Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're gonna have out to the Kiowi Commas Spirit Health
(00:01):
Hotline and bring on a very good friend of the program,
Adam Morris with d VR. Of course, the Nuggets tonight's
taken on the LA Clippers in Game five. Adam, my friend,
it's good to catch up with you.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
How are you hey, I'm doing great, Fellows, excited for tonight.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Look at my wounds from.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The abs lost last night. That one, that one bothered me.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Yeah, Adam, I think everybody excited. And I agree with
you about the Apps. By the way, I think people
were excited about the Nuggets after that dramatic win in
Game four in Los Angeles. So in your mind, what
two or three things have to happen tonight in order
for the Nuggets to have the best chance to win.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I think the first thing that the Nuggets found success
with in Game four, sort of an adjustment of sorts,
was they upped their own physicality, in particular with James
Harden and Kawhi Leonard. And I thought that tone was
set very early on picking them up full court, but
not just shadowing them to try to keep them in front,
getting physical to bother them, attacking their dribble and to
disrupt them on that end. The officials allowed for a
(01:06):
very physical game, I think because the Nuggets set that
tone early and they're gonna have to do that tonight.
They're also gonna have to get more from their bench.
I mean, Denver obviously played Jokic the entirety of the
second half. They're gonna have to rely on some other guys.
As this series most to every other night for the
final three games, They're gonna have to buy some rest
for those guys late. And to do that, I think
(01:29):
is going on with the Nuggets right now is they
only trust five guys, so every sub you bring in
disrupts that rhythm and that chemistry that they have. And
then the last part is Jamal Murray. I think he's
been okay in the series. He's had some moments, but
he hasn't had a breakout game. And we're at the
point now all the adjustments are on the table, all
the cards are on the table, adjustments have been made.
(01:49):
Now your stars need to step up, and for me,
Game five is all about Jamal stepping up and having
a big night.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Well, David, it's funny that you mentioned Jamal because I
think they another player that somehow gets lost in the
shuffle with all their conversation and dialogue about Jamal Murray,
and he's connection to Nicole Jokis, and that's Aaron Gordon.
When you look at Aaron Gordon, well, how do you
think the team feels about him? But more employeely? How
do you think Nikola Jokich views a guy like Aaron
(02:19):
Gordon in the midst of conversation and dialogue about Jamal Murray.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, that's a great question, because Nikola Jokic had a
really interesting couple of quotes about him recently won. He
called him the soul of the team, and I think
that's right. He kind of knows the team's values and
identity as well as anybody not named Jokic, and so
he's the guy that you always know you're going to
get the best from him on both ends of the court.
And the other thing he said about him, and I
(02:45):
think it's connected, he said he's the guy who sacrifices
the most, called him a top side teammate he's ever had.
And I think he views Aaron Gordon as a guy
who gets and understands that this team, this specific version
of the Denver Nuggets really requires mystry, sacrifice and connection.
And Aaron Gordon, who was a star in Orlando before
coming here, really bought into what is it the team needs.
(03:08):
It's often sacrificed physically, emotionally from an ego perspective, and
he does it every night. So to me, Aaron Gordon
is a guy who's incredibly reliable to do his job.
He's great defensively, he makes winning plays like he did
in that last game at the last seconds. It's found
a way to get them over the hump. So I
think that that Nikola Jokic loves him. I know he does.
(03:29):
He's talked about him that way, and I think it's
because he embodies all of the values that Nikally Jokic
sees the game of basketball being about.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Chatting with Adamara is from D and v R. I
want to go back to what you're talking about with
the starters playing the significant minutes that they were. I mean,
it's startling to look at what the starters did versus
what the Nuggets bench ended up doing. And again, you know,
they won this game. I think the results speak for themselves.
But at the same time, there's a sustainability here.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Maybe you don't.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Worry about that too much much because you're just trying
to win this series. But this just doesn't seem like
something that even if you get out of this series,
you can keep going at this pace.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
There's no question you're not going to win a championship
playing the Guy's forty four minutes to night. That era
of the NBA is over. It's too spread out. I
think it's too exhausting and you need depth. But if
you look at this, you know the Lakers they had
a similar thing in they're lost to the Timberwolves. They
got five points out of their bench. The Knicks got
six points out of their bench. So you're seeing this
across the NBA, where I think it's this new salary
(04:31):
cap rules. There's a lot of teams that just don't
have a lot of depth. Denver is one of them,
So you're right, they have to find somebody. I expect
they'll get Russell Westbrook back. He's a little bit of
a mixed bag. He brings a lot of energy and
skill to the team, but he can be a little chaotic,
so they need the best version of him, and then
they need one more guy, whether that's Jalen Pickett, who
I think is a steady guy but not necessarily talented,
(04:54):
or Peyton Watti Watson, who's a very talented guy, but
not that steady. One of those two guys is going
to have to play. When I say real minutes, I
mean maybe two, four or five minutes stint. But those
guys are going to have to sit in and not
lose anything when they check in. And that's just a
big ask because neither of those guys has proven to
do that consistently at any point this year. In game
(05:15):
five of the series, it's only gotten more complex from
Game one. There's layers of strategy on top of every
single game, and now you're asking guys to come in
and they've been inconsistent. They need to perform, and they
need to perform in a complex situation. That's just a
tough spot.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Adam, last question for me, When you look at the
Nugget says they are presently constituted, do you think how
far they go in the playoffs will have a dramatic
part of whether or not the core group of guys,
(05:52):
the guys we've been talking about, whether that core comes
back intact. Do you think the showing in the playoffs
will have a we'll have sort of play a large
decision decision making role in terms of whether guys come
back next year or not, or do they blow it up.
No matter what happens.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I certainly think it'll factor in quite a bit. I
think there's a lot hanging in the balance right now.
I mean, first of all, David Adalman, you make it
out of the first round and the team is behind you.
That goes a long way to hey, maybe this is
our guy. But I think your broader question is that
we've had this core group for several years with Aaron Gordon,
Michael Porter, Jamal Murray, Niko Jokic. And one of the
questions the Nuggets have to answer is if they fall short,
(06:38):
was it because of depth? You know, there was a
weird friction in the building this year with it with
Malone and Calvin Booth and the direction is it because
of that? Or has this core expired and we need
to use our resources differently? And I think even that
is up in the balance. I mean, you could make
a case that the Nuggets, the starting five that played
last night, they defeated a very talented and deep Clipper
(07:00):
team that was the hottest offensive and defensive team in
the NBA. So they show you that that core is
still really, really good, but there are definitely how the
season finishes, you're gonna have to factor in. It's a
good core, but how much of that is Jokic, how
much of that is Yokichen, Murray, yokicen Ag and how
much of that is the five guys? And do we
need to redistribute our assets to me? I don't know
(07:22):
the answer to that, but I do think that whatever
happens tonight and in the coming week or weeks is
certainly going to influence that heavily.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Now, this series has been one of the more dramatic
series in the NBA Finals thus far, with the series
hired two to two. Now, this is a huge game
for the Nuggets at home and they definitely need to
steal this one out. Outside of Nikola Jokish, what other
player do you feel that they should have a great
game where they need to have a great game in
(07:53):
order for the Nuggets to pull this one out?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, I think I think it's Jamal Murray, And it
kind of comes back to the very beginning I talked
about this being his game. You gotta have great contributions
I thought Michael Porter was more focused, made fewer mistakes
in the last one. Aaron Gordon's obviously been great, and
Christian Brown had his great game. But the further you
go into a series, the more I think your role
players understand what their assignment is. That all the adjustments happened,
(08:18):
and now the guys the role players execute and make
or miss the shots when they're open. But your stars
now have to step up. The table is set for them.
They've solved all the problems that are thrown at you
at a series by game five, and now it's your
stars who have to read that and step up. Jokic
did it last game with a monster performance. Jamal Murray tonight,
it's all about him. He has not been one of
(08:39):
the four best players in this series in my opinion,
so far, and you can't get out of a series
if you're giving the other team three of the top
four guys. So tonight, I think the table is set
for him. There's no more adjustments. He has to go
out there and perform and do what he's done in
the past. When the Nuggets have beiten have needed a
win in big games, Jamal Murray's had he stepped up
and he's played great. When they've lost series, he hasn't,
(09:01):
so tonight to me is all about Jamal. That's perfectly said.
This is a little bit off book.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
But one hundred men versus a gorilla, which side are
you on?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I'm so glad you asked us D. I think people
are crazy. I think you only need about fifteen guys. Gorillas.
They're gonna wear out so quickly. They're not that smart,
they could be distracted, and they've got vulnerability.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
So you give me the the.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
That Hey, I think it's gonna cause some harms, the
three or four of them, but you know he's gonna
wear it down quickly and you're gonna get have your
way with him.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Adam, you're the best man. Really appreciate it. Enjoy the
game tonight. We will be checking checking with you soon.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Man. Thank you, Thanks brothers. Take care,
We're gonna have out to the Kiowi Commas Spirit Health
(00:01):
Hotline and bring on a very good friend of the program,
Adam Morris with d VR. Of course, the Nuggets tonight's
taken on the LA Clippers in Game five. Adam, my friend,
it's good to catch up with you.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
How are you hey, I'm doing great, Fellows, excited for tonight.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Look at my wounds from.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The abs lost last night. That one, that one bothered me.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Yeah, Adam, I think everybody excited. And I agree with
you about the Apps. By the way, I think people
were excited about the Nuggets after that dramatic win in
Game four in Los Angeles. So in your mind, what
two or three things have to happen tonight in order
for the Nuggets to have the best chance to win.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I think the first thing that the Nuggets found success
with in Game four, sort of an adjustment of sorts,
was they upped their own physicality, in particular with James
Harden and Kawhi Leonard. And I thought that tone was
set very early on picking them up full court, but
not just shadowing them to try to keep them in front,
getting physical to bother them, attacking their dribble and to
disrupt them on that end. The officials allowed for a
(01:06):
very physical game, I think because the Nuggets set that
tone early and they're gonna have to do that tonight.
They're also gonna have to get more from their bench.
I mean, Denver obviously played Jokic the entirety of the
second half. They're gonna have to rely on some other guys.
As this series most to every other night for the
final three games, They're gonna have to buy some rest
for those guys late. And to do that, I think
(01:29):
is going on with the Nuggets right now is they
only trust five guys, so every sub you bring in
disrupts that rhythm and that chemistry that they have. And
then the last part is Jamal Murray. I think he's
been okay in the series. He's had some moments, but
he hasn't had a breakout game. And we're at the
point now all the adjustments are on the table, all
the cards are on the table, adjustments have been made.
(01:49):
Now your stars need to step up, and for me,
Game five is all about Jamal stepping up and having
a big night.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Well, David, it's funny that you mentioned Jamal because I
think they another player that somehow gets lost in the
shuffle with all their conversation and dialogue about Jamal Murray,
and he's connection to Nicole Jokis, and that's Aaron Gordon.
When you look at Aaron Gordon, well, how do you
think the team feels about him? But more employeely? How
do you think Nikola Jokich views a guy like Aaron
(02:19):
Gordon in the midst of conversation and dialogue about Jamal Murray.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, that's a great question, because Nikola Jokic had a
really interesting couple of quotes about him recently won. He
called him the soul of the team, and I think
that's right. He kind of knows the team's values and
identity as well as anybody not named Jokic, and so
he's the guy that you always know you're going to
get the best from him on both ends of the court.
And the other thing he said about him, and I
(02:45):
think it's connected, he said he's the guy who sacrifices
the most, called him a top side teammate he's ever had.
And I think he views Aaron Gordon as a guy
who gets and understands that this team, this specific version
of the Denver Nuggets really requires mystry, sacrifice and connection.
And Aaron Gordon, who was a star in Orlando before
coming here, really bought into what is it the team needs.
(03:08):
It's often sacrificed physically, emotionally from an ego perspective, and
he does it every night. So to me, Aaron Gordon
is a guy who's incredibly reliable to do his job.
He's great defensively, he makes winning plays like he did
in that last game at the last seconds. It's found
a way to get them over the hump. So I
think that that Nikola Jokic loves him. I know he does.
(03:29):
He's talked about him that way, and I think it's
because he embodies all of the values that Nikally Jokic
sees the game of basketball being about.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Chatting with Adamara is from D and v R. I
want to go back to what you're talking about with
the starters playing the significant minutes that they were. I mean,
it's startling to look at what the starters did versus
what the Nuggets bench ended up doing. And again, you know,
they won this game. I think the results speak for themselves.
But at the same time, there's a sustainability here.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Maybe you don't.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Worry about that too much much because you're just trying
to win this series. But this just doesn't seem like
something that even if you get out of this series,
you can keep going at this pace.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
There's no question you're not going to win a championship
playing the Guy's forty four minutes to night. That era
of the NBA is over. It's too spread out. I
think it's too exhausting and you need depth. But if
you look at this, you know the Lakers they had
a similar thing in they're lost to the Timberwolves. They
got five points out of their bench. The Knicks got
six points out of their bench. So you're seeing this
across the NBA, where I think it's this new salary
(04:31):
cap rules. There's a lot of teams that just don't
have a lot of depth. Denver is one of them,
So you're right, they have to find somebody. I expect
they'll get Russell Westbrook back. He's a little bit of
a mixed bag. He brings a lot of energy and
skill to the team, but he can be a little chaotic,
so they need the best version of him, and then
they need one more guy, whether that's Jalen Pickett, who
I think is a steady guy but not necessarily talented,
(04:54):
or Peyton Watti Watson, who's a very talented guy, but
not that steady. One of those two guys is going
to have to play. When I say real minutes, I
mean maybe two, four or five minutes stint. But those
guys are going to have to sit in and not
lose anything when they check in. And that's just a
big ask because neither of those guys has proven to
do that consistently at any point this year. In game
(05:15):
five of the series, it's only gotten more complex from
Game one. There's layers of strategy on top of every
single game, and now you're asking guys to come in
and they've been inconsistent. They need to perform, and they
need to perform in a complex situation. That's just a
tough spot.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Adam, last question for me, When you look at the
Nugget says they are presently constituted, do you think how
far they go in the playoffs will have a dramatic
part of whether or not the core group of guys,
(05:52):
the guys we've been talking about, whether that core comes
back intact. Do you think the showing in the playoffs
will have a we'll have sort of play a large
decision decision making role in terms of whether guys come
back next year or not, or do they blow it up.
No matter what happens.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I certainly think it'll factor in quite a bit. I
think there's a lot hanging in the balance right now.
I mean, first of all, David Adalman, you make it
out of the first round and the team is behind you.
That goes a long way to hey, maybe this is
our guy. But I think your broader question is that
we've had this core group for several years with Aaron Gordon,
Michael Porter, Jamal Murray, Niko Jokic. And one of the
questions the Nuggets have to answer is if they fall short,
(06:38):
was it because of depth? You know, there was a
weird friction in the building this year with it with
Malone and Calvin Booth and the direction is it because
of that? Or has this core expired and we need
to use our resources differently? And I think even that
is up in the balance. I mean, you could make
a case that the Nuggets, the starting five that played
last night, they defeated a very talented and deep Clipper
(07:00):
team that was the hottest offensive and defensive team in
the NBA. So they show you that that core is
still really, really good, but there are definitely how the
season finishes, you're gonna have to factor in. It's a
good core, but how much of that is Jokic, how
much of that is Yokichen, Murray, yokicen Ag and how
much of that is the five guys? And do we
need to redistribute our assets to me? I don't know
(07:22):
the answer to that, but I do think that whatever
happens tonight and in the coming week or weeks is
certainly going to influence that heavily.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Now, this series has been one of the more dramatic
series in the NBA Finals thus far, with the series
hired two to two. Now, this is a huge game
for the Nuggets at home and they definitely need to
steal this one out. Outside of Nikola Jokish, what other
player do you feel that they should have a great
game where they need to have a great game in
(07:53):
order for the Nuggets to pull this one out?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, I think I think it's Jamal Murray, And it
kind of comes back to the very beginning I talked
about this being his game. You gotta have great contributions
I thought Michael Porter was more focused, made fewer mistakes
in the last one. Aaron Gordon's obviously been great, and
Christian Brown had his great game. But the further you
go into a series, the more I think your role
players understand what their assignment is. That all the adjustments happened,
(08:18):
and now the guys the role players execute and make
or miss the shots when they're open. But your stars
now have to step up. The table is set for them.
They've solved all the problems that are thrown at you
at a series by game five, and now it's your
stars who have to read that and step up. Jokic
did it last game with a monster performance. Jamal Murray tonight,
it's all about him. He has not been one of
(08:39):
the four best players in this series in my opinion,
so far, and you can't get out of a series
if you're giving the other team three of the top
four guys. So tonight, I think the table is set
for him. There's no more adjustments. He has to go
out there and perform and do what he's done in
the past. When the Nuggets have beiten have needed a
win in big games, Jamal Murray's had he stepped up
and he's played great. When they've lost series, he hasn't,
(09:01):
so tonight to me is all about Jamal. That's perfectly said.
This is a little bit off book.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
But one hundred men versus a gorilla, which side are
you on?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I'm so glad you asked us D. I think people
are crazy. I think you only need about fifteen guys. Gorillas.
They're gonna wear out so quickly. They're not that smart,
they could be distracted, and they've got vulnerability.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
So you give me the the.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
That Hey, I think it's gonna cause some harms, the
three or four of them, but you know he's gonna
wear it down quickly and you're gonna get have your
way with him.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Adam, you're the best man. Really appreciate it. Enjoy the
game tonight. We will be checking checking with you soon.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Man. Thank you, Thanks brothers. Take care,
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