Hour 2 - Magic of Stephen Curry

Jason Smith and Mike Harmon break down Game 4 of The Finals, the magic of Stephen Curry and much more! 

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Episode Transcript

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 Fox Sports Radio that
Jason Smith Show with my bas friend Mike Harmon Live
from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Where we are midway
through the fourth quarter. Steph Curry has just made his
first appearance of the fourth quarter. Celtics lead the Warriors

(00:48):
eight six. Now before you as that Steph Curry was fine,
came back out about the eight minute mark. He had
thirty three going to the fourth quarter. Why did this happen?
Why was Steph Curry on the mench all the This
is why you come to us, because this is why
we tell you. What have we told you and what
have you seen all series long with the Celtics and

(01:08):
the Warriors. Steph Curry for the first three quarters. The
Celtics will allow him to be great. Right, We're gonna
make you work, though. We're gonna make you work for
all those hoops and by the time the fourth quarter comes,
then we're gonna clamp down on you. It's gonna be
impossible for you to get your shots off, and we're
gonna win the game. And it's been a pretty good strategy. Right.
What what have we seen the point totals for the

(01:28):
Warriors in the fourth quarters of the first three games
the series awful? Right, it's worked. So here's Steve Kerr.
It's a gamble, right, was a gamble to leave stuff
on the bench out stuff? Well, uh, he kind of
had to because you gotta do something because he's the
only guy that's really denting the bucket with any kind
of regularity, and he's gonna be the guy that's gonna
pull this game out. Yes, Jordan Pool is having a
nice game, but this is where your superstar either keeps

(01:51):
you in the NBA Finals or you're down three games
to one. So hoping that step would have enough gas
to be able to get his shot more in the
fourth quarter lay and be more of a difference maker.
Steve Kerk kind of had to do it because he
saw what's going on in the first three games. Hey,
steps that Steff's got nothing left in the fourth quarter.
Let me get him some rest. Maybe he has some
burst because the Celtics done a great job shutting him down.

(02:14):
Now it time. We're gonna see you over the next
seven and a half minutes. How much this works or
doesn't work? But I know it's a gamble. But Mike,
I don't know that Steve Kerr had a choice. You
gotta start rolling the dice now at this point because
you know what happens in the fourth quarter. Steph has
trouble getting his shots because that's when the Celtics clamped
down and you wind up losing games. You had no
choice but to do this. Harmon agrees with me. Harmon

(02:36):
so much so Harmon is speechless. I thought, just like, wow, man, like,
were you habbing your eyes and crying because my point
was so good? No, I hit my hand, uh, and
I didn't want a recovery on on a broken hand
and it but but do you still have it? But
you still have it? You still have a cast around

(02:57):
your hand? How did you hit it? No? No, no,
it's still just sores can be that's I know, But
so an cast around it now I know, but well,
it's not a cast. It's uh well, I mean there
is a little hard part but at the base, but
overall it's there's a lot of soft gauze and bandages.
You need to baby need a cast. I mean, I'm
not a doctor, but maybe I'm a better doctor than well.

(03:18):
Because of the pins in the hand, they did not
opt for that, uh in in part one. When I
go next week, I'll say Dr Jason might have other thoughts.
I wouldn't have put pins in. I would have just
glued your bones together, use that great superglue or something.
It would have been fine. No building an exoskeleton. Man,
I'm gonna be Wolverine or you can. Jackman's done. He's

(03:39):
hanging out in the music man for a little while longer,
so I'll take his spot. I'd love to see you
with that wolverine hair style. I'd love to see here
you go digital. Uh. Fans of the show, do your damnes. No,
But I mean they got nine minutes out of be Alitza.
That's where they're at in terms of trying to shake

(04:00):
things up. Ten minutes from Gary Peyton the second again,
no cominga, no Moody. I haven't seen them. Igodala hasn't
seen the court. So you've gotten some good offense from
pool six and twelve from the field. Uh and and
he's helped and thirteen each from Wiggins and Thompson. But
it's been the Steph Curry show. Uh. Some good screens
Draymond with some of the screens, like he's only got

(04:22):
two points, six rebounds, six assists, one of seven shooting.
Some of the screens that he's been setting. I don't
know that they're legal, but if you're not gonna call it,
I guess they are, which means they get more aggressive
and over the top the next time down the court.
So we'll see when he actually hits that threshold of
a file. I can't fault a good strategy because I

(04:43):
ain't gonna call it every time, right, So you've got
that going. But for Steph Curry, yeah, I would imagine
that the rotations get a little tighter for the Celtics,
says they've had they've been able to uh thirty three
minutes as we get towards the midway point in the
fourth quarter for him, so he got a little bit

(05:03):
of rest, so maybe a little more juice left in
the legs because some of the shooting tonight, Jason, I mean,
this is when you just sit back and marvel at
the guy, right and now it's okay, But that that's
the narrative. We know you can do that. Can you
go away from what we've seen time and again in
terms of fourth quarter futility because that that's the metric

(05:24):
and that's the standard by which everybody's sitting with their
poison pens are ready to crack the microphones. As the
series continues Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with
my best friend Mike Harmon I. We'll have more on
this game as it unfolds again the Celtics with the
lead Draymond Green on the bench now for Golden State.

(05:46):
He is at two point six assists, four steals, and
three fouls tonight. Another bad night for Draymond. But still
if you're the Warriors, you're happy that, Hey, we're this close, man,
and Steph is sitting on the bench and Draymond stinks.
All right, I'm feel it pretty good. We're closed. Uh
So again, we'll have more on this as the game
continues on in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, we talked about this,

(06:07):
we we we we got into him from the quarterback
controversy with Derek Carr a few minutes ago, with Davantae
Adams saying that, you know, talent wise and ability wise,
Derek Carr isn't you know, as good as Aaron Rodgers,
which no, no, he's he really isn't. But that's not
the only big story about Aaron Rodgers today. Uh, many
out many sites, including The New York Post, Golf Digest. Right,

(06:32):
everybody has a story that Aaron Rodgers apparently has a
new girlfriend and her name is Blue b l U.
That's perfect timing with Jurassic World coming out. Sure, sure, now,
just picturing Aaron Rodgers standing like Chris Pratt with hands
out either way. She's yeah, right, I believe she's communicating

(06:55):
like like one hand is out at Lee Woodley in
one hand is out in Blue. Hey Hey, okay, okay,
everybody everybody said stand back, stand back, and um. Blue
had to clarify on social media that she does not
identify as a witch because somebody put on social media
today that hey, Aaron Rodgers has a new girlfriend. Her

(07:17):
name is Blue. She claims she's a witch and medicine woman.
She's interesting character to say the least. She responded by saying, hey,
I do not identify as a witch. Uh move on,
L O L. And there's all stories now about this woman,
you know, dating Aaron Rodgers, and I'm like, wow, am
I the only one that wishes she was like? How
cool would that be? Like a Harry Potter storyline? We

(07:39):
could do? Yes, I'm a witch and I can do
I know lumos and a lotta moura and Nevadicavada was
a bad one. I mean I could do all the
other I mean I kind of would like that because
then Aaron Rodgers would be a warlock. I mean that
that would that would be a pretty cool storyline. I
think I'm the only one that was like, well disappointed
about that. I kind of would like to see that
this go further and go all the way through that way. Well,
now we'll be watching for each and every one of

(08:01):
those entities that reported on it and the reporters, and
we'll see if anything happens to them mysteriously. Here, Uh,
suddenly you know, a guy turns green. It's her suddenly,
you know, you know, I've never had problems with this
big toe before, but suddenly it's swollen what's going on now,
it's not just the gout and the salted meat you've
been eating. It's a witch because I mean, really, what

(08:24):
she's gonna say? Yeah, no, absolutely, it's all he ever
talked about. But I like that Golf Digest has gotten
involved because that means they're looking for anything to write
about other than the live tour controversy, Like do we
have anything else besides as like Aaron Rodgers has played
golf once, Let's get somebody else. Has he ever been

(08:45):
seen at a golf Match's the everybody said? But but
I kind of wish that she was. Now this is
this is a story, But it doesn't mean that she's not. No,
it that doesn't. It doesn't. Now there's just gonna be
more people really rooting around, maybe going deep into her
tax returns. What did she write off? Oh dude, I
was wit man, what kind of processes? I was down

(09:05):
the rabbit hole on this today with Okay, what is
going on? Like who is this woman and what's going on?
And what did she do? And why did she have
to say she doesn't identify as a wis tell her
hanging out with him? Oh? Yeah the rooster? Yeah? No, no,
you know, just rooster, not the rooster. Say yeah, it

(09:26):
comes the rooster. He's just He's just rooster. He's like
just Alison. And even his entrance music for top Gun
he comes into the roof Alison Janes. Well, he takes
to the piano and that's what he's playing a right,
right is that he It's like, wait, I'm not understanding
this one. It's like a bluesy version of something. But
the chords do the progression does sound familiar? And then

(09:46):
he starts singing it's really slow too. How about something
that gets the bar hopping and going like great balls
of fire? No, they come do snuff the rooster. Everybody
in the back with me? Yeah, come on, everybody the
let's do Roomster together. I'd love to see it. Um
I I really just made the movie better. I can't.

(10:08):
I can't tell you how much time I spent today
looking at this story and and and seeing this woman
have to set the record straight on relationship with the
dark arts, Like, did you really and now she started change? Yes?
Of course I did. Come on, I'm just I'm willing
to find out is she what is what is wong?
And what what's the what's the title he has that

(10:29):
doctor Strange wants master. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean what
does she want to you know? Does she have that title? Now?
Could she? Could she make the dimensions open up with
the circles and people can fall through it. I don't
know if I told you, but I printed out business
cards and that's the title I gave myself. Did you
really know that would be pretty coola who? Long long
ago they tried to, uh, you know, be let you

(10:52):
be creative where you can give yourself a title, And
I said, all right, I'm just gonna steal from the rock.
I am the most electrifying force and fan it's sports entertainment.
And they wrote me, I just a two line response, no,
you too long? Something else. I'm like, this guy over
here is calling himself an elf. This guy's a Jedi,

(11:12):
knight of the this guy's from the realm. This guy,
what are we doing? And you tell me no? Just
because I wanted to channel the great One Now. According
to The New York Post and dead Spin, a couple
of the sources, who this woman Blue is why I
found out about it? She is the fall of something.
Her name is Blue. Her name is Blue. Yes, her
name is Blue. Her name is Blue. It's apparently they

(11:34):
have her confused with a different blue of Earth. I
think it's it's weird. I don't know there's another blue
of Earth. I think I don't know. But your name
is just Blue. And she's a podcast host and the
founder of Florescence, which is quote a modern mystery school
for women to reclaim the magical, radically, authentic, wise, wild,
unapologetic you. Which now if she has a podcast and

(12:02):
it's a school, then she's away. Um. I don't know
about you, but if I was a kid, I'd love
to go to that school. I mean, forget about just
for women. But if you said, hey, Jason, I could
send you to a modern mystery school to reclaim the magical,
radically authentic, wise, wild, unapologetic you, I would say, Yeah,
I don't need to go to Curtis High School. I
don't need to go there. Yeah, send me there. Man,
I feel like I'm going to Hogwarts. Yes, send me there?

(12:24):
And do I get to solve cool mysteries while I'm there? Right? Like?
Is there gonna be some kind of really old wizard
that wants to kill me? Because I got a scar
on my face and and I get Please tell me,
that's gonna happen. That would be really cool. That's a
school I want to go to. Anybody go to a
regular high school, man, I want to go to that school.
The rabbit hole on this Mike, No, that's good. We
get a lot of outtakes of Rickman teaching you, being

(12:49):
with you. I mean, because Eddie conbviously, I mean that
would be fantastic, little Jim broad Bent hanging out with you. Yeah.
I'm thinking of all the NFL players who would be
in the different houses, you know, like who they would be?
Like who you know, like Andy Reid would be Dumbledore probably,
and you know, Aaron Rodgers would kind of maybe be

(13:09):
like a like a male version of Luna because you know,
it's like Hi, he would kind of be the male
version of Good. I think that would be Aaron Rodgers.
That would be his dad, Who her dad, I should say, Who?
Who would be feeling you don't feel well? Who was
a kicker in the replacements? Yeah? He was. I think
the guy is smoking. He's smoking on the field, just

(13:31):
like that guy did in the in the league a
couple of weeks ago, and then they fired him. I
think sark, Yeah, yeah, you can't always smoke on the field. No,
it works out for you. She said, Hey, weeds legal?
I said, we don't care. I was, I was really,
I'm telling you the amount of time I spent on
this story today, wasn't. I'm like, what am I doing?

(13:53):
All my prep time and everything else? Like? What what
have I Toh? My god, look at all this time?
But when when when someone has to say, no, I'm
not a witch? Okay? That and that you know that
could be dating Aaron Rodgers? Yes, that that now I'm in.
I'm in on that story. That's something that cuts through
the clutter. Hey, what do you want to talk about?
I want to talk about Draymond Green again? Uh? Do
you want to talk about um the golf controversy? Uh

(14:16):
about we talking about Aaron Rodgers may or may not
be dating a witch? She says she's not a witch,
but she runs a website that's a modern mystery school
for women. Yes, yet, now that's what I want to
talk about. That give me that. Yes, all of that
was just a any of the you know, hardy Boy
mysteries or anything that we're related to this kind of thing,
the disappearance at lambeau Field, Twitter and hout about a

(14:41):
fresco might happens in the playoffs every year. Oh it's
the Chason spit showing Mike Garment. And instead of watching,
you just read in the mystery books like the the
Little Paperback, but they're in hardcover, like the Hardy Boys
books were you just read all the way to the end.
It's your own adventure. That's kind of that's extemporaneo speaking.

(15:02):
That's good stuff right here. I'll be honest. You know
how much I read. I read all the time. I'd
probably read like a hundred books a year. Um. The
very first adult type book I ever remember reading was
Hardy Boys, The Old Sawmill, The Mystery and I read
I was like, oh my god, there's books like this,
this is gone, this is unbelievable. There's mysteries and the

(15:22):
guys are solving. I'm like, oh my god. It's just
like opened up a whole new world for me. It
was fantastic. And then you started singing a whole new world.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with
My Best friend Mike Harman, what happened to Well, if
I play the music when you talk about it, it

(15:44):
doesn't make sense. I want to do it when no
one specspecting it. I'm trying to listen to Rooster here. No,
I'm sorry. Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with
my best friend Mike rm live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios, where I I gotta be honest, man, This
call that just went against the Celtics is ridiculous. Uh.

(16:07):
Steph Curry going to the free throw line for two
free throws when all he did was push off of
Al Horford. That was the only contact that was made,
and now he's gonna be able to put this game away. Basically,
forty five seconds left, it is a six point lead
for the Warriors. Curry got away with a push off
bringing the ball up court. Uh So, I don't think
any Warrior fans can complain about the officiating here because

(16:31):
Curry pushed off with his with his left hand. Jalen
Brown goes down, He's able to drive to the hoop.
He initiates contact and and gets through. Great play by
Curry to get there. But wow, that might do it
for the Celtics. One oh four, nine seven with forty
seconds left to go. And I'll tell you, Mike, this
game comes down to this for me, um is that

(16:52):
with about four minutes left to go, the Warriors seem
to have a little bit left and the Celtics seem
to have nothing left. Jayson Tatum had a couple of
chances it drives, he passed up for threes. It's like
the Celtics got happy with trying to hit from the outside,
which is a hallmark of a team that's exhausted. And uh,
they don't. They look like they hit the wall about

(17:12):
the four minute mark because it has been all Warriors
and look, this is a team that's been in these
moments before. This is where Steph and Clay and Draymond
have been there. And it's a it's a great game
all the way down. I told you it was gonna
be the best game of the series, and it has been.
And the Warriors, with their championship pedigree, they just had
a little bit more left than Boston did in the

(17:33):
last four minutes. Because it's not like the Warriors are
playing unbelievably well, but they're playing well enough because Boston
is just I mean, it's it's hot potato down the floor.
No one's trying to get No one was trying to
get to the hoop. They were trying to settle for
for big threes and maybe to get it all back
at once. And it was just not great basketball from Boston.
And the Warriors have had just a little bit more
left and they're gonna wind up winning this game and

(17:54):
tying the series up into a piece. Some wide open looks,
overshooting the rim, coming up short, I mean, you name it.
Uh couldn't find the range and and look, Steph Curry,
for all the criticism of fourth quarters, the final four minutes,
he's been the aggressor right since he checked back in
the game, right six minutes and change. Whatever were that

(18:15):
at that time? Was he He's had a fantastic run
down the stretch? Was that foul call? Uh? Dubious? Sure,
superstar call right looks worse than it is because of
the way it and we get the benefit of the
replay like that, although I think you know, you get
like nine challenge flags just like you do timeouts anymore

(18:37):
in the NBA, so you might as well throw those
whenever you can, uh and create controversy and chaos. But
the Celtics jump shooting just went cold, ice cold, some
transition buckets for as poorly as he played for a
good chunk of the game, Draymond Green controlled the offensive
end toward down the stretch right, some good kickouts to Curry,

(19:00):
transition buckets and and being smart enough and recognizing right
now offense ain't and hitting shots ain't my game. So
looking for the open man and finding him with regularity
down the stretch. So again, a nice recovery from the
veterans down the stretch after a couple of miserable fourth
quarters earlier in the series. Be sure to catch live

(19:22):
editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays
at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. It's me Rob Parker.
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of pipe and hot baseball talk featuring
the biggest name to newsmakers in the sport. Whether you
believe in analytics for the eye test, We've got all

(19:46):
the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, So do
yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parkner with
Rob Parker on the I Heart Radio app or wherever
you get your podcast. So yes is a final now
in Boston. We are now tied at two games apiece.
The winners are us because now we got a series

(20:08):
that's best of three. Uh. The Warriors win it one
oh seven to ninety seven over the Celtics. Steph Curry
with a huge night and look Resting him in the
beginning of the fourth quarter turned out to be the
right call for Steve. Kerry was gonna break his arm,
patting himself on the back as Steph scored ten points
in the fourth quarter. He finished with forty three points,
ten rebounds, and four assists. The Warriors tie the series

(20:32):
up at two games apiece. And now I'll tell you
one thing might no matter what happens the next three games,
I got a Big Bowl prediction for you ready, But
no matter what happens the next three games, because we
were really here before the series began, right, we're here,
we were here before the series begin. No matter how
this is, this series is gonna end. Steph Curry is

(20:53):
gonna be the m v P. Even even if even
if the Warriors lose, he will be the m v P.
You'll fill find a way to of the m v P.
To a guy in a losing team. Because for the Celtics, Yeah,
you've had guys with big series. You know, Jalen Brown
has played okay, but not nearly the impact that Steph
Curry has had. And Jason Tatum has played okay, hasn't
shot particularly well. Uh. You know, Marcus Smart had a

(21:14):
good second half tonight, but it's not like he's had
a great series. Uh. The other players on the Warriors
have had their moments, right, you know, Clay has had
his moments, Jordan Pool has had his moments. But Steph
Curry has been terrific. Forty three points tonight. Uh. He
has been the high score in the series, thirty one
in game in Game three, twenty nine in Game two,

(21:34):
thirty four in Game one. It doesn't matter how the
NBA Finals end, Steph Curry is gonna wind up winning
the m v P in the NB If I've done
Jayson Tatum can score thirty five the next two games
and the Celtics can win, doesn't matter. Steph Curry is
gonna win the m v P. Yeah. I don't think
there's there's a whole lot of argument about it. I mean,
one for the uh, the desire beyond the Irvin Magic Johnson,

(21:57):
you know Western Conference Finals MV that he's already got. Uh.
There's been so much inc so many segments and talking
points about it. And for those that don't like criticism
of Steph Curry, you know, he doesn't play a perfect
game every game, guys. Uh. So I'll wave to you
out there, uh in in the Twitter verse, social media
and those listening out here, because we were monitoring what

(22:21):
was happening in the fourth quarter. You know what, he
got aggressive and he took the game right. For all
the criticism, for all the outside noise, when it came
down to it, the Warriors were really able to rely
on their stars while Jayson Tatum cried to the officials
at every turn. That's that's my summary of the fourth quarter.
A little bit longer, uh than the review of Bewitched

(22:41):
with Will Ferrell, but it's for Steph Curry, you're at
least getting consistent numbers. Again, we can go through and
and find, you know, the the blocks of time where
shots weren't falling or shots weren't taking taken based on
defensive rotations and and the Warriors running their offense. But
for Boston, I mean, Tatum has been grossly inconsistent. The

(23:07):
numbers may look good, right if you're just doing box
score watching eleven and six tonight and still a plus one,
that's not that's not bad, right. Marcus Smart he was
minus seventeen, so that kind of limited him. And Jaylen
Brown was a nice zero, even though he had some
big moments along the way, but missed some big shots

(23:28):
when they needed him to come up. And and my
guy Derek White, well he looked lost and and launched
a couple of shots where I'm still wondering where the
basket was that he was looking at. So for Steph Curry,
big numbers, a lot of ground swell of support and
love for him getting back to the finals. And you

(23:49):
know Lebron James, you know on Twitter monitoring his every shot,
talking about the chef getting it done, look and and
and and because it was such a storyline coming in,
it's easy to make it the story right going in,
it was well Steph Curry. Finally, when NBA Finals MVP,
the Warriors are the favorites. Steph Curry is the best

(24:09):
player on the team. Kevin Durants not there. We know
voters want to give it to him. Rick Buker has
talked to us before about voters and and people who
cover the league, their desire to give awards and give
things two players they cover for whatever reason. For what
you know that this is what they like to do.
We knew this was out there, and it's an easy
It's not like step is making it tough right now.

(24:31):
It's just can you give the m v P to
a to a guy if they wind up losing the series? Now,
if you win the series, clearly, yeah, I mean that's
but that's the great philosophical challenge of the whole thing,
right when a guy that wins a Shy Young Award
on a bad team or an m v P consideration.
Go back to Andre Dawson when he was with the Cubs.
They finished in the last place, but he had a

(24:53):
monster individual season, right home runs and really the most
violent swing you'll ever see major League Baseball history. But
that's a whole other thing. But just the idea of
your team can be terrible, but you're that much better
in this case with the Celtics, other than saying, all right,
it's a team MVP award because we can't pick a

(25:13):
single guy right offer some great defensive effort in two
of the final three games here that trying to figure
out who wins. Then then you're going into the philosophy
of well, just you can't win if you're on the
losing team, which I guess has some logic to it.
But when a guy's more extraordinary on a nightly basis

(25:36):
than any of the winning participants, right, as much as
we want to say it's a team game, it's an
individual awards. So let's be realistic about it. Twitter at
how about a Fresca Mike ats swollen d on the
Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon And uh,
you know to to give credit where credits due here
for a couple minutes because the decision to rest Steph

(25:58):
Curry at the beginning of the fourth quarter. This is
a niptuck game. The Celtics had survived the third quarter. Uh,
it didn't have a great third quarter because look the Celtics,
look they don't They got outscored in the third quarter
in Golden State. Took the lead. But in the pantheon
of third quarters for the Celtics, we've seen him play
a lot worse. Like an outscored by six doesn't matter
it's a you know, it's a one point game going

(26:20):
to the fourth quarter. Everything is there and what they
had normally done worked right. Steph goes to the first
three quarters, We let him get his points, we make
him work, we tire him out for the fourth quarter,
and then we were able to shut him down. He
can't get his shots off, and Steph rested for the
first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Right now, this
turned out because at that point and going to the

(26:41):
fourth quarter of a one point game, everything is on
the table for Steve Kirk. Right, you can play uh
Steph and see what happens. You can rest him and
see what happens. He decided to rest him and hope
that the game wouldn't get away from them, and it
didn't really. The Celtics wind up taking the lead, but
it was still it was a couple of possession game
at yeah. And and Steph comes back in with nine

(27:01):
minutes left, so he gets that three minutes worth of rest.
And I'll tell you what. It turns out. This turns
out to be the genius move of the game because
Steph has his best fourth quarter by far. He scores
ten points and it took him a couple of minutes
to get involved and to get loose and get his shots.
It also took that the Celtics were exhausted. But this
this is where uh, Steve, Steve Kerr out coached Mao

(27:24):
Dooka and made the right move. It was a gamble,
but it was something you had to go for to
make this happen. And Steph had the best fourth quarter.
He has had ten points and in the final nine
minutes he's making layups to ice the game, free throws,
everything going along with it. This was a phenomenal baller
move by Steve Kerr and he deserves all the credit
for that because that was a great It was a

(27:44):
difficult decision and it's not to be the right one.
Let steal every second you can if the game is
not getting away right because what's been the criticism that
you've got tired legs, you can't get separation, uh, and
all of that down the stretch, and here a veteran
savvy of your coach and your team. For all of
the pre series talking points about the the experience and

(28:09):
NBA Finals and deep runs into the playoffs, here's where
it paid off. Right. The trust that with a little
extra rest uh and biding your time that you'd you'd
have fresher legs and that intensity, and you saw it
from Curry aggressive on the offensive end and Draymond. Look,
they got creative and in substitutions and what they were

(28:30):
doing and how they were utilizing him as well, and
and it paid off. He made a couple of really
big plays, a couple that I think upon review'd be like,
well that really probably should have a fall. But look,
if they don't call it, you don't call it. And
it's not hating on the Warriors. Look, I don't we
don't fault a good strategy on this show, nor nor
do do either of us dislike Steph Curry. You didn't

(28:51):
like him chewing his mouthpiece, but anybody that's denying that
he's a hell of a player is an idiot. Hasn't
watched Basket No. But I will say at least there
were less shots to night of him chewing his mouthpiece,
walking check up court. There were less shots of that,
So maybe ABC is listening, well a little bit more
of dancing and stuff like that. But that's okay, okay,

(29:12):
Twitter at how about Afresca? Mike gets swollen? Done the
Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. So
there it is, Steph Kurry. He's gonna he's gonna win.
He's already got it. I'm sure people have turned their
votes in already. I'm turning it. But there's still a bet.
It doesn't matter. Steps just give it to Steff. Make
sure he knows I voted for him. Okay, just make
sure he knows I voted phone great, great Greig. So
if that's the front part of this with Steph Curry,

(29:35):
Steve Kerr's genius move and genius gamble really was what
it was coming up next, we got to get to
the other side of it. And oh boy, for a
guy who's a big time superstar that I have beat
the drum four dudes really letting me down. I really
did not need this song at this point, Alex tig shirt,
I did not need this. I did not need this. Now, well,

(29:55):
it's the best of three up that hill. You know
who's gonna get to the top, you know, And not
not a spoil alert, but with this because you know
my feelings about the songs. It's some stranger things everywhere.
At one point when Max says, what if this doesn't
become my favorite song anymore. All Right, I said, yes, please,
so we can hear something else. I can't stand nobody

(30:16):
knows this song. Please, let's have a different song. We
didn't get it. We're just running up that hill. Uh so. Yeah,
the flip side of this game. For every Steph Curry,
there's a Jason Tatum. It's next right here, Fox him Whim.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven

(30:38):
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with
my bass friend Mike Harman. This time it counts as
we are on Game four. Overload. A tremendous fourth quarter
by the Warriors. Four. They have enough left in the
last four or five minutes to put the Celtics away.

(31:01):
The Celtics had nothing left and they outlast Boston and
they went at one oh seven nineties seven time the
Finals up at two games a piece. I didn't think
the Warriors could get this game, but down the stretch
they were the better team. It's a big learning experience
for the Celtics as well. They said, hey, it was
there for us. We were going up three one and
they just hit the wall. They wouldn't get to the hoop.

(31:23):
They they lost Boston Celtic basketball the last four minutes.
And while we talked about the heroics of Steph Curry
and Steve kerr Uh the last few minutes, because everything
Steve Kerry did in the fourth quarter it turned out
to be great. Right. He sits Steph Curry for the
first three minutes, UM, he sits Draymond Green for about
four minutes in the middle of the fourth quarter, and
and they come from behind to take the lead before

(31:45):
they reinsert him. Hey, he rolled sevens in the fourth
quarter UM for the Celtics tonight. Jason Tatum, Yes, twenty
three points, eleven rebound, six assists. He shot just eight
for twenty three tonight. And as great a player as
he is, and as much as I've talked about, Hey,
even on nights, you're you're not having a big night

(32:05):
to be able to dish the ball the way he is,
right because he you know, he's averaging eight assists a
game this series. He's been tremendous and dishing the basketball.
Um every night. Can't be a volume shooting night. I
dished the basketball. Right, You need your star to go
and lead the way and score thirty thirty five. And
Tatum has not been that guy. He has struggled the

(32:25):
entire series. He's shooting thirty three from the floor for
the entire NBA Finals, letting me down because I know
Jason Ted. He look, he's a he's he's the big superstar.
This is his moment. Now look at what he's doing.
He's that killer. I loved him in the draft the
last five years. Um, guy's got to have a better
guy's got to shoot better, right, I mean it's it's

(32:46):
it's one thing if you have a bad game or
two year idea, but this is every game three for
seventeen nine, eight, twenty three. He shot okay in Game two,
which they lost, but that's been it. I mean, yeah,
it's nice and he dishes well. He's getting everybody else involved,
but come on, uh, when when the Warriors have somebody
going for forty, if you don't have your top three

(33:08):
guys going for twenty five apiece, you're gonna be in trouble. Right,
that's when you need your superstars. Hey, here's thirty seven
from Jayson Tatum, and that's why the Celtics are able
to win this game. He's got to give them more.
I mean, I love the fact that when it's not working,
he's still affecting the game. But you've got they gotta
get more from him or this is gonna wind up
being a warrior's winning. It's gonna be boy Jayson Tatum

(33:30):
shrinking from the moment in his first NBA Finals one
of five in the fourth quarter and just a three
point make and every shot attempt outside the restricted area,
and obviously, you know, you go into just the the basics,
the settling for three's bad shots, and and lot has
been made of his temperament and unwillingness on readiness, whatever

(33:56):
term we want to put on it, to embrace where
where he is, at least statistically and in the eyes
of a lot of talent evaluators. Right as that guy,
how many article thought pieces did you see, if you know,
the guy that got away that should have been a Laker,
and how he wanted to be a Laker and little
clips and all that, like it's all out there, and
now you have this situation where it's all right, it's

(34:17):
yours for the taking, and especially in the fourth quarter
a close game, and you're still giving the ball up
to insert player that isn't Jalen Brown here. And even
when you do Brown taking some ill advised shots himself.
They had a streak uh where they were stuck on
ninety four points for quite some time, a lot of
game time, a lot of bad shots uh and opportunities

(34:41):
for runouts. You look at the Warriors shot chart, an
awful lot of work inside the restricted area and at
the paint uh down down near the near the basket,
whereas the Celtics kept settling for long range jumpers and
Jayson Tatum being one of them. Yeah, your stars need
to play like stars if you're gonna win the NBA Finals. Right, Well,

(35:01):
Devin Booker last year in the NBA Finals, What the
same thing, same thing that happened to Booker last year
is happening to Jayson Tatum? Now? Where are you, man?
Where are this is? This is supposed to be it?
This is it. Your star has gotta play like stars
and and you're not gonna do it if that's the case.
And yeah, the Celtics are more of a Hey, we
have we have three really good players that we count
on in Tatum and Smart and Brown. And I get that,

(35:23):
but Tatum is a guy at the top. Man you
you don't win unless you're superstar is playing well. And
I look at the Warriors and say, Steph Curry, he's
the guy saying get on my back every single game.
Jayson Tatum is not saying get on my back. He
doesn't look like the same confident player he used to be.
He's passing up shots. Uh. He has been killing the
Celtics offensively this series. They absolutely need more from him

(35:44):
or they're gonna wind up going home and they're gonna
lose Twitter And how about a fresco Mike gets swollen
down The Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Coming up next, we've got more on Game four the
NBA Finals. One of our most trusted insider stops by
to break down what he saw and what he thinks
the next three games could hold. With the finals tie
to two games apiece, keep it right here. This is

(36:05):
Fox