June 9, 2021 • 37 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon react to the wild closing moments of Game 1 between the Jazz and the Clippers with NBA Veteran Olden Polynice. Jason says this game is another example of how Donovan Mitchell is the closest thing to Kobe Bryant in today's NBA. The guys point out how once again Shaq is avoiding interviewing Donovan Mitchell after a game. Jason goes in on Paul George for not being counted on in closing moments of big games. Jason and Mike discuss what the Clippers need to do to better take advantage of late-game opportunities.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
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(00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. So at the end
of the year, when the Clippers say should we move
on from Paul George, They're gonna show the end of
this game and they're gonna say, yeah, yeah, playoff p
at it again. An incredible ending. The Jazz hold on
(00:44):
to win Game one against the Clippers one twelve, one
oh nine. When the Clippers tried a very bold strategy
at the end of the game. Hey, no one's gonna
try to take this last second shot. Nobody wanted it.
Nobody wanted it all. George didn't want it past, Kauai
Leonard didn't want it past. And it was Marcus Morris
(01:08):
who tried a footer from three to tie the game
that Rudy Gobert blocked. The rebound came up a shot
was chucked up, didn't even reach the rim as the
clock hit zero. So you had the Clippers have with
their two big stars, and nobody wanted to take that shot.
They knew they needed a three. Nobody took it. They
(01:29):
couldn't get open enough and they passed up. Marcus Morris
is the guy in the corner taking a last second
shot for the Clippers. Of all the things that is
that have crushed them, Mike, this playoffs so far, the
two biggest games, the biggest games where they could have
tilted series. We had the one game in the last
round against the Mavericks when Paul George didn't want to
take the shot in past the Terence Man and now
(01:49):
you have this game where nobody wanted to take a
shot that you had to take with time ticking down,
and Marcus Morris is the guy taking that last second
shot for the Clippers. So you got Quiet does the
handoff to Paul George. George gets it back to Kauai
and for whatever reason, he gets it to Morris in
the corner and then he's crying, screaming, get me the
ball back. Meanwhile it's getting blocked by Rudy Gobert and
(02:12):
Kauai has just got his hands up, give me the ball.
It's like, why did you give it up? There were
five seconds left on the clock. You're the guy, you're
supposed to be the assassin. Great effort by the Clippers.
You could have mailed it in at any point. You
saw how tired they were. But they had a thirteen
point lead at half, and then Donovan Mitchell takes over.
You're still hanging tight and you get it to Morris
(02:35):
for they would be the game tying three point shot.
What are we doing? What are we doing? Well, you know,
let's find out what we're doing because joining us now
on the hotline, our teammate here at Fox Sports Radio
seventeen years and the National Basketball Association. You folem on
Twitter at Olden Poloniese one. That's at Olden Polonese one,
Fox Sports Radio. NBA analysts, Oh, p Man, that was
(02:58):
some kind of way on how not to play basketball
at the end by the Clippers. Yeah, it was really
kind of a erratic at the end of it. And
you're right, Um Kauai had the ball in his hands,
you know, six seconds on the clock, and even though
they did send they sent a double team, but It
wasn't a hard double, it was a soft double team
(03:20):
and he saw it coming and he passed the ball.
But again, you're in. You're on the team to take
those shots. And so the same way we go at
Lebron change when he makes passes. You know, Kauai's gotta
get the same heat. You know, you gotta take that shot.
You can't give it up and then want it back.
(03:41):
You just gotta hold it and keep it in your hand.
And that was the different between him and Donovan Mitchell tonight.
Donovan Mitchell said, I'm taking these shots. I'm going to
the basket. I'm attacking. And so we saw two different
styles of play from two you know, star players. You know,
I do want to give credit to the Jazz because
the one thing they did well and it's like you said,
(04:01):
they threw soft guys, but they had everybody out at
the three point line. They weren't gonna fit that. You know,
they didn't do some crazy defense and guys get lost.
They still had guys out there where, hey, we're gonna
make you work for this three. Like you, you'll be
able to take it, but we want to cover. We
don't want to leave anybody wide open and suddenly it's
you know, Kauai has got at a drive and a
kicker here. You know, they were on everybody. I mean,
(04:22):
you figure, okay, they passed it off to Marcus Morris,
He's going to get off some kind of an open shot,
and he didn't. So that was that. I mean, that
was a really good, solid way. I felt the Jazz
played the end of the game defensively. Oh no, they
definitely did. They everybody was on top of the three
point line, and a lot of teams and a lot
of times and a lot of teams you'll see that
they dropped under the basket when the team needs a
(04:45):
three to tie the game. And it always baffled me
that people just don't understand the only shot that can
really hurt you. So they get a layup so wet.
Then now they gotta foul because they're gonna still be
down one and you go make three throws and stuff
(05:06):
like that. But you know, I thought the jab did
an excellent job. But the file for the clip is
in that situation, the one guy and it's not even
Chaoir Paul Joyce, the guy they needed on that court,
Mr Confidence filed out and that's Wessie Jackson just seventeen
minutes on the night three of six from the field
three or five from three point range, but uh six
(05:28):
files minus seven on the night nine points. The shot
was there early old and just couldn't avoid the well
what something might say or touch files, but their files
just the same. Hey, this is an NBA playoffs. I
mean you're supposed to let them play, and I think
before the most fause they're letting guys play. But some
(05:49):
of the files it's almost like the hard files they
let go in the city. Tell that's the logic behind that. Well,
the way that Jackson filed out on like there's there's
a little bit of contact, but it's like really to
to disqualify the guy from the game. You know what
the situation is because Donovan Mitchell played that fall. Oh no,
(06:14):
it's a good job, good and good acting. Oh yeah,
you know. You know the thing is is opiate. It's
not about Paul George not making clutch shots because he
made the you know, he made the big three with
thirty eight seconds left, right, so he made the big three.
But it's those shots at the end of games where
it's not like, hey, we need a basket here, I
can make it, but when you get inside of ten
seconds and we absolutely need a who, I just have
(06:36):
no interest in making it now. He had he had
a bad night shooting, but he had just made a
three and he couldn't get rid of that ball fast enough.
Back to Kauai Leonard, I mean it wasn't like he
drew defenders to him. No, it was like, you give
it me, I'm gonna give it right back to you
because I really don't want it. And then like he
gives the pretend hey, you give it back to me,
give it back to me. I mean really, I mean, look, Kauai,
at least, if I'm looking of the two on on
that play, Kauai was the guy that at least looked
(06:59):
for the shot a little bit. It didn't have any
still dish it off. But man, Paul George didn't even
not even for one second, did he think I can
dribble try to find my shot and make this. Not
for one second did he think about making that. No,
he did not. And something else that's gonna come up,
and I don't know if he'll address it, but I
(07:19):
noticed it. The chance from the Utah fans. I think
that's gonna get to him. I noticed one they saw
it chatting overrated. It's almost like you could see like
there's an emotion that came over him, and so we
gotta have to keep our eyes on, you know, as
(07:41):
far as that when he's playing in Utah against him,
because that might really be something that's like gonna mess
him up. Because I could tell like there was a
ship in in in his body language and everything else.
So you know, you gotta understand. I'm like, fans are
got a chance that you can't let that stuff get
to you. I am you just gotta tough and up,
(08:02):
buckle down and play basketball. You wanted the top players
in the world. You know, there's only five people in
those jobs, so you're there. If you're overrated, I guess
it is because you know they probably compare you to Magic,
I mean Magic and Michael and those guys. So don't
worry about it. Just play basketball tough when those comparisons
(08:22):
start start flowing. So which part do you do you
take from this? Hey, we had a thirteen point lead
at halftime, positive or three point loss, which weighs in
that locker room. The three point loss, the thirteen points
that's gonna happen. Teams. You know, you come off of
an enormous win against the Dallas Mavericks in a Game seven,
(08:43):
you're hype, you know, first game on the road. Yeah,
you're gonna have that emotion. But then it usually dies
down at halftime like it did. And then the home
team came out, you know, like I said, Donovan Mitchell
came out like gang busses and just took over the
game in like the first four or five minutes. And
you know, the Clippers fought back valiantly, but again all
(09:06):
shooting a hand glades holden polonies, our guests right now
that Jason Smith show with my best friend Mike Harman. Alright,
the one thing you can say about the Clippers is
that they are resilient, right. You know, there was a
couple of times in the last series it looked like
that could be it. They could go out very meekly,
but they come back and find a way to beat
the Mavericks. Uh do you still see that resiliency do it?
(09:29):
Or is this a series where, hey, this is a
game that can really tilted towards the Jazz and they
might not recover from it. We resilient a little bit.
I give them resilient about maybe ten percent. Dallas blew
that series. Okay, let's not give all the c Dallas
(09:50):
Mavericks blew that and they blew it in game three.
Well let's put that on the back party. But yeah,
I mean for the most part of the Clippers, you know,
they fought hard. Again that close doesn't count. But Utah
did what they're supposed to do. They held home court.
Not the critical thing about this is they want without
Mike Colmy. Now if they're able to, you know, I'm
(10:13):
sure they'll probably playing game two, they hope. But that's
the key. He makes things go. He makes them faster.
You know, their offense runs well with him, and so
to be able to escape, and that's what they did tonight.
They escape with a win without Mike Comedy and that's
big and so to me, I still say advantage Utah
(10:37):
succeed and proceed as they say old and Uh take
the three point victory and move on to heroics of
Donovan Mitchell h tonight. All right, we we have this
discussion all the time, and Jason has uh lobby lobby. Hey,
he's the closest thing we have playing right now to
Kobe Bryant, where do you put him in the stratosphere
(10:58):
of the young stars of the game. Who's that? Donovan
Mitchell the closest thing to Kobe Bryant, the closest thing
to Dwyane Wade. He's more Dwayne Wade ish than Kobe is,
which is he's got more kill mentality than then He's
got that mamma mentality man, Donovans, Hey, listen, anybody that
(11:19):
just shoots whenever they want, that's all mama there. Hey,
he only took thirty Come on, only he'll get ice
on that arm. He'll be just fine. But you know,
but the thing about them is the fact that they've
the whole year has been about the three point shot.
But the chief of Donovan Mitchell is the fact that
(11:41):
he can make that shot. He has a green light.
But he's so athletic, he can get inside, he can handle,
and so he's a tough, tough person to defend. And
it was funny because they kept switch Listen, I know
Luke canack and make shots, but that man and guard
me right now. And so it was I'm like, listen, Tyler,
(12:07):
you should have went offense and defense. You know, just
make the substitutions go offense defense. There's no way you
should have kept Luke Nad in the game to defend
against Donovan Mitchell. They were looking for that switch and
every time he got that switch, he smiled and went
to the basket. Hey, op last I gotta ask, were
(12:28):
you the one that voted for Derrick Rose for m
v P? Was that your ballot today that didn't put
Derrick Rose? Get there? No? I voted Paul. I thought
he did an incredible job with that seat. It was
are you Are you okay with winning? Oh? Definitely, that's
that's who should have won. Yeah. I I appreciate what
(12:48):
step did with the Warriors and what mb did, But
he missed twenty one games. Your kids didn't miss any games.
He played the season. He carried that team after jabal
to Mom Murray went out. He's definitely the m v P.
You can fall on Twitter at Olden Polonese one. That's
at Olden Polonie one, Fox Sports Radio, NBA Insider. I Ope,
(13:12):
he has always ready appreciated my friend. We will talk
to you next week. Have fun and Jake games. Thanks
old great stuff there from olden man like he couldn't
guard He couldn't guard me, right now, that was great.
Nine minutes, seven of nine from the field, four of
six from three point range, eighteen points. He was plus
(13:33):
four on the night. So well, he was hot, and
he was hot early. That's the thing is he did
carry them early. He was the only guy that was
really scoring for them. As soon as Jackson got in
foul trouble, everything everything shifts is in uh balls in
Paul George's hand a ton and and as Olden said,
I mean the overrated chance. We you know, when I
got a chance, I was turning up the volume. And
(13:54):
certainly our executive producer, Justin Frostburg passed along the notes
of the chant. You can see um in Paul George's
countenance going to the free throw line here in the
chain at one point a little little bit affected, or
so it seemed by it. So we'll see how that
plays out in the series. Yeah, and you can't you
can't play that way. You can't have rabbit ears and
(14:15):
and play before. I can't believe Kevin Durant is as
successful as he is, and he hears everything. I mean,
he got in the whole back and forth blank you
with ESPN s J Williams today about he was mad
that he that he compared Janice and he could compared
kat Dannie and they get into it on social media
over I mean, I mean really, I mean, Katie, what
do you care about that? I mean, he cares it's
(14:35):
in the middle of the series. No. But this one, though,
is you know, you're you're basically putting in and thrusting
him into the conversation of yah, who's better here, and
and saying in your words that that this guy is
isn't worth your time to keep his name out, you know,
out of a sentence with mine and and whatever else
you know, inflammatory, And then you know there's all the debate,
(15:00):
well did it happen? And if it did, should Jay
Williams have just kept that one as a nice little
note that he told that cocktail parties once in a
blue moon, uh, instead of airing it out on national
television m hm, Twitter? And how about a Fresca Mike
gets swollen dome the Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon. So when I say things like, hey,
(15:22):
you know, Donovan Mitchell's the closest thing we have to
Kobe Bryant as far as the mentality, the shots, the clutch,
the the ability to score in streaks. I mean tonight
is what I mean by that. Like he wasn't even
feeling good, like he had a he had an intestinal
problem tonight. Quinn Sneyder said, yeah, he was. He was
moving around kind of Forde. The hell he did he
had the he had the he had the what did
(15:43):
what did? What did? Jesse Venturi used to always say, um,
I forget what his phrase. He used to say, it's
it's not coming to me. But still forty five points,
he had the first ten points the third quarter, when
when when things were in trouble for the for the
Jazz a bit and the Clippers were coming back. I mean,
he's it, man. I mean, if if people are just
rediscovering tonight the kind of superstar he is. Okay, because
(16:06):
I get it that there's been so much time and
so many other people that we've talked about over the
course of the year, you know, Yokich winning the m
v P Okay, I get it. We're concentrating on that.
We're talking a lot more about Devin Booker and and
in the East, obviously, Trey Young was a big deal
and so was Julius Randol all the guys and you
forget about Okay, right, he plays on Utah. We don't
see many of his games during the season. It happens
(16:26):
in the playoffs. He was heard awhile um. He has
been the difference. Right. They didn't play without him in
game when they lost. What happened since then? All they
do is win. All I do is win, That's all.
He doesn't win forty five tonight when they needed him
against the Clippers. I mean, he's it, man. It's tonight
is what I talk about. When he's the closest thing
to Kobe and clearly you saw that. The rest of
the country, hopefully everybody else is understanding just how special
(16:48):
this guy is. Twitter right out about a fresca. Mike
gets swollen down the Jason Smith Show with my bass
friend Mike Harmon. Coming up, we have more on this
game and more on just what happened at the end
with Kauai and Paul George. Paul George stay away from
social media for like the next eight years after tonight,
and you know Kaua I too. More on this huge, ending,
(17:10):
incredibly exciting night in basketball coming up next right here,
Fox be sure to catch live editions of The Jason
Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I
Heart Radio app Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show
with My bas friend Mike Harman greatness. And you know,
(17:31):
now there's another city I can't go to anymore, Mike.
In the last couple of it's kind of surprised. No, no,
it's not Cleveland. Before we get to that, you know,
this bears before, and we'll have more on the Clippers
and Kauai and Paul George playing hot potato with the basketball.
At the end, the Jazz beat the Clippers one twelve
to one oh nine, likely because no Clippers wanted to
(17:53):
take the final shot in the last ten seconds and
they wind up getting a bad three from Marcus Morris.
It gets blocked by Rudy Gobert, and now the Jazz
have a one game to non lead. Now here's the thing,
because there's gotta be something we're not being told. Because
here is Donovan Mitchell forty five points player of the
game by far for the Utah Jazz. And the postgame
(18:15):
interview on t n T is done by Rebecca Harlow.
He look, Rebecca Harlow is great. I worked with Becca
Harlow at a NFL network. She's a great job. But
Shaquille O'Neil went out of his way to insult Donovan
Mitchell earlier this year, saying, I don't know that you
and the team has what it takes, and I'm not
a believer in you, you know, really surprising him with
(18:38):
that interview after a game. And I give Mitchell all
the credit in the world for just keeping composed and
answering Shack's questions. But now that the Jazz are winning
and when he's having big games, the last two times
on T n T that Donovan Mitchell has had big games,
the end of game interview has not gone to Shaquille O'Neal.
We had Reggie Miller and now we had back of Harlowe.
(19:00):
So something's up. Whether it is T n T saying
we don't want this because we we don't because this
will be this might look bad for Shack, or it's
Mitchell's people saying I don't want to talk to Shack,
something is up because it's it's it's great TV and
what NBA fans want to see this is a little
bit inside the NBA because look, the the hardcore NB
they call it. Yeah, look, the hardcore NBA fans know that.
(19:23):
You know what what Shack said in the in his
postgame interview to Donna Mitchell a few months ago. But
this is one of those things that, Hey, if you're
gonna have somebody interviewed Donovan Mitchell, have Shack do it right.
So it becomes a big thing, right, it'll trend on
social media, it'll be something people talk about. You don't
know what Shack is gonna say. You don't know what
Mitchell's gonna say in response. You want to see why,
and then it will be a big deal. People will
(19:46):
pay attention to it. And then I'll say, why is
it such a big deal? Because of what happened? And
it's a big thing for t n T. But something
has to be up because there's no reason why, second
time in a row, it's not done. Because if this
is t n T saying we want to keep Shack
from some kind of embarrassment, that's weak. He called that,
he called Mitchell loud, he called the jazz out. Now
he's got to suck it up. If it's Donovan Mitchell
(20:07):
saying no, I don't want to talk to Shack, dude,
why not? This is when you can say still hate
a Shack, still think we're not doing well? What why
are you back? In a way, this is when you're
you're only gonna talk to Shack if you had a
great game in your two wins, right, if you shoot
two for seventeen and you lose by five, T and
T is not saying, hey, we could have taken Kauai
he had fifties. Instead, let's go to Donovan Mitchell who
(20:29):
was two for seventeen. So you're only doing it if
you're playing well and you get to shove it in
his face. So I don't get why, but something's gotta
be up because it doesn't make sense. We didn't get this. Yeah,
you gotta get your stroll on. And it's certainly not
coming from Mitchelly can't right, It's just can't be. But
on a night where they're sitting there in the studio
celebrating all their Emmy's congratulations, fantastic stuff, a group of
(20:53):
those congratulations to Joe Buck, to Emmanuel you, all of
those at Fox that one. But the inside the NBA guys,
they they've got them there and and they're celebrating. Uh,
you can just throw those to the side, because if
you can't take any interview with Donovan Mitchell, what's it
all matter? You can play grab bass, running to a
(21:14):
wall and whatever. It's like you you can talk to
the star of the game. Swallow your pride, you know,
shackle mumble something in his general direction and we'll move on.
But you know, that's multiple times that you've had these
monster games. And let's call it what it is. He
had a bad first half and then he came out
like a house of fire in the third quarter and
(21:34):
they never look back. And so this is one where
you gotta wear it. You know, you said something silly.
If it if it's now up in their locker room,
I'd love to see a shot of it either way.
You know, they need to figure this out because that's
good television for one. Uh And and what you're waiting on,
right and those are the guys that and again it's
(21:54):
it's no disrespect to Rebecca Harlow, to Reggie Miller, to
anybody else courtside. It always goes back into the TNT
Nerve Center and suddenly it's not just when Donovan Mitchell's there, No, no, no,
it's bad business. Come on, guys, exactly, let's pull up
our big boy pants. It's your turn tonight. I really,
(22:15):
it's a win for every it's a win for both sides.
It's a win for television because t NT gets it.
You don't know what's being said. It's a win for
Mitchell because he gets to say I told you so.
He gets to have that moment of how do you
think about us? Now, Shack? What do you What do
you think now? Shack? How do you think? What do
you think? What do you think? Shack? Hey, how's the general? Shack?
The only the only contrarian thought to it for me,
(22:35):
Jason is Mitchell would say, my job's are not done yet.
He'll wear it once I'm hoisting a trophy. Yeah, but
that but you can all you won't get to do
that because they won't be on the call for the finals,
so you wouldn't get to do that to next October.
That's a that's a slobber. But if you wanted, if
he wanted to wait and say at the end saying hey,
(22:57):
so yeah, I'm sorry, I don't want to interview that.
You've got Shack's phone number. Let's do that. Let's call
him right now. You could so we could say, hey, Shack,
tell me I will not finish the rap. He could
have backed away from it if he wanted to, Like,
if he didn't want to get into it, he could
have shown I'll do the interview with class. We'll just
talk about this. I mean, anything, anything could have happened.
(23:17):
But I don't see how that did. And the thing is,
you can't tell me, oh, well, technically there's this, there's
that they don't. They do it all the time, all right,
T N T. Everybody does it all the time. They
do interviews with the studio, with people at the games.
It always happened. So you can't tell me. We couldn't
figure it out, We couldn't look it up. Something is up.
I hope somebody asks. I hope somebody's in the position
to say, hey, why didn't this happen? Somebody that has
(23:37):
the ear of T n T or the jazz gonna
ask that question to go because it clearly that's something
that there's a reason why the first time I could
see all right, well, maybe it was still kind of weak,
but okay, this is just I'll come on, man, the
dude had forty five was the ending of a great game.
You're not gonna have shot? Talk to him? If nothing
else you could do it, Johnny Drama, Just show victory
(23:59):
and walk off Twitter at how about a fresca? Mike
gets swollen don The Jason Smith Show with my base
friend Mike Harmon coming up in ninety seconds. We got
more on this game from the side of the team
that didn't want to shoot the ball at the end. Way,
do you hear what Rudy Gobert had to say about
the Clippers following this game? Yikes? That's coming up in
(24:21):
ninety But first be sure to catch live editions of
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten
pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The
podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball
all the time, but it's more about the stories about
what made these people love their sport and all the
(24:43):
interesting interactions along the way. We talked to coaches, we
talked to players, We tell you stories. You download it,
you listen to it. I think you like it. Listen
to All Ball with Doug Gotlieb on the I Heart
Radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
I ask you, what kind of respect did the Jazz
(25:05):
have for the Clippers at the end of games? When
you when you get this guy, you gotta let me
ask before you give me the rhetorical answer. Mike Armon,
you gotta let me ask question him. We're starting for
what kind of respect do the Jazz have for the
Clippers at the end of games? When this is the
(25:27):
quote from Rudy Gobert following the game. Now the game
ended as as you just heard Ralph play the highlight.
The Clippers had the ball with a chance to sigh
the game. Kawhi Leonard had the ball. Didn't want it
pass to Paul George. Paul George didn't want it back
to Kauai Leonard Kaua. I didn't want to pass to
Marcus Morris, who got his three point blocked Jazz win
Game one. After the game was over, go Bart was
(25:49):
asked about his game saving block and he said, quote,
I kind of fake help and knew they were going
to go to Morris, so I just tried to contest
it as best as I could. Now wasn't quite a
keen wark leaping out on Michael leaf from sirac Use, Kansas.
But he did get out there on Morris. But what
does that tell you when the defensive player of the
Year knows one of the top two guys on the
(26:12):
team with the two biggest stars, neither of them are
gonna take this shot. It's gonna be Marcus Morris is
gonna take this shot. What does that tell you about
the respect they have for these players when they go
we know at the end, neither of these guys is
gonna take this shot. Neither guy wants the ball. I
mean they played hot potato right that little hey Paul
George coming past Kawaii Leonards at screen. He gets George
(26:33):
the ball and then it comes right back to Kauai's
hands and he's got an opportunity to dribble. Uh you know,
he's still five point whenever on the clock, and instead
looks over to Morris and and and he got Gobert
in no man's land. I mean, he he had no
no fear that Kawai Leonard, the guy that's been put
(26:55):
up on the dais as one of the greats in
the game. Where we're standing right now, Some would say
that for a while he held that number one status,
you know, a placeholder, while Kevin Durant got himself right physically,
uh and on Lebron's always circling around there. Um that
that's kind of a big deal. I mean, I could
see not trusting or not believing and playing defensively knowing
(27:21):
Paul George probably didn't want that shot. But it's a
big indictment to say, hey, the Kauai is not gonna
want any of that smoke either, you know. And the
other part of it is this is that we obviously
you see two guys that don't want to take shots.
I mean, this is clearly what we've seen for Paul George.
It's kind of a newer phenomenon with Kawai Leonard a bit,
but clearly this is who Paul George has been. Paul
(27:41):
George had the chance potentially take the game winning shot
in the last series against the Mavericks, and what did
he do. He passes the ball to Terrence Man on
the wing. Man is afraid to shoot a layup and
the Slippers don't get a shot and they lose bat
I'll tell you if yeah, And he's the guy taking
the shot at the end, right not and so it's it's,
it's it's Nicholas Batum and Marcus Morris our take. I've
(28:03):
taken the last two shots with the game on the
line for the Clippers in the final seconds. I mean,
what does that tell you? I mean, I don't even
know that I would put Paul George on the floor
at the end of games anymore. I know that would
happen just in the corner as a decoy. Look, you're
not gonna take the shots, so we're not going to
pass you the ball. I mean, really, something as something's
gotta give where you have to make sure you have
some kind of play call. And I know ty Lou
(28:25):
is getting a lot of heat right now because he
didn't call a time out. I'm actually okay with that
because I liked the controlled chaos because when you get
to call up a plane, the other team gets to
call up a defense. But clearly, great job coaching by
Quinn Snyder, because you saw the Jazz We're all out
guarding the perimeter because they knew the Clippers had to
take a three, and the Clippers had no way to
get that good shot off enough where one of their
(28:47):
good players can do it. But still I kind of
like the fact that okay, with the controlled chaos in
the back, it should be advantage for the offense. But
clearly that's not the case. Tyler is gonna look down
and go okay from now and I gotta call a
time out and set up a play, and I ain't
set it up for Paul George. Clearly he wants nothing
to do with the basketball. I mean, I don't. I
don't know what else. I don't know what else you
can do if you're the Clippers at this point. It's
(29:08):
such big epic fails at the end of games. And
sometimes some teams just can't execute the end of games
like others. But when you have Kauai and Paul George,
you got there. You know who's taking the shots. What
are these guys has to take the shot? You can't
have it just be Kauai and passing it off. I'd
rather have Kauai at that point take a couple of
dribbles and take a contested three, or get somebody up
(29:29):
in the air and he winds up getting to the
free throw line and try to make three to send
the game to overtime. Something like that. You gotta see
in the in the in the in the game when
he took that bad three. There was still ten seconds
left when he took that contested three. You are other
things you can do. This is games coming down to
the end, dude, this is your time. Take the shot.
Find a way. You only have one guy on you,
You don't have three guys on you. Just at this
point saying something nice about Steph Curry. This is not
(29:52):
Steph Curry where he's got two and three guys and
guying to three point line. He's got nowhere to go.
You got one guy on You're taller than he is.
And and Kauai still wouldn't take this shot. Engles was
out on him, I think, and it's like, get him,
take him off the dribble. You got time to take
two dribble stwards, either the center of the court or
or wherever you want to go. Obviously you don't want
(30:13):
to go drifting down where Gobert, you know, really can
commit to you. But either way, passing the ball off
to Morris is just gonna be a head scratcher, uh
And one that they're gonna look back right because they
got this game. They were in it. No Conley uh
And and Reggie Jackson played seven seventeen minutes and filed out.
So you gave it. You had the best shot you
(30:35):
possibly could to steal one here even with those things working.
Uh one in your favorite one against you, and you've
got guys that shrink away from a big moment after
coming up with so many of them to advance in
the last round. That's the other thing that's so puzzling.
Right after the Game seven that Kauai had that you
have this Twitter and how about a fresca Mike gets
(30:57):
swollen dumb The Jason Smith Show with My Baby is
Friend Mike Harmon more on the crazy ending in this game,
plus the one city I can't go to anymore after
one of my NBA takes in the last half hour. Yeah,
I can't go anymore. And I think, is I like
going to the city. I go to the city a lot.
Now I can't go anymore. We need to leave. No, no,
l A. I'm good. It's another city I can't go to.
(31:19):
It's coming up next. Wait, go ahead, tie Shirt, play it.
I finally give you an open shot to play the
Cleveland and you don't play it. Show didn't take the shot,
just like Paul Alex Ti Shirt is the Paul George
of this show. You try to pass me a shot
(31:40):
I don't want. I like to. I'm going to give
it right back to you. Oh that's coming up next.
Keep it right here, Fox, Do you feel me? Loving you?
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, the I Heart Radio
(32:01):
app Fox Sports Radio That Jason Smith Show with my
base friend Mike Harmon, where we are still reacting to
the thrilling ending between the Jazz and the Clippers. One twelve,
one oh nine is the final Uh this because the
Clippers were a chance to tie the game at the end,
they were a three pointer away. Kawhi Leonard didn't want it.
(32:22):
Pass the ball to Paul George. Paul George didn't want
it at all, gave it back to Kauai Leonard. Kauai
decided I don't want the shot. Passed to Marcus Morris,
who takes the three that gets blocked by Rudy Gobert
and the Jazz win it one twelve to one oh nine.
Now just think about this for a second, alright, just
for a second before we get into the city, I
(32:42):
can't go to anymore. Um, the last two games for
the Clippers that have come down to the final shot, right,
those shots have been taken by Marcus Morris and Nicholas
patum A. Right that that that's that's something that is inexplainable.
And so now I am going to be very surprised.
And they were both shots that came in the flow
of the game. Right. Tyler didn't call a time out tonight,
(33:05):
and he didn't call a time out last game right
in the series against the Mavericks. And it's like I said,
I like that. I like being because you think the
the advantages on the offense there, But this is now
two games in a row where you have seen that's
not the case. So now if you're Tylu when that
comes up again, it's a time out, and you draw
up the bleep and play you want, and you get
(33:25):
the ball to Kauai Leonard and you may say, Kauai,
you are finding a way to take this shot. Paul George,
I don't want you near the play. You just get
away from it because clearly you don't want the ball.
So this is how we're gonna do it. We're gonna
try to find a way to come in off a screen. Kauai,
you're gonna take it. We're gonna try to match you
up on a smaller guy, and you're gonna take this shot.
Don't pass it, don't give it to anybody else. You're
(33:48):
going to take this shot. And that's how it's gonna go.
And that's we're gonna sit here. We're done now. So
here's the rest of the time out. It's gonna be
me telling you. This is how we're gonna endbound the
ball and get it to you and Paul. When the
ball is in abound, you get as far away from
the basketball is possible, and maybe somebody will just feel
like we should chase you because you're the second best
player on the floor, but you really you're not going
to get the balls. Maybe that opens it up a
(34:08):
little bit for Kauai. Leonard and Kauai. You are taking
this shot. Okay, you've done it before. I don't know
why you haven't done it now, but you're going to
take this shot. And that's how I dropped the final
play in the huddle for the for the Clippers. Yeah,
I'm looking back, and of course I don't have it
in front of me. I'm assuming there was still a Yeah,
they still had a time out, right, so we we
(34:30):
have that in the holster if nothing else. Once Kauai
got the ball back at whatever it was, five point
seven seconds, called the time out. Then, right, you've now
they've now shown their hand of coming out and everybody
playing at the three point line what you would assume
they would do, right, you needed three anyway, but you've
seen the the rotation, You've seen how how they've come
(34:51):
out to defend. So then call your time out reset
and as you say, find find a way to get
Kauai and open. Look again, this this hurts that you
didn't have Reggie Jackson who you would turn to for
a three point shooting. He'd already made three before foul
trouble sent him to the bench and ultimately he falls
(35:11):
out very early, uh into the fourth quarters. So uh,
difficult loss for the Clippers, but we saw him battleback
is a different animal quite obviously. Um, but you are
still playing against a beast that that's a score. Uh.
The only problem is now you actually have guys that
can step up and be a number two on like
(35:32):
last series. Yeah, I'm looking at you poor zingis. So
that's gonna be what hopefully the clip look and at
some point that when you keep blowing games at the end,
eventually you're gonna run out of miracles. It's still only
game one of the series, but still you wonder is
this the one that changes it? Because look, there's always
a game that changes the momentum of the series. Usually
(35:53):
it's later on, but sometimes it's game one, and this
was one the Clippers had. They didn't they didn't have it,
but it's still early. They can still flip things around.
But eventually you give games away. Other teams aren't gonna
allow you to come back like this is. This is
This is a better team than the Dallas Mavericks are.
Uh now a city I can't go to anymore, which
is too bad because I really like going here. I
(36:14):
can't go to Phoenix anymore in my car and Phoenix
I can't. I can't think that you were banned from
Los Angeles, that the Kobe Bryant fans were mad at you.
Uh no, no, no, I I can't go to Phoenix
because you know what I told you, and I've said
this many times. The closest thing the NBA has to
Kobe Bryant is Donovan Mitchell and you're seeing games like tonight.
People just don't see him as much, but we do.
(36:36):
And this is the kind of guy he is, the
streakiness and all I've got And oh my god, Sons
fans are just killing me in my time. It's Devin Booker,
It's Devon Yes, because Devin Booker has had a couple
of games where he scored a lot of points. He
had a seventy five point game. Uh yeah, I'll still
take Donovan Mitchell. I'll take Donna Mitchell at the end
of clutch games more than I will take Devin Booker
right now. And and that's easy that that's not that'sn't
(36:59):
even a debate from right now. And Booker is great.
He had the great clothes out game against the Lakers,
but clearly the Lakers weren't really good, so it's not like,
you know, he didn't close out a team, uh you know,
to get to the NBA Finals. It was still a
great performance by Devin Booker, don't get me wrong. But
big games, playoff games, how I've seen him do it.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll take Donna Mitchell, who's twenty
four over Devin Booker right now for being that guy.
(37:22):
Look at you there, you got I get them mad
at you. You can't go to Arizona anymore. No, and
I like going there. I like Phoenix. Well, I mean
you you were out party and a couple of months ago,
so I know it's it's all good. Uh get get,
get your freak freak on. You'll have to find a
new place if you would like to house. Jason Smith add,
how about it for us? He'll come and I'll act
(37:42):
the fool and I'll bring you at cheesy burrito. Uh
oh no, no, you're gonna bring me what? Okay serrito, kaye,
serrito greater than Nicole Kich My buddy ben Mallow coming
up next. Okay serrito Yo,
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every week
night ten pm to two a m Eastern seven to
eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local
station for The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
night on the I Heart Radio app by searching fs R.
(00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. So at the end
of the year, when the Clippers say should we move
on from Paul George, They're gonna show the end of
this game and they're gonna say, yeah, yeah, playoff p
at it again. An incredible ending. The Jazz hold on
(00:44):
to win Game one against the Clippers one twelve, one
oh nine. When the Clippers tried a very bold strategy
at the end of the game. Hey, no one's gonna
try to take this last second shot. Nobody wanted it.
Nobody wanted it all. George didn't want it past, Kauai
Leonard didn't want it past. And it was Marcus Morris
(01:08):
who tried a footer from three to tie the game
that Rudy Gobert blocked. The rebound came up a shot
was chucked up, didn't even reach the rim as the
clock hit zero. So you had the Clippers have with
their two big stars, and nobody wanted to take that shot.
They knew they needed a three. Nobody took it. They
(01:29):
couldn't get open enough and they passed up. Marcus Morris
is the guy in the corner taking a last second
shot for the Clippers. Of all the things that is
that have crushed them, Mike, this playoffs so far, the
two biggest games, the biggest games where they could have
tilted series. We had the one game in the last
round against the Mavericks when Paul George didn't want to
take the shot in past the Terence Man and now
(01:49):
you have this game where nobody wanted to take a
shot that you had to take with time ticking down,
and Marcus Morris is the guy taking that last second
shot for the Clippers. So you got Quiet does the
handoff to Paul George. George gets it back to Kauai
and for whatever reason, he gets it to Morris in
the corner and then he's crying, screaming, get me the
ball back. Meanwhile it's getting blocked by Rudy Gobert and
(02:12):
Kauai has just got his hands up, give me the ball.
It's like, why did you give it up? There were
five seconds left on the clock. You're the guy, you're
supposed to be the assassin. Great effort by the Clippers.
You could have mailed it in at any point. You
saw how tired they were. But they had a thirteen
point lead at half, and then Donovan Mitchell takes over.
You're still hanging tight and you get it to Morris
(02:35):
for they would be the game tying three point shot.
What are we doing? What are we doing? Well, you know,
let's find out what we're doing because joining us now
on the hotline, our teammate here at Fox Sports Radio
seventeen years and the National Basketball Association. You folem on
Twitter at Olden Poloniese one. That's at Olden Polonese one,
Fox Sports Radio. NBA analysts, Oh, p Man, that was
(02:58):
some kind of way on how not to play basketball
at the end by the Clippers. Yeah, it was really
kind of a erratic at the end of it. And
you're right, Um Kauai had the ball in his hands,
you know, six seconds on the clock, and even though
they did send they sent a double team, but It
wasn't a hard double, it was a soft double team
(03:20):
and he saw it coming and he passed the ball.
But again, you're in. You're on the team to take
those shots. And so the same way we go at
Lebron change when he makes passes. You know, Kauai's gotta
get the same heat. You know, you gotta take that shot.
You can't give it up and then want it back.
(03:41):
You just gotta hold it and keep it in your hand.
And that was the different between him and Donovan Mitchell tonight.
Donovan Mitchell said, I'm taking these shots. I'm going to
the basket. I'm attacking. And so we saw two different
styles of play from two you know, star players. You know,
I do want to give credit to the Jazz because
the one thing they did well and it's like you said,
(04:01):
they threw soft guys, but they had everybody out at
the three point line. They weren't gonna fit that. You know,
they didn't do some crazy defense and guys get lost.
They still had guys out there where, hey, we're gonna
make you work for this three. Like you, you'll be
able to take it, but we want to cover. We
don't want to leave anybody wide open and suddenly it's
you know, Kauai has got at a drive and a
kicker here. You know, they were on everybody. I mean,
(04:22):
you figure, okay, they passed it off to Marcus Morris,
He's going to get off some kind of an open shot,
and he didn't. So that was that. I mean, that
was a really good, solid way. I felt the Jazz
played the end of the game defensively. Oh no, they
definitely did. They everybody was on top of the three
point line, and a lot of teams and a lot
of times and a lot of teams you'll see that
they dropped under the basket when the team needs a
(04:45):
three to tie the game. And it always baffled me
that people just don't understand the only shot that can
really hurt you. So they get a layup so wet.
Then now they gotta foul because they're gonna still be
down one and you go make three throws and stuff
(05:06):
like that. But you know, I thought the jab did
an excellent job. But the file for the clip is
in that situation, the one guy and it's not even
Chaoir Paul Joyce, the guy they needed on that court,
Mr Confidence filed out and that's Wessie Jackson just seventeen
minutes on the night three of six from the field
three or five from three point range, but uh six
(05:28):
files minus seven on the night nine points. The shot
was there early old and just couldn't avoid the well
what something might say or touch files, but their files
just the same. Hey, this is an NBA playoffs. I
mean you're supposed to let them play, and I think
before the most fause they're letting guys play. But some
(05:49):
of the files it's almost like the hard files they
let go in the city. Tell that's the logic behind that. Well,
the way that Jackson filed out on like there's there's
a little bit of contact, but it's like really to
to disqualify the guy from the game. You know what
the situation is because Donovan Mitchell played that fall. Oh no,
(06:14):
it's a good job, good and good acting. Oh yeah,
you know. You know the thing is is opiate. It's
not about Paul George not making clutch shots because he
made the you know, he made the big three with
thirty eight seconds left, right, so he made the big three.
But it's those shots at the end of games where
it's not like, hey, we need a basket here, I
can make it, but when you get inside of ten
seconds and we absolutely need a who, I just have
(06:36):
no interest in making it now. He had he had
a bad night shooting, but he had just made a
three and he couldn't get rid of that ball fast enough.
Back to Kauai Leonard, I mean it wasn't like he
drew defenders to him. No, it was like, you give
it me, I'm gonna give it right back to you
because I really don't want it. And then like he
gives the pretend hey, you give it back to me,
give it back to me. I mean really, I mean, look, Kauai,
at least, if I'm looking of the two on on
that play, Kauai was the guy that at least looked
(06:59):
for the shot a little bit. It didn't have any
still dish it off. But man, Paul George didn't even
not even for one second, did he think I can
dribble try to find my shot and make this. Not
for one second did he think about making that. No,
he did not. And something else that's gonna come up,
and I don't know if he'll address it, but I
(07:19):
noticed it. The chance from the Utah fans. I think
that's gonna get to him. I noticed one they saw
it chatting overrated. It's almost like you could see like
there's an emotion that came over him, and so we
gotta have to keep our eyes on, you know, as
(07:41):
far as that when he's playing in Utah against him,
because that might really be something that's like gonna mess
him up. Because I could tell like there was a
ship in in in his body language and everything else.
So you know, you gotta understand. I'm like, fans are
got a chance that you can't let that stuff get
to you. I am you just gotta tough and up,
(08:02):
buckle down and play basketball. You wanted the top players
in the world. You know, there's only five people in
those jobs, so you're there. If you're overrated, I guess
it is because you know they probably compare you to Magic,
I mean Magic and Michael and those guys. So don't
worry about it. Just play basketball tough when those comparisons
(08:22):
start start flowing. So which part do you do you
take from this? Hey, we had a thirteen point lead
at halftime, positive or three point loss, which weighs in
that locker room. The three point loss, the thirteen points
that's gonna happen. Teams. You know, you come off of
an enormous win against the Dallas Mavericks in a Game seven,
(08:43):
you're hype, you know, first game on the road. Yeah,
you're gonna have that emotion. But then it usually dies
down at halftime like it did. And then the home
team came out, you know, like I said, Donovan Mitchell
came out like gang busses and just took over the
game in like the first four or five minutes. And
you know, the Clippers fought back valiantly, but again all
(09:06):
shooting a hand glades holden polonies, our guests right now
that Jason Smith show with my best friend Mike Harman. Alright,
the one thing you can say about the Clippers is
that they are resilient, right. You know, there was a
couple of times in the last series it looked like
that could be it. They could go out very meekly,
but they come back and find a way to beat
the Mavericks. Uh do you still see that resiliency do it?
(09:29):
Or is this a series where, hey, this is a
game that can really tilted towards the Jazz and they
might not recover from it. We resilient a little bit.
I give them resilient about maybe ten percent. Dallas blew
that series. Okay, let's not give all the c Dallas
(09:50):
Mavericks blew that and they blew it in game three.
Well let's put that on the back party. But yeah,
I mean for the most part of the Clippers, you know,
they fought hard. Again that close doesn't count. But Utah
did what they're supposed to do. They held home court.
Not the critical thing about this is they want without
Mike Colmy. Now if they're able to, you know, I'm
(10:13):
sure they'll probably playing game two, they hope. But that's
the key. He makes things go. He makes them faster.
You know, their offense runs well with him, and so
to be able to escape, and that's what they did tonight.
They escape with a win without Mike Comedy and that's
big and so to me, I still say advantage Utah
(10:37):
succeed and proceed as they say old and Uh take
the three point victory and move on to heroics of
Donovan Mitchell h tonight. All right, we we have this
discussion all the time, and Jason has uh lobby lobby. Hey,
he's the closest thing we have playing right now to
Kobe Bryant, where do you put him in the stratosphere
(10:58):
of the young stars of the game. Who's that? Donovan
Mitchell the closest thing to Kobe Bryant, the closest thing
to Dwyane Wade. He's more Dwayne Wade ish than Kobe is,
which is he's got more kill mentality than then He's
got that mamma mentality man, Donovans, Hey, listen, anybody that
(11:19):
just shoots whenever they want, that's all mama there. Hey,
he only took thirty Come on, only he'll get ice
on that arm. He'll be just fine. But you know,
but the thing about them is the fact that they've
the whole year has been about the three point shot.
But the chief of Donovan Mitchell is the fact that
(11:41):
he can make that shot. He has a green light.
But he's so athletic, he can get inside, he can handle,
and so he's a tough, tough person to defend. And
it was funny because they kept switch Listen, I know
Luke canack and make shots, but that man and guard
me right now. And so it was I'm like, listen, Tyler,
(12:07):
you should have went offense and defense. You know, just
make the substitutions go offense defense. There's no way you
should have kept Luke Nad in the game to defend
against Donovan Mitchell. They were looking for that switch and
every time he got that switch, he smiled and went
to the basket. Hey, op last I gotta ask, were
(12:28):
you the one that voted for Derrick Rose for m
v P? Was that your ballot today that didn't put
Derrick Rose? Get there? No? I voted Paul. I thought
he did an incredible job with that seat. It was
are you Are you okay with winning? Oh? Definitely, that's
that's who should have won. Yeah. I I appreciate what
(12:48):
step did with the Warriors and what mb did, But
he missed twenty one games. Your kids didn't miss any games.
He played the season. He carried that team after jabal
to Mom Murray went out. He's definitely the m v P.
You can fall on Twitter at Olden Polonese one. That's
at Olden Polonie one, Fox Sports Radio, NBA Insider. I Ope,
(13:12):
he has always ready appreciated my friend. We will talk
to you next week. Have fun and Jake games. Thanks
old great stuff there from olden man like he couldn't
guard He couldn't guard me, right now, that was great.
Nine minutes, seven of nine from the field, four of
six from three point range, eighteen points. He was plus
(13:33):
four on the night. So well, he was hot, and
he was hot early. That's the thing is he did
carry them early. He was the only guy that was
really scoring for them. As soon as Jackson got in
foul trouble, everything everything shifts is in uh balls in
Paul George's hand a ton and and as Olden said,
I mean the overrated chance. We you know, when I
got a chance, I was turning up the volume. And
(13:54):
certainly our executive producer, Justin Frostburg passed along the notes
of the chant. You can see um in Paul George's
countenance going to the free throw line here in the
chain at one point a little little bit affected, or
so it seemed by it. So we'll see how that
plays out in the series. Yeah, and you can't you
can't play that way. You can't have rabbit ears and
(14:15):
and play before. I can't believe Kevin Durant is as
successful as he is, and he hears everything. I mean,
he got in the whole back and forth blank you
with ESPN s J Williams today about he was mad
that he that he compared Janice and he could compared
kat Dannie and they get into it on social media
over I mean, I mean really, I mean, Katie, what
do you care about that? I mean, he cares it's
(14:35):
in the middle of the series. No. But this one, though,
is you know, you're you're basically putting in and thrusting
him into the conversation of yah, who's better here, and
and saying in your words that that this guy is
isn't worth your time to keep his name out, you know,
out of a sentence with mine and and whatever else
you know, inflammatory, And then you know there's all the debate,
(15:00):
well did it happen? And if it did, should Jay
Williams have just kept that one as a nice little
note that he told that cocktail parties once in a
blue moon, uh, instead of airing it out on national
television m hm, Twitter? And how about a Fresca Mike
gets swollen dome the Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon. So when I say things like, hey,
(15:22):
you know, Donovan Mitchell's the closest thing we have to
Kobe Bryant as far as the mentality, the shots, the clutch,
the the ability to score in streaks. I mean tonight
is what I mean by that. Like he wasn't even
feeling good, like he had a he had an intestinal
problem tonight. Quinn Sneyder said, yeah, he was. He was
moving around kind of Forde. The hell he did he
had the he had the he had the what did
(15:43):
what did? What did? Jesse Venturi used to always say, um,
I forget what his phrase. He used to say, it's
it's not coming to me. But still forty five points,
he had the first ten points the third quarter, when
when when things were in trouble for the for the
Jazz a bit and the Clippers were coming back. I mean,
he's it, man. I mean, if if people are just
rediscovering tonight the kind of superstar he is. Okay, because
(16:06):
I get it that there's been so much time and
so many other people that we've talked about over the
course of the year, you know, Yokich winning the m
v P Okay, I get it. We're concentrating on that.
We're talking a lot more about Devin Booker and and
in the East, obviously, Trey Young was a big deal
and so was Julius Randol all the guys and you
forget about Okay, right, he plays on Utah. We don't
see many of his games during the season. It happens
(16:26):
in the playoffs. He was heard awhile um. He has
been the difference. Right. They didn't play without him in
game when they lost. What happened since then? All they
do is win. All I do is win, That's all.
He doesn't win forty five tonight when they needed him
against the Clippers. I mean, he's it, man. It's tonight
is what I talk about. When he's the closest thing
to Kobe and clearly you saw that. The rest of
the country, hopefully everybody else is understanding just how special
(16:48):
this guy is. Twitter right out about a fresca. Mike
gets swollen down the Jason Smith Show with my bass
friend Mike Harmon. Coming up, we have more on this
game and more on just what happened at the end
with Kauai and Paul George. Paul George stay away from
social media for like the next eight years after tonight,
and you know Kaua I too. More on this huge, ending,
(17:10):
incredibly exciting night in basketball coming up next right here,
Fox be sure to catch live editions of The Jason
Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I
Heart Radio app Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show
with My bas friend Mike Harman greatness. And you know,
(17:31):
now there's another city I can't go to anymore, Mike.
In the last couple of it's kind of surprised. No, no,
it's not Cleveland. Before we get to that, you know,
this bears before, and we'll have more on the Clippers
and Kauai and Paul George playing hot potato with the basketball.
At the end, the Jazz beat the Clippers one twelve
to one oh nine, likely because no Clippers wanted to
(17:53):
take the final shot in the last ten seconds and
they wind up getting a bad three from Marcus Morris.
It gets blocked by Rudy Gobert, and now the Jazz
have a one game to non lead. Now here's the thing,
because there's gotta be something we're not being told. Because
here is Donovan Mitchell forty five points player of the
game by far for the Utah Jazz. And the postgame
(18:15):
interview on t n T is done by Rebecca Harlow.
He look, Rebecca Harlow is great. I worked with Becca
Harlow at a NFL network. She's a great job. But
Shaquille O'Neil went out of his way to insult Donovan
Mitchell earlier this year, saying, I don't know that you
and the team has what it takes, and I'm not
a believer in you, you know, really surprising him with
(18:38):
that interview after a game. And I give Mitchell all
the credit in the world for just keeping composed and
answering Shack's questions. But now that the Jazz are winning
and when he's having big games, the last two times
on T n T that Donovan Mitchell has had big games,
the end of game interview has not gone to Shaquille O'Neal.
We had Reggie Miller and now we had back of Harlowe.
(19:00):
So something's up. Whether it is T n T saying
we don't want this because we we don't because this
will be this might look bad for Shack, or it's
Mitchell's people saying I don't want to talk to Shack,
something is up because it's it's it's great TV and
what NBA fans want to see this is a little
bit inside the NBA because look, the the hardcore NB
they call it. Yeah, look, the hardcore NBA fans know that.
(19:23):
You know what what Shack said in the in his
postgame interview to Donna Mitchell a few months ago. But
this is one of those things that, Hey, if you're
gonna have somebody interviewed Donovan Mitchell, have Shack do it right.
So it becomes a big thing, right, it'll trend on
social media, it'll be something people talk about. You don't
know what Shack is gonna say. You don't know what
Mitchell's gonna say in response. You want to see why,
and then it will be a big deal. People will
(19:46):
pay attention to it. And then I'll say, why is
it such a big deal? Because of what happened? And
it's a big thing for t n T. But something
has to be up because there's no reason why, second
time in a row, it's not done. Because if this
is t n T saying we want to keep Shack
from some kind of embarrassment, that's weak. He called that,
he called Mitchell loud, he called the jazz out. Now
he's got to suck it up. If it's Donovan Mitchell
(20:07):
saying no, I don't want to talk to Shack, dude,
why not? This is when you can say still hate
a Shack, still think we're not doing well? What why
are you back? In a way, this is when you're
you're only gonna talk to Shack if you had a
great game in your two wins, right, if you shoot
two for seventeen and you lose by five, T and
T is not saying, hey, we could have taken Kauai
he had fifties. Instead, let's go to Donovan Mitchell who
(20:29):
was two for seventeen. So you're only doing it if
you're playing well and you get to shove it in
his face. So I don't get why, but something's gotta
be up because it doesn't make sense. We didn't get this. Yeah,
you gotta get your stroll on. And it's certainly not
coming from Mitchelly can't right, It's just can't be. But
on a night where they're sitting there in the studio
celebrating all their Emmy's congratulations, fantastic stuff, a group of
(20:53):
those congratulations to Joe Buck, to Emmanuel you, all of
those at Fox that one. But the inside the NBA guys,
they they've got them there and and they're celebrating. Uh,
you can just throw those to the side, because if
you can't take any interview with Donovan Mitchell, what's it
all matter? You can play grab bass, running to a
(21:14):
wall and whatever. It's like you you can talk to
the star of the game. Swallow your pride, you know,
shackle mumble something in his general direction and we'll move on.
But you know, that's multiple times that you've had these
monster games. And let's call it what it is. He
had a bad first half and then he came out
like a house of fire in the third quarter and
(21:34):
they never look back. And so this is one where
you gotta wear it. You know, you said something silly.
If it if it's now up in their locker room,
I'd love to see a shot of it either way.
You know, they need to figure this out because that's
good television for one. Uh And and what you're waiting on,
right and those are the guys that and again it's
(21:54):
it's no disrespect to Rebecca Harlow, to Reggie Miller, to
anybody else courtside. It always goes back into the TNT
Nerve Center and suddenly it's not just when Donovan Mitchell's there, No, no, no,
it's bad business. Come on, guys, exactly, let's pull up
our big boy pants. It's your turn tonight. I really,
(22:15):
it's a win for every it's a win for both sides.
It's a win for television because t NT gets it.
You don't know what's being said. It's a win for
Mitchell because he gets to say I told you so.
He gets to have that moment of how do you
think about us? Now, Shack? What do you What do
you think now? Shack? How do you think? What do
you think? What do you think? Shack? Hey, how's the general? Shack?
The only the only contrarian thought to it for me,
(22:35):
Jason is Mitchell would say, my job's are not done yet.
He'll wear it once I'm hoisting a trophy. Yeah, but
that but you can all you won't get to do
that because they won't be on the call for the finals,
so you wouldn't get to do that to next October.
That's a that's a slobber. But if you wanted, if
he wanted to wait and say at the end saying hey,
(22:57):
so yeah, I'm sorry, I don't want to interview that.
You've got Shack's phone number. Let's do that. Let's call
him right now. You could so we could say, hey, Shack,
tell me I will not finish the rap. He could
have backed away from it if he wanted to, Like,
if he didn't want to get into it, he could
have shown I'll do the interview with class. We'll just
talk about this. I mean, anything, anything could have happened.
(23:17):
But I don't see how that did. And the thing is,
you can't tell me, oh, well, technically there's this, there's
that they don't. They do it all the time, all right,
T N T. Everybody does it all the time. They
do interviews with the studio, with people at the games.
It always happened. So you can't tell me. We couldn't
figure it out, We couldn't look it up. Something is up.
I hope somebody asks. I hope somebody's in the position
to say, hey, why didn't this happen? Somebody that has
(23:37):
the ear of T n T or the jazz gonna
ask that question to go because it clearly that's something
that there's a reason why the first time I could
see all right, well, maybe it was still kind of weak,
but okay, this is just I'll come on, man, the
dude had forty five was the ending of a great game.
You're not gonna have shot? Talk to him? If nothing
else you could do it, Johnny Drama, Just show victory
(23:59):
and walk off Twitter at how about a fresca? Mike
gets swollen don The Jason Smith Show with my base
friend Mike Harmon coming up in ninety seconds. We got
more on this game from the side of the team
that didn't want to shoot the ball at the end. Way,
do you hear what Rudy Gobert had to say about
the Clippers following this game? Yikes? That's coming up in
(24:21):
ninety But first be sure to catch live editions of
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten
pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The
podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball
all the time, but it's more about the stories about
what made these people love their sport and all the
(24:43):
interesting interactions along the way. We talked to coaches, we
talked to players, We tell you stories. You download it,
you listen to it. I think you like it. Listen
to All Ball with Doug Gotlieb on the I Heart
Radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
I ask you, what kind of respect did the Jazz
(25:05):
have for the Clippers at the end of games? When
you when you get this guy, you gotta let me
ask before you give me the rhetorical answer. Mike Armon,
you gotta let me ask question him. We're starting for
what kind of respect do the Jazz have for the
Clippers at the end of games? When this is the
(25:27):
quote from Rudy Gobert following the game. Now the game
ended as as you just heard Ralph play the highlight.
The Clippers had the ball with a chance to sigh
the game. Kawhi Leonard had the ball. Didn't want it
pass to Paul George. Paul George didn't want it back
to Kauai Leonard Kaua. I didn't want to pass to
Marcus Morris, who got his three point blocked Jazz win
Game one. After the game was over, go Bart was
(25:49):
asked about his game saving block and he said, quote,
I kind of fake help and knew they were going
to go to Morris, so I just tried to contest
it as best as I could. Now wasn't quite a
keen wark leaping out on Michael leaf from sirac Use, Kansas.
But he did get out there on Morris. But what
does that tell you when the defensive player of the
Year knows one of the top two guys on the
(26:12):
team with the two biggest stars, neither of them are
gonna take this shot. It's gonna be Marcus Morris is
gonna take this shot. What does that tell you about
the respect they have for these players when they go
we know at the end, neither of these guys is
gonna take this shot. Neither guy wants the ball. I
mean they played hot potato right that little hey Paul
George coming past Kawaii Leonards at screen. He gets George
(26:33):
the ball and then it comes right back to Kauai's
hands and he's got an opportunity to dribble. Uh you know,
he's still five point whenever on the clock, and instead
looks over to Morris and and and he got Gobert
in no man's land. I mean, he he had no
no fear that Kawai Leonard, the guy that's been put
(26:55):
up on the dais as one of the greats in
the game. Where we're standing right now, Some would say
that for a while he held that number one status,
you know, a placeholder, while Kevin Durant got himself right physically,
uh and on Lebron's always circling around there. Um that
that's kind of a big deal. I mean, I could
see not trusting or not believing and playing defensively knowing
(27:21):
Paul George probably didn't want that shot. But it's a
big indictment to say, hey, the Kauai is not gonna
want any of that smoke either, you know. And the
other part of it is this is that we obviously
you see two guys that don't want to take shots.
I mean, this is clearly what we've seen for Paul George.
It's kind of a newer phenomenon with Kawai Leonard a bit,
but clearly this is who Paul George has been. Paul
(27:41):
George had the chance potentially take the game winning shot
in the last series against the Mavericks, and what did
he do. He passes the ball to Terrence Man on
the wing. Man is afraid to shoot a layup and
the Slippers don't get a shot and they lose bat
I'll tell you if yeah, And he's the guy taking
the shot at the end, right not and so it's it's,
it's it's Nicholas Batum and Marcus Morris our take. I've
(28:03):
taken the last two shots with the game on the
line for the Clippers in the final seconds. I mean,
what does that tell you? I mean, I don't even
know that I would put Paul George on the floor
at the end of games anymore. I know that would
happen just in the corner as a decoy. Look, you're
not gonna take the shots, so we're not going to
pass you the ball. I mean, really, something as something's
gotta give where you have to make sure you have
some kind of play call. And I know ty Lou
(28:25):
is getting a lot of heat right now because he
didn't call a time out. I'm actually okay with that
because I liked the controlled chaos because when you get
to call up a plane, the other team gets to
call up a defense. But clearly, great job coaching by
Quinn Snyder, because you saw the Jazz We're all out
guarding the perimeter because they knew the Clippers had to
take a three, and the Clippers had no way to
get that good shot off enough where one of their
(28:47):
good players can do it. But still I kind of
like the fact that okay, with the controlled chaos in
the back, it should be advantage for the offense. But
clearly that's not the case. Tyler is gonna look down
and go okay from now and I gotta call a
time out and set up a play, and I ain't
set it up for Paul George. Clearly he wants nothing
to do with the basketball. I mean, I don't. I
don't know what else. I don't know what else you
can do if you're the Clippers at this point. It's
(29:08):
such big epic fails at the end of games. And
sometimes some teams just can't execute the end of games
like others. But when you have Kauai and Paul George,
you got there. You know who's taking the shots. What
are these guys has to take the shot? You can't
have it just be Kauai and passing it off. I'd
rather have Kauai at that point take a couple of
dribbles and take a contested three, or get somebody up
(29:29):
in the air and he winds up getting to the
free throw line and try to make three to send
the game to overtime. Something like that. You gotta see
in the in the in the in the game when
he took that bad three. There was still ten seconds
left when he took that contested three. You are other
things you can do. This is games coming down to
the end, dude, this is your time. Take the shot.
Find a way. You only have one guy on you,
You don't have three guys on you. Just at this
point saying something nice about Steph Curry. This is not
(29:52):
Steph Curry where he's got two and three guys and
guying to three point line. He's got nowhere to go.
You got one guy on You're taller than he is.
And and Kauai still wouldn't take this shot. Engles was
out on him, I think, and it's like, get him,
take him off the dribble. You got time to take
two dribble stwards, either the center of the court or
or wherever you want to go. Obviously you don't want
(30:13):
to go drifting down where Gobert, you know, really can
commit to you. But either way, passing the ball off
to Morris is just gonna be a head scratcher, uh
And one that they're gonna look back right because they
got this game. They were in it. No Conley uh
And and Reggie Jackson played seven seventeen minutes and filed out.
So you gave it. You had the best shot you
(30:35):
possibly could to steal one here even with those things working.
Uh one in your favorite one against you, and you've
got guys that shrink away from a big moment after
coming up with so many of them to advance in
the last round. That's the other thing that's so puzzling.
Right after the Game seven that Kauai had that you
have this Twitter and how about a fresca Mike gets
(30:57):
swollen dumb The Jason Smith Show with My Baby is
Friend Mike Harmon more on the crazy ending in this game,
plus the one city I can't go to anymore after
one of my NBA takes in the last half hour. Yeah,
I can't go anymore. And I think, is I like
going to the city. I go to the city a lot.
Now I can't go anymore. We need to leave. No, no,
l A. I'm good. It's another city I can't go to.
(31:19):
It's coming up next. Wait, go ahead, tie Shirt, play it.
I finally give you an open shot to play the
Cleveland and you don't play it. Show didn't take the shot,
just like Paul Alex Ti Shirt is the Paul George
of this show. You try to pass me a shot
(31:40):
I don't want. I like to. I'm going to give
it right back to you. Oh that's coming up next.
Keep it right here, Fox, Do you feel me? Loving you?
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, the I Heart Radio
(32:01):
app Fox Sports Radio That Jason Smith Show with my
base friend Mike Harmon, where we are still reacting to
the thrilling ending between the Jazz and the Clippers. One twelve,
one oh nine is the final Uh this because the
Clippers were a chance to tie the game at the end,
they were a three pointer away. Kawhi Leonard didn't want it.
(32:22):
Pass the ball to Paul George. Paul George didn't want
it at all, gave it back to Kauai Leonard. Kauai
decided I don't want the shot. Passed to Marcus Morris,
who takes the three that gets blocked by Rudy Gobert
and the Jazz win it one twelve to one oh nine.
Now just think about this for a second, alright, just
for a second before we get into the city, I
(32:42):
can't go to anymore. Um, the last two games for
the Clippers that have come down to the final shot, right,
those shots have been taken by Marcus Morris and Nicholas
patum A. Right that that that's that's something that is inexplainable.
And so now I am going to be very surprised.
And they were both shots that came in the flow
of the game. Right. Tyler didn't call a time out tonight,
(33:05):
and he didn't call a time out last game right
in the series against the Mavericks. And it's like I said,
I like that. I like being because you think the
the advantages on the offense there, But this is now
two games in a row where you have seen that's
not the case. So now if you're Tylu when that
comes up again, it's a time out, and you draw
up the bleep and play you want, and you get
(33:25):
the ball to Kauai Leonard and you may say, Kauai,
you are finding a way to take this shot. Paul George,
I don't want you near the play. You just get
away from it because clearly you don't want the ball.
So this is how we're gonna do it. We're gonna
try to find a way to come in off a screen. Kauai,
you're gonna take it. We're gonna try to match you
up on a smaller guy, and you're gonna take this shot.
Don't pass it, don't give it to anybody else. You're
(33:48):
going to take this shot. And that's how it's gonna go.
And that's we're gonna sit here. We're done now. So
here's the rest of the time out. It's gonna be
me telling you. This is how we're gonna endbound the
ball and get it to you and Paul. When the
ball is in abound, you get as far away from
the basketball is possible, and maybe somebody will just feel
like we should chase you because you're the second best
player on the floor, but you really you're not going
to get the balls. Maybe that opens it up a
(34:08):
little bit for Kauai. Leonard and Kauai. You are taking
this shot. Okay, you've done it before. I don't know
why you haven't done it now, but you're going to
take this shot. And that's how I dropped the final
play in the huddle for the for the Clippers. Yeah,
I'm looking back, and of course I don't have it
in front of me. I'm assuming there was still a Yeah,
they still had a time out, right, so we we
(34:30):
have that in the holster if nothing else. Once Kauai
got the ball back at whatever it was, five point
seven seconds, called the time out. Then, right, you've now
they've now shown their hand of coming out and everybody
playing at the three point line what you would assume
they would do, right, you needed three anyway, but you've
seen the the rotation, You've seen how how they've come
(34:51):
out to defend. So then call your time out reset
and as you say, find find a way to get
Kauai and open. Look again, this this hurts that you
didn't have Reggie Jackson who you would turn to for
a three point shooting. He'd already made three before foul
trouble sent him to the bench and ultimately he falls
(35:11):
out very early, uh into the fourth quarters. So uh,
difficult loss for the Clippers, but we saw him battleback
is a different animal quite obviously. Um, but you are
still playing against a beast that that's a score. Uh.
The only problem is now you actually have guys that
can step up and be a number two on like
(35:32):
last series. Yeah, I'm looking at you poor zingis. So
that's gonna be what hopefully the clip look and at
some point that when you keep blowing games at the end,
eventually you're gonna run out of miracles. It's still only
game one of the series, but still you wonder is
this the one that changes it? Because look, there's always
a game that changes the momentum of the series. Usually
(35:53):
it's later on, but sometimes it's game one, and this
was one the Clippers had. They didn't they didn't have it,
but it's still early. They can still flip things around.
But eventually you give games away. Other teams aren't gonna
allow you to come back like this is. This is
This is a better team than the Dallas Mavericks are.
Uh now a city I can't go to anymore, which
is too bad because I really like going here. I
(36:14):
can't go to Phoenix anymore in my car and Phoenix
I can't. I can't think that you were banned from
Los Angeles, that the Kobe Bryant fans were mad at you.
Uh no, no, no, I I can't go to Phoenix
because you know what I told you, and I've said
this many times. The closest thing the NBA has to
Kobe Bryant is Donovan Mitchell and you're seeing games like tonight.
People just don't see him as much, but we do.
(36:36):
And this is the kind of guy he is, the
streakiness and all I've got And oh my god, Sons
fans are just killing me in my time. It's Devin Booker,
It's Devon Yes, because Devin Booker has had a couple
of games where he scored a lot of points. He
had a seventy five point game. Uh yeah, I'll still
take Donovan Mitchell. I'll take Donna Mitchell at the end
of clutch games more than I will take Devin Booker
right now. And and that's easy that that's not that'sn't
(36:59):
even a debate from right now. And Booker is great.
He had the great clothes out game against the Lakers,
but clearly the Lakers weren't really good, so it's not like,
you know, he didn't close out a team, uh you know,
to get to the NBA Finals. It was still a
great performance by Devin Booker, don't get me wrong. But
big games, playoff games, how I've seen him do it.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll take Donna Mitchell, who's twenty
four over Devin Booker right now for being that guy.
(37:22):
Look at you there, you got I get them mad
at you. You can't go to Arizona anymore. No, and
I like going there. I like Phoenix. Well, I mean
you you were out party and a couple of months ago,
so I know it's it's all good. Uh get get,
get your freak freak on. You'll have to find a
new place if you would like to house. Jason Smith add,
how about it for us? He'll come and I'll act
(37:42):
the fool and I'll bring you at cheesy burrito. Uh
oh no, no, you're gonna bring me what? Okay serrito, kaye,
serrito greater than Nicole Kich My buddy ben Mallow coming
up next. Okay serrito Yo,
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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