Nightcap - Hour 1: Warriors take Game 1 over Timberwolves + Haliburton Game-Winner deflates Cavaliers

The volume and hello, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcaps. For the first time in NBA history, all the road teams won Game one.

We've had two of four, we've had three of four.

We've never had all four win and that's what happened, and a couple of them won in dramatic fashion. We're gonna get to that new and just the moment. Thank you guys for joining us again. I am your favorite UNC Shendon Sharp, my partner and co host The Liberty City Legend, The Bengal Ring of Fame, Arno Reed, the Pro Bowler Bee All Pro. That's Chad o Cho Senko Johnson, and our special guest tonight to talk about basketball is a ten year NBA vet Pasadena native UCLA alum, a

That link is pinned in the chat.

Supplies are limited and once they're gone, they're gone, so please get yours while supplies last. Tickets for our Not Safe for Work tour are are unsale. Eight stops Baltimore, Philly, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Miami, NYC, Chicago, and Detroit. Tickets can be found at Shayshapmedia dot com slash tour. That's Shayshadmedia dot com slash tour. Go get your tickets now right We're gonna get right into it. Tonight, the Warriors beat the Wolves a large part without Steph. Steph left the game

Mike Conley got some great cardio in tonight.

But Deevin chevso three of eleven, Mikil Walker, Alexander had Well had fourteen minutes, he got some great cardio in, and even Shannon Junior he got cardio and only got two minutes on the bike. Oho, but he got a little cardio in, So you only have to do eighteen minutes on the bike after the game because he did get two minutes of cardio.

Ryan, I'm gonna start with you on this.

You watched this game and you was like, Okay, the Warriors might be in trouble. Steph going out and looked like he had it going. Looked like he was headed toward the monster night. He had thirteen points in about thirteen minutes, so it looked like it was gonna be

Thing they could he could have pulled that hand string on Sunday last Sunday, he could have pulled that hand straight would be having a whole different conversation. Now, Okay, let's get that out there right now.

First and foremost.

But man, I don't think people understand and giving Golden State the credit. Defensively, they are sound, they're smart. Steve Kerr will get out there and switch defenses. I saw someuth I've never seen in this series against Houston, against our guys. He ran three two zone. He ran one three to one in the NBA. That's something you never see. To take away the elbows. And he doesn't mind switching. Sup gonna go play big, He'll go small and right now,

I'm gonna pick.

Make this very clear, they're not gonna win this series without Steph Perry. He's gonna have to get back depending how bad that hamstring is.

And I've never seen step go down.

And it's funny, man, we're talking about this the other day with Steph.

If you watch him play, I don't know. He must win.

Run three to four to five miles, everyone possession.

He's running. So finally that hamstring, you know what went out. But at the end of the day.

Chad Wollt see in reality where Anthony Edwards struggles that bad offensively, they gotta find ways to get him going. And ultimately in game one and with a lot of Russ the positive when you play seven game series, you're fresh, you're ready, the juices are going.

But I saw Russ from Minna. Oh, Joe, what did you think about what you saw? Because like you are, he said, I don't think ant man, he'll jump shot all night long. Everything that he got was going to the basket, or it was from the free throw line. He was terrible from the three point line. What was he from the three point line? Oh, he did make one. He was one of five from the three. He was four or five from the free throw line, nine or

He couldn't get anything from the jump shot, the three point line.

He got some driving baskets in the second half, but it wasn't nearly nearly enough. What did you look so Tember, what you like ant Man? What is it that you didn't see that you want to see in order for them to win this series?

Moving forward?

I mean actually going forward, the Wolves, the Wolves are gonna have to have and man has to be on he has to be on fire. He has to be the leader and go out there and not only facilitate, but take a game over. You know, it is only game one, and I honestly, honestly, from what I saw, I knew Steph was getting hot when he when he was playing, But when he went out and he tweaked

But but he got going in that second half.

Yet, yeah, you got to go on the second It's only game one. It's only game one, so I'm expecting, you know, Anthony Everais and the rest of the rest of that crew collectively to have to have a better game, especially at Man gotta everything. Everybody gonna feed off his energy and how he plays, so everything starts with him.

I mean, you think about it. Minnesota's qored eleven points in the second quarter. The Warriors almost outscored them in the second quarter. The Warriors scored twenty six points in the second quarter. They had thirty one points at the half. Minnesota bed I don't know if I've ever seen a team beat this this poor in an entire quarter, twelve minute quarter, right, I don't know when the last time you see somebody score just eleven points in a quarter in today's game.

Now, maybe when the game was physical. Hell, I mean, I remember game being seventy three, sixty eight, seventy to sixty five.

But in today's game, when it's up and down, I don't know if I've seen this anemic of a quarter from a team.

This is the thing that you got to understand it. You must have missed our series.

Man.

They defend and in Golden State more than anybody. They don't funnel you into a beg because the biggest dream law. They just square you off and they keep you in front. It's all school basketball, and they force a contest. Then you bring Jimmy Butler, and Jimmy can play both away, so they got size and they're switchable. And then you know Kurt will come in with guys off the bench, but very leaked because it's a different style and you're used to seeing it. And even when curries out there,

And what do I mean by that?

Luca Doncas can't jump over a from book, but he can manipulate defense. And you know what I'm saying, Like Luka Donca is gonna find a bad matchup, he gonna pull you into a pick and roll, use the angle and get it at man playing on all heart right now, it's all hearts. Well when he learns how to run the pick and roll, find the four matchup, see how they're playing him.

You can't guard him, you know.

So he's made strides and the game is gonna come so much more easier to him. But again that was Russ And like Chad saying, chatt is almost impossible, we're gonna expect him to go into the next game and play that bad and you're gonna have to see, you know, here's some problem, Chad.

I don't know how y'all both y'all feel about this.

Now you're gonna have to ask Jimmy Butler to do a lot more than he's been doing. Jimmy Butler's been playing heavy minutes, but he's been saving himself.

He had eleven rebounds to night.

He had eight as sister tonight, as you mentioned, because he, first of all, Draymond is a point whatever you call him. He's a point, center, point forward, whatever you want to call him, because he initiates a lot of their offense. That's not what Kerry Curry does. Curry spends his time being in perpetual motion, running from side to side, coming off picks, coming off pin downs, and things of that nature. He's not really initiating their offense. That role goes to

They had it fairly easy for the most part.

Look, the Lakers would always choke it off and they you know, they would get some confidence going and the next thing, you know, at Man get hot. Everybody catch five shooting your three. It was five and twenty nine to night. Now they're not. They made the fifth most threes, but they're not. They weren't a great three point shooting team against the Lakers. They just got HoTT and spells and that was good enough to carry them over.

At Man did what he did, But.

You got Jane Daniels averaging twenty two to twenty three points a game. And you see the night he had twelve, You had Julius Randill giving you twenty two and six and five. He had eighteen tonight. So everybody played below their average against the Lakers. And I don't know if that this effort tonight, they're gonna have to find something because I like what you said, Ryan. The Warriors are team.

Well.

Well, one thing also, I want to touch on it. You say you say when you beat the Warriors. You gotta beat them. They're not going to beat themselves.

And we talked about Anthony Edwards in that in that cast collectively having a better shooting game and and and shooting above above what their percentage is to even have a chance to win.

But are we even worried a little.

Bit about the about the Warriors, you know, with Curry's hamstring being out going into game too or do you think Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hill and Dre Monk.

And hey Chad, I'm gonna tell you one thing.

Yeah, as as fatigued as he is and his age, he might.

Be back game three or four.

Now, the gold right now, if you're Golden State of ceed and you notice you stole that game, yes, so now you can rest. Yes, when Jimmy Butler went out against Houston, they were able to rest because they won.

They won a game, and they were able to get him back.

So if you're gold State, you're saying, if we can get him back by game three or four and not rush it because we sol a game, which means even we just need to get one at home, and now we still got a series. That's the biggest thing I want to touch on something. You said, Anthony Edwards wasn't threshured against the Lakers. They literally it was man one. Yeah, he played one on one, but he pretty much zoned the week side because they don't have the ability to

You know, nas Reed was wide open.

Mc daniels was wide open for three because I can help him recovering.

To those guys, they don't have.

A n maw shooter if it's not Mike Pinley in that situation.

Yeah, because you look at Julius Randall oh for three, Jay McDaniels, oh for three, Mike Conley oh for two, Anthony Edwards one for five, Dante Devenceienzo one for seven, Alexander Walker over two.

So at that point in time.

Golden State says, you know what, hey, guys, let's not chase them off the line. Let's leave him at the line because they ain't gonna be able to throw a notion anyway. So we running out of there, getting out of a position. And and this is what's surprised that a lot of people might not realize. To be a small, small team, go toen State is a great rebounding team. They out rebounded They out rebounded Minnesota by ten with Rudy Gobert with Julius Randall, with Nas Reed with.

Man with Jaydon McDaniels.

Let that think it because if you look at them side by side, you're like, damn, Rudy Gobe looked like Delia Julius Randalls sixty nine, so I mean the tallest, the tallest player that they and then started lineup with probably Draymond and Jimmy Butler. At sixth seven, you got Steph Curry six two six three, maybe Buddy Hill. But they getta they get a they cause they get you out of position because you're scrambling trying to run guys up the three point line. They missed and they know

It's hard to beat them off the bounce, and even when you beat them, they stay in the play.

So now your body's on bodies.

When I can get bodies on bodies and box you out, it's old school basketball.

Steve approaching old school basketball.

So that's why they they're so dominant on the glass. And then on the other end, here's my fear of Chad, And I don't know how you feel about this. Worry's running around. You gotta give attention. You gotta get two to the ball. That opens up Buddy Hill, that opens up the other guys, It opens up Jimmy.

But even though.

Jimmy Butler doesn't want to shoot, he got he got free space. That free face is gonna go away. And my key, this is my keyball forward. The Temple Wolves are excellent when they can turn you over. They're young, they're athletic, they play off energy. And Golden State is doing what Chad. They holding the back.

Chad, you watch them, they hold the basketball.

You're gonna see them shoot by design and normally in basketball chair, you don't want to see this. It's almost like a football y'all. Don't want to play that team that's gonna defend and just hold the ball. They hocking the ball the last that's those them say, they shooting the ball at five seconds, eight or five seconds every possession, so they pushed the game out in time.

Yeah, that's what I mean. They're they're the total opposite of Indiana. If you look at Indiana, they're looking to push them for eight or we get off the rim. But you look at it and fort dribbles, they got somebody if you're not careful, they got somebody laying the ball up in the basket. You look at Steve Curry, says, Steph Curry is day to day and we'll get an Mr Tomorrow. Obviously, he's crushed Buddy Hill game one, twenty

But Buddy is playing. I mean, look, he could always shoot the ball.

If you look at him where he is now as far as three pointers, he's head of what Curry was at the same point in time in their careers.

Now, I'm not saying he's gonna catch Curry.

I'm not saying he's a better shooter, but I'm saying step came in and and and started this revolution or this evolution, whatever term you want to use. And so now guys are coming in and they're getting up more threes. And so now you, I mean, you might have when it's all said and done, Ryan, you might have three guys that made ten guys made three thousand threes in a career.

Yeah, I'm gonna give you this about Buddy, Hilda. And here's a childie, Chad.

I don't know if you you. I don't know if you.

Are this type of guy, Chad in your career. But Buddy Hill is not great at being the second and third option.

He's a guy that has to get his touches. And see her made a genius.

Playing because what he did in that game seven against Houston, he said, we need a third option and and it wasn't gonna be cominga.

It wasn't. And Gepsky is a dog. I like him.

Man, he got an old school solid player. But he said, Buddy Hill, play what fixed you best? And it paid off. Lad do you were you one of those guys? Could you be second?

I know you know what I'm saying, matter of fact, but he.

Boy could play second, but you had to get is like most number one receivers.

Get him the ball early.

Get you can't deal it, dally around with him and wait till the second quarter or the third quarter to try to beat to the ball. Give him a smoke, give him a quick out, give him a slant, Let him touch the ball.

If you let him touch the ball early, you can have him lea.

You're probably gonna lose him if you don't give it the ball to the late the second quarter, right before the half of the third.

I'm not calling matter of fact. He needs his touches. And you can speak to that a guy like a small example.

I can think about what I stood on the table when TiO had the opportunity to come to Cincinnati. I told Marvin, I told Mike Brown, I said, listen, we gotta get him we got to get him in here. I have no problem taking the back seat. I have no problem being number two, understanding the greatness that's getting ready to come, you know, into the receiver room. Now at that point, common God damn sense, this is one of the best of all time. I don't care how

Hell but just that year we went four and twelve, so we still were. Sorry, but I'm over that both, y'all. I'm still over that over.

I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened that year. Pacers still Game two in Cleveland. Only three teams have come back down seven in the last minute of a playoff game since nineteen ninety seven. The Thunder did it on May thirteen, twenty fourteen. The Pacers did it April twenty ninth, twenty twenty five, which.

Was seven days ago.

The Pacers also did it May sixth, twenty twenty five, which was up tonight. Oh, Joe bur We talked about it. Yeah, another six, another six guys in double figures. You got Siakam twelve, Nie Smith twenty three, turn them twenty three, them Hard thirteen, Halliburton nineteen, Matthren nineteen. You see, you don't know, you just know it's a committee. Now, you don't know who's gonna be the lead, who's gonna be

Three?

Everything that could have gone wrong for the Calves, the calves throw them all night getting the ball in. There are a couple of times they could have got some violations, but and then I don't know what happened.

He just threw the ball right to them. Are them hard? Said, I mean, like, thank you very much, but they're in trouble. I don't.

I think this series is over and it's gonna be the most ethic collout because the team that won this many games to possibly get swept.

I can see them getting swept. Ryan, I don't know if you see that.

You got some glasses on, putting them blasts on so you can see if you can see what I see a chat chat.

I called this before I seen it, And this is what's crazy. And the Pacers the most underrated team in the NBA right now.

Their a team chid.

Last year they went to the Eastern Front Frience Finals and everybody said it was for injuries. Listen, man Rick Carlow, nip Hard mcinal. They got some dogs over there. It's not the sexiest, Okay, they don't got the forty inch Burt mac during Is athletics, Jakams athletics.

But other than that, they just are tough.

Hard those players and the way that the NBA is played now that is shifting to It was a game of athletes, a bunch of three past shootings. Now it's a game of toughness and skill. Indiana has toughness and skill. They moved to basketball like you talked about in Halliburn. Hey, now, hold on, man, they need to put some respect on Halliburton's names overrated player at the NBA. Let me tell you something from schematically, there's only a handful of guys

Guys that can do it in the NBA.

Now it's Lebron, it's Luka, Doncic and James hard when he's on his a game, sy rees Halliford could manipulate the game.

What do I mean by that?

He's the guy that can beat you with the past, and he can beat you with the shot. And when you take one way, he's gonna make the correct play. So were looking at the stat sheet. He got nineteen point four assist in the game winners, and he's got the clutch gan he finds away. It's not the prettiest game. It's not the prettiest.

He the guy get it's the Kevin Martin.

He got a little Kevin Martin around, but he's a dog and he finds the way. But Chad, Am I crazy to where I called this before that happened.

I got in the.

Record, I called it, Am I crazy to say that still is gonna outweigh the athletes and the size. And obviously give credit to cattle players. They chucked the game up, but they had injuries. They had guys messing down of the initial dropped forty eight pints in the game and at the end of the day, if I'm donning the Mitchell, I say, I drove forty eight. That's all I can do to will my team to win. And we put win with sit It's a ride.

Yeah yeah for me, Ojoe, I thought the game could have been even closer. I mean, think about it. See I come had eight shots. He's one of you, he's your all star. Calim Burton had eleven shots. Think about how many of those shots came in the fourth quarter. I'm like, bro, what are y'all doing? I mean, nobody took more. Miles Turner had the most shots. He had seventeen. They don't had eighty five. They shot almost fifty two

But Cleveland as the.

Game got closed, I mean, they was up big, and every time, here come Indiana, Here come Indiana. They go up eighteen nineteen, Here come in there on to will it down to nine. They go back up by thirteen, they cut it back down to seven. I was like, okay, now, y'all miss around. Y'all, ay, you're playing with five because y'all letting them.

God.

They like, hey man, we're right here. We make a couple of plays, we get a couple of stops. You know you're getting down huddles. Hey, we make a stop right here. Oh yo, get the ball back to our office. Hey, who knows what can happen? And that's what happened. They messed around and let him get close a and you hit that three point shot. It's like, oh, it's a one point game. Oh and Halliburton got the rebound. Hey, he dribbled out. He got the matchup that he wanted.

I'm not.

But look like I said, Nie Smith had twenty three he played really well, four rebounds, three blocks, Miles Turner twenty three points, eight rebounds, five blocks, Tyre's Halliburton nineteen points, nine rebounds, the game winner, the ship, the series shift to ending on Friday. You're talking about a team that what what sixty four games and could possibly get swept.

Have we ever had a team win so many games to get swept?

Maybe that that ninety four SuperSonics team they got. They didn't get swept, but they got beat by the eighth seed of the Denver Nuggets. But to get swept, yeah, at sixty four wins.

But I honestly listen, when you talk about them having sixty four wins, you got to remember, you gotta remember tonight they were they didn't have key contributors. There's Darius Garland's out, Everan moe le DeAndre Hunter's out, So those sixty four.

They would have had that twenty point lead or they just went out once they got to leave. You state, they can't an injured. So they had a twenty point lead with those guys on the bench, right.

So that's what that's why. But that's why Dinah in the half forty eight because he had to do more.

Yeah, yeah, I give him that. But see, what are we surprised that Donovan? We Donovan's had fifty seven of the playoff game. Him and Jamal Murray both had fifty of the playoff game. We don't think about how many times he scored thirty in a playoff game. I think five of his seven games with the Calves he's had at least thirty. We know he's a scoring machine. But as long as he got how.

Many hold up he had, he will fit fifteen for thirty, fifteen for thirty.

Yeah, I can live with the A. That's that's sufficient, that's fitting.

Shoot, he didn't shoot the three ball well and he had nine assists. Yeah, so he did all he could do. But you can't turn the ball over in situations like that. You can't leave guys. You just can't make the mistakes in You got listen, you got to win that game.

You can't play. I don't believe they can play any better.

Run with the guys that they have missing, they can't play any better than what they played tonight and they don't have anything to show for that performance.

Give and this was Indiana's mindset. Let me speak the son that you two can't speak to. Okay, y'all's first options all of flame. So let me speak to the role players. You can give energy, you can bring life. They they played like their backs were against the wall. But as things get tighter, you need your stars. Now, Donovan did his job, but Darius Garland is the other closer on that team. He's the guy you put the ball in his hands and he's the playmaker.

Things get happen on the backside.

So the role players, the heart was there, but as things got tighter, where were they gonna go with the basketball? And Donovan could do too much. So for Indiana they were patient. They just said, where's your offense going to keep coming from? So you know that energy, the excitement, you know, and when you have a bag go out and you saw this with Bolden State, you valghanize behind it. I think Steph Curry went out, you know, Draymond Green. But as for known as a now shoot the future

We can only run so much offense. And it's funny.

There's a saying it's not about the exisz and o's, it's about the Jimmys and Joels.

You have to have players in those situations.

So no disrespects to the guys on the floor for Keith Cleveland, but Donovan Minchell alone wasn't enough. And the thing is, you got a well oiled machine over there with the pacers, and they just let it get tighter, let it get tighter, and then they accept their moment.

And because they're at home and the fans, you look when a game when you've had when you have a lead and all of a sudden it starts to dissipate. The fans can feel that too, because everything is ooh oh no, and all of a sudden, it feels like the basket had a lead on it. Max Scruce played unbelievable tonight, five to twelve from the three. He ended up taking out from outside the lane and flushed at home. He was hyped. I thought Tiger Rome played well. Meryl

Check this out chair. When I when I played in.

Dallas, so derv Jason Kidd, Jason Terry a Chain would have a lead on us and we would go on the road and we would live for these moments, almost inserting myself as a role player to these situations. Now we're gonna do this. But the one thing you would say is, oh, they getting tight. I'm not gonna say the words we were saying. We were saying they getting tired, and try to watch them get tight those arms the t ranks, arms come out and brush your mouth and

Lebron was not Lebron at that point. He wasn't Peter James. He was cling p J but he wasn't King James yet.

And what he did coming in the Boston with our team and our guys and we kept waiting for that moment for Lebron to shrink. We had waye figured out. With all due respect to Dwayne Wade, we had great Avery was doing the x glen job. We had him figured out, and Lebron took over in that game and he willed his team to victory on the Championships and the rest of the rest is history from there. But if you've been in a situation where you know you're saying, give us the ball back this game, give us.

The ball back, you know, if if anything, especially a situation like that, where it's where it's a pressure situation and it gets tight, Uncle would be would be better suited to say that because he's been a bigger game he's been.

We have one of the best, We had one of the best pressure pack quarterbacks in the NFL here Street.

That's what he was known for.

So we knew if the defense could get a stop, it didn't matter. If we're down fourteen with five minutes to go and they had the ball, we gotta stop. We're gonna go down this score quickly. Defense, get us one more stop, get us off the field. We get that ball back. Oh, we're gonna get it. We're gonna get a touchdown to beach it. We're gonna, we're gonna We're gonna find a way to beach it because I've

What you know.

God, even when the Ladder had that twenty three point lead, I think it was a some new was on the sideline like, hey man, that's Brady over there. They know what's over there, and you still worried about.

The man because you many this.

What's it gonna take for Tyrese Halan Burton to get that respect because he just did it. To your honest, he didn't come out there, but he got like, what's it gonna take for how the burden? And this was league wide they chance and overrated the game. He addressed it in the press to overrate that. What's it gonna take for him? In your mind, Chad to get that respect? And is there anybody that you knew that was getting that over rated tag and what they do to get over it?

You know, that's crazy. I think it might be. It might actually be where he's playing. And I really think it might be where he's playing, you know, And and and outside of that that that's it. And obviously he's a he's an All Star. And then the group of players that he's combined with when it comes to All Star his game isn't pretty, isn't pretty like everyone else's.

It's it's I lu He don't play above the rim like y'all. Yeah, so you know what I'm saying. So he's not gonna be what all the guys that I mentioned, James Hardenwood, like you said, James can go give you fifty, Yeah, could give you fifty A Luca, you know, Luke, you see Luca give your sixty twenty two double. Yeah, John can play elevator above the rim. So you look at the guys that's that plays the position. I don't know

No, you're not taking them over Luca. Are you taking over Shape? I gotta hear that. Huh. You said you're taking them over Job, holl of Burden and Job. You said you're taking Alabama. No, but that's what I'm saying.

I'm saying of the guys that I mentioned, you're not taking them over Shape.

You're not taking them over Luca. You're not taking them over Steph.

So I'm not the only reason I would say you probably take him over Job is because of Job's injury history, because I can't Job if.

You if you take injury history out, I can't look at that at the time.

Similar teams, though, can you say that he got asked you know Memphis JA.

He got triple j J where similar? Yeah, I know you can't take out injury history, right, be taking away the flashy play Chad. John has a flashy place.

Yeah, yeah, I'm not. But are you taking Halliburton? Taking Haliburton on the job. Absolutely not. That's I like.

Listen, I like I like I like Halliburton. I think one of the reasons why he got that underrated label is simply for one, with a team he plays on, and two, even though he's efficient and he gets the job done at a at a high level, it's just something about his game.

It's not pretty, you know, it's not as pretty.

It's not as esthetically as pleasing as everybody else is when you watch a job, when you watch James Hard or Steph Curry or Lucas, you know the guy, oh Joe.

What you're saying, if all the guys that we mentioned can go get your fifty, yeah.

I mean you don't think hallburg give you fifty? No? Has he ever? What's the points Halibert to scored in the game.

Hey, he gets you forty, get you, get you forty, get you.

You heard me. He can't get your quiet forty And it's gonna be other than too.

He's gonna be. But think about Shade, look Out, look Out, Shade. How many times the Shave Shay had the most twenty thirty, forty fifty point games We've seen Luca.

We've seen Luca drop seventy plus, so we know he could go get fifty.

We think stepth do it. We've seen step do it in the game seven. We've seen step do it at thirty at thirty six, thirty seven years of age. Yeah, the most points he's had. How many times he be scored forty in the game? He got three forty point games? Shae had what tim of those?

This year's here's the thing to Chad, And I don't know if you know a quarterback like this or a wide receiver. He plays the right way, Chad, here's the reality when he has the ball.

This is not a sexy play. First star point guard. Yeah, the ball aheaded floor, making the ball ahead of the floor.

Jason Kidd was similar to that, he's a different bill, But you just say you might not get the assists, but it's the right play.

Is gonna make the right play. And he just showed you tonight he's plucked. So and I feel like, oh.

Certain, Lebron, just be honest. Lebron don't get a lot of the praise from the people. Obviously, he may not be a puppet Tea's not what he grew up seeing as as the adult. But Lebron will make the correct PLA. Burt's a guy who will always make the correct play. Obviously he sat the bench for Team USA. Obviously during the regular season they look pedestrian. They floodn't barred the seat. We's sitting in the Indianna patris U bismal in Mobile, Okay,

Because you know, we like somebody ball hog at the ball and the thing is Halliburny.

He doesn't turned the ball over. How many times do we seen him have fifteen of sis in no turnovers? How many times do we seen him have double digital sists in one or few or two or fewer turnovers? So he I mean, as much as he handles the ball, he's very efficient at not turning it over. My point is I would like to see him be more aggressive. Sometimes you had leven shots and for the longest time you had six, and I'm like, bro, come on, Cole year, Bro, you got to do You've got to give them more.

And then you see that fourth quarter, he gave them more. He gave them an opportunity. Guys may play.

Mad Burn made some a nice Smith made some big threes that put back dunk that Matt Burn had, matth Burn had on that miss free throw. But I look, I got no problem with Halliburny not But I understand. We like Flash, we like Magic Johnson. Ain't nobody can think about it? How many people they got right now? John Stockton, he got more assists, His record is never

And he was fundamentally sound. And another thing, I like Halley's game. And you look, okay, you say, well he sought the bench. Okay, I mean you go, who is he gonna play in front of you? Got a gold medal dough Yeah.

Yeah?

And you know, also you say about Holler Burton really not being aggressive, only having eleven shots you gotta think everybody else in double figures two, so he ain't really got to do much because everybody else collectively is also being efficient and scoring and contributed.

Honestly, I don't.

Even know how the hell they won that game. If you told me the score was, I think at one point, I can't.

Away, I can't. It was one nineteen to one twelve.

All right, No, I mean, what's the biggest, biggest deficit they were down.

Oh, I think they was down by like twenty twenty seven.

Listen, I'm gonna be honest with you. I thought the game was over. I thought I thought the game was over at that point.

That's it. There's no way there come.

There's no way they're coming back, you know, even with the injuries, even with you know, Hunter and Garland being out.

They just did that to Milwaukee. Chair. They had a crazy game like that against when they ended Milo laid it up.

Yeah, it's a crazy chair, they got it. They're just saying now twenty points. You right though, Chair, But it's similar with Milwaukee.

Yeah, you're right right now. Listen, I understand the game of basketball.

It's a game of runs most of the time, especially when you when you make substitutes and and things changed once you know your your second level, your second tier guys coming the game. But twenty points, I'm thinking you're supposed to find a way to keep that lead. Used to be like, you already gave up one game. They already stole one game from you.

You got to be like that. And then they come back and he allowed the one person, the one person that you don't want to.

Shoot the ball smart the ball found. So but you know what, Ryan and you could attested this. It used to be like that when you got these big leads, for the most part, the game was over. But with that three point shot and there's so many guys that can shoot it, now you're really never out.

Of a ball game.

On Joe, we see team be down twenty five, twenty six points in the first half and lose a team that's down twenty six twenty points in the third quarter and lose a ball game.

Because that three point shot is an equalizer.

So if I hit a couple of those and you go, you have a couple of bad possessions, a twenty point lead, I make three threes and two layups. Guess what you back? That's nine plus four that's thirteen. I've cut the lead in three minutes down to seven. Hey, listen, we just saw we just saw a team. We didn't get to it yet.

We just saw a team that Liz by the three died it too by not being able to hit it.

Yep, I'm gonna I'm gonna give you guys the goal real quick for one. And I don't know how you feel about this.

This generations, this decade, San Antonio Spurs is the Golden State Warriors, got State.

Pewell adapt to who he plays with, he wins with who's on the floor.

And y'all just talked about not choking away lead. They got the lead on the road, step courts in the back, iceing up. Yeah, they held the ball. That watched Golden State. Do y'all say, how did they hold them to sixteen points? And they said, they hold the ball and they shoot with eight to five seconds on the clots. Now, I'm gonna give you some credit. Chafters Son, you gay Early, I'm gonna give you some credit. When you are, I'm gonna get you some credit. You said he needs to score,

Mike Malone challenged the Kola yo kitch to score. He was a right play type of guy. And when he was challenged, go.

Get Rudy Gobert a fifty ball, a forty ball or whatever it may be. That changed the polar Yokic. But Yokic was similar to Holla Burten in the sense that he was just gonna make the right make the right ray, make the right place so he could be a guy. And I hear you, y'all right, it is saying that for you to get that attention, for you to speak of you with the jaw and the staff and the you know, the tatums and everybody, you're gonna have to go give us that consistent.

Forty ball, that fifty ball when that game is on the line.

So you're right, because Jokic Yokic, I'm telling you, man, when he got aggressive, and that was always my thing with him, didn't feel like he could score enough. Because when we game plan for Yokic, you come out and say you can't give them both.

Either you make him a passer, we blint him hands, or you make him a score. Yeah, or you make him a score. You can't let him. You can't let him.

You can't let him be thirty twenty and fifteen. Because so he got thirty points and he dissed, got fifteen assists. You know about five or about five to seven of those gonna be three pointerers. So now you're at his mercy. Aaron Gordon hit a game winning three against the Thunder. There's been a lot of discussion about this today. Ryan, do you think that the Thunder strategy of filing up three with Jokic on the bench, that's what I didn't get.

Nicola Jokic Game one, forty two points.

He had twenty six in the second half, twenty two rebounds, six assists, two blocks.

He became only the fourth player in NBA.

History to have Now he's the fifth, well the fourth player because Will did it twice forty twenty and five. Will did it twice, Shaq did it, Yannis did it. Now Nicola Jokic has done it. Do you like the strategy? I get the premise, but why would you file the backcourt. Why would you think the back court right, it.

Was fully because you allow Yo used to get back in. It's another play that happened that I don't think we talked enough about. Shay Yios out of Grand and fuck to the basket. He's wide open, he dunks the ball. Yeah, you can get those two roubles the.

High ball.

They're not talking about that enough with Shaye check Holme Rent. This is two free tho. Okay, here's the reality. And we just saw this with Golden State. The teams that got pressed, the teams that played Game sevens, that Chad, they came in sharp when you get battle chest and you came in shark.

Okay see, they had a cakewalk. They walked. The Memphis met just shut it down, especially when John went down. They weren't shouted.

So you're gonna expect Oklahoma City's gonna play better. Dagnall definitely made some mistakes. And it's tough because I don't want to talk about it, but Rockets didn't have the experience and you're looking at okay see and then was an experienced loss and you can check. I don't want to say anything bad because Mark has been unbelievable to see this season series about him this season, but you do have the challenge and and say, man, yeah you

Yeah you look at I mean, the thing is and they had two big guys and you'll with to work on them. Both of them had at least five files. Hey, look, you can't stop it. You just hope you hope you can make I say, Harden's started in check SE's and guard bro.

We're gonna call him the dog. Listen, I'm a skinny boy too. Okay, that's a bard Bro. He's tall, but he is guard. He too small to be down there in the block and the paint. Anyway.

You know, he need to go to He need to go to some fast food restaurant and get him a couple of burgers and some pries and a shake. Uh.

You look at Jokic.

He's second in points first and rebounds first and assists first and steals what's stop?

Uh?

He's look, I mean, what do you say what? And I said this before, I believe she should win the MVP. But if you say you get one player in the NBA I'm taking Nikola Jokic. I'm taking him over Giannis. I'm taking him over Luca, I'm taking him over Shade. I'm taking him over anybody because there's nothing that he can't do. If you need a score, he can go get you. He averages thirty. You need somebody to rebound, he was thirty rebounding. You need somebody to a facilitate assist.

What can he do that?

All these other guys can do nothing, and he's efficient. Don't look at his shooting percent don't look at his shooting percentage. He can shoot the three, he got the mid range. I don't know if I've ever seen a big guy with I've not seen a guy forget big, medium, small, with that kind of touch around the basket.

I mean the way with either hand. I mean, I mean, what do we what do we watch it? What are we playing here? I mean, if you would try to try to discredit him, well, he don't play no defense. I don't care.

Can I guarantee you the guy that he playing, I guarantee you he ain't putting up those numbers. So unless he put the number and cancel it out on you.

I don't talk to me about no defense, right, Damn Dad, I'm gonna chat.

I'm gonna give you both sides to this. I'm gonna get I'm gonna give you both sides. Let's play Devil's advocates in a moment. Okay, if he gets another championship, which is very realistic, if he gets another championship, as stick as the NBA is right, we're gonna we're gonna he's gonna.

Be knocking on that dolt conversation and we just wanna say, whad go, wait, go there? What position at at center? At center the greatest of all time?

You can argue with his numbers and his impact on the game, he may be the greatest center that we've ever seen play the game, Chad, because he doesn't like you don't like the way you talk about you don't like the way he does.

You're not used to a guy who cys up over folk book. You're not used to that guy.

But if you look at his impact, you look at his numbers, you can argue he's the greatest city that we've ever seen right now. Now, his story is yet to be told, and in this generation, the way he manipulates the game.

Forgive me.

I talk about the Lufah and Lebron, and he impacts the game like they do. He's the point child, he's the point guard. He is in every way the point guard, the influence on his game. Now, I talk back when they say he had to play with an All Star, because he earned Jamal Murray into an All Star at

Now here's the devil's advocate side of it. He's doing that in this era.

If he did that in my era and before he played with two bigs, we had four power forwards on the floor on the roster. We have three to four centers on roster. You didn't have the same type of spacing. We would have been physical with him. He would have been back putting into help. They wouldn't have had the three point shooting of the pace which helps him out. Guys can lean on him. I don't think he would have been that effective. You don't think it was a

Freak go bear. Now Rudy say, I got it. They putting the pig and Rudy said, I got it. He said, brother, I got forty seven. What you got? You talk about you gotta being out of Oh Joe dv.

I got he I don't know help. I got it, bro, I got ten four bucks, seventy five and two tones. What you talk about you got me? You gotta get some help over here. Here's the thing, and this is very very likely. It's not out of the realm of possibility.

O Joe.

He gets two more regular season MVPs. So now he get two more. That makes it five. As Ryan says, he gets another finals MVP in the regular season two finals with the numbers that he's putting up. Now, he just became the first time of the average triple double. Let us see kid now, yeah, but hold off eight, hold on, hold on, y'all, slow down a little bit now, let's let's think of let's think about this a little bit now, Ryan, and you.

Say he does get another ring. Let's say he does with another two m vps. Are we sure we'll talk about him being the best big man in the center of all time, even with the centers that we've had, even the greatest now the Kareem, the Will, the shacks that come.

It's so hard to compare errors this, you know, it's so hard to compare errors. But you have to say, Okay, Kareem dominated the seventies. Uh, Moses Malone dominated the eighties.

Uh.

I don't know if who was the big I mean Shaq for Elijahwan or Robinson in the nineties. But will Well Will dominated, Will dominated the sixties him here russells if So it's hard, but it's hard for us to put the goat, say, a center is the goat for the civil fact is he needs a guard to get him the ball. So that's why we kind of we don't give Kareem here. Kareem is the only guy that don't get credit for what he's done. He got sick, he got regular season MVPs. He had the most unstoppable shot.

Caud, you really got it when you had a respect to your peers, you really got that. Yeah, he was that boy.

He wonted think about it. Magic Magic's rookie year, Kareem was MVP. So how is that possible?

The MVP.

And you win the finals, you win the championship. Magic's rookie year, Magic is finals MVP. Kareems regularly the MVP. But here's the thing.

Had Kareem not got hurt, Kareem would have been the finals MVP. Kareem was averaging thirty three and twelve. Go look it up.

He was giving work to Carwell Jones and Darryl Dawkins and they had no answer for but Korean ended up.

Go look it up.

See I'm old enough to remember that on chore people trying to try to try to run run game when you try to put the wool over which can't pull on up. Because I'm old enough to remember, because I had to watch the game the next day because back then the game was take delayed on Joe.

You couldn't watch it live.

So the game come on one dat Yeah, yeah.

Watch it like that.

You already know who was the game. I'm gonna watch it anyway. Maybe something happened and didn't they didn't tell me about it.

And forgive everyone as we had this conversation, shout out to that let because we know them. This us, We're doing this for the simple fact that's sports.

The debate.

Okay, so let's fancy me and Karine was absolute good nothing darting, but he didn't put karm and pick her roll and he sure he sure is dark Karen, there's no question, but he'd have moved he hadn't got assist, you know, and Paramas Karema was an athlete. You know, when we look at it, Giannis, if you said, Karine, bring the ball up the floor and go through the letl done that he was that. Still, if we're looking at Bill Russell, I think the eras are so far away.

But here's the thing. Shaq would have been physical, right, but Shaq wouldn't have guarded him.

Robert Horry would have guarded Yokic, and Yokic would have wore we love big shot hold on a shout.

Legend would have had to hold his ground, but Rob.

Would have had to chase him and he'd have got his numbers, and Shaq maybe maybe would have had to slide over late. And here's the reality our vitas and bonus with department in trouble.

He listen, he.

Wore the Lakers out. He wore the Lakers. So if that's the indicator of him, and no disrespect to the big fella, no, none at all. I loved Shaq shackles On the wall. You know what, question theire He would have wore that team out. Now, he couldn't guard Shack. But you look at the numbers, you look at the impact, and he looked at what he did. Shock is the most dominant. We don't take that away. But as far as the impact, that what he would have had. He's

Beating seven three. People don't realize how tall he was. He was seven three.

But by the time he got to the Lakers, he had spent much of his time with the Unified team, and so by the time he got to the Lakers, his needs were bad. He wasn't that or Veta. Could he passed the ball? Yeah, proud to Yoki. He was the best passing big man that we had ever seen. But by the time he got here, he had spent damn near over a decade just played with the Unified team. So his knee, his body had started to break break down on him. Ojo, but he was he was a

We haven't seen a guy.

We've never seen a big guy that could do that, and I don't know if we'll ever see one that can do that that is stilled as he is right now.

Chad, I want to give you this. And when you see Yo kicch you know you see him in person.

He's about six sixth the lap of the seventh feet for these waters, he's seven what about six to eleven and seventeen. He's huge, He's and his shoulders are wide. So he finds off you. When he makes a move his shoulder he is huge, Yeah, he's huge, bro, and his arms are lost so he can't junk high. But when he put him the ball above his head, when he's making a move, he's effective. And if you watch him, he's a lot stronger. He plays a finesse game, but

You know, the wildest thing he'll do, he'll watch the help.

You get a great player who can pass, he'll sit there and he'll watch the help and as soon as you pop, he's throwing that neck.

Eric Gordon, Aaron Gordon. He's making those type of plays.

So I think even from a physical standpoint, he's just uniquely built with his with his coordination and size.

And then you think how long, how much he plays, and no, he's not a great defender. He's a wallup defender.

He's played more at the level in picking rolls this year under Mike Malone that I've seen him play and he will do it first, but it's not something you want to rely upon.

Wait, I ain't know even that guy, damn tong because if you look at this work, you look at his footwork when he's in the post. Hell, but even when he's out and goddamn space and he put the ball on the floor, Like, what the hell he?

I'm thinking he about six five six seven, he at least six to eleven.

But you see his package though, to be that big, you see his footwork, to be that big, moving like that.

Yeah, what soccer? He loves soccer. You look at guys, look at Luca love soccer. Okay, okay, look at the lines you want. Grew up playing soccer. That's why he had the footwork that he had. That's why he doing all this up and under drops depth. He's phenomenal.

Hold on, I got gonna saw you Ryan, now I know joking, Jo Joker? Is that that boy? I have a question, now, y'all chat, don't don't jump on me. I'm asking a question.

If Boogie, if Boogie cousins hadn't got hurt, how close the Boogiey cousins have been Like Joker.

It's only you say that I played with Boogie.

I played with Boogie, and they have a very similar skill set because they have.

The why the watch, the wide shoulders.

Now, Boogie wasn't the pastor like him, but as far as Boogie would phil the double team spin off baits line, Euro said, Bookie played to play the three. Yeah he could un if he wanted to Broe Okay everything, Okay, yeah, book Boogie was good.

Yeah he was. He was Bookie. But I think Boogie is more athletic.

Boogie could run, yes, I mean, but it was not uncommon for Boogie to have fifty twenty games.

Uh.

Had he not got injured, had he not achilles and his a c L and all those injuries, he was special.

Okay, I'm give you this. I think the tough thing with the markets and I played with bo That's one of my favorite teammates ever. You know, it's Jack.

Bookie is a guy that you see some of the things he does on the court with his energy, some of the stuff he said, honestly, he tell you himself he'd a liked to rail some some of that stuff. Like off the court, the softest spoken puls do whatever yeah, I'm saying he did. He ask the moments of bracords when we heat it or getting into it. Absolutely, but

You know, when Bookie played his best, he.

Had to be angry, he had to be mad, and and his emotion got him to that place. And Jokic early in his career was quiet, calm.

He wasn't that.

I'm not gonna ever say he wasn't that good, but he wasn't. He didn't have like Mike Malone put that dog in him and for Boogie before he was able to slow the game down mentally for himself. He ended up earth injured, as folks said. And it was funny that when you see guys get to the into the thirties, get to the age, you know, Holla bird has an old soul, he got an old game. Daddy very well about playing the game, or whoever coached him coaching very well.

I said, are you pumped up every game? How are you so tuned up every game? Because you know it's a young guy. We play on the motion. He played on the motion definitely at a much higher level than I did. And KG said, young and what you mean? I said, I see you do this. You're in a full sweat and yelling and all that.

He said, I'm as comments can be, he said, watching me before the game, I'm taking breaths, I'm breathing, I'm calm, he said.

Look at me.

During the timeouts, he said, are you watching me, young man? I said, no, you turned out right, He said, I'm sitting there breathing. I'm thinking about the game plan. I'm thinking about the things that we need to go through to get to So if Boogie had a got to that point, if he had got that.

Veteran maturity, we would be bringing his name to these conversations.

Right.

He just didn't get to that point.

But when you're young US American board players, we would We play from a place.

Of pain and hurt and passion, and then you get older and you learn how to refine it.

Some of the guys never get to that point in their careers where they can refine it and play.

Off the mental stability. But a guy like Yo Kich, he was turned up. He has it.

He knows the game man, so it's it's fun to watch. Aaron Gordon has been phenomenal to these playoffs. He's averaging nineteen points a game, seven rebounds a game, shooting fifty one percent from the floor, and he has two game winners. He had twenty two points last night and Yoke obviously had that monster game fifteen to twenty nine. He would at He had forty two points, twenty two rebounds, six assists,

You're like, damn, that's a five points win.

Yeah, Uncle, I love chat. So I don't want to do this, but the key I don't want to do this, but I'm gonna do it. The key to beating Oklahoma City is attacking check.

So he got no.

I'm not gonna say he's the wing link. But he hasn't put on the strength. He doesn't have the experience in the playoffs. Yet he doesn't pay.

There's a play before those miss Fritos and Gordon and going running the wing. They hit him ahead.

He goes face to face with Chad and he be dump he monkey and and oh show you know when you get leveled.

Yeah, it's so older. Now that chat you crazy. So you you got knocked out by Ray Lorens, you gotta talk about you're gonna keep playing. You're gonna keep playing. Yeah, but when you get dune and and now chick was messed up since so for him.

You can be skinny. I was skinny, but I wouldn't. I don't want to call himself. I think that's disrespectful to a professional athlete. You gotta know how to hold your ground, you got it. And that if Boyd's going up for a dunk, you take that joke out the air.

You take that joke.

You know he might he might get an and want but he ain't dunk yet. Okay, so he is gonna have to make those plays.

But when you beat Oklahoma City, and why the Houston Rockets has success against them.

They were physical and they attacked check.

If he was guard big Steve O underneath Steve O, hit the boards, walk him underneath dot a rebound, if he got a shingle, Shin Goong was right through his chest.

He didn't even make moves on. He was right through his chest. So what you're seeing with Oklahoma City in Denver, whether it's Gordon, whether it's Yokish, they're.

Making it so you can't hide chet shed is an unbelievable weak side shop like it. If you don't put your hands on them, he can play in space. In football, it's like a team. Remember the Coasts.

The Coats had a small secondary, they had small linemen up front.

If they got if you were down and they were rushing you, you couldn't stop them.

Just friending the boys, you couldn't stop them. Able to Check.

But if you could have run the ball and manage the game and and and attacked Mattison friendy of those guys, you had a shot.

Because they were small. Oklahoma City is small. So that's something similar that you're seeing right there. So as I looked for it. Denver found something that Chris Faffa playing a Game seven and they had the experience.

And I said this before I said, whoever wins that Clippers Nugget series might be coming out the West.

Wow, the volume