¶ Introduction
The regular season is a wrap.
The NBA Playoffs are finally here, and there's no better way to cash in on the high flight hoops action than Prize Picks, a preferred partner of the NBA. Every bucket, every dive, every win means more when you're playing on Prize Picks, So don't pass up the next shot with Prize Picks and get fifty dollars instantly in lineups when you play your first five dollars. Do it live in the twenty twenty six NBA Finals sweep Stakes. Alert pick live squares during the NBA Playoffs and you could win
a trip for two to the NBA Finals. To enter, just make a five dollars lineup with at least one live NBA player pick during any part of the twenty twenty six NBA Playoffs. Live player picks are picks made after the game is already in progress. Prize Picks is simple to play. You know the playoffs season. I'm all in on LA as always, Okay, See, baby Lebron is gonna.
Light you up more and more and more. Get on the action that.
Prize Picks is now available in all fifty states, including California, Texas, Florida and Georgia. Download the Prize Pick app today. Use Coach Shannon to get fifty dollars in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. That's cold shinning to get fifty dollars in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. Prize Picks a Therred partner of the NBA.
Man.
Have you ever watched the game and think, ain't no wait, I'm the only one seeing this. I'm yelling at the TV ref's missing calls, and I already know. Reddit is going crazy right now. See my group chat cool, but it can't keep up. I'm bouncing on Reddit one minute, r slash NBA breaking down last second place. Next minute, I'm in r slash CFB talking rankings. Then I slide over to something random just for a laugh. It's everything
in one spot. That's why I rock with it. You getting real fans just like you, passionate, loud, sometimes I wrong, but always entertaining. You get reactions right when it happens. Trade talk, rumors, means and all of it, and it don't stop when the season ends, draft talk, offseason moves.
Somebody always got something to say me.
I stay on r slash NBA, that's my spot, but whenever your team, whatever your sport, it's a community for that.
Reddit is where real fans hang out.
Download the Reddit app and dive into your favorite subreddit for hot takes, fresh means, and group chat that never stops. Download the Reddit app today. What's up, y'all? Is your favorite dounk Here a proud partner of Road Sparks. You ever had one of those nights, the energies hitting just right. Maybe you're watching a movie, you're laughing, she school, sitting a little closer on the couch, and boom, it's on.
Now in these moments, you can't get caught slipping. You gotta be ready to perform like it's the big game, you hear me. And that's where Roast Sparks come in. These bad boys. Is all right under your tongue, No waiting, no water, no worries. And here's the kicker. That dual action formula states active up to thirty six hours. Now you won't be a wreck for thirty six hours, but when the moment hiss, you'll be ready to go again
and again and again and again and again. If necessary, You're ready to rise to the occasion road sparks, You get harder, your more control, and everybody leaves the room with a smile. That's what I call a win. Rope connects guys with the medical provider one hundred percent online. If approved treatment ships directly to your door. If prescribe new sexual health patients get fifteen dollars up their first order of roast sparks on a reoccurring plan, Connect the road.
Connect you with a.
Provider at ro dot co slash nightcap to find out if prescription roast sparks are right for you. That's our dot co slash nightcap for fifteen dollars off your first order. Roast Sparks is a compounded drug product. Compoundy drugs are permitted to be prescribed under federal law, but are not FDA approved and do not undergo FDA safety effectiveness or manufacturer reviews. For full safety info, go to ro dot
co slash safety info. Say fellows, stay confident, stay ready, and let them sparks fly when the moment is just right. Thank you guys for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. As you watch the OKC thunder go up to oh as did the Detroit Pistons the Thunder win one twenty five to one oh seven, and even though Shay was captain, Check Check Homered and the other guys chipped in really well.
A Jay Mitchell, Jerry McCain came up the bench, Cason Wallace, it was just too much for the Lakers to handle as they win one twenty five to one oh seven. Thank you guys again for joining us. Y'all know who I am. I'm your favorite uncle. That is my partner in co hosts The Liberty City Legend, The Bengal Ring of Fame, Arno Reed, the Mattings ratings adjuster, a former
pro bowler and an All Pro. He's Chad o Cho Senko Johnson, and the third member of the Big Three is a Big Three MVP, a seven time NBA All Star from the Atlanta Hawks, University of Arkansas lum that is Iso Joe Johnson. Please make sure you hit that
¶ Thunder beat Lakers (OKC 2-0)
subscribe button. Please make sure you hit the light button and go subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts from. Thank you guys for your support and you continue support because none of this is possible without you. All the things that we've been able to accomplish thus far, all the things that we will continue to be able to accomplish, it's all because of your eyes, ears, and your word of mouth, and we at Nightcap cannot
thank you enough. So again, thank you for your support and you continue support. Those looking to purchase a bottle of Shade by Laportier head over to la Portier Kannak dot com if it's currently unavailable in a state or city near you. Remember, it is a premium VSOP kanyak that drinks like an XO, but it's the smoothest, best tasting v soop on the market. Don't take my word for it, try it and compare it against other kanyacs.
We do have it in two sizes, the og which is the seven fifty, but now we have a junior which is the three seventy five. Same great quality, same great taste, same smoothness. Please please drank, responsibility and stay safe. Well, it's hard to beat eight on five, Joe, but the ref did show their ugly head the night. But look, we'll get into bad a little later. But the Thunder beat the Lakers one twenty five to one oh seven. They had what one, two, three, four, five, six guys
in double figures. Hartenstein was five or six from the floor. He had ten, Check was twenty two points seven of eleven. Shae was seven to thirteen, was in foul trouble, and Jay Mitchell played unbelievable ball tonight. He had twenty points Case and Wallace had twelve. Jerry McClain had eighteen, and it was just too much for the Lakers to overcome.
And I knew once the Lakers they had a lead when Shaye went to the bench and I say, if y'all don't increase this lead, it's gonna get ugly when he comes back into the ball game in the fourth quarter. And that is exactly what happened. And that's what happened the last time, Joe. Every time Shaye goes out, most of the time, when teams lose their best player being his his ref time, or he gets in fil trouble, the other team claws into the league. But not with
this Thunder team. They're able to expand the lead. And it's kind of like what we saw with the Warriors when they were in their prime. That backup unit would come in and whatever lead the unit the starters had, they would expand on it. And if they didn't have the lead, they would claw into it, and they would have the lead once they started came back in the game. But the Thunder win one twenty five to one oh seven. Take a commanding two o lead. Joe, what is it
that the Okay Thunders? What the Thunder are doing? And how do the Lakers at some point in time late in the fourth quarter make this series competitive?
Joe? You muted.
I don't know, but I think the thing is, Ojoe, while Joe gets his mic uh straightened out, is that they've done a number believable job in the first two games. Shaye is averaging basically twenty points a game. He normally averages thirty one points a game, shoot at a very high efficiency. Now he don't you know, he got what seven of his twenty two points gaming?
Go ahead? Go ahead? Joe, Yeah bad, My bad, My bad. I don't know what. I don't know what the Lakers canna do.
I just think OKC is just way too disciplined, can Ojo? You think about it? Hell caseon Wallace played more minutes than Shade to Night. Yes, you know what I mean. I just think, you know, they got too many guys who can beat you that they're so poison patience and what and what they do collectively as a team, and we're just keeping it one hundred Fellas. The Lakers just ain't got enough. I mean, hell, without Luca, that's thirty
three points a night. Look, you probably could get away with that in the Houston series, but not against the defending champs. Fellas, you need somebody who can go out here and help. No Ar played great to night. I thought Broun has been solid. Hell, Roochie Rui is playing great, But you just need another guy to bro.
They just got too many.
Look, Jim McCain came in here, he don't They don't miss a beat when they say okay see. You know, they got guys coming off the bench, bro, who get right to it, and they're not afraid of the moment. I think, okay see, it's still the most dangerous team in the postseason. Bro. They just they gotta pluck the guys who they can go to or who assert themselves and are willing to step up to the challenge.
Yeah. I was disappointed in Lebron's play tonight. Joe. He wasn't aggressive at all.
He was very content to just stand in the corner and then try to get the ball at the nail and then try to do something that's not gonna cut it. The guy stole the ball from the head of guy on his backside. He let lou Dor come over top. That's that's unacceptable. And the little flurry that he had in the fourth quarter, that's not enough.
We needed that. We need that assertiveness.
In the third quarter, when Shade gets to the hey call the guys and say, look, this is where we try to get some separation. This is where we try to put some distance between us and them. Their best players gone, and what do they do? Politely? The team goes on the what a thirteen fourteen to two run. I'm like, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Nobody has the world withal everybody getting beat off the dribble. Then you come help. They kicking wide open threes. Now
you go small. You can't keep chet off the glass. But I was just disappointed. And again two rebounds. Remember last night, Joe he had no rebounds. Yeah, none, with about two minutes left in the third quarter. Yeah, he got one and then one hit the floor and he just picked it up. Now they ain't gonna get it done. They ain't gonna get it done. We're gonna look at this and say, what he shoot fifty from the floor. That's not good enough because okay, when are those points coming?
We needed those points a lot of We needed those points in the third quarter. Yeah, that's when you because this is the closest the Lakers have really been to him. And then all of a sudden, Shade goes to the bench. They step on the gas with basically their backups and don't look back tail.
Like, yeah, but hey, Joe, you got to think about it, right, I mean, this is what we expected. This is what we've seen from Okay, see all season long, regards to who their opponent was, regards to who they were playing. We've seen Shaye go out. We've seen Shade not play, and we've seen that that that that that team still be afloat because of what they have, that the way that team is running, the way that team is constructed
is by committee. So even if Shade does go down, they still have enough ballers and shit, and uh, some of these other young fellas Hartenstein and uh Lou Door I mean not not Lou Door.
But Mitchell, I mean Caruso.
They all come in and contribute and and and do what they're supposed to do, whether the goddamn thunder chose to go big or small. The Lakers really never had the firepower to be able to to be able to hang with him, and they can't go score for score.
You mentioned when when Shaye went out.
It's time for the Lakers to take advantage of those situations and kind of close the gap or or or try to close the gap to maybe maybe close the lead.
But they still don't have enough. And then you're trying.
You ask for Lebron to be able to summons it up, but again, Lebron is still that forty one year old that you always talk about, right, so he keeps.
I think the thing is plus too many turnovers. Marcus mart has been really careless with the ball. How many let me think about this, Joe, how many illegal picks. There's not a game that's gone by that Jackson Hayes hadn't got a moving screen call. Yeah, he gets won every game, Bro, you have to be still Yeah, and.
He gets won every game.
Sometimes he gets to a game, I'm like, Bro, you've been in the league far too long. And then you look at the riff like what he's telling you you're moving, you have to be stationary. Yeah, amazy passes And I'm like, are you kidding me? But I don't believe. I don't believe. But I'm saying all you can hope for is to get the game late in the fourth quarter.
It with a chance to win.
But when you down, for you down sixteen with three minutes to go against that team, you're not coming.
Back, you know. But think about this coming back and if somebody.
Would have told me, say, hey, guess what Shay's gonna be only averaging twenty point in Game two, he's gonna go out be a large part of the game with foul trouble out like with Lakers got a great chance. At no point in time in the fourth quarter. Did you think the Lakers had a chance to beat this team game one or two?
No, sun Hey, Hey, they climbed back in and when they was down early by double by double digits, Hey.
I I agree with you.
I think out of the twenty turnovers that the Lakers had, fifteen of them came from your starters. Yes, and and that's a recipe for disaster on the road, Fellas. It's hard to beat a great team especially championship caliber team with twenty turnovers, you just can't do it. And then another thing. If brun is gonna be kind of average
like this, he needs aiden to play well. You know, he ain't gotta be great height and ain't gotta be great, but yeah, he gonna need He gonna need to get you at least fifteen points, you know, eight to ten rebounds just for y'all to stay in the game and compete. It's just too much because you don't get nothing from your bench. Luke Unari came in and gave you a little something, but for the most part, you rely on so much on your starters, bro that it weighs heavy
on him. And then once you do get in that fourth quarter and it's a tight game, May y'all know, okayc got another run. Now they got another run on them because they're still fresh, one of the youngest teams, and they ain't bogging, not one person down with a bunch of damn minutes.
You know what I'm saying. You look at check.
They ain't got no, they don't got no answer for checky Ocho.
No, they don't.
And I think the more and more he becomes aggressive and asserts himself.
The better off they gonna be.
He plays great off Shade, understanding that damn every time Shae is in a pick and roll or whatnot, they're trying to double team and keep the ball out of his hands.
Hey, look, you can tell OKAC practices.
They goes over it because when their boss comes out, those other guys are ready to shoot or make a play. They're just too deep, man, they too deep. Hey, listen, I know we want to see the Lakers get a game or two.
I don't even I don't even know if they can do that.
To be honest, I thought this was a great game, especially late in the third quarter.
I was like, oh, man, Shay gone.
If I'm not mistaken, Joe, they had like a three or four, maybe a four point lead with Shaye left. I say, okay, you expand that. Let's get to the fourth quarter. You gotta lead going into the fourth quarter. You look up, they down ten.
Hey, you look at that damn Case and Wallace and that damn Jed McCain.
Yeah, man, I mean you talking about.
Two pivotal players and what OKC does bro as far as getting things done.
Oh, Shay, you gotta take a break. Oh, don't worry. I got you. I got you. We're gonna pick up the slack and they do it every game.
This is this is carbon copy of how they've been great throughout the whole season.
Bro.
Yes, Shaye is awesome. He's the MVP, the reigning MVP. But Bro, they got hell and shake it out. They probably can still win the game. Yeah, just keep it read. They got guys who get to it fellas.
Yeah, and uncle and Joe.
You got to understand, right, Fja missed time during the season, and they didn't miss a beat.
They didn't miss a beat. Even though she's not.
Scoring thirty in this series, he's scoring twenty, they still having to miss the beat when he goes out, they still haven't miss the beat if they continue to float. If a I think, if you take the Lakers right and you say they played perfect basketball. They didn't have any turnovers, they played well in transitional offense and on defense, they still.
Wouldn't win this game because they're not getting.
Enough from everybody else. Amber played well, Lebron did enough. Austin Smart looks like himself. Awesome Smart. Austin Reeves looked like himself again.
Yeah, but it's just not enough.
DeAndre Ayden. You got to come to the party. You have invitation to come to the party.
He's up and down.
You don't know what your why not dunk its? Why do you try to lay them all up? Bro?
I'm like, bro, you right there, you seven football tall. You trying to lay the ball up. That's yo kitchen. Let yo kitchen. Look lay the ball up, yunky. Yeah, he lays it up, he misses it, gets it back again, and misses it again when you turned about. First of all, the last thing you can do if you don't have it. It's kind of like oh Joe. When you don't have a high powered offensive football, the last thing you can do is turn the ball because you don't have the
weaponry to get back into the ball game. That is the Lakers problem because they don't have the offensive firepower. The last thing that you can do is turn the ball over. First of all, you can't turn it over. You don't have the firepower, and you're not a good defensive team. So when you got the three things that you can ill afford to be, if that's what you are, they can't stop anybody. I still don't understand John Mitchell he's a left handed guy.
He gonna get to his left. I be damn if they're not playing on the damn right on his right shoulder. Why he not right handed, he's left handed.
If you notice people play James Harden, they get on his left shoulder. Yeah, I'm gonna let you. I'm gonna make you beat me with your non dominant hand. Don't let him get to the left, because most lefty players are more lefty dominant than right handed players are right dominant.
Yeah.
You look at the guy that's been left handed in this league. You look at Zach Randolph, you look at Manu, you look at Marshall Owners, you look at James Harden. You look at guys that have been left They really, really, really left handed dominant.
Yeah.
Yeah, And I don't know why the Lakers still don't and ain't got the guy.
Got the guy and guess what he does. Let him side step and go to the left. He lay the ball up, said, I'll be damn.
Yeah. Yeah, they they come at you in wage Bro.
It seemed like it's times where it seems like the Lakers kind of got it, even if they got a two point lead, four point league. Man, you got you got your starters playing so many minutes, Uncle, Oto that when it does come in the fourth quarter, seven minutes under seven minutes, they started making these bone head plays, Bro, just lack luster turnovers. I'm like, damn, and I know my fans took.
Him to school. They ain't no way he caught the bus on his own.
I know his fans dropping up by the school every day.
Hey.
And it seemed like one turnover it kind of starts to compound into another next thing. You know, Hell, now you're back down ten. It's like, so it's hard for them to keep overcoming these huge leads because we want one thing.
We do know.
Obviously without Luca, they're not that high power offensively. Yes, they got guys who can score. But to keep pulling yourself out of these deficits, Bro, it causes too much wear and tear on you. Then in the fourth quarter you start to see all these bone headed turnovers that you're like, bro, what are you doing?
Hell, they they did dog died. You know why, Joe.
If you look at Jayalen Williams playing fifteen minutes, Caruso played twenty two minutes, Case and Wallace played thirty one minutes, mccame played eighteen minutes. The reason why JJ can't play his bench that that many minutes is because they blow up. They don't trust if they're down five and they come in there by the time, I mean, JJ got a call the time out and put the start back in county down fifteen and the game is about to get
out of hand. He can't play anybody for extended stretches because they just they don't know what to do.
They start turning the ball over.
They's like, and I'm sure JJ and the stafford going over this stuff, but he's constantly like I can see it, like what do we do it? I don't know. Yeah, I don't think they know either. Yeah, you know what. I think they know what the game plan is. I just don't think JJ.
He don't trust nobody coming off the bench for real, outside of Lukenard who plays great out brun Yeah, yeah, he don't trust a single soul coming off the bench for real.
You know.
He'll give them a couple of minutes here and there, but hell in them a couple of minutes if you ain't made no splash and come sit next to me, because they it just ain't.
Because the thing is Joe, is that I can't trust you. When you're getting there.
You turn the ball over and you pretend like he guess what, We're gonna switch everything, and guess what happened. They stay with the guy. The guy don't get switched off and hit a wide open three yep. And he said, I thought we said we were switching everything, and then they't looking at him. I thought, no, I thought you And he said, no, no, no, don't worry about it. Hey, you see I put it. It's like this a football, Joe.
They're only gonna put your ass in the game so many times, and you f up before they say that, either a they're gonna cut you or they're gonna put your ass on the bench.
Yeah.
You know what make it worse too, unc And not only do you have the players on the bench that don't really have the wherewithal to know what to do once they get in the game, it's the fact that they planning the goddamn okay.
See thunder. It makes it look worse worse, you know, when they do get in the game and you don't know what the hell you doing?
Yeah, because they because their pressure is just too much felt. The pressure causes these guys to turn the ball over, and we know you turn the ball over against Okay, see, it's probably gonna lead into some damn points, yes every time. I mean, they're just they're just too much of a juggernaut for the Lakers to have any of these guys to play pedestrians.
You damned the need. If Brun don't.
Go off for thirty five forty or Aar go off for thirty five, man, you're gonna have to have everybody play right at a medium to where y'all can just stay close in the game. And I thought they'd done that until like the fourth quarter. For the most part. Okay, oh, Joe, they stayed within reach.
I thought that.
I thought, I thought that we can get to the fourth quarter, Joe, because they were down in the fourth quarter, they came back, made a run.
I think they got it to it this five.
Yeah, But the third quarter they were up like five or six, and the next thing you know, shit goes to the bench and they take off. I'm like, I thought this was supposed to be your opportunity where you take off. Youn't allowed them to take off. You supposed to be in the driver's seat. This is the mark of a very good basketball team. Let's not deny that they're a very good basketball team. But they do entirely too much flopping. Oh yeah, they gonna I mean, man,
d ain't a touch chat he fought in. Oh Lord, have mercy.
Hey, every everybody got to case of them flops on every every day. Everybody, everybody got to case them damn flops trying to try to get it.
Huh. It's getting out of hand now.
Yeah, it is a little bit, you know what. It ain't also for the Lakers, but they ain't making it too easy. They had to play against the rest of the night as well. I'm not sure what the rest were doing tonight. And listen, I don't want to say anything. I'm not going to blame that on the reason why, you know, the thunder one. But they didn't make it any easy for the goddamn Lakers tonight.
Man, ain't nobody come to see you? Otis ain't nobody come to see you. I've never heard I'm trying to you know what, I've never heard anybody say. Man, I'm gonna go see Tony brothers. I want to see brothers, I want to see Capers or I would have seen Hey, I would have.
I've never heard anybody say that. Yeah, you're right, you're right.
So so why do you feel like you need to insert yourself the best games and you don't insert yourself. I understand guys are gonna file, but y'all be tonight with some tiki tax stuff and I'm like, hold on, you go buy you barely bumped Chip or Shape?
They calling it.
On the other end, Jayla Williams run dad and Lebron knock him on the ground and they don't do nothing.
They talking about play on. Yeah. Yeah.
On the other end, Canard barely touched Shape. I agree, and I got I get it, I get it. It gets frustrated when you think all the calls going against you. Joe You've been in that situation, you know it gets frustrated. Oh Joey, it seems like we are we getting a holding calls, We're getting unnecessary rupess or the ticky tack clemery and you're like, hey, bro, we're not the only ones out here now.
Yeah, yeah, hey, listen, listen, think about it. I don't even really think the Lakers played bad outside of the turnovers. I mean, you look at their field goal percent and they shot fifty percent. But hell, if you let a team shoot fifty five percent against you, that's a recipe for disaster.
You're probably gonna lose that game. Fellas. You know, you gotta tighten that up.
I think JJ is gonna have to, you know, hope somebody will come off this bench, bro, and give you a spark. I mean, I know it don't look great, but hell, when you going home, o jou, somebody gonna have to come in man and get Hey, look, maybe they come in and give you fifteen sixteen who you least expected from. But in order to beat this OKC team to hell, just to get a game, Bro, you're gonna have to play pretty damn perfect almost just to win one game.
Absolutely, Joe, did you see what happened after the game. Did you see Austin Reeves talking to the official at half court?
Now, I didn't see what it will happened. I don't know.
He was just talking to him and they were all looking around listening, and he was like Poort like you know.
Base, I don't know, and I don't want to pay a phrase.
So hopefully we'll get more context and we'll get an opportunity to talk about it. So hopefully they'll have the press conference at some point in time we'll be able to talk about what he acts. We said to him. But he had five file. Marcus Smart had five files. Uh, Shae had four, but no, I mean Hartenstein two, chat three two to nobody else really within foul trouble but Shay.
Yeah, they got a bad whistle tonight, bad whistle. Hell they had to. They had three guys with five files. Jackson Hayes had five.
Yeah. Yeah, it's it's it's hard.
And you and you know what, you want the rest to kind of swallow the whistle a little bit. Man, Let these guys play.
You can't. You can't.
Just that's why they say Russ control the game, bro, believe it or not. In basketball, ress control the game. They can control the outcome. They can control the outcome. Yeah, Joe, you said something very interesting. You say they control the outcome because they determined how how aggressive you can play. You might want to come into the game like, Okay, we're gonna boy them up, We're gonna play physical, and the rest say, no, we're not gonna let you play
physical tonight. And so now you're gonna you got in your mind where you practicing the game film.
You know, say, look, we're gonna body this up. We're gonna play physical, X, Y and Z.
But when the officials come out early and they set the youne we're not gonna allow you to play physical.
That changed your whole mindset. It does, bro, it does. It takes your aggressiveness away. If they continue, if they calling these ticket tag files on you. This the playoffs, Broye, it's gonna be aggressive, you know what I mean, They're gonna be borderline files. But man, we won't expect you to be blowing your damn We'll say every trip down the court, you can't get in no rhythm.
Like that, No, they saying Austin reason.
The Lakers had a meeting with the refs after the game to share their frustrations.
Joe, have you ever seen this?
Have you ever seen a team, I mean, have you in your seventeen years of playing in the NBA have you your team or any other team that you saw had the officials at half court after the game talking about the frustration that they just had in the game.
No, I've never seen it. I've never seen it.
But understanding the circumstances and Lakers playing against Okay, yep, they know they did defending champs, but damn, come on, man, let us play, you know, don't don't. Don't come out here and dictate the games. Y'all know what the fans want to see. They didn't come to see. Y'all ass blowing your whistle every two three trips down the court. You know it's bad for the game, bro. So hey, look,
I don't blame them. You know, when you when you lose them, bro, you know, you'll find any little thing or you'll find any type of way to, you know, try to change the outcome. And if it's talking to the ref versus going in the media and slandering them and you're getting you know, you're getting fined fifty thousand, guys don't want to do that. So they maybe they're trying to alleviate that problem. But you know, I guess I guess we'll kind of see.
Man.
I can understand their frustration though. It's just too many guys with too many files and it just don't make sense.
Yeah, you know what, that that might help a little bit, Uncle Joe, But yeah, I still don't think that's even enough. Let's say you take that you take the rest out there equation, in this game, you still have to be able to play. You still got to be able to make shots. You still have to stop turning the ball over. You still have to be able to stop shaving, stop shit, and stop hard and stide and and the rest of
those boys. So I think even let's say you take the refs out there equation, I still think they don't have a chance.
Maybe the game is a.
Little closer, but you still need contributions from goddamn DeAndre Aiden. You know, you still got to stop turning the ball over. Is there's so many other factors that go into it outside of the refs, where okay, you don't you don't lose by as much as you did, but you still don't win the game.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. I mean you're not wrong.
I mean, yeah, we know the Lakers are up against it. This is the best team in basketball over the last couple of years. I think the last couple of years, they've had one of the best. Uh uh, they they've had the best working in the rest in the Western Conference. I think they've had what to two back to back sixty win seasons. I don't know, if that third season, the one that that Luke and them knocked them out. I don't know if they had the best record then,
but they were really hot up there. Yeah, and they and and and and for them. Dog, the Lakers got their work cut out for They got to play They've got the as close to perfect or damn near perfect or perfect and still then still hope a case o KC okay see is off that night, So let that see care think about how hard that'll be. You got to play damn near perfect next to perfect perfect, and the team that you're playing against still needs to be off somewhat in order for you to beat.
Them, and that's probably not gonna happen. They too good at home, fellas, they too good at home. They take care of home court. I'm sure they one of the best teams when it comes to playing at home. They're not really, you're not. It's hard to go on okay see and get a win, man. Yeah, so the Lakers got their hands full.
Now. I expect for the Lakers to, you know, be somewhere better going back and that dig in. But they're diget at home. But here's the thing. You gotta.
You know, how the LA crowd is Now they're not They're not like okay, see they're getting glammed up. Yeah, you know how they pull it up in Bugattis, they pull up in spiders, they pull it up in Ferraris.
And lambas Bentleys and rolls that front row. Aaa. They ain't got no pain on and they ain't going crazy. It's different.
And the thing is what happens if you get down ten early, you get down fifteen.
Hey, hey, them blobird is gonna come out on.
You're absolutely right. I think. I think.
I think at home though, I mean, because what look, check this out. One thing they've shown us is that they can compete. Well okay, see they just had one of those loads in the fourth quarter, mainly toward the end, yes to where you know, the separation kind of comes to where okay, okay, see just pulls away from them. But I do expect them to be a lot better at home, fellas.
Yes, I think the thing I'm trying to think aar or Lebron needs to go get as close to forty as they possibly can, and the next and the other guy. If the one guy gets close to forty, the other guy gotta be twenty eight twenty nine, maybe even thirty with another guy in the low Twentieschi. So either that's Marcus Smart, that's Hachie, that's Luke Canard. Luke Canard was shooting the ball extremely well tonight. I wish he could
have got more minutes. But I understand. But see the thing, it's hard to play it Joe because he can't he can't guard anybody.
No, he can't guard nobody else.
They're talk Look if if if it's a r if it's anybody we're attacking. They're not gonna attack Marcus Smart because what they do and they're trapping, they're trapping Shade.
To get the ball out of his hand.
But everybody else if they get a one on one or they're trying to get down here, yes, sir, immediately, it ain't no, it ain't no dancing it like hey no no, no, no, no no, I'm getting down of hill.
Yeah. And it don't matter who it is.
It could be Shay, it could be Mitchell, Hell, it could be Isaiah, Joe.
It don't it Wilce and Caruso McCain.
They just they just got too many guys, bro who play great in that system.
That Okac has Bro.
I credit their coach and in the system that they got, I mean they they It's just gonna be tough, man. I mean that, like like we always say, okay See is a college town. You know, they have fanatics as fans. So it's hard to win in there with that six man that crowd get into it.
It's just too much.
Lakers gotta go home and find a way to get a win, period, point blank.
It's gonna have to.
Oh, we've seen Austin Reeves have these type of Now we know Austin Reeves can go.
He can go get.
Forty Oh yeah, we just don't know if Ron at this rifle age of forty one can still because in order to get that level of point J Joe and O Joe, you gotta sustain a fitness level. He's forty one, you gotta be able to sustain that. Guess what you would have to attack. You have to get some fire shots. Three ball can have to get going down and you know what happens when you get tired that ball start hitting the front of the.
R Yeah, and it's just hard to take Lebron off the damn court. It seemed like every time he go to the bench.
Bro.
It's it's not a lot of good stuff that happens, you know when he's out there because of his IQ for the game. Not only is he continuously putting pressure on the rim, but he's getting other guys involved, making plays, getting guys wide open shots.
And that's what you need.
I think aar gotta some way, somehow still aggressive and be fishing like he was tonight. I'm saying for them to win, and you gotta have Marcus smart. Obviously he plays decent defensively, but they need some good offensive output from him.
You know.
It's because if you bogging down your starters with all these minutes, damn, you gotta hope they play great. And then again Broun playing thirty seven minutes probably averaging wait, he probably averaging minutes this series.
Probably he was.
Around thirty thirty three, thirty three and a half. Yeah, and I think will limit to rest. Fell It's just tough man, because they didn't know two days now yo, yo, you done got your big rest stage one. So now it's every other day you're back at it. They back at it again on Saturday, and they back at it again on Monday.
Yeah. Yeah, So you being able to get that level of rest.
The thing is is that they Austin and Marcus got to do a better job of taking care of basketball early because they're spotting. He's spotting. They are spotting. Okay, see them points they're gonna get. They're gonna get that. Don't give them no easy buckets, don't give them an opportunity. And that's what they're doing right now because I thought Austin mate. And the thing is, they get out and run. They get they they get. They getting in transition quick
because they're young. They young, and they're a very unselfish team. And when you watch them, guys, the way they're celebrating. I like Jerry McCain. I thought he was well. I thought he played well with the Sixers. But I understand the sixth situation when they got Maxie and they got edge him days like bro, we really.
Yeah, I ain't got no room. Ain't got the room.
And you know Paul George is really a two, so there's like, we really don't have any room. But I thought he was shooting the ball well before he had that injury last year.
Yeah, he was, he playing great, He gave him great minutes. I didn't even see that coming from him. I was surprised, but so so for Okay see to make that, to make that move and get him over there. I mean, man, he fits seamlessly coming off that bench, playing in that system. He looked, damn the unstoppable tonight.
And I don't know what it is, Joe, he four or five through the three, but they come in. They come in there like the coach is instill so much confidence in them. He's like, Son, as long as you playing, there's.
Not a shot that I won't allow you to take.
And you can see, you can see the way they play that they're they're not even bothered if I take this shot and miss it as opposed to exposed to.
A guys on the Lakers bench.
But the guys on the Lakers bench and La Rabia he coming in there and he's like, bro.
I'm like, La Rabia, I get it. You you playing hard? Son?
You doing he really trying, Joe Ye, that you're making you can't keep making those mistakes. And that's what irks a coach is that you keep making the same mistakes. Yep, because either either you have a problem processing it or we're having a problem teaching it to you one of the two now, which is it?
Yeah, and that's why the least is gonna be short. At least gonna be short.
Yeah.
You know, like I say, man, when you take your best playoff the floor and everything just starts to unravel on you, it's like, damn, okay, he didn't been sitting over here. Two three men, we gotta get you back into that big fellow. You know, that's just what it is, because they don't have playmakers like that.
Bro.
Like, it's so glaring that they're missing Luca in this series because you need a guy who can score, You need a guy who can play make for everybody. I mean, that's thirty three damn points man that they miss it so we can't Yeah, we can't see him play crazy now and act like you know, we're surprised how OKC is treating the Lakers right now. I mean, they're missing a big pivotal piece to their team. I mean, and it's showing in this round.
And the thing is also, Joe, you can take Lebron off and you got Luca in R Yeah, you can take Ar off and you got Luca and Bron. Yeah, you can take Luca off, and you got Ar and Broun, so there's always a combination.
And you got two great ball handlers.
Yeah, and plus you got Marcus Mart and you can take some of the ball handling off of Marcus Mart. He can make some plays, but all things mean, Nikod, I'd rather have the ball in Luca Lebron or Ar's hand. Yeah, I would like him to focus on defense. You're asking an awful lot of him. I need you to make plays, initiate the offense, but I also need you to keep Shaye up under control.
That's an awful lot. Yeah, yeah, that's an awful lot.
And then playing that type of game mentally, you know you got I mean, you can't have a letdown because you have a letdown the guys going.
By you yeaheah, Yeah, And think about as great as they're playing Shay trapping him in all these picking rolls, making him get a ball up. Hell, he still win seven for thirteen from the field, fifty three percent from the field, you know what I mean.
So he's still efficient. He doing his job.
Hey, look as a scorer, as the main guy, if you're in a position to where they're trapping you every time, you got the ball, just stream the trap alone like he does. Hey, at the end of the day, I've done my job. I got two on the ball. Now when I get it, when I swing it up out of here, Now, y'all got to go make a damn play. I don't done my job, o Jo, you know I got two guys on me. I ain't gonna beat the
double team every time. Now, there will be times that I will be aggressive and try and kind of force the issue a little bit. But for the most part, man, I'm gonna take the double team boom, get out for it, and hopefully we can get a great shot. We can get to the bucket, get a free throw, get a
wide open three, or just make players. And I think, okay, see does that better than anybody because those guys play great off of shade bro I'm telling you, in a film session, you know they going over that listen boom once they trap. Hey, check you show, make it yourself big, make yourself a present.
We hit you. Hey man, you got to go make a play, whether.
You get all the way to the rack, shoot your mintie, spray out the three. I just think they have so many guys who can play that role. I like Hartenstein in that role. I like checking that role. And then when you get when you when you get these other young guys going like Mitchell and Crusoe and Wallace, hell, things just start to unravel, man, because they're all defensive minded. You we got a cell phone video of Austin Reeves
getting animated talking to the refs after the game. Let's take a look look at what we uh so all the refs and I think I thought alternate also is in that scrum with the Lakers flares. Hey, hold up, checking this side, Joe.
The rule states at the end of each game, the coaches and the players are to lead the court and go directly to the dressing room with our pause or delayed. There's absolutely no talking to game officials.
Hey, listen, it's gonna be a big ass fine. You think that's gonna be.
Fine, Well look no, hold on, hold on, hold on, No, that's gonna be a fine. It ain't like we would shoulder to shoulder. And I'm you know, I'm demonstrative toward him. Listen, bro, I have a I have a problem, and I'm just coming to you correct as a man. Now, if I go to the media and when they go to ask me questions. I say, our man arrest is some ship tonight. Now I'm gonna get fined.
I don't.
I didn't really see nothing wrong with the way he went by tonight. Actually, I mean I thought it was I mean, I thought it was pretty fair. Y'all asked me man versus going to the media because you know you're gonna get fined.
Yeah, the rule state there is absolutely no talking to get official this out. Okay, we got another video where he's talking to the refs late in the ball game, and let's see if we could read some lipts to see what he's saying.
He said, that's some bullshit. You donna talk to me like that.
Yeah, Hey, let me tell you something. There's some reps out here with some slick miles. Now you know, they only could take so much.
They're still human too, now you know.
Oh no, you got to be a bust stop it.
Yeah, and look, you stay on the asshole game you want to. They get frustrated too, bro, Absolutely, they get frustrated too. And I've heard reps. I've seen reps call guys at their names, you know what I mean. It's hey, Look, and in the heat of the moment, you're already at your highest pistivity. Yeah, so things things may get a little overblown a little bit.
So what what uh?
In the NFL, I mean, they fined my homeboy one time because he said something. I think he got fined and suspended a couple of games because he said something to a big trent. But if it can be confirmed, yeah, I mean they're probably fine. I don't know, uh, suspension, But there's a chance that the Laker is gonna get fined for this.
They that that's two that's two l's.
Didn't they make it worse on themself losing in game? You're losing to the refs ship. I mean that's two losses in one.
Hey, you gotta take it if you're the Lakers. I mean, if you got three guys with five files. Oho, I mean, damn, we're finna go home. Let me go and put this bug in the end. Now the way we get home here, maybe they swallow their whistle a little bit and give us a chance.
Yeah, maybe we get a little Maybe we get a little cooking. Maybe we get some of our cooking.
Maybe.
Yeah, I mean I don't I don't know who, I don't know who's gonna be the officials. I mean, maybe Sean, maybe Courtney Kirkland, maybe James William, maybe Caper's I don't.
Know, heyn Maybe you might need to go to the game for lit good.
Luck check this out. Austin reeves on the interaction with the ref. I felt like I was respectful to all of them all night. A million times in the past, I've had a way worse stuff. And when we're doing the whole tip ball and they're switching spots, I wanted to get to the other side because I had the gull on the other side. I was just trying to keep that advantage. And he turns around and yelled in my face. I thought it was disrespectful the whole time I was going over there, and I don't think I
said too much to them. I know Ben Taylor stepped in and said something, but at the end of the day, we're grown men, and I just didn't feel like he needed to yell in my face like that.
And I told him that I wasn't disrespectful.
I told him that he didn't need to that I did that to him first, I would have gotten a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn't get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong and I felt disrespected.
Yeah, that happens. Look the rest they give some guys passes.
Bro.
Yeah, some guys they'll take your ass right away, you know, with the quickness. They don't want to hear you know what I mean. Some some some players they feel like, you know, you won't even got no right to even be speaking to me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The rest be like that. Yeah.
So because you got some of them guys, Joe, they've been in this thing fifteen twenty years. Bro, you just got here yesterday. And how you feel you first of all, why you walk it up to me? You just because you see those vets walk up to me and we have a conversation. I ain't talking to your Yeah I talked to him, but not you.
My faith, Hey, Joe, my favorite clips, Uncle Joe is to see Chris Paul with his funny manner hythms.
Oh yeah, Chris.
Paul get tacked up. It'd be it'd be so fun.
Yeah.
Hey, hey, and that's Tony Brothers. Tony Brothers be like that. He don't You don't take a lot from from ok? Yeah, Hey, I mean you know because I know you know, Zach and some of them got I know a lot of them.
So I've been to enough games and so you know, obviously you know Sean Wright. I used to work out with Sean Wright.
Uh.
But Tony brothers will cut you out with her man what and tell you, hey, man what what what you want to do that he.
I'm telling you, bro, he that has seen it.
I'm telling you, hey, hey, hey, hey, Joey, if I was to pitch, I'm like, if I be trouble, get hey, hey, if I put your heads together, it's gonna be trouble.
Yeah. Yeah, they act like that sometimes, bro.
You get Hey, look, that's why I can't remember the ref name who c p hate when he reps his game God Foster.
Yes, Scott Foster.
Hey yeah, got a bunch of antics against him, bro. But I've seen it up close in person, man, you know, and when you watch it, when you really know what's going on and you watch it, you start to be like, damn, they might do have a little something between them, you know what I.
Mean, because they're human, bro.
And and look, there ain't no look, there's no love lost between Scott Foster and Chris Paul at some point in time. And you can say it's nothing X, Y and Z, but it is because I look, I know how you feel about me, and this ain't no one way street bro, both of you. Hey both hey, it ain't one way. It's what goes both ways. It's two lane traffic both ways. I don't like your ass either, but at the end of the day, you can't do nothing.
I'm the one that got the whistle yello. Hey, yeah, and I'm right number three take it to the showers.
Edytime me taking too much?
Boy, Hey, damn absolutely hey, and you know, hey, they didn't play with Joey Crawford.
Now, Dick Barveda was a little lead.
Dick Baveda, he got along with everybody, didn't cool but but Holland and Joey Crawford. Joey Crawt said, Timmy to the locker room wave. He called it tech on him and he was a bitch laughing.
Yeah, yeah, Timmy.
Looks right like me. Yeah. I think I think David Stern suspended for a game two though.
Yeah, because it seemed like it seemed like it gets a little personal, you know, for them reps, bro, And it ain't never supposed to be personal with them.
But you know, as a player, you.
Can kind of can you can kind of sense that you can feel that energy, you know what I mean, especially in the game, Like, damn, you're letting them be extra aggressive with me today, and yeah.
I'm feeling in some type of way. Real.
Look, you normally the superstars always got calls.
Jordan got them, Magic got him.
Especially guys that drove the basketball Kobe, Uh, Mike Lebron in his prime. I mean, guys like Lebron and and and shot really never got officiated because they so damn big.
It's like, how we we literally just call the game.
I mean, the game be five hour long if we officiated shock properly.
The guy beat the hell out of it.
I don't think when Jock the nax Smith invented the game of basketball, I don't think he envisioned having a guy sell twenty five playing the game.
And then so, so what do you do it?
Because when he cleared, when Shaq does this, them bowling pins, everybody going down.
Yeah, you got to call that, man. I don't leave with the A. You leave with them elbows. They calling that, bro, because you hit you hiding above the shoulder that's in the neck, chin, the back of the head like they calling that.
And what about the ken Bate resting sould with the sharp l's elbows he people up. Hey, but uh?
And then you know when they came out with the verticality where you could just go straight, Yeah, and you can hit somebody by the body as long as you vertical.
Yeah.
I think they changed the game too on OH Show because a lot of that contact and it may be initiated by the offensive guy, but they not calling. They don't call that often, you know what I'm saying. And I think that's what they try to get. They try to get Da and they try to get Jackson.
Hey, hey, just go vertical, don't come As long as you don't come forward with it, you're gonna be fine.
Just levate.
Kate Cunningham has twenty five points ten of sis uh to lift the Pistons past the Cavalaris one oh seven to ninety seven and take a two lead to top See. The Pistons have won five straight games since the Orlando put them on the brink of elimination.
Man I thought, Kay Cunningham.
Look, the two best players in this series have been Kad Cunningham and Tobias Harrison. Yes, yeah, and down the
¶ Pistons beat Cavaliers (DET 2-0)
retch when they needed where they needed buckets. Tobias Harris and Kay Cunningham, Kate Huntingham here, Big three after Big three, after Big drive after big drive. Tobias was sensational tonight. James Harden again.
Joey, Hey, I don't know.
Out of the game, Joe, where he has more turnovers that he had mail made field goals. Yes, sir, it is what it is. I mean we I don't really know. And they picked them again clean, Kate picked them clean.
He just said yesterday, Joe, you know what that's on me. I gotta protect the ball better. I got to do better. That's so when he comes out the following game, not only do he turned the ball over, but they get points on every goddamn turnover, unc every goddamn turnover. I mean, this is not the Jay, I understand yourself, uh uh, A top player, one of the one of the best ISO scores of all time. We know what you did in Houston, we know what you did in Brooklyn, we
know what you've done some of those other places. But this is the time to shine and show to James Harden we're used to talking about. Every time young bull get to the playoffs, I don't know what happens. It can't be stage fright because you used to being in the playoffs. You've been in the playoffs. Damn there, damn there all your career. Yeah, but every time you get to it, I mean it's almost it's like it's like it's a no show.
Damn there. Hey man, let me tell you Kate.
As great as he is offensively, you know, playing at this high efficiency rate that he played at the day, he is unbelievable. Defensively oncho he is incredible. I'm talking about Look, I ain't even just talking about keeping the ball in front. I'm talking about blocking shot. I'm talking about just making it difficult for you. It's hard. It's hard bro to compete with the dude. Who's he playing forty forty forty two minutes a night. It's hard, man,
because he gets everybody involved. He had a double double twenty five and ten. Yeah, seven to fourteen came from the field, and then Tobias Harris playing that you know that Robbin road to where he's he I mean, hell, he's been, you know, pitching in since the last series. I mean, he's been ultra effective. You know, they just got a lot of guys. And then when I think it comes to James Harden and his turnovers and his low field goal percentage many, I'm telling y'all, man, they
picking that man up. They wearing his ass down.
Bro.
They ain't giving him nothing easy. Everything that he got to get them to come from the free throw line, you know what I mean. It's just it's a lot to asks, man, It's a lot to ask. That's a young man's game. And obviously Detroit has hung their hat on defense this whole entire season, and this is how they play. If they can keep your ass under one hundred points, they got a great chance of winning.
And that's how they've been playing all year. I need somebody tell me what every Mobley doing. That man played thirty six minutes and gave you one rebound and some foot.
Tall damn.
One rebound. Oh Joe and Joe, now see a. I need somebody to offer me an explanation.
You only had nine points too.
Man.
Hey, look, I thought Jared Allen was super aggressive night go ahead, Joe, he was. But and when I look at Mobley offensively, we want to be. We want him to be demonstrative and demand the ball and go at his man. I can owe your Dain't his game, bro, We gotta come to the realization.
That ain't his game.
He had big games in the last series against Toronto, but man, Detroit got some girls down there. They got some guys who play hard as shit, and if he ain't ascertain himself, it's gonna be hard for him to be effective. Cleveland cannot win if he don't play well. I'm sorry, Joe, he got to buy his hands on y.
That man seven foot.
Tall to buy his fighting his ass on. He fighting well, he fighting back. You're gonna let the bad beat you up. They used to see them. Hey, hit it back, right right, batty man hit my hand? What hit it back?
Yeah? Yeah, it's just.
How you seven foot tall, You play thirty six minutes and you give me one rebound one.
Joe, Yeah, I see it.
Even on the box side, the ball hit the floor. You aught to be able to get me more, get me two.
Yeah. And they're making everybody. They're making everybody every moment.
The four ten James Harden three or thirteen, Donovan Mitchell eleven of twenty four I give you thirty one points on twenty four shots.
Sure will and everybody else got to be playing well though you think about the Cake threw the.
One for six, threw three for seven, Tatum one for one, ke On Ellis.
Everybody got to wash everybody out, Uncle Joe, especially for the goddamn Caves and have a chance. If god damn, if count of Hand go off, then I need Mitchell to wash him out. You god damn duncan Robinson go off and play and play well. I need goddamn James Harden to show up and wash him out. Everything has a mess, so somebody else is gonna have to step up. Evan Obley can't have a nine point game here. You can't have a goddamn game where you got damn had
one goddamn rebound. Jared Allen, God damn Jared Allen. Jared Allen played god damn well to night. He had twenty two, he was seven for nine. But in order for the Cab to come back and he even have a chance in this series because they go down three to oh, you might to get the goddamn Brooms out.
I can't.
I can't see them really even making a series. They may win a game in Cleveland. But Bro, when you don't get no contribution from your bench, it's hard. It's hard to win in the postseason. Man, when you when you just relying on your stars, when you just relying on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to kind of get it going, and they ain't really got no rhythm like that, because the game plan is to take those guys out, for those guys to be less effective, you know what I mean?
And I think Detroity doing a great job.
And Detroit they got some pretty good contribution from their bench at night, Jenkins, I thought kas mcburg came Yeah, I think kas mcburg came in and gave him a nice gave him some great minutes. They got multiple guys who could beat you. But that, but their wins aren't predicated off them playing great offensive. Hell, look at during he still ain't really playing no hell of a basketball.
I mean, he playing, he playing pedestrian okay ojo. But hell, it's good enough for him to get a win because guess what, they lock it down defensively.
Bro, Yes, hey, hey, Joe, when you think about it too, and the way both of these teams are constructed, you talk about going to your bench and wanted to get point for your bench.
I mean, they not like the Spurs. They ain't like the thunder where you.
Can go to your bench you don't miss a god damn beat. You know you got to mean the Cavs got Strolleder here come in. He didn't have a really good game today. I think I think it was more than five. I forgot how many points he had. But it is your starters, your starters they have they have to show up. Each player has to watch each play out in in order in order for you to even have a chance. And then somebody has to come along keep the game close them last five six minutes. Shoot,
you got to come to the party. James Harden got to step up, though, Joe and they just carestball. You look at you, look at Cleveland. They take they get a rebound. Allen tries to pass the ball to James Harden. Duncan Robinson steps in front of him on course of three. I'm like, James Harden got the ball, he dibbling died there in the front.
The guy just reached right down and let me get this off you.
Yeah, yeah, hey man, some guys watching film bro they.
Think he hurt?
Who you think hard and hurt? Yeah?
No, no, listen, how are you gonna be hurt?
Oh? Joy?
This is a pattern so where he's been hurt every playoff series.
It's either high turnover guy. Yeah, and Detroit. They know his tendencies, bro, Yes, they know his tendencies. They know his dudes, don't. They know what they like and what he don't like, and they crowd and shit out of him, just making it tough for him. He had the highest plus minus, so they he had a minus fifteen.
If you Cleveland, there's no way you're gonna win a game.
If Donovan is inefficient and James Harden don't play well, I don't care how y'all cut it, man, I think the rest of them dudes can be pedestrian. But if you can get both of those guys at least twenty five plus efficiently, which is gonna be tough because they hadn't really played like that this whole postseason, it's gonna be hard for them to win a game.
Then he say one game, Joe, it's gonna be hard to win a game. Bro.
They may get close in Cleveland, o Jo, but it's man, I mean Detroit. Their game is predicated off the defense, Like you know they gonna play great defensively, and then you got k who's just a game changer.
Yes, you know what I mean, they ain't.
Really I mean, hell, I don't think they making it tough on Kay Uncle Ojo.
Y'all really don't got nobody to make it tough on him.
You put Wade on the Wade's not a defender, James hard and Donovan Mitchell is out of a defender. So Jared Allen is your best defit here mobiley, but they're big, they can't defend him, So who can you put on him? It's not like think about what they got. They got k who can defend. They got Thompson who can defend. Even Tobias Harris, when he puts his mind to it, can defend. They don't have nobody like that on Cleveland. No, they don't.
So look, so what you need to do is adjust your damn coverages. Stop giving him them damn switches and one on one looks and cage him in a trap and make him get a damn ball up.
Yes you got to.
You got to see the playoffs about adjustments and matchups. Hell, you got Cleveland got a bad matchup right now. So what they have to do is try to alleviate a cage productivity. Take get the ball out of his damn hands when he run a pick and Bro, you gotta make these other dudes make some decisions because if you look at it, during hadn't played great. Hell, hey, let's put the ball in his damn hand. Let's see what he can do. You took the words right up my mouth.
Whatever it's possible, I'm gonna make the ball end up in Dura's hand because if you go back and think about it, he's played good in one game.
In the playoffs, that's Game seven.
Yeah, and while I'm watching them to day, I think he kind of understands that too, un Ojo, that he hasn't been playing great.
And you can tell he's trying to pick it up.
But him picking it up it is him trying to do more offensively. It's just not his damn game. And it don't even look it, don't even look naturally. Yeah, you know what I mean. So they gotta find a way, meaning Cleveland has to find a way to put Detroit under distress to where they're not comfortable.
Bro, they're just too comfortable out there for me. Yeah.
Like I said, unless Evan Mobley comes in and give you the twenty plus that he's capable of giving, James hardly gonna have to be. I'm not saying he needs to be, you know, fifty eight sixty percent, but you can't be three or thirteen and you can't you can't have you can't lead the team in turnover damn there. Every game I think about it, another game in which
he has more turnovers then made field goals. That I mean, he's got forty five and one hundred and eighty two games, He's got forty five or forty six in which he has equal to or more turnovers than field goals. That is crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah, Hey, if you Detroit bro James is a rhythm player. That's why when you always see him play Uncle Ocho is tween tween behind the back two. That's a rhythm that he's trying to get into. Yes, and Detroit is great at disrupting that rhythm. They not letting him get into, no damn rhythm, you know what I mean. That's why you see every time he drives to the goal, he's seeking for them.
He's seeking for a file.
He trying to get a file because he know that's the only way he gonna really be effective.
He needs he needs to see the ball go in, Joe. And right now they're not letting him see the ball going until really really laying the ball game, and by that time he's not in the rhythm.
You let him hear his first couple of shots.
You let him get a driver, You let him get a layup, or you let him here a step back three, or you let him get to the little mini. You know, a lot of times he'll try to get all the way to the basket of you pull a snatch and pull up and hit it. But he's thinking about it most of the point. He probably get to the free throw line. He's out of rhythm. He knows it. He knows he's not playing well. He knows what's being said.
He when he when he get that sheet, Joe, and he looks at it like, damn three made field goals.
Five turnovers, damn.
Hey, Hey, that damn k Cunningham and that Thompson. Hey, yes, then bought some dogs on their defense. End man, Kate, Hey, look, Kay's showing me a lot. I mean, I'm talking about I can see why he was in the n V discussion. Okay, then yeah, and if he wouldn't have and if he wouldn't have got hurt, we don't know, because you know, at the time when he went out, I think they
had the best they had the best record in the league. Yep, but they were right there there was right there with Okay, yeah, yeah, so he's showing me that. Man, Look, I can be a hell of a two way player because he doing it on night to night Basis Fellas. Yes, yeah, and I'm talking about at an elite and high level like it's it's to make he guart and two of the
best scores to play this game, right. It hadn't been a whole lot of players that have been asked to do what he does offensively score, get others involved and take the assignment on the other end.
Know Jordan had Pippin to do that. Yeah, a Ron Harper or Dennis Rodman. Yeah, there haven't been a whole lot of guys that says, Okay, I need you to play make I also need you to give me twenty five, but I also need to make sure that.
Guy doesn't game get a rhythm.
Yeah, it's a rarity to have a guy that's capable of doing that.
I agree, And Kay Cunningham is doing it. Kay Cunningham is doing it.
And because if you think about it, when Kawhi, when they had Tim Duncan, Kawhi was never asked to be the leader of the offense. When when they started asking Kawhi to be the leader of his offense, his defense did this? Did the Joe when he had to all of a sudden score and try to initiate play for everybody else, he wasn't.
The same defensive player. Yeah, you're right, you're right so to.
Ask Kay to get Kay to do what he's doing, and he's doing that on a nightly basis. To you, young man, and this man, I've watched a lot. I've watched a lot of basketball. I don't I don't recall a guy being asked, uh, you got that from Lebron when he was in Cleveland. You got it from him a little bit than Miami and when he went back to Cleveland. But a guy that said, it's okay, oh you their best player? I got you.
Yeah, that tasts a lot, bro.
Yeah, and he played forty two minutes. Yeah, he ain't playing no thirty minutes. He playing forty two forty eight in the game. Yeah, and the one thing I noticed, K I know, K knows is that, Yeah, we may not be high power offensively, but damn it, we got some guys who can sit in that chair. Ain't gonna make a hell on you out here. Yes, And that's how they play, bro. I mean, I enjoy watching them play.
You know.
I know they had a little hiccup in that in that Magic series, but you can tell they've learned from that. And man, they're playing great basketball against two elite scores and bruh, they give him everything they.
Can ask for. So he he.
Hey, if he was Jordan and Thompson the Pippen, if Thompson find anyway to continue to beat to beat the offensive game, oh my god.
Oh my goodness, that wouldn't be fair. Man.
Guys, y'all listening here, y'all, y'all see y'all in the chat, I said, did they ask, if you think about it, who, how many times did Pippin was the guy was the point forward?
Yeah, he initiated a lot of the offense. Kobe Derek Fisher ran the offense.
That is what's the most assist Kobe added that average of the season.
The most assists probably the highest, probably maybe six, five and a half six.
Yeah, if I had to guess, that's it.
I know Jordan had one season where he averaged eight. I think he would average thirty seven eight and eight.
Yeah.
What's the most assists? Kobe averaging the season six point three? What's Kate averaging? Kate averaged nine. Yeah, what he averaged his most? If Kobe's most in the season, Lebron averages more of that for a twenty three year career. So y'all trying to say that Kobe was asked to initiate a run to offense like Lebron did.
No, Sir, Kate averaged ten.
Listen, it doesn't diminish Kobe because he wasn't asked to do. Whether they're asking Kde and Lebron, it doesn't diminish y'all gotta stop this notion. If somebody doesn't put Kate, don't put Kobe in a thing. It's okay. It doesn't diminish him. No, he's a five time champ, he's a two time finals MVP. He's an MVP. It doesn't diminish him, But Derek Fischer ran the offense.
And y'all know what.
Kobe was asked to score and defend, and he did those two things at an elite level. That's why he's a mini many time All Defensive player and a mini many times All NBA selections.
Absolutely, absolutely, But he was not.
Asked to run the offense like Cade Cunningham. He was not asked to run the offense like Lebron James. Y'all know that. Y'all know that. That's why Lebron James averages over seven assist the game. Kobe's greatest season is only one time. Only time Lebron James has ever averaged less than five or six assist the game was his rookie season. Yeah, so, in other words, he has twenty two seasons in which he's averaged more assists in a game than Kobe did
in his best season. And y'all want to say he was asked to do the same thing as Lebron And when y'all know you're being disingenuous, Yep, it's.
Okay, guys, it's okay.
Pippy was a point for how you think Pippy got the name of the point forward?
If Jordan ran the offense. Yeah, you're right.
See y'all just look at the guy and see the guys scoring points. A lot of guys that can score points but can't run an offense. But when you run an offense, look at Luca, Luca got a hot You think they asked Luca to play defense? James Harden. James Harden scored thirty average ten, led the league in assists four five times. How's this defense? Look at Luca? How's
this defense? So for cad to do that, They've only been a handful of guys that I can remember, and I remember basketball, I go back to about seventy seven. They haven't been a whole lot of guys. They've been a whole lot of guys like they've been guys, but not like Cade, not what they asked Lebron to do. Up until last year, Lebron James had never not led his team in assists. Last year with the first time
he didn't lead his team two years. So for twenty one straight years, Lebron James led his team in assists. They that think end twenty one seasons and it took a younger version of himself, which is Luca on the offensive end, because Luca can score, he can rebound, and he damn show can play mate.
Yep, he just could.
I don't think he could guard me with this little bum knee right now. But y'all got to stop this notion. Y'all think somebody don't mention Kobe? You did know you don't just because I say, just because I say, oh, Joe was great, that doesn't mean too, I'm pooping on Tyo.
Yeah, Randy, two things can be true.
Kobe was great, But Kobe wasn't asked to do what Kad Cunningham is being asked to do. He wasn't asked to do what Lebron was asked to do. It's okay, look at the numbers, y'all watch it, Oh Joe? Has it always been like this or this came along with social media?
Now it's always been like this?
Okay, But we but we just couldn't see it because because there was no social media, so we really didn't know what what Tom and and de Moore and Iowa was actually saying. No, we didn't know what Paul in Brooklyn or somebody in Florida or we didn't know what they were saying.
Now everybody, everybody has a voice. Everybody has an opinion now. But that's a good thing. I like it that it creates for It creates for healthy dialogue, It creates for healthy debates because everybody's opinion is not going to be the same. You believe one thing, then somebody else is gonna believe another. Now, regardless of what facts you bring about whatever it is you believe in, they gonna debunk that based on their facts and their opinions.
Yeah, so it would be an ongoing debate forever, no matter what.
Even if everything you just said is factual, someone will still counter that and say, nah, this is why it's not true because of ABC and D That's what I mean. That's what I love about social media. Though I love it, just not when it comes to basketball because I can't talk with the way y'all do.
Well.
Considering Lebron James led this team and assists for twenty one straight season, one would deduce from that he was asked to playmaker right right, and go back and look
¶ Kobe vs LeBron mindset
at the series when d Rose they lost the first one, What did d Rose won?
M v P? What did they do Game two? Joe? And what happened? They put Lebron on him.
Yeah, Yeah, I think I think Broun is a natural facilitator though, now I'm telling I'm talking about Yeah, I think as great as he is scoring the ball, I think his probably his best attribute is facilitating and making guys around him better. That's just who Kobe was a natural born killer.
Bro.
Now I'm talking about he trying to take Yes, he trying to give you fit the head game period. He ain't standing no damnsis yeah, he may get something here and now he wasn't standing no damns.
Hey, I'll trust you. I know what I put in to be great. I'm not so sure you put that same energy and effort. I'm not so sure you take care of your body. I'm not so sure you watch film like I do. So I don't know if I can trust y'all right.
Hey, he practiced with those dudes every day. He know they work ethics. That's how he was. Hey, look, Kobe won't standing that bro. He took out the MJ. He he was a carbon copy of MJ. He stole his moves, his walk, his style, every damn thing. The way he chewed his gun like he wanted to. He wanted to be MJ. Bro and he was a He was a modern day MJ. I think, with a better handle and all that. So I think he is. He became the player who he wanted to become, and he was nasty with it.
Bro. He didn't care if you liked him or not. Yeah.
No, he wasn't there to be like Yeah. He came into the NBA with a sole purpose. Yeah, to be the best period.
That is it.
Period And it's so rare that you get guys come out of high school at seventeen, eighteen years old, bro, and to be able to think like that.
I wondered did they come from?
You know, his dad, Jellybean, him being overseas, you know, he was raised overseas and with Italy playing over there, probably being a loner because he you know, I wanted did did did all that player factor.
I think every early on his favorite player was Jordan. He came out and then he thought. I mean you listened to him talking, He's like, I thought I was better than the guys that they were playing. They were playing me for five minutes, and he like, I'm better than them. He got drafted where he got drafted, I'm better than these guys. Guys in the draft and y'all put me way down here. But if you listen to people talk, he's always had that mentality. He's always been
about basketball while other guys looking to go out. And I was saying, man, Kobe looking at man, I'm trying to get out. Kobe looking to go get some risks, go to the gym.
That is what I was trying to do.
When you got that kind of talent and you got that kind of work ethic, that's what made Jordan Jordan. That man was that talented, and he was working that hard. You think about it, when you take the best talent and they're the hardest worker you get, and and and Tom is on the novel because Tom is not the most miss legalented.
He don't run fast, oh Joe, he don't jump high.
But what he has is this that processor, that process at the speed of light. Yeah, and his work ethic. When you get that, bro, it's hard, hard work. And I tell people just what I used to tell kids when I used to speak to kids, I say, hard work doesn't guarantee you anything.
Nope, I say, but without it, you don't got a chance. Hello Hello, But talented and you work hard, boy.
That's a hell of a combination, You're gonna be down now, unstoppable, bro, damn near Yeah yeah because you because and I know y'all seen this in football too, because I've seen it so much in basketball. I'm talking about from playing little league all the way up to the pros. Hey, bro, I know some talented dudes who never who would never sniff the damn NBA or college just because of their work ethic. Now, talent wise, some of the best people
I've ever played against. But bruh, when you when you got hell of it, when you got a lot of talent and you got that work ethic to go with it, Hey man, you can't lose, bro, No, can't lose.
And that's what I tell guy.
I say, guys, y'all realize the NBA is everybody in the NBA has some level of talent.
Now there's levels to it. Ojoe.
You know, you got some beginner, you got some junior, and you go up and up and up. But everybody talent, how do you think they got there? Yeah, say college. You don't get no legacy in the NFL. I don't give it down. What your brother did, I don't care what your dad did. Can they catch passes. Can they sack the quarterback? Can they block right now for you? Because that's what I got you for. Yeah, congratulations, your family put produce some great athletes. Congratulations, But that help?
How does that help us win? And when you get guys that are talent like Kobe was immensely talented and it drove him crazy. But you know what you have love most about him? Even though as he airball shots in the playoff game and everybody laughed, y'all got a y'all got a seventeen year old playing in the playoffs, y'all must be crazy. He took all that.
Yeah, all he did was get his ass in the gym. Yep.
I'm gonna show y'all yep. And that's what it takes, bro, That's what it takes. When you fail at something, get your ass back up and get back to work. That's the greatest teacher.
Yeah, because a lot of time, when you succeed all the time, what do you learned from that?
Nothing? Because you started.
Hey, don't get me wrong, it feels good to win now, But them losses teach you way more than way more When could.
Ever teach you?
And that's what happens a lot of times, guys, when you win, you gloss over.
We won.
Your technique was bad. You didn't get your head around. Oh yo, Hey, you're supposed to do X, Y and Z. Hey you how fast? But you still made the catching you won. Developing good habits is just as easy it is to develop bad habits. People think, oh man, how are you doing easy? Just like he developed the good ones. It's just as easy for you to eat healthy as it is for you to eat bad.
All it requires is a choice. Which one do you choose?
Mm?
Hm?
Is your desire to be great greater than your desire not to be? Or we used to come to the tail line I'm good for today.
I don't know.
It's it is, but but I think the thing is that when you want something, Oh, Joe had a great desire to get out of Liberty City. That man say, I ain't trying to live I love it here. I was raised here. My grandparents did a great job for me. But I ain't trying to live here. I want to go. I know that something outside of Liberty City. I want to go see what South Beach kicking lot hell. I want to see what really like out there?
Hello?
Hey, Because everything that I need ain't here. Ain't here in Liberty City.
Hey, I agree with you on that, because boy coming up in Little Rock, when I got stamped Oho meaning like I would say, I've really seen the NBA in my future. When I was in tenth grade, Bro, tenth grade, like you know, I seen how I was a lot more talented than guys. And at my height six six six sixty seven, we don't grow them like that. And at my height at sixty six sixty seven, I was still a guard because I grew late. I grew four and a half five inches going into my tenth grade year.
Once I seen that, once I once I realized that's oh yeah, I ain't messing this opportunity up. I'm gonna keep aaa. I'm gonna stay out of trouble. I'm gonna do whatever it tasts. Because look, it's just me and my mama. She working two three jobs, she working at the state hospital, with with with with these crazy patients. Like listen, bro, I'm trying to I'm trying to give her a better life. So I understood that at an early age, man you gotta work hard, man, you gotta
work hard. So I was willing to put the work in, and everything else is history.
Bro. So once you see the light, you got to go for it.
