Nightcap - Hour 1: Knicks Steal Game 3 + Luka in "Championship Shape?

The volume Wow Wow Wild Water Ball Game. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. As you watch the New York Knicks stay alive one o six to one hundred over the Indiana Pacers. They battled back from twenty points down in the second quarter, they cut it to thirteen and the half, and then Karl Anthony Towns got hot in the third quarter and then they took it over in the fourth quarter as they win one oh six to one hundred over the Pacers, and now the series is now Pacers two one.

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. Y'all know me. I am your favorite UNC.

Shannon Sharp, my partner and co hosts Liberty City's own Bengal Ring of fame Martoite Pro Bowler All Pro. That's Chad Ochilsenko Johnson and joining us. I thought he's gonna be in a more celebratory move tonight because they was looking real good for his Indiana Pacers. He's a six time All Star, three time All NBA selection, and at the time of his selection, he is the youngest player ever to play in the NBA at just seventeen years

Jermaine O'Neil jay, Oh what it do, old son? Fellas, We're so good? Were good?

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I mean, you look at the look at the game.

The building wasn't even as ignited as it was in the first half because the energy was low. So you know, the thing that I look at when I look at this game, is where's the what is the best players doing? You know, Tarese Halibert, he has to take over the games right when you see your team struggling and you see it, you know the offense isn't flowing as well. I think he tends to take the back seat a

You know we need it.

We need a moment here. And I got to be the reason why. And I thought that didn't happen today. He had I think he made a shot or two. Uh, but for the most part, you know, the energy was low and they didn't compete.

You know when you know the Knicks did in the fourth.

I agree with you sometimes I do believe that Haley gets he's not as aggressive as I need him to be. Now, he only had six assists. That's because the guys couldn't buy back. I mean, you look at the shot Pascal, he was fifty percent from the floor, so was Miles Turner. But you look at Nie Smith. He was two of eight, one for three from the three point line. Miles Turner was six or twelve from the floor, but he's one

And when the team gets it going. Hopefully we can get.

Some of this in the Western Conference and all of them won't be blowout twenty points and forty point blowouts. But I thought the Knicks that second quarter, the end of the second quarter, that last three minutes Jermaine, I thought that was big for them because they could have went the other way. Instead of being down thirteen, they could have been down thirty three. And now maybe we're

What did you like about the knicks resilience on the road? Listen? I like the fact that they kept fighting. Huh. I like the fact that they kept fighting.

Jay, they need to find a way to stop being down by twenty, stop making the game that much more difficult for you. I don't understand how a why the way the Pacers played the first two games, right?

Why not do what you did tonight?

The previous two games you played before, for when you were playing at home, you had the event, you had the advantage. Now you play a much better game. Even though you're down about twenty, you play a much better game. And you're playing away in a hostile environment. And then I think the keys of the game also was when you not on you're down by twenty, but to be able to come back into the game. Were they able to do the last what five or six minutes of

It was.

It was in that matter and that fact, in that instance in general, where the Nicks took advantage that god damn Jalen Brunton, Hey, yunkie, something nice.

People might go get to that pren throw Labe.

He might struggle from the floor, but he's gonna find a way jail the slow getting.

It the fre throw live. Well, it was. It was a key.

It was a key moment in this game. You know, let's put aside what the Pacers didn't do and lean more on what the Knicks did. And it started to meet from the coaching side. Right, you go back to game one, the Knicks went on the run, they were up seventeen.

Thibodeau makes a sub.

Right, sometimes when the team's rolling, the very best player that don't necessarily have to be a part of that, because something you can sub and stopped.

The floor of the game.

Right, you fast forward to tonight right where the group that he had in there, they actually did a really good job on cutting it and he stretched that group out.

So he did they cut it to I thing three of you know, possibly even two.

And then when he needed to bring him, I think he brought Brusting back like two minutes and twenty yards ago in the game. So I thought the coaching part of it was a lot better tonight when it comes to this chess game, you know, which we see in the playoffs. And plus give to of credit, he went with a big lineup tonight. He started Mitchell Robinson, he went with kat because Mitchell Robinson gave them extra possessions and so that's what we need. We need more than

Hey, Jo, And you say, you say Halle Burton, especially in I call it precious situations. You know, at the end of that game, you say, Halle Burton should take over. But if you look at what the Knicks were doing, the hell the Knicks was doubling Halliburton on all highs threess and forcing the ball really out his hands and leaving the owners of someone else on that team to have to have to shoot or get that point. From somewhere else, and they wasn't hitting.

Sea burn the ball over. Yeah, they didn't. They didn't. I mean, the office didn't flow very well. So I agree with you they did.

And again, it's a chess match right now, right, you know, they're going back and forth. They're trying to take the ball out of certain people's hands. The thing the difference that I saw the night early in the game, I think the first half the Pacers bench I'll scored the k next bench I think twenty two to seven. And the third half the Knicks was a plus I think fifteen or sixteen. So the Florida game was a lot different for the Pacers.

Early.

I thought the Pacers got a lot statinated, you know, in the second half and and oho, to go back to what you was saying, what makes Halliburton really really good is when they're moving that ball, swinging that ball, catch him he catching the ball, you know, on the last live pass and he's going downhill. Well, the second half they got the second half, it was super stagnated. They got bumped up against the shot clock a lot, and the ball didn't necessarily end up in the right

They're looking to push tempo.

That's when they're at at the best, is when they're getting up and down. I thought Haley did a little bit too much gribbling to Night. I thought he was you know, he wasn't like I'm going to go to the basket. Now, let me back it out again. And now he's getting off the ball at ten at ten seconds. Now, Hey don't know about it, because it's really when you really look at it, who's really looking to take somebody

Hey, they they got Hey, they got to find a way to stop being down in such a deficit, having to crawl back and fight back from twenty. I understand the game of basketball. It's all about it's a game of runs. But like, make it easy on yourself. Don't make every game where Okay, Now, we got to do everything we got to be. You got to be damn near perfect and hope the momentum shifts in your favor. Outside of that, I mean, listen, the Knicks bench played really well.

It was ugly. It was ugly, Josh McBride, Robinson, Listen.

They weren't they weren't flashy, but they outplayed Indiana second unit. And they can have another game like that when they play again on Tuesday, not Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday. Listen, then they can have another game like that, especially the bench. We know what, we know what the starters are gonna do. They have another game like this, entire this series up, it can become interesting again because if they had lost a nice game, I really think it was over. I really think the series was over.

Oh it was over. It was definitely, it was definitely over jail if they had lost this game, I think the thing was I'm struggling as as as a as a former player when I look at these playoffs and you see the live you know, throughout the season, time and possession is not a thing anymore in the NBA, no, right, especially in the in the playoffs where everything comes down.

To possessions, right, I'm wanting more and more.

Threes be launched, and it almost creates bad three bad threes. It created rhythm for other teams getting it and they're gone. And that's the thing why I'm struggling with a little bit. I mean, you go back to the first game the Knicks, and again, I'm happy that you know that we are, you know, two to one, But when you look at that game, you know, fourteen with two minutes, and I think at the time it was forty fifty seven seconds.

Right.

When you think about this, all you do is get four or five stops, and hell, you can get four or five shot clock violations, right, and you win the game. But I look at tonight where it's like every time it's like somebody it was some sort of rhythm is happening. A three are bad three? Go up right, or just

They got You got that, man. I don't know.

I don't know who feels good about what I mean. Obviously the Knicks has some struggles at home, and now the Pacers.

You know they had.

When you think about the game, Karl, Anthony, Towns and and Brunston did come, they were in found trump. The didn't have a great first half at all, and yes they walk away with a win right when that game should have been a twenty plus point.

Drumming of the of the Knicks.

But they found a way to stay in the game, or the Pacers found a way to kid him in the game. And you look at the Pacers, Oh, Joe, we talked about this all the time your committee. And normally they have six guys in double figures. They had four guys in double figures tonight. Nick Smith two of eight, he only had eight points. You had them hard. He was two of nine or three he had nine points. Those guys normally get you thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, That's how.

They normally played.

Halliburton had two in Siakam and look that was the playoff career high to get in Game two, which he had thirty nine.

He was phenomenal.

I'm not expecting them to have a whole bunch of thirty point playoff games.

That's just not the type of offensive player that he is.

He's a good player, but I'm not looking for him to go off like he went off in Game two.

Again.

I don't know about you, Jail. I thought TJ. McConnell was sensational. Maybe you might need to buck those fifteen minutes up and give him twenty minutes, because hey, he battles, he pushes pace, he makes big time shots, he's a hustle.

I love the way he played.

But they're kicking themselves, just like the Knicks kicked themselves the first game, because they're like, man, we had Bruston go off for forty three, we had Cat go off for thirty six, and we lose. So now they're feeling good about themselves. They say, hold on Jalen Brust only played thirty one minutes. Cat only played thirty three minutes. Six of eighteen for Brunson. One of five Cat was three or seven, eight or seventeen. They had forty seven

Go close it out.

I still like the Pacers if I if I'm into these teams, I like being up to one. I don't give a damn hot good I played the last game that other team is still has to one different.

Up on us and we still got another game in their building.

Yeah, now I'm with you on the McConnell deal, right, I think you know, he had ten first half points and I think he I thought he had a really good flow to the game early and then the second half he didn't see as much of him. Right, you know, he was in there, but it wasn't the same of an impact that. I don't know if because of the time or just a prhythm of the game, but I think he can be a very important component.

But here's my question to both.

Of you guys, is when the patients get in the funk offency like they did tonight, if Pascal come isn't the guy that you go for, they can go for thirty every night. And uh, Terrece Halliburton isn't a guy that can be aggressive all the time than who you go to m that. But see, that's the thing when you when you look when you look at this, they kind of remind me of the Rockets, but a little bit more seasoned, because who is the guy that you

That's not what he is.

Right And then Dale Jail, think about think about what you just asked. Right, is Pascal Siakam he's struggling late in the game, they doubling, They doubling Halliburg forcing them to kick the ball out. Do does everyone else? Do the other three players have the green light to be able to shoot at will when they want to impress the situations, especially down in that fourth quarter when obviously who you want, who you want the ball in their hands,

So? I think they do. I think that's what makes the Pacers really good is the death.

When you look at the game that they won really both games, but then took with game one.

I think they have seven guys in double figures that they have four.

They have four tonight, right, they're gonna those others, you know, like Shack always says, the others, They're gonna have to really step up and free Halliburton. Halliburn's about to be aggressive, start to finish you know four. He cannot be passive. He cannot allow double you know, to you know, to

Well ye eight nine.

I thought matt Rick just didn't have it tonight, and it shows in the amount of minutes that he played. I think he thought he came in, he got a couple of files, picked up a couple of files early. Uh, and Carl out didn't have the confidence and to leave him in the ball game and he ended up going out. Uh. They brought Shepherd there. He had a big three. He's mainly a defensive guy that can knock down threes. I have given the opportunity, but you look at you look

That's how they've been all year. Jail.

This is I mean, I mean they'll probably look at this, damn we only have four guys. We are they're one of the few teams that have five guys in double figures in the entire playoffs. And then mccallus. You know, mccallaugh can get you ten because he'll hear the big three. He'll get a couple of steals, get and one or something, get the crowd going. But I thought those others, Nie Smith and them Hard Mathren got Obie topping Obie normally.

He'll be better.

I think those guys, and I think if the guys that they're counting on the role players that Nie Smith and them Hard Mathron Obie, I think if they give you what they normally gave you throughout the entirety of the playoffs thus far, especially the first two games against the Knicks, I think they'll be fine. Twenty point comeback playoff wins in twenty twenty five, we already have six, and the last four postseasons combined, we've only had five.

I guess the question also comes down to the Pacers bench.

Was was was there wasn't the normal self tonight?

Right?

Typically they are the ones that they're gonna they're gonna come in and every every night it's gonna be somebody to step up.

Right.

The Knicks bench hasn't been impactful the series, but they were impactful tonight. The biggest question is can the Knicks bench come back again in Game four?

Right?

Because I expect the Pacers to come back and be their normal self because Rick Carlisle is a hell of a coach, had a twin they played with him in Indiana. He's a huge adjustment coach. I mean, one of the smartest coaches I've ever been around. So I know he's gonna have those boys ready to go. But then when it comes down to the you know, you know, to the game itself, which which bench is going to carry

Right. When you when you're when you're down in jail, you played, you played fifteen plus years. When you're down, is there a number that you don't feel that you can't come back from? And I know it's different than when you first got to the league because there wasn't a whole lot of twenty point comebacks because teams weren't shooting the three like they shoot it now. A twenty point lead in the first quarter, second quarter, even midway through the third quarter ain't ish because guys can hit.

And what was a twenty point lead now as all of a sudden the ten or eight point lead, and so it's a lot different now. But was there ever a number that you take your team got down and you're like, well, damn, yep, we got to get ready for tomorrow. Now it's a fifteen to eighteen it was. It was tough to come back back then. You know, that was almost like death, right if you're down at fifteen eighteen points, because you know we were gonna it's

Now, how many times we can shoot you? Right?

And I think that's what's happening in the NBA right now. You have these huge swings. But you know it was no way in hell, you know, you know if we playing somebody, or or the Pistons or in New Jersey had j Kidd and you know all of the good defensive teams, they were never gonna allow you to come back.

You know.

But now I guess in two minutes you could score. You can score twenty to twenty five and two minutes. And the problem is also jail, is that teams take bad quick shots. I mean, all of a sudden, you see a team going a ten o run in under a minute, like hell, hey, hey, I'm just gonna hold the ball, Jay, I'm just gonna hold the ball. Let the shot clock run down. I'm gonna give it the ball. I'm gonna let the shot cut run down twice. I'm gonna get I will get past.

A men, listen.

And the craziest thing that I as a just a life frin basketball, wing threes and corner threes create fast breaks, and yes, they're out off and roll over and over. You see the same thing, and unbalanced defensive floor. So I'm not even sure exactly what they are what they're teaching, you know, in the NBA right now from perspective of those things. But then you know, they tell them that's the short port, that short, that short, that corner three, that's the short three of jail.

But what happened with that? That charm, that long careme?

And next thing, you know, the guy hey in two dribbles, he already got somebody at the rim yep, And you're like, and they keep getting and I understand the next tonight there's like, y'all not hit them, so we'll give them to you. Y'all not making them right. So five of twenty five, and they had some good looks. It wasn't like they were shooting a lot of contested threes, but some of them were quick. It's a look I understand who to stay wide open. Yeah, there's a reason why

Look, the paces are flow team jail.

They love to run there at their absolute best, and they're very few teams that can keep that pace up with them. Because if you look at who they who the guys they got Nie Smith, nim Hard Mathburn, they're kind of interchangeable. They're kind of like the same guy, same about the same height and can get up and down and play.

McConnell comes in.

Look, now he's not Halliburton, but he can do a great job of orchestraty offense. He's a bulldog, he can make tough shots.

I love him.

He's genation's on deepense, little undersized, but he plays hard. And when you got guys like that, you don't give up a whole lot because you're not asking a guy you don't see them, I mean them leadings score on who's that leads go propace of siaka what nineteen? So they have probably got another guy with seventeen, another guy

Hey, hey, Jao, you you mentioned some of the some of the the adjustments that that coach Carlisle could make.

You know how smart he is.

So obviously I'm thinking about on the other end, with what Tim doing something that he normally doesn't do. Normally he plays seven, but tonight he played nine. What adjustments I know you your patients, guy, what adjustment you think Tims can make to ensure that this game or this series evens itself up next time they play on Tuesday.

Yeah, we all know that, you know, no matter who we are, you know, on that professional roster, when the coach shows trust, you know, we feel confident, don't feel sped up, we don't feel tight. I thought Tims did a hell of a job on showing confidence in his bench, and he kept coming back to it. I thought the previous two games he relied too much on Brunson Towns right in the stuff. There was no side to side, and with Brunston being sixty's one, right, he know they trapping him.

Every shot is hard.

I think that Tibbs has to stay with what worked this game, with a understanding that you know, he may have to make it, you know, some end game adjustments. But I thought, I thought tonight he was good at from that perspective. And again I was sitting there talking to my business manager, you know, watching this game. I didn't know who won the battle because it was a tail of two different halves right where I just felt ye. In the first half, the Pacers looked like the Pacers

And you would say, you were preaching that for the longest for years.

I don't, I don't, I don't.

I don't know why he shoots all these crazy threes, because he does have some work down low. He does. Oh, he's skilled. Yeah, but I thought I thought the Knicks defense. There are a couple of times that the Pacers got in transition, and the nixt transition defense was sensational, blocked them out. Hey, no you didn't getting here make him pass out. They come back again, said, nope, nope, not

And that's what he's in there for.

He's in there to challenge if you get to it, if you beat your guy, he's going to challenge you at the rim. But he also wants to give brunts and he wants to give those other guys second chance opportunities. And so they're gonna have to do a better job of keeping him off the glass. And I think if they could do and plus also Josh Hart, remember Josh Hart the other night, Oh Joe, he only had like five rebounds.

He had ten tonight and he had that in the reserve role. So you see he got better.

Nim Hard and and and and and the other guy at and Nee Smith.

They didn't do what they did in the first two games.

So one guy got better, the other two kind of kind of slid back a little bit, and I think that was the difference in the ball game.

He gave.

He gave you a great production eight points, twelve, ten rebounds for fists steel and only had one turnover.

Because he's the Swiss Army Knife. He's the guy that's gonna do it all.

He's gonna take a charge, he gonna give your second chance point, hes gonna get your second chance opportunities. He's gonna facilitate a he could. He's a great pass of the basketball, and hey, he can, and he can. He's a good defender. I thought he I thought his presidence the night was really really good. But you're gonna have to do a job of keeping Mitchell Robinson off the glass. Too many. He gave the Knicks too many opportunities. I mean,

But Benedicte mather.

Yep, he's been big for them all year and he's really really struggled. I need to reach out to my young boy and just he just need to just relax and play the game.

He knows how to play, but he hadn't been great for him.

If he comes out and he plays the way he's capable of playing where he played this season, it will be difficult right to try to double Haliburton or anybody else.

Right, I think you know he's an X factor for me?

Yeah, I thought I thought I didn't think Siaka was aggressive enough to night. Remember the other night he had what twenty three shot at temph to night he had fourteen, Myles Turnatives had twelve.

Halliburton has fifteen. Bro.

Come on, now, if you just had a thirty nine point game and you cool with taking fourteen shots, ill, No, I'm trying to get me another thirty nine point game.

I'm going to the rack.

Hey, young Hey, do you think the players know? Do you think someone keeps tracking how many shots they taking? Joe, did you keep tracking how many balls?

You call it? You're talking the ball? You go to the lab game? Hold on, now about football and basketball is kind of different. Do you do.

Do you really know on the court jail how many shots you've taken in the game? Do they do coaches let you know you just have free will?

Jorge? Yeah, yeah, you you definitely know.

You can know because on the sideline almost every time out they have scores, you know, score sheet where you can go look at, you know, the stat sheet on what you know, what you're doing.

Typically you might ask a coach, hey, man, you know what so long? How many shots to take? It?

Especially especially if you're struggling a little bit right right, you're gonna ask that question. Because now they got thirty seven coaches on the roster. You know, if you look behind the bench, somebody has everybody but you do. You are you are aware on how many shots you've taken and what your stats are because you know, you always got that one one of the two coaches that's telling you know what's going on in the game because they want

Be him?

Be him. You just dropped thirty nine. Bro, you just dropped thirty nine. Took twenty three shots to get it, and you cool with taking fourteen? Noh, bro, gon try to get that back. Be aggressive because he was aggressive in game two. I'm telling extremely aggressive. I guess the question is you know when you when you're the away team, you expected, right, you expect this to viciousness, to people talking about your mama, your kids. You expect that when

And it looks that way.

That's why tonight I thought the Pacers were a little too tight. You know, when things got tight, you know, when the game got tight, you know, people wanted to rely on somebody else to do it, versus they overpassed the ball. Jail, I was looking at bro. Stop shooting the ball, YEP, wouldn't shoot it, everybody. I want to make that man. I want to make sure. I want to make the right play. No, Bro, shoot the ball, shoot it, shoot it. You don't have to be perfect.

Hold On, you call it overpassing. What happened to not being in rhythm? What happened not being in common, not having the confidence shoot the ball at that specific time? Based on the circum sands of the game at the time. You said, well, all their players most of the time are in double figures. All Yeah, those players are also

You know what, I'm not.

In rhythm right now, based on the game and the circumstance that we're in right now, I don't want to take that shot from somebody else.

Well, you can't feel like that the ball gonna find you. You ever noticed you ever noticed how they put infield outfielder in the field or infield in baseball, throw the ball, find it, the ball getting hit right to them, somebody getting it. We need a spere receiver, everybody cover somehohow the ball got to find hire or the dB when they put a D corner in the game, the spot whatever he is, What what do ball do? The ball

That goes back to what this more of a question for both of you guys. Are you Are you more.

Comfortable at home or the villain on the road or I like I like I like being the villain on the road. I like you, I like kay I, I operate very well in a chaotic environment.

I'm comfortable being uncomfortable. It's weird. Yep, no I play. I played. I think I played my best at home.

I just wanted to be I just want to be able to hear the snapcount because I'm trying to get down to feel as fast as I can. And if you notice, and when they when when in track meets, when they say runners to their mark, everything.

Is hushed talking for everybody here. Hit the gun. I need to hear a gun.

I need to hear that hunt and and ball up out of there. Let me know what you think about this, jail Jeff t says Jaylen Bronson holding the ball for most of the shot clock is the reason why New York initially went down two against the Pacers.

You know how the Knicks lose these games.

The shot clock is twenty four, Jayalen brunther it hold the ball for seventeen of them.

They don't get no rhythm. You agree or disagree?

I agree, I agree, And that's what I thought happening, especially the first game when he came back in when they were up. You know, I think you're up seventeen. He came back in and the rhythm they just looked out of swords. When you talk, you're talking about two teams and the top seven and top eight defensively in the NBA, right, And so both can guard and the Pacers they're physical, they switch every day, and they have size. And with Brunston at six foot one, is as good

Right.

So I mean to based on what jef T said, Jail you can probably you know, correct me if I'm wrong. Is there a way that Jen and Brusson can operate the offense and getting the ball and be quick and getting everything set up, be quick, but not in a hurry as I feel like you rushing things.

Well, I think you got to.

I think walking the ball down, you know, put him up against the clock from the start, right, I think getting the ball out, you know on in particular, missus, you know, let's get the ball up the court. Nothing's there, boom, let's get into our offense. Let's get let's get a really good shot based off our offense. A lot of times when they get if you want, I want you guys watched this of the next you know, hopefully the Cippies doesn't go too many more games. So why so

Shamman had two.

You scored one hundred plus points and you got thirteen

That is crazy. And I'm looking at that.

I even I didn't know that thirteen and you got one hundred points. I think you're gonna have thirteen to sais, You're gonna have probably about seventy five eighty. There's a lot of catching the holding and that's the dom Yeah, exactly it. See if that's the same, and sometimes you know you're getting put backs, you letting the team get second chance points on you. Nobody creates an assists for you. That's just you doing the ball, and so it's gonna

Leading assists guy was Halle. They had a couple of guys with three.

McConnell had three, mem Hardy had three, Turner had three. Neie Smiths played twenty six minutes. Bro, you gotta give us, you gotta give us a call on that zero assists. Fascal, I need about four or five assists from you. Yeah, because you'd have guy, because you just scored thirty nine. They make them come help you make them come, doube See you're not aggressive.

They like and I know. Look, og Is is a very good defending.

He got the best of o g Yeah game two, og held his own Game three, og Ga sixteen. So they basically played to a stand still. But Pascal's minus twenty one. He's minus twenty one. You had the lowest plus minus of anybody that text.

The court, well to.

I guess, I guess the magical word for this series is sustainability. Right, Can you sustain what you did in the first half and bring it to the second half and be better, right, or at least, you know, keep it at the same level. It seems like in this series as it's a changing of the guards when it comes to how they're performing from half to halts.

Right.

And so I think that you know, you know, the way the Pacers had it rocking in the first half of tonight, if they can take that same energy and bring it, you know, to the second half, they run away with this game probably by thirty Yeah, and yeah, you can say that to you know, you can say that. I mean, even though the Pacers shot the lights out

But I guess it's it's kind of the new era when it.

You know, it depends on who's gonna get hot, who's gonna be aggressive, who wants to impact the game, who doesn't want to impact the game.

Who feels good, who doesn't feel good.

It's a lot of scenarios that it's coming into play Man, which is, you know, which is unusual for something, you know, just late in the season. Yeah, and I go back to a jail and I want to and I think this is what happened, is that when they got that twenty point lead, I thought they was gonna close it out and probably keep it at twenty, maybe even get push it somewhere around thirty, right, But.

The Knicks had other idea. The Knicks ended up cutting it.

They ended up going to like a mini run, and they ended up cutting it to thirteen, so they had to feel really really good thirteen and still boy share and that's still double digits. But still you were down twenty and in the blink of but now you got it down. You got it down to thirteen. And and I thought, like early in the third, you know, they got it down to ten and then the Pacers pushing

You're like, oh, oh yeah, oh, now you're at home and.

Your quiet, your crowd as long as I can get longer, as long as I can keep the crowd out of it, jail.

I like my chances from the road team. Now I done got the crowd out of it.

You had him in the you had him in the game in the second quarter, and now here it is the third quarter, getting ready to head into the fourth, and they quiet yeah again. And I love Terry Halliburton. I think he's a hell of a player. I think he's going to just continue to get better. But I didn't see on that. I didn't see out there tonight where somebody was like, Yo, you give me the damn ball, right, give me the ball, right, I'm about to do this.

Yeah, come get before.

They got to win that game because if you go back to two, now it's the best side of three. Yeah, make it hard on yourself when the Knicks have a home court yep, Sga said. The Thunder got punched in the mouth by Anthony Edwards and the Wolves. We got punched in the mouth and next game we're either going to get back up or not, and we'll lose the game.

The timber Wolds shot lights out in Game three. They hit fifty seven percent of their shot.

They went twenty or forty from the three point line, collected night team, more rebounds, had fourteen more points in the paint, and man thirty points in thirty minutes now rebounds, five or sis two steals he was plus he was twelve or seventeen from the floor, five of eight from the three. Finally got that three ball going because the first two games it was non existent. Plus thirty six, five and one in the target center this postseason.

Which Thaya jail I don't.

There's no way Oklahoma City plays the way they play, and I think it'll be difficult for Minnesota. Minnesota and will them in that first half, you know, he he just simply willed them.

I don't know if.

Minnesota has the debt two because again, you got a thing in the playoffs that will come.

What happens if they start trapping and man, and then who you go to?

Right, you're talking about OKC is one of the best scoring teams.

Hell, they said it, they said it.

They was historical, you know, historical this year when it came to yeah, you know, margins of victory, right, that came because the level of depth when it comes to scoring, it's probably best in the league. Right, And so I would think that they're gonna come back, you know, with the sense of urgency and do the things that they've just completed them in doing all year. Right, It's not something that they got to go in and figure out in the locker, Right, you know who's gonna do what?

Yeah.

I thought Dante Deevin Chienzo hears some big threes to keep that lead, keep that.

When at Man went to the.

Bench, I thought navs Reed played played probably his best game of this sedition short series thus far.

Miller came in.

I just thought, look, but the keys for them is ant Man to be efficient and Drew Raanda.

You look at jew Radna.

He had a really good game Game one, and then he was non existing in game two and they got blown out. He didn't even play in the fourth quarter. They're like, now we good get to go on sail there and get your mind right. They showed the clipboy. He's telling the feferal, y'all go ahead and go we I ain't going back in the game. We ain't about to win this game. I see all the Hey, we're getting ready to go back to Minnesota. We're gonna give

Hey, and and also you know the peggyback on what Jo said about obviously them making the adjustments for Anthony Edwards to stop him. Obviously, what do you what are

Shannon Jr. DEVI, you said I don't want to Vicenzo.

Uh McDaniels and ain't got to be aggressive again, trapp or not. Hey, there were games you win into you know this double team is coming.

Yep.

I don't man, I don't see none of that. You know what, he has to have that same mentality that he had this game he got address.

If you go back and look at him with the Lakers, there are a lot of times he had like twelve cents, he had nine and siss. He trusted his guys. Now if you let him slip through the crack, he going to the rim. Every time you go, he going to the rim. But the thing that I like about him, he is very unselfish. He will give the ball up. Now, he's gonna give the ball up if you're knocking down shots. Yeah, his mentality is you're not knocking down shots and we lose it. Let me go in this phone booth and

Right. And so from that perspective is.

Can you have the will and endurance, mind, body and soul to come and have another one?

One?

Typically that hadn't been your role, right, And so that's the difference when I see teams like Indiana, teams like Okay se where they've all season long depending on that debt, and they've been every night somebody goes to twenty five or you know, twenty two. Right, it's been consistent. And you hear them talk they always talk about the numbers, right, we trust our teammates. You look at Minnesota, you look

Julius Rando, you know that.

Can you know Jaylen Brynston that can come off the bench and be that factor the remaining the remaining of the of the of that series. I don't know. I don't know if they have that right. And that's the biggest question. You know, we're about to be about to find out. What do you expecting in game A Game four? Because the first three games have been a snooze fest.

That's not good.

Again, I'm not even I love the offensive floor of things, right.

I think offensive the high numbers is good.

But in the playoffs, I think defensive strategy, right is the most important part that we should be seeing more. To get beat by forty or thirty plus in the playoffs is crazy to me crazy, So you're crazy to me, bro, I just I can't digest that. And I'm as if you watch, and I'm watched as a fan, I'm like, yo, how does this happen? You know everything about this roster, right, I mean the Scotting report is immense. I mean you guys about you know exactly what? Yes, everything, quarter back

Then you know the funny thing about it?

And then even though you have all that information that you need, you can have all that information you need and study, watch film, but you still got to execute it once you get out there. Absolutely, you got executed once you get out there. And that's why I'm hoping. How I see I see the next game going. I think the Wolves are probably gonna win again. But it has to it has it has to come from the exact same way it did the first time it all started.

It win nobody there right away.

You got to be aggressive because if you lose his next game, you go down three one, you're.

Going home when you go back to Yeah, I think it was one hundred percent. It's a must win for both Minnesota and Indiana. Right, Wow, it's a must win, bro. I think you know, you put too much at risk if you don't win those games. And as I was, done impossible. You're not about to Minnesota, not about to go to OKC and win down three winning or even win the series.

But you know, it's it's interesting to see, you know what's having.

I like games like tonight whereas it's it's the score is tight, energy is you know, everybody sitting on the edge. Nobody want to see a game where the damn commentators got to make up stuff to talk about in the third quarter.

Yeah, but that's great.

Talking about Yeah, they talk about when they played way back when. Now the focus on this game, right, But I mean, you got that, and sometimes that's you got. That's why, that's why you got to be great at storytelling, because every game is not gonna be niptok, And then you gotta find ways to try to keep the fans entertained the best you possibly can. After the Lakers got bounced, JJ Reddick emphasized that the team needed to be in

You think that's Ai? Yeah, that's what. There's no way hell if he lost that week that fast? And why the hell he ain't doing it during the season. Hey, that that's it. That's what I'm ay. Don't I don't care what he looks like right now. I'm talking about when he come back to play. That would he looked like this when he come back to play?

Hey?

Held on? Hey, hey do you think he uncle jail? You think he took that Olympic Olympic?

Nah?

Nah, he ain't. No, No, I don't the UK. I don't think you can take that there then be a player. I have a question. Okay, you can't take that as an NBA player? Right? How many weeks they've been out they've been out of season? What three? Two? If that ain't been that damn long for him to look like it ain't been that long for you to lose all that weight like that. He probably took that Olympic stuff. I'm telling you, man, you know it's crazy.

Like I've watched him, Like when you watch him play with his national team, he always looks thinner.

He does.

Then he comes back to the United States and it's like he's eating East rolls and postive. But the American food. I mean, you look at Europeans, they're not as big as Americans. It's up about the food.

Hell eating a lot of I mean you do.

I mean if you go, if you go to Europe, you're not gonna see as many and you.

Know people that that's a little heavier.

You don't see a whole bunch of them.

Yeah, so he's doing something. I don't know if it's now jail. You know this. Their bodies are gonna be their bodies.

They're not gonna be sculpted, gonna have albs, They're not gonna have caps on their shoulders, They're not gonna have that much. They all look alike. I've never seen a European player with muscles. You look at Yokic, you look at Luca, you look at Manu, you look at Zubos. You look at any international player, tell me the one Sabonas, tell me the one you say, Okay, caps on the shoulder, ripped up calves.

They just that's how they look.

It's only one that's Gianna's that I think is is Yeah, Johanna's got that Nigerian base. They're the difference. Uh, you know, my basis is based and it's not chiding. So he comes from the foundation that stock. It's a little different than what uh the Europeans with y'all Luca and jokicch and Manu and all those guys came out of But he looks good. But like I said, I don't worry about the guy right now, and he ain't got to play for another four five months. I want to see

Yeah, yeah, Like he's not.

At twenty five, and I mean not at twenty You should have Cannisio tape. You should be hey put together like hey like that like my grub, my coffee table.

When we're growing up. You shouldn't look like that, you know what I'm saying. We had that black electric tape holding up everything. You know what I'm saying.

He had Cannisio tape at twenty three, twenty four, he's twenty six. Now I'm like, bro, why you need all that to hold you together? But you remember now he missed ninety one ninety two games the last two seasons. Yeah, right, He's missed a lot of games at an early age.

You know we're not. We just want to go get you know, get get one player.

That basically a one for one, one for one and we and we ain't gonna have no more conversation. So that that said a lot. But you can see what Dallas trying to go with it. It's a risk. He got him number one pick this year. We'll see how that turns out, you know, with the rest of the bigs. I do believe that they're gonna have to probably move some other some some pieces to bring on another piece. So you're not gonna have Kyrie to start. Hell, he probably want to have Kyrie the first half of the

He's spectacular. What do you think the Lakers need to do?

What if they're big, If there's somebody you think the Lakers can get or should get in order to give them a great opportunity to compete for title because at this point in time, I mean, that's all Lebron is really playing for. Here's here's my question is can the Lakers be the Lakers with Lebron having the ball in his hand at a lesser level?

Right? Can you know, and even with.

Jokic, I mean you, I mean with Luca, Yeah, can you have a third person that can take some of the pressure off of those two?

Right?

Because the thing the problem is when those two have the ball in the hand the majority of the time, and Lebron is a different monster. You know, he can make things happen, get downhill, the ball does stop, and so can you have somebody else that make life easier for those two?

Right?

Because Lebron is forty plus years old, right, He's not gonna be there. He's not gonna be to carry the load like he's typically carried that, even though he can still go for you know, thirty or forty. But you're gonna need You're gonna need a third person that can really make things easier. And I'm not sure how they do it with the cap issues that they have, but we'll see.

But I don't think they have enough right now.

I think they're gonna be seven eighth, ninth playing you know type of deal if they don't make a move. Oh, they got to make a move. I think the thing is, first of all, this is what we know. Lebron is better without the ball than Luca. Luca cannot play off the ball. Lebron can play off the ball because you're not putting Luca in the dunker spot. You're not gonna do. There are certain things you're not gonna do. And prior

It's still twenty yeah, he's still twenty four eight and eight.

But the problem is they need a big Yeah, because you can't start Rudy at the five and Lebroad at the four or brought at the five and Rudy at the four, because you see Rudy Gobert look like Shaq twenty seven and twenty four.

You can't. They're just too small. Jackson Hayes, you can.

I mean, for whatever reason, JJ's like, hell, the hell with it, Jackson, We're not gonna even play you in game five. And he only played marginal minutes in game four. So with that being said, I thought the Mark Williams. I don't know why they nullified the trade, but I thought he would have been a big addition for the jail because they need a big Luca leaves a law threat. If you go back and look study Luca, look at Luca. He's his best when he has a law of threat.

Yeah.

But I'm gonna tell you right now, man, Like I don't know, I don't know why the NBA is getting away from the veterans.

You got a guy like I use Dwight Howard.

You always seem to be in shape, you know, for a guy to get rebounds, block shots and defend them and he did a better job against Rudy Gobert and Jackson Hayes or anybody else did right. A bigger body, too, bigger body, right, And he's and he's a savvy veteran. He's been one one of the best defenders you know, all the time to come down to protecting that room and and rebound the basketball. But you know, again, most teams don't seem to want to go get better in players.

So you don't have you know, you don't you don't even have to have.

You can take a role of a player coach role, right and take that off off the cat. You know, the NBA can do anything right if you get the union, they can make it work people in place that helps develop, you know, and you got you look at Jackson Hayes and they had another they signed another.

Uh Alex lenn Alex Lynn.

Right, Yes, he should be the he should be the tallest high school or college coach next year. But that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. If you have they just call it the white Houard. Let's use him for example. Right, Yes, you have somebody in there mentoring this these these young boys and and and getting them and helping them understand the importance of everything they do or support. Then you in a better situation. Are you not saying you gotta go pay him five million dollars?

Right, this creator role or Javel McGee, Javeal McGee was available, That's what I'm saying. But why not?

I mean, so, so is the NBA doing similar to what the NFL is doing? Also on Yeah, they really going they be going young and doing away with all the veterans outside of quarterback, a specific quarterback that is still getting opportunity to play regards of age.

But like the NFL, the NFL, a NBA.

Yeah, because you know, the minimum oh over a certain number of years is a million dollars. Well, I can get a guy right out of college or first you're a guy and paying three hundred four hundred thousand, right save six what's but what's six hundred thousand when you bring when you get when you're making three hundred million.

Right, I don't get that. Well, I guess.

But the question in basketball, I mean is you know, do you do you really want to win?

I mean doesn't matter. I mean, you know, most of most of them.

You know, you Basketball's not like football where you have historical you know, families that's involved with these teams, right, Basketball is not that, right Baskett. The fact the majority of the NBA now is new ownership, right, and so from perspective, you know, what is it that? What is the real purpose? Right is it? You know, invest in to you know, investing to a team, let the value grow, then sometime not sell it, get.

Up off it. That's yeah, because that's that's the difference.

Because if you look at the NFL, a lot of these a lot of these owners now some of these owners now have other things. But for the longest time, uh j O and o Jo, these were family runs business.

These were Marlin pop shops. That's all they had.

Now you look at guys teams, people that buy teams, now, that's not their number one business.

That team is not their number one business.

The altisans that just bought the Dallas Mavericks, they're gambling, that's their number one business. You look at the guy that bought the Sacramento Kings. You look at Steve Barmer who bought the Clippers. That was not his number one business. Now that's what he does now. But he's worth a one hundred billion, so he spent two. So that's not what it is. Not like the NFL is not like the Hunts. Now, the Hunts have other things, but it's a family. But for the most part, NBA is a lot.

But he might yeah he might be No, what do you call him, Jemmie Buss her dad.

Seventy I think he brought the team in seventy nine, so he might be the longest thing.

That was the dad, right, Yeah, they passed it down there here the brown Shoes, huh.

Yeah, but when you know Jimmy had uh yeah, no Bengals, Mike Brown. It got passed down to his dad. You might earth say he took them from his for his dad. So they just passed past it down. Now these these tech people coming in there with four five, six billion.

Dollars and it's it's it's gone.

Yeah, you know, the Waltons just you know, brought the Broncos. I mean he's worth a hundred billion. What's what's a hundred what's what's four billion?

Hire?

We just saw Josh Harris, he just bought he just purchased the Commanders last year over six what six and a half billion?

He also owned the seventy sixers.

So it's not it's it's different, it's it's a different time now. But I agree with you, Jail, I think they should have a advance on the team to help these young guys understand and navigate their way through uh. I think that I think they're doing a better job the pa of both pas of having guys understand money.

Like, Bro, you're not a doctor, you're not a lawyer.

You're not gonna have a twenty year career, right The average year, the average career is about three and a half years.

Three and a half. So even when you.

Factor in Tom Brady that played twenty three, and in factor Peyton Manning that played eighteen nineteen and Drew Brees and Rogers and all these guys, a lot of guys just playing one year, a lot of guys not even playing at all. So it comes whittle is whittle it down to three and a half years. Bro, you're gonna be twenty five, and that's the job that you're probably

Yeah, I think too, man.

You know, the full law is obviously significantly different in basketball, right You guys draft for exact need, yes, and every

A lot of time.

And if they send your ass down to the G League and you a lottery pick, got already telling you where.

You at and what are you thinking about

The volume