Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My line profit came over here.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
He tried to try to trick me, try to trick
me with some pumpkin pie over here, but I tricked
him back. I ate every bite. Well there's one bite left,
but I ate almost every bite. And yeah, it was
a massive slice. It was not a small slice of
pumpkin pie at all. But well it was the last slice,
so you didn't get any Well, now I feel twice
is now teel twice is good about my decision making
and making sure that yes, twice as good about my
(00:23):
decision making and making sure that he didn't get any
five six six nine zeros a text line.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
You guys want to.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Well that did?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Uh, we have to you know, normally Thursday night football
brings a lot of football analysis, Nick, but we have
to we have to pause, put a pause for the
cause here real quick. Uh, we got some mustache analysis
going on on Thursday and football. Somebody over here has
got a waxed mustache over there on the sideline, looking
like some kind of ond Villian villain. Uh over there,
maybe maybe putting our own grand smith on notice.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
Well, it's one of the guys on the chain game.
And I believe if I'm not mistaken. They called that
the handle bars.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Yes, mustages, rollygh fingers.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Look Paul made he actually put in there to get
it to actually stay up.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Grant, would you ever, would you consider waxing the mustache
and getting into the handlebar mustache?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Look?
Speaker 5 (01:13):
No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 6 (01:14):
I think it looks good on certain people. I think
the man on the sideline pulls.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
It off very well.
Speaker 6 (01:19):
But I don't think I'm made for a handlebar mustache.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And also, I just don't want to put on that
amount of work.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I wonder that was my next question, because I don't
know how much grooming goes into that kind of stuff
for me, since I'm not able to grow facial hair
at anything above the level of a thirteen year old child,
I don't you know, I don't know what that level
of grooming entails.
Speaker 6 (01:40):
Well, it's as much as you want to take it.
So I'm thinking that guy spends a lot more of.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Time on his than I do on mine.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's fair, that's fair. It's It's been a pretty offensive
game for first.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Punt we've seen thus far, as the Vikings punted away
to the Rams tied at fourteen midway through the second.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Quarter, and this this game has is not disappointed.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Say, it's been one of those fun, offensive oriented football games,
a little bit different from the defensive quagmires that we
often see with the Denver Broncos.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
See, I don't know what the over under was in
this game. Do you know for this particular game, because
I can look, I want to see it.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Was like, oh or something.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Based on how the game has shaped up so far,
and I believe we're still in the first quarter. It
reminds me of a game a couple of years ago.
These same Rams were playing Kansas City. Jarrett Golf was
a quarterback then, and both teams could buy for a
C note and the ce notote that's like over one
hundred points.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And that's this is what the NFL wanted the league
to be.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
This is why every senile year, the Competition Committee gets
together and they changed the rules to benefit the offense,
to increase scoring. So tonight's game could be exactly the
type of game that the NFL actually wanted to make.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Up for the game he saw last week between.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
The Broncos and the Saints where the Broncos really just
kind of took a hold of that game and didn't really.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Let God, yeah, I you know, I mean I don't.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I don't want to see bad football like we did
the Jets Broncos game without the elements.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
That was just back football.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
But I do I do like good.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
A good defensive, scoring scoring bout.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I like that significantly better than the basketball on grass
we got from I think you were referring to it
just a minute ago, the Rams and the Chiefs basketball
on grass game that happened there where nobody could stop anybody.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I don't like that as much. I like it where
every yard matters, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
And there's some people who counterpunched that by saying every
point matters in a game like that, and sure fair.
But to me, I like where there's some semblance of
defense being played.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Well yeah, I mean once again in North fan zone
who you were talking to, like, as far as the.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
League, they want points. Me I don't want a lot
of points.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Make it exciting, very defensive, balance attack on both sides.
But give me somewhat of a game and I can
deal with the low scoring game if it's subthly going
back and forth. I don't want, you know, the track
and field type on grass. And maybe I'm a little biased.
Ben because I played and coached on the defensive side
(04:15):
of the ball.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
But I don't like that up and down.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I want to see at some point one of the
teams draw a line in the sand and say, well
enough is enough.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I grew up on Marty Schoenheimer football, so for me,
you know, the three yards of a cloud of dust,
the the R two P two offense as it was,
that's two runs to pass it upon. I came up
on that, So that's, you know, for me, I'm I'm
used to seeing that kind of offense.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
We you know, the offensive explosions occurred when the Broncos
came to town and Marty was coaching the Chiefs. The
Broncos would come town.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
You'd see Mike Shanahan with that high flying offense back
in the day, which was still built on the ground game.
Speaker 7 (04:50):
See man, that's that's reminiscent of Dante Dantonio's offense and
NBA and also all offense.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
There's no d up turner.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Same way.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
North. The North ran the ball quite a bit. He
ran the ball through those bombs field.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
That's usually Norm got.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
In a hand and those guys.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, that's how Norm usually had a job as a haycoach, right,
his offense has put up the gaudy numbers, and he
was like, come on, man, guess someone actually played some
freaking defense.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And it's funny because an Ord Turner offense was built
on power the power run game.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
He'd usually have two backs.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
That uh they would would would pound you to death,
and then speedsters on the outside they put up the
vertical ball.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
You know, as far as that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Goes, I I you know, there's something fun about watching
offenses though, that they do connect, that are in rhythm,
that just there's there's a there's a a fun to it.
Even if you like defensive football, there's a fun to
seeing an offense that's that's hit its stride, is a
rhythm and can kind of do things that will and
(05:53):
watching good defenses try to catch up to that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
The one thing that I love about this game, and
I don't think anyone has really talked about when you
look at the fact of Kemn O'Connell and Sean McVay
both known each other watching this game both the score
is fourteen to fourteen, I can't help but give credit
and say that we're basically watching subtle versions.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Of Mike Shanahan's offense.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Right, So, if you are a team and you're looking
for creativity in your offense because it's a little stale,
take a page out of their book.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Because it's so far, so good.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
I mean, this game is I guess gone how some
have predicted and others did not, but it is quite
entertaining to see both teams move up and down the field.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Is five six sixty nine zero.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
We use the text line got to get to Brendan
Cristol here In the next segment from Opening Night down
there at Bawl Arena with the Denver Nuggets taking on
the OKAC Thunder. What do you think about the Nuggets
opening up the season against the Thunder? And as we've
as we've seen it, it looks like Christian Brawn he
was going to get that starting shooting guard job at
least for the time being early, even if that's not
(07:06):
my preferred usage for his talents.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Strawther coming off the bench, uh In in relief.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
As well as as as Westbrook being an off the
bench guy as well.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well. For me, I love this matchup.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
This was a team of all teams last year that
gave the Nuggets a lot of problems. I know, when
we look at the Minnesota Timberwolves based on former GM
Tim Conneen, how he built that team to compete.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
With the Nuggets.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
When you look at OKAC, this is a young group
that is now starting to round into form. They created
a lot of issues last year from a matchup standpoint,
created a lot of matchup issues for the dem of
Nuggets and Nikola Jokic versus chet Homework. I know, it
doesn't seem like somewhat of a match or it looks
(07:55):
like a mismatch for Nicola Jokic. But Chadholme, I mean,
even though he's not that fake from a body standpoint,
he's not intimidated by the Nuggets and he just definitely
proved that last year. So this is not one of
those games where you have a young OKC team that's
gonna walk into the ball of Rena and just kind
(08:15):
of bow down, be overwhelmed.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Yes, no, that's not who the team is.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Are the Nuggets in the window? Has the window passed?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
You've moved on from Bruce Brown, CACP has gone. The
core four are still there, and you've extended Aaron Gordon obviously,
But does it sometimes feel as though maybe we're on
the back side of this window that it's gone, or
is this a rejuvenated team.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
With the use infusion and this thing is just really
getting started.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Well, the window is always open when you have a
guy like Nicola Jokish on your squad.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
But the problem is you based.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
On what has happened over the past couple of years,
how much basketball that Nicola Yokish has had to play
carrying the low for the Nuggets, the window is not
as open as it once was before. But it's not
it's not officially close, right as long as they keep
Nikola Jokic healthy. I mean, even if you Trey if
(09:06):
there was a change with Jamal Murray, looking at other
guys Michael Porters, junior Aaron Gordon, if the team decided
to make moves there, even though they gave him a
big deal.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I mean, the one main state is Nikola Jokis.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
If you removed Nikola Jokis from the roster, I would
say the window is officially closed with dead bolts.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yeah, but the.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
Nuggets are not at that particular point right now, so
this would be a great time for them to get
tested early in the season with the young team that
had had a better head to head record in the
series last season.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
This is Russell Westbrook at this point in his career,
good enough to fill in for or good enough to
cover the contributions of the Bruce Browns and the kcps
and really the Reggie Jackson who's replacing.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
I have no doubt about Reggie, but the other two.
Is he good enough to cover down.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
On that or just having him on the court allow
you to maybe move Jamal over and cover some of
that as well.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
For me, having Westbrook here it opens up the floor
for Nicola, for Jamal. And the reason I say that
because when you look at what coach Malone wants to do,
he wants space it and then they can run the
pick and rolls.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
And then when you look at the guys who is
going to.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
The corners, you may have Aaron Gordon on a right
wing ready to cut to the basket on penetration. On
the left wing, you may have on the short corner
MPJ for the spot up shot. Once again, you need
someone where creativity. But also the biggest thing for me,
Ben it takes a lot of pressure off of Jamal.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
He doesn't have.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
To be that offensive two way guy with Nicola Jokis
and that pick and roll, he now can rest on
the defensive side of the ball. You have the energy
that's coming from Westbrook that is going to make everyone better,
and Christian Brown is going to push him well, and
they don't have to lean on both of those guys,
and the ross is going to be interchangeable. So right now,
(10:57):
game one Ballerina Christan Brown istar wedding. Right now, who's
to say once we get to week fifteen of the season,
now it's still the same. So this is what coach
Malone is trying to figure out, and this is why
the game tonight against okay See is excellent matchup to
let him know what he needs to do.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
As far as personnel's concerned.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Who's the player that we have to have stuff up
this season and be talking about at the end of
the year for this still better successful year. Obviously the
core four we're gonna talk about them, But who's the
other player that we need to be talking about. It's like, yep,
you know they had another night they you know they
came through with consistency.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Is that Christian Brawn? Is it Strawther, is it Westbrook?
Is it someone else.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Well, for me, it is to play two players. It
is Peyton Watson and its Strawther's Now.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Now, part of me would love to say Zeke Nausey,
but Nause's I don't know what it's been about his game,
but it's just come along too slowly. But I know,
looking at Peyton Watson anytime he's on the court, he
seemed like he doesn't give two nickels of who's.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Gardener, and he's going to attack you.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
And this is where Westbrook is going to help Peyton
Watson continue that attitude. And then straw there is another
guy who can eventially, maybe towards end of season, work
his way in the start the lineup for a couple
of minutes because the Nuggets are gonna need shooting.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
They're definitely gonna need shooting.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Well, when you look at the NBA when they when
they open, I think the league as a whole to
a historic amount of three point shots, like the Knicks
play the Celtics, and I know coach Pocano.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Is definitely happy about that.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
But the Celtics took twenty nine three point shots. That's
shy of a couple of shots, shy of the record,
but that tells you your perimeter shooting is gonna have
to be on point, but more importantly, can you defend
the three point line? This is where the Nuggets are
gonna have to prove to be better because of the
past two season Bend, they haven't been great as far
(12:52):
as closing out on three point shooters.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Yeah, and that is the thing it comes with being
able to shoot from New York, but also to defend
out there.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Michael Malan wants to start with a defense first.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Identity, even though you look at this team and you
fear that they would be an offensive, you know, identity team,
But he wants to He wants to be solidly defensively.
That's that's sort of his thing, and so that probably
is the reason that Braun is starting to be honest, it's.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Kind of a test seeing if the young guy can
actually stand up open to night at home and how
well he performs, because it comes down to minutes. In
the minutes that you're given, what's your level of offense production?
Because if for me, I don't look at Christian Brown
as being an offensive.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Powerhouse, could he work himself into that row? Possibly?
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Right now is energy and defense and guys who have
those who abilities in those traits, those guys the best
suited to play on that second team because you're gonna
need someone to be able to get those turnovers and
get their hand in the passline to help out that
offense and kind of sustain the offense and get it going.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
And so the start has come back.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
So I'm leaning on this big time to see how
Christen Brown handles the situation.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Can he keep the.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Offense in rhythm, can he keep the Ausmans in flow?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
And can he contribute enough offensively to maintain his starting
role there as well. I mean he does have you know,
he does chip in a little here or there, but
as a starting offensive player, I mean he's the fifth
option out of five and needs to be a guy
that can contribute when he gets the ball in his hands.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah, he's gonna have to.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
Now once again, looking around the league, more importantly in
the West, the West has always been about scoring, fun
and gun, and the East has always been about playing defense.
So that the Nuggets have to kind of keep that going,
being able to be competitive shooting from be on the
three point line, also getting to the strip, like getting
(15:03):
those and ones, and that's the only thing that troubles
me about the NBA as a whole. You have so
many players wanting to shoot the three point shot, but
they're not driving three point plus. Yes, that they're not
doing that, And to me, I think somehow the offense
suffers when you just sit behind a three point line
and just keep shooting, shooting, shooting.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Yeah, I tend to agree with you.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
There, we'll get a chance to talk to Brendon Cristalsi.
With the atmospheres like down there ball arenas the house
obviously rocking to night as it's opening night for the
Denver Nuggets against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
The Thunder have a prolific score and shot.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Gilges Alexander one of my favorite players to watch in
terms of, you know, being a scoring.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Point guard, true point guard, but able to score. Not
one of these combo guards that you know that you
had over the over the recent years.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Gil just Alexander to me is an actual more of
a Steve Nash style true point guard who can pour
on the points than these combo guards like Steph Curry,
who's really an off guard playing the point at times.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Well SGA gave the Nuggets issues last season, and the
defensive specialists that were two of them, KCP and then
Aaron Gordon and Aaron Gordon even struggle trying to shut
down SGA.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Now here's what I'm hoping.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Maybe there was something that Jamaal Murray learned about SGA
game that he can give back.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
To his teammates.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
Because let's not forget both of those guys played on
the Canadian national team in the Olympics, so you get
first hand look at other guys you don't really get
a chance to play with that frequently. So hopefully that's
something that the Nuggets can use at their advantage. But
slowing down SGA has become tougher than it was in
(16:48):
years past because when you look at OKC, they have
other weapons, guys who may not be household names, but
guys who can do like.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
The lunch Pale work.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
And this is where I'm looking to see the Nuggets
step it up to that level and develop a lot
of guys who have that LUNs Pill attitude.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
I am too.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
When we come back, we'll get check in with Braddick
Cristal who's down in their lives, see what the atmosphere
is like down there and how excited everybody is about
the season Nuggets basketball. You've been listening to Broncos country
like right here, okay, way, Shannon Scott back here producing.
He's waving at me right now and giving me the look,
Shannon Scott.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Look.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
If you've ever seen that look, you know you're probably
in trouble in some way. I'm just kidding Casey, and
looks more like great. Shannon is inquisitive.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
He's trying to figure out why has Ben mentioning my name.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
He's trying to go undercover and go incognito. And I'm
blowing up a spot. That's what it is. I see,
I see how it is blowing.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Up the spot.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I am five six six nine zeros a text line
thanks to my profit and his crew that we're out here.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Earlier that bought me.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Some pumpkin pie, and I do not realize the prophet
actually wanted the pumpkin pie. He sent it over to
on a on a lark to get the laugh, which
he definitely got. H And then I proceeded to eat
said pie, the last slice of said pie, and uh yeah,
a single no.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Sean moreno sized here rolled down the left side of
the face.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
There, and uh it was very interesting because it's the
bait with set and then you fulfill the trap. And
I asked prophet, I said, well, what did what did
you learn from the situation?
Speaker 7 (18:27):
Because it Bin has a tendency to.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
Pull people in and uh, yeah happened. No, yeah, you
suck at him with that one. Yeah, you suck it.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Really got to start a bit that I hate chocolate
cake or something and have people start sending that over.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
I'm just saying, well.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
I mean, you know, I would hate a full plate
of just he's been a full plate of bacon right now.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
See, that would not work on me because I like
to think, I.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Know, I know you just a little, maybe not as
much as Brian Edwards, but just to know how sneaky
Ben likes the work.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I have been known to be stealthy before.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We are efforting Brandon christ all down there ballery in
a little technical issue.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
We'll see if we can't compete.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
It was a TV shows, Yes, Giboudy reshoot, that's.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
You, sneaky. You are sneaky, Yes you are.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
He's way cleverer than I am. I'm just one one man,
one incredibly handsome man. Here at at Sam's number three
right now, and this game started off looking like a
track meet, but uh.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Kind of slowed down a.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Little in the second quarters. The defenses caught up. You know,
as we look at the Vikings, we look at the Rams.
The pass set forward for these two football teams. The
Rams desperately you needed to win tonight, the the Vikings
less sol but they seem to be the team that
is headed.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
For maybe you headed for greater things this season. Here's
probably the best way to put that.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Well, yeah they are.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
But then when you look within their division, you still
have Jery Golf, Dan Campbell in those pesky Detroit Lions,
and oh, by the way, another team that no one
really saw creeping up from behind.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
That's Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
So when you look at that NFC North, they have
several teams that are going to be pushing for playoff spots,
and for the most part, for the Vikings, it's just
trying to keep your guys healthy, trying to keep the
yard marking moving in the positive direction. Because once again,
(20:32):
I don't think anyone really saw what the Vikings is
doing at the beginning of the season actually taking place,
but they just tell you, like any given Sunday cliche saying,
but anything can happen, but it's about establishing that momentum
and being able to keep it going week after week.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, and that's the thing the vikings. That division suddenly
looks tough. You got the Bears who are starting to
come into their own.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You do have the Vices who are you know where
they are.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
The Packers, of course, are what they are, and the
Detroit Lions have suddenly become a thing. And that division
top to bottom just seems, you know, so much stronger,
maybe the toughest division in football. Something a conversation will
probably have tomorrow night. Let's go out to Ball Arena
and check in with Brandon Christol down there for opening
night of the Denver.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Nuggets and the Oklahoma City thunder b K.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
What is the vibe.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
The vibe is Nuggets Nation is ready to get the
season going, you know, and listening to Michael Malone when
he gave his three game press conference, he said, it's
been about a month since Media Day, and he talked
about this yesterday too when I was over here after
practice that you know, they it feels like three preseasons
because they were getting ready to go to Abu Dhabi,
then they were in Abu Dhabi and then kind of
(21:42):
coming back and readjusting and just kind of getting into
the flow of playing games back in America in the
preseason games and ramping up, so trying to figure out
where the new pieces fit. And obviously the court is
so strong with the four guys that they've had here
for the last handful of years up and win that championship.
They're ready to get going for against obviously a really
tough test in Okay see who's missing one of their
(22:03):
newest pieces and in Isaiah Hardenstein.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
So they kind of looked like they looked a year ago.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
Well, when you think about this matchup between a team
and the Nuggets that no one is like to win
a title.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
And okay, okay, see who's trying to win a title?
Speaker 4 (22:19):
Last season, the series was two to one in favor
of Okay See. What is it that the Nuggets have
to do at home to make sure that this young
team doesn't still opening a victory.
Speaker 8 (22:32):
Yeah, I think they need to play play their game,
and I think they need to come out with a
sense of urgency.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
I don't know if it was one or both of
the games here but they got blitzed.
Speaker 8 (22:41):
By Okay, see I want to say that was in
was that January? Nick?
Speaker 5 (22:44):
Does that sound right?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Where it was like, yeah, sounds about right.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (22:47):
You look down where you're checking the score, you weren't here,
and it was like, wait a second, Okay, it was.
Speaker 5 (22:52):
Just an off night.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But but then they.
Speaker 8 (22:54):
Got I think they went to OKAC pretty shortly after
and lost out one too.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
I'm not mistake either way.
Speaker 8 (22:58):
Okay, see, he's young hungry as the one seed a
year ago, which we know the Nuggets had they've beaten
San Antonio and Webby on that Friday, would have ended
up as the one seed.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
But they're obviously a team on the rise. SGA finished
a second to Joker in the MVP voting and so
they've got something to prove.
Speaker 8 (23:14):
But the Nuggets, as we kept hearing Michael Malone say,
last year, they went from being the hunters of the hunted.
Well now they get to go back to hunting again,
and we know everyone's hunting the Celtics, but they want
to remind people they've got a three time MVP. Jamal
Murray still needs to find his way onto an All
Star team.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
I think to maybe add that to the narrative of
his career.
Speaker 8 (23:33):
I think MPG could stand an All Star trip as well,
and so I think.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
It's going to be interesting. Plus, Russell Westbrook wants to.
Speaker 8 (23:40):
Prove that he wasn't a guy that you killed teams
if you will, or didn't work in either spot in
LA but that he's going to be exactly what the
Nuggets need for their second union.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Well, that brings me right to the first question I
have here though, Russell Westbrook and what he brings to
the table.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Is this something where he can pick up the slack lead.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
By the departures of Bruce Brown and cacp over the
last couple of years.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Does he add something that they potentially didn't he is there?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
What is it that we're getting out of Russell Westbrook
versus I think we all know what the possibility the
downside of it, having seen him with the other teams.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
What are we getting out of Russell Westbrook at this
point in his.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
Career, even seventeen years in.
Speaker 8 (24:20):
I think you're gonna get a guy that is out
to prove something.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Although at Media Day said I don't need a.
Speaker 8 (24:25):
Title to solidify in my career, and I get that
he's gonna be right in the conversation. I guess you
can decide between I and John Stockton right now is
probably the best point guards to not have a title.
Chris Paul can be in that mix as well, but
they're in that same conversation. It changes if he can
find his way to a ring and what.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
I think it changes. And so Nick, you miss this.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
But I brought up to Ben last night because I
had asked Michael Malone and we even played the sound
I said last year, whether you liked it or not,
we would sit there in the second Joker and the
front line guys were out, even if Jamal's run with
the second unit, but especially when Jamal and Joker weren't
on the court. A handful of times that happened, it
was okay, what's the margin and how close does it stay?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Are they up eight? Are they up twelve? Okay, they're
up twelve. Now they're up seven when Joker comes back in.
Speaker 8 (25:10):
Well, rather than just trying to hold water, and that's
what my Michael Mohanes said, We're not We're not trying
to hold water in the second unit.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
I think Russell Westbrook really is.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
Wired to push the second unit and extend a lead, or,
as Michael Mullan pointed out yesterday, eat into a lead
or a deficit and catch up to a team that
might be ahead of them.
Speaker 5 (25:29):
Said, because Russell Westbrook doesn't have an off switch, he
has NonStop, and that was probably gonna be sat.
Speaker 8 (25:33):
There's probably gonna be sometimes in you know, the dog
days in January and February, where Russell Westbrook can go
out and win.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
You a game.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
And we know Jamal Murray hasn't played.
Speaker 8 (25:41):
Eighty two games maybe ever, certainly in a while, and
so he's going to be the starting point guard a
bunch of Knights as well, and it'll be interesting to
see how he fits with Joker.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
But I was a little skeptical on.
Speaker 8 (25:53):
The Russell Wilson or Russell Wilson Russell Westbrook acquisition. We
heard Joker wanted him, But the more you look at it,
you understand why Bro.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
When we look at coach Malone, he wants this team
to play lights out defense. Well, there's a guy who
plays for OKC who averages thirty points against this Denver
Nuggets team, and that's SGA who draws this assignment in Now,
how do they slow him?
Speaker 8 (26:18):
Down what you know, The easy answer is it's everybody,
because he certainly is a straw that stirs the drink,
and we.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Know he can he can dominate the ball.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
He'll he'll get other guys involved as well. But you're right,
he's had an easy time scoring and it was KCP
the bulk of the matchups. You know, the bulk of
that coverage fell to KCP. But I think you've got.
Speaker 5 (26:40):
Christian Brown now and started into the starting lineup. They
don't need CB to score now that they don't want
him to score when he's open, to knock down threes
and get to the rack and attack and all that.
Speaker 8 (26:48):
But he's gonna be out there to play a lot
of defense and not down and open three but to
bother in this case SGA or the other team's best
perimeter player.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
And then you're gonna stick a little MPG on him
to give that length.
Speaker 8 (26:58):
Maybe even AG get switched on to him, and sure
SG can probably get by him, but AG can recover.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
So I think it's going to be truly a team effort.
But I think it's going to be cbal draw that
first assignment.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
BKA as as we get charged up for this house
the crowd there tonight.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Is it easy packed, is it energetic?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Is this a crowd that expects something out of this
Nuggets team for this season or is this just kind
of a tepid casual interest until they see the products No.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
Eight o'clock Thursday night.
Speaker 8 (27:28):
You got to remember, obviously a year ago in the
same spot, and I remember whether we were starting on
a Tuesday or a Thursday, but you had a ring
ceremony and a banner, and you had Shaq and Kenny
and Chuck and EJ all here across the street on
the campus of Metro State there in.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
The Tivoli Quad.
Speaker 8 (27:43):
And so they're they're obviously not to that level of
fervent energy because of how exciting a ring night is.
And we know they obviously beat Lebron and a d
and the Lakers in that opener. But Nuggets fans want
to get back to a championship and had a really
good team last year, had the end, they just weren't
as deep and Mike Malone shorten his bench even more
(28:03):
when they got into the playoffs. So I think the crowd,
you know, the thunder Dot don't have the fan base
nationally really at all, even when they you know, they
had guys like Katie and Russ Bland form a Sjas
the hell of a player. So it's not like when
the Lakers are here and you see all these Denver
natives who are also Lakers fans or LA transplants. So
it's gonna be an all Nuggets crowd. As I'm looking
around at it now, I don't even see any Thunder jerseys.
(28:24):
It will be a pro Nuggets crowd, and I think
they're ready to see their Nuggets get out to a
one to oh record and an opening night win.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
How important is it for the Denver Nuggets knowing as
though they're gonna have two home games tonight against the
Thunder and then again against the Clippers to start off
the season, two or zero at Ball Arena.
Speaker 8 (28:46):
I think it's big because we saw how close the
West was, so your head and heads are gonna matter
in the division as well as just to win the conference.
And so when you've got two teams that you think
are gonna be in the middle late with the Clippers
on and we'll see exactly what they are when they're
led by James Harden and we don't know win Kawai's
playing no more PG there, no more rust, but still.
Speaker 5 (29:08):
A good team. So we'll see them.
Speaker 8 (29:09):
And it's a Saturday afternoon game, obviously a good game
to bring your kids to three o'clock tip. But tonight
you know you're going to be battling with the Thunder
down the stretch. So if you can hold Servant home
and set the tone, you then got a couple of
road games where you go to back to back nights.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
You go to Toronto.
Speaker 8 (29:24):
Monday and then Brooklyn on Tuesday, certainly winnable games with
what those teams have right now, and then back to
Minnesota Friday from from the East coast, And so you
want to set a tone early because again you'll see
Minnesota here. You don't want to come out of the
gates as slowly.
Speaker 5 (29:40):
As say the Abs did. We know the Abs obviously
are crawling back in it with three straight wins.
Speaker 8 (29:44):
But I think setting the tone opening night can be big,
especially because the game or half game against the Thunder
will matter in.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
April for seeding.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Westbrook may be the sixth man edition that everybody's talking about,
but who's the player that we are going to be
talking about in terms of the impact on this team
When you know we're when we're underway ten games in.
Speaker 8 (30:04):
I think if Peyton Watson can take the step we
thought he would last year, we haven't seen him all
in the preseason. He's got front line NBA starter abilities. Defensively,
there's an elite quality the athleticism and Julian Strather's shooting.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
He's he is a top tier shooter.
Speaker 8 (30:21):
And I think that we will see we will see
that unfold display with that second unit, and they're gonna
get up and go with Russ and Peyton Watson and
Russ both LA guys. Russ is Peyton Watson's favorite guy,
that's his favorite player, and he went.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
To UCLA followed in Russ's footsteps.
Speaker 8 (30:35):
And he's known him as, you know, kind of adult
basketball like he's only.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
Twenty years old. But since he really gets showed up
on AU scene.
Speaker 8 (30:42):
So I think it's kind of a combo of Watson
Anstrawther might not just get Nuggets fans excited, but folks
around the league saying, oh, we didn't realize how good
those guys where the Nuggets really are a problem.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Yeah, well, b K, we appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Live down there at ball Arena.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
We got a run Broncos Country Tonight up against it
out of a break. We got a US Prime Time
coming up next right here on hey Away three fifty.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
I'm ready for one of them.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
News fuck twice
My line profit came over here.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
He tried to try to trick me, try to trick
me with some pumpkin pie over here, but I tricked
him back. I ate every bite. Well there's one bite left,
but I ate almost every bite. And yeah, it was
a massive slice. It was not a small slice of
pumpkin pie at all. But well it was the last slice,
so you didn't get any Well, now I feel twice
is now teel twice is good about my decision making
and making sure that yes, twice as good about my
(00:23):
decision making and making sure that he didn't get any
five six six nine zeros a text line.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
You guys want to.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Well that did?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Uh, we have to you know, normally Thursday night football
brings a lot of football analysis, Nick, but we have
to we have to pause, put a pause for the
cause here real quick. Uh, we got some mustache analysis
going on on Thursday and football. Somebody over here has
got a waxed mustache over there on the sideline, looking
like some kind of ond Villian villain. Uh over there,
maybe maybe putting our own grand smith on notice.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
Well, it's one of the guys on the chain game.
And I believe if I'm not mistaken. They called that
the handle bars.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Yes, mustages, rollygh fingers.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Look Paul made he actually put in there to get
it to actually stay up.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Grant, would you ever, would you consider waxing the mustache
and getting into the handlebar mustache?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Look?
Speaker 5 (01:13):
No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 6 (01:14):
I think it looks good on certain people. I think
the man on the sideline pulls.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
It off very well.
Speaker 6 (01:19):
But I don't think I'm made for a handlebar mustache.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And also, I just don't want to put on that
amount of work.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I wonder that was my next question, because I don't
know how much grooming goes into that kind of stuff
for me, since I'm not able to grow facial hair
at anything above the level of a thirteen year old child,
I don't you know, I don't know what that level
of grooming entails.
Speaker 6 (01:40):
Well, it's as much as you want to take it.
So I'm thinking that guy spends a lot more of.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Time on his than I do on mine.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's fair, that's fair. It's It's been a pretty offensive
game for first.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Punt we've seen thus far, as the Vikings punted away
to the Rams tied at fourteen midway through the second.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Quarter, and this this game has is not disappointed.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Say, it's been one of those fun, offensive oriented football games,
a little bit different from the defensive quagmires that we
often see with the Denver Broncos.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
See, I don't know what the over under was in
this game. Do you know for this particular game, because
I can look, I want to see it.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Was like, oh or something.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Based on how the game has shaped up so far,
and I believe we're still in the first quarter. It
reminds me of a game a couple of years ago.
These same Rams were playing Kansas City. Jarrett Golf was
a quarterback then, and both teams could buy for a
C note and the ce notote that's like over one
hundred points.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And that's this is what the NFL wanted the league
to be.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
This is why every senile year, the Competition Committee gets
together and they changed the rules to benefit the offense,
to increase scoring. So tonight's game could be exactly the
type of game that the NFL actually wanted to make.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Up for the game he saw last week between.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
The Broncos and the Saints where the Broncos really just
kind of took a hold of that game and didn't really.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Let God, yeah, I you know, I mean I don't.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I don't want to see bad football like we did
the Jets Broncos game without the elements.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
That was just back football.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
But I do I do like good.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
A good defensive, scoring scoring bout.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I like that significantly better than the basketball on grass
we got from I think you were referring to it
just a minute ago, the Rams and the Chiefs basketball
on grass game that happened there where nobody could stop anybody.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I don't like that as much. I like it where
every yard matters, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
And there's some people who counterpunched that by saying every
point matters in a game like that, and sure fair.
But to me, I like where there's some semblance of
defense being played.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Well yeah, I mean once again in North fan zone
who you were talking to, like, as far as the.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
League, they want points. Me I don't want a lot
of points.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Make it exciting, very defensive, balance attack on both sides.
But give me somewhat of a game and I can
deal with the low scoring game if it's subthly going
back and forth. I don't want, you know, the track
and field type on grass. And maybe I'm a little biased.
Ben because I played and coached on the defensive side
(04:15):
of the ball.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
But I don't like that up and down.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I want to see at some point one of the
teams draw a line in the sand and say, well
enough is enough.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I grew up on Marty Schoenheimer football, so for me,
you know, the three yards of a cloud of dust,
the the R two P two offense as it was,
that's two runs to pass it upon. I came up
on that, So that's, you know, for me, I'm I'm
used to seeing that kind of offense.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
We you know, the offensive explosions occurred when the Broncos
came to town and Marty was coaching the Chiefs. The
Broncos would come town.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
You'd see Mike Shanahan with that high flying offense back
in the day, which was still built on the ground game.
Speaker 7 (04:50):
See man, that's that's reminiscent of Dante Dantonio's offense and
NBA and also all offense.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
There's no d up turner.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Same way.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
North. The North ran the ball quite a bit. He
ran the ball through those bombs field.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
That's usually Norm got.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
In a hand and those guys.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, that's how Norm usually had a job as a haycoach, right,
his offense has put up the gaudy numbers, and he
was like, come on, man, guess someone actually played some
freaking defense.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And it's funny because an Ord Turner offense was built
on power the power run game.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
He'd usually have two backs.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
That uh they would would would pound you to death,
and then speedsters on the outside they put up the
vertical ball.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
You know, as far as that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Goes, I I you know, there's something fun about watching
offenses though, that they do connect, that are in rhythm,
that just there's there's a there's a a fun to it.
Even if you like defensive football, there's a fun to
seeing an offense that's that's hit its stride, is a
rhythm and can kind of do things that will and
(05:53):
watching good defenses try to catch up to that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
The one thing that I love about this game, and
I don't think anyone has really talked about when you
look at the fact of Kemn O'Connell and Sean McVay
both known each other watching this game both the score
is fourteen to fourteen, I can't help but give credit
and say that we're basically watching subtle versions.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Of Mike Shanahan's offense.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Right, So, if you are a team and you're looking
for creativity in your offense because it's a little stale,
take a page out of their book.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Because it's so far, so good.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
I mean, this game is I guess gone how some
have predicted and others did not, but it is quite
entertaining to see both teams move up and down the field.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Is five six sixty nine zero.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
We use the text line got to get to Brendan
Cristol here In the next segment from Opening Night down
there at Bawl Arena with the Denver Nuggets taking on
the OKAC Thunder. What do you think about the Nuggets
opening up the season against the Thunder? And as we've
as we've seen it, it looks like Christian Brawn he
was going to get that starting shooting guard job at
least for the time being early, even if that's not
(07:06):
my preferred usage for his talents.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Strawther coming off the bench, uh In in relief.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
As well as as as Westbrook being an off the
bench guy as well.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well. For me, I love this matchup.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
This was a team of all teams last year that
gave the Nuggets a lot of problems. I know, when
we look at the Minnesota Timberwolves based on former GM
Tim Conneen, how he built that team to compete.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
With the Nuggets.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
When you look at OKAC, this is a young group
that is now starting to round into form. They created
a lot of issues last year from a matchup standpoint,
created a lot of matchup issues for the dem of
Nuggets and Nikola Jokic versus chet Homework. I know, it
doesn't seem like somewhat of a match or it looks
(07:55):
like a mismatch for Nicola Jokic. But Chadholme, I mean,
even though he's not that fake from a body standpoint,
he's not intimidated by the Nuggets and he just definitely
proved that last year. So this is not one of
those games where you have a young OKC team that's
gonna walk into the ball of Rena and just kind
(08:15):
of bow down, be overwhelmed.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Yes, no, that's not who the team is.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Are the Nuggets in the window? Has the window passed?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
You've moved on from Bruce Brown, CACP has gone. The
core four are still there, and you've extended Aaron Gordon obviously,
But does it sometimes feel as though maybe we're on
the back side of this window that it's gone, or
is this a rejuvenated team.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
With the use infusion and this thing is just really
getting started.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Well, the window is always open when you have a
guy like Nicola Jokish on your squad.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
But the problem is you based.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
On what has happened over the past couple of years,
how much basketball that Nicola Yokish has had to play
carrying the low for the Nuggets, the window is not
as open as it once was before. But it's not
it's not officially close, right as long as they keep
Nikola Jokic healthy. I mean, even if you Trey if
(09:06):
there was a change with Jamal Murray, looking at other
guys Michael Porters, junior Aaron Gordon, if the team decided
to make moves there, even though they gave him a
big deal.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I mean, the one main state is Nikola Jokis.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
If you removed Nikola Jokis from the roster, I would
say the window is officially closed with dead bolts.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yeah, but the.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
Nuggets are not at that particular point right now, so
this would be a great time for them to get
tested early in the season with the young team that
had had a better head to head record in the
series last season.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
This is Russell Westbrook at this point in his career,
good enough to fill in for or good enough to
cover the contributions of the Bruce Browns and the kcps
and really the Reggie Jackson who's replacing.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
I have no doubt about Reggie, but the other two.
Is he good enough to cover down.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
On that or just having him on the court allow
you to maybe move Jamal over and cover some of
that as well.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
For me, having Westbrook here it opens up the floor
for Nicola, for Jamal. And the reason I say that
because when you look at what coach Malone wants to do,
he wants space it and then they can run the
pick and rolls.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
And then when you look at the guys who is
going to.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
The corners, you may have Aaron Gordon on a right
wing ready to cut to the basket on penetration. On
the left wing, you may have on the short corner
MPJ for the spot up shot. Once again, you need
someone where creativity. But also the biggest thing for me,
Ben it takes a lot of pressure off of Jamal.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
He doesn't have.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
To be that offensive two way guy with Nicola Jokis
and that pick and roll, he now can rest on
the defensive side of the ball. You have the energy
that's coming from Westbrook that is going to make everyone better,
and Christian Brown is going to push him well, and
they don't have to lean on both of those guys,
and the ross is going to be interchangeable. So right now,
(10:57):
game one Ballerina Christan Brown istar wedding. Right now, who's
to say once we get to week fifteen of the season,
now it's still the same. So this is what coach
Malone is trying to figure out, and this is why
the game tonight against okay See is excellent matchup to
let him know what he needs to do.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
As far as personnel's concerned.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Who's the player that we have to have stuff up
this season and be talking about at the end of
the year for this still better successful year. Obviously the
core four we're gonna talk about them, But who's the
other player that we need to be talking about. It's like, yep,
you know they had another night they you know they
came through with consistency.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Is that Christian Brawn? Is it Strawther, is it Westbrook?
Is it someone else.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Well, for me, it is to play two players. It
is Peyton Watson and its Strawther's Now.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Now, part of me would love to say Zeke Nausey,
but Nause's I don't know what it's been about his game,
but it's just come along too slowly. But I know,
looking at Peyton Watson anytime he's on the court, he
seemed like he doesn't give two nickels of who's.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Gardener, and he's going to attack you.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
And this is where Westbrook is going to help Peyton
Watson continue that attitude. And then straw there is another
guy who can eventially, maybe towards end of season, work
his way in the start the lineup for a couple
of minutes because the Nuggets are gonna need shooting.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
They're definitely gonna need shooting.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Well, when you look at the NBA when they when
they open, I think the league as a whole to
a historic amount of three point shots, like the Knicks
play the Celtics, and I know coach Pocano.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Is definitely happy about that.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
But the Celtics took twenty nine three point shots. That's
shy of a couple of shots, shy of the record,
but that tells you your perimeter shooting is gonna have
to be on point, but more importantly, can you defend
the three point line? This is where the Nuggets are
gonna have to prove to be better because of the
past two season Bend, they haven't been great as far
(12:52):
as closing out on three point shooters.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Yeah, and that is the thing it comes with being
able to shoot from New York, but also to defend
out there.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Michael Malan wants to start with a defense first.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Identity, even though you look at this team and you
fear that they would be an offensive, you know, identity team,
But he wants to He wants to be solidly defensively.
That's that's sort of his thing, and so that probably
is the reason that Braun is starting to be honest, it's.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Kind of a test seeing if the young guy can
actually stand up open to night at home and how
well he performs, because it comes down to minutes. In
the minutes that you're given, what's your level of offense production?
Because if for me, I don't look at Christian Brown
as being an offensive.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Powerhouse, could he work himself into that row? Possibly?
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Right now is energy and defense and guys who have
those who abilities in those traits, those guys the best
suited to play on that second team because you're gonna
need someone to be able to get those turnovers and
get their hand in the passline to help out that
offense and kind of sustain the offense and get it going.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
And so the start has come back.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
So I'm leaning on this big time to see how
Christen Brown handles the situation.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Can he keep the.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Offense in rhythm, can he keep the Ausmans in flow?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
And can he contribute enough offensively to maintain his starting
role there as well. I mean he does have you know,
he does chip in a little here or there, but
as a starting offensive player, I mean he's the fifth
option out of five and needs to be a guy
that can contribute when he gets the ball in his hands.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah, he's gonna have to.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
Now once again, looking around the league, more importantly in
the West, the West has always been about scoring, fun
and gun, and the East has always been about playing defense.
So that the Nuggets have to kind of keep that going,
being able to be competitive shooting from be on the
three point line, also getting to the strip, like getting
(15:03):
those and ones, and that's the only thing that troubles
me about the NBA as a whole. You have so
many players wanting to shoot the three point shot, but
they're not driving three point plus. Yes, that they're not
doing that, And to me, I think somehow the offense
suffers when you just sit behind a three point line
and just keep shooting, shooting, shooting.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Yeah, I tend to agree with you.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
There, we'll get a chance to talk to Brendon Cristalsi.
With the atmospheres like down there ball arenas the house
obviously rocking to night as it's opening night for the
Denver Nuggets against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
The Thunder have a prolific score and shot.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Gilges Alexander one of my favorite players to watch in
terms of, you know, being a scoring.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Point guard, true point guard, but able to score. Not
one of these combo guards that you know that you
had over the over the recent years.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Gil just Alexander to me is an actual more of
a Steve Nash style true point guard who can pour
on the points than these combo guards like Steph Curry,
who's really an off guard playing the point at times.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Well SGA gave the Nuggets issues last season, and the
defensive specialists that were two of them, KCP and then
Aaron Gordon and Aaron Gordon even struggle trying to shut
down SGA.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Now here's what I'm hoping.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Maybe there was something that Jamaal Murray learned about SGA
game that he can give back.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
To his teammates.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
Because let's not forget both of those guys played on
the Canadian national team in the Olympics, so you get
first hand look at other guys you don't really get
a chance to play with that frequently. So hopefully that's
something that the Nuggets can use at their advantage. But
slowing down SGA has become tougher than it was in
(16:48):
years past because when you look at OKC, they have
other weapons, guys who may not be household names, but
guys who can do like.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
The lunch Pale work.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
And this is where I'm looking to see the Nuggets
step it up to that level and develop a lot
of guys who have that LUNs Pill attitude.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
I am too.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
When we come back, we'll get check in with Braddick
Cristal who's down in their lives, see what the atmosphere
is like down there and how excited everybody is about
the season Nuggets basketball. You've been listening to Broncos country
like right here, okay, way, Shannon Scott back here producing.
He's waving at me right now and giving me the look,
Shannon Scott.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Look.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
If you've ever seen that look, you know you're probably
in trouble in some way. I'm just kidding Casey, and
looks more like great. Shannon is inquisitive.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
He's trying to figure out why has Ben mentioning my name.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
He's trying to go undercover and go incognito. And I'm
blowing up a spot. That's what it is. I see,
I see how it is blowing.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Up the spot.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I am five six six nine zeros a text line
thanks to my profit and his crew that we're out here.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Earlier that bought me.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Some pumpkin pie, and I do not realize the prophet
actually wanted the pumpkin pie. He sent it over to
on a on a lark to get the laugh, which
he definitely got. H And then I proceeded to eat
said pie, the last slice of said pie, and uh yeah,
a single no.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Sean moreno sized here rolled down the left side of
the face.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
There, and uh it was very interesting because it's the
bait with set and then you fulfill the trap. And
I asked prophet, I said, well, what did what did
you learn from the situation?
Speaker 7 (18:27):
Because it Bin has a tendency to.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
Pull people in and uh, yeah happened. No, yeah, you
suck at him with that one. Yeah, you suck it.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Really got to start a bit that I hate chocolate
cake or something and have people start sending that over.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
I'm just saying, well.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
I mean, you know, I would hate a full plate
of just he's been a full plate of bacon right now.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
See, that would not work on me because I like
to think, I.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Know, I know you just a little, maybe not as
much as Brian Edwards, but just to know how sneaky
Ben likes the work.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I have been known to be stealthy before.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We are efforting Brandon christ all down there ballery in
a little technical issue.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
We'll see if we can't compete.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
It was a TV shows, Yes, Giboudy reshoot, that's.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
You, sneaky. You are sneaky, Yes you are.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
He's way cleverer than I am. I'm just one one man,
one incredibly handsome man. Here at at Sam's number three
right now, and this game started off looking like a
track meet, but uh.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Kind of slowed down a.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Little in the second quarters. The defenses caught up. You know,
as we look at the Vikings, we look at the Rams.
The pass set forward for these two football teams. The
Rams desperately you needed to win tonight, the the Vikings
less sol but they seem to be the team that
is headed.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
For maybe you headed for greater things this season. Here's
probably the best way to put that.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Well, yeah they are.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
But then when you look within their division, you still
have Jery Golf, Dan Campbell in those pesky Detroit Lions,
and oh, by the way, another team that no one
really saw creeping up from behind.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
That's Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
So when you look at that NFC North, they have
several teams that are going to be pushing for playoff spots,
and for the most part, for the Vikings, it's just
trying to keep your guys healthy, trying to keep the
yard marking moving in the positive direction. Because once again,
(20:32):
I don't think anyone really saw what the Vikings is
doing at the beginning of the season actually taking place,
but they just tell you, like any given Sunday cliche saying,
but anything can happen, but it's about establishing that momentum
and being able to keep it going week after week.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, and that's the thing the vikings. That division suddenly
looks tough. You got the Bears who are starting to
come into their own.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You do have the Vices who are you know where
they are.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
The Packers, of course, are what they are, and the
Detroit Lions have suddenly become a thing. And that division
top to bottom just seems, you know, so much stronger,
maybe the toughest division in football. Something a conversation will
probably have tomorrow night. Let's go out to Ball Arena
and check in with Brandon Christol down there for opening
night of the Denver.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Nuggets and the Oklahoma City thunder b K.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
What is the vibe.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
The vibe is Nuggets Nation is ready to get the
season going, you know, and listening to Michael Malone when
he gave his three game press conference, he said, it's
been about a month since Media Day, and he talked
about this yesterday too when I was over here after
practice that you know, they it feels like three preseasons
because they were getting ready to go to Abu Dhabi,
then they were in Abu Dhabi and then kind of
(21:42):
coming back and readjusting and just kind of getting into
the flow of playing games back in America in the
preseason games and ramping up, so trying to figure out
where the new pieces fit. And obviously the court is
so strong with the four guys that they've had here
for the last handful of years up and win that championship.
They're ready to get going for against obviously a really
tough test in Okay see who's missing one of their
(22:03):
newest pieces and in Isaiah Hardenstein.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
So they kind of looked like they looked a year ago.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
Well, when you think about this matchup between a team
and the Nuggets that no one is like to win
a title.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
And okay, okay, see who's trying to win a title?
Speaker 4 (22:19):
Last season, the series was two to one in favor
of Okay See. What is it that the Nuggets have
to do at home to make sure that this young
team doesn't still opening a victory.
Speaker 8 (22:32):
Yeah, I think they need to play play their game,
and I think they need to come out with a
sense of urgency.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
I don't know if it was one or both of
the games here but they got blitzed.
Speaker 8 (22:41):
By Okay, see I want to say that was in
was that January? Nick?
Speaker 5 (22:44):
Does that sound right?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Where it was like, yeah, sounds about right.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (22:47):
You look down where you're checking the score, you weren't here,
and it was like, wait a second, Okay, it was.
Speaker 5 (22:52):
Just an off night.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But but then they.
Speaker 8 (22:54):
Got I think they went to OKAC pretty shortly after
and lost out one too.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
I'm not mistake either way.
Speaker 8 (22:58):
Okay, see, he's young hungry as the one seed a
year ago, which we know the Nuggets had they've beaten
San Antonio and Webby on that Friday, would have ended
up as the one seed.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
But they're obviously a team on the rise. SGA finished
a second to Joker in the MVP voting and so
they've got something to prove.
Speaker 8 (23:14):
But the Nuggets, as we kept hearing Michael Malone say,
last year, they went from being the hunters of the hunted.
Well now they get to go back to hunting again,
and we know everyone's hunting the Celtics, but they want
to remind people they've got a three time MVP. Jamal
Murray still needs to find his way onto an All
Star team.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
I think to maybe add that to the narrative of
his career.
Speaker 8 (23:33):
I think MPG could stand an All Star trip as well,
and so I think.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
It's going to be interesting. Plus, Russell Westbrook wants to.
Speaker 8 (23:40):
Prove that he wasn't a guy that you killed teams
if you will, or didn't work in either spot in
LA but that he's going to be exactly what the
Nuggets need for their second union.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Well, that brings me right to the first question I
have here though, Russell Westbrook and what he brings to
the table.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Is this something where he can pick up the slack lead.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
By the departures of Bruce Brown and cacp over the
last couple of years.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Does he add something that they potentially didn't he is there?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
What is it that we're getting out of Russell Westbrook
versus I think we all know what the possibility the
downside of it, having seen him with the other teams.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
What are we getting out of Russell Westbrook at this
point in his.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
Career, even seventeen years in.
Speaker 8 (24:20):
I think you're gonna get a guy that is out
to prove something.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Although at Media Day said I don't need a.
Speaker 8 (24:25):
Title to solidify in my career, and I get that
he's gonna be right in the conversation. I guess you
can decide between I and John Stockton right now is
probably the best point guards to not have a title.
Chris Paul can be in that mix as well, but
they're in that same conversation. It changes if he can
find his way to a ring and what.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
I think it changes. And so Nick, you miss this.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
But I brought up to Ben last night because I
had asked Michael Malone and we even played the sound
I said last year, whether you liked it or not,
we would sit there in the second Joker and the
front line guys were out, even if Jamal's run with
the second unit, but especially when Jamal and Joker weren't
on the court. A handful of times that happened, it
was okay, what's the margin and how close does it stay?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Are they up eight? Are they up twelve? Okay, they're
up twelve. Now they're up seven when Joker comes back in.
Speaker 8 (25:10):
Well, rather than just trying to hold water, and that's
what my Michael Mohanes said, We're not We're not trying
to hold water in the second unit.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
I think Russell Westbrook really is.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
Wired to push the second unit and extend a lead, or,
as Michael Mullan pointed out yesterday, eat into a lead
or a deficit and catch up to a team that
might be ahead of them.
Speaker 5 (25:29):
Said, because Russell Westbrook doesn't have an off switch, he
has NonStop, and that was probably gonna be sat.
Speaker 8 (25:33):
There's probably gonna be sometimes in you know, the dog
days in January and February, where Russell Westbrook can go
out and win.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
You a game.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
And we know Jamal Murray hasn't played.
Speaker 8 (25:41):
Eighty two games maybe ever, certainly in a while, and
so he's going to be the starting point guard a
bunch of Knights as well, and it'll be interesting to
see how he fits with Joker.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
But I was a little skeptical on.
Speaker 8 (25:53):
The Russell Wilson or Russell Wilson Russell Westbrook acquisition. We
heard Joker wanted him, But the more you look at it,
you understand why Bro.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
When we look at coach Malone, he wants this team
to play lights out defense. Well, there's a guy who
plays for OKC who averages thirty points against this Denver
Nuggets team, and that's SGA who draws this assignment in Now,
how do they slow him?
Speaker 8 (26:18):
Down what you know, The easy answer is it's everybody,
because he certainly is a straw that stirs the drink,
and we.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Know he can he can dominate the ball.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
He'll he'll get other guys involved as well. But you're right,
he's had an easy time scoring and it was KCP
the bulk of the matchups. You know, the bulk of
that coverage fell to KCP. But I think you've got.
Speaker 5 (26:40):
Christian Brown now and started into the starting lineup. They
don't need CB to score now that they don't want
him to score when he's open, to knock down threes
and get to the rack and attack and all that.
Speaker 8 (26:48):
But he's gonna be out there to play a lot
of defense and not down and open three but to
bother in this case SGA or the other team's best
perimeter player.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
And then you're gonna stick a little MPG on him
to give that length.
Speaker 8 (26:58):
Maybe even AG get switched on to him, and sure
SG can probably get by him, but AG can recover.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
So I think it's going to be truly a team effort.
But I think it's going to be cbal draw that
first assignment.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
BKA as as we get charged up for this house
the crowd there tonight.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Is it easy packed, is it energetic?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Is this a crowd that expects something out of this
Nuggets team for this season or is this just kind
of a tepid casual interest until they see the products No.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
Eight o'clock Thursday night.
Speaker 8 (27:28):
You got to remember, obviously a year ago in the
same spot, and I remember whether we were starting on
a Tuesday or a Thursday, but you had a ring
ceremony and a banner, and you had Shaq and Kenny
and Chuck and EJ all here across the street on
the campus of Metro State there in.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
The Tivoli Quad.
Speaker 8 (27:43):
And so they're they're obviously not to that level of
fervent energy because of how exciting a ring night is.
And we know they obviously beat Lebron and a d
and the Lakers in that opener. But Nuggets fans want
to get back to a championship and had a really
good team last year, had the end, they just weren't
as deep and Mike Malone shorten his bench even more
(28:03):
when they got into the playoffs. So I think the crowd,
you know, the thunder Dot don't have the fan base
nationally really at all, even when they you know, they
had guys like Katie and Russ Bland form a Sjas
the hell of a player. So it's not like when
the Lakers are here and you see all these Denver
natives who are also Lakers fans or LA transplants. So
it's gonna be an all Nuggets crowd. As I'm looking
around at it now, I don't even see any Thunder jerseys.
(28:24):
It will be a pro Nuggets crowd, and I think
they're ready to see their Nuggets get out to a
one to oh record and an opening night win.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
How important is it for the Denver Nuggets knowing as
though they're gonna have two home games tonight against the
Thunder and then again against the Clippers to start off
the season, two or zero at Ball Arena.
Speaker 8 (28:46):
I think it's big because we saw how close the
West was, so your head and heads are gonna matter
in the division as well as just to win the conference.
And so when you've got two teams that you think
are gonna be in the middle late with the Clippers
on and we'll see exactly what they are when they're
led by James Harden and we don't know win Kawai's
playing no more PG there, no more rust, but still.
Speaker 5 (29:08):
A good team. So we'll see them.
Speaker 8 (29:09):
And it's a Saturday afternoon game, obviously a good game
to bring your kids to three o'clock tip. But tonight
you know you're going to be battling with the Thunder
down the stretch. So if you can hold Servant home
and set the tone, you then got a couple of
road games where you go to back to back nights.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
You go to Toronto.
Speaker 8 (29:24):
Monday and then Brooklyn on Tuesday, certainly winnable games with
what those teams have right now, and then back to
Minnesota Friday from from the East coast, And so you
want to set a tone early because again you'll see
Minnesota here. You don't want to come out of the
gates as slowly.
Speaker 5 (29:40):
As say the Abs did. We know the Abs obviously
are crawling back in it with three straight wins.
Speaker 8 (29:44):
But I think setting the tone opening night can be big,
especially because the game or half game against the Thunder
will matter in.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
April for seeding.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Westbrook may be the sixth man edition that everybody's talking about,
but who's the player that we are going to be
talking about in terms of the impact on this team
When you know we're when we're underway ten games in.
Speaker 8 (30:04):
I think if Peyton Watson can take the step we
thought he would last year, we haven't seen him all
in the preseason. He's got front line NBA starter abilities. Defensively,
there's an elite quality the athleticism and Julian Strather's shooting.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
He's he is a top tier shooter.
Speaker 8 (30:21):
And I think that we will see we will see
that unfold display with that second unit, and they're gonna
get up and go with Russ and Peyton Watson and
Russ both LA guys. Russ is Peyton Watson's favorite guy,
that's his favorite player, and he went.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
To UCLA followed in Russ's footsteps.
Speaker 8 (30:35):
And he's known him as, you know, kind of adult
basketball like he's only.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
Twenty years old. But since he really gets showed up
on AU scene.
Speaker 8 (30:42):
So I think it's kind of a combo of Watson
Anstrawther might not just get Nuggets fans excited, but folks
around the league saying, oh, we didn't realize how good
those guys where the Nuggets really are a problem.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Yeah, well, b K, we appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Live down there at ball Arena.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
We got a run Broncos Country Tonight up against it
out of a break. We got a US Prime Time
coming up next right here on hey Away three fifty.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
I'm ready for one of them.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
News fuck twice
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