Ep. 77: The Knicks Are [Not] In Trouble, Dame Hurt, Lakers, and More - 04/28/25

Sean Barnard and Sam Oshtry talk about a newsworthy weekend in the #NBAPlayoffs. #Knicks get bailed out, a literal last nanosecond win, where the Bucks go from here, Lakers on the brink, and more!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
And away we go. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It
is a wonderful Monday, a beautiful we gon an NBA
basketball in the books. My name is Sean Minak. Here
with my guy Sam Ashy.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
To break it all right, break it all down right
here on Fox Sports the Gambler, appreciate it on tuning,
right here on Socials, over on the iHeartMedia app or
anywhere else you are listening.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
We got plenty to dive into.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
We've seen, unfortunately, a terrible injury to Damian Lillard to
put a.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Night cap on things last night.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
We've seen the Lakers fall down to three to one
at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, with JJ Reddick
playing the.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Starter at the entire second half.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
We saw the Detroit Pistons suffer a brutal loss in
that game and one of the closest game winners I've
ever seen in my life during that Denver Nuggets victory
over the Los Angeles Clippers. So here with my guys Sam,
to break it all down. Sam, how are you doing
on this fine Monday morning.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
I'm great.

Speaker 4 (00:54):
It does not get better than this past weekend of hoops.
These playoffs have been maybe the best first round series
I can ever remember. Last year was competitive too, but
the parody in the NBA right now has created just
phenomenal series and phenomenal games, even like a magic Celtics series,
which we won't talk about too much because there's a
lot of other stuff to get to, but even that

(01:15):
series has produced awesome games. And that's a two to
seven matchup that everyone thought was just Celtics would take
care of easy and loll win the series.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
But they've been competitive games.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
So these playoffs have been as good as you could
possibly get. And just the physicality and intensity that you're
seeing in the playoff games and the real hatred and
animosity too, like you're seeing almost every single one of
these games in series has had moments where the teams
need to be separated and there's been that chippiness and
that competitiveness, and that's this is as good as it

(01:44):
gets for a first round series, So let's talk about it.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, I'm totally with you.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
That's probably my biggest takeaway as well, is it's just
been awesome basketball, man. And for all the complaints about
the regular season, are too many three pointers?

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Is there?

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Whatever? People want to complain about, this is what we're
waiting for. Man, So it is here.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
I'm ready to enjoy every single part of it, and
let's dive right into the action. So right off the bat,
let's get into the controversial topic of that ending of
the New York Knicks versus Detroit Pistons team. So me
and you have gone pretty back and forth about this
series overall. I felt strongly that this Detroit Pistons team
has been disrespected and I feel horrible for this Piston
team right now, straight up, Sam, to put it on

(02:19):
the table right now.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
A foul is a foul is a foul.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Tim Hartaway Junior got fouled on what should have been
a game winning opportunity, and I think the Detroit Pistons
got absolutely screwed there.

Speaker 4 (02:29):
You think I'm wrong, Look, it was a fact. Don't
get me wrong. One hundred percent. It was a foul.
There's no question about it. It was a textbook foul
based on definition. My thing is, I don't have a
problem with them not calling it in that situation and
in this moment of a huge playoff game, because that's

(02:49):
the tone you set in this series was that it's
going to be an.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Incredible, credibly physical, tough.

Speaker 4 (02:55):
Series, and team's gonna get away with a lot of
contact on jump shots, on dry on just trippling the
ball up the court, Like that's the tone you set.
So I don't have a problem with the officials not
calling that. Yes, of course it was a foul that
that's indisputable, and that's another story to me. But no,
but based on the actual definition. But you know that
time and place and context and all that matters given

(03:18):
the situation, and the situation didn't call for call for
them to blow the whistle there.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
In my opinion, you're saying time and situation matters, and
context matters. So the actual game winning opportunity attempt having
a shot with the game on the line, where your
direct shot, complete trajectory is impacted by Josh Hart falling
into you does not matter to be a foul aff.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
But how many times do we talk about we don't
want there to be TICKI tech fouls late in games
because even though they're technical, textbook fouls and the last
two minute report might say their fouls, you don't want
that because it's you want it to be a physical game.
You don't want a free throw and free throws to
decide the game. And that's the tone that's been set
all series. It's not just that one game or that

(03:59):
one play. It's the tone that's been set ull series
that you can get away with a lot of contact
on a lot of different shots and possessions and be
based on that tone.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
I don't have a problem.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
With them calling it on a shot that would have
decided the game. Yeah, so I wouldn't say Josh har
jumped into him. I would say Tim Hardaway leaned into
Josh Hart.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
I wouldn't put it that way. I get your case.
To me.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
The bottom line is a foul as a foul as
a foul. That was a foul. He should have gone
to the free throw line. And what sucks to me
more than anything, And this isn't the only game that
I feel this way about. Like I just feel a
little like dirty about the way the game ends, and
that sucks too. Now I agree with your point, and overall,
I think the referees did a nice job of swallowing
the whistle throughout that game.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
That's what we want in a basketball game. We want
these teams to be physical.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
I don't need to take four hours my time watching
Jalen Brunson shoot three hundred and thirty six free throws,
as sometimes happens during the next game there, So I
have appreciative of letting the boys play a little bit there.
But the bottom line is, to me, I feel horrible
for this Pistons team.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Man.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
I thought they brought their best effort. I thought they
deserved a clean chance to win it, and I don't
think they got.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
I don't know how you feel bad for a team
that blew a ten point lead in the fourth quarter.
I mean, they had that game like they You can
talk about the foul, and that's obviously the storyline, so
that's what we're opening with and that's what everyone's talking about.
But they blew that game like Dayleon Brunson went off
after coming back for that ankle injury with fifteen points
in the in the fourth quarter. Late in that game,
kar Anthony town said, clutch play after clutch play after

(05:23):
clutch play, the Pistons couldn't score down the stretch. That's
the story. It's not the foul. That's the story. The
Pistons blew that game, then Nick snatched it from them.
So the story to me is everyone coming into the
series talked about the Pistons physicality, their toughness, their defense.
That's what's gonna get it done for the believers and
the Pistons like yourself, what I've seen is these are

(05:45):
two gutsy, gutsye wins in Detroit. They just went and
won two games in Detroit and they matched and the Pistons,
to their credit, they've been awesome. I mean, I've been
shocked how competitive this series in each of these games
have been because just because of they on toughness, but
the Knicks proved they are up for that, they can
match that physicality and toughness, and they showed it with

(06:06):
two gutsy wins to or at least yesterday a comeback
win in Detroit.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
And we'll move on from the referee conversation right after this,
But sort of like a broader stroke principle, does it
bother you all the way, like things go down like
yesterday for example, with this next game that immediately after
the game, it's just openly admitted by referees, yep, we
got that one wrong.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
That was a miscall that should have been a foul.
And then it's just kind of like, are bad. We
move on.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
I almost feel like that makes it worse, man like,
and I know we'll get the last two minute report today,
which I'm sure we'll confirm that it was absolutely foul
and Josh hard because it was and everyone saw on
clear display here, Like I don't know how we fixed
that process, but it's almost like rubbin salt and the wound.

Speaker 4 (06:45):
To me, Yeah, I can do without the two minute report.
I don't only think it's necessary for the league because
it's just gonna outrage and inflame fan bases even more,
in coaching staffs even more, Like you don't really need it.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
Everyone kind of knows.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
I guess.

Speaker 4 (06:57):
I guess to some degree there's gonna be the debaate,
and it kind of just ends the debate of whether
it is or foul or isn't, like the league will
will come out and say it. But for the playoffs,
it's just it's just not really necessary. And it happened
with the Sixers next series last year. The Sixers got
screwed on a late call and it was confirmed by
the two minute report, and it kind of ends the
debate there. But at the same time, it's like, we

(07:19):
don't really need the two minute report. It's just unnecessary,
like this is an imperfect sports reft played coached by
imperfect humans, and like that's kind of part of the game,
Like you were going to get screwed on calls at times,
Like the Rams a couple of years ago weren't in
the super Bowl because or excuse me, the Saints weren't
in the super Bowl and the Rams were because of
an awful no call in a pass interference that.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
What's that James Bradbury holding exactly.

Speaker 3 (07:44):
Exactly, Like, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
So it's an imperfect sport, and like refs are imperfect,
They're going to make mistakes. They're pretty good like people
who think refs suck, like they're pretty damn good at
their jobs for the most part. They do a great job.
Coaches make mistakes. J. J. Reddick made a huge one yesterday,
which we'll talk to. Players make mistakes all the time.
It's an imperfect sport and like that that's part of it.
So yeah, I could probably do without the last two
minute report, but for the conversation to be all about

(08:08):
the refs and one misscall instead of the whole the
whole series and the whole game and the whole last
fourth quarter and Jalen Brunson coming back and scoring fifteen
points in the fourth quarter on a bum ankle.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
It's just disappointing. That's that's the conversation.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
Can you name for me a playoff victory by this
next team that was not overshadowed by referee controversy?

Speaker 3 (08:30):
And I mean there's been a few these series. There's
been a few, but they have been the beneficiary.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Let me ask, like, the conversation to me has shifted
to a lot of Pistons fans and Nix haters complaining
about how the Knicks had been officiated compared to that
final play. Let me just say before you go, let
me just say, everyone's complaining about how Brunson's being officiated
and and they think it easy.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
He's getting like an easy whistle.

Speaker 4 (08:55):
I think Brunson is getting an awful whistle, an awful whistle,
And I'm serious about that. They set the tone that
physicality's okay. You can pretty much foul every single play
and you're gonna get away with a lot of it,
which is fine. I'm all for that physicality in the
playoff series, like this is the playoffs, let them play.
The problem is Brunston is getting killed every time he's

(09:16):
bringing up the floor. Whether it's Sosar Thompson, Dennis Schroeder,
doesn't matter who it is. He's getting clotheslined on some
of his drives and it's going uncold. So yes, he's
getting a decent amount of calls. He's also getting filed
almost like based on the textbook definition of a foul,
like everyone's saying, Josh Hart was on Tim Hardaway on
that final shot, textbook definition of a foul. Brunston is
getting filed almost every single possession. And yes, he's getting

(09:38):
to the free throw line a good amount, but he's
getting destroyed and hacked. And the Pistons tone that they
said is we're going to foul Brunson. You're gonna call
it sometimes, but you're not gonna be able to call
it every time. He's getting I've never seen this type
of physicality on an individual player in the playoffs. In
one series, he's getting killed.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
If you're gonna argue that Tim Hardaway Junior created contact,
I will argue that Jalen Brunson creates contact in a
lot of those instances.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
I agree with your point.

Speaker 2 (10:03):
They're for sure being intentionally physical with them, and like
that's who the Detroit Pistons are, that's their identity as
a basketball team. So I like, I get it on
all regards, but I do think Brunson, you know, plays
a part in these altercations at worst. Here he attacks
the body. That's how he creates separation. That's how he plays,
That's how he's always played. So like there's a two
way street in all these here. But but my last

(10:25):
Jaylen Brunson thing, I'll give you the floor to give him,
miss Flowers. He did score fifteen points in that fourth quarter.
He did get that Patrick Mahomes whatever injection news ankle
to make sure he's fine. Karl Anthony Towns did hit
two shots that I did not think Karl Anthony Towns
had in his bag like that that I did not
think he could rise in the moment. I will tip
the cap to the Knicks for that. Any final thoughts
on them taking the commanding three to one lead and

(10:47):
sticking the fork in them.

Speaker 4 (10:48):
In the let me let me, let me just take
my victory lap, and I'll just send it as a
question who thinks the best player in the series.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
I I still think it's Kate Cunning. So here's where
you'll win this argument is Jay when it's not up time,
when it is that crunch time fourth quarter, that Jalen
Bronson's been that dude and that's who he is.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
But my point, and in yesterday game.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
Specifically, Kate struggled a little bit early on that whole
like third quarter stretch like his he just controlled that
game on both sides of the ball and the way
that I really appreciate there and like from an overall
talent standpoint, I think the takeaway from a Detroit Pistons
perspective and this should this season should.

Speaker 1 (11:28):
Be viewed as a success.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Regardless you triple to your win total from last year,
You're back in the playoffs for the first time in forever.
Kate Cunningham looks like a great a guy. They got
to get a co star for him and shor J
and Ivy's out. That's a part of the equation here.
I am a believer that guy like Aesar thomp can
take that next step. They're still very young in the
youth movement. To me, this was way I feel way
more confident leaving this series that Kate Cunningham can be

(11:50):
a number one guy on a legit contender than I
do in the opposite of that conversation.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
Don't get me wrong, Kid is the man.

Speaker 4 (11:55):
He is the guy, and he does need a CoA
star in Jane Ivy can be that guy and Keid
will be a franchise player. This is not an anti
k thing by any stretch. It's a pro Jalen Brunson thing.
Because they were You weren't the only ones saying that
Kay Cunningham was the best player in the series. It
was a common sentiment coming out from legitimate analysts saying
that Keate Cunningham was the best playing series, and it
was just ridiculous. It made no sense, Like we're talking

(12:17):
about the fourth quarter, the most important quarter quarter when
you need your guys at their absolute best. You want
to let me give you some stats. Jalen Brunson in
the fourth quarter fifty three points on sixty five percent,
shooting eight assists to one turnover. Kate Cunningham in the
fourth quarter of the series twenty six points, thirty five percent,
shooting ten assist to eight turnovers.

Speaker 3 (12:37):
There are levels to this stuff.

Speaker 4 (12:38):
Everyone like people saying that Kate Cunningham was on Jalen
Brunson's level. It's ridiculous. John Brunson have been there, done
that in playoff series. In his last four playoff series,
he's average at least twenty nine points per game. And
I get the Jalen Brunson disrespects in theory because it
doesn't make sense, right, Like, how is this tiny dude
as efficient and electric as a scorer as he is?

Speaker 3 (13:00):
There's no precedent for that and the history.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
The only other guy is really Steph Curry, but he
is the greatest shooter of all time, and Jaylen Brunson's
a great John Bunsen's an awesome shooter, but he's not
the shoot the Curry is. He gonna have the range Curiers.
So it makes no sense for a guy of his
size to be this electric and efficient of a score,
but he is. So I get the disrespect. I get
why he somehow he didn't make Team USA even though
he's way better than Tyrus Saliburn and deserve the spot

(13:25):
on that team. But people saying that kid cunning him
was a better player than him. He is the clutch
player of the Year for a reason. Jaylen Brunson is
a top seven to eight player in the NBA, and
he's showing it in this series.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
It's two sides of the basketball as well.

Speaker 2 (13:38):
I will throw it at it out there, and I'm
taking Kaid defensively on an every single possession basis.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
I get it. You're gonna win this one.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
The Knicks are gonna advance, and Jalen Brunson has led
this team to it. So I will wave the white
flag for this for now. I don't believe the Pistons
are coming back from three to one. It would not
shock me if they pull a win out of their
you know what and kind of just give himself a
fighting cans. The team's not gonna roll over. I gained
a ton of respect for this Detroit Pistons team. And
by the way that Tobias Harris, I don't know what

(14:04):
happened to that man, but I've never seen intensity like
the him going chest to chess with Karl Anthony Towns,
him being as physical as he is, him going up
for second chance boards like that shot out to him.

Speaker 1 (14:14):
I had did not see that in five years and
six or uniform.

Speaker 4 (14:17):
Yeah, and uh to that point, Tobias Harris, it's probably
the Sixers fans.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Just broke him, which we's not.

Speaker 4 (14:25):
He wouldn't be the first athlete that we see a
sexiss fan base kind of broke him just mentally, and
I think this has a beginning been a good rejuvenation
for him this year. He's had a good year and
obviously having a pretty good series. But on the flip
side of that, like credit to kar Anthone Towns, who
a lot of people have called soft and have called
out his playoff performances over the year, and he's kind
of notorious for being not a playoff sellout but a

(14:46):
playoff underperformer. He's been awesome, not just throughout the series.
Been the clutch like came three in Game four, a
fadeaway baseline shot that was just so clutch, Clutch threes
in Game four yesterday, Like, this isn't a guy who
I would associate with the word clutch, but he has been,
and he's been He's matched their physicality, their intensity. He

(15:07):
has not been soft by any stretch. So I think
everyone can drop that label surrounding Cat. And last thing,
he's not the only guy who's kind of turned around
the playoff narrative. And we'll talk about the Timberwolves Lakers series,
but Tim and Julius Randall Juwis Randall of course a
former nick guys who were notorious for being underperformers in
the playoffs, They've had some impressive playoff stretches in this

(15:28):
first round.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, you're right, and let's get it right over to
that series there. So the Minnesota Timberwolves taking a commanding
three to one, serious lead. I think we have a
bit of a different perspective on this. Are you counting
the Lakers out? Is this too large bedeficit? How do
you feel about the Lakers falling down three one here?

Speaker 4 (15:45):
I'm not counting the Lakers out, but I obviously then
i'll pell Battle of climb. I think the Timberwolves, and
I think myself because I picked the Lakers in seven,
which is obviously still open for the taking, and every
analyst that you saw pick was Lakers, Lakes, Lakers.

Speaker 3 (16:01):
The favorites were the Lakers.

Speaker 4 (16:02):
I think all of us kind of underestimated how good
this Timberwolves team was playing down the stretch of the
season and how that really did matter. And Julius Randall
coming into the offense and Anthony Edwards getting him involved
at a high rate was really impressive. Of the last
two months of the season, and they were winning a
ton of basketball games because of it, and everyone kind
of just threw that to the side and was like,
Luca Lebron, Austin Reeves is going to be enough. But

(16:24):
when you really look at the totality of these two teams,
it's Timberwolves are probably the better team, and we're seeing that,
not probably, they are the better team, and we're seeing
that through two games. But the conversation surrounding yesterday's game
is about JJ reddy Ye, who's a phenomenal coach. He's
done a great job this season. I have no doubt
he's a brilliant basketball mind. His intensity, hit, his discipline, everything,

(16:46):
He's going to be an awesome coach in the NBA
for a long time. But it was inexcusable what he
did yesterday. I mean, it was irresponsible, it was negligent.
It was just malpracticed. Playing your starters for the first
time in NBA history, all five of you, not even
your starters, but playing five guys the entire second half.
You can't get away with that. And I get it
from the perspective of he has no betch. Jackson Hayes

(17:08):
starts at center, he plays four minutes. I don't even
know why he starts, he's unplayable. In this series, you
have to go small because you don't have a center.
And it's interesting if like what this team looked like
if they had Mark Williams or any center, which of
course they tried to trade for Mark Williams and then
the health thing got in the way. But it's the
conversation of how he played five He played five, all

(17:29):
five starters the entire second half.

Speaker 3 (17:31):
You can't get away with that.

Speaker 4 (17:33):
This isn't the Knicks, a team where they were used
to playing that load in the regular season, and those
guys play a ton of minutes anyway, you're talking about
a forty year old and Lebron James. You played twenty
four straight minutes, and Luka Doncic.

Speaker 3 (17:45):
Who is notorious for.

Speaker 4 (17:46):
Being unconditioned, I mean right or wrong, and it's wrong.

Speaker 3 (17:50):
But he got traded a big part of it.

Speaker 4 (17:52):
From the MAVs because of his conditioning, and you just
played him twenty four consecutive minutes in the second half.
Not to mention, they only had less than forty eight
a half hours of rest before their prior game, and
in that prior game, Luca Doncis was sick because he
was throwing up all day. I mean, it's now practiced
to play, to play these guys the entire second half.
And he doesn't have the best bench in the world.

(18:13):
But you can find five to ten minutes for Gabe Vincent,
you can find five to ten minutes for Jared Vanderbilt,
just to give these guys some relief.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
And you saw it in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
Lakers went up, they were up ten entering that fourth quarter,
and they blew it. And you saw Lebron scored zero
points in the fourth quarter. He only took two shots.
He's barely even involved in the offense. Luca Doncon was
being targeted in the pick and roll constantly. And it
was interesting because Lebron was great defensively, but he was
a non factor offensively, and Luca was carrying in the
fourth quarter offensively.

Speaker 3 (18:43):
But defensively, he was being targeted all the time.

Speaker 4 (18:45):
And teams do that anyway where it's just whoever was
guarding Luca donc is going to go set a ball
screen for Anthony David or excuse me, Anthony Edwards and
put Doncons in action. And with nine minutes I rewatched
that game this morning. With nine minutes left in that game.
Luka Doncich had his hands on his knees. You know
exactly when you play youth sports and they're telling you
don't put your hands on your knees, like put them

(19:06):
up here to get energy, like they'll don't show the
opponent that you're tired by hands on your knees. Nine
minutes left in the fourth quarter, donc just put his
hands on his knees every single dead bowl. They were exhausted.
It was just it was just a bad coaching performance
from JJ Reddick, and that's a big reason why they lost.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, and it's predictable, Like I get it from JJ
Reddick's standpoint that I get your hands are kind of
tired here, that you don't have guys that you trust
whatsoever to layout the minutes directly.

Speaker 1 (19:30):
Here.

Speaker 2 (19:31):
We saw Ruey Hachimore play forty one minutes yesterday, Lebron
James forty six minutes, Luka Doncic forty six minutes, Austin
Reeves thirty five minutes, Dorian Finney Smith forty one minutes,
and the next highest on the team is Gay Vincent
at thirteen. Jackson Hayes with four minutes. As you mentioned,
I believe he got a technical in that four minutes.
So Jackson Hayes, like, chill out a little bit, but like,
these are not guys that you can do this with,

(19:53):
Like you're a comparison to the Knicks. This is forty
year old Lebron James and Luka Doncic who has had
these concerns. And by the way, how much do you
think Nico Harrison was just loving watching Lucas.

Speaker 3 (20:03):
Watching He's hate watching like crazy on this Lakers team.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Yes, one hundred percent. There. Like to defend J. J.

Speaker 2 (20:08):
Reddick a little bit here, I get they have not
had the opportunity to properly build up a roster around
Luka Doncic and Lebron James. That it is a very
different skill set and by the way that Dallas Mavericks
team did a very good job of doing that. I'm
building the right the guys around Luca when you make
a midseason acquisition of that magnitude the way the Lakers did,
and they were absolutely right to do so, don't get
me wrong, you don't pass up that opportunity whatsoever. But

(20:30):
I think we'll have a different story this time next year,
or this time at the start of next season when
there is a more well rounded roster, more built around
these guys specifically. Now, with all that being said, I
think a lot of this Lakers versus Timberwolf series came
down to we sort of know the Timberwolves are the
more complete team, the better team, but the Lakers are
gonna have the best player in the series. They have

(20:50):
Luka Doncic, they have Lebron James. The problem with that
is Anthony Edwards has been the best set player in
the series by a pretty comfortable margin in my mind,
just looking at yesterday his performance that he finished that
matchup with forty three points, nine rebounds, six assists, shot
five to ten from three, got to the free throw
line seventeen times, played well defensively, was all over the

(21:10):
place on both sides of the ball. Andthony Edwards is
one of those dudes. He's a playoff riser. He's making
the most of this opportunity. I could not be more
impressed from a peer basketball perspective of what he's brought
to this series.

Speaker 4 (21:22):
You're one hundred percent right, Anthony Edwards has been incredible
and it's really his development as a playmaker when he's
double Because the Lakers were constantly doubling him and throwing
two defenders his way and just.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
Heavy nail help on all his drives.

Speaker 4 (21:35):
But of course we know the trump he's taken as
a three point shoot this year, but really the jump
that he's taken throughout this season was how he's as
a playmaker passing out of double.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
Teams, and he always he can consistently get.

Speaker 4 (21:46):
To his spots despite double teams and also deliver the
ball where it needs to go in despite getting doubled.
And we saw that time and time again in the
clutch yesterday with how we perform when the Lakers were
just sending doubles his way. So I've been so impressed
with Anthony Edwards. He's been awesome. He is the best
player in this series. He has been the best player
in this series. But it's also that the.

Speaker 3 (22:08):
Two through five or three through five, however you.

Speaker 4 (22:10):
Want to put it, for the Wolves has been better
than the Lakers. Like Julius Randall has been awesome this series,
and that's part of it. It's that a lot of
a lot of these ant doubles is he's delivering the
ball of Julius Randall, and Julius Randall's taking advantage of
four on three situations, and he's either he's been a
pretty good passer, but also he's getting to the raymon
high rate, and he's shooting the hell out of the
ball this series, shooting forty five percent from three this series.

(22:33):
That's not the Julius Randall that we know, of course,
averaging twenty two a game. Jaden McDaniels has been phenomenal
this series. He's averaging almost twenty a game on forty
two three shooting from three. The other on the Friday
night he had a thirty ball for the Wolves. And
he's doing all this offensively. It wasn't great yesterday offensively,
but he's doing this offensively while guarding Luca like he's
Luca's primary defender. So what he's doing on both sides

(22:54):
of the ball has been phenomenal. Then I nas reed
shooting fifty two percent from three and like that, that's ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (23:00):
And they're closing, and who they closed their lineup with.

Speaker 4 (23:03):
Their most used lineup is with Dante Jivincenzo, who's actually struggled.
He's probably their best three point shooter and he's shooting
twenty one percent from three. But you're still having this
success offensively. So it's just the Wolves three through five,
and their two through five has been so much better
than the Lakers, even though Ruby had an awesome game.
Ytu Say Austreams has been in and out a little bit.

(23:23):
He had a great second half, but a horrible first
half yes yesterday. Dorian Finney Smith has had some moments,
but he hasn't great overall, especially as a shooter.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
So look like it's just the two through five and
three through.

Speaker 4 (23:34):
Five is so much better right now than the Lakers,
and that's been the story.

Speaker 2 (23:38):
Yeah, no, you're absolutely right about all that. Now again,
as I mentioned, you're now closing the door completely. Is
there an adjustment that JJ Reddick can make, I personally
don't have anything that jumps to mine other than you
need like Luca Dons and Lebron James to have these
type of heroic performances that for all these reasons that
we just laid out, it's gonna take those guys looking
like top five players in the entire world for them

(24:00):
to come back from this.

Speaker 1 (24:01):
Do you see any end direction or things they should tweak?

Speaker 4 (24:03):
So what's surprising is their clutch offense has been horrible
and the two of the clutch games in the playoffs,
they have a seventy eight offensive rating in the clutch.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
That's atrocious.

Speaker 4 (24:11):
I mean, it's the second worst the playoffs, only because
the Grizzlies have worse, because it's the Grizzlies right now.
But that's just awful, And that's surprising given Luca and
Lebron are two of the more clutch players in the league.
You've seen Austin and You step up in clutch moments
this season, even though he missed that game, tying three
at the end of regulation.

Speaker 3 (24:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
Yeah, Yesterday, the Lakers were outscored by thirteen in the
fourth quarter. Lebron had zero points and only took two shots.
All of Austin Reeves shot attempts, which was seven in
the fourth quarter, were all three pointers. Sixty six percent
of the lakers entire shot attempts in the third in
the fourth quarter were three pointers. That is fatigue. Like
that is fatigue. You have to be able to get

(24:49):
to the rim, especially late in games. You have to
put pressure on the rim and at least get to
the free throw line. The only way you really get
to the free throw line is by attacking the rim.
So and that those free throws all gonna give stoppages.
So to me, that's fatigue. So the adjustment is JJ
Reddick learned his lesson. I'm sure he's never gonna do
that again. You just you have to give Luke a
relief so he's at his best in the final minutes

(25:10):
in the fourth quarter. Same with Lebron James. So that's
it's not a major adjustment. They're going back home. I
expect them to definitely win at home, especially because you
know that whistle is going to be very very friendly
to the Lakers back at home, so they am like maybe, yeah, maybe,
so the NBA can force a game six here, especially
because they this is an awesome series and Edwards one

(25:32):
of their stars, and of course the Lakers with Luca Lebron, So.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
I have no doubt the NBA.

Speaker 4 (25:36):
It's it's obviously I'm not saying it's rigged, but the
whistle is going to be very much in the Lakers favor,
and I think the Lakers definitely forced this to at
least six.

Speaker 3 (25:44):
But yeah, JJ Redick.

Speaker 4 (25:45):
Just has to find those guys rest so their offense
is better late in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yeah, and in full agreement there and that game will
pick up back on Wednesday, so we will tap back
into that when it is the time. I do want
to zoom through these final two games of last night,
not to hit on him too hard. I want to
give a little bit of respect to the Orlando Magic man.
It did ultimately end a one oh seven to ninety
eight victory for the Celtics to take a three to
one series lead. This was a series that I and
I think a lot of people sort of assume the

(26:12):
Celtics with cruise directly through the Magic, have made it
a battle, and honestly, that game was far closer than
that final score indicated that it was a less than
five point game for the large majority of that was
impressed with Jason Tatum. He's grown on me this year,
and I think this is we're seeing him be quite
clearly the centerpiece of this team. They haven't got great
minutes from guys like Kristaps Porzingis obviously Drew howid I

(26:33):
still injured?

Speaker 1 (26:34):
Here? Any thoughts on this Magic. First Celtics takeaway yesterday.

Speaker 4 (26:38):
I've been really impressed with with the Magic as well,
their defensive intensity, their physicality. They've done a great job
on Kristaps, he's been yeah, really bothering us.

Speaker 3 (26:45):
Just having a bad series all around.

Speaker 4 (26:46):
Celtics are a different team without you Holiday, Like his
impact won't ever show up on the box scores. He
just doesn't get that many shot attempts playing alongside such talented,
other talented offensive guys. But his impact defensively on how
he can really guard one through five, and I mean
that like they put Drew Holliday on the other team
center a lot of the time, and how he is
as a connector offensively, Like this team is just different

(27:07):
when when he's out of the lineup and Kristap's been
has been playing bad.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
Like I said, I've been impressed.

Speaker 4 (27:12):
With Franz Wagner, like really really impressed with Franz Wagner.
He's shooting six for twenty seven from three, which is awful.
I mean, that's awful, but he's still being a pretty
productive scorer in a lot of other areas and otherwise.
If he can develop a shot, just develop any shot,
I will, Like he's gotten worse as a shooter every

(27:33):
single season somehow in his four years in the league.
If he can develop a shot, this guy's all NBA potential.
But I've been impressed with the magic. I think this
this team was better than a seventh seed. They were
really only seven seed because of all the injuries they
dealt with this year. And they're still without Jalen Suggs
and Mo Wagner of course for these playoffs. So I've
been impressed. They need a point guard, but I'm pretty
optimistic about their future.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
They need shooting, man, that's what they need.

Speaker 2 (27:55):
More than does it bother you at all that they
reguarding Franz like prime Ben Simmons by the end of
that game.

Speaker 4 (28:03):
Like that's what you do when he's a really effective
driver getting downhill, but he can't shoot the ball, So
like it doesn't bother me. I know he's a horrible shooter.
I just read his stats. He just he has to
improve his three pormer centers. And we talked about this
the other day. But earlier this season, within like after
two months of the season, he was shooting about thirty
five thirty six percent from three, and I was really encouraged,
and then he had an injury and then it was
just all downhill from there. He developed a shot, a

(28:24):
hitch in his shot mid mid season, so it's been
pretty ugly. He the Magic need shooters, but like it
starts with developing the guys that they already have on
the roster as shooters.

Speaker 1 (28:35):
Yeah, yeah, you're right there.

Speaker 2 (28:36):
And by the way, the Orlando Magic a sneaky team
that our friend Mark Henry Junior flowed out to me
that could be in the mix for this next superstar.
Do you want to talk about the Milwaukee Bucks here?
So two big storylines in this game for starters. Got
to give the Indiana Pacers their credit taking a three
to one commanding series lead, and frankly have looked like
the better basketball team I think from start to finish
in this season. There are other guys have been the

(28:58):
difference makers, the Andrew Nemhard to Aaron Nasmith. You can
go down the list of all these guys, the Ben
Shepherds that have really made their impact felt in the
series in a way that Milwaukee has simply been unable
to match. But the story of last night was two
things here. Number one, gotta send prayers and feel horrible
for Damian Lillard.

Speaker 1 (29:13):
That did look pretty clearly like an achilles' injury.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
And I don't think we've got the official official report,
but we more or less do they pretty much know
that right away, and that's what the immediate reports were.
He was ruled out right away. Chris Haynes already on it.
We know, Chris Haynes. The Dame millerd connection is pretty
strong on the past, the message down the line there.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
So certainly prayers up for Dame.

Speaker 2 (29:31):
Do feel horrible for a guy who spent the prime
years of his career in Portland trying to do things
the right way, build a contender at home. Then he
did ultimately end up in Milwaukee and the window being
shut pretty quickly, it seems.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
So.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
My question to you is that the last home game
that we ever see Yanna Sannte Tokumbo and a Milwaukee
Bucks jersey.

Speaker 3 (29:50):
Probably probably for sure first on Dame. It just sucks.

Speaker 4 (29:55):
I mean, yeah, that like it feels like it's it's
appropriate to start writing the o biture on Damian Lillard's career.
I mean, he's turning thirty five this summer, going to
be recovering from an achilles injury. We saw Kevin Durant
recover from an achilles injury in around his mid thirties
more early thirties really, but Kevin Durant's.

Speaker 3 (30:12):
Game in Damian Lollard's game is very different.

Speaker 4 (30:14):
Like Damian Lillard relies on that burst and athleticism, and
people have recovered well from Achilles injuries more recently. But
like when you think about Kobe when when he towards
Achilles in his like early to mid thirties, and obviously
he was at the tail of his career anyway, and
he was never the same after that, it does feel
like this is the end for Dame, which just sucks,
and when that time comes, it's It's been an awesome career.

(30:37):
He really has produced some electric moments throughout NBA history
and just an awesome, really fun player to watch.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
As for they honest discussion.

Speaker 4 (30:45):
Yeah, I mean I don't think he wants to leave,
Like I really don't think, which is why he hasn't
requested a trade yet. But this Damian Lillard Yannis experiment
has been a disaster, and it's not all their fault.
They've been pretty unlucky if we're being honest, Like the
injury last year going to the playoffs, Giannis missed the
entire first round against the Pacers. Of course, later this year,
Dame Lollard's blood clots and coming back that missed Game one,

(31:09):
comes back into the playoffs and now terrors's achilles. It's
a season over for him, series probably over for the Bucks.
But it's also when they're on the court together. Maybe
it's the surrounding parts, like Chris Middleton was aging, Kyle
Kuzma hasn't done the job when he came aboard. Brook
Lopez's aged fast. Yeah, so it's also the surrounding parts.
But the experiment just never really worked. And so when

(31:30):
you're looking from Yiannis's perspective, why would you stay there? Like,
if you really want to compete, you're in your absolute
prime right now. He's just probably had the best season
of his career. Why would you want to stay in Milwaukee?
And I think he loves Milwaukee, think he's grateful for them.
He's spent over a decade there to that organization, that city,
and he talks about that constantly.

Speaker 3 (31:48):
But now it's like, why.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
Are you This will be a third straight first round
exit and last year you didn't play in the playoffs.
This year you've been healthy, but your team dealt with injuries.
Why stay there? Like, go compete for championships somewhere else?
Go request out somewhere else. So yeah, I think that
was that was the last home game we ever saw
Janni's play in Milwaukee.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
I agree they are one in eight in their last
nine playoff games, the Milwaukee Bucks are with Giannis in
the lineup there, And like you, like I, I'm glad
that he got the ring in Milwaukee. I think there
would be some pretty nasty conversations and talking about talking
points about Giannis if that were not the case, and.

Speaker 4 (32:23):
I conversation would be completely different. That that might be
the most valuable ring out of any anyone.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
Has, honestly, honestly, and it's one that kind of flies
under the radar. And I also think, like Giannis sort
of has these past couple of years that if anything,
I would push he's become underrated in the conversation for
where he ranks amongst the NBA's mostly because I think
that's a fair case that.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
He had the best season of his career this year.

Speaker 2 (32:42):
He was excellent and should have been more prominent in
sort of these MVP discussions. I also felt when watching
yesterday the all too familiar feeling of watching a doctor
vers offense. Man of it was just give the ball
to Yannis. Everyone else stand around with the perimeter. He
tries to post somebody down and if they double, he
kicks out for three. If not, he tries taking out
on the post. And I've seen it in other locations.

(33:02):
Right here in Philadelphia, it just does not like translate
to playoff success in a way that like it should.
Now like there's a lot of issues with this Milwaukee team.
I think the worst part You're right about the injury luck.
There's been a lot of things that gone wrong. They've
been underwhelming even when that full force to me, and
I do think like the other guys are not good enough.
The complimentary pieces have not been enough for this team.

(33:23):
But I think at all points too, it's time for
both sides here that I think Milwaukee would make the
right decision to recoup a Hall, to get some young players,
get some draft picks, begin this next generation, and Giannis
is still ready to compete.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
Man.

Speaker 2 (33:35):
So, whether this is the Houston Rockets, we're talking about,
the Orlando Magic, the Toronto Raptors, a team I would
float out there.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
There's teams that are gonna show interest. Can't rule out
a team.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
I know the Brooklyn Nets have stuck their nose in
the ring already, the Phoenix suns. I'm sure we'll try
and figure out some sort of catway to make things
work here. There's gonna be takers for giannas. So yeah,
I do think this is the end of an era.
I feel a little bit more sad about it than
I thought I would, like, I've a lot of I
have some simp that the Free honest, be perfectly honest
that I do think for the most part, he's done
things the right way. He competes at a higher intensity

(34:06):
than you'll find of any superstar in every single night there.
So it's sad. This feels like the end of a
book in a lot of ways here. And Damian Loward
is probably gonna be the guy like left kind of
carrying things, which we'll see how that shakes out.

Speaker 1 (34:17):
I can't. I don't know how it all works. It
just all sucks, it's kind of my takeaway.

Speaker 4 (34:21):
Yeah, And they just gave their their general manager, John Horst,
an extension, So I mean you kind of expect that
they enter a rebuild. The owner must anticipate at some
level that they're about to enter a rebuild, and I
guess they trust John Horst who's the normal questionable as
a drafter over the last few seasons.

Speaker 3 (34:36):
Just trust him to facilitate a rebuild.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
What you say, And as like making trades too out,
absolutely yeah.

Speaker 4 (34:42):
I mean look like you gave Drew Howday to to
your one of your rivals in the East, and the
Celtics wanna want a championship as a.

Speaker 3 (34:49):
Result of it.

Speaker 4 (34:49):
I still don't look back at that Damian Lillard trade
and think it was the wrong trade. I think you needed,
like the Bucks had just come off of a first
round exit, Drew Howdy could not carry the load offensively.
You need to pair Giannis with that type of offensive
presence and Dami Lily was that. And they really ended
up developing really nice chemistry this year together in the
pick and roll, the inverted pick and roll. Like those

(35:10):
guys whoever was the ball handling in those pick and rolls,
they were pretty unstoppable when those two would go to
that action. So it was nice to see that, but
it it seems like it's over now. On the flip
side to the Pacers real quick. People say I'm a
Pacers hater. I do respect how deep this team is.
I mean depth is their strength. We talk about a
lot of teams like the Knicks, like the Nuggets, like
the Lakers, who have no depth. And depth is the

(35:32):
Pacers strength, But next series, it's also the Calves strength.
The Calves has a lot of depth to match the Pacers.
I just want to see the Pacers beat a team
that's healthy, Like the Pacers were probably the better team
in the series going in, even if Giannis and Dame
were healthy from the start. I want to see the
Pacers beat win a playoff series against the healthy basketball team. Obviously,
it didn't happen in this series. Last year they beat

(35:53):
the Knicks, who were banged up when Og went out
and then Jalen hurts his hurts his hand in the
in the game seven, he goes out, and.

Speaker 3 (36:02):
The series before that they played the Bucks without Giannis.

Speaker 4 (36:04):
So let's just see this Pacers team actually win a
playoff series against the Cavs, who presumably should be fully helped.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
Yeah, and my only like pushback will be, you can
only beat who's in front of you. You're right about
the point, but like they've they've maximized their chances there.

Speaker 1 (36:17):
And I know you're not a Tyrese Haliburton guy.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
I will give him a little tip of the hat
for the way he took ownership and like gave his
respect to Dame Lollard following that game.

Speaker 1 (36:25):
I thought that was a.

Speaker 2 (36:26):
Nice thing respectable to do, and I think guys could
have slipped up based on the the energy of the
series and all the chirpings.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
So a little shout out there.

Speaker 2 (36:34):
Let's shift it back to the night before, in what
I still think is probably the closest buzzer beater I've
ever seen between the Clippers and Nuggets for starters, don't
let that overshadow what was a straight up awesome basketball
game from start to finish, the Clippers having a heroic
comeback to even make this a game and make it
competitive again here or I'm sorry, I think I said
that the wrong way. The No, it was, Yeah, Clippers

(36:57):
come back to make it, make it a game again,
and they'll bet the Nuggets punished them at the buzzers there.
So Sam, you're takeaways from that game and that final
shot in particular there.

Speaker 4 (37:07):
I thought it counted definitely controversial, like it's as close
of a final shot as you could possibly get. I
thought it counted like his is the ball was through
the net, and off his hands as at like as
the buzzer sounded like it's so close, like I like,
I think they should count it, and I think.

Speaker 1 (37:25):
You serve it.

Speaker 4 (37:27):
But the Clippers, like they stormed, like Nuggets blew that
lead in that game. Clippers stormed back and between James
Harden and Kawhi Leonard and Norman Palell and all those
guys just drilling threes and just the Nuggets couldn't get
a stop late in that game. The Clippers probably deserved
to win that game with with how those final few
minutes went. But and Joki's just that final possession. I mean,
he waited so long to go until like four seconds

(37:49):
on the clock to even make his move, and then
they shot all yeah, and then he wasn't even he
wasn't even like trying to get to the rim. It's
like back it got like that's your specialty. Back someone
down and produce a better shot. He shot a fade
away three ball that was awful shot and it was
an air bawl, like you said, and then Aaron Gordon
is there there to stoop it up and dunk it
back in.

Speaker 3 (38:07):
So it was an awesome basketball game all around.

Speaker 4 (38:10):
People were saying coolest buzzer beater ever, Like, best buzzer
beater ever. I think people sometimes forget. I know you
don't forget, but and we don't forget. But the Kawhi
Leonard shot was like, that was the most unbelievable buzzer
beater there will ever be in playoff festter.

Speaker 3 (38:22):
Nothing will ever come close to that.

Speaker 4 (38:23):
It hit every inch of the rip like that that
that nothing will ever beat that as a playoff buzzer beater.

Speaker 3 (38:29):
But this one was pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
Yeah, now that one still defies the loss of physics
in my mind, So I wouldn't throw it up there
for the coolest ever, but shout out to denver Man.
That was very impressive, pretty gutsy, Aaron Gordon. I have
a ton of respect for it, and like, I don't
think they could have find a more perfect, seamless fit
to play next to Nicole Yogic, who makes up for
a ton of his shortcomings. And I don't think this
team would have nearly the success that they have had

(38:51):
if they did not have Aaron Gordon. So shout out
to him very much in Unsuck, he unsung hero in
my mind. What was going through to the last rest
of this play a little bit for the Saturday matchup.
So the Calves BTA on the Heat one twenty four
to eighty seven. This series feels over to me. I
know Tyler hero is saying that the don't let us
get one, We're not gonna get swept.

Speaker 1 (39:11):
Can the Heat win one? And I know that game
has taking place tonight.

Speaker 4 (39:14):
Yeah, I the Calves at five just because sure, yeah,
Eric Spolser can can win you a game. And Tyler
here has been awesome to his credit. But I wouldn't
be shocked to the Cats as to wait, way better, deeper,
more talented team, So I wouldn't be shocked if if
they wrap it up in four tonight. I well, real quick,
can we go back, who do you have right now

(39:34):
in the Nuggets Clipper series? Like obviously two to two
right now? Who going back to Denver? Who do you
have in that series?

Speaker 2 (39:42):
I still think I have Clippers. To be honest with you,
I this is gonna be. This is going to seven games.
I pretty much have no doubt about this. I think
they each win one at home probably in the next
two games, and then it comes down to game seven
with it. I still think that there is a defensive
intensity that this Clippers team brings. I really admire, like
the way that Chris dun is able to assert himself
on a number these other guys, Kawhi, Leonard, I still

(40:05):
think if it comes down to it is a guy
who can deliver.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
That killer blow there.

Speaker 2 (40:09):
So I'm still leaning on Clippers and seven, but I
mean this series rules.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (40:15):
The thing with me for the Clippers is and the
Nuggets help, like Joga's help is so inconsistent nights and
now you never know you're can get inefficient efficient Jamal Murray,
Michael bod Judior had a great game on Saturday, but
he mostly was struggling, and he's been dealing with an injury.

Speaker 3 (40:28):
But he's mostly been struggling. Aaron Gordon's been dealing with
an injury.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
Christian Brawn has been good for the most part, but again,
like you don't know, it's all inconsistent help.

Speaker 3 (40:38):
The Clippers have. Their top four has.

Speaker 4 (40:40):
Been pretty awesome in terms of norm Pal, Kawhi, Leonard,
James harden On Zubac, their fifth starter has been great defensively,
really poor offensively, and the Nuggets have done a good
job of doubling Kawhi and a lot of these possessions
off of that fifth starter, and they're essentially not guarding
them because they're a non factor. And that's either been
Chris Dunn or Derek Jones Jr. Who Derrek Jones Junior

(41:01):
is the guy went through playoff battles last year with
the MAVs to the finals. I expected more from him offensively.
He was a great catch and shoot shooter last year.
He's incredibly athletic getting downhill ike. He is not being
great this series. Chris Dunn has been phenomenal defensively, but
he's been a non factor offensively. Their fifth starter has
to produce at a higher level he just does.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah, I know you're right about that.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
I still think Denver, like, I think they have those
same issues and slightly different light there, Like the same
variable that we're talking about. Michael Porter Junior could shoot
over ten next game and it wouldn't overly shock me.
Like that's just kind of the roller coaster you ride there,
So we'll see.

Speaker 1 (41:39):
I do think that.

Speaker 3 (41:39):
Person seven was my pick too, so I'm sticking with them.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm riding with it for now.

Speaker 2 (41:44):
The other series that I think is very up in
the air and really fun to watch Golden State taking
the two to one lead over Houston Rockets a pretty
impressive win that I thought the one oh four to
ninety three the final game of Saturday Night. Any thoughts
on that particular game or this series is a whole, Sam, this.

Speaker 4 (41:58):
Is a classic Curry game, and that's exactly what the
Warriors needed. And he's he's done a great job of
combating the Rockets physicality really just with this off ball movement.
Like this guy, and we know this about Seth Kurrt,
but he never stops moving within an offense when you
put him off the ball, Like, yeah, you can face
scot him all you want, but when you got guys
are sending constant screens for him, He's constantly moving. It's
not really sustainable throughout an entire game. And the physicality

(42:21):
on him isn't really sustainable for an entire game. So
this is a classic Kurry game, he said, thirty six
and they needed it without Jimmy Butler. I was really
concerned without Jimmy Butler because I didn't trust the Warrior's death.

Speaker 3 (42:31):
But Curry had a classic game thirty six points.

Speaker 4 (42:33):
A lot of guys stepped up, like Gary Payton hit
two huge threes, Buddy, he would I We've had five
threes in the game, so a lot of guys that
they needed to step up to carry the offensive blow
without Jimmy Butler did, and that that's obviously bad news
for the Rockets when you take a two to one
lead and that game tonight and you you think that
Jimmy Butler's coming back and gonna play, but we don't
know exactly if Jimmy Butler doesn't play. I could see

(42:56):
the Rockets winning if Jimmy Butler's back at.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
Jimmy Butler level.

Speaker 4 (43:00):
And even if he even if he only plays like
twenty to twenty five minutes, you can still put Jonathan
Kamena in for like ten to fifteen minutes too. You know,
hasn't been great, but he's at least he brings something defensively.
And the Rockets offense, especially in the fourth quarter, just
has been non existent. And the big part of that
is Jalen Green, who we talked about, is just such
an inconsistent player and his efficiency is his levels of

(43:22):
efficiency is one of the worst the entire league during
the regular season, had been last two regular seasons, but
in the playoffs, the inconsistency. He scored less than ten
points in the first game, comes back scores thirty plus
in this in game two, which was an awesome game,
huge reason why the Rockets won, and then he has
another dut of a performance in game three. It's like,
if this guy is your star, this guy is one
of your leading scorers, your offense like highest usage guy,

(43:45):
your offense is centered around him. He can't have performances
in the playoffs when he's scoring less than ten points
a game on forty percent. If you want to put
an average out there shooting like he just can't be
that inefficient.

Speaker 3 (43:57):
He can't be that inconsistent.

Speaker 4 (43:59):
And that's why I was worried about the Rockets coming
to the series because of that playoff and experience. And
when you have a guy like Jalen Green who's going
to be carrying a lot of the load and he's
that inconsistent, it's hard to win in over seven game stretch.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
No, you're absolutely right about that, and I think that's
sort of a battle that Houston's still fighting within themselves
about how do we move forward with this or what
is the direction. It is interesting when you look at
the actual contract details of the MAX they gave both
Green and Shangoon. They're not quite this full scale You're
our guy max. There's a lot of like stipulations and
a little more flexibility from an organizational standpoint, So I

(44:33):
guess the takeaway from that being they can adjust if
needed there so we'll be interesting to see how that
plays at It also wouldn't shock me at Golden State
tries to steal one the fact that they did win
without Jimmy Butler.

Speaker 1 (44:44):
If he's not right, they do hold.

Speaker 2 (44:45):
Him out for one one and think the worst case scenario,
we dropped it too too. Obviously his health is the
biggest factor of this decision, and who knows. It does
feel like more of a pain tolerance thing than anything.
So I certainly can see Jimmy Butler, and I'm the
if they can they should go for the juggler that
I do think make mistakes when I get a little
to complacent with it, But it would not overly shock
me if they sit him out again tonight.

Speaker 3 (45:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (45:06):
The only the only concern is that you also want
to get to the next series as soon as possible.
It's like you can't really play around mess around with
that like, if he's healthy, go, If he's not, then
he should sit out. But even if he's a little healthy,
I would play him like twenty to twenty five minutes
and you're not not like his normal thirty five plus
minute workload that he'd see in the playoffs. Getting to
the next year is gonna be tough because we see
we're seeing the Wolves, assuming the Wolves end up being

(45:28):
the Lakers up three to one, the Wolves have just
dominated with their size and physicality against the Lakers, who
have to go small, like they have to put Ruachimour
at the five because they don't have a center. The
Warriors are the same way, where Drummond Green has to
play the five, and Draymond's a better small ball five
with his physicality and defense and rebounding, but still the
Warriors have to go small, and so you want to

(45:49):
get ready for that matchup and get as much rest
as possible before playing another really big, physical team that
just has a size advantage like the Wolves would over
the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
Yeah, no, one hundred percent there, So we'll be interesting.
That'll be something to monitor throughout the day. Now, you
spoke a lot about the skepticism.

Speaker 1 (46:04):
Of Jalen Green being a number one guy.

Speaker 2 (46:06):
We did put together our list of the top ten
players that we would want in a championship run right here,
so we have a quite different list that I was
surprised the last time we did break this open. I
will say my kid Cunningham at number ten a little
bit tougher defend right now than I felt like on
Thursday when we first brought this up. But Sam, how
do you want to do this? You're gonna go ten
through one, one through ten? What through vision I'll go.

Speaker 3 (46:27):
I'll go one through ten.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (46:29):
And I actually I switched my list up, if we're
being honest.

Speaker 1 (46:31):
Okay, basically I left mine.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
I thought I would keep the integrity, take the l
a little bit here.

Speaker 3 (46:38):
All the players are still the same in there. I
just switched the order a little bit. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (46:41):
So, so my top ten players, I guess I draft
for a playoff R one right now that are currently
in the playoffs, so not players who didn't make the playoffs. Obviously,
Number one is Jokic. Like we're going to see more
and more. I think everyone says the best player or
maybe used to be the best player in the series
that team will win the series.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
We're seeing that lesson less in the NBA. Now you
really need.

Speaker 4 (47:02):
Your two through five, you're three through five to step
up and have great performances, and we're seeing that with Jokic. Now,
who's going to probably be bounced and I think in
the first round. That doesn't change. He's the best player
in the entire world, the best player in this series,
and he's the number one guy I'd want for a
playoff run. His ability to create shots for himself and
his teammates every single time down the floor. Jokic is
the best player in the world. He is the top

(47:24):
player I'd want for a playoff run. The next number
two Kawhi Leonard. His last sixty six playoff games, he's
averaging twenty nine points, eight rebounds, four assists on sixty
three percent true shooting. The only other play player to
do that ever over sixty six games stretch in the
playoffs is Lebron James. Kawhi Leonard when he's healthy, he's
as good as anybody in the league that I that

(47:45):
I'd want for a playoff run. So Kuhi is number two, Number.

Speaker 2 (47:48):
Three interject hero quick go ahead, So I have the
same too, same top two in different orders here and
to make my case, and then we're more different from
moving down.

Speaker 1 (47:59):
So if the question was.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
Framed for one season or starting a franchise, there's no
doubt in my mind it's the Okch over Kuhi. With
that framing as just a playoff run, I'm taking Kawhi
Leonar of Nicola Jokich ten times out of ten here.
But I do think the two way impact that he has.
He's at two times finals MVP, and there's this like
helplessness as a defense that Kawhi puts in you that
I think Kic needs his supporting cast in a way

(48:21):
that I think Kawhi, regardless of the army behind him,
can just deliver like the mid range the way he
doesn't even hit the rim. And again the defense does
matter to me, So I had kawhis wan Kic's too.
I certainly hear the point, and I think more people
would side with Jokic, But just for a playoff run,
I'm taking proven playoff riser Kawhi Leonard.

Speaker 4 (48:39):
Look, what's so impressive about Kawhi is that a lot
most of these buckets are coming in isolation, and they're
not even He's not even getting a screen to create space,
like he is elevating and rising or driving past dues
every single possession.

Speaker 3 (48:52):
It's all mostly in isolation.

Speaker 4 (48:54):
That's what's so impressive and different about him as opposed
to other guys. Mostly these other guys need a screen
to get some room and break open. But we're still
talking about Nikole Jokic, who is the best pastor in
the world. He's He's scoring has gone to a whole
other level. He shot over forty percent from three. He's
one of the best three point shooters, the big man,
the best guy who always considered the best big in

(49:15):
the league.

Speaker 1 (49:16):
What's that is the best late game airballer?

Speaker 3 (49:19):
Sure, but he still was one of the best three
point shooters in the league this year. So I'm just
taking Jokic for a playoff run.

Speaker 4 (49:25):
And then other thing is like, we're Kawai's healthy right now,
and we're assuming Kawai's health, but could he can he
withstand and maybe we'll find out can he withstand an
entire playoff run right now? Which essentially would be two
months of healthy basketball from Kawhi Leonard. We haven't seen
two months of healthy basketball from Kawhi Leonard in a
long time death, especially not like this late in the season.
He only played thirty seven regular season games, which should help.

(49:47):
But for all, like Jokic, for as much people say
he's perceived to be and looks out of shape and
looks fat what everyone call it, he is incredibly durable.
Iran guy just does not miss games. He does not
get injured. Knock on wood here, But he's incredible how
durable he is. So I got Jokic number one, Kawhi
number two, But look, I love Kawhi.

Speaker 3 (50:06):
So I'm not gonna go too hard against Kawhi.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
Yeah no, I just certainly understand the argument for yok
You can get that perspective. I will say, as a
part of me, who still has got a little Jokic
hatred to him dating back from the prime.

Speaker 3 (50:18):
Might be more than a little. It might be more
than a little.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:20):
Well, the part that frustrates me is like Saturday, for example,
will always be remembered as the incredible game winner by
Aaron Gordon, and if he is not there, we're talking
about Jokic. What was that, dude? And instead like that's
how things work out. But I get you know, you
can use that, you can cherry pick a lot of
situations like that, So whatever.

Speaker 4 (50:38):
All right, So number number three on the list, So
Jokic won Kawhi two. Number three Steph Curry. I mean,
what we sold the other night without Jimmy Butler thirty
six point performance when he carries the Warriors to a
win against a really physical, defensive focused Rockets group. That's
the Curry that we know in the playoffs, and we've
come in. That twenty twenty two championship run really solidified

(51:00):
for me as a playoff performer because people were kind
of critical of his playoff performances in like twenty fifteen,
twenty sixteen, and then when KD came around, it just
wasn't even fair. I mean, it was a cheeko with
that team. But that twenty twenty two run, when he
was the guy carried that team to a championship, he
is a guy that I just won.

Speaker 3 (51:17):
On any playoff roster, I'm drafting him. Number three.

Speaker 4 (51:20):
Number four is Giannis, and I do think Giannis has
become a little underappreciated because he's playing the best basketball
of his career, but he hasn't been on a contender
the last like two to three seasons, So I think
he becomes underappreciated because of that. But that's the help
that's not on Yiannis. Giannis has won a championship. You
can win a championship with Giannis. He's He's a guy
who I still would trust to have the ball lay

(51:40):
in his hands in a game. So Yiannis number four,
Luca number five. We saw the run last year, what
he can do. There are defensive concerns, sure, but what
he is is an offensive talent as a playmaker.

Speaker 3 (51:52):
Even though his assist numbers are way down this series.

Speaker 4 (51:54):
He's not passing the ball nearly as much or as
well in this series, but we know what he is
as an offensive. He really even a helio centric offensive figure,
just what Luka Doncic is.

Speaker 3 (52:04):
So he's number five.

Speaker 4 (52:06):
Shay is number six, and I was really debating between
six and seven. Here I have Shay six aunt seven.
Shae is the MVP of the league. I mean, he
will win MVP this year, so I don't it's hard
to discount him. He but he hasn't been I know
you've Shay higher on your list. He hasn't been through
the playoff wars and battles like that, and they didn't
lose because of him by any stretch. They lost because

(52:27):
Williams and some other guys didn't step up in the
playoffs last year.

Speaker 3 (52:30):
But we still haven't seen Shaye maker run. We've seen
Luca make a run.

Speaker 4 (52:33):
We've even seen of course, we've seen Giannis and Steph
and in Kawhi Jokich. We've seen all those guys make runs.
We haven't seen it yet from Shae. But I think
he's a better player than Ant. So I'm putting Ant
number seven, just behind Shay. And the number eight who
somehow you don't have on your list is Jalen Brunson.
I mean, he's second in the playoffs in points this year,

(52:54):
leading in clutch points in the playoffs this year.

Speaker 3 (52:57):
And fourth quarter points.

Speaker 4 (52:59):
This will be his fourth straight series series averaging at
least twenty nine points per game. What he did the
other night or yesterday fifteen points on a bump ankle,
single handily carrying the knicks alongside Kat, carrying the knicks
to a win. He is He defies logic with how
small he is and how he efficient he is and
as a score and how he gets to the rim

(53:21):
as a shooter. He is as clutch as it gets
He's number eight, Tatum number nine, and then Lebron. I'll
still put a number ten, even though this has been
a disappointing ploff from playoffs from him. From an offensive standpoint,
I'd be willing to replace Donovan Mitchell with Lebron.

Speaker 3 (53:36):
But that's my ten.

Speaker 4 (53:37):
Jokic, Kawhi, Steph Giannis, Luca Shay and Brunson, Tatum, Lebron.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
Very good list there, very different from mine, and I
will note here I did bump k cutting him off
the list.

Speaker 1 (53:48):
I did have to do it for it.

Speaker 3 (53:51):
I do a man of integrity right there.

Speaker 1 (53:53):
Tech, Yeah, I have to. I still think Kate, we'll
be back on this list.

Speaker 2 (53:56):
We fast forward a year, two years, three years for sure,
but for the time being to make this current draft,
Qui Leandard number one, Nicol Jokich number two. I did
put Shake Gild to Alexander number three, and I understand
he has to prove it here. I do feel really
strongly his game is going to translate on the highest
level from the playoff perspective, the way that he gets
his spots, the movement, his ability in the mid range,

(54:17):
the way he's grown as a passer and defensively really
set some time for that team as well. So I
like Shay, this Thunder team is deep talented, but it
all revolves around him.

Speaker 4 (54:26):
It's hard to argue with shabey''s been top three player
in the league the past two seasons really, But like
a guy like Curry who has been there, He's carried
a team to the championship and.

Speaker 3 (54:35):
He's doing it.

Speaker 4 (54:36):
He looks as good like he's in his prime throughout
this playoffs too against the Rockets. So like, how does
Shake get the benefit of the doubt when he hasn't
he hasn't lived those playoff moments yet over a guy
like Kurt.

Speaker 2 (54:47):
Yeah, I get the argument here, and Steph certainly on
the list lower than you would like for sure.

Speaker 1 (54:52):
This is what I'll.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
Say, And I to try and make this make sense
in my head here, Like I'm not saying Steph Curry's
a system player because he's not. He's absolutely not there.
But the Warriors system like is. So the shots are
created for Steph in a way where a lot of
these other guys were talking about have to go out
there and get them.

Speaker 1 (55:11):
And that's part of STEP's skill set.

Speaker 2 (55:13):
It is the off ball motion it is all these
unique sets they run, the motion, the movement, the screens,
all these things. But there is a part of me
that like, it's a little bit more impressive to me
when I watch Shae, Yodos Alexander just create an isolation,
get to the mid range and do that. And when
I watch Steph Curry run off a pin down run
for the twelve seconds and get a shot.

Speaker 4 (55:32):
Yeah, I mean, the awesome system is created because of
your star player. So it's like, that's why they create
that for Curry because he's the greatest shooter to ever
touch this planet. And like the Shay, the thunder went
a lot more isolation. The Wars aren't isolation have a
team at all. The thunderdo because Shae is an awesome
isolation player. So it's more to like their skill set
and strength. And I get it, like Shaye is better
at creating looks in the mid range and getting to

(55:53):
the rim than Curry.

Speaker 3 (55:54):
But Curry is the greatest shooter on Earth.

Speaker 1 (55:56):
Yeah, no, you're right, You're right about that. I get
the point there.

Speaker 2 (55:59):
I am I am being optimistic with mats shape placement here,
but he's just been so good these past two years
that I'm buying it, and I think this is the
run where he earns those stripes on the overall, so
maybe projecting a little four.

Speaker 1 (56:10):
I went with Lugadancic here, and.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
This feels a little bit high after the weekend as well,
but I'm still keeping it because we've seen this guy
just dragged teams to finals, man, and it is that
when it is one minute to go and you need
one shot. The list of players that I want taking
it above Lugadancic is incredibly small there. And I do
think the defensive concerns I get it. The fitness I
get it. I do think that this is going to
be a pretty transformative offseason from Doncic as he actually

(56:35):
gets himself in shape, is fully healthy and all these things.
But he's still a killer man, and for that I
had to put him at four.

Speaker 1 (56:41):
Number five.

Speaker 2 (56:42):
I went with Giannis here. Share a lot of your
same points of him being underrated. We've seen him basically
carry a team to a championship before, on a Milwaukee
team that, like I didn't think was overly excellent in
the grand scheme of things there when looking at the
supporting cast. So he is a great a He is
an alpha, and I do have him at number five
my list. Number six, I put Jay Tatum here, And
as I mentioned, I've gained a ton of respect for

(57:03):
Tatum this season. It felt like there was always this
clash of is it Jalen Brown? Is it Jason Tatum?
Obviously Brown won Finals MVP last year. This season, there's
been no doubt about it that Jayson Tatum is the
best player on that Celtics franchise. Sets the tone defensively,
an incredibly high level rebounder, and I mean every area
of his game. I've been impressed with him taking strides.
Number seven is.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Let me butt in with the Tatum, Let me butt
in on the team. So you have Tatum ahead of
Ants Brunson and Steph I do. That's a problem.

Speaker 2 (57:34):
So, like I, this is the other point that I
think for Tatum, you can put him on any single
roster and it works. You can put him on any
single supporting cast. I don't think that's true about any
of those other guys that you named.

Speaker 4 (57:44):
But here's the thing. I thought Tatum's awesome. He's the
best Celtic, no doubt. There's not even a question between
him and Jalen Brown. I would have voted for Tatum
to win Finals MVP over Jalen Brown last year. The
thing is, though the Celtics can win a championship with
someone else winning Finals MVP, they were, So we're talking
about a playoff run. There is no scenario where the
Brunson led team, or an Ant led team or Steph

(58:07):
led team where any of those other guys right now
would win Finals MVP over Tatum or over anyone else
on their team. So it's like, yeah, Tatum's awesome, no doubt,
but he also has more help than anyone in the league,
and those other guys have to carry a way bigger
load and and they've been electric doing so.

Speaker 3 (58:25):
So for me, it's one playoff run.

Speaker 4 (58:27):
Tatum's awesome, he has a claim as like the fifth
or sixth best playing league, but one playoff run that
you want a guy to to lead your team, I'm
taking all three of those guys over Titum.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
It's a fair point. It's a fair counter there.

Speaker 2 (58:40):
Yeah, I can see that perspective as well, and it
is fascinating think about this now, how much like a
couple of days changes my perspective on this.

Speaker 3 (58:47):
List one weekend?

Speaker 2 (58:48):
Seriously, Yeah, for real, I'll transition to number seven here.

Speaker 1 (58:53):
Who is a guy who has won.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
Plenty of championships without winning finals MVP, and that is
Steph Curry right there. So I like Steph. I'm still
locked in and he's still playing an incredibly high level.
And I also want to point out he's been pretty
pretty damn good defensively the series, like really competing on
that end, creating steals, and that's an era that has
certainly grown throughout his career.

Speaker 1 (59:09):
So I do have Steph at number seven.

Speaker 2 (59:11):
Number eight is where I slotted in Anthony Edwards here
and a guy that I was too low on on
my initial list that I did Papa in here. It's
really impressive that he is like a peer of Luka Doncic,
like I think he needs to be looked at that way.
He's right in that same class and you can have
your opinions on him as a personality or of that
other things, but as a basketball player that good rules.

(59:32):
He brings it on both ends. Number nine slot name
Jimmy Butler, a guy that is not on your list
here playoff Jimmy Man, sign me up. And there is
those brief stretches where you see it where he gets
to that level.

Speaker 1 (59:43):
He has his flaws as well. Stylistically.

Speaker 2 (59:45):
It's not even a guy that I'm the biggest fan
of from a basketball perspective, but there is a killer
instinct that I can't help but respect. And then number
ten I dropped in Donovan Mitchell here.

Speaker 4 (59:56):
I already did the bruntson rant earlier, so I don't
need to do it again. I knew you weren't a
front on the list, even when you said you've slid out, Kate,
I knew you were gonna have brunts in the list.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
It's just it's ludicrous.

Speaker 4 (01:00:04):
It's blasphemy not to have Jalen Brunston on a top
ten playoff list when we've seen how clutch he is.
One of the most clutch performers in the playoffs. Like
you can say the foul grifting, foul baiting thing yesterday
in that clutch on a bum ankle fifteen points in
the fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (01:00:19):
Those weren't shots.

Speaker 4 (01:00:20):
That he was getting from the free throw line, like
those were field goals he was generating all on his own.
And that was just an incredible performance from Brunson. He
can carry any team as far as like with enough help,
he can carry a team as the centerpiece, as the
best player. He is as good of a playoff performer
as there is right now. And I don't get the

(01:00:40):
Jalen bruntson disrespect. I know you hate him and obviously
hate the Knicks, so that's a big part of it.
But it's not just you. The jail disrespect has been
going on for a couple of years now, even as
we see him continue to elevate his game and continue
to five everyone's expectations.

Speaker 2 (01:00:54):
I was fact checking myself and I still need to
fully fact check, but I believe he's one fewer playoff
games than every other player we mentioned on here.

Speaker 1 (01:01:02):
Does that change your opinion at all?

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
No?

Speaker 4 (01:01:04):
Because no, because Jimmy Butler has been around, played in
the league ten more years than him, So I don't
care that Jimmy Butler's one more playoff game with this
stage is Jimmy Butler's career.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
He's not leading a team by any stretch. We saw
him as the best player on the Heat last couple
of years.

Speaker 4 (01:01:17):
They couldn't like last year's the eighth seven.

Speaker 3 (01:01:20):
That was a few years ago. That was a couple
of years ago.

Speaker 4 (01:01:22):
Though last year, last year, they were the eighth seed,
and they were they when we went to the finals, but
they were a seed again last year.

Speaker 3 (01:01:28):
And they've got bounced in the first round.

Speaker 4 (01:01:29):
Like like Jimmy, Butler can't lead a team like Jaylen,
I can't playoff Jimmy, but he needs a guy like
Steph Curry to be there for him now at this
stage of his career.

Speaker 3 (01:01:37):
He's not a guy you're taking to go on a
playoff run.

Speaker 2 (01:01:41):
Interesting, so they all right, the finality of this playoff run,
who is the guy that has the most to prove
to you?

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Is it Shay?

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:01:50):
Out of this list, I'd say Shay definitely. So he's
just the only guy who hasn't really done it, like
even a Western Conference or Eastern Conference finals appearance.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
He hasn't got there yet.

Speaker 4 (01:02:00):
And look, I think Shay is gonna be awesome, and
it's gonna come down to more, especially against assuming it'll
be the Clippers in that next series, who I think
the Clippers could really beat them. It's gonna come down
to more Janlen Williams and and Chet and guys like
Aaron Wiggins and Lou Dorton. If those guys are stepping up,
then it will Shay but yeah, Shae definitely is a
lot to prove. Like the Luca thing is it was
a mid season edition. They don't have a center. I

(01:02:20):
want to see it more next year. Even though he's
been to a finals. Shae and Giannis don't know anything
approve to me, and you kind of want to see
he is he definitely, I mean, he's awesome. You can
definitely build around him and win with him, but you
want to see maybe a finals runnings. One of the
few guys will listen to it as a final finals
run brunch and is nothing.

Speaker 3 (01:02:36):
Approved to me?

Speaker 4 (01:02:37):
At least he's he's been He's been incredible. Yeah, so
I would say it's it's probably shit.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
So much credit for winning two playoff series, man, I mean,
I guess he's did it in Dallas too, so I
got to include that a little bit with it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
But like, I don't know, I I think the playoff.

Speaker 4 (01:02:52):
Series, but lookay, last year, come on, everybody knows if
Oji doesn't get hurt, they're being the Pacers and they're
in the Eastern Conference finals and and and two wellow series. Sure,
but this is the first year's actually had reasonable help.
This first Yeares played alongside an all Star, so like
this guy's It's not like this guy is playing alongside
some great players. This is the first year's playing alongside
an All Star, and they'll probably be a second round

(01:03:13):
exit to the team that's gonna go to the finals.
So it's like, like, let's give this guy his respect.

Speaker 1 (01:03:19):
It's fair. I am the hater.

Speaker 2 (01:03:21):
I do have to wear it a little bit there,
but uh, Noneth, the last We've talked plenty about the
NBA before we get out of here. Two games tonight,
it is, of course, the the Heat looking to extend
their series against the Caves. Caves eight and a half
point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, and then the later games
the Warriors holding four point favorites over the Houston Rockets.

Speaker 1 (01:03:37):
Any quick picks on these two games.

Speaker 4 (01:03:40):
Yeah, I was pretty surprised that the Laker the Warriors
were favored the other day without Jimmy, And of course
they got it right, and I got it wrong because
I just I just didn't expect the Warriors other guys
to step up. It really, for me, depends Jim's gonna play.
If Jimm's gonna play, I got the Warriors, and if
Jimmy's out, I think the Rockets even the series up

(01:04:00):
to a piece, because I don't. I don't think that
the Warriors will do this again with that Curry performance,
Like everything went right, from Curry's amazing performance to guys
like Buddy Healed and Brand Bazemski and Gary Payne all
stepping up and hitting hitting big time shots, everything went right.
If Jimmy's out again, I don't think that's the case,
So it's really a Jimmy whether it does, player doesn't play.

Speaker 3 (01:04:20):
It's kind of a cop out, but I'm gonna I'm gonna.

Speaker 4 (01:04:22):
Go that route. I I'm leaning towards the Calves just
ending it tonight. They're just way better top to bottom.
And yeah, sure Eric Spolster can usually get you one,
but this cast team is just so much better.

Speaker 3 (01:04:34):
So I'm leaning towards the Calves wrapping it up tonight.

Speaker 2 (01:04:36):
Yeah, I like the Calves to cover the minus eight
and a half. I do think they have this chip
on their shoulder of not being regarded as like legitimate
contenders in a way that the record should dictate here,
and I think they show that in Game four. They're
just better than this Heat team straight up, and like
Miami will rebound and figured things out in the offseason,
but they just don't have the necessary talent to compete
right now and in the later game. I do think
the Houston Rockets tie things up tonight, but I do

(01:04:58):
like on the money line we're looking at play US
one forty five, Yes for a favorite Houston there.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
I think this has a chance to go seven.

Speaker 2 (01:05:06):
It wouldn't shock me if Golden State trives to be
overly cautious with Jimmy and try and squeeze out one
more here. And I do think Houston is not gonna
roll over by any means. So I think, as you mentioned,
a lot went right in that last game for Golden State,
I don't think it's gonna be quite the same lock.
And I think we're looking at a two two series
after tonight. Any final dollars before we sign off, Sam.

Speaker 4 (01:05:24):
No, I don't think so. It's been the Electric Playoffs.
Really doesn't get better than this. We got a week
left of the first round, and I'm very excited to
talk about some of the second round matchups that we
expect to line up based on how the first round
is playing out.

Speaker 3 (01:05:37):
But we'll catch you later this week.

Speaker 1 (01:05:40):
Yeah, one hundred percent there.

Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
So appreciate you guys for tuning in here, make sure
keeping it locked on The Gambler. Me and Sam go
to keep ripping things down throughout this playoff runs to
make sure it tapping in with each of us on
socials and everything else here on Fox Sports The Gambler.

Speaker 1 (01:05:51):
We back talking you next time. Peace,