Well, well, well, we're less than fifty days until the playing begins, and it'll be grinning, jocking for position in both conferences. I mean, obviously the Thunder and Calves still hold eight and a half six game leads in their respective conferences, but hey, they're now seating swings happening at the moment. I'm just baby straight into it and take it for how beautiful it is. The sun purple, and
so are my pupils because of the damage. But it doesn't matter, because we'll discuss the latest news and notes from around the league with the volumes.
Jason temp on today's episode, I'm.
Miles Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien, and this is Miles of Check of boost.
SANCHI three, got it, looka do kicks ten. Okay, there you go, be driving spinning tatter number eighteen.
That's been secure the Celtics or NBA champions over the doubble team night night.
To be honest with a look showtime.
But you guy, yes, Jason Chimpion, you're building NBA analyst former Hooper in his own right. I mean, he he hasn't seen We've seen him dunk, but he hasn't seen us dunk yet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we gotta hold some things.
Back to keep the relationship spicy. But Jason, thank you so much. It's great to see you.
Man.
It's good to see you guys. Last time I came on was a ton of fun. Uh, one of the most fun guest appearances I've done. So I've been looking forward to coming back and a lot of spicy Laker talk to get into today.
Huh hmm, what happened? I actually haven't really checked in for a little while. Did they Did they make some moves during the trade? I know they'd like to like Tiger a little bit. I know they got rid of a d LO that was big for them, so that must be cool going to Smith coming in you know what I mean?
Huge? Huge?
Actually, I mean that is that is that is paying difference. Uh but yeah, I mean let's get into it. Our game of the week obviously, was to keep it eye on this Lakers at Nuggets matchup.
That was something that we felt, Oh, the momentum is building on both sides and this is going to be an epic test over.
The coming in nine in a row.
Is that right? Yeah?
Yeah, nine since mid January exactly.
But yeah, Look, the Lakers just they they did something very interesting with their defensive setup and look we won one, twenty three, one hundred.
It was very beautiful.
I mean, who's we this is a this is an objective NBA podcast that favors No, yeah, we are partners at the National Basketball Association and nobody else.
That is true.
But that's why we had to change the name of the show up to mad Biases, So we need to.
Get around that.
So we weren't really trying to sell anybody any bait news here, but yeah, you know, per Hoops Tonight Jason Show, the Lakers went into that weekend as the number one defense over the last eighteen games.
I would have never guessed that. That's that's wild. I still don't believe you.
Where'd you get this information?
Yeah, where'd you find that?
Where'd you find it?
It's just just on the NBA website. It's it's crazy though, because like it was kind of a trend. It was the Lakers had started playing good basketball for a solid month before the deadline. There were a couple of ugly losses in there, but like even there was a phase
with ad where it was kind of coming together. The main difference was the team getting rid of D'Angelo Russell and bringing in Dorian Finney Smith, getting Jared Vanderbilt back healthy and getting an engaged Lebron on the defensive end gave them suddenly essentially an influx of three six eight, six y nine wings that do a lot of things
on the defensive end of the floor. And so there's been a certain like influx of defensive talent that I think a lot of people have just kind of like lost over because we've looked at this Lakers roster as somewhat mediocre over the last few years, and when Ad went out with his injury, they just leaned into the same scheme that they had been doing really well for about a month, which is just switching everything, but doing a much better job of helping each other in those switches.
So instead of just leaving a dude on an island to be barbecue chicken, they're gapping down alongside these guys. They're offering help, and their rebounding is a big piece of it. Like the Lakers were getting torched early in the year because Ad would get switched out in their one through five switching scheme and he'd be standing on the perimeter, Lebron be standing on the perimeter, and they
just wouldn't gain rebound. And so, to JJ Reddick's credit, he's stuck with it with a group that really didn't seem to have a ton of just day to day fight in them to start the year, and with the influx of different personalities in the locker and just some success, it seems to have gained momentum and the group's just
guard it. But like to make a long story short, the reason why they're guarding well is just they've got a bunch of dudes who are six eight six' nine that can guard multiple positions and that are all big and, strong and so like for being a small ball, team they're actually. Big they like. You that was the big
thing that stood out to me in The denver. Matchup compared to years past when It's Dennis schroeder out, there D'Angelo russell out, There they're just they were skinny and, smaller And denver really pushed them, around AND i was just really impressed by the way that they gang rebound more than anything. Else like, It, like regardless of the, scheme you would have Thought denver would have eaten them up on the, glass and they only had a negative
three margin on the offensive. Glass so like With luca coming, in it obviously isn't going to be as effective. Defensively there will be some sort of slippage, There but then you're also getting one of the greatest offensive engines in the history of the game and beautif. Things that's Put lebron into this position where he's playing on the skip pass now and he's just ridiculous catching the ball on that side of the floor driving a close.
Out yeah, yeah.
Dude he had a dunk in That denver game where he just went along the baseline and got that dunk off the skip. Pass, luca in a weird, way unlocks the main thing The lakers didn't, have which was like a consistent force that could get the defense in. Rotation they actually have a lot of really talented offensive players that can play with an, advantage But lebron's forty And austin is not a supreme, athlete and so either of them can run into walls on offense where they don't
have the same, impact And luca just solves that. Problem and when you have that mixed with what should be a pretty strong defensive foundation from the last eighteen, Games, LIKE i think people would be foolish to write them off in terms of their big picture.
Potential would it be foolish to Write luca off because you think he's in bad. Shape let's let's not talk about. That, actually, yeah it. Really it is.
Like twenty pounds in two. Weeks.
Man it is amazing how GOOD nba players who people think of as like kind of disposable or like replacement level will become by just like, change by just adding the best offensive player in the league to their. Team it just causes so many more advantages and across the board on the offensive.
END i.
COACH i coach my high school, kids and it's so funny Because i'll do more in the, summertime more traditional one on one, stuff but during the season we do a lot of close out king of the, court so like where the kids have to like throw the ball from underneath the, basket sprint, out and, like it is shocking to me how the difference in their effectiveness based
on whether or not that close out is. There like if you ask them to score on a set, defender like high school, kids like they can't do, it and then you then you have someone sprinting at them and suddenly they can and like obviously at THE nba, level that gap between advantage and non advantage creation shrinks to a smaller type of, difference but still like he's got like if you Let Ruey hachimura just stand, still shoot catch and shoot threes like, That dude's over fifty percent
on unguarded catch and shoot threes this.
Year so, like good, luck you know WHAT i.
Mean so like that's the. Thing you just got to get somebody that can get those. Advantages And lucas the arguably the best in the world at its.
Why in action movies and kung fu, movies like, you you always have the bad guys just running at the person. Repeatedly you, know the thing that they never do in a real fight is that it creates a. Disadvantage Steven sea was, like, well, well looks like it's my lucky.
DAD i couldn't have scripted this.
BETTER i think obviously the offense it's for me seeing that defensive performance was the thing where now you, know low key to, Jabar i'm, like, okay, BRO i THINK i think this is.
IT i think it's.
TIME i think it's time to get back on that hopium again because you, know our record abysmal against The, nuggets you know WHAT i, mean like what lost thirteen of fourteen, games last fourteen games against. Them and to see because before it was just amazing to be like okay without A. D now we're just we're we're doing something so different and it's happening so. EFFICIENTLY Jj reddick who just, said, okay uh You're pharrell because you are
just run joke for the whole. Time and seeing that like all of the fight and all of just how well everything was coming. Together and again even with Ruy hachimorri's three point, SHOOTING i feel LIKE i say this a, lot or we say this a lot Is. Lakers lakers fans are, like if, really if really just keeps doing, that if he keep if if if he keeps doing, that then we have something. There but, YEAH i, mean
just the way this was, Unlocked i'm like. Again and to also think that this was referenced In lebron and JJ's podcast like just mere months ago talking about like what do we do About?
Joker like what is like what's the like.
How would you attack him? Defensively and this is how they described it on the. PODCAST i think that this really highlights like two things that we've already talked. About there's. Rebounding gang, rebounding uh is a thing That i've heard coaches talk about as a thing that you if you could just get buy in from your players to just dip into the paint every time a shot goes up rather than just like going, back you would increase everybody
would get like at least one more rebounded. Game like it's it's extra, running it's extra, work but it would have a fundamentally like improved you, know statistical performance for the. Team but it's hard to get buy in on. That and like on like doing a you, know mentally taxing like defensive. SCHEME i think it's probably and and physically
tax defensive. Scheme LIKE i think that's hard to get buy in on unless the best player on your team hosted a podcast with you within the past few months talking about how that is the way to do, It because then you have to be, like, hey, man let
me play a clip for you you saying it. Yourself, yeah, yeah but, YEAH i MEAN i do think that's that's a great thing about having a leader Like lebron who is so you, know motivated to, win and you, know if you can get him to buy, in even if he's not physically at a place where he can be a shutdown one on one, defender defense and rebounding feel like two of the things that even if you are not improving on the personnel, side you see teams improve.
On like from year to, year if they like get a new coach or you, know they just change a couple of, things you can see teams improve. There and then to add on top of, that the biggest personnel upgrade that we've seen in MODERN nba, history it's gonna Be it's definitely made this season so much more interesting to me A sixers fan who you know is in in.
Hibernation you, know it's it's actually super interesting BECAUSE i think belief plays a role, Too like it's not just the star the. Start you're making a great. Point the star buying IN i think is a. Prerequisite but if you want the star to buy, in he better believe
he can win the. Title, yeah because to your, point it, sucks and, like If lebron just views himself as a second round exit in the, making then he may not be as willing to fight for all of these little, things and like one of the interesting details about how basketball has changed that's made gang rebounding particularly so important is the amount of switching and having to bring your big man up to the level of the screen to deal with pull up. Shooting when that, happens the roleman
gets behind every. Time so there's rebounding mismatches all the time in. Basketball like you're when you're tagging the, roller you're tagging him with somebody who's smaller than, him and so more often than, not like that guy's gonna try to box, out but those dudes have to come in
from behind and tap away at the. Ball like it's not even it's like a. Process it's like that someone's got to box out the big someone else has to come in and tap it, out and then a third dude's got to sprint in and actually get to the loose. Ball it's like it's such a team concept and like to your, point like there is mandatory five man buy in for this type of scheme to, work and it
seems to have come. Together and as far as the personnel, Upgrade so what's so funny about that is LIKE i had ad before the season ranked sixth and my player,
rankings And I'm i'm higher on eighty than. Most but, like even in that, context it's about the, Tiers like ad is one of the best players in that second tier of, stars, sure But luca is one of the few guys in the league that presents like a legitimately unsolvable, problem which is like you cannot guard him in any way that's going to stop him from either making the correct read to the open man or getting a. Matchup he likes one on one where he can get to
a shot that he can make about half the. Time and that's what's going to be really interesting about The dallas game tonight is Like, denver you, know for all the trash we talk About luca and what he did in The boston, series, which by the, WAY i think is fair. Criticism jokic can't do anything but a high drop. Coverage if there's a criticism to throw at. Him he can't run deep drop because he can't protect the, rim
he can't switch because he can't keep people in. Front he basically has to run that high drop coverage where he comes up to the level which effectively puts two on the. Ball so as a base, scheme For. Denver they exist in, rotation and that's what makes The lakers such a bad matchup for, them because The luca, thing he can just skip the ball every. Time and Now Lebron Austin ruey And Jackson hayes or whoever it is That Dorian Finney, smith whoever the fifth guy, is they're
just playing four on three all. Night, LOOK i do think it's interesting to at least consider when we're Discussing, yokic WHO i still think is the best player in the, world and because of his jump shooting this, year he's even gone up a. Level but Like jokic does kind of trap you into some defensive realities that that can give, you that can give them some. Issues AND i thought that was on display as.
Well.
Yeah, yeah the guy's a bum. Loser, yeah it's like they found his one weakness and found the impossible trade that would exploit it the.
Most and how Is denver gonna guard?
Him?
Like, yeah? HOW i don't know that they have an answer for that matchup right?
Now?
Yeah, YEAH i don't think a lot of people. DO i, mean who who is the bad matchup for The lakers in this? FORM i, mean as A i, guess, okay see is gonna be tough for them to guard and are so strong defensively around the, perimeter but, YEAH i guess they're small.
Though they give up four or five inches on every perimeter player that. Matchup, now the team That i'm actually really concerned about for them Is boston for the exact same reason that they had trouble With, dallas which Is boston feels good switching because they have five good defenders And boston on the other, end can truly space, Out like you guys saw those the highlights of That jokic,
scheme like there's three four bodies in the paint at all. Times, yeah in the in The boston, matchup they're going to space him out and Attack luca and make them play driving. Kick and so that that's the real team THAT i think would be terrifying for The lakers is if they ran Into.
BOSTON i don't, like, DUDE i don't even like to hear that as a, sentence you, know.
Because it's so.
True and, YEAH i mean because this time we were just, daring you, Know Aaron gordon, like.
Yeah go, ahead, man go, ahead shoot, it go, on go. On Russell wesbrook try your hand at it because we're trying to neutralize this.
Threat and, YEAH i Don't, yeah they're making them. Too yeah.
Exactly Gordon westbrook And Christian brown made eight threes in that game and they got blown out and they couldn't.
Score, yeah that was. Wild, yeah, truly.
Is boston coming out of The eastern ere, opinion since you know a lot about, Basketball i'm just is?
IT i think?
So, yeah if you really look at The cleveland, matchups Like cleveland definitely plays them a lot tougher Than New york. Does AND i don't want to write them off completely because you can always just imagine a series Where cleveland has home. Court they're six games, up so like you can Imagine cleveland gets home, court Maybe porzingis has an, Injury cleveland takes like a two to zero lead at, home and then suddenly it's Like boston has to win four out of. Five, LIKE i don't want to Write
cleveland off. Completely The knicks have no. Chance The, knicks they're a nightmare matchup For boston because they have two guys That boston can pick, on and usually they'll pick on both of them at the same. Time but With cleveland even to the game That cleveland won earlier this. Year tatum kind of had them dead to rights late and Then Donovan mitchell got insanely hot and hit like three or four threes in a row at the end and it ended up stealing that. Game But boston's pretty
much controlled The cleveland matchup this year for the most. Part, okay, see it's it's so tough for me to make a read on them BECAUSE i have this long standing, theory which, is get a bunch of twenty six year old and younger type of players in THE nba regular, season and they are gonna kick ass because they're just gonna play. Harder, Yeah like a simple way to put it, is all eight of the top eight rotation players For Oklahoma city
this year are twenty six or. Younger and if you look at The celtics, Rotation tatum is the only guy in their top eight who's twenty six or. Younger, so, like how can you possibly expect like a veteran team to just bring the same amount of. Energy so Like Oklahoma, CITY i think they're not quite as good as their record would lead you to, believe but they still are
pretty damn close to. That and so that's the hard part to try to like figure out and like they can bog down, offensively as we've seen several times this year where it turns into Can shay make enough? Shots and SO i Think Oklahoma city is a layer of vulnerability to them that Even boston doesn't.
Have, yeah our only rooting bias on this show ultimately is we we root for the field against The Boston. Celtics we we just don't want The celtics to win the. Championship and we are losing the past year AND i feel like this year as. Well but, okay really good man beats. Hip, Yeah, Yeah i'm Gonna we're gonna take a quick break And i'm not gonna. Cry that has nothing to do with you asking that. Question my eyes are. Sweaty let's, uh let's take a quick break and we'll come.
Back we'll talk about the rest of the.
League and we're back and let's not talk you, know let's not talk about this.
Thing mary AND i got a interesting text the other night From.
Jack no no, explanation just the one hundred and two to sixty Nine Chicago bulls versus The. Sixers no, commentary.
No, Commentary no we hadn't said anything all day except maybe talking about like logistics for the recording, today and then nott of nowhere one two sixty, nine three minutes forty.
Four left in the third. Quarter, yeah it's cargo over the seventy six.
Ers sixers ended the game on a twenty four to six run and still lost to The Chicago bulls by thirty.
Two respect, man The Chino bulls that just sold off all their shot craaders in the last.
Year, yeah, yes that they ended on a twenty four to. Six they were down fifty and right, right they're down, fifty ended on a twenty four to six, run lost by thirty. Two so that's not. Good, Uh and that's All i'm going to say about THE i, mean it's very sad to you, know see and be his knee kind of at the. Stage he's just too big to have the longevity THAT i think a lot of us hoped he was going to. Have a lot of people
are saying that this never goes the other. Way it's like a you, know a large thing rolling down a. Hill it's it doesn't usually just turn around and start going back up. Hill but we'll, SEE i remain eternally, pessimistic but you, know at least.
They're shutting him down.
Finally like it was driving me crazy watching them in the last, month Where i'm, like he looks. Bad, yeah he especially on, defense he looked really. Bad and it's very clearly not helping the, team like they were getting their butts kicked in his. Minutes, yeah and it's, like what is the ultimate goal? Here it's Like Paul george
is apparently banged up and not playing. Well it's LIKE i was confused as to what they were trying to, accomplish and to, me it makes a lot more sense to just shut everybody down and if you're going to try this again tried In.
October, Yeah i've been saying they should be raising the white flag for white flag since the beginning of the. Season it's uh it, YEAH i mean once you, LIKE i forget what their record was at the beginning of the. Year it was incredibly, bad and at that point it was it was like we, knew we. KNEW i, Mean embiid looked this way on defense in the playoffs last, year like he was a complete liability, defensively like he can't really, move SO i Don't, YEAH i.
Started two and Twelve man two.
And, twelve and that was about WHEN i was, like.
Maybe we try and Get Cooper. FLAG i, DON'T i don't.
Know you, know what's your what's your what are your? Takes what's your take On Paul? George after having rooted for him for a half a, season obviously it's not his best, Work but.
Love Love, JASON i. DO i have Loved Paul. George my dad actually drafted him In indiana at The, pacers and So i've always been an admirer and thought that people were too hard on. Him it's just been a bad season for nine thousand different reasons for the seventy six. Ers So i'm not fully Blaming Paul. GEORGE i just DON'T i think he would have been like a nice
accent on top of a winning. Team BUT i don't think he's like a low part of a big three at this point in his, career and probably should have known that one of the Best my, Favorite oh you mean my? Favorite is that what you were asking? About because usually when people ask me About Paul, George i'm, like you mean the? Podcaster, yeah oh, yeah he also. Plays you're not gonna believe this he also plays for
my favorite basketball. Team it's crazy funny, story The. NUGGETS i do just want to read this quote From jokic, because as we, mentioned there's a lot said heading into The lakers matchup that they had won nine in a, row and after The lakers, loss he, said we had a nine game winning streak against teams that were injured and teams that were not really good or high in the. Standings maybe we tricked ourselves in that we are playing.
Good and, yeah the teams they had beat were The hornet Six, Ers, Pelicans, Pelicans Magic, Suns, Blazers Blazer's, Hornets and they're just twelve and fourteen versus teams five hundred or. Better SO i don't.
Know they'll figure it. Out they'll figure it.
OUT i don't want them, to but it's just hard for me to think that like that feels like such a slap in the face for them that it would serve as some kind of wake up, calls especially for the dominance they've.
Enjoyed over The lakers or these last fourteen. Games i'm sure that's going to inspire. Something But, jason what is?
THIS? U?
Are they is a confidence? Shot are there's what's your take on that? Quote is he is that him being? Introspective is that him trying, to you, know send a message to his.
TEAMMATES i think you're trying to send a message in And i'm glad he did because he's he's right in the sense that they're not good enough right. Now it actually was kind of funny to see the juxtaposition of his postgame comments In Jamal Murray's Jamal murray is, like we beat them a bunch of times in the. Road this is just you, know this is once you know that kind of. Thing it's, like, bro this is a fundamentally different.
Team you.
Know the thing THAT i worry about with them is more on the defensive, End like even within the scope of what happened in That lakers, Game, like you, know do you remember how When lebron was in his, prime how in like game one of a playoff, series he'd almost always look a little shaky and his team would, lose and then it became kind of like a narrative where it was, like, oh it's.
The feel out. Game, yeah, yeah.
Yeah AND i almost felt that way Watching Yo kitchen that game on, offense where you could Tell yo kitchen was, Like, oh this is a new thing THAT i haven't really, seen which is like a small ball group that's legitimately swarming me and just leaving our work shooters open and over and over. Again, Yeah and it almost felt like he was not going to try to overly assert himself to solve that problem on that, night you know WHAT i.
Mean see see how his team.
Responds oh, Yeah and there's a version of, like did you ever feel Like jokics was really trying to bowling ball his way through everybody in that? Game, No, like he barely took a shot at, Ten he barely was barreling inside for offensive. Rebounds, so, LIKE i think my takeaway from that game had very little to do with The lakers defensive.
SCHEME i.
KNEW i knew The lakers would get some stops because they had been too good of a defense for too long to not be able to get some. Stops jokic can do a lot more to try to punish that. Scheme he talked about after the game about them learning and leaning into ball screens instead of post ups, more which is a good idea because most of most of their attack there was built around just going to the.
Post but the other end of the floors Where i'm.
Concerned if you really zoom out through the the three to four year era of this team being a legitimate championship, contender when have they not been bad on? Defense like they very briefly during the like a couple of months in Like January february of the title, year they were like eighth in defense for like two, months and then they were good in the. POSTSEASON i want to give them, credit albeit they caught some favorable. Matchups they were good
on defense in that. Stretch they've been bad on defense. Entirely outside of, That they've been bad on defense all.
Year we talked.
Earlier about the reality of the, scheme limitations Of, jokic and like at a certain point they're going to have to reach a level on defense to be able to contend for a, title and they haven't put any sort of sustained stretch like that. Together they've leaned into their, Athleticism Peyton watson being out as, hurt but you bring In Christian, Brown Aaron gordon's getting, Minutes Russell westbrook's getting. Minutes but the tray off there is if you remember
the title TEAM kcp was a knockdown. Shooter they didn't have the guys you could really sag off of that this team. Has and so even though the actual offensive metrics that this team has put together have looked really, good and by the, way that's a credit To, jokic who's having one of the best offensive seasons in the history of, basketball there are playoff realities about the way this team can be guarded now in terms of conceding things that didn't used to be the. Case it used
to BE, mpj you leave. Them it's going. IN, cacp you leave. Him it's going. In Jamal, murray you leave. Him it's going. In, Yeah Aaron gordon you can help off, of but he's working the baseline and it all comes. Together but once you tilt that towards there's one more guy we can help off, of it cuts a little
bit off of the ceiling of the. Offense and as we talked about, earlier there are some realities in their defensive, limitations and so now to, me they feel very much like every other second tier contender we have in this, league which is like they could run into certain teams and kick their, butts but then they could run into other teams and get their butts. Kicked it's very match up. Oriented teams at the top of the league have more
flexibility and they can survive different types of. Matchups to, Me, denver it feels like if they catch A, lakers if they catch A, minnesota there are certain teams that they can catch WHERE i just feel Like denver would lose, Now and so that doesn't mean they're out of the. Picture they certainly could catch like The lakers could end up losing to somebody else in the first. Round you, know all these different things could. Go, yeah like it
happens like there's obviously a pathway. There dallas is a great example, Too Like dallas just kind of meandered their way through The Western conference and suddenly they're in the. Finals BUT i definitely think that the versatility and the types of teams they can beat is really limited with this.
Build, yeah just another context to take that quote in
BECAUSE i like the comparison With lebron And. Yokich they have always seemed similar to me and that they're just these like basketball computers that like always make the play that only they see that it's going to like give them the best chance at scoring on that play AND i feel Like, lebron in addition to having those feel out, games also would like know his team was not going to win before the rest of us kind of and like maybe this Is jokic having that same thing where
he's just, like uh, yeah not a lot of lasers out, there you know WHAT i, Mean like The yokich equivalent of not a lot of lasers out. There SO i do just the don't look now rundown of The, WEEK i just don't look. Now brought to you by Ray. BAM i don't know here sponsor here that could all be, yours Ray. Bam The warriors are five and one With Jimmy. Butler draymond says they're going to win the, Title so
that's ALL i need to. Hear they're gonna. Win, no BUT I i liked this trade more when it happened than most of the people THAT i talked. TO i felt Like Jimmy butler was holding some things back at the heat and just, like has you, know enough left in the tank to be a problem for people who are going to see them in the in the. Playoffs i'm curious to hear where you, think, like are they in that second tier of contender that could, win could get beat in any, round because it just it feels
like defensively they could be pretty. Tough but ALSO i don't know what are what are we seeing here with this five and one run from The.
Warriors this is a trade THAT i was optimistic about all, season AND i was surprised that some of the ways it was discussed in terms of like gutting our depth to go get a. Star AND i wanted to be, like you got like fifteen dudes that are legitimate rotation, Players like you just all of a, sudden Here's Gy santos And Quinton post just out of nowhere that are playing meaningful, minutes or like they just have so many dudes that can do role player.
Stuff, yeah and then they have had.
One guy who's like a legitimate like shock, creator star, talent and the entire roster to, me it was like a textbook roster.
Imbalance.
Yeah and one of the biggest side effects of the bringing in Of jimmy and sending out Of Andrew wiggins and sending out some of their depth is it clarified roles for some of these guys Like Moses moody And Brandon pazemski are now just like they're starting two and they're starting, three and they're just like straight up in the same, role same, minute same, rotation kind of slots every single night, now whereas for the first two thirds of the, season they might play eight, minutes they might
get A, dnp they might play thirty seven. Minutes you, Know like it was just such a random sort of event because Just kerr had so many options that he could go to in any given, game, Right and so what has ended up happening is one you took the secondary star, role which was being filled by like a combination of Like Andrew wiggins And Buddy healed and Little Brandon pazemski and like that And Johnathan, kaminga and that group was like super, inconsistent and like some nights they'd
look great and they'd beat any but they could beat, Anybody like The warriors had a bunch of really impressive wins in the early part of the, year but then on the nights when those guys didn't have, it because they're role, players they would get beat by, anybody, Right AND i think it's Reinvigorated steph in his, belief it's
clarified roles for guys Like Moses moody And Brandon. Pajemski they still have ten to eleven guys that they can, play and it's just given them a layer of versatility on both ends of the floor.
That they didn't have.
Before, now as far as the big, picture it's really difficult to rank them because we haven't really seen them play enough good teams with this new. Build BUT i have a feeling they're going to fall into that second tier where they're pretty matchup oriented because they are a little, small even With jimmy And. Steph it kind of reminds me Of lebron AND ad where it's, like we Have lebron and A, d but it's like Ken lebron AND a go toe to toe With. Shay Can lebron and
A d go toe to toe With? Jokic and it's, like actually not, anymore you know WHAT i? Mean and that thing is, like Can steph And jimmy in the year twenty twenty five go toe to toe with some of the top end Town like there're three of the bona fide world beating superstars in THE nba playing The Western, conference, Right you're you're probably gonna face at least one of. Them so at a certain, point LIKE i do wonder if their offense will have a little limitation when they
get to that, Level but there's no doubt they're. Better they were already a top ten defense before they Got. Jimmy they're like third in defense in the six game. Span jimmy's a great defensive. Playmaker, again the clarified roles Of Moses moody And Brandon pajemski have helped. There so, like, again we need to see, more but they're definitely just like a lot more balanced in terms of what they bring to the table on both ends than what they were before the.
Deadline it feels purely like like if let's say The luca trade never, happened BECAUSE i think in out of the you, know one million multi versus that have branched offs in the days since like the morning of that, trade it hasn't happened in like ninety nine point nine percent of.
Them we live in the.
One out of a million that that where that trade actually took. Place it's so weird that that trade. Happened we live in the one Where nico cons like didn't talk to, anybody like didn't get a, call like nobody was just, like hey, man OH i was just thinking of you and gave you a call and found out what he was thinking about, doing and, uh you, know talked to him about what.
He could get.
Elsewhere BUT i feel like if The luca trade doesn't, happen this is like so many.
People are talking about.
This, yeah like you, know like this is such a huge, trade and like now they're four and one since the. TRADE i feel like people would be pretty excited about. It all, right let's, uh let's take a quick, break and when we come, back it is going to be the rapid.
Fire round of.
Questioning miles is.
Pissed we'll be right, back and we're.
Back, Jason it's been a fantastic time speaking with, you but it now is the time for the four fourth quarter rapid fire round of. QUESTIONING i, said fourth, QUORTER i still got my quarter on the.
Bread, yeah the fourth.
Quorter but, look this is the fastest question answer segment in all, podcasting and ALL nba podcasting and all specifically in all podcasting on AN nba show that's On. iHeartRadio it is the fastest question answer. Segment and if you get that specific with that in. Mind we're gonna ask you a. Question please don't take time to think about. It just pass that thing right. Back, Okay, no just no thinking and if you take too much, time we will be very very.
Rude were? Steam, Okay, jason do you accept the?
Challenge let's do, It bryan start.
O'clock, WOW i told you.
Start off with this or.
That, okay you either go with A OPTION a or OPTION.
B And miles did do his left fist for this and his right fist for.
That you can go with this or you can get with. THAT i think, You.
Miles he doesn't look. SCARED i, KNOW i.
KNOW i, tried and the usually.
WORKS i used to.
Blow him off Like nintendo cartridges and that didn't even do. Nothing that's, fine that's. Fine maybe this is dragging.
Him maybe it is it a Choot?
Jack do you want to go? First SHOULD i go? First why don't you? Go? All?
Right?
Jason this or? That this in the this.
Column you can either Have shack in today's game or for THAT embiid in the.
Nineties would you pick It shack in today's, Game shack in today's, game he would demolish. Everybody, yeah kind of doing half of The jokic stuff is that he's just way bigger than everybody and our centers are all skinny and run the floor now right?
Right?
Interesting?
WOW i love.
That can you Think embid would just get bodied in the nineties just everybody's bigger and stronger back.
THEN i think that's half Of embid's. Dominance what, Like yokic is. Amazing i'm just saying, like and it's like it's kind of LIKE mj in the, Nineties like he was kind of ahead of his, time so to. Speak like in his era where everyone was big and, slow he was like a lightning, bolt you. Know and the kind of thing is now everyone's skinny and, fast And jokic is just ground, bound ground bound slow dude is just too big for. Everybody but embiids like, that but a lesser.
Version, YEAH i.
DON'T i don't think that he'd do as well in the previous.
Era Thing i've always said About, jordan IF i took that many, Shots i'd score thirty.
Points a game. Too you. Know that's such a good.
Point do you remember people who said, that all, right the next this or That joker with A kams defense Or shack With kareem's skyhook.
Joker with A kams.
Defense, yeah, okay for the reasons we JUST.
I, mean he's arguably the best offensive player ever.
Arguably. Yeah, oof that's. Freaky, okay that's what. Freaky.
Man This Mack mood in today's game Or trey in the odds.
Macmod would be amazing.
Today he was another guy who was ahead of his time as just a pull up. Shooter But i'm gonna Go trey in the past simply Because mackmood would just be another guy today in terms of another quick guard who can come off with screens and, Shoot whereas Like trey back then in terms of just his his ability to playmake and the high level ball, handling he'd kind of be like he'd be like dropping an alien on the, Court like those guys wouldn't even know what to, do.
Would they even let? Him LIKE i feel like you need a, Coach you need the right, Coach like if he's playing For Larry, brown he's not sniffing the court like you, know, like but like if you he had the right coach Like Don nelson or something like, THAT i feel like maybe maybe it. Works all, Right i've got good news you to go back and live one year as AN nba player and experience everything they experienced in that single. Year what player and year would you?
Choose you Going jordan ninety two eighty, Eight shack two, Thousand lebron twenty. Sixteen what are you thinking?
Here i'm going to Go lebron twenty. EIGHTEEN i thought he was far and away the best player in the world that, year.
Even better than seven KDE i thought.
THAT i thought that THAT i would argue the best individual basketball Player i've ever seen is twenty Eighteen lebron because he was still the supreme athlete at. AGE i think he was thirty three at that point in, time but that was when he had like that was when he had peaked in terms of his offensive polish, too and like do you remember the footwork and the post and the fades over both shoulders and he was dunking
on everybody fifty in a finals. Game like he also just had this supreme, Confidence like the dude had eight forty point games in that playoff. RUN i just can't even imagine just being him that year and just being, Like i'm so much better than all these dudes like like that that was crazy.
YEAH i mean His game one performance against The warriors in that game that he, lost that they, lost was STILL i think the best Game i've ever seen somebody. Play like it was so wild and he.
Got robbed in so many.
Ways remember they had a charge call overturned down this stretch in a blatant hack across his arms that didn't get. Called was It George hill who missed the free? Throw you had the J. R smith situation like he, had like so many things went wrong for the, Record i'm actually glad because they just would have been swept in five after that, anyway and like it is what it. Is but, like uh but, like, yeah he Deserved he played well enough to win that. Game it sucks that he didn't get.
To, yeah, okay this is also good. News, Actually, JASON i can't believe we're giving him back to him.
Giving me so much power right?
Now do this, fine let's keep this.
Going you can make any finals matchup utilizing all finals teams from throughout. History, okay they if they've they if they made the finals there and they're in play, here what is the matchup you're fitting together that you want to see unfold right before your?
Eyes? Oh that's a good.
One i'm gonna, Go, MAN i can't do the twenty seventeen twenty Eighteen warriors BECAUSE i think they're legitimately just too. Good LIKE i think they're just better than. Everybody So i'm gonna.
Go with the best team ever twenty seventeen twenty. Eighteen, YEAH i don't. THINK i don't think any. Team two of the top three players in the world at the peak of their, Powers Klay thompson the best three and D guy second best shooter of all, time elite defender at that point in. Time Draymond green was a defensive player that year candidate at that point in. Time Andre goodala could still move like that. Team everyone talks about
it As stephan. Kd they were insanely. Talented, Yeah I'm i'm gonna go WITH i think it'd be really fun to watch the twenty twenty Four Boston celtics against the twenty Thirteen Miami.
Heat, wow just.
See, LIKE i think it'd be really fun to see like Peak Spolstra lebron D, wade like like alpha dog talents versus like the depth of talent that That celtics team has the amount of witching in the sophisticated offense and defensive schemes you would see in that, series that one would be a lot of, fun like peak peak peak, Ttum like that'd be fun.
Too, WELL i THINK i would like how that series turned. Out SO i like that. Answer. Yea and, finally we got to pick a game of the. Week this is the game that we and all our listeners check out talk. About next. Week we've got On, Thursday nuggets At, Bucks wolves At. Lakers On, Friday calves At. Celtics On, Sunday nuggets At, Celtics clippers At, Lakers.
Bucks nuggets is gonna be a fun. ONE i don't know if you guys have had a chance to watch The bucks yet With Kyle, kuzma but like he's like just went right back in time to twenty twenty one when he cared about winning and did all the little.
Things. Wow and so so THAT'S i.
CANNOT i LOVE i love That.
KYLE i love that.
GUY i, know, Right but that'd be a fun one, too just because it's like an insanely big frontline verse is, yok and and also the same dynamic That denver always struggles, with which is pull up shooters coming off of ball screens With yokich having to come up to the level dealing With. Dane So i'm gonna go with that. One swish there got them all. RIGHT i think The bucks will get. THEM i think The bucks will get them.
Too.
Well That's Thursday Listeners nuggets At bucks ON. Tnt make sure you check it out that way you, can you, know keep up with the conversation in our next, Episode, jason where do the people find? You follow you and enjoy all of your fine Work.
YouTube Oops tonight wherever you gets your podcast Hoops tonight on social? Media most active On twitter and you can find me there At underscore json. Lt i'll do film threads and stuff like that sometimes.
DAY i love. That make sure you give us on a follow On.
Twitter i'm At miles Of gray there and Also miles Of gray On Blue.
Sky i'm At Jack underscore O'Brian On, Twitter jack ob the number one On Blue sky and hashtag my.
Boostises exam updates and the. Discords get the discord and get part of the comm with the rest of the. Listeners that's gonna do it obviously for this installment next.
Week oh, maybe, MAN i can't wait to watch This Mavericks lakers.
Game, yeah you guys have already seen so maybe guys have.
Already seen, it so MAYBE i. Could maybe y'all have.
Been, like he's gonna hate when he listened to These.
Lakers guys want a good a good defensive team that can switch a totally different challenge Than.
Denver i'm excited to watch.
It, yeah, yeah but, anyway we'll see you next. Time when we were back with the next episode episode Of miles and Jackop man, Boosts bye, bye