Welcome in into the NBA Pulse production of iHeartRadio in the NBA. I'm Sarahkustack, NBA analyst for the S Network, and today is Monday, March fourth, and from our extraordinary core group of NBA journalists, we're joined now by NBA dot Com Senior writer Sean Powell and Sean Ooh. It's a Monday. We had a great weekend. We saw some history being maded in a lot of levels of the game. But we are going to start with a just absolute blowout.
I thought we were going to have a good Sunday afternoon matinee game between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, and it was a beating. The Celtics won eighty eight. Jalen Brown had twenty nine points win, five to ten from the three point line in just twenty two minutes.
Wow, mammoth tammer there from Brown off the delivery from White.
Tatum had twenty seven points in twenty five minutes. But right out of the gates, they just locked down and they were extraordinary. And so my question to you, we've continued to see this. Boston has very much separated themselves ahead of the pack. There, eight and a half games ahead of the second place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference. They've had the best record in the NBA for much
of the season. Are the Celtics after watching what they did yesterday and over the course of the season, compilation of this group and what they do at both ends of the floor, are they your favorites at this juncture?
Well, if you look at the evidence, Sarah, it's hard to say they wouldn't be a favorite. I don't know about the favorite. We'll get into that in a minute. But look, they beat the Warriors by fifty two. They beat the Pacers about fifty one. And by the way, these are pretty good teams. The Clippers by thirty seven, Miami Heat by thirty three, Dallas Mavericks by twenty eight, Sacramento Kings by twenty five, the four and zero against the Knicks. They've only lost three home games. I mean,
they're beating good teams. It's not like, you know, they're feasting up on, you know, the struggling teams or whatever, and then they fold a little bit whenever they're presented with a challenge. So this team is rolling and they have two other things going for the three actually number one, Jason Tatum, who in my opinion, should be an MVP finalist.
Holiday Brown, spinning, kicking, Tatum, catch fire, hands hit from three. It is a fifty one point Boston League.
Number two. Their death is just incredible. I mean, they go eight players the ease the lead, and they can throw some other role players in there to fill out the rotation depending on the matchup. And finally, you know, they don't lose it home. It lost three times at home. So for all those reasons, are they the favorite? Absolutely? Particularly in East. If you're asking me, am I going to take the Celtics or the field in the East,
I'm saying, Sarah, are you okay? You know, yeah, you know over Milwaukee, over the Diggs, over Miami, and I know mimmy went to the Eastern Conference.
Find what if Embiid comes back? What if Embiid comes back for Philly? Does that change your dynamic and the Sixers?
Yes, yes, although I would probably say that they would probably provide the stiffest test. But keep in mind that and be not only be coming back from an injury, but this is an mbad who historically in the playoffs has gotten run out of gas. You know, sometimes if you're a big guy, you got to run up and down the court, you know, all those times, then deeper you go, and all of a sudden, it's not April,
it's May. You know, sometime that takes a toll. And now we're asking a player coming off an injury to suddenly have some freshness when history says he hasn't. So And besides, I think that the Celtics could throw some bodies at him. I'm not saying they wouldn't stop him and neutralize him, but they could make him work. And uh So, anyway, I would say the Celtics even with healthy NB back. So yeah, if we're looking at the East Celtics of the field, I'm checking you to make
sure you're feeling okay. If you take the field, you.
Don't need to check me to make sure I'm feeling okay. However, a big picture, broad picture, I still when we're looking not just in the East entirety of the league. Though, I still would lean if these two teams meet the Denver Nuggets in the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, I still would take the Denver Nuggets. A couple things that do concern me and They're seemingly no concerns about
the Boston Celtics. Look at the way they're playing, but first in the league and offensive ratings second in the league and defensive rating. I've talked about how they do it at both ends. You mentioned their depth, the way that Jason Tatum is playing really at an MVP level. Compliments of the entirety of the team, but how Drew Holliday has fitting Chris ep porzingis just everyone very much
understanding their roles. I think it will be and we talked about this before the podcast, a test once again for Jomas here in his second year, a little bit more comfort with this group taking over and what it looks like what they want to do in the postseason. But how does that translate into the playoffs? I also think overall, with a team like Boston first in the league in three point shooting, takes makes all of it.
How sometimes you know, does that ebb and flow throughout the course of the playoffs if you're having an off night. But the Nuggets I just think are battle tested their experience. They too have depth, and if you're looking at who is the best player on the floor, I would go
with Nikola Jokic, but it's it's been extraordinary. As I mentioned what Boston has done throughout the course of this season and just how far away they have run from the pack and how well that they have been playing collective.
I totally agree with you. I think the only team that I could see beating Boston and a best of seven series would be the Denver Nuggets. I think in that situation, I would be closely watching a few things. One as you know, once you get into a best of seventies, just locked against one team, so you know you can gain plan against just that one team. And in that situation, I think coaching looms a little bit larger, okay, just in terms of strategy, just in terms of adjustments
and things like that. And Michael Malone is championship tested. Joe Missoula on the other hand, and you know, yes, he has shown some growth in his second season. They kind of helped him out a little bit by you know, changing the coaching staff a little bit, Jeff and Gundhi. I believe it's an advisor, so they've kind of helped him out a little bit from last year this year. But he still has to prove himself in that situation.
The other thing is the last time we saw Jason Tatum and the NBA Finals against Warriors a few years ago, he didn't have it. Now, you could say that Andrew Wiggins locked him up or whatever. They had Draymond Green all that, that's fine, but he didn't have it. And then last year Jaylen Brown didn't have it and they lost to Miami. So again, there are three principles of the Boston Celtics who I really really have to see. And I know it's weird saying a guy like Jason
Tatum has to prove himself. I mean, come on, guys, you know he's a legend in a making, if I might say, but he has to prove himself in that situation. Same thing with Jaylen Brown and Joe Missoula. Those three principles I really have to see in a championship setting best of seven against a proven winner like the Denver Nuggets.
I feel you. Speaking of the Denver Nuggets and the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets recently had a window that included history the great Lebron James, first player in NBA history. Of course, he is the all time scorer in league history, but he passed the forty thousand point plateau James against Porter Drive.
Spence gets inside.
It's good.
It's forty thousand for Lebron James, the NBA's all time leading scorer.
With another milestone. As a legend of Lebron continues to grow, It's extraordinary. It's absolutely wild to think in the counting stats and numbers of things that Lebron James have done are nothing short of truly remarkable and unbelievable. It did so with twenty six points in a loss though against that Denver Nuggets team. And right now the play in show on the plane is lit in the Western Conference.
I don't know if these teams are excited about it, but if this is how things sit, it's going to be really interesting to watch the way in which things progress. Because currently you have the five through ten seeds are separated by just three and a half games. But right now, as it sits in that seven, eight, nine ten spot Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant currently hurt Devin Booker, but you
know you've got a loaded team there. Dallas is in number eight Golden State Warriors and number nine the Lakers and number ten, So we'll see how that all shakes out. What do you make of just the way things look the top teams, the circumferences is now have been pretty consistent throughout the course of this year. Okay, see Minnesota, Denver all kind of battling right there in those top three spots, Clippers right behind them in that fourth spot.
Or what are your expectations for what this playing looks like and just what that means with some of those big name stars and those we have seen in the playoffs year after year after year in many cases, you know, the finals, Western Conference Finals. What's your take on this and just your perspective as it sits currently.
Well, what's interesting is before the season start, if you told me what four teams would have a better chance of being the top four teams in the West, would it be Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Clippers in Denver, or would
it be Dallas, the Warriors, Phoenix and the Lakers. Probably lean a little bit more to the teams who are right now in a play a situation, I would say that if it holds firm, if you're talking about a play in tournament featuring Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Luka, Dondoc Kyrie, Irvings, Steph Currige, Raymond Green, Anthony Davis, Lebron James. That might be better, more exciting anyway, given the stakes than you know,
any other playoff situation. I mean, because you're talking about if depending on who loses in the first who's who's out in the first, you know, first game of the playing tournament, like say Lakers, that could lead to major off season changes. If it's the Warriors, that could lead to major off season changes. So again we keep in mind the stakes here. You know, Lebron James is on the clock right his contract is up after this season.
If he doesn't even make the playoffs, man, that's going to be a lot of questions with the West anyway. You're talking about legendary players in a crucial, potentially do or die situation. One game, one loss or two losses and they're done. I just think that it's really heightened. It's not to say that it's going to end up this way. Maybe gets to the top six, maybe Sacramento falls, maybe Dallas cause something time, who knows. But as right here, right now, that play is situation in West is fire.
It is and I know for all of us we can't wait to watch. I also will say I don't
know who comes out of it. You're right, there is a little bit of wiggle room here between those five and six spots, But that's where I think the true test will come with the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who just had a one point loss to the Clippers last night and had some botch plays down the stretch because of that, And that's something you've seen at times throughout the course of the year with the Timberwolves,
their inability to execute down the stretch. And so I think similar to what we saw with the Warriors playing the Sacramento Kings last year, going to seven games and in advancing, I think that's where the true test will come in of some of these experienced teams Lebron James, included, Steph Curry, you name it, they probably believe, Hey, just get us in and it doesn't matter who we face, what the matchup is. We've been here before and we
will figure out how to make it work. But for all of us NBA fans, I think we're very fortunate and very excited to see how the rest of the season, the postseason continues. Sean, We're gonna take a quick break, but we've got a good slate tonight. We're gonna get to welcome back to NBA Polstar Acoustak joined by the great Sean Pyle and Sean. We got a good one tonight in Milwaukee, it's the Clippers visiting the Bucks on
NBA TV. Tip time is eight pm Eastern. Just mentioned Clippers coming off of a win last night, but you're looking at two teams. Milwaukee currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference. It feels like they're starting to figure things out under Doc Rivers. They are just a half game though, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Clippers. Is we have talked about where things sit. They're kind of solidified
in that four spot in the Western Conference. But again say type of thing that all teams are trying to start getting things together here after the l Star break to play their best basketball as they head into the postseason. What are your expectations for this matchup tonight? What are you what are you looking for?
In particular, Well, in a sense, both of these teams managed to quiet the noise. The Clippers managed to do that because if you remember, right after getting James Harden in the trade. You know, it looked bad. They're losing streets, couldn't win, they looked sloppy, out of sync and everything. And since then they've been, you know, pretty much rolling on a roll, and they've solidified themselves. They actually have a shot if they put the pedal to the medal
of having the best record in the West. And again, who saw that. So they've quieted the noise a little bit. Milwaukee Bucks, after starting out slow, defense turned to mush Damon Lillard. Just the whole synergy thing with Giannis took some time. They end up firing Adrian Griffin. Doc Rivers comes in. Subsequently, they go on a losing street much like the Clippers did after they got James Harden in a lot of noise. Doc Rivers doesn't have it, blah blah.
And now ever, since then, they've righten the ship and they're right where I would think people would have had them anyway, pretty much ride it the number two spot in the East behind the Boston Celtics. So I think for both of these teams, I say they are trending in the right direction, Sarah. And finally, you might say Giannie has been phenomenal lately. Damian Lillard has hit some big shots. Basically, that's why they brought him in to
hit those big shots. And you know, and now they'd have to get Chris Middleton healthy and then we'll see what this team is heading into the playoffs. You know, with the Clippers, again, this is not a do or die game with them. I think they've kind of made their statement. Russell Westbrook's got to get healthy, obviously, but
this team is loaded. And I mentioned that word help because you haven't heard that much, but the Clippers this year amazingly, you know, Kawhi Leonard for the most part, Paul George for the most part, have been relatively healthy, and we're finally seeing what they can do over an extended period of time given help. Obviously, it's the Clippers. You got to keep your fingers crossed going to the playoffs.
But again, if you look at the West and where the Clippers stand right now and what they might be capable of doing, they could be the team that gives the Denver Nuggets the most.
Trouble staying in that Western conference. And we've talked about the Lakers, we talked about Okay, see kind of toggling there up at the top for that top seed in the Western Conference. They will follow that game on NBA TV at ten thirty pm Eastern. That game that matchup what obviously Lakers really need to win. Okay see though as well, given what they want to do, what jumps out to you in this one that you're going to keep an eye on.
Well, when you look at the Oklahoma City Thunder, they've been basically again, they've been blessed with good health. They haven't really missed any of their players, their star players in the rotation for any extended period of time. You know, they forced a lot of turnovers, they've got Shay, they've got some good balance, and you look at them and you're like, Okay, when are they going to stumble? Well,
they haven't stumbled, Sarah. I mean, they've been like Minnesota, They've pretty much been near or at the top since the season started. They've beaten the Clippers, Sacramento, and Denver. Those are some pretty good teams lately. And then when you just look at the Lakers, the Lakers have a treacherous schedule. You know, they lost to Denver, they play ok see tonight, and they've got Milwaukee, Sacramento and Minnesota at home. That's not easy, even though it's at home.
They go to Sacramento and they come back home and play the Warriors. That is that we're going to learn a lot about the Lakers over the next say, ten ten days or two weeks, just in terms of where they're going to stand, what kind of statement they can make, how much of the more they're going to need from Lebron James, who's been phenomenal, just phenomenal. And yet they haven't moved from like the nine or ten spot in the West. If they're still there or even lower, maybe
can they propiti go any lower and fall out? I don't think so. But if they're still at number ten after the stretch, you're like, when are they ever going to rise?
I feel your Sean, Paul. It is going to be fun and as always, we appreciate all of your time and we will continue to watch read all the things on NBA TV tonight, including those good matchups here this evening until next time. Thanks as always, sounds good, Sarah, I mean Your Pulse with Sarahkuzsack is a production the NBA and iHeart Radio. Please rate, review, and subscribe on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts