Opening Round Injuries and Upsets

beat perfect good right, last name with this. I didn't see a lot of this coming, not gonna lie. I didn't see certain games, certain series even happening in the first place. Definitely didn't see the Pelicans, like I said before playing the Suns, they steal one in Phoenix, Man, I didn't see Toronto and the Sixers looking like this. I always go one city name and then a team name. I don't even know why I do that. I just

do it. I can't even stop doing it. But the first round of the playoffs is here, and as no one anticipated, we have just obscene levels of chaos on our hands, just only the Miami Heat Atlanta series is actually playing out pretty much exactly like everyone thought it would. And if Clint Capella was there, maybe not, maybe not. And yet we still haven't seen him go back to Atlanta yet. So there's time. There's time for more chaos. So let's look at all of the series so much

as Poppin'. Let's start with Boston and the Nets. Probably we'll call it the Heavyweight Fight. Let's go Heavyweight fight first, just an instant classic series. The way that Kevin Durant is being guarded is unlike maybe he's ever been guarded in his life. The physicality is absurd, the way that

they're playing them. It just you Eme Udoka, who actually coached for the Nets last year, he was on the bench, which he has a little inside baseball going on, which he knows what the number of the coverage names are, you know, what kind of sets they want to run, and of course he knows that Steve Nash doesn't actually know how to fucking coach anyway. They don't respect the Nets.

That's how you know. And you know how we should have known that the Celtics don't respect the Nets is they could a duct them and they said fuck that, they could have played Toronto. Who is looking every bit as vulnerable against the Sixers. They could have had Toronto, but they said no, No, give us the third, the team with the third best odds to win it all. Just let them, let us make them work for it. Fuck them. Every time Nash looks for a hole at

any point, they're knocking them around. They're bringing multiple bodies his way. He can't get one on one. They're blocking him. It's Jalen Brown and Tatum. They're strapping him, suffocating him. His shot selection has been atrocious. He can't score. The greatest scorer on the planet can't fucking score. It's unreal. Even he's admitting to it, like, yeah, they're just guarding me. Really well, it's my job to fix it. I don't know if he's gonna be able to fix it. And

they look like an army out there. They look like a platoon where everyone is in lockstep with their roles. Holes are getting filled immediately defensively when their roads. It's just the disparity in coaching is egregious. Two of the best twenty players, two of the best twelve players on the planet fifteen. I don't know where Kyrie is. I don't think he's top ten but he's somewhere in there

depending on the night. He's not even eating food, Like he's not eating food or water until sundown, which is at seven point thirty, so he's got to go into the game and he's not eating it all day. And this team, this Celtics team, which all last year looked like a mess, the roster looked like they needed to be split up, and they are just dominating seventeen points up the nets were and did not matter that came

back and just won. They are showing why they could come out of the East and make some noise, especially given the fact we now have an issue with Chris Middleton. Even Kyrie said that there's been an impact. Emy Yudoka knows this really well. Coached our staff last year. He's had some keys to the treasure trust that he's telling those guys true. Al Horford was discarded, he was hated in Philly, and he has been a tremendous leader to a roster that needed somebody to galvanize the troops. And

now they are galvanized. Series that we thought would be gimmes, not gimmes at all. Right, You've got the Sons and the Pelicans and the Devin Booker injury now changes everything. And here's the thing. Here's the thing about an injury to somebody like Devin Booker. It doesn't affect really the

Pelican series. They should win the seven games regardless. What it does is extend this series and put pressure and mileage on guys who, let's be honest, don't need to be having any more mileage on them, aka Chris Paul. Chris Paul needs to be a like a two thousand and seven Camry that your grandma's been driving since two thousand and seven and it has eight hundred miles on it because all she does is go to Sprouts and back.

Sprout's West Coast reference, that's my grandma's grocery store. But like all they do is go a mile and a half round trip to the grocery store once every ten days for a few bananas and like pudding. That's what we need the kind of mileage that needs to be going on Chris Paul in the middle of the playoffs. No, no, he's gonna be getting like thirty five to forty minutes now because Devin Booker is not there. You need him to lead the troops. You need him to increase his

scoring and playmaking. And then what happens now in the second round, is Devin Booker back, we don't know, hamstring injury going up to try to block Jackson hay shot now has ripple effects. Folks on the Suns. So now in the second round, when they play the winner of what the they would play the Mavericks winner, wouldn't they? Yeah, so say they play the Mavericks and Luca comes back and he's fully healthy. Now Devin Booker's not back yet.

They're saying it's a Grade one hamstring strain. He'll be back in at the very minimum two to three weeks. So now Chris Paul's still playing those minutes. So then you go to the Western Conference finals. He's finally back. He's got a ramp up. Chris Paul starts to sputter. Maybe the injury start to take in, maybe the fatigue starts to take in him shouldering the burden. I tell you what, this is where Monny Williams is gonna have to earn his pay because you need to get huge

performances now out of Cam Johnson. You're gonna need huge performances out of Landry Chemet. And when I say his name like that, That's how you know he's not a real contributor. Landry Chammet needs to step up. Campaign needs to step step up. We're gonna need to have huge games from Da DeAndre aight, and is gonna have to be his usage rate is gonna guy sky high, and that means JaVale McGee's gonna have to take some of the burden off. It just changes. And this is why

the depth of any team matters in the playoffs. Not that you're gonna play them if an ideal situation continues, but if things go wrong like this, you've got backup plans, folks, and the backup plans need to be you need to go and break the glass, eh, trying to break the glass and get JaVale McGee out of the fucking box, folks. Seriously, I tell you what. Also, Sons lost that Pelicans game.

That's like burying the lead Sun's lost. Sons lost in Phoenix to the New Orleans Pelicans that started out three and sixteen. This is a team with sixty plus wins losing at home to the Pelicans. You can chalk that up to just being shell shocked because of the Devin Booker injury or or you can chalk that up to Scott Foster a piece of shit Chris Paul oh in fourteen. Now I believe in playoff games as Scott Foster referees. Wow,

I don't know what it is. I don't know why I should have bet on the Pelicans knowing that Scott Foster and Chris Paul were in a collision course yet again, and that's one of those games too, like someone's gonna get injured. He doesn't call a goddamn foul ever. Ever, Another little key piece of this series that I want to highlight is I have been I must admit pulled back confession time. I How do I put this nicely?

I don't like brandon Ingram. I've said mean things time and time and time and time again about brandon Ingram, mostly because he was mean to me in an interview when he was when he was shooting a knee brace commercial and I wanted one on one and the knee brace commercial granted me an interview that I don't think brandon Ingram particularly knew about. So he was mean to me. My feelings were hurt. I got sad. I always hit it off with athletes, and he was not having any

of my bullshit. I asked him, could you go and dunk for me? So he takes some video for the for the shoe, puts some bl b roll over it, and he was like, nah, I'm a gunna. I'm like, oh, fuck you, then fuck you from now on. Then thirty you know who said fuck you. Brandon Ingram thirty seven points on the best defense one of the best defensive teams in the league. Michel Bridges had no chance to

stop him. On another world Larry Nance Junior, who was a former Blazer center backup center for the Pelicans, said, listen, I'm a good player. I am a really really good player. Brandon Ingram. Anytime he steps on the court, I think he's the best player on any court he steps on. That's saying a lot. But we gotta give our props to Brendan Ingram. And if you said, Trista, if you could have Brendan Ingram on your team this version, how

much would you want him? I would put my feelings aside, like the generous soul I am, and I'd say I think we'd take them. He's a gunna. He's a gunna. Nah, I'm a gunner, but anyway, CJ and him together just a tremendous team. And that shows you that you can build a roster with an undersized guard that can't play defense, and if you put him around Herb Jones and guys like Jonis Valentunis who I didn't know, play defense, and you can create the right type of weird roster. It

can work. It can work. Moving forward to the next part of the series, next series in the playoffs, Bucks Bulls man first and foremost, let's get to the news part portion. Chris Middleton mcl strain. Yeah, that's probably one of the biggest injuries. The East is pretty loaded. They're gonna see some opponents that they're gonna need him for and he's now out. I don't even know how long. They're saying, possibly four weeks. So yeah, he hurt his knee in the fourth quarter, which they ended up losing

to the Bulls. Two injuries, two upsets games that two injuries that happened at the latter part of the game as well, and the team had no ability to adjust. Now, Bulls were dominating this game, as were the Pelicans in their series with the Suns. So the injury. You can't attribute it to it all, but you would imagine that two gritty teams that were just both in the finals would have been able in crunch time to get the win.

Like that's the difference between a good team and a great team, is being able to get those those victories when you know it's close games mild mcl spring. They say two to four weeks. Good news, he'll probably be back the back half of the second round. Bad news. This again, like the Suns, another long series potentially should have been a sweep. Now we're talking six probably they're now they got one in Milwaukee, just like the Pels got one in Phoenix. Now they go back to their

home court with a little fucking swagger. We're gonna see and the star players that you've been relying on are gonna be ghost face Killa. So I don't know, I don't know. Oh so really quick, Alex Caruso, This motherfucker undrafted and just a demon. Who would have thought Gianni's Antetokumpo, who's probably I would say, the most unguardable human being on the planet. That let me just go ahead and

look him up. Alex Caruso height six' four six,' four, you know two hundred and something pounds going Up, against jannis who's a legit, seven footer he's what six eleven two fifty and We Got alex Caruso on yannis in. The block May forced jannis. Offensive foul giannis, looked like what, that's not that's not how. That's it he did the thing where he puts the arms Out, like lebron like he's grasping. For something. Help, me No alex crusoe. Has straps this is THE reason I Said alex crusoe was

one of the best free agent signings all. Off season another reason That the lakers are. Fucking idiots so put some respect on the Goat UNDRAFTED texas A and m guard who Looks like janitor strapping the most unguardable human being on. The planet not on, the perimeter which makes more sense in. The post. SO insane i love that gonna be a very. Interesting series let's talk about THE

series i thought would go one way and it's. Going Another uh toronto now down zero three To the philadelphia seventy. SIX ers i think that the. Reason why again another Key Injury scottie Barnes in game One ankle sprain says he's gonna be Back for. Game Four Then Gary trent JUNIOR non covid. Related illness last night when They played, Game Three nick nurse Said That Gary trent junior couldn't.

Even breathe. That's bad that's. Really bad it's not being able to breathe a key piece, of living let alone like operating at an elite level. In, basketball well the SERIES that I thought toronto could be favored and now could be closed out in four or. Five games barnes says he's, coming BACK like, I SAID but i don't even know at this point how much that. Changes things

they gave up, A lead toronto had. That game We had drake with The corn rows just, talking about, you know talking shit back and Forth, to embiid and then all of a sudden it has to go to ot and now you get point what like literally almost no seconds left on the. Shot, clock embiid. Turnaround three this man Is Seven joel embiid is seven, feet tall, spin around fade away from, the corner three side step wet

to basically seal game three. And overtime, Also Quickly doc rivers, is terrible, like terrible like part of me thinks That The jay wright retirement is, just, saying, hey, hey hey he's open if you don't get your. Shit together we got someone not saying he even wants to coach IN, the nba but we're saying we. Got options you KNOW what, i mean. AWFUL stuff i just don't really Know how toronto's can can pull. This off but if anybody can,

DO it I Think nick nurse can just. Tough stuff they really should Have won game three and things would have been a much. Better, series fourthly Let's Not Golden. State denver this shit. Bothers Me golden state, is now all of a sudden The crown prince Of. The west you've got Now The devin, booker injury and, a're, like oh, oh Well The golden state only needs now To, beat memphis which is gonna be. A task first, and foremost let's not Act like denver's a. Good team they don't.

Have anyone When the Sun swept denver, last year the world, was like that. Means nothing they don't have the guy that went nuclear in. The bubble he doesn't HAVE an acl, right now he's, not playing and that guy is. Still gone and the other guy who was playing. Last Year Michael porter junior has no spine, right now so he's not. Playing basketball so it's a less qualified team to even measure yourself again than it was, last year which was the team that was getting shade When the suns easily

beat them in? Round two are we serious? RIGHT now I hate i Hate this and people, are, Like, oh trista you Just Hate, golden state so you're just not even wanting to give them. Any credit you've never wanted to give them. Any credit and, IT'S like I Like, jordan poole, fine player, fine player nice little Hybrid between Clay. And steph he has a full bag. Of tricks but, the boy, the man when he's not in the, starting lineup. It's.

Tough mentally things degrade for him, very quickly to the Point Where steph curry needs to volunteer to come off the bench in order for him and his confidence to remain high so that his play can. Remain high, it's Like So scottie pippen type stuff, right now you KNOW what? I mean and he's like in the fourth year of. His career it's Not Like. Scottie Pippen, Scottie pippen so

Let's Not Crown. Golden state at, THIS point i need to see them play a. REAL competitor i need to see Them play memphis in order for me to believe if you Can. Beat, memphis, Fine fine i'll sit Here and i'll show you my Belly and i'll, say hey, not physically but like you Know what. I'm, saying anyway we're. Off topic so all that to say it's gonna be an. Easy series this is not even something we really should be, talking about except for the Fact That draymond green is.

That Guy draymond green should. Have won if he could have, been healthy he would have been the runaway Favorite For defensive player Of the year because you're talking about a guy frustrating a seven FOOTER. THE mvp i will be a two time back TO back mvp and he can't even get his, shot Off And draymond green Six' eight mouse, In the house Mouse in the, house, is, like, nope nope nope you are going to. Be absolutely neutralized so that'll be a four to. Z oh sweep, don't even worry.

Don't watch It Just bet golden state. Blindly no shot denver wins a game. EVEN at home i just. DON'T see it i don't know who's gonna be able. To take over you Got Willed to thrill Barton Fighting with DeMarcus cousins. On the Sideline You've got Monte Morris and bones highland having his Shoulder of the Burton Please. And Austin rivers austin rivers get. Out, Of here memphis minnesota

the FUTURE. Future the nba all, of a Sudden we thought memphis could, be in trouble and then if they decided to put the clamps down like they knew how Switched Everything took steven adams out. Of The, mix steven adams you need to go, home. Right now sir you can't, be, In here sir you're. A Defensive Liability carl anthony towns is Eating You. Like captain, crunch just so all, that to say three minutes is how much playing time he ended Up getting, in game two twenty Five minutes. IN

game one i would call. That An adjustment taylor jenkins doing. The damn, thing two coaches two bright coaches that are the future, of this league both teams showing their deep. BENCHES this series i hope. IT goes seven i want to see it get loud in. THE target center i Want To see pat beverly stand on the. Scorer's table again fun. STUFF dig in i think maybe It was

the ringer did a whole Breakdown on what. Memphis did differently i'm not gonna get into it because it would take, way too long but how they Decided To defend anthony Edwards And defend anthony towns to neutralize them is. A phenomenal read so definitely. Check That, Out heaton hawks let's. Move On, There, jimmy butler oh how time can change the opinions of. Those around you remember we were just talking about him getting into fights, with his team him.

Potentially being traded eric, spolsterra being like what you want me to fucking? Fight You now Eric Spolstra and Jimmy Butler. Being jimminy bricketts. We have that that was like literally. Fourteen Days ago jimmy butler forty five fucking points some from three some In the fourth jimmy in. The fourth

Quarter big face. Coffee is back folks had, a slight hiatus and now how the tables, have Changed Now how eric spolster Is just SINGING jimmy And I, love eric spolstra but just the opinions we have of people just come and go. With the wins don't, They even me i'm. Not bought in i'm. GONNA stay firm i am. Not Bought in jimmy butler? Forty five points how many's Gonna have? In game three how many is gonna have when he's not Going Against? The atlanta hawks please tell me this

Is Like The Golden. State Denver Series the atlanta hawks were what? A nine? Seed ten seed get the hell. OUT of here i am so so Out On the atlanta hawks being, anything right now Especially With, No Clint capella john collins with only nine. Fingers out, there i'm, good unsung hero all. The undrafted Guys You've, Got duncan Robinson You've. Got Gabe vincent And gabe defended trey in A way. In Game one in game, Two that like

trey shot one for. Seven from. Three that's crazy in the games in The moments Where, Gabe guarded trey trey. Was largely irrelevant trey doesn't Even Shoot when gabe vincent. Is on, him he's like, come, over here someone someone set. ME a screen. I need it. I need, IT this guy i don't know where. He Came. From team nigeria that's the last Time We saw gay vincent ball out before this year. AND the heat. I Need it gabe vincent cuffs like. You read about the man was In

Prison when gave vincent. Was. On him, Uh moving Forward. Dallas Versus utah so luca injury. Is still huge didn't, play game One didn't, play game two might be in game three left cash strains. Are no, JOKE lucas says i Don't know if i'm gonna ever be one hundred. PERCENT this postseason i think it's that's. Tough right Now but if i'm ready and there's no risk of, AGGRAVATING the injury i will. BE out there i need, to SEE it but i don't want to see it at

the Expense. OF future luca I. NEED skinny LUCA I. NEED mvp luca, i don't, Need you know luca getting flamed out in. THE second round i don't. Need that whatsoever Against What The suns No sir no sir serieson now. One To one jalen. Brunson's that guy i've been telling y'all he's like one of the only floor. Generals out there it's one of the only guys, who, can score facilitate, set the, table have poise be able to get, last

second buckets footwork, and the paint getting, guys kicking out. Getting, GUYS involved god. I, LOVE basketball god. I love basketball somebody has a. VERY quick aside i just got excited THINKING ABOUT a dm i. Got last NIGHT got a. Dm last night it's, gonna sound random, but they said listening to the heat check in this league reignited my, love FOR basketball and i now WORK. For the nba that. SHIT is fire. I love basketball i hope you. Guys

do too this series is gonna. Be really important it's gonna be really Important, for not dallas it's gonna be Phenomenally. Important for utah utah needs. TO win this i don't, want him to but. They need to, if they, don't This thing like i've, said, many many many many MANY times FOR, t and, t you know you, blow it up. You Start, again donovan mitchell he's got to. Go somewhere else i'm not even sure he wants to. Shoot threes anymore he needs. TO take over i, Tell you what

if they can't get, this, shit together. Man we'll see luca's not gonna rush it. STEP by step i think he'll Be ready, To game. Five game six but it Seems like the mavericks with, their defensive intensity Their Identity, obviously Jalen Brunson getting, reggie Bullock Involved getting. Spencer dinwoodie involved dinwoody's gotta hit his free throws. Down the stretch but that's a. Whole Nother story dwight, Powell Being there rudy gobert showing that he's a, one dimensional defender can't defend,

on the perimeter just like last Year. Against the clippers all really fascinating stuff to watch when they. Play to people so now as we pivot from this first round, of the playoffs you have to wonder to yourself whose injury is the most impactful. To their Team You've got chris Middleton, in the bucks a guy who can score, off the dribble a guy who can come around screens. And shoot threes on. The defending champs they've got a

matchup With probably the Heat In The. Eastern conference finals you would imagine that that's who, they would Play Or. The boston Celtics You've got luka doncic calf strain in A very deep west having to have a nightmare matchup With A Surgeon golden, state warriors team and he's already been out for the full duration of this first and

we're not sure when he's. Gonna, Be Back. Mavericks luka Doncic You've got devin booker hamstring strain three weeks Going, against the pelicans probably gonna extend the length of this series and also make things Very Difficult on chris paul because he now needs to be. The primary everything he needs to be, The primary scorer he needs to. Play more minutes that puts pressure on his body. In a, WAY we've seen i mean time, And Time again chris paul go down and the playoffs, due an injury and

then his team. Have to lose that. Happened last year it almost happened to the first Round, against the Lakers If maybe anthony davis. Didn't go down and Then You've. Got Scottie barnes, Scottie barnes injury. You've got him He went down Game one against, toronto ankle sprain and that Was Pretty much night Night's sleep, mask after that His Replacement, Is Kem, Burch Kem. Burr kim birch that's not a tree that. Gives you pollen that's a person that's not

an that's not like a variety verietyl of. A, birch tree No That's kim kem birch with K And. H kem Birch That is Scotty barnes's replacement Rookie. Of The year scottie barnes mine my rookie. Of the year and then his replacement is a is a. Birch tree viridyl SO whose injury i think is going to, be most impactful it's. A tough one they're all very important to. Their team's success you could say It, could be Middleton but Then middleton has joannie. On his Team Middleton has

drew holliday. On his Team Middleton has brook lopez, On His team bobby portis, On His team grayson allen there to shoot corner threes, who we hate. On his team so You can't say middleton Is important. As middleton is he's not a lynchpin. Of the, squad some days some games, he is disappearing, act like, uh Like? Uh who's Whodini?

He's like whodini. So not him You Can, say devin booker but Then You've, Got DeAndre Ayton You've, Got cam Johnson, You've got Campaign you've, got JaVale McGee all guys that are, there for Depth And then scottie. BARNES definitely, integral i mean they're gonna lose this series, because he's gone but wouldn't they have lost the? Series? Most likely, anyway to me It's. Gotta be luca luca has to be the biggest wrinkle. For this TEAM oh and i forgot To Even.

Mention robert williams his. Injury is huge don't think IT'S him because i think he'll be back in, the SECOND round and I think the celtics will make light work out, of the nets, could GO seven but i think they're young enough and deep enough that they. Can handle it, so For. Me it's luca it's a guy who Got injured in. Game eighty two it's a team That lost the jazz At home. In game one they could, have

Won It and devin. Booker was unstoppable nobody. Could guard him luca is good for forty every night and ten rebounds. And twelve assists that's production that is going, to be important not Necessarily in, the JAZZ series but i don't think you can Even Compete against Golden state without luca and his, ability his size, ding up players going into the post and dominating other guards and just making life

really hard and physical on the rest of. The opposing, TEAM to me i think the, number one injury as tough, as it is is Got. To be luca so he needs to come back Soon or the MAVs need to end Up beating the jazz in a dramatic fashion so that he can get healthy in, the SECOND round because i think that they could be a dark horse to Be In The western conference finals depending on or at least the Seven In the western conference semis. If he's healthy,

SO without him I think the. MAVs are cooked HENCE the reason i think he's the number one most impactful injury. IN these playoffs i would love to hear. IN the comments dm Me, get on twitter tell me who you think? Is all right that's all. That we. Have buckle up it is going to, be a. Wild WILD ride, like i said the truth is a series can turn on a dime. With an injury the playoffs right now are being turned, on THEIR heads and i promise you things are gonna get even more bumpy as. We go along

that's all the time that we have For. The heat check We'll be back monday with. A new episode follow us to prepare you. For the playoffs do not, Forget to download do not, Forget to subscribe tell your friends and follow us at this heat check And trist to Quick on TikTok WoT talking. About, HOT drama LAD i didn't i didn't. Come Home Up. Damn holy dama