¶ Intro / Opening
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play your first five dollars lineup. That's Coach Shannon to get fifty dollars in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. Prize Picks a preferred partner of the NBA. We got Ourselves a series, Joe, I told you we gonna have ourselves a series. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. Y'all know who I am. I'm your favorite unp my partner in co hosts Liberty City is own Bengal Ring of Fame Arnoe.
A former pro bowler and and All Pro.
He's Chad o Jo Senko Johnson and the third member of the Big Three, a seven time NBA All Star from the University of Arkansas isold Joe Johnson. Please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Please make sure you hit the like button. Do us a favorite, Go subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcast from.
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I know it's late tonight, but you guys here waiting on a and waiting and see what we have to say about these games that just happened. So thank you again for your support, and you'll continue support because none of this happens without you. Those looking to purchase a bottle of shave by Laportier head over to Laportier Kannak dot com to purchase you a bottle if it's currently unavailable, and they stay or sitting near you. It is a premium VSLP Kanyac, the best tasting smoothest VSLP Kangnac on
the market. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself then I'm sure you'll see. It is the best tasting, smoothest VSLP Kanyak on the market, and it drinks like an XO. Please drink responsibly and stay safe. The Houston Rockets force a game six. The Rockets win
¶ Rockets def. Lakers (LAL lead 3-2)
ninety three, now excuse me, ninety nine ninety three. The fourth game six on Friday, all five Rockets scored in double figures, led by Jabbari Smith who has twenty two no KD no problem. Jabari Smith six to thirteen four nine from three twenty two, Tari E eighteen six of eleven to a six, Shing Goon fourteen points five of ninem and Thompson fifteen points. Reed Shepherd had twelve points. He played unbelievable night. Knocked down. Some big shots had a big steal to really put the game away, but
even the guys came up the bench. Phinnis Smith, Aaron Holliday and Okogie played really, really well. Joe, I told you I didn't like the way the Lakers looked the other night, and it was like that, well, were.
Going back home. We'll take care of that home.
If you notice these guys, they do a lot more moving when Kadie's not there, because it's almost like they're looking like, Okay, let's see what Kadie's gonna do. Tonight, shing Goon got the ball. Nobody was standing around. They were diving to the rim, and they made the Lakers play on some back door cuts and over the top. Joe, what did you like about what you saw from the Houston Rockets tonight to force a game six? Joe, you muted, I'm bad.
They're justins that they made un ojo where the Rockets just using their youth. Bro, the Lakers look, you know, they look stuck in mud. And that's why I tell y'all, man, it's a fine line between winning and losing and the postseason, you know what I mean, Lakers went to Houston one games what was that three or four? And they won game three. They was up three, oh yeah, one game
three and then come back and come home. Man, you think you know, I was thinking they were trying and close these boys out, but they never They didn't even start the game like you know, like they had that off, like they was ready to put these boys away. And you give a young team like the Houston Rockets, bro life, you don't know who's gonna beat you. You don't know who gonna step up and make shots. You don't know
who gonna step up and make plays. That's a hard team to game plan for, you know what I mean. And when you look, hell, Lakers ain't getting nothing from Luke Canard to night with thirty one minutes. Yeah, but you know what Joe he's been.
I mean, if you look at him since the guys have been out, he's playing above his head. And we've talked about it. We've never seen him play like this before. Now maybe he hadn't got the minutes like this before, but Joe, we've never seen them. I mean, a playoff career high. He was having career highs. He was shooting the ball. He woned what third or fourth three point field goal percentage in the NBA. So at some point in time, you're gonna revert back to who you are.
You are what you are, and he just reverted back to who he was. He's a role player, he's a solid role player. But you're asking him to play thirty one, thirty five, thirty six minutes. That's asking him awful lot, Joe, go ahead, continue.
Yeah, you're right, but with him, with them being at home, you know, you would think he would play a lot better than this. I mean he only took four shots in thirty one minutes. I mean, how is that even possible? Seeing that the way he's played throughout this whole entire series. You know, I thought they got I thought the Lakers got some good production from from from from different guys. But scoring ninety three points, Ojo, It's gonna be hard
to win like that, Bro, It's gonna be hard to win. Really.
For me, the only person that really impressed me tonight was DA. I thought, d A's this is what I've been looking for from D eight. He gave us, he gave you, he gave you eighteen and seventeen. Lebron nine or twenty from the floor. Ruy was five or eleven from the floor. Marcus Mart with three. Marcus Mart had more turnovers than assists. He was three of seven. All of his shots were from the three point line. Luke Kennard was over over two from the uh and Austin
Reeves came back. He was twelve or thirteen. He was aggressive, but he was four or sixteen from the floor. It's just hard to win like that. And you look at the three point shot, they're seven to twenty seven. And I thought the Rockets knocked down some big shots. I thought they had guys in their face. Now some of the guys were open. They gotta pay, They gotta pay better attention. And the Lakers don't do a good job
of defending because what happens. They get beat off the dribble, somebody comes to help, and now you got to kick in the corner or you gotta kick to the top of the key, and the guy's shooting a wide open three. They got to do a better job of staying in
front of their guys. It's really that simple. And you know what, let Shin gooon goes go off, but you can't give up dunks and layups, Joe, because you're coming to double And he spins around and sees the guy dive into the and gives it to him and he either dunked the ball or layer up.
Just let shin gun say.
A uh d A you on your on the night, Yeah, on the night, I wondered, you gotta play you gotta play him square up? Yeah, when when you look at it, I wonder did the Lakers, you know, take Houston for granted this last Yeah? I mean you know you still know Kdie, You still ain't got a lot of your Vengero guys out. I think they thought they was gonna come out hend and just walk the dog on these boys.
But the energy and effort wasn't there from the jump, you know what I mean, Like Staples wasn't like I mean not Staples.
It wasn't buzzing Crypto, It wasn't. It wasn't buzzing like it normally was. You know what I mean. They never could get the grab the crowd into it to kind of make those runs. Yeah, they try to make a late surge, but it was too late, man, it was too late. You gotta get Houston. A lot of critic give them young boys credit man to come in that hostile environment like that, knowing that they was on the brink if they if they didn't win, it was a rap and he they showed a lot of maturity tonight.
Hey hey, uncle Joe, what's that man?
Them boys came out flat from the beginning, obviously knowing that youth is against you.
Yeah, you want to come out and set the tone early.
You're playing at home with the opportunity to close these young bulls out, the fact that they don't have Katie playing, you know, it should be one up. I think the inconsistencies when it comes to certain players with the Lakers. You don't know what you're gonna get in which night, DeAndre Aiden. I mean, this is what we need from you every night. No, I mean you talk about it all the time. Hell, you don't know what you're gonna get from Luke nar I mean, I like what unc said.
You know, he'd been playing way above what's expected of him, so he's bound to have a night and revert back to.
You know who he truly is.
I mean, Lebron can only do so much, you know, Mark Smart did did what need to do and aus three.
We're gonna be all three in.
But they don't have anybody that can consistently you can count on and be like, this is what our number is gonna be. We just need everybody else around us to contribute just a little bit.
Might be.
I'm not sure how many times the team has come back three.
That three, three, none, zero, one nine. It never happened, yep, but eventually it's gonna happen. And I said that said at the beginning, serious, you know, when they got up three ozer Joe, I said, nobody's ever come back. The only time it's ever happened. Well, and I think it might have happened in hockey once, but it happened in baseball. The Yankees were up three to zero in the Red Sox, and the Red Sox came back. It's never happened in basketball.
But eventually it's gonna happen. Just like nobody had ever come back from three to one down in the NBA Finals and it happened. It's going to happen. The low Averages says, it's gonna happen. You just don't want it to happen to the team. That you're on or happened to the team that you happen to be rooting for. But it's going to happen eventually, and this might be the series because the Rockets have confidence.
And I told you, I said, what's gonna happen.
They win this game, they win Game four, they go back and still game five, it says, okay, we're gonna get game six at our place. All the pressure now goes to them in Game seven. At some point in time. Lebron's gonna need He got aggressive late, but he came out again. What we trying to do. Get everybody involved, Get everybody involved. And when guys ain't making no shot, he's not a guy that can he forty one. Yeah, what you could do at twenty eight, what you could
do at thirty two. Get everybody involved and not getting it, get yourself going. It gets hard and harder for the old Carter Crank and Marcus Smart started off turning the ball over. Bro, you're not in church. Stop raising your hand when you turn the ball over. Just stop turning it over.
I thought, I thought Marcus Smart got off to a decent start. He scored eight of the first ten points. Old y'all. I said, you know, because if he can have a big game, that'll take some pressure out Brun. But when you think about it, the longer this series goldfellas it plays in the Houston hands because they're a young team there, your team. Look, this series has been grueling, has been physical, and it's mentally it wears and tears
on you. Bro like it's it's tough, you know, especially when you got Lebron at forty one and you're asking so much of him. That's a lot, man, that's a lot. I think Houston they're in a good position right now. They can go home. I know they they looking forward to winning Game six and coming back to LA for a Game seven. But I think Houston got a real shot at this.
Yeah, absolutely, oh yeah, absolutely.
Only four teams of.
The teams to start three and oh, only four have ever forced the game seven.
Those teams are oher and three.
Even though they forced the game seven, Lebron James teams has never blown a.
Two oh series lead his entire NBA career.
I just look, like you said, Joe, they didn't they didn't have they didn't come out with that passion. I mean, they got a little lead and then you know, Houston took a time out.
And they just hey them them damn minutes that they that they logging night in and night out. It's starting, I'm telling you, man, they're starting to catch up with.
Them with Lebron. Lebron played another thirty nine minutes. Shing goo, I mean Shan Goon played forty three minutes. I'm and Thompson played. But you're talking about guys that's twenty five. Yeah, you talk about guys, I mean Lebron kids. Damn the oldest these guys. You got Jabari Smith Junior, you played forty two minutes, You got arm and Thompson played forty five minutes. Your big guys that you're counting on. Easton
came in and gave him some great minutes. Tonight man eighteen points, Joe On six of eleven, two or six. He played really well before what did he file out? No, he picked up his field. They changed? Did they change it? Because I started getting the dressed when they called a charge on him and they challenged it.
Did they there? They changed it? They changed he shot I think he shined free throws behind them. Okay, yeah, I figured that as much.
Hey, hold on hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
I just I just want to make something clear real quick, right, Yeah, yeah, Lebron is still playing Joe, and I'm right correct, Yes, yes, you know it was his decision to play this this far into his career twenty three you know, twenty three years in the league at forty one years old. What we're not going to, we can't keep doing is using his age as a reason when things don't work out, or trying to set that up as a crush on
why things didn't work out. You know, he knows, even he knows his wouldn't be the same playing at forty one years old, playing a certain amount of minutes, you know, especially being in a situation like this, So we can't keep throwing out his age all the time every time things don't go right.
That's his decision, the one that played this long.
Even when things go well.
You're in awe that a forty one year old is doing this because we've never seen it before.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, obviously.
So even even the mere fact, the mere fact that he's playing, because normally when guys are played that you look at Vince Carter, guys are averaging average five points.
Yeah, points a game.
Yeah, he's twenty, he's twenty five and five actually was twenty six, twenty point eight, seven, and I think six. So you look at what he's doing. So even yeh, yes, we're not gonna we're not saying that using that as a crutch, But even when he plays well at forty one, you have to marvel it because we've never seen we've never seen anybody play that well at forty at thirty nine, at thirty eight, and what you're asking him to do, nobody has ever been asked to do what he's doing
at this age. So let that sink here for a second. You're asking him at forty one to do something. The NBA is seventy years old, and the history no eighty years old. I'll take that back, eighty years old, and we've never seen the NBA ask a player at that age to do what they're asking him to do.
That's not an excuse. They have to play better.
But the days of him being able to single handily put teams on his back like he did the calf against Boston, like he did against Toronto, like he did against Indiana.
Those days are over. Yeah, yeah, and it's over. For a lot.
KD can't carry a team like he wants could. Steph Curry can't carry a team like he once could. James Harden can't carry your team like.
He once could. Sports is a young man's game, Ain, And and when you look at the game, you look down the stretch, you see how all his shots were short yep, because them legs gone. Bro, when leg's gone, okay, oh Joe, I don't I don't care who you are, bro. That that that the first thing to go when them legs gone is that jump shot. That jump shot out of It's the That's why you see a lot of his shots was at the basket, at the rim, in
the paint, you know. And that's what we talk about, you know, as series goes along, because it's so physical, it's so grueling, and it's so mental. You know, it's mentally challenging that bro. It's draining. It is draining though, and.
He was a great joe Y mean you you got to get him credit with you and Joe. He took to free throw teams. Ah yeah, but it's hard at his age to constantly drive, to constantly drive.
He can't put pressure on you like shape shakee twenty six. So he can just.
Come at and just keep coming and keep coming and keep coming at you. That's not Lebron. He got to pick and choose those spots. I agree, But he's gonna need other guys. He's gonna need Austin reed to Look, it was a great game for Often to get back. I think he'll be better in game six. It's gotta realize he's been for a month. I believe he'll be better in game six than he was in Game five. Hey, he put pressure on him. I love the way he attacked shots, just didn't go down for it.
Yeah. Hello, another guy that you can put in the pick and roll, who can obviously create, score, make plays for other guys. But man, it's gonna take. It's gonna take a lot for them to put this young Houston team away. Fellas.
Oh yeah, for sure, because like I said, they got confidence now, they believe to say.
And Joe we talked about the other night.
Oh Joe, we talked about how the Cavaliers when they were down three to one, they say, Okay, let's get this game. Okay, now we're gonna go. But we hey, we're gonna get Game five there now, we're gonna come back home and get game six here.
Yeah, Now, all.
The pressure goals on them, because no team has ever gave giving up a three to one lead in the NBA Finals. No team in NBA playoff history has given up a three zero lead. Hey, all the pressure goes to the team, especially if you're at home. You're at home.
And listening to if you if okay, see they at the house like this, he'll rubbing their hands together. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuse as soon as y'all come out this grueling series right here against the Rockets, whoever.
You gotta deal, you gotta deal with us.
They probably gonna play next Tuesday, because you got Friday Sunday. Oh they playing next Tuesday. Yeah, and the damn who win? They played well, the Rockets or the Lakers. They're playing next Tuesday. NBA don't want to put the schedule out, but they playing next Tuesday. You're not going you're not getting that, but you're not going that far that much further. Hey, the boys resting, they kind of healing up some of
the wounds they got. Yeah, it's gonna be a dangerous team, bro, that's I mean, that's what you don't want.
Hey, younger Joe, Yes, we got regardless of who makes it out this series, whether it's the Lakers.
Neither team, both teams getting swept if they play. Okay, I just.
Want to see what you're gonna give it your gentleman and.
Sweet No four, oh, ain't no gentleman. So you so you don't think you don't think, Okay, c gonna get a challenge until they get to the Western Conference. Uh, that is correct finals. Yes, m m. They're just too good.
Yeah, they just too good, too much depth ship.
And that guy, that guy ahead of the Snake, you're nice. He ain't playing those silly games, is it?
Man? No?
No, he's an attack mode. He's an attack mode. He's an attack mode. Lakers guys are defending. They're defending. They're defending. They're defending at an elite level. Guys understand their role, they understand their responsibility. They're not envious of each other. All the guys have gotten contracts. So what hey, Check got his money, j J got his money. Obviously, Shay got his money. Hartenstein came into Fridge and so he
got his money. Everybody paid and they know it's his stake, you know, to be able to go back to back. You want to be great, you got to go back to back. That's why the Spurs don't get the ready that they deserve. They won't five, but they never went back to back.
Yeah, and he God damn that, God damn Sja Joe. Y'all probably correct me if I'm wrong. Does his does his game.
His style of play, the way he plays on the court.
Does he not have that same killer mentality like Jordan's, God damn Kobe or my tripping?
No, he got he got that killer instinct. You know. I think it's more of a it's more of a confidence thing. Okay, oh Jo, you know, just knowing knowing that it don't matter who y'all put on me. Bro, this dude, this dude can't check me. He can't stay in front of me. He can't stop me from getting them my spots, period, point blank. I mean here the last game in Phoenix, what he had like fifteen assists? Man,
he had like fifteen assists. So he can do more than just score, I think, and he knows that with j Duve being out, he's gonna have to do a little more. You know, they're gonna have to have other guys step up. But Okay, I got I got faith in the Lakers, Bro, I think they'll win. Uh, They're probably more.
Like Joe, how you got faith in the Lakers? Don't have faith in them.
I'm saying, I think their answer to Bill in this series against the Rockets. That's what I'm saying. You know what I mean. Is it gonna be challenging. Yeah, but I think they have they can do it. That's what I'm saying. I think they can do it. I think Houston just being such a young team, obviously they've learned from their mistakes, and Houston could easily be up in this series. Fellas, they could easily be up in the series.
So but Joe, you do realize is that because the Lakers start off so slow, when you're an older team, it's harder for you to get back. You can't sum us up that energy. Yeah, you can't get behind, Yes, fall behind. Young teams can chase you down because they got guys they can keep coming. They got their twenty six and under guys and they could just keep coming, keep coming.
Right, your best player is forty one.
Austin Reeve is coming back after a month, and you don't have guys that are really knocked down shooters.
You got guys that are streaky and can get hot. Take that back. Luke Lenard is a shooter. You don't.
You don't win a three three point percentage of the field goal percentages and not be a good three point shooter. But the other guys, Austin or the Austin breed, Marcus mart is streaky. Ruin is streaky. But when you fall behind, and you fall behind by double this is one thing if you can keep it six or seven. But when you think about it, you've got and the problem is they don't defend particularly well. So you fall behind. Joe, you make a couple of threes, Okay, you down thirteen.
You make a couple of threes. Okay, you get it down to seven. Guess what happens. A lay up is nine, another layup is eleven, and you've exhalted. You've expended a lot of energy to cut it over two minutes to only willing only to whiddle the lead down two points.
And that's what they did tonight. Think about it.
They cut it, They cut it the three and the next thing, you know what was its back up to seven? Yeah, it was too late and it burned the game. Yeah, yeah, a couple of crucial turnovers.
Yes, you know it'll bite you any time. But man, get his rock get his young Rockets team. Credit Bro, they can't they They did what they were supposed to do. Like you say on Tars Easton, I thought he played great for them. He was tough, He made shots and he guarded like just like Thompson, just like Smith. You know, I thought all those guys really really, you know, showed promise to night as far as that. You know, they want to continue their season and then and if they
go home and take care of home court. Who knows what happened in game seven? Who game seven? You think? So? I do? I do? Well? They game? They Game seven gonna be tough, man, because you only gonna get a day of rest and then you gotta go play. Ok se, Well, we saw, we saw.
What happened when they went they played that Uh they played that overtime game, remember yeah on how the Lakers look. Yeah yeah, now this is this will be they play again on Friday night. Think about that. Lebron James played forty minutes back to back games Monday night Wednesday night.
Gonna play again on Friday night. Yeah. Hey a that's three and a half four miles fellas a game. Yes, yeah, he he's gonna have to be on his horses, boy, because Oh, I don't think they'll leave. I think they'll leave tomorrow.
I think they'll give the guys like, hey, go home, get up a sleep in your own bed. We'll leave, We'll come in and watch tape, see what we did. We'll leave tomorrow and get ready to go and get ready to try to close this thing out on on Friday. I believe that'll be I believe that'll be their schedule or Lakers schedule.
Or what's up with KD? Does he have any chance of coming back this I think he does. So if he coming back here, I think game six is the perfect time for him to He's coming back, don't you think. Yeah? I mean, what better position to be in bro for real? Seriously, I mean, I don't know the significance of his injury, but if he can get out there and give them anything, you know, But they play different with KD. They watch KD. I know, I know that's the thing.
When you have a great player, you stand around watching see what he gonna do.
No move.
The hell you go back and look at the games in which KD played and when they double KD. I agree, he got he got Thomson the east and standing right next to each other. Ain't nobody died to the basket. Ain't nobody run to the three point line. Ain't nobody try to come help him get the ball? Don't nobody know where to go?
Now? Watch tonight when Shingoon got.
Double back, everybody moving.
Yeah, well it's different. Watch the flair. It's different. It's different because KD handles the ball a lot. As soon as he crossed half court handling the rock, they sit in a double. They make him give it up. So now, yes, you got a four on three on the backside if you Houston, and you just gotta be able to make the right decisions, which they hadn't been able to do in the regular season or the postseason when KD has
been playing. Now that KD isn't playing, and you double sing Goon Sing Goon got catching the ball at the top of the key on the block. Yes, he ain't gonna Yeah, he'll be out there the three at times, but they ain't really doubling them out there. They double him when they got KD pushed so far out, Joe, there you go, there you go. So I agree with you on that it's two totally different defensive coverages when he play. But if I'm Houston boy, if I could get him to suit up.
Uh oh yeah for sure, Because if you think about it, Joe, I'm they trapping KD at the timeline on one.
Side of the court. Yeah. If you look at where they're trapping him, they're trapping shit goon.
He's getting the ball, damn there at the nail or at worst case scenario, the top of the key.
Yeah. Yeah.
And so now when he hey, you come with a double he see look at my backcut? Oh damn, what you call him? Just read this flare to the three point line? Reed, Shepherd, tarry Easton all the way backside. Let me get it to it. Shin Gun is a better passer than KD. And a lot of those Joe, you know a lot of those European big man's, they're great passers. You look at jo Ki, you look at a Shing Goon, you look at guys Bousovich.
They can pass out of the double team. Hey, that's that's probably one of the most underrated attributes you can have in your game, especially as a big man, as a center. If you ask center, if you got a center, bro, who has a high IQ and he knows how to play the game, and he can pass, he can make the game easy for everybody around him. Yeah, I agree. I think sing Goon he's great at that. Not only is he a good passer, but he's a willing passer.
And you know they hey, they got life, bro. Like you said, confidence is a mug, especially you know in the postseason. Now the Lakers got to find a way to try to get a game.
Confidence is ever thing in pro sports. Man boy, we
¶ Pistons def. Magic (ORL lead 3-2)
had a game.
We had a game. We had a game.
Kate Cunningham scores forty five as the Magic stave off elimination and forced a game six. Kate Cunningham scored a franchise playoff record forty five points, including the step back jumping with thirty two seconds Orlando leaves the series three to two and well a head home. On Friday Night, The Magic fell to h and ten in franchise history with a Game five on the roll, Paulo ban Caro,
this is what we need to see from you. Forty five points, nine rebounds, seven assists on seventeen or thirty one, shooting six to ten from the three. But he was terrible from the free throw line, and that might have really hurt him. Cade forty five points, five assists, four rebounds on thirteen of twenty three field goals, five of eight from the three, fourteen of fourteen, a perfect fourteen of fourteen from the free throw line. This is what I love. I love to see when two guys got
it going. Yeah, I mean you remember when Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray. You remember Lebron and even though they ended up losing that game, through Lebron and Katie going back and forth, there's nothing like when two guys. We saw Bron and Paul Pierce have it going a couple of times in the playoffs. Yeah, there's nothing like when two guys got it going. Anything you can do, I can do it better. Man, Joe, what did you like
about the Pistons won this game? What did you like about the Pistons and how did they win this game? I like to fight. I like to fight.
That the Pistons had obviously just being resilient knowing that you know, they was on their home floor they had to take care of because they weren't trying to, you know, lose and and the series be over with. They were fighting to get back to Orlando. I like what Tobias Harris gave him tonight. Yo. I thought he was been playing well, Joe, he has the past couple of games, he's been playing well. He's been lifting them up. He's been giving k the second guy who he can really
depend on. But I'm gonna be honest with y'all, man, they ain't really getting a whole lot from from you know, these other guys. Bro I mean, during was decent tonight, Duncan Robinson was decent. I just Orlando to beat them in Orlando. Yeah, Oh that's gonna be tough. I mean, because that's what they're up against. They gotta win two more games? Can can Can Detroit go to Orlando win a game and come back home final lead? They can?
They need Thompson. Thompson was tremendous on the boards tonight. He was tremendous. They killed him on the boards tonight for they revert forty nine to thirty three. Thompson only took three shots. Excuse me, he took five shots. Yeah, he had fifteen boards, six assists, five steals, two blocks. He's sensational on defensive end. He and his brother outstanding defensive players. His brother is a little bit more advanced offensively than him. Yeah, but Kay Cunningham.
A young boy, A young boy. Nice uncle, Joe, Hey, Ojoe nice.
Yeah, the boy got everything in his toolbox, hear me, I'm talking about listen, that's who. Hell, if I was Orlando, I'd be sending that double at his ass when he crossed half court the way he got it going, you know what I mean? Because he operates, He operates well in traffic, he operates well in isolation, and he's a great catch and shoot guy. Yeah, I just forty five points. It's awesome. I think I don't know if he could
do that again in Orlando. But he's gonna have to be special for them to win, just like he look he if he gonna play anyone like this, they got a great chance of winning.
You remember Joe, what was that game one? He had thirty nine. So he's more than capable of having and producing big numbers.
But I don't.
And Tobias Harris has been unbelievable.
In this series.
Yes, he played really well and when you expecting and Duran gave you, he gave you twelve only took the six shots nine rebounds, so he gave you a little more than what he normally does. But Tobias Harris has been unbelievable. They did get a little more out of Duncan Robinson. He's a kind of liability on the on the defensive man, so it's really hard for him to play him because they're gonna attack him at every chance they get. He he's that, he's that uh you know,
the cub. He's that, he's that little animal, that the fox that they try to circle, they try to get, get your attention over here. They try to steal him away because he don't protected the catcher, because he can't hit protect himself, and that's what and that's how they attack him. Uh, they gotta get them. I thought Stu Stuke came in and gave some quality minutes on the boards and you got you gotta have this was about kde tonight.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, you got They got up pensions, gotta have somebody come off their bench. They can give him a little you know I'm talking about because in Orlando, bro I think depending on Cade to try and get you forty fifty points. Yeah, I don't know if that's gonna happen. I ain't saying you got.
Getting that kind of points on the road, Joe. That don't happen very often. A guy goes on the road and hit the monster.
Number like that.
Yeah, but maybe you don't need him to hit forty five. You need everybody else to come to the party.
Huh.
That'sck and Tobias Aarris.
Contribute the way he did tonight, will continue to contribute and be consistent. Duncan Robinson, You're supposed to be a shooter from the clip, shooting from the cliff. I mean, I mean, it's one thing to say it, but then go out there and do it. Jayleen Jayalen during even up and down, I mean yeah, oh yeah, yeah, even up and down all God damn serious, So I meant that. God damn cave boy. Hey, if I'm he nice.
But if I'm Orlando Fellas, we're not going back to Detroit. No we hell now, we're not going back to Detroit. We finel they made the free throws, they win, they went back to night. Yeah, we finna go, Joe. They miss fourteen free throws. Joe h.
Cave miss seven? You mean Ben Carroll miss said? I mean Ben Carroll? Yeah, Ben Carroll miss seven. Yeah he Jamal k was three or seven. K was five or twelve. Jalen sug was oh for one. Uh, the silver was one or two, Black was one of two. There was sixteen of thirty.
Hey, listen, we add good game Detroit. But in Orlando. If I'm if I'm the Magic, We're finna go balls to the wall boy game six you hear me, I'm talking about we finish, We fin let it all hang out. We no way you can go back to Detroit. Bro, you can't what the Lakers did tonight. Orlando can't do that. The hell of a game.
Didn't shoot any better from the free throw line. They missed thirteen, Joe, they missed twenty seven free throws between the two of them. Damn, it's a good game. Oh, this was an unbelievable game.
Uh.
And this is what you're like. Look, man, I'm watching Paulo band Carroll. He come down with a three. Oh, y'all hugging up on me. Okay, I'm gonna put this on the floor. And one I'm gonna put on the floor again and one Now I'm finna hit you with a step back.
What he had it going. I mean, he had it going. He had it going, Joe. This what we've been talking about. Yeah, but you it's instill a center for all those three. Get your ass down there that block, drive that ball there. They can't get his can't stop you. Hey, he seems to to kind of understand that. Ever since that that that bad ass lost their head against uh Philly, Yeah, he's been he's been a totally different He's been the player that we've been looking for. You know, he stepped up.
He answered every challenge. He's been playing great. And to come out with forty five nine and seven six for eleven from the three mm hmm. Hey, it's gonna be tough where Detroit got. They got some work to do. That had been that had been a fifty point. He had a he had a fifty ball in him. He makes some of them breaking. Hey when you look at when you when you see the stash sheet and you say, now I have forty five and what I missed? Five free throw? Are you ever seven free throw? Yeah? That hurt?
That hurt.
That hurt and then you know they played they played without Bogner, so we don't know if he's coming back for Game six, if it's something that's gonna keep himut of Game six, potentially can come back games, or is this something that keeps him out of the rest of the playoffs or at least keeps him out of the rest of this series.
And it's a problem with Orlando because they got so many of their key guys that hasn't played a lot this season. They all been injured for whatever reason, and man, it's just hard to win like that. This is why I feel like they've given Detroit to run for their money because they really not an a seed ojo. You know, just dealing with all these injuries has kind of had them balk down throughout the season to where all they
key guys have missed significant, you know amount of time. Yes, you know, there's somewhat somewhat healthy at this point, but to get to get Wagner back, yeah, that'll be that'll be huge for them. And you look at it, Joe Cade played forty four minutes, Thompson played thirty six during only twenty eight, Robinson twenty five, Tobias played thirty one minutes. They gave some quality minutes to their backups. You look at Stu.
Played twenty Minutest Green played fifteen minutes, Karris Lavert played twenty five minutes, and Jenkins played sixteen. Anthony Black played thirty nine minutes off the bench. That's crazy.
Yeah, that means they am They ain't really depending on but about six guys for real. Yeah, yeah, they were.
They were a deep at least what you call it went deep in they back what you call it with Detroit. Look you not look all that. That's funny. Games in the regular season, Oh man, they deep. They played ten playerffs, they play a limb player. Okay, the the playoffs start, you gonna probably be nine next round, you'll be eight the next bitch, that b gonna be a seven man rot.
There you go, blow out one way or another. There you go. You ain't you in team? Coaches really ain't going no deeper than that in the postseason unless you just got a really great veteran team and you got guys really producing. But for the most part, it ain't going no more than seven eight d bro.
Yeah, unless you okay see there you mm hmm, unless you okay see it ain't but one. Okay, see, but this was, this was this was unbelievable game. I mean the shot making by those two players, going young players, that's.
What you'd like to see.
You'd like to see this back and forth like oh oh you oh oh, you thought you did something. Yeah, Helpy, that damn ball come in here. He didn't fit to come in here and show he's asked.
Him my out. Oh no, oh no, it was Hey, it was. It was beautiful to watch. Uh, the way k operated, the way Ben Carol, you know, kept answering the bell. Hey. At one point, I ain't gonna lie. I thought Orlando was gonna pull it out because they pretty much they had control of this game. You know, they did for a lot of for for a lot of the time. I was like, hold on, Orlando gonna come in Detroit and any boys a number one seed. But you know, Detroit ended up finding their swag and
was able to pull it out. But it's gonna be They still got a lot more work to do, fellas they do. But you have to feel you look, you have to feel good. Uh if you're Orlando, we look it's it's ain't no good losses. But they didn't get blowed out. They said, look, a few mistakes. We made some few mistakes here. We left a couple of guys open and they knocked down some big shots. We gotta do a better job on the glass. I mean we got out rebounded by sixteen. He got that rebounded by sixteen.
They had sixteen offensive rebounds. We had eight, So they doubled us up there. That means they got a couple of extra second chance points that they probably didn't deserve. That's that desperation that the Pistons was playing with. Yes, any misshots, we crashed in the glass. Like you say, sixteen offensive rebounds. Hell, it's hard to beat any team you give up sixteen offensive rebounds because those second chance points. And I'm sure that they capitalized on on some absolutely
on some of them had to. Yeah.
So yeah, and Orlando, Look, can Paulo go play another game like this? Maybe not, Maybe he doesn't have to. That's what I'm saying. I think the question is, am I Detroit, what you guys really have a look that well on the road. Yeah, late, you try to make a run late in the ball game, but you're gonna have to give yourself some wiggle room. You can't fall down by like you thought. F fail behind and try them out to come back. It gets hard and harder to do that.
I agree, I agree. Uh if Detroit, I don't, I don't want to speak this into existence. But let's say they don't. They don't get out this series. They probably gonna have to make make a change or two ojo. I know they number one seed sixty wins, but they need some more scoring. They Ky needs some help, bro, he needs some help. I know Tobias has been great these past two to three games, but hell, you're gonna need somebody else who you can really depend on. And what about KD No no, no.
No, no, no no no no.
OK.
What if what what what if? I said, Tobi? What if I send Tobias Harris and.
Uh nah, go get a young boy out there Arizona and bring him on down there to Detroit and give him a pair.
The booker book book. They're not letting book go. They gotta do something. They gotta do something. Yeah damn yeah, I thought he said, with that little remedy he had, it was gonna be gone by the day. Buy here, stay your sister, about three five days. Oh man, come on, come on, now, come on, come on. But this is a good series. This is a good series. This is a good series.
Look all the series look like they're going to six. They going look Toronto going seven. Let's go ahead and talk about that. Hell I thought I thought Toronto was
¶ Cavs def. Raptors (CLE lead 3-2)
gonna win this game too.
I did too. The Cavs UH one one game away from advancing to the second round.
They win one twenty five thanks to Denny Shrewder came off the bench and played unbelievable. For he's been in big games before, He's not in odd the moment, seven of eleven from the floor, three or six from the three, uh, and two or two from the free throw line. He and Evan Mobley were huge tonight. Evan Mobley played unbelievable eight or thirteen from the floor, three or three from
the three point line. Harden played well. Uh he had twenty three points, four of eight from the three point line, five or six for the free throw line.
Donovan Mitchell struggled a little.
Bit with a shot, and he has in this series, but he was three or five from the three point line. They were fifty percent from the three. Brandon Ingram got hurt left this game early, I thought al j Bag played really well, Walter played well. Look they got I just feel this game going. I just feel his going seven. I just feel Joe, I just feel I just don't. I just don't see Cleveland going to Toronto and winning on their court. Yeah, it's gonna be tough. Shout out to Cleveland.
Uh, but when you look at Cleveland's bench like you need you need a guy, That's what I'm talking about. You need a guy who can come off their bench and give you a spark if we ain't really going because Toronto pretty much had control of this game too, Yes they did, Yeah until until Schroeder came in. He changed it with his energy and effort. Uh, Mobiley played great. I just feel like, man, you can't just always depend
on your big guns to deliver. It's gonna be nice, bro, they not gonna have it or the defense it is geared to slow them down to an extent. So okay, boom. If if you got Mitchell and Harden drawing all this attention, then we're gonna need somebody to step up who can make some shots, who can make some plays, who can create some offense for other guys as well, and I thought, I thought Cleveland got that. Now with Toronto they just got they got a lot of weapons. Now they got
a lot of weapons from ball runs to Barrett. Obviously, you know Ingram hasn't been great, but you look at these guys. She sneid, what's his name?
She?
Yeah? She who come off the bench? Yeah, man, he can. He come in with great energy. He plays with a lot of passion and they and they are they are confident bunch too. I don't think Cleveland can win in Toronto. I really don't. I don't think they can win to him. That's why I say I'm with I think this is gonna go seven to It's gonna be right back in Cleveland for a game seven, and it's gonna be up in the air because Toronto has been playing great. Man, Hey,
just think about it. Ingram hadn't been, he hadn't been. What did he hurt? But by the time I got there, he was already gone. Me too when I said, I said, damn, what happened? But uh, if they if they could get anything that's that's decent from him, this this series probably would be over Fellas if I'm just keeping the one hundred. But they getting good contribution from guys off the bench. Toronto a dangerous team, man, they are. They're really they're
they're really dangerous team. They play hard. Uh they played they played really hard. Yeah. And like I said, R J. Barrett, that left it, he'd be getting it. Yeah. And Barnes. You look at Barnes. You look how six eight six nine he can play the point, great passer, great defender, great rebounder. He don't really have a weakness in his game. Ojo, go ahead. They don't really have the most aesthetically pleasing games. It don't. You don't, but but hey, but he don't.
He doesn't effective, Joe. But yeah, he's super effective because at his height at six eight six y nine, with them loan all that long wingspin and being a hell of a defender. It's tough because that's who that's a lot of times that's who's Guarden James, or that's who's Garden Donovan, you know, to making tough on him. So to Toronto got a good game playing man. They just got to stick with it.
The Cavaliers trail the Raptors and in the fourth quarter in Game six, they had lost their last twenty two playoff games trailing and in the fourth quarter before tonight, But it was Shrewder's energy. Yeah, and he's done this before. We've seen it with the Lakers, We've seen it with the other teams.
Where was he at Sacramento? He was in Sacramento.
Oh yeah, we see. We look, this is what he is. This is what he's a really solid player. He's had an outstanding career. You watch him in in feb and that kind of play. He was the most outstanding player for FEB. Those guys have played together for a number of basically their whole career is Joe you excuse me. You come up playing in international and you play together and these guys are built so Shrewd he's unbelievable.
Yeah, his energy and for this contagious man. And that's what that's what I've been talking about. You know, you gotta have somebody if we come out a little lackluster, flat damn, can we put somebody in a game who can kind of realize let's just kind of get us going, you know what I mean. I think he's been Look, he had nineteen points and twenty one minutes. Fella, twenty
one minutes. That's that's crazy. Efficient, you know what I mean, Like twenty one minutes, you give me nineteen points like that mean he's as soon as he checking the game, it ain't no oh, let me warm up. Hell, he comeing in and getting right to it.
Yeah, but he understands this, He understands his role, He understands the assignment. What is as fort of him in that moment. Yeah, I need you to put pressure. I need you, hey, I need you to speed this thing up.
Yeah. Yeah.
Plus he's another ball handler that I don't have to have the ball in James's hand. I don't have to have the ball in donovan hands.
Yeah.
He can make plays. He can create for himself, but he could also create for others. Absolutely, And I like what Cleveland done. They left him in the game with Donovan, with James Harden. Yes, you know they had all three of those guys in together that way. It's so much attention on Harden and Mitchell that okay, boom, we can put it in Shroulders head, run his pick and roll and wa able to get you know, maybe get James some wide open threes, get Donovan some easy shots. If not,
then we know Shrewder can get in the paint. He can shoot his floater, he can shoot his pull up. He gonna make sure the bigs get a little something. So I think he is a perfect fit for Cleveland. Obviously he's been I think he's been playing pretty well for him in this postseason, especially the night because they needed that.
He's bounced around. I don't know why.
And he always plays if his teams make the playoffs, he always plays well.
I don't know why.
He hasn't really found a home ever since that situation with the Lakers where reportedly he turned down a boatload of money. He's kind of been a journeyman ever since. Yeah, I think I don't know why, Joe, because he's a solid player, Joe. He plays really well when give it the opportunities.
You're right, I really don't know, Uh, I know. I think he was in Detroit for a little minute last year. It was last year, Yeah, Yeah, he was in Detroit. He played well, he played well against the Dicks. Yeah. I don't really really don't know. I really don't know what it is. But every team that he goes to, he's definitely effective. I think what kind of hurt him in the Sacramento is when they signed Russell Westbrook, you know, kind of put him on that back burner a little bit.
I think they kind of knew they was gonna get rid of him. But he Hey, he's a hell of a contributor to a team. I mean, this is perfect for Cleveland for sure.
So we gotta get We got three game six is right. So we got a game six in Houston, We got a game six in Toronto, and we got a game six in Orlando.
And all these games are taking place on Friday, right, we got we got more basketball, fellas, more basketball, right, That's what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so we got three. Game six is tomorrow, and we got three. Game six is on Friday. Guys, damn yeah, close out house. Well, Joe, what you got? Yeah, NBA like y'all who play tomorrow? Let me see what's Boston Philly? Oh yeah my Hawks play tomorrow. Timber number uh Knicks, Hawks and t Wolves
and Nuggets. Yeah, hey, Joe with that bet looking like, Joe, well what you mean was looking like? I mean for tomorrow? We better we got the five hundred for the game six tomorrow. Shure, yeah, positive positive.
I just want I just want to clarify Okay, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I'm positive positive. What you what you think is gonna happen? Uh?
Game six Boston Philly tomorrow and Philly. Are you telling me that Boston's gonna shoot that terrible from the three again?
Yeah?
Because they are three point shooting team, Joe, they make threes. You're not beating them because they get up so many. I mean, you gotta give a Philly credit critic. What if Philly held them to thirty nine threes they normally getting up in the fifties. Yeah, so you get up fifty threes, Joe, you make let's just say, for the sake of argument, you make somewhere.
Between nineteen and twenty four.
It's hard for a team to keep up with that that volume and that many mates unless they've taken make that many.
Yeah. Yeah, they shot lights out in game four two in Philly got.
Joelen Bid did what he does and then you got Tyres Maxi. Paul george has been solid. He hasn't given you, you know, twenty five. He's not that Paul Georgie once was, but he's a solid he he's the third best player on the team. Yeah, yeah, but he's been giving them solid minutes Edge can come in and did. But it was Quentin Grimes off the bench that was hitting bomb threes that really flipped this game, that really gave gave them the cushion once they called the Celtics and got and got that lead.
You just grab this bombing. Yeah, yeah, hey, it's getting good now, fellas you know, this postseason now is just starting to wind down to you know, uh uh you know, win or go home games. I'm curious to see how you know, uh, Minnesota is gonna respond with to Denver because I think they, I mean, hell, it's probably that this is their best chance right here, a game sixty they don't want to get. Yeah, I don't. I don't see how I don't. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't bet no matter money, that they go into Denver and win a game seven. So I agree with you. I think this is their best chance to win. Yeah, they gonna off you ask him awful lot. Uh, Jue Reynald's gonna have to play. Ju Rend's gonna need to give you thirty Uh ao, uh, it's gonna need to give you gonna have to have a game. I'm not saying he needs to have forty but he needs to have a He needs to get up more shots than what he got up in Denver. He didn't shoot bad
from the field, Joe. He had eighteen points, but they didn't take all buch shots.
He didn't. You're gonna need a You need mc daniels to step up. Yes, you're gonna need him to. He gonna need by eighteen to twenty five hours. You know, you you you, you're gonna be asking you know, quite a bit from some guys, but to continue to keep playing. This is what you're gonna need because you you you you mess around and squander this game away at home, boy, it's gonna be hell to pay. You go to Denver well, game seven.
Uh, Gobert is gonna have to do do like he did in games two, three, and four against We know that's not an easy task, Joe. We understand what we understand what he's up against. I don't know, we absolutely understand what he's up against Denver.
Denver. They they look too comfortable now, you know, I mean that they're champions. OKAYO. You know they've been there, they've been down, they've been down this road. You know, they know what it's like. They know what it takes. You know, they they first advert they faced adversity before, and it's no different.
Bro.
They win this game six, they're gonna be moving on.
And but the thing is with you see the other night, Joe last what they have last night, he had sixteen of sis.
You can't give him that. You can't if you go back and.
Look at the games they won, they held they had of his assist total under team. You start letting them get you let him get his average, which was twenty seven, and you gave him fifteen cents. Well you didn't give him, but I'm saying he got fifteen of cents. That means guys are making shots.
Yeah, you don't want that, you can't have it, I mean, but that's the desperation that you know, that was what was needed for them to win that game though. Okay, Ocho, you know, I don't know how many times Denver has been on the brink. I know they won seven games with OKC last year, right they did. Yeah, I mean, you can probably see the best Denver team we've seen in a while under these conditions, considering the fact that they've been in these situations before.
True.
Yeah, so we'll find we got uh. Three game six is damarrow and three game six is on seven.