Jiminy Brickettes & Red Hot Memphis

And the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, we are at the inflection point of all the things, all the favorite things that I love to talk about, and they have tapped in to my guy Patrick Beverly's vibe and they are letting folks know that they are here to put their boot on your neck. We're coming down to stretch, folks. So go ahead, Brock and drop that.

night Wolf that cannot does not should not happen. Golden State came to town and decided, yeah, we know stefs out with foot injury, but we're gonna leave out Clay. We're gonna leave out Dre, We're gonna leave out the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain and Otto Porter. We're gonna leave out Andre Iguodala back. We're just gonna leave them. Who cares just they're not even gonna show up. And the Warriors are a team that is by all intensive purposes reeling. They needed a win, and they said, we

know that they're number one in the East. Four guys, we just won't play them, not even were gonna have them suit up. And they won that game. They they were in danger of losing a spot in the West, and they're like, ah, it's okay, we're gonna punk them. Let's punk the shit out of these guys. And that is what happened the Miami Heat in that game ten point favorites, never close. It was already bad, it's already disgusting.

The Heat trying to make a run in the midst of a nineteen oh run to start the quarter, all shit hit the fan. Captured in glorious red camera HD Jimmy Butler and my guy, Eric Spolstra from Portland, Oregon. Former video coordinator nice Kid, Nice kid from Portland, Oregon, Eric Spolstra. They're at each other's throats, seated seat in front of seat, and Eric Sposter looks at him and he's like, what, Jimmy, you think I'm gonna fucking fight you?

Hold on pause. That was Those were words spoken. Those aren't words that I just thought he said. Those aren't words that I just imagined what he could have said. Those are words that were capturing, captured live on video that he actually said out loud to his star player William A fucking fight you okay, Spolster yelled at Butler from across that huddle. Then Jimmy had to be held back and then he goes after Spo and then e Donnis Haslam, the player coach, enters the chat, who is

still part of the Miami Heat. He's still part of the Miami Heat. Eudas has them want to ring with Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. He's still there. He's still there as a player, forty something years old, oldest man in the NBA. And he threatened to beat Jimmy Butler's ass live on TV. He was like, yo, I will fuck you up, and he would too, spoe through his clipboard.

Butler finally retreated. You see Kyle Lowry sort of scurrying away in the background, like I want no part of this nonsense, absolutely trying to call a time out in the middle of a kerfuffle, like, yo, uh, I think we all need some extra time. I know there's a game going on, but do you see what the fuck

is happening you? Things are in disarray. Someone tweeted that Kyle Lowry's that friend at a bar fight that somehow finds his way to the bathroom to wash his hands, Like he's like, oh, do do do do do do? I'm just gonna go ahead and get away from all this. And I love Kyle Lowry. He's like a tough guy. But he wanted no part of that and bam Adebayo said, this, this is us at practice. Pause, why why? Why does this?

It's like when you see a couple fighting at a party or at they have you over for dinner, and then all of a sudden, like, you know, a bottle of red wine is it to you know, the lady friend's expectations and then she's like, this is just like con when we went out and you ordered that shit bottle of pino. He's like, you know what, Zoey, I'm tired of this shit. I'm fucking done. And you're like, everybody's still at dinner and everybody's looking at them and

they're like, should we leave? What should we do? Uh? I'm gonna go ahead and just keep eating on this bolonnaise, great, great bowlonnets. Can I get a little ex sure that wine since you're not drinking it? And then the next day they're like, oh, you should see us when we're alone, and you're like, no, this is not how it's supposed to be. This shit is toxic. I know you think this is like a good competitive, we get it all out environment, but to me, this is bad. This is

really bad. So anyway, bam ade Bio back to the story. Bam Adebio says, this is us at practice. It just so happened. It boiled over to the court. No okay, But also you do a whole other things in practice that are never supposed to make it to game action. Bam at a bio. You know this, bam at a Bio.

It is now to the point where we have news and whispers bubbling out, like by the way, hearing whispers that teammates actually don't really like playing with Jimmy Butler, hearing whispers that there's a possibility that I don't know, the heat might make Bradley Beal a part of their offseason plans. And to that, I say, with what fucking cap space? You know a guy that would fit that cap space match pretty good, Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler matches

my man Bradley Beal's max contract pretty well. Why why? Also whispers coming out that Jimmy not particularly liked in the locker room, dating back to his time in Chicago, when Jimmy Butler decided he was actually the leader of the Chicago Bulls, not my man d Rose, former MVP who is rehabbing to the point where him an enforcer aka the Eudonnis Haslam of the Chicago Bulls aka Joe Keem Noah had to be separated. Folks, Folks, I don't know.

I don't know, Okay. In their last seven games, the Heat have lost two feets Minnesota, Philly, under Man Philly, and now Golden State. I'm telling you this squad. As much as I love their heart, their teamwork, their intensity, the Heat culture, body weights four point eight percent and less like as much as I like them, they are right for an upset against what now is a full

time Kyrie Irving. Eric Adams has found a way to skeet skirt around the rules the best of his abilities and find some sort of loophole for athletes and entertainers like Kyrie and the rest of the unvaccinated Yankees that exist, which is pretty much all of them. Yankees big Money. You're lucky, Kyrie. You're lucky that lockout didn't last into June, my guy, because you would not be playing basket ball. Why do you ask? Last night underscores? Last night last

night underscores. The problem with this team. The problem with the Heat is that there is nobody on this squad that you can count on and rely on to get a bucket when you need one with guys draped all over them, and that is pretty critical to a title run. Let's go through the East and assess how they compare to other teams and whether they have those guys sixers.

Embiid always getting a bucket late in the game. He can go use his big body, either turn around, jump or floater on you, or just draw contact and make his free throws, which he is now really clutch at doing. That's easy Nets. Katie and Kyrie bucket getters no matter when. However, when against anyone, doesn't matter who's guarding them, they're finding space and they're finding a bucket. Bucks Yannis, Yeah, he's shooting free throws now. Giannis is using his body like Embiid.

You've got Chris Middleton. Chris Middleton could get his own shot off the dribble, but also around screens, hit very clutch shots, which we've seen in the playoffs so far. Also, Drew Holliday, do not sleep on him. He can also do the same thing. He saw that against the Phoenix Suns when they were going back and forth this regular season.

In that game in Milwaukee where they're trading baskets without Chris Paul and Drew Holliday comes up and gets to go ahead bucket in traffic with guys all around him. Celtics Tatum is known for an iso bucket getter. That's all he loves to do. That's what he wants. He's like in the Kolbe Kobe Bryant mold Jalen Brown does that as well. Let's look out West, Luca. Luca of course is going to bully you down the stretch. He's going to shoot a step back three in your eyeball.

Wither point eight seconds left to go night, night sleep Mass, Time to go home. Devin Booker, Chris Paul. You think they can't get a bucket in the mid range. You don't think that they could like almost elevate into space, hang in the air for longer than you can even spell your first, middle and last name and get a last minute bucket. Of course they can. That's what they do super well. Come on now out West. Also, Jokis

Jokich can do that. He's just seven feet tall, long ass arms and can shoot from anywhere on the court. I don't know what is Miami gonna do in those situations? Who are they going to rely on in those situations? And we know the answer to that, and the answer is that is Jimmy Bricketts. Jimmy Jimminy Bricketts is what they should call him. Oh, Jimmy Bricketts. Who should they really rely on? Probably Tyler Hero or maybe a guy who had a funeral for his knee in Victor Oladipo,

which is absolutely sad. Or maybe a guy that was a two way G League guy who played for Team Nigeria and made his little appearance and now is a full time player in Gae bril Vincent. Those are all guys that get buckets better than Jimmy Bricketts. Kyle Lowry. I guess this team has no last minute ISO bucket getters. That gives me pause. That is not a good situation there.

And if you watch him, he clinks on the back of the him consistently, You watch him down the stretch and you would put your beating heart on him missing like he like Chris Crosses. It just looks awkward. It's always in the mid range. If he shoots him there, you know it's probably getting an airball and you're like, Nope, that's not going in and it clanks clank, clank, clank, clank, clank out. I don't know why, but it's true. This is the exact same problem that the Golden State Warriors have.

Actually in a different way, is that teams triple Steph. They blitz him at the half quarter even earlier than that. Steph has to pass out of that triple team, and then what does he do. He has to have a guy who can get his own shot, and that's Andrew Wiggins. And we've talked about this. Andrew Wiggins is just like Jimmy Butler in the playoffs, like this is bad. He is not making any shots. You've got Clay, but Clay's

a spot up shooter. He's not nearly mobile enough right now to go ISO and figure out a way to get a late minute bucket. And then you got Jordan Poole. He's not the guy. This team very similar in some ways than the Heat the path forward all that to say, I mean, let's just face it, they are going to get probably and I hate Stephen A. Smith for jumping the gun just because he gets first take earlier than I do. My show is that he are going to

get upset in the first round. If they play the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, with Kyrie playing home games and away games, it's an early exit. It's an unfortunate event, is what we would call that. And I think the truth is, even though the Miami Heat might not want to admit it, the best course forward might be the trade Jimmy Butler to the Portland Trailblazers. I love him, He's a dog. I think he makes his teammates better. I'm not quite sure. And you mention it.

There are certain events that change your perspective on a human being. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong. But now every decision that they make from now on, after that seminal event, that inflection point of history, you then look at them with a different opinion. Jimmy Butler, to me, at one point, could do no wrong, and now I'm wondering if he might just be the promise. One of the reasons I wrote or do, what is it? Ride

or Die? I guess Rod or Dode Road or DoD for Jimmy Butler is because he went to the Minnesota Timberwolves and he had these punk ass kids on the roster that like very clearly just wanted to smoke Weed like very clearly just wanted to like fuck around at practice, play in the game, didn't have any interest in winning. And then he was he was obviously traded to Minnesota

for Zach Lavine. And like Karl Anthony Towns and Wiggins were on the firing line basically always with a one man firing squad and Jimmy Butler, and they were lazy, they were soft, They were basically bad teammates, is what

I thought. Like, these kids suck, and like I can't blame someone like Jimmy Butler or Kobe or Chris Paul for just wanting players with immense ability and athleticism like Karl Anthony Towns and Wiggins and shit, like everybody that Chris Paul's ever played with besides these Phoenix Suns and you know, DeAndre Jordans, etc. The list goes on and on, all the people that Kobe Bryant wouldn't pass the ball to.

And I was like, you know what, if you're not a dog and you're playing with the ultimate Junkyard Junkyard dog and Jimmy Butler or Chris Paul or Kobe, like you know what time it is either fall in line or get the fuck out. But it turns out that Patrick Beverly is the key to unlocking the demons, unlocking the dog on the Minnesota Timberwolves squad also Aunt Edwards, but that those two together bring a different edge. Aunt

Edwards actually talked about this recently in his presser. So let's let's go ahead and check that out real fast.

years old. But yeah, this is not the Timberwolves that never that didn't have swag since O four, Like nah, And I'm putting that in my teammates and Pat Bay have come up with a lot of swag and he put that in the teammates, So we're gonna go off that. Yeah, cat last year said a word on the court. Now he's talking crazy to people, and because he got swagged right now, he got swagged.

fun out there. He always looks a little mad to me, and you look at Aunt Edwards and it's like, yeah, you're not about to punk me, but I am laughing and having a great time. He made hoops fun in a way that if you're someone like Carl Anthony Towns, a seven footer who's been through the AAU system his entire life, where hoops is the only thing, everything that matters. You get to the tippy tippy top, you get the money, You're like, you know what, I'm kinda good, you know,

I'm kind of like more life. I'm kind of ready for a little more life. My entire life has been basketball, and now basketball is fun again like it was when I was fifteen sixteen years old. Pat Bell and Edwards make basketball fun, and I think that's why he's a different a different player this year. Right. And not only did he put up sixty which is impressive, he was doing it while having the time of his life and

it shows last night you saw it. Carl Anthony town gets in Jay Crowder's face face to face, looks down at him like, what what are you about to do? And Jae Crowder is a dog to go toe to toe face to face, knows the nose or knows the chin with Jay Crowder. Impressive. Carl Anthony Towns then wins the three point contest, says, yeah, I'm the best big big man shooter in history. Just a level of confidence

and a level of arrogance that you never saw. And Edward's even talked about it, like in that clip where he's like he never said a goddamn thing on the court. Jimmy Butler called him baby shit soft and he didn't say anything bad. Do you think he's gonna do that now? Oo? And of course, of course Carl Anthony Town's making fun of Russell Westbrook's airball, like where did that ball come from? It came from the sky. Where that ball came down? Like it was a bird there was shot from the sky.

I personally love it. Some people don't love it, but I personally love it. Stephen A. Smith doesn't exactly like it. Didn't like the reaction at all, basically argue that Carl Anthony Towns has no right to act with such swagger, to do such a thing to Russell Westbrook, who demands respect, which, by the way, steven A. Smith has been bagging on

Russell Westbrook from the time that I can remember. So very funny that he's trying to like cape for Russell Westbrook in a situation against one of the worst teams in the last two decades. Steven A. Smith clowned the Wolves franchise by saying none of them have done anything

in the last seventeen years, which is true. But Carl Anthony Towns is right when he asked why Russell Westbrook never got shipped from doing the rock the baby thing or doing all the antics that he's done on the court for a very very long time, he said in response to stephen A. Now, when we have a little fun with the game, we're being classless. It's cool, though, I understand it's cool when people are doing this, you know, the cajone celebrations and people's spaces, right, that was cool,

That was cool, right, all right? Yeah, yeah, things came back to bite for those people. It was all good when people were fitting narratives about me and Pat Beverly and stuff, Me being soft, Pat Beverly doing nothing but yet running around yelling that's cool, right, it was cool?

fucking Beverly. I love him. I love him. I like it when teams and it's funny beca because we as a collective, not me, but the collective society is all four front runners, teams with banners, being loud and audacious, ostentatious, just putting their feet on people's throats. Yeah, yeah, we're the best. Blah blah blah. Celtics, Lakers, fuck even Knicks to a degree. Get out of here with that, get out of here. They want to stop the little lowly

teams in the league. And then when the lowly teams try to come up, it's a it's a cast system here, and they don't want the surfs of the league to come up and rise up like the Timberwolves or the Grizzlies. And it somehow just hits us differently. When a team punches up straight in the mouth. When a team from the bottom of the bottom in the Timberwolves which they were, hits the Lakers in the mouth and knocks them the fuck out proverbially, that just something hits different people get

mad about that. And now they have guys that say, we're no longer punching bags. We don't care if you're the Lakers, we don't care if you're the Celtics, we don't care who you are. We are going to play in a way that when we win, you note about it. In the ways that you guys are allowed to do it. That's how we're gonna do. And that's what Pat Bebb did. He gave them swag. He gave him a chip, the

turn cat from kitty cat into a junkyard dog. Aunt was of course born with swag, like you can just hear it, and everything everything that he does, everything that he says, you can just tell he has it. Karl Anthony Towns was a nerd. He didn't have it. He's dating what Jordan Woods, that was an anomaly, Like she probably clowns him all the time. Now he's got a little toughness, he's got a little swag, he's got a

little style. All of that. Aunt Edwards and Pat bebv changed that culture for sure, and that is why they're going to be a dangerous, dangerous play in or maybe even playoff team in the West. So go ahead, Pat Beverley, go ahead, But your bagelded.

they're just that good. Maybe the most amazing stat that has come out this entire year is at the Memphis Grizzlies with John Morant, whose MVP caliber play has lifted them to the ceiling, are still fifteen and two without him. That is absurd. And they don't beat scrubs They've pounded Toronto, Dallas twice, Miami Philly, LA Clippers, Pelicans, and now the healthy Brooklyn Nets without one of the best three to

five players in the NBA. He was just sitting there in his little Louis cot just with his grill in, enjoying the show, had its popcorn in his hand, just loving every second of it. And they destroyed the Nets, destroyed them. That said everything about a team that is the second youngest in the NBA at twenty four years old. The Miami Hurricanes that are playing right now in the NCAA Tournament are older than the Memphis Grizzlies. That is

actually a fact. That is that is crazy. They took it to the Nets, pounded them in the first half. Then Brooklyn showed up, gave him their best punch. Kyrie and Katie cooked in the third quarter to the tune of forty two points, outscored him by fifteen in the third and took a one point lead into the fourth quarter. Were actually favored to win the game by four points. The Nets, Memphis youngest, second youngest team in the NBA

twenty four years old, did not blink. They took the best shot from the NBA's two leading, number two leading odds team. They're what plus four point fifty to win it all, plus six hundred depending on the day, depending on the line, and they just took it to them, put the clamps on Brooklyn sixteen points they held them

to in the fourth quarter sixteen. How is it possible to hold an entire team when two of those players are Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to sixteen points in a quarter, one hundred and thirty two to one hundred and twenty. Let me just tell you, folks, keep your eyes peeled. This team is a fucking problem. They are young, and they are composed. For them to be this young and this composed is absolutely absurd. They are deep, they are athletic, they are unafraid, they are unapologetic. And this

was without Jahn Morant. Ja Morant, their number one one guy wasn't playing and they beat the shit out of the nets rough Row. Imagine if you're trying to break down film on who you're gonna guard in preparation for a playoff game against the Grizzlies, Like who is their weak guy You're going after John Moran. Let's just go through the roster second in points in the paint, six feet tall, averaging twenty eight points, six rebounds, seven assists,

and he's twenty two. If you take out Jaw out of the game, then you look locked down on Desmond Bane. He's averaging eighteen five and three, shooting forty two percent from three. Dylan Brooks eighteen three and three. He's clamps. Some people think the most talented guard next to John Moran is actually d Anthony Melton, who's averaging ten two three,

ten two and three on just twenty two minutes. And that's not even taking into account Tias Jones, the overlook point guard who turns the ball less than any other point guard in the in the NBA and still manages eight too and four in twenty minutes a game. Five guards, all of them playing twenty minutes or more, all of them getting buckets. Guys like Desmond and Dylan lockdown defenders, two way scorers, and defensive guys. Then you look at

their front line. Nobody ever talks about Jaron Jackson. Jaron Jackson, one of the most underrated players in the league, probably should be a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He's averaging sixteen to six and one, making players. Maybe people who thought his extension was bad money look like absolute idiots. He's I think at one point he was a co leader in blocks per game. Brandon Clark. Brandon Clark just an unsung hero ten six and one on

less than twenty minutes. Can play some small five, he can play four, he can play three. Kyle Anderson another unsung hero, great minutes off the bench. Steven Adams. If you know I like Patrick Beverly, then you know I like Steven Adams. A an absolute monster, an absolute tough guy, averaging ten rebounds a game and nearly two blocks two steals per game. Zier Williamson just a rookie averaging nearly twenty minutes a game. Nice little spot up three point shooter,

definitely like an extra spark. Tell me where is this roster week? They roll ten deep on any given night. They can actually go deeper if necessary. Xavier Tillman KILLI and Tilly. Even John conchar is shooting forty percent from three. This team is fucking stacked, and it might be a hot take. But the more I think about it, with their youth, their springiness, their ability to just go toe to toe on a night to night basis because of

how young they are. They can compete for all forty eight minutes and they're deep, right, so that seven game series is no thing. They're not gonna get worn down. You take them seven, they can go another seven with the next team. You know, sometimes you go seven in the first round and then the next round is where you get knocked out because you're so tired. Not these Griz, no, sir. I think that they're deeper and more talented as a as a total team than the Phoenix Suns. And that

is saying a lot. I love the Suns, not saying that they have veteran leadership. But if you can run five guards out there any given day who can give you twenty a night, you are a problem. You are a problem. And how many teams have two guys that are legitimate on ball, lockdown defenders that you are, that are not offensive liabilities? Like I like Matisse Steibel, but what is he gonna do for you? Like offensively and absolutely fucking nothing. The Memphis Grizzlies are the number one

team to watch. You've got Golden State that's vulnerable, Denver that's missing guys, Utah that's very vulnerable from a defensive standpoint, specifically, a lot of old guys with acls ready to just pop. The Grizzlies are the team to beat other than the Phoenix Suns in the West. So don't don't listen to me, just no, come back to the tape when the ship plays out exactly like I said it was. That's all

the time that we have for the Heat Check. When we back Monday with a new episode, do not forget to download, subscribe, tell your friends, follow us on social at at this heat Check. And Trista Criek on.