Well, well, well, look at us. We're just about a quarter of the way through the NBA season.
Some teams have fallen.
Back to the back of the pack, while others like Milwaukee and Memphis are both on the move in the right direction. But don't look now, Jack, I don't know if you saw, but the Philadelphia seventy six ers. Yes, they're on a one game winning hot streak of baby. We're going to discuss that and the latest trends in more with Calves podcaster Justin Rowan on today's episode. I'm Miles Bray and I'm Jack O'Brien and this is Miles Miles.
Sez sorry, got it, look at the kitch ches.
Okay, there you go.
Indeed, driving Spinny Baby Fatter number eighteen.
That's Trench Secure the Suffox or NBA Champions over the pubble team.
Justin Rohan, you host the Chase Down pod for the Cavs organization, and iHeart podcasts. You are also this is fantasic. Is so serendipitous because last week's game of the Week, the homework assignment we gave to listeners was we're watching one game next week and all eyes are on the Celtics at Calves. I hope everyone watched because we felt this is aside from the other matchups, this felt like a this was the test that we really wanted to
see this. Cleveland really got it. The Celtics continue to just keep having it. But the game ended with a fantastic win for the Caves one fifteen to one eleven. I'm ecstatic. I thought that it's nice to see the Celtics be mortal, and it was wonderful to see Darius Garland absolutely just shackled Jason Tatum in that fourth quarter.
It was fantastic to see.
Yeah, and that's exactly what he's known for, right clamping down the larger wings. No, it's you know, it was part of an interesting strategy and something that Carter and I have advocated for for a while because I think even dating back to the Knick series, the Caves would kind of overreact to primary initiators right like that, you know, they're throwing doubles, they kind of get out of their
their set defense and they scramble too much. And what we've just kind of been advocating for is, you know, stay home, trust, trust the back line help that you have. You have Evan mobiley. You have Jared Allen there. You know, if they are able to force a switch, take that switch, and you know, just kind of play it straight up.
And I think when it comes to the Boston Celtics, you know, despite the Cavs winning that game, I think it's still fair to say that they're in a tier of their own when when it comes to both the East and the NBA overall. But I think the key to beating them is kind of baiting them into their worst habits. And if you can bait them into consistent ISO ball and trying to hunt those screens and just kind of count on your guys the whole up defensively, I think that that is a strategy that can bear
some fruit there. I probably wouldn't advocate for as much soft switching as they did in that game. I thought they let Jason Tatum get to Darius Garland a few too many times. But you know, Tatum went six for thirteen with Garland on him in that game. I think you live with that, with the majority of those being two pointers. In the previous game, when Darius Garland was defending those switches, I think it was like zero point seven points per possession.
That Boston scored on.
That, which is the same as like an Icicle Coro spot up shot in last year's playoffs, which everyone you know that got so much attention for him being left alone and him not shooting. Well, It's functionally the same thing. So I think when you're dealing with a lot of bad options, which is what you have to do when you're talking about slowing down that Celtics offense, I think that that is a potential way that you can go.
Yeah.
My advice as a Sixers fan to my the players of my team is also to stay home.
But literally, I want, I want to say show.
Up, because that seems to be more of the problem staying home. The problem is they are already staying home. Yeah. No, I think I think they can stay home and we can get Cooper flag. I'm just trusting the process. You know, a lot of people are freaking out, and I'm just like, guys, guys, guys, this is what we do. Baby lose in bunches.
Yeah yeah, I mean they were really I mean they were hunting Garland and yeah, it was nice just to see him. Like I think after the game, Kenny Atkins was like, dude, you can like you can do this, like just step up and you.
Got this and sell were hunting Garland.
Yeah, they got on the Christmas spirit, right, but like, yeah, Tatum would have had four points in the fourth quarter and was like I think minus thirteen.
Basically it was not a great moment. But also Donovan Mitchell was it twenty in the fourth quarter.
Yeah, which was big because he had you know, pre consecutive terrible halfs.
Yeah.
You know, I think he went five of twenty three against the Atlanta Hawks. And you know that post Thanksgiving afternoon game. I think anytime you have one of those afternoon games, especially right after a holiday, that can be a perfect recipe for some weird things to happen.
Yeah, but he had a very rough first.
Half against Boston, and you know, it kind of echoed what we saw in that first matchup where he didn't shoot well in the first half. But then you know, I had a strong second half in Boston. He had a strong second half in Cleveland, and he joined Michael Jordan now as the only two players that have history to average over thirty points per game against the Celtics. You know, as great as the Celtics perimeter defense is, Donovan Mitchell does seem to have success against them.
Yeah, look at the first career.
Yeah, wow, Michael had thirty point seven, Donovan Mitchell thirty point two, Luca twenty eight point nine, Kareem twenty eight point nine, Lebron twenty eight point eight, Wilt Chamberlain.
Twenty eight point seven. And you're like, yeah, that's that's it's a rare air up there. Yeah, you know that.
I always include him in that group, So it's fitting to see him there.
Jordan was playing against like ninety like mL CAR Celtics.
You know, it wasn't it wasn't the cream of the crop.
YEA, yeah, I would say, like Kareem is probably more of like a better comparison given you know that era of Celtics playing for Mike.
You know they they moved the three point line closer so you could shoot them there.
There's a lot of factors there.
That's right.
So I've watched the Calves mostly play the Celtics. I've watched the two Celtics games that I've seen highlights. Their ranked number one in the league and offensive efficiency, what have they figured out this year offensively?
That? And like did you see this coming? This is your chance to just lie, and so that you did.
Because, like, I don't know, I thought they could be like better and maybe like a four seed this year. I didn't see this being like the team to beat other than the Celtics in the league this year.
But yeah, so great thing about podcast is you can go back and listen to it. And I did say coming into this year that I did think that this was realistically the first season that the Cavs have had with this group that they had a chance to win
a championship. I said, you know, it might only be a five percent chance, and you know a twenty fifteen Warriors type situation where you play four rounds and the other team is missing their starting point guard in all four rounds and you get some lucky breaks or whatever to get there. But I did think that they were
going to be a whole lot better. And a large part of that was I thought the leap that they were going to make this season wasn't actually reflective of where the team was at, because I thought it was artificially deflated by last year, where you know, even in the games that they had everybody, they weren't healthy. Garland started the year with a hamstring injury and a shooting hand injury. Mitchell had a hamstring injury. He missed the
entire post All Star Breaks stretch as well. You know, karros laverdead injuries, mobilely missed time, were so banged up, and I really kept pointing people back to, well, look at twenty two to twenty three when they were healthy, they had the seventh best offense in the league. They had an elite defense, it just didn't translate to the playoffs, and they were missing shooting. They brought that shooting in,
but they had a ton of injuries. So I thought just getting back to where they were at in twenty two to twenty three would have been, you know, would have been a big leap.
From last year.
But I think the other factor is Darius Garland isn't just back to where he was in twenty two to twenty three.
He's taken a step beyond that. He's been a big.
Time difference maker and kind of that tie that raises all boats on the offensive end. It was the same thing when you look two years ago in that first year with Donovan Mitchell, where when Garland was on the court, they had a.
Top two offense in the league.
When he was off the court, they had a bottom two offense in the league. So I think it made sense that when he wasn't healthy for basically all of last year, the offense was going to struggle a lot. And I think the other difference is Evin Mobley's and a big step forward and they're running more offense through him, And you know, I think they've been building off a
foundation of what was there. I don't think the sets are dramatically different, but I think there's a different level of buying and the individual pieces are playing at a higher level than they were in the past.
All right, yeah, so maybe i'll I'll maybe a three seed I'll get I'll give you guys a three seed?
Yeah sure, why not? Mitchell?
So one big question that I have, like because I root for the field against the Celtics, that's my main concern. I would rather the Celtics lose than I would want the Sixers to win.
Is true eating?
I respect that truly just a six human being. Mitchell, I feel like has had a couple playoffs in a row where he's like not consistently as dominant as you might expect. Was he injured in these past couple of playoff runs because he has been like in his earl, the like Utah playoff runs, he was really like awesome in the playoffs.
Like, how are you thinking about that heading into the playoffs.
Yeah, So going.
Into last year, definitely, you know, as I said, he missed basically the entire post All Star Break stretch. The Cavs went eighteen and two into the All Star Break, and unfortunately that was the last time we saw Donald
Mitchell in the regular season. The knee injury that he had, the knee issue that he had prevented his movement and you know, I'll honestly like, going into the contract talks, the fact that Mitchell was able to be still pretty effective as a score with some limited athleticism was an encouraging sign. I didn't really know that he had that in him. And you know, the year prior against New York,
I think he was mostly healthy. You know, no one's one hundred percent going into the playoffs, but I just thought, you know, the decision making wasn't particularly strong, the spacing wasn't great, and you know, it just kind of all fell apart, and you were going against a very good defense in the New York Knicks, but I definitely think that getting him healthy and keeping him healthy at the
right time of year has been a big focus. I think that's why his minutes are way down and Kenny Atkinson's using a nine to ten man rotation this year.
You know, even when you look from a touch a standpoint, he's actually third on the team and touches, So it really is, uh, we're getting you to finish plays this year, and we're keeping your load a lighter and hoping that that's going to bear fruit and that's going to allow you to be healthier because you know, he was banged up for a few of those years in Utah too, where you know, some years were on, some years was off, and I don't yeah, and I don't think it was
a coincidence that his best playoff run with Utah came in the bubble where you know, they had time off
and he could go into that fully healthy. So I think that has definitely been part of the mentality for the Caves of all Right, we want Donovan Mitchell to be, you know, at his best when we need it the most, and the best way to do that is by you know, empowering Evan Mobley continuing to run offense through Darius Garland and get everybody else to the level where you know he can kind of slot into his ideal role come playoff time.
All right, I mean maybe it may be a two seed.
Maybe maybe I'll give you as a two seat.
Uh in our way, but we're we're pulling for you out here and uh anti Celtics Land.
Yeah.
Yeah, Like I said, it was a delight. I needed that to hop off my holiday weekend.
Should we uh, should we take a quick break and come back and talk about the rest.
Of the league. Yeah, all right, we'll be right back.
And we're back.
We're back.
And there's been some movers someone even say shakers in the league over the past couple of weeks. Some of that a lot of people. This is my main theme. I did not see this coming the podcast Who is dumb and doesn't know anything about basketball? I did not expect Orlando to be fifteen and seven and winners of twelve of their last thirteen. That's wild with Paolo out for the majority of the season so far. Yeah, but yeah,
I mean they're just like that. It's kind of partially what we saw in the playoffs last year, where it was like there's they are just.
A different thing.
Like their defense is such a weapon, Like it feels like something you only see in like football, where it's like when they're on defense, they're actually more dangerous than when they're on offense because they're going to turn you over and then get a you know pick six, the best twelve version, you know, breakaway.
I was watching some of that Brooklyn game and then there's one point where like Jalen Sugg just had such a are like just all over, I forget who was guarding, stole the ball, and then just ended it with a three sixty dunk, and I was like, oh, like, you're really on top. He kept looking around, He's like, oh yeah, I got enough time for a three sixty. I'm becoming such a Jalen Sugs fan. And it's not just because we both have similar male pattern baldness, but it's because
it's nasty as a player. Although I shout out all my players out there with similar male pattern baldness, but maybe if he goes Derek White with it.
Then we'll know he means business. That's that's what we know.
God a great basketball player who goes full male pattern baldness and leaves the hair on the sides would be so dope, Like, oh, and he's like twenty seven and just fully looks like a forty five year old in the Simpsons, you know, just like.
A shout out Trey Young.
But I feel like that would be so dope.
No, I mean it is like one of those things the same way like Michael Jordan was like, nah man, you got to back your head at that point, like and everyone's like, yep, those are the instructions. I do want to see the guy who's like, nah man, just let those let those sacks developed bite or your temples, and that's what it's all about. Baby, that's that new swag.
You can't you're born with this. But yeah, he's he is fantastic, and yeah, it's I yeah, obviously I think we were both like, we'll see the magic could be great. I mean, they added pieces like CACP and you're like, okay, this could be something. But now that's it's fully I.
Didn't think it was going to be enough to be this good.
But again, the funny thing is CACP hasn't been that great, right, Like he's been okay for them, but it's not like
he's the one moving the needle. And I'll give a shout out to my co host Carl Rodriguez because he was saying after the playoff series last year that, you know, the Cats going seven games with Orlando's probably going to look a lot better when we look back at it in the future, because Orlando was right up there in the standings to throughout like the first half of last year, and then injuries hit and they kind.
Of slid back to the pack.
But that's an elite defense man like Jalen Suggs, I think is the best point of a tag defender in the league. And you're right, like their defense really is their offense. And I'm not surprised that they've been able to, you know, continue to tread water and move up the standings even without Polo, because that defense is so elite, right, And when you're when you're making teams work that hard to score every single bucket, it's going to wear them down.
It's going to make their defense worse because they're so tired going up against your defense, right, So I think it just gives them a really high floor. There's a lot of talent there, there's a lot of length. They beat the hell out of you, and like you know, NBA seasons are so damn long, nobody wants to play the Orlando Magic, like especially when a third game and four nights or they're just going to beat the hell out of you and it's no fun to play them.
And they're just you know, they're bringing something to the table that you don't see most nights, and it doesn't surprise me. I think that's definitely one of those teams that's going to be around for a while with that core.
Yeah, well, I mean what happens when Poolo comes back?
I know you're talking off Mike de Lake.
Well, they're going to lose the game and everyone's going to be like, see they're better without them.
Move Plo maybe to my team.
Uh yeah, yeah, come on, by come on. But but yeah, I mean, how do you see that like managing that? Do you think it's because it's like sort of an addition by subtraction kind of thing, or do you think they'll be able to maintain this balance with his return? Oh?
I think they'll be able to maintain this balance.
I mean their offense is just abysmal with Frons off the court, and you know, Polo, let's not get a twisted He's still the best player on that.
Team, you know. I he went down so early in.
The season, and their schedule was a little tough at the beginning as well. That you know, sometimes we overreact to the start of the season, like he even look at the Milwaukee Bucks like they had such a bad start to the year. But they played Boston twice and they played Cleveland twice, like, you know, you lose those games.
It is what it is.
It's going to even out over eighty two, So I'm not worried about that. You know, Polowe isn't why their defense is great, like you know, but he's going to elevate the offense and I think he's going to make them a much better team and someone's going to really hate playing them in the first round. So I'm happy to see them move up the standings because I do not want that to be the one eighth or the two seven. But I'm continuing a penciling the Cows in at number one because I'm a homer.
God I love Yeah.
Also, we should clarify first of all, because people are probably distracted by how cool the way you say against us, you say.
Against the Canadian Turettes comes through every now and then.
It's beautiful. Though.
It's like the Canadian word that I feel like if if I could pronounce it that way, I would.
Really It's like the inglorious Bastards holding up three the wrong way.
I can probably pass and then I say against it and then.
Whiskey, Hey, what's what's this knit hat I have on? It's a two.
It's a win.
Winter hat.
Long fu. Thanks to everything, Julie Newmar, a fantastic movie.
But I do also want to just clarify that you're not from the city of Cleveland, so you don't have that uh defeatism.
You know, you're I do.
That's what I do. That's what drew me to them as a fan to begin with. And you know, Winnipeg has its own curse sports history. We just lost, you know, for our football team, just lost in the championship three years in a row. Where so we're already the Buffalo Bills of up North. So no, I'm I'm very familiar with it.
But yeah, the Bills of the further north, right, the Bills.
Yeah, yeah, So I've got a healthy amount of that. But for regular season, regular season, I feel good about her her ability to to weather the storm. And uh, you know, Boston, you get a little fat on your success sometimes, and you know, guys like Porzingis are going to need time off and whatnot. So I think the Cats can do a decent job of holding on to number one.
We're all rooting for you, baby.
It's okay if I call you baby, right of course, as long as you do it softly like that. Yeah, Harden put up thirty nine as the Clippers beat the Nuggets over the weekend. The Clippers are seven and three over the last ten and they're in sixth in the West. A lot of people were counting them out, I think heading into the season, and they.
Aggressively as a Lakers fan, but then man, Norm Powell came back.
Shout out to my fellow bruin.
Norm Powell came back.
He looked really great in that game, and I was like, man, I hate seeing the Clippers do good in their brand new stadium.
And keeps talking about how cool Norman.
How would be a good name for the male male pattern bald in this guy? You know yea.
Yeah, yeah, Norm rocking the norm?
Yeah baby, Oh yeah.
They're sixth the overall defensive efficiency with James Harden playing a lot of minute, So hats off to their coaching staff and just overall team and scheme twenty first in offensive efficiency somehow. All right, Let's move on to the seventy six ers of the Central Division, the Milwaukee Bucks, who, similar to the seventy six ers, were seeing a real resurgence. They've won six in a row, which is more than the one in a row that the seventy six ers
have won. Ten they are, yeah, which if you think about it, and then like a lot of ways is close. Yeah, both teams are on a trend and never lose again, thank you. It is at a certain point. Our winning percentage is one thousand percent. So the Bucks are in fifth place after a lot of people spent the early part of the season clowning them, and they're looking more like the team that I think a lot of people
expected them to be coming into the season. And yeah, I don't know, eighth in offensive efficiency, sixteenth and defensive efficiency, which they got some gaps there, but Giannis is still incredible, and yeah, it feels like early days was was more of like God, they're they're still feeling some things out.
They'll be all right.
Yeah, well, and I think also there was a lot of it was easy, especially from like my very narrow Lakers perspective, it was very easy for us to be like and Darvin Ham, see what you did over there, Look what you did, and then you're like, nah, you forget that.
They're actually pretty good.
And I know, Middleton being Middleton's still out right because he got he does he did the double dip double ankle double yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, So I mean there's still that, Like I feel like every season's like and then then Chris Middleton will come back at some point.
And then don't look yeah.
Yeah right right, but yeah, I mean were you were you ever in I mean justin You're so smart that you were even saying like, I mean, look it's eighty it's an eighty two game season. Were like, no, it's a six game season and they're at the bottom.
Yeah, And I've been counting for as long as I can remember, Man, I don't remember how many years. And maybe I could learn how to count that, but yeah, no, like I think they're going to end up being a top five team in the East.
I worry a little bit about.
The playoff upside, Like I just think that the supporting cast isn't good enough, and you know, the game gives you a little bit of a target to attack on the offensive end, right, Sure, Middleton will need to see how good he is. Giannis has taken a little bit of a step back defensively, but he's as awesome as ever offensively. So I don't trust them as much as I trust like, you know, obviously Boston, Cleveland, the Knicks, even like I think that that the Knicks probably have
a little more playoff upside. But the tricky thing is, it doesn't matter how your team's built. Sometimes when in a playoff series, it comes down to who has the best player. And the honest is still capable of being the best player in any given series. I just don't know if he can do it for straight at this point and overcome all of it roster issues. But that's also a team that I just wouldn't want to play because I absolutely think that Joannis can can win just
about any series that he's in. Yeah, we call that twenty eighteen Lebron syndrome, right where the team is very flawed and you know, sometimes the best player is what matters.
Yeah, right, It's really like a shame they I feel like they could be near the top of the East if Jiannis and Dama just worked out together over the break, you know, they knew how many push ups the other one.
Could do have, we'd be good.
Who was faster and a dead sprint on the beach.
Yeah.
Other than the six or the other streak, that I'm most excited about is the Grizzlies having won six in a row, three seed out West, sixth in offensive efficiency fourth and defensive efficiency, second in point differential in the West. I just think the league is more exciting when they're in the mix and near the top. And it hasn't even been like Jo's been out for about half of these games, but Triple J has been leading the team
in scoring and just a great defender. And yeah, they were a lot of people's sexy sleeper pick coming in for a reason. They've you know, well, when they have jaw and everybody's playing, they're they're they're tough.
Yeah, I think they're you know, looking at Memphis as an example is probably what Orlando is hoping for because last year, with Job missing so much time, Jared just got to like explore the space, right, like we often don't have a full roster of NBA player, so we're just going to have you go out there and lead the team in scoring and make mistakes and kind of,
you know, fool around. But now coming into this yere, Okay, we've got you know, Bain's back jaw you know, has been back at times, but it's a more complete roster. And you know, as you said, he's still leading the team in scoring, but he's not doing it as many shots,
right like, it's more efficient. And Orlando's probably hoping that similar thing happens with Franz right like that it's time to kind of that lead number one option is going to help him settle into a more complimentary role in the future and expand his game.
Yeah, any teams that we want to call out for being on a bit of a downward trend, I guess the Phoenix Suns three and seven over the last ten.
Yeah, the Lakers.
Yeah, I mean the Lakers are five and five or the last ten. It's not like A Well, I.
Think it's more like Ron He's in a pretty bad cold snap right now, and I think that's kind of difficult. It's also wow to be like the stats like he hasn't scored this little point since his rookie year, and he's like averaging.
Like twenty two at forty and you're like.
Yeah, it's just a it's a shame the position.
That we're in with Lebron at the moment.
I just didn't I wish it didn't have to all center around him because I feel like he's a competitor and what like relishes that.
But also, you know, this is obviously a different era for him, so.
Yeah, but it never really to your point, it never really shows up in the numbers because he's got the ball so much. He impacts the game at so many levels, right like the rebounding, the assists, all that. Even the
scoring is going to be there. But it's like there were even times where it felt like he was coasting and not playing well with the Cavs, especially in that last year, and you couldn't point to the box score because it's still, you know, as he said, twenty two, seven and seven, and it's like, Okay, well, how much can I really put on him? But you know, there's just a different level when he has a rolling and
he's making that impact. But you know, I just I think you hit the nail on the head where the Lakers are still relying on him to be like a certain level, and you know, it's just unreasonable to expect at this point.
And I don't like getting I don't want to be like, what's wrong with Lebron. I'm like, he is, he's in the twilight of his career. Like, there's nothing wrong with him. He performs at a certain level, and he performs well. But I'm like, the front office is app it's malpractice.
I would say, I would just be constantly asking if he's mad at me? If I was a part of the organization, what's.
Wrong with Lebron? Is he mad? What I do?
Did I say something?
I mean, looking on I mean, like obviously, you know, Lebron's here untill I think twenty five, twenty six, the end of that season. But what what was life like.
In Cleveland both times he left?
What were those those in between years like that?
What was that effect?
Oh you mean like in the stretch Warriors in Miami? Yeah, yeah, yeah, just like what was just seeing justice?
What was it?
And then what was it like when he went to the Lakers.
I mean, it made me a better podcast, I'll tell you that because you know, I never was sitting there being like, oh, you know, this team's going to make the playoffs even without Lebron, blah blah blah. Like I didn't put the fly and blinders on to that extent, but you know, in like saying, yeah, I think we're going to win twenty two games this year. But here's the reasons to care. Here are the reasons to be interested, Like, here are the player development stories. Here are kind of
the trends that might mean something in the future. You know, I think we were well ahead of the curve on Darius Garland, or actually I should just say I was because Carter kept comparing him to DJ Augustine.
But I like, you know, I was.
Like, look at this post All Star break stretch. Here's how you can scale it up. Here's important things. The high water marks are there, right, Like. I just think that even with a lot of these rebuilding teams, there's a lot of interesting stuff to talk about. And I think I got a little bit lucky because in twenty eighteen, I was like, you know what, I'm kind of okay if Lebron leaves, like, let's just build something different. We
don't have any assets left in the cupboard. We spent it all on this you know, four year final run.
It was great. I appreciate it, but at.
That time, I was like, I don't want the leading segment of the jump every single beat day being the Cavs are letting Lebron down, they are killing his legacy, blah blah blah, the need they need to trade everyone. You know, the Lakers can do that and not have it be you know, the leading subject like, you know, they're not going to get slammed as an organization in the same way. But I was like, let's just try to build something different. Let's try to build something fun.
I was hoping for, you know, our version of the grit and grind grizzly that's not going to be able to get over the top. I think that this core maybe has a little bit more potential than that. But I'm enjoying the hell out of this run, and I think it was a little bit of dumb luck that the Caws were able to turn things around it as quickly as they did.
Yeah, the Lakers ever had like a gritty, grimy team. It just feels like I can't picture it because it's been a showtime since the eighties and then Kobe and Shack and then like.
It's never been like the bad Boy Lost It.
Years were not there. The del Harris ears were not like that. I mean, ye, Van.
Exel was certainly like kind of had them for an edge, but like, I don't think of the Lakers during that time as being like, hey man, you don't want to be playing them.
They're gonna come away from.
Better with bruises on a windy Friday night.
Yeah, all right, should we take a break and come back.
And round things out with the supposed to take a podcast thing?
Mm mmm mm hmm.
Okay, well you asked for it, justin We'll be right back. Did and yeah, baby back, yeah baby, Oh you were just saying that.
No, no, I was just saying that Jabari was saying in that text said the baby Lakers.
Were scrappy, and I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But the way there's come on, Jack, Muppet Baby was there like a Muppet Babies spin off of the Lakers.
The Muppet Baby.
Anyways, it is time, that's right, the fourth quarter rapid fire round of questioning justin Rowan, but before we.
Get to it, or maybe this can be one of the round of rounds of one of the questions, we got the game of the week.
No, no, actually I think maybe this is Oh yeah, should we make that a question?
Yeah?
Maybe, Yes, it's gonna be hyper brother. Oh my goodness, sir, hold on to your tuk because it might blow off from this high intensity speaking. We're about to hit you with.
This is time for the fourth quarter wrap a five roundup question.
This is the fastest question answer podcast segment in all podcasting history. I and Jack Jack and I.
Will ask you a question.
You respond as quickly as possible, as quickly as humanly possible. If you do not, we will be that version of rudeness that only Americans can.
Achieve to you.
So I just want you to be forewarned.
Are you ready to accept?
I'm ready. Fantastic.
We'll like try out being rude and then we'll like apologize for it a little bit.
Yeah, but I was like, was that too hard?
Sorry? Was that hard? Sorry?
Is he mad at me?
Okay? O course, people don't even know about that. Is he mad? Just ask him? Dude, I don't want to ask Jack.
Do you want to start?
Oh?
I would love to start, Miles.
Okay, thank you so much for asking Hey, Justin Jack from the podcast we've just been recording together.
Quick question.
So the Cavs Celtics game ended with a lot of free throws seventeen and thirty four seconds. The final thirty four seconds ended up taking close to a half hour, and it raised this idea that's been tossed around, the elam ending elam not elam musk, which eliminates the running clock at the four minute mark of the fourth quarter. From that point forward, the game is played to a target score of seven points greater than the leading team's total.
So if Team A is winning one oh four to one hundred with four minutes to play, the clock stops and the game becomes a race to one hundred and eleven points. I think we tried something similar with the All Star Game not too long ago.
Yeah, and it was fun.
It was like intense when it got down to it, like this would eliminate all the you know, fouling to try and get the ball back to hit a three. What are your thoughts on an idea like this?
I love it, man.
I go to CBL games, the Canadona Elite Basketball League Winnipeg se Bears flag rape behind me. They have been doing this target score ending what they do, as you said, at the four minute mark, they add nine points. So it does have to be a maximum of three possessions right where you could have the three three state to go win it. But I love it. I think it makes it so intense. I think it forces both teams
to continue playing real basketball. I've seen some wild comebacks, I've seen some wild blown leads, and it's a lot of fun, and every.
Game ends on a game winning shot.
It's a little anti climactic when there's fouls and you know someone wins it at the free throw line, but it's also anti climactic where eleven seconds takes a half hour. So I think that the you know their strengths and weaknesses on both sides from a history of the game standpoint.
I don't know if you can change it, but.
I do like the ilam ending.
Yeah, it does eliminate my favorite thing where team's winning by twenty and they have the ball and they're dribbling it out and then they pass it to the rookie, so he gets the turnover one time it expires, and the best part about that is it doesn't actually get attributed to either of them.
Right like it gets a traded as the team turn it over.
Yeah, it's it's the funniest thing, but they you know, they don't recommend it.
Luck Yeah.
Yeah, you look you look like a loser holding the ball as things end. All right, great, great answer. Uh, elam ending is the way it's pronounced, I'm told. Okay, Miles, you're up.
Justin what is the best and the worst Calves jersey from history?
Okay, so my favorite Calves jersey in history is the the award to in the first Lebron era. It's like the maroon one with the Calves hoop by logo. I am a firm believer that the Cavs hoop b logo is their best look and it's the best logo. A new one's actually really grown on me. I like the updated hoop fee. But that that one with the gold trim and whatnot, I think that was my favorite one
in history. The worst, I will say, is the gray like good Year one that they had in twenty eighteen or maybe twenty Yeah, I think it was twenty twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen with the land on it.
The land I couldn't. I hated that jersey. That one didn't land for me, didn't land for me.
And that is how there it is. And that is the daily double.
All right.
We are doing a thing where we have a game of the week that we watch and evaluate and you know, do really advanced analysis from you because oh no, man as soon like Yshall a free throws, Tatum soft dog. But all right, so our options, We've got four candidates that we would love.
For you to pick from.
So Thursday night, we got the Nuggets at the Calves on it and it is on NBA TV. Friday night, got the Bucks at the Celtics on ESPN. Saturday Grizzlies at Celtics on League pass or locally Sunday, Rockets and Clippers on League passer locally.
What are we picking here? I have a feeling. I know it's gotta be Celtics Bucks on Friday. It's all about the Cup, baby, NBA Cup action. You know, maybe Milwaukee keeps that winning streak going into that game, but Jack, we're rooting for Celtics losses here. Yeah, and I think it is only appropriate that matters more than some now as good as Nuggets Gas is going to be on Thursday, that's cross conference play.
And all all that stuff. We need to see Boston loose, so for me to lose. Yeah, maybe we'll get a fun Dame game. Maybe we'll get to see.
Janis turn back the clock and shred them. Maybe we'll get to see Jason Tatum be a little bit soft in the fourth quarter. Who knows.
Yeah, or we'll go on us. Yeah, yeah, we'll see. Anyway, we'll see.
Last question for those who never got to see him play in the Cabs uniform, just how out of this world and different was Robert Tractor Trailer?
Oh baby, I mean Vancouver Chris Fludge right, yeah, yeah, out of this world.
Man. I don't have a lot to add I don't have a lot to add there, but.
I just remember he would come in and just like the lebron would be out there and then tractor Trailer come in and then be like, Okay, who's getting absolutely bulldozed? And that was always fun to see the recipes. Robert Tractor Trailer.
We need, we need more guys with that body type out there, and I think that's one of the things that the NBA is missing, you know, the ultimate player.
Yeah, that's solid and male pattern baldness. That is that is the alpha and Omegan.
Just supreme athlete and that's that's that's what we really need here. You know, too much conversation about too many threes and all that kind of stuff. No, we need more big bodied individuals, preferably ones that are bolding.
Maybe yeah, there it is.
Yeah, well justin Rowan those were actually as we check, I got that one right, you got that one? You know that one right?
Answers?
Oh yeah, yeah yeah, because I'm an expert accounting, I know that that's four correct answers.
There you go for four?
Can I see? Can I see you put four fingers up again? Oh?
He's Canadian?
Canadian who does it like this with their finger down? What is this?
I'm trying to do it with like my pinky finger down and I just like my hand can't do that?
Can You're just cramping?
Yeah?
Well, thank you so much for joining us on my House and Jackot mad Boosties. Where do the people find you? Follow you, support you and listen to you all that good stuff.
Yeah, you can find me on Twitter or at Blue Sky at Kazanaa just slap the calves in Canada and you'll find me there. You can listen to our podcast wherever you found this podcast. We go live on the Caves YouTube channel twice a week during the season. And you know where a fine podcast. That's where you find the chase down.
So so do that there, you're doing it right now.
Podcast on to quote my parents, Well, and that's just the internet.
Yeah, what channel is that? Does it come with my direct tv?
You stop direct Tv?
So make sure you follow us at the hashtag mad Boosti's b W S t I E s S show links, updates and the ways to get into our discord server shout of everybody in the discord. Make sure you follow us on Twitter and Blue Sky. I'm at Miles of Gray on both.
And me I thought that was too easy.
So on Twitter I'm Jack Underscore O'Brien, but on Blue Ski, I'm Jack ob the number one dot the sky. That's social and that's gonna do it. We nailed it again. I mean, what is happening?
Swift perfect a streak that that the seventy six ers are hoping.
To live in one in a row.
Baby, we did it that way. We did it.
Thanks so much for listening to us. We'll be back next week. It was more my Jack got bad Boost.
You see you that make sure you watch the game of the week.