Lillard gets a start Lillard, it goes and one for Damian Lillard.
Wow, what a debut.
Welcome into NBA Pulse. I'm Sarah Kustack, NBA analyst for the Yes Network. Today is Friday, October twenty seventh, and from our extraordinary core group of NBA journalists. We're joined now by NBA dot Com senior writer Steve Ashburner and Ash you are in Milwaukee. You got to experience the thrill of being ad Pfizer Forum last night for the Bucks Philadelphia seventy six ers matchup the debut of Dame Lillard in that Milwaukee Bucks uniform. How you doing this morning.
Well, I'm doing great, and Milwaukee fans, I think are doing even better than me, because you know, every so often, I mean, you know, you look at these things on paper and you get the quotes, and you hear people talk about this sort of stuff. But I mean, this played out on the floor as if it had been scripted.
The atmosphere Adfiser Forum was playoff like the opening Night's a big deal, but this was bigger than that because of what this potentially means for the very end of the season, as opposed to the very start of the season, and yeah, I mean it was. It was a really good game to be at. I did in Chicago the night before, so I know, we right don't want to talk too much about the Bulls performance there. So if that was one sort of opening night, this was a
proper sort of opening night. The atmosphere, the performances, in the significance.
Yeah, so let's get into it. One eighteen one to seventeen Milwaukee Bucks win came down to the finish, and Damian Lillard was sensational. After spending those eleven years with Portland, he comes out of this one thirty nine points, eight rebounds. He was seventeen of seventeen from the free throw line. Giannis had twenty three points thirteen rebounds Philadelphia. I mean this was a game of runs. Milwaukee in that first
half at some point had a nineteen point lead. They closed things out towards the end of the game with a nineteen to two run. Coming back after the seventy six Ers had a tremendous showing. No James Harden still without the team. We'll get into that in a little bit. But Joel Embiid twenty four points. Tyre Smaxi thirty one points. Kelly Oubre had twenty seven off the bench. That was
four seventy six ers with at least twenty points. But Damian Lillard specifically, there was so much speculation, expectation how well he would fit in with this Milwaukee team, with the roster of the personnel, with how he plays with Giannis and Tatakunpo, Adrian Griffin as well in his first year as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach. What stood out to you most about this performance by Dame in this setting.
Well, I'll be honest with you, I think the the confidence of Damian Lillard struck me. And I've seen him play you know, uh fair amount during during his his long career to this point. But to hear him afterwards and and just it all sort of fell into place. Why a guy his size can be can have such a great impact on NBA games and an NBA team.
I mean, he is a professional scorer. He can explain down to the most minute movement what he did and say his last three pointer where he got, you know he got I think it was Kelly Oubre junior sort of dancing, uh, change direction, change direction, Debbie Lillard reported.
Flies Debbie Lillard doing what he does.
What he saw in order to initiate his Just the way he breaks that down, it's so technical sounding and yet it is all done and processed in you know, split seconds. And and to me, I mean, there's the books didn't have anybody, you know, capable of that sort of professionalism as a late game offensive player. You know, it was a lot of in the past, It's been a lot of you take the shot, no, you tell
you know, it's like it's a hot potato. And ultimately, honest, because of his status with the team, would try to make something happen. And now they have this guy, and you know they're they're happy to hand over the ball to him. That trust in his reputation, his game, you know, it's there from the very beginning. And and that's a credit to Jannis Frankly and to the other the rest of the Bucks that they will let this the new guy.
You know, we all are around situations where we're either the new guy or we're around the new guy, and it's like there's that time where it takes to you know, yet let him be a part of the group, or or where he just naturally feels a part man. That has been fast tracked. Damian Lillard is ready to go. They are ready to have him, and it all showed up on the very first night of the season for them. So that to me is just professional game closing, offensive master.
Without a doubt. And Yannis even said this is Dame's team, which you know, see how that plays out, but just an example of the unselfishness. It's gonna be interesting to watch you easing Chris Middleton back in. He played sixteen minutes and had six points, but sacrifices he will make. How Adrian Griffin continues to work that in and as you mentioned, you know, the ability to have someone to close, put the ball in their hands and understand how to
finish games. That's exactly who Damian Lillard is and that's exactly what this Milwaukee team needed. With that being said, are they the title favorites in your mind?
Well, I don't. I don't consider them the title favorites. I think Boston because of the addition to Drew Holliday and obviously with prazingis prior to even the Lillard deal. I think Boston got every every bit as much better as the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee got what he needed, he needed offense, he needed it, needed a sense of what happens late in close games. But you know, Drew Holliday is a defensive master, just as as uh Liar is an offensive master. I think the Bucks will miss that.
I think Boston will benefit from that. Having given up Marcus Smart in the Porzingis deal, that's a pretty good clawback to end up with Drew Holliday in their backcourt as as a you know, quote unquote replacement. So I don't consider them the favorite, but I do think they're a better team than they were overall because they needed
Lillard and and could sacrifice a little bit defensively. But they will miss I just think it's a two man Eastern paferend or two team Eastern Conference for the most part, and then Killer West, and we'll see who emergants from both.
With that being said, two team Eastern Conference, there was some thought heading into this offseason, early on, at some point that Philadelphia would have something to say about that, and it's not to say they still won't. To think about the fact, as I mentioned, four players with at least twenty points last night, Kelly Ubre really strong off the bench, Joel Embiid doing his thing. Tyree Maxey was excellent, but without James Harden, he is not with the team,
told not to come on the trip. What is your expectation with what will happen with this James Harden situation? In just how Nick Nurse in his first year with Toronto trying to manage this, how he addressed the media with this circumstances situation.
Yeah, well it's it's obviously, it's sore points. It's a cloud for now the over the Sixers, Nick Nurse, asked directly about the hardened situation, gave sort of a tight lipped official response. You know, there's been a report that James came back to the team and that the team has left him off this trip for conditioning purposes, and that was it. Now. They're also is talk that the Sixers are not bothered by this. The players are not
bothered by this. And look, every coach I've ever covered will say I'm here to coach the guys that are in this room, and they don't worry about who's injured. They don't worry about the trade rumors. I don't know the guys they you know, they focus on the task at hand. And you know it's sort of self fulfilling. You have to do that. But players, I think maybe
it can be the same way. This is an opportunity for Tyrese, Maxim, Kelly Hubray Junior, who was as I understand it, I mean, he's a one year Verian minimums deal who signed rather late in the summertime. He was available for anybody, and you know, I mean he was a godsend in that game when it looked like the Bucks were going to blow them out earlier in the evening, you know, he and Maxie kept things going. Maxy to me is he's going to flourish without James Harden on
the court because of the way he plays. He's in constant motion. The Sixers get him the ball when he's headed downhill. He's so quick and it's it puts incredible stress on an NBA defense. The way Maxie plays, He's got so much bounce in his game. So to a man, look, I was never a great hardened proponent in the best of James time, where he was, you know, an MVP candidate.
I didn't like watching his style of play. But to think that he could come in now past his prime and do anything similar to what he has always done, which is to pound the ball and you know, maybe hand it off, you know, when there's three seconds left in the shop clock. I think Philadelphi will be the
worst for it. And I think that the biggest hurtle, beyond the fact you want consistency from Maxi and Ubra and Anthony Melton and others who will pick up minutes from this, is getting Joel and Bid to wrap his head around this that he he has these young guys who can be extremely effective. They're not top seventy five status players. And he looks at Janis who now has this new shiny Damian Lillard next to him, and you know, Embiids seemed a little detached last night for much of
the game. He sounded fine afterward, but it was it's like he's going to have to get on board with this and it's going to frankly take you know, good feedback in the results. You know, if they fall, you know, under five hundred and stay there for you know, a chunk of the season, it'll be tough. I think on him to be the MVP type player that he was last year. If they win some games and these young
guys play a big role in that. I think indeed can can see two that maybe they're gonna be better off than a continuing to age James Harden going back to old waves.
We will be watching. It did take a nineteen to two run by Milwaukee to come back for that one point when they're on their home floor, and in another one of the others. Tobias Harris has often talked about shots and usage and in field goal to twenty point. He will have his opportunities as well. We're gonna take a quick break, but coming back man. We had a banging lineup last night, not only Milwaukee Philly, but the Lakers in the Suns and Lebron James in his twenty
first year looking like a twenty one year old. Don't go on right.
Watch Lebron James in this high chicken roll. Find one of the shooters in the quarter screen from Davis takes it in. James puts it in. Oh, he puts his way for two big plays.
Qua James.
Welcome back to NBA Pulse, Sarahkustak joined by the great Steve Ashburner, as we had two tremendous games last night there in our Thursday Showcases, we begin this season and it gets underway out west. The Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns five point game. It was tremendous. Now Sons were down a few players still no Bradley Beal and no Devin Booker with a sore right foot. He is hopefully expected to play on Saturday when Phoenix takes on the
Utah Jazz. However, it was tremendous watching Lebron James Kevin Durant. We hadn't seen that in quite some time due to injuries. And there was the discussion of Lebron James, especially after that Denver Nuggets game, about a minutes limit, how they will use him, what type of restrictions in here his twenty first year played just twenty nine minutes in that Denver Nuggets loss, thirty five minutes. He was tremendous in the fourth quarter, had ten points in that frame alone.
Finishes with twenty one to eight and nine. Anthony Davis with thirty points and twelve rebounds. Kevin Durant had thirty nine points and eleven rebounds. Big big third quarter for Durant, but a lot of attention, a lot of focus on him. When you look at the Lakers, you look at Lebron James, you look at what they're trying to accomplish here this season. What stands out to you about an opener like that one in the matchup we see between two greats of the game.
Well, I mean you mentioned Lebron in his twenty first season.
I've seen players in their twenty first seasons, whether it's Kevin Garnett or Kevin Willis way back when, or Vince Carter, and you know, you you naturally see them at the tail end of careers in terms of the players they are on the floor, They they receive, they take a lesser role within their team, and you know, everyone's happy to have them around, but it's like their best days are past and that's that, and eventually they'll they'll get
their retirement ceremony. With Lebron, it's different. I mean, he is still has he has top of the line performances in him, and I think what it comes down to with him is how deep into games can he continue to be effective on any given nights inside right too, you know the Lakers going to be in trouble if they need Lebron to play thirty five minutes in order
to win games. You know, if he's opening night, he played what twenty nine and they lost, and so you know, it's it's they still are Lebron dependent beyond what they were supposed to be when Anthony Davis came aboard this This baton was supposed to have been handed off a while ago. And I think Davis, with his injuries, with his personality, I think he has be deviled Lebron a bit by not being able to or willing to or whatever to take over the you know, the centerpiece status
for that team on a nightly basis. You know, that's that's that's a source of frustration and a lot of speculation in terms of, you know, is that ever going to happen with Davis? So, you know, I thought the Lakers roster was improved, you know, tremendously in the off season.
But if the dynamic of Lebron having to be the guy who carries in his twenty first year, if that, if that isn't lessened by what these other guys do, and you know, everything takes a little time, chemistry and and you know, new roles in a pecking order and all of that, but it does need to happen otherwise I have a hard time taking the Lakers seriously as a top contender, I know, playoffs or not. You know, the back to backs in the playoffs, and Lebron is
in incredible shape. You know, I've always said he's the best conditioned and prepared the physically player in team sport history. You know, at least that I'm aware of. But by the time you get to May, if if if somebody else isn't isn't stepping up on a regular basis, and somebody else's Davis, I don't see them coming out of the West.
Yeah, and that's where I think the interesting part with Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham talked about this after the game about him being aggressive and ad has thirty points scoreless, and the fourth part it was Lebron James need to take over then And you know, you look at this game and it was tremendous. It was fun to watch. But the fact that Phoenix was with no Bradley Beal
and no Devin Booker, so they were down guys. They're a very top heavy team at that so the fact that it took all of that, took all of that from from Lebron. It's going to be interesting to see your point. I'm also just I continue to be fascinated by this Phoenix team because the Lakers threw everything, through everything at Kevin Durant there in that third quarter and or in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, Durant
went off and he was bananas. But then after that, you know, you look at what he had to do, the responsibility he had to take on the fourth quarter. I mean, Lakers go into the fourth quarter down twelve points, and that's where I think the questions come in about how these teams match up. And continuing to talk, we talked about title favors, favorites and Milwaukee and what it
looks like in the East in the West. Hill, I think, you know, Denver is one that we continue to look at with the completeness of their team, the depth of their team. So I'm fascinated to watch how this continues to play out. But in partin killer with how much of a load Lebron James, despite what they're trying to do, how they're trying to manage it, how much of a load that he has to carry. We're going to be
tracking it all season long. As always, Ash, we appreciate you, We appreciate your time, and we look forward to a great start to the season.
Travel safe, We're talking with you, Sarah.
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