Nightcap - Hour 1: Jokic cements MVP, Can Luka upset Clippers?

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Hello, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for staying up late again and joining another episode of Nightcap. I am your favorite Ancle Shannon Sharp. He's your favorite Number zero Arizona Wildcat, Legend Wizard, Great Gil Number zero Haibotchi Mayam once scored what sixty points in some Cole Hans yep, saw it myself live in person, gilb with Arenas. Please make sure you hit that like button. Please make sure you hit

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Gil. I hate to break it to you.

I think there's only one of two games left, but Nicola Yoki sowed up the MVP to not the Nuggets beat the Templewoards one sixteen to one.

On seven.

Nicola Yogic forty one points, eleven rebounds, seven or six three steals on sixteen of twenty shooting, and he did it against the guy many Believa will win the Defensive Player of the Year. He made mince meat out of it. If I'm Rudy Gobert, I'm sick because every time he.

Goes up against nicolea yogic Gil, he cooking for forty.

Yeah. You know, the thing about that is.

Showing how Rudy plays him, which is he's not guarding him as a man. He's a secondary defender, which means these defensive wards you're getting, you're not getting it stopping the guy. That's a problem, right, yo, kid, Just who are you gonna get? Anderson for most of the part nas red and then Rudy sitting in the back trying to block the shot and alter the shot. You can say you're a great defensive player of the year and you can't even actually guard the best player, like yeah.

He had forty because you want.

To sit back there protecting the rim instead of blocking and guarding the guy that.

Is the threat.

I think they started out probably with you know, you know, you try to give him a different look. Any great score or guys, you try to give him a different look. You don't want to give him a steady diet of anything. They are very few guys that were at that elite level. You know, back in the day, Rodman would take the best player and he would guard him the entire game. Or you had Jordan would do it for some for

Also.

But this is why I believe when the Yama Wimby should win Defensive Player of the Year, because this defensive player of the year, who's the best defensive player, not who's on the best defensive team.

Uh huh.

Because let me ask you this, if I took when if I took ro Gobert off that team and I put in Winby, would they be better or worse? And if I put Gobert on the Spurs, would they improve? No, Wimby is a better defender than Rudy Gobert because you know how I know they had a three on one and ain't nobody want to lay it up?

You take it now? You go ahead, Hey, as a matter of fact, let's kick it out to the three.

And then he wouldn't even take the three because he saw a Womby headed out that way. So for me, Gil, I think Wemby should be when the Fenstive Player of the Year. I don't know if it's ever happened before a rookie wins the Fenstive Player of the Year, But if there's ever a year where a rookie should win the award with such prestige, this is the year should happen.

It is this, This is his award.

I mean it's hands down defensive player, meaning he's guarding the ball, he's help side, he's defending. Yeah, he got a hit for seventy and six. But he took the challenge. Yeah, he took the challenge to try to guard these guys, knowing that he couldn't stop Jokisch, He couldn't stop and be those were learning Those are learning games, and he's grown from the first day we seen him to now yes, it looks like a whole different player, and he does me watching this game today, this.

Is the battle of number one and Rudy. You didn't want to take the challenge? You, No, I don't blame. It would be the.

Guy that is the winner. Joki says, all right, look at I got the NDP on the line. I'm gonna show you what I'm gonna do. And I don't I don't get why white teams put guards and small forwards on Yokish, but it's just dumb basketball.

Back gil.

I think they look at it and he doesn't have the musculature or of Dwhite Howard, or he's not a skulpting like an Elies. You want to have the caps on his shoulder like a David Robinson. So you just look at it. You're like, man, he just looked like a blob. I mean, he ain't got no definition, he ain't got nothing. The only cuss on him is that when people scratch it. He probably ain't got no cuss on his knees or anything like that, or you know, scrapes on his legs or nothing. And so you probably

Yeah, you wouldn't put you wouldn't put a small guy on Zach Randolph when he played or Marc Gasol, right, had the same body and the same type of.

Movie he is skilled with.

Yes, you're not gonna bait him to throw all of his weight on you.

No, he's just gonna move around.

He's just gonna keep moving to you get and you're so small compared to him. When he does decide to shoot, you're nowhere Like this is like Kate putting the guard on KD. He doesn't sit down there right, like fucking fly. Sorry about that word. You're a fly in his world? Yeah, right, and that and that's that's just the honest troop, Like why are you putting why are you putting smaller guys on him? You just you're just feeding him.

Yeah.

And the thing is Gil that he is so good at and the grapes are really good at. He knows the moment you anchor, he spins off the boot the moment he feels you you th thirty, you break yourself like, oh you playing for this? And he just if you notice, he'll just keep like okay, oh that's a little harder. Oh into the basket he goes, and then with damn, I thought I had no and he gil. I'll be honest, I don't know if I've ever seen a guy. Only

Zach Randolf like like Zach was all my head, Zach. I don't think Zacho was shot anything with but it was. You know guys like that, you remember, uh was it sweetening? Right? Had had a nice touch.

You know, Guys that are not very athletic in their yes, they usually have a great feel around that basket. And that's why you have to keep him away from it with lean. Let let him try to alter and throw shots up. And he shoots the ball with such I mean blocking that shot. I mean he's shooting from way

It's going in clock widing down.

It does not matter one foot, wrong foot, two feet, it doesn't matter.

Gill, You're right, You're right, You're right about that. But I did I think. I think tonight he sold it up the MVP.

Gill.

His last seven games is forty one eleven and seven three steals sixteen of twenty twenty eight, thirteen seven three steals thirteen twenty nineteen, fourteen, eleven assists, three steals six of thirteen, thirty six, seventeen, ten assists fourteen to twenty four, forty two sixteen, six assists, two blocks, eighteen to thirty two, twenty six, eighteen, sixteen assists eleven of eighteen thirty two, ten five eleven of twenty four. It's over Gil, No, No,

Just one of those things where.

If this was last year or the year before, we wouldn't even be questioning who the nd it is, right, But the fact that he's probably gotten one or two that wasn't actually his. So now you want to try to figure out how not to them. Yeah, right, and at this point the milk is spilt. You can't do nothing about it. You can't rob them today, right, you can't today. You can't penalize him for what you did two years agoing three, you can't do it.

This is he earned this one.

You know what it is, Gil if the old sam my grandma said, boy, you can't pun in somebody for the seins of their father because they get because because somebody made a mistake or you robbed somebody else. You can't make it right now. You can't make it right now. I mean, look, and I understand, man, but like some of the greats, ain't with that. Ain't got nothing to do with me. Some of You're right, some of the grades didn't win three and four years.

But where we are now and what and what he's doing.

I don't And I'm not so sure it's going to be closed. I really don't. I don't really think it's going to be closed. I know Luca, Luca has been on an equally impressive tear. But I think that what's helping Yoke.

Is that when Murray went down, and Murray had rested that knee, and he's doing this and because remember he did a lot of this and what was that that year that Murray was out, Remember and he put up these number It's like, oh, he got to give it to him.

Yeah, so what else? What I'm saying.

His team was ten, they had the ten the best record, right, So he nailed the Denver up to the ten best record, right, that's holding that holding him up, right, But they found a way to give it to him.

Is he going to be the worst player on that list? Yeah?

But someone has to be it, right, Someone has to be the worst on that list.

Oh you think he's the worst MVP.

I mean, I don't know if there's such a thing, but three and four years.

I want to I want to be the poorest billionaire. Someone has to be ten. I'd rather be on that list than not on it, exactly. I'd rather be on the list. Hey, hey, hey, someone needs to be ten.

I'll take it right now. You were talking about Defensive Player of the Year. This is rookie's winby season. He has eight games with at least seven blocks in seventy career games. Rudy Gobert has seven games with at least seven blocks in seven hundred and fifty four games, he's a better defender, and people like, what, oh, but he's seven to four. Y'all may seem like Rudy go best six two? What damn he said he wined Rudy seven two. Yes, defending is defending.

I don't care.

If you nine feet and then then somebody can't score. That is called defending. Now, I want to put it out there today. When he wins this award as.

A as A as A as.

A, do not get rids fatigue and voters fatigue and voting. Yeah, they might be winning to the row. He might be Wayne Gretsky in this defensive war.

He should I like it like baseball, like the Golden the golod Gloves. I mean, you know, Griffy, Griffy had like a streaker, like what ten Barns won, Like, hey, bron if you're the best as something key eight man. You know, he don't want enough for him. He don't want five in the row, six in a row. So if he's the best, day, give it to him.

NBA and the NBA we have a problem with that. That's our one problem that we have that we they get tired of voting for.

The same person and you can't. You can't. You gotta stop it.

At some point you got to give the people who deserve it their awards. And you can see that Winby could hold this thing down for a while.

Oh yeah, for sure and that.

But and then people were like, well, man, man, look I taught Winby is Wimby Sam four.

I say, man, y'all talk about it. Y'all talk about Rudy Gobert like he muggsy bowls. He's Sam too, Sam two and a half something. So it's not I mean we're splitting hairs here.

I mean there.

I mean Draymond what Draymond sixty six, sixty seven, He's defensive player over the year.

Jordan was six six. Albert Robertson was six four.

One of the few men in the NBA history ever have a quadruple double did it with steals.

I mean, for the most part, big man are usually the ones that win it. You know, you have Shaquille O'Neil. I don't even know if he wants no, shack ain't never won, never won one. But you got uh, David Robinson, a team, Elijah Wan.

These are big guys. I mean they're just getting bigger now.

I say, maybe artist Gilmore won it way back when. But uh yeah, I think.

Now gil with.

But the guards because remember GP won Jordan one, Alvin Robertson won Robin was was six eighty.

He won it twice.

Uh yeah, but that probably you're probably right because of shot blocking.

Yep, shot blocking, blocking, rebounding, like and now guys.

And now guys are getting really good with their hands. Now they're kind of deflections as as a as a defensive stat and guys were like, well hold on, damn, y'all just adding stuff, tried to find way to create categories. It's like a it's like a it's like a defensive back. Well, he had seven deflections. What that means he didn't catch the ball?

You know what I'm saying.

I thought they checked you with the catchall, not deflect the ball. So he deflected why he steal it? So I get it. But I think this was This was a great game last night. It was close between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves. But late with probably like the last five minutes, the Nugget Nuggets blew the game wide open and they coached it from there. But Jokich had an unbelievable night forty one, forty one eleven, seven sists, three steals on sixteen of twenty Mayfield goals.

So the Nuggets moved to first.

In the West and needs to win the last two or one of their last two and have OKC in Minnesota League. Lose one of those and they would be the number one seed in the Western Conference.

Got the Maverick go ahead. I kind of.

Got to since those last five minutes, I kind of got this. Since the last five minutes they didn't want to win that game. Who didn't Minnesota?

Why not?

Just something about everybody's shooting for Pelicans right now? I think everybody want to play the Pelicans first round. I think every like that third that third seed looks amazing right now, that second seed and that first seed. You're gonna either play Clippers, Dallas, Lakers, or Sons.

I'm sorry that third seed them right, yeah, give me them? Yeah. I think the thing is, uh, well, I know who did want to win?

A different want to win because Yoga say give me the down because he had like four straight possessions where he went right into Rudy Gober's chips.

He say, give me, give me the ball. I want to win.

They don't want to win. Okay, Well, I'm a hip y'all, and I want to win. I'm better take this game over.

And you know who like man handle An He's god damn way. The man clinch a top six seed in the West with a win over the Heat and the Clippers on the MAVs are officially facing off in round one. It seems like the Clippers can't get away from Luca.

They can't get away from Luca, then about the hour they try. New teams have been horder than the Mavericks going into the playoff. The Map just won their fifth straight game and have won sixteen of the last eight. Team with Luca averaging almost to triple double this season thirty four points, nine point eight assists, nine point two rebounds. Kyrie Irvin twenty five point six, five point two five rebounds per game, shooting forty nine and a half. Come on, kay,

So he's point five behind that right now.

I ain't taking no more threes, hey, I'll bet sure.

I'll bet sure. I'll stay that year. And right now I shoot number layup.

I get I would go about five, go five for seven.

Luca, go ahead and take this thing over. They can't catch you for the scored league. Uh but BD, you're right. I watched the Mavericks tonight and they'll do it. Did a job on the heat.

Luca and Kyrie took the game over, had a big lead, they whittle it down.

And then those guys.

Gafford has been a godsend because he's active and so now Luca can do what he does. And you got so focused on Luca. Next thing you know, Luca's doing this and the man's dunking the backwards Lively Lively. I think Lively might be injured right now.

PJ.

Washington has been been a great, great knockdown shots, decent defender. Get on the boards, because look, their problem is never gonna be offense. Their problem is gonna be They're probably is gonna be stopping people. They're gonna look, Luke, look, we know Luca and Kai between the two can give you sixty easy on a nightly basis. So that's not that's not going to be their issue. They can get hot from three with Hardaway Junior. We know Luca can get hot, Kay can get hot.

PJ.

Washington can get hot. So we know they can score. But in a nip tuck ball game, can you get stopped? Clutch time? That's what playoff basketball. A lot of time comes down to last five minutes game, within five can you get stopped?

Well, they're playing against the Clippers and Luca owns them. Oh, hey, damaged, damn near faulty. I mean last ten games alone, he's averaged thirty seven against them. Yeah, for his career against them. That means as a rookie. Also, he's averaging thirty two against the Clippers.

Right, he lived. You remember what he did?

He Paul George all the remember Oh nobody played defense on the perimeter. Ooh, they might be the best of Scotty and Mike Lucas, say give.

Me each one of them.

Hey, as a matter of fact, Cal, I know you ain't much of a fisherman, but in the side, were like, we catch a fish and small with we throwing back. Heye' tell you daddy about me. We catch you a little big a we throw it back. Go get your grandpa. So Lucas with dusted all of it and say, hey, Pigi, go get me, go get me Kawhi, Pat bel Hey, whoever the best defender, tell.

Him, come to see me. What about forty five and fifteen?

Now they might have won, but he was single handedly giving them work. Now can you imagine the confidence because there's something, there's something to be said, Like I felt I could do no wrong if I played Kansas City and the Chargers. If I ever played it didn't matter on the moon, on the sun where it's ten thousand degrees, I was gonna cook they ass I believe in Lucas mind, that's how he feels about the Clippers.

No, no, that that is how he feels about the Clippers. It's just that's his team. His team is the Clippers, and he gives them fits if if Clippers want to get out of this series, there's only one person you have to even focus on.

I know they have Kyrie, but this man is Superman.

When he's playing against you, guys, I'm gonna throw a double out of him earlier, I'm gonna let him know we're not playing you one on one.

Hey, fellas IPREGI defense that you've been.

Doing but he owns y'all right, he owned He owes you like a like that OJ.

That's he is. But he owes you.

And from there, I'm just gonna double him the whole time. I'm not even gonna let him. I'm not even gonna let him get a rhythm of this game, even if I lose, and I want him mentally challenged, right, But if you let him, he gets thirty and all we done. Yeah, I think it's hard, you know, kill.

I think it's just hard because you try to create a situation where you don't let him play so much one on one. But it's hard and you can't speed him up. He goes on his own rhythm.

He's slow motion to begin with, and so even if you speed him up, he's only going in second gear.

It's not that you don't ever make him play fast. He's like, oh no, okay, boot, you know, dude, And you know he's behind his back in between his legs and he's up here, and he's up there, and then he he.

Might lay it up in fifteen feet.

I mean, he's so unique and he's so skilled and his footwork is so good. I just the question is how healthy is it's Kawhi, body gonna allow him to play a series. It's pg body gonna allow him to play a series? And will it allow him to play not one, not two, but three series? Not one, not two, not three, but four if you advance to the NBA finals?

Is that is that possible? Oh no, wait wait hold on, you said finals.

Yeah, I'm saying you know, you know you gotta win sixteen games, so that means you're gonna have to go at least four rounds. I got the Clippers win about five games.

Okay, that's it.

They can get full in round one and then if they get to the second, get one, right.

I don't I don't know. I mean I don't have them going to the Western Conference finals. I mean.

Because they have a Luca and Kyrie that's gonna challenge them. And they're gonna challenge those guards that they have, which is gonna challenge Uh why is gonna challenge Paul George?

Which is gonna get them tired for the next round.

So you know, this is a tough matchup for the Clippers, is a tough matchup for Dallas. But Dallas is favored because Lucas. This is Lucas ted right, So I'm not playing them straight up, not one game.

So you go take your as with Kai.

Yeah, I'm gonna let Tim Hardway, Tim Hardway, were gonna have to have fifty. Man, you're gonna have to be Luca, right, You're gonna have to be you gonna have to be Luca. I'm not gonna let both y'all get off. While he's like, it's just a different Kyrie's Kyrie. He's gonna figure out how to get his point. But I want Kyrie to think like Boston.

Right. If I'm cutting if I'm.

Cutting Luca off, Kyrie has to now try to think about the team.

So if he's thinking about the team, he's not being Kyrie right right.

I want him to be the perfect number two option where he just thinks about kill.

Mode, right right.

I want him to I want Kyrie to think about getting everybody involved. If you can take Luca out and make Kyrie think about the rest of the team, he probably might look like the Kyrie in Boston where he's trying to be a point guard. If Tyrie's trying to be a point guard kind of helps us out a little bit. If Kyrie just is out there thinking about scoring. We but I'd rather just have him do it than have him and Luca doing that.

I think the thing is, when you're looking at it, Daniel Gaffert is all dumps, lay up, so he probably shooting eighty percent from from the floor because he was six and six tonight. Remember he's on that stretch where I think he made like twenty five thirty something straight shots in the row.

Kyrie is very efficient.

Even though he takes I mean he took fifteen shots, he made ten of them. He was five of eight from the three. Din' shoot the free throw. Luca's gotten better from the free throw line. He was seven of eight four fifteen from the three point line. I think the thing is, the question is Gil, do you let Luca get his forty fifty or do you or you try to try to limit him and make him a facilitator because we know he's capable, still cap getting fifteen to sis. Even if you get forty. Ain't no guarantee.

I'm doubling.

As soon as he passed half court, he's running another man at him.

I'm gonna how we had to try to guard cob and Ai. He ain't as fast. He ain't.

I'm a Paul George. You got him Hawaii, Go Sodie. Every time he touched it, go, every time he touched it.

Go, y'all gonna have to play four on three. That's it.

I'm not playing no games. I'm we're not switching, no pick. He tried to pick a roll. We're gonna trap it. I am not allowing him to play me. If he get five shots up in this quarter, we got a problem. Oh he getting up. He gonna get shot up. Hey, he better check it from the half court. That's the type of to you. So you you tramp it. If you tramped it, Susie cross ham Court, you gotta give it up.

I might track them up.

I got the three other three point line. I've seen him shoot the half course. I might trap him there. I need to frustrate him. I can't just let him look at one defender. I need to I need him to do one of these.

Huh, oh Mann, one of those you know when you're getting double Yeah, you get you get this, you get this, interested man, you sit at the half court, do one of those.

That's what I need. But hold on, what happened to the what happened to the new? What happened to the new?

Scottie and Mike Geordan, Geordan people, they trapped Nobody?

No, no, no, we're gonna combine him.

We're gonna we're gonna combine him. We're gonna have Scottie and Mike doing together. We got We're gonna blend the two. Yeah, I just like I said.

The question is, and then Harden, what version of Harden are we gonna get?

He doesn't need to be Houston Harden.

We know he can have a game where he can go get mid thirties, maybe even forties. But it's still coming down to Kawhi.

Kawhi is not healthy. They're not winning the series. I'm gonna do this too. If Luca's gonna guard Harden Harden, I need you, Houston Harden.

I can't because because now you can't have that Gil, because Kawhi.

And PG gonna lose interest. I don't even I do not care. The reason is.

Luca has to be if we're gonna challenge him when he's on offense.

I need to challenge him when he's on defense, right, and.

He's gonna guard the guy who's not gonna score. He's gonna get all this rest. So that means I need to hit him on both sides of the course. So, James Harden, I need you to be the most aggressive round two and three. Round two Okay, in PG, that might, but this round we need to challenge Kyrie and Luca. Wherever Luca's Guarden, We're gonna go at. We have to go at Luca defensively.

Right, because if he gets in foul trouble, that hurts its offense.

If you get him in foul trouble, he sits down, he gets frustrated. We need to We can't just let this man play all offense. So if he gets this hit James Harden and James hard is taken ten shots. You did, Dallas, a great job. Because you're worried about PG.

This ain't your series, bro, This ain't just series series.

Hey, PG, said Ben, I want that long term extension. I ain't playing with you, Gil. I'm going to get my shots up.

But but but it's it's it's a game plan, right price for the game plan.

Then you know, just go ahead and get on up out of here.

I sacrifice for my portfolio.

He ain't.

Hey, I just saw. I just saw Holiday give fourth for what thirty five? He said, So I'm looking at it. I'm looking at foth for what seventy five drew Holiday. I wont two for one seventy five. That's what I'm saying. So, man, you must sacrifice. Oh, because if I sacrifice you, the first thing you say, I'm slipping, and you're only going to give me no max deal. I need to be on the max.

But I think with the media today, if even if.

He has thirty and all that and they get out of it, if they don't get out of the first round, they're gonna be laughed at. They're not gonna be working. You know.

Sometimes it's just getting out of the round. The best, the best game playing here is keep Luca from trying to play one on one basketball and then attack that man on I.

Don't care who he's got you.

You find a way to attack him on on the on on that.

Side, you gotta you gotta get him tired.

Yeah, so you would you would take the Clippers and you were taking you're taking the Clippers. I gotta see the first game, Okay, if they go on my game plan, I'm taking the Clippers. If they're gonna go the same thing they've been doing for the last twenty eight games.

But they but they win, They might, they might take them six or seven. Gal.

But the Clippers haven't lost to the Maverick. Whoever lost to the Maverick. They got Kyrie? Now, But you say you would? They say you ain't worried about Kyrie. Uh, you say you ain't worried about Kyrie.

Listen, if Luca's gonna give you a thirty, if he's gonna give you a third, well he averages thirty seven. If he's gonna give you a thirty seven, what does Kyrie need at this point?

Kyle? Well, first of all, they ain't got nobody guard Kyrie.

No Paul George, Paul George, Terrence man Kawhi uh tug ain't nobody seeing him? Now, I know what you that's who You better get the ball out of his head. You know he starts dancing, oh man, dropping these guys.

See, That's what I'm saying, because I'm dropped, like if.

Because Kyrie has like Kyrie's under guard James Harden.

That means I'm dropping Paul George. This this is simple basketball.

To drop right, to drop put him in, put him in, put him in that post PG. He's gonna guard you, get your close to the rim, lay that in. He can't block you. Luca down there like I'm gonna really check. This is one of those where you're playing check. You just can't play basketball right right.

I'm watching enough playoff games. I've played in some.

Playoff games where I'm looking at like, man, we need to change it up or we're gonna lose this series. There's some series you went in and say they don't even matter what we do. When we played I mean we played Miami and Shaknandy play two of those games, and I know coach was like, let's just not get swept.

Swept. There was nohing we can do. Yeah, I mean, this was a man.

I mean, I mean just think about like when Shaq within his I mean, because they won three in a row, but to get out of that to it because it was always a dog fight between them and san Antonio, because san Antonio had the system they styled.

They're gonna they're gonna back country.

Tony Parker was a demon because he could get to the rim against anybody. He wasn't gonna lay there. He gonna play up a low the rim, but he gonna get to the rib and lay it up. A Manu was slashing knife into the basket and Tim Duncan was Tim Duncan.

It didn't matter. He gonna get his.

Uh.

But it's gonna be if that, that's gonna be a very very interesting series.

I probably would take the Clippers, but but it's all

If Kawhi there, they're not beating them without Quai. Yeah, I mean they have enough.

Look, they have enough firepower, but it's it's stilly not beating them without Kawhi. Gill whoever has the best game plan, I don't care what game plan it came with.

They didn't get it from the Pentagon, but Kai, it was not beat them.

And I like Tyleru. I like Tyleru to out coach ja Key. But with I Kauai, they not beating the Mavericks.

Now with I Kawhi, Dallas has been a great defensive team last month month and a half.

They have they have That's why I'm saying with I Kauhi, they not beating Dallas. H I just got to see that first game.

I want to see what thee go ahead?

What you want to think? You'll go ahead? What they have forty first game? I'm like, all right, all right, clips.

Charles Barkley calls out the Sons for being mentally before for being weak and soft.

Let's take a listen what Chuck had to say. Sons, are they gonna figure it out?

No, they're not gonna figure it out. That means, well, they're not they're not they don't having the toughness. Uh, the leaders are not leading. So you know you're not gonna turn it on just late in the season. So I'm not sure what you expected. But they're mental tough ones, they're weak mentally and it's not gonna go good for him.

What do you recommend? How do they fix what they on?

Them? Brothers?

Yeah?

But up from the Florida they just really soft and their leadership is not the players. The leadership the players have not led.

What's your take?

Oh man?

And it seems to be it seems to be a real current theme on teams. That's Kevin Durant's own we saw this in Brooklyn, not so much. Look it was ready to we know Golden State, Draymond, Steph clay so for the song. But I don't remember now, I don't remember hearing anything about leadership when Kevin Durant was an OK. See now, probably Russ was the leader of the team and Kat was perfectly fine with that. KD wonted hoop.

Kevin Durant come get his work in. Who go do what he does?

But why does everybody seem like what what would do from a guy that played in the league outside looking in? Maybe you know some things, But what do you think is going on with with with Phoenix? Because they should be I don't I don't care.

I don't care.

If they got no great elite defenders, they should be better than what they are. I mean, no, we can't say that. But you know they haven't been healthy all year long.

Right, they traded.

They traded a lot of their team to get Bill and Bill miss a lot of this season, right.

Trade a lot of the TV to get KD too. So you know, when you're.

Missing one, you're missing a guy who got rid of three or four people. You're not gonna be as good as you're supposed to be. But I don't like the idea of attacking someone's leadership. How do you know who's leading or not? Right?

You don't know.

You don't know what's being said in the locker room. You don't know what is being said and practiced. You don't know what Because someone doesn't have emotions when you want them to.

Have emotions, not necessarily a leader.

If Draymond Green wasn't there, well we'll be saying seven is not a leader because he don't talk.

Right, denver Is, Y'll get your leader. He don't talk, He don't do pregame speeches. He don't do none of that. Jimmy Butler don't talk, he don't say much. Right, So why are we always.

Challenging someone's leadership because they're losing game or doesn't look as good as it's supposed to look. Basketball is basketball. Everyone leads in different ways, right, challengship? Who was?

Who?

Who was? When were you a leader? Let me know what year did you lead your team?

Right?

You can't say the first year you got the sons because that was. That was Kevin Johnson's team. You were just a higher gun.

It wasn't when you went the Houston, when you was in when you was in Philly the first year y'all was successful.

That was Doctor J and Moses.

Wasn't you right? It was calling you fat boy. You had to get in shape to be on that team. So we can we can from the outside. We can always challenge somebody's leadership when they're when we think they're failing.

Right right, when we think they're feelings. So we don't know who's Are.

They working hard although it has anybody said they don't. They don't come to the gym and work out and work and work on their craft. No, have we talked about man, this has been a bad year for Kevin Durant.

No, no, we have not.

He has showed up every single year. Devin Booker had showed up every single year. They've done their part. If somebody is getting hurt, if they're getting hurt, we can't. We can't blame leadership on that they got hurt. But for the most part, when those boys are on that court.

They play the asses off. Yeah, I mean you're right.

I mean people lead in different ways, I was more of a I think the thing is is that you have to understand the team that you're trying to lead or you been entrusted to lead, because you can't lead every guy. And it's a lot different than a football team because you got so many more different guys, so many different so many more people.

And you know, you got guys.

You know, tight ends go to one room, and running backs go to one room, and the wide receivers go to one room. And you got dv either the line back in the old line, of the d line, of the quarterback. But I think at the end of the day, for me, my job was to make sure everybody understood the assignment. Everybody had bought in and you know, I'm looking, I'm looking around.

Is that you know?

Okay?

Is this the reason why you missing assignments because you try to get to the phone. Is this why you're not doing what you're supposed to because you know, ay, I'm not gonna you know, go tell the coach, a coach he out, he's staying out late.

That's why I'm gonna come nearly.

Bro.

Now you do realize Denver is a football town. Yeah, what do you think you can do that, Mike's not gonna find out about I mean, you coming in here, you smell it like you just got out of ata alcohol. Go get your ass in the shower because you wreaking. Now we're gonna go sit in this this this meeting room, and you're gonna be smelling like that. Go bro, come on, now, you got twenty weeks all we asked for. Give us

But how do we know that.

See, But that's what I'm saying. We all he see is the games. Always see is the games. Everybody does it. Everybody's not Draymond Green when the camera's a right right right.

Some people, some leaders, their.

Brands is kind of big where they can't go out there and cust somebody out right when Jordan wanted to cut somebody out?

What do you do?

Yeah? But I think the thingure on the court Now I'm saying.

I'm saying in the locker room and practice shoot around where y'all in the you know, do y'all call team meetings? Say I call our call, I would call a meeting, you know, not many because at some point in time it starts to fall on death is gil. So I needed to be I needed to be like a crisis situation before you like, okay, we need to have a discussion about what's really going on.

How do we know that? We don't know, That's what I'm saying. We don't know how many meetings they have. We don't know who's hanging out. We don't know if they have in.

Film session at the Kd's house or Booker's house.

We don't know.

All we doing is just making up what we want to make up just because they not winning. Oh they solve everybody saw the whole team soft and Gil, this is what we know they're saw Who's I don't see nobody bullying them.

Ain't nobody, ain't nobody ever been able to keep anything a secret.

Now do you see that video tape? That videotape got out of dre bomb that kid and I didn't it?

Yeah? Now was that about hell lead to lead lead to an ass whipping? That's that we can challenge everybody's leadership if we want to. Everybody.

Hey, Gil, this is what IL limit. Let me be real with you, Gil, all the way, live and shat. I think y'all agree. If we like you, we'll like your leadership ship style. If we don't, we won't because I don't give a damn how many championship you were. You nothing to punch me to get me to do my job. Now my job I got a different job. My job was the block and catch passes. Now my job is whip your ass. Then I got a new job, so I got three jobs. Now now I gotta work overtime.

You know you come in. I was a seventh round draft pick. I just buy it by my time.

And then as I started to get more and more and more plays, I understood that you know, you know, coaching would like hey more as expected of me, as far as you know, being talkative. Uh, you know, my play warrant that I could say some things that probably earlier in my career I couldn't say. But I don't believe it. I don't believe it.

That that that punching people to get people to do that, I don't get you know, people like well, if you think Michael punching Steve curR in his eye was the reason Steve knocked that shot down, you at your damn mind.

Listen. I can tell you this. You punched me. You ain't getting the ball, y'all. Hey, you can do whatever you want to do. You're hitting me.

You're not getting the ball. Only way you get the ball I will not. I don't give a shit what he called. You're getting the ball from me.

And I proved those points plenty of time.

Yeah, So, like you said, there are different ways to lead and you have to understand who you're trying to talk to because everybody. You can't talk to everybody the same way. Some guys you can be turn with some guys, you can be facetious. With some guys you be like, damn, bro, my my grandma could have caught that one.

That damn son.

You out here like a blind dog in the meat house. You know, you're saying things and you're like, well, bro, what what you do last night? So you know, you try to you try to lead guys in a way that they understand that because I'm trying to get a guy to do more than he thought he could.

That's at the end of the day, that's that's really what I'm trying to do. I am look, I ain't trying to look. I'm not your pastor, I'm not your guidance counseling, I'm not your sight. I'm just trying to get you to do more than you think you can and whatever ways I need to do that without you know, I'm not gonna belittle you. I'm not gonna mowfo you because at the end of the day, were all men. Don't lose sight of that now, now, don't ever don't

But in the NBA, it's it's it's it's power, right, and the star player has the power.

And you know, sometimes if the star player is not the leader, the leader don't have no power. He's gonna have to shut up a little bit, right again, you know what I mean? Depending on who you are, depending on how mentally weak your star player is, you being

They want you out. So sometimes you got to bite your tongues. Pat Bev he can't be Pat Bev every team he go to.

He maybe just one guy. He gets to be pat bed with one guy. For the most part. He has to pick and choose who he gets to bring that energy jam. Right, So you know that the the the NBA locker room is not like football. Right, we might be tight as hell. You missed me or missed the shot and I said something that you didn't like. That right there, broke the friendship up. I want you off this team.

Damn. It's me the man, and it's me that me or him. Hell now, I mean we understand, you know, we understand. Guys go drop a pass, especially in a crucial situation.

My thing is that always Look, let's not put ourselves in a situation where a miscall or a call that goes against.

Us, or drop or this.

Doesn't cost us a game. So if we keep ourselves out of those situations, we'll be fine. We put out you know the thing that might used to always tell us saying we put ourselves in this situation. We should have put this game away long long ago. But I think the thing is is that for me, like when

I knew Ray.

I knew Rod a little bit because he came in the league in eighty seven. I came in in ninety. We had made a couple of Pro Bowls together, so I kind of knew him a little bit. I didn't really know Ray, even though we had made a Pro Bowl together. But I think the thing is is that our friendship because yeah, I mean we went, we went five weeks, We just scored a touchdown, and so it could have easily split at the scenes. But I just remember having a conversation with with Ray and with sug

I said, man, Bro, we're in the playoffs. These are the best team that say Shape give us ten early. It was Curtains. But you have to you do.

I mean, but you have to pick and choose how you lead people because everybody doesn't receive what you're giving the same way.

Yeah, some people to tune your ass out. Some people might want to lump your ass up. Our trick.

Our trick is because everything is moving so fast that we spend a lot of time with each other off the court.

Yeah, okay, we're making sure we go to movies, dinners like New Year's.

Somebody like I'll hosted New Year's party at the uh at.

My house, right, Uh, when we go on the road, like we're gonna all be playing in each other's rooms.

Right, We made sure so we had the friendship so

Like you ain't got it right? Are you just a mama's boy? It didn't.

It didn't affect like that real time trash talking. You haven't somebody trying to talk to you and you know you get to going right. That didn't affect us, right, So it was very it's very important for NBA players to have a real friendship off because.

In real time, in real time, we.

Were on edge all day in games, right, saying something to this person, this person saying something we going here.

I missed three free throws or something. You come on, dude, come on, what you mean? Come on? You just got in the game, right, it be, it'd be. You know, the tension is so high that.

That we don't lose respect for each other during during those heated those heated battles, the Celtics True Holiday agreed to.

A four year one hundred and thirty five million dollar contract extension. Holiday becomes the fourth player to sign a guarantee a deal worth at least one hundred million dollars at the age of thirty three or older. Lebron James, Steph Curry and I bet you won't guess who the fourth player is. Holiday is one, Lebron is two, Steph Curry is three.

Yeah. Can you guess that'll be Kevin Durant. Nope, that's signed.

Amazing, he signed an at least one hundred million dollar deal at the age of one, at the age of thirty three or older.

Oh age of thirty three and older, so he had to sign them within the last two three years. When that'd be Chris Paul Nope, No, I mean An Horford. I'll still in the league. Man, still a still catching the chicks.

I know I'll be forgetting man. I was old eight years ago, man Our Horford. The Celtics.

Jayalen Brown will make forty nine point three million, Jason Taytor will make thirty four point eight million, Holiday will make thirty point one million, Christoph Pazingers will make twenty nine point two million, and Derrick White will make nineteen point five million, that's the starting lineup.

I don't know. I listen, he lives around the corner.

He's he's a valley guy who there Holiday Holliday boys is from the valley. I don't know if I am this right now, right right now?

The reason is who is better right now between him and White?

Right?

I know White numbers is better right now? White is about what four years younger, play the same type of game. Could I do better with that money and in free agency? And that would have been my thing? Right?

Can I do better with this money? Can I get a Klay Thompson as a premier? He coming to the Lakers?

Huh Now, I'm just saying it seemed like he likes shooting a staple, So we're gonna break his.

Lands here and they play forty two games in staples.

I'm just saying, you know, right now he's going rate four years forty four years sixty.

Right, I'll saved myself a lot of money.

Right, I got a guy who plays Deeper's got a guy who who hits the shot, he knows how to move.

You know what other free agents is.

Out that I can I can get? I mean Drew Holiday having this twelve, five and four. He's a two way player. But I have that and and I had the same thing in White. White is gonna be up a year from now. Then you have Jason Tatum.

I gotta pay jes get damn near where they say Luca can get command the highest contract by three eighty four hundred million, But Jason Tatum is gonna be right there.

Yeah, So you know what I mean.

So I got I got money, So I don't know if I'm guaranteeing. I mean, it's not a bad deal, right, It's not a bad deal for me. You know, this is one of these I guess this is one of those deals where he's such a good guy, probably good guy in the locker room. Yes, he's he's he's sacrificing for the betterment of the team.

He definitely sacrificing his OFFSI he might be.

One of those like I know, I understand those deals where but I mean, Boston screwed a lot of people over so this would have been just an other one

But you know he's earned the money. You know this is you know this is one of those things. Is uh.

He's a two time All Star, five time defensive player, first team last year.

He's playing great this year.

They even elevated, you know, one hundred and thirty five with the max being three eighty.

He's worth it, He's worth it.

Dave Magazine rate the top challengers to the Celtics in the East Playoffs. Number one was Milwaukee. Boom Dame Magazine ranked the top challengers to the Celtics. Like the guys like d im e Yeah, Dan Magazine.

Okay, I'll give you the top five.

Milwaukee was one, the seventy six Ers was two, the Knicks were three, the Heat were four, Orlando Magic five.

What seems out of place? Do you you given Giannis his injury bucks should be nine?

Yeah? Uh see uh?

Jet Magazine, Uh, Jet Magazine did they tip five?

They got? Uh?

He won next to Philly three Magic four bucks five. I'm saying Joeling, if Joeling bed is.

Gonna stay healthy, Joeling bead is the number one thread to the sixers, to the to the to the to me something is the number one three to the self.

Excuse me, lunch me, no, no, no, not with Tyres Max and him. Oh no, oh, I was on him. Who our offer? Hey man, that's your cook as Oh no, no, no, no no.

I don't even know if I don't even know if MBAT has beaten Boston Phillip Cheese. State what you want on it? Uh, he won't cheeze wins what you want Listen. He tried to bring out in to help him get past Boss. That's one like I'm not, I'm not.

That's one team he don't want to play. I want to with.

Tyris MAXI I Likebrebrain's been a very very sneaky life. A nice addition. I still I still don't know what happened on that bicycle. But that's neither here North there. That's theother here nor there. We're gonna let that go, Gil, We're gonna let that go. We don't know what happened, but he he's back. He's back now. But man, man, miss miss practiced, mister Gabe, so he got ran over.

Ain't no bit.

Now you know all these streets, these major major cities got CCTV everywhere. Ain't nobody got no cell phone video, Ain't nobody got no dashcam video, Ain't got nobody got no gold pro video.

Ain't nobody got no video or nothing. All they do is see if coming in coming into his building with a bicycle on the shower. Hey, it happened now, But look I got heat. I mean he knows how to play them well, right, you know he has been been having a number. The reason I say that Knicks is Knicks is the defensive team. Boston is a jump shooting team, right, they they love the jumper.

Right.

You got someone like Brunson controlling the game, making it a half court game. That could be a good series. I got Philly third. And the reason I got Philly third is you know they do have him bid, but Embiid is not as healthy as he was when he was getting his ads well by Boston. But they do have him b right, So usually Embiid is going to give you about thirty two to thirty three and twelve against them.

Not good enough, right, It's not good enough to be Boston.

Now, what we need Maxic Maxic shipping to give us twenty five and we get oubreak, give us eighteen. Tobias Harris gonna give us Tobias get you'll finally earn that that Max contract he got and give us fourteen.

Well, you don't watch Pussing Boots, you doesn't watch the last just make all kind of wishes. Nah No, that's not how this works. And Bid usually tries to play this game one on one because he thinks he's the best player in the series and he can beat him by hisself. And that's what usually happens in this series against them, and it's always happened those last five minutes. He refuses to pass the ball to anybody else, and that's what Boston plays on that embiid is gonna do it.

In b gonna give me thirty five, Tyreez Maxy, give me twenty five, Ubra, give me eighteen to twenty.

Uh Tobias, give me fourteen to sixteen. Oh here goes hey.

Then then they have to do what they did with which you would red Hea, just give it to me in the first.

Let me speak to you for a little bit you go.

Numbers.

You just said it's gonna have to be in the third by the third quarter, because once the fourth quarter show to beat it. Uh.