through over the years. You know,
we see it from a lands from the outside, but
internally you just doesn't.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
You just don't know.
Speaker 4 (39:19):
I think that will determine on the outcome of what
happens the next year with this team.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Well you you went through it in Boston and when
Danny Ainge she would trade his mother was like.
Speaker 5 (39:30):
Yeah, but we didn't win four championships, So you know,
it's a different one. It's different, you know, and it's
always what have you done for me?
Speaker 3 (39:37):
League?
Speaker 4 (39:37):
Lately. What have you done for me lately?
Speaker 2 (39:39):
League?
Speaker 4 (39:39):
So, you know, winning one.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Championship and the gave us a couple more years to
try to figure it out. And when we didn't, you know,
it was trying to move on, you know, just like
you know, their offense, the way they play, let's style
of play. It's time to move on from that. But
that's another that's another topic. Bro time for an update.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
But no, it's that's all I can say about it
as far as like when it's time, you.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Know, all right, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I'm gonna close by asking Boogie to explain what pillow
hands are.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
We were talking about boxing before we got on the air.
What are pillow hands?
Speaker 4 (40:19):
Well, Luka got hit with last night.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
Man, pillow hands. Man, it's just not the punch and
power that.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
You know, Okay you have, That's how you're gonna put it.
Speaker 6 (40:35):
Yeah, I'm gonna just put it okay, Okay, yeah, right,
stay out, stay out the way like what you started
the podcast with, right, just trying to.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Have a little fun.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
You can catch all episodes of Bullyball in the Drive
Kings Network, all the Smoke Productions YouTube channel. Listen to
us wherever you get your podcast, rate us view US,
pup of us up.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
In the algorithm.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
We will be following the adventures of the Taiwan beer
Leopards as we go over the next few weeks.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
We will be catching you up on the playoffs as
we go.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Thank you guys so much for being here, especially you
book from far flung regions of the world.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
We will catch you all next week. Thank you guys
so much for watching. Bye Boys,
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