Guess what. We are less than two weeks away from the start of the twenty twenty five SOFI Playing Tournament the Dubs. The Warriors are definitely one of the teams to keep an eye on as they continue to work their way up the Western Conference standings. We are going to get into all of that and more with NBA writer and podcaster Charlie Cummings on today's episode. A Miles, Great and Davis in the jack and this is Miles and Jabari Got mad.
Talk to the baby chitch J three got luka, don't chic hits ta k there you go be driving spinning.
Fat number eighteen.
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The Suffis are NBA Championship over the double team.
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Bleho in the building? Uh anyway? So look we are here, Charlie Cummings, Welcome to the show. NBA writer for the DraftKings Network, Swish Theory, co host of the Warriors Invitational podcast. He's done it all, he's seen it all, and we're here to talk about the Warriors. But first, Charlie, how are you welcome to the show.
Oh, I'm doing great. You really you really threw me with the accurate.
You know, what it is babies podcast. You know, you better reach your cereal. Uh, it's so fun to talk like you forty. It is something that it's like our generation's Mickey Mouse. I think for California people, that's a character we can get behind.
Yeah, it's like it's like Barry at Christopher Walking, you know, like everyone Wow.
Everyone's got a forty voice that.
Feels like a wild combo if it's all Bill, what if Christopher Walking had to be e forty for a role? Oh wow, talk to him Bill, Bill Wow the oh so my brain is split in two directions that are like I can't keep it on never mind. Okay, So anyway, this is a basketball podcast, Charlie. Great to have you. We do have our game of the week, Jabari. Do we have to flex him again?
We had to flex on him?
We had to flex on him again, didn't we? We had to flex on him again, didn't we?
This time of year it's tough because you got people that are, you know, managing injuries. You got unfortunate situations like the Dame circumstance. Yeah he is now it's seemingly out indefinitely.
So yeah, yeah, so we thought we thought we were gonna do a little Knickerbocker's Bucks action. But again, Damian Lillard is out because the deep vein thrombosis seems to be a thing happening. This seems to be the worst trend in the NBA right now that nobody wanted or wanted to see.
Uh.
So I hope he is able to recover because that is a tremendous loss for us as fans. Uh and even I'm sure much more for the Bucks. But anyway, we've switched it on him, and we said, you know what, sorry, we told you to watch the Knicks Bucks game. But actually, and I know we didn't tell you, so it's kind of reckless on our part. We ended up going in on the Clippers at Calves because why.
It looks like a good matchup.
It was a good one, you know, it wasn't it was. It was a close one. But for me, it always felt like it was the Calves that was it was. It was them in control the whole time. And I'm not just saying that because of someone who's always dismissive of the Clippers. Let's stop what it is. They never had a chance.
It's interesting, you know, you know, to La guys. Of course we're gonna be dismissive of the Clippers and you know, be ridiculous about them. But it's funny when you know, when I was putting the notes in for this, I was made me realize, why are we always so dismissive of the Calves? Because you know, this is a team that you know, multiple fifteen you know, fifteen plus win
streaks in the same season. But as soon as they hit a three to four games you know, skill stretch where they're sitting people or a couple guys are out, or whatever the case may be, you know, they drop a few, We're immediately like, Okay, well screw them.
They're not good, they're not coming out. Why are we so dismissive with it?
Yeah, Charlie, why are you so dismissive of the Calves? Yeah?
Why do I Why do I just disparage the Calves?
Yeah, it's especially weird, I think in contrast to the way we treat the Thunder. Where the Thunder, I mean, they play in the tougher conference. They got all these tough opponents, they got the star power and Shay and everything, but every time they come through with a win, it's just like there's a new stat about how dominant they are and blah blah blah and all that.
I was even seeing tweets like people are thrown out.
There like, folks, this is the most dominant regular season anyone's ever had. And I was like, all right, like that's just you know, it sounds like little brother talk to me. But then you look over at the Calves and it's like, oh, the Calves are like still a few games behind them, like they already won sixty games.
They're walking away with the East.
After Boston you know, ran their way through to a title, brought the whole team back.
I think everyone kind of assumed, like, well, look.
At the Celtics, means Celtics are just gonna, you know, sleep walk to sixty wins again, get the number one seed, and go all the way through the East. That's kind of the weird thing to me is I don't think anyone would have predicted the Thunder being this good. But it wasn't a hot take to say, like, best the number one seed in the West going into this year. If you said, if you were like, you know what, Henny Adkinson, he's gonna be the guy. Evan Mobley's taking
the leap. Darius Garwin, he's back to form. This is like a sixty five win team. If you said that in the off.
Season, everyone'd be like, you're insane.
So I don't really understand why the Calves sort of get this, Like I get it they don't have the same record they had like kind of some kids in the recent part of the season. But you know, like you said, every time the Calves like stumble for a couple of games, it's like, oh, we all knew this was coming, and it's like, well, you guys didn't know that them being good was coming in the first place.
I mean, I mean I did. I remember when the preseason we were talking about the previews for the Calves. My big thing was, hey, man, if if they keep playing like this, they'll be all right. And I do be saying things like that, you know what I mean. I said, Hey, there's an upward trajectory if this continues, long may it last. But yeah, it is.
Uh.
I think it is just something about just the Celtics and how dominant they were last year that it just makes it it sort of like blocks out that part of your brain that could acknowledge how good. The Calves are also playing, so blame this, I guess. I think the bottom line is we need to blame the Celtics game.
Boston always yeah, oh yeah, which the situation is absolutely absolutely it was a pretty typical Calves when all the all the usuals were there doing their thing.
Uh.
Norm Powell. Though, I do have a soft spot for Norm Powell. I gotta say, I just I do like watching him play. I just I don't like saying that. But that's I don't know why he he tugs and tugs at my heart strings, but he does.
He does. Still having a great year, you know, career year.
Yeah, the ethical most improved player in my book, not the not the utter nonsense we're pushing of a Cunningham the.
Number one pick is really good. Now suddenly he is good.
You get a good, good, solid coach in there, get some actual NBA talent around him, and he is exactly what we thought he should.
Be, right exactly. It's like the most improved is now turning into yeah, that's what I thought, That's what I thought he was going to be. Like, It's like, that's not most improved, just be okay, fine, He's like.
But I'm now right, So yeah, therefore I wrote articles about this and now we just come differuition.
When did the most improved When did we start wobbling with who we were giving most improved player too? When did that really start?
I feel like post Goren Dragic, like before like Gordon Tragic, that would you know that made sense? Like there are others, but like after that and I don't have to listen in front of you right now, and a good producer would have. But like you know, once he ended up and Charlie do you have it?
Oh, we're getting there, okay.
But once you started getting guys like Giannis and Jaw and like guys like that winning that award, it to me, it just lost its.
Yeah yeah, dra it's Jimmy Butler, uh CJ McCollum, Jannie vict Oladipo, Siakam Bingie, Julius Randall, Jah Lourie Tyrese. Yeah that it started wilding there and then Paul George was the year before.
But you still get the ones that sneak through, you know, like Randall, he was kind of down and out, you know, every like everyone kind of laughed at that deal the next game and like, hey, the guy put together a great season, like he looks incredible, that's most improved.
Yeah, and then yeah jah.
Going from like rookie and sophomore star taking like the super star weep. It's like, yeah, it's good for you, But like I'm more into the you know, like you said with Gordon tragis where it's like, oh, you went from like a role player to like, hey, this is like a orderline all star type guy. Yeah, those those are the kind of ones I go for. You know, I'd love to see it be Like, it kind of bothers me because it's like you got all NBA, you got.
All Star or whatever.
We've got all these different awards to hand out to like the big names, and it's like, hey, what's wrong with handing an award to like a Tryston Daniels or a Tied Jerome or a Norm Powell Exactly.
Yeah, you know, I hope we see that this year.
I think also too, like it would bring it helps people kind of it brings more attention to a player that otherwise isn't getting that same shine because if you're a casual watching like I do a lot of the other times too, Like because I'm so Laker focused but also keep mine on the rest of the league. But that does help to be like, oh, thank you, now I have someone to actually look into a little bit and appreciate their performances, rather than like, yeah, I knew
John Moran would be back. Yeah, yeah, but hey, here we are. But let's get into the Warriors. My goodness. I caught that Pelicans game. I caught that Spurs game. I saw a stat. You guys are eleven and oh with that starting five of Draymond, Steph, Jimmy, who have Moses, Moody and Pajemski, right, yes, sir man. Well you look, March was a wild month, you know, because because Steph just came back. But at it for a certain point there was a little bit of up and down. I know,
I was like, don't let this be my nightmare. I don't want to see this researching Warriors team. But here they are. Yeah, I mean, like this has been I think I think like most people seeing that Jimmy Butler trade and seeing how they're playing now, I'm like, no, this is kind of working out right now. They're eighteen and four since Jimmy joined at the deadline before that trade, plus sixty six hundred to win the title now plus eighteen hundreds, So you.
Know they're making their way up.
They're making their way up. Just looking at some of the matchups though for this season, Let's see the Nuggets and two see the Grizzlies to okay, two on one on the Grizzlies and yeah, there's a zero zero and three versus the Lake. But wow, and then that's prior to us signing Huka. Okay, okay, wow. But I guess for you.
There's.
What since this aforementioned has been acquired, who has the better record?
Why are we looking at it? But why why are we on trial right now?
Apples and Norges, Sir, focus.
On what I'm saying. Uh, I guess Charlie, looking at you know, the momentum going to the postseason, how did you feel prior to the trade and now on the precipice of going to the postseason, where like, what's was there a switch or you kind of felt like we might figure things out regardless of what happened with personnel.
So I think what happened was going into this season with the way that their contracts lined up, with the way Steph Draymond, Steve kerr All signed. It was pretty firmly a three year window where it's like by that time, you know they're gonna have to make tough decisions. Maybe Draymond's out, maybe Curves out, maybe Steph's retired. So it looked like that three year window, and going up to the trade deadline, I'm like, this team's just struggling to
stay five hundred. Like Moses Moody's good, but he doesn't have a consistent role because they need.
Someone who can score a little bit more. Jemsky's struggling.
Jonathan Camingez struggling because he's just not the decision maker they need him to be. So it's pretty clear that the young guys weren't supplementing their veterans enough to make this a serious team. And going into the deadline, I wasn't even I wasn't even like necessarily in the Jimmy camp. I thought maybe he was too big of a swing. I was a little bit worried about what the cost would look like. Thankfully, really not that much. You know,
for I love Andrew Wiggins. It's my dog forever for that twenty twenty two run, but it kind of had to be done.
The guy is just not a.
Second scoring option and they needed it desperately. You just saw Steph. You looked dog tired out there, just trying to lift this offense up, even just to be average. So going into the trade deadline, I was like, Okay, just show me you're serious in some way, Like, just show me you acknowledge that there is a problem that you need to make some kind of move to cash in on these last few years. Hate saying the word still, but this whole two timelines thing, I'm like, I don't
care about the second timeline. Like if Steph walks out that door and we suck for ten years, I don't care if we suck for fifteen, twenty whatever. It's like, we got the greatest player in franchise history on that run. Like that carries you for a long time. So you know, the odds of a.
Rebuild coming together after that are pretty slim for any team.
And I was like, just show me, show me you're serious, show me you're gonna get Stephan Draymond another shot pulled this out, and Jimmy has been that shot. He's just completely transformed them, not only on the floor, but you know, like in terms of the x's.
And O is the way that they can match up, the way that they can play. Just the energy is completely back.
Yeah.
They I'm sure if you caught any Warriors games earlier this season, you're just like, man, even as the Lakers.
Fan, this is kind of sad.
Yeah, you know, like just watching them like limp through games and you're like, what happened to like the you know, big dogs of the West.
Yeah, for the better part of the decade, and I think you know, it really showed.
Okay, they're serious. They're willing to, you know, make these trades to trade some future assets and get them closer to maybe that fifth championship. I still think they're kind of in that territory in the West where you've got Okay, see obviously at the top, you've got Houston, who young, exciting.
I don't really think that they're gonna be able to get there yet, you know.
Yeah.
Yeah, Like every time there's been like that's like, oh, this is the game where you can prove themselves, it just doesn't really pan out. So and then you've got this other tier where it's like denver La and the Warriors now where it's like you know, the the rosters have some flaws, but they've got those guys.
You know, they've got Yokich, They've got Lebron, Luca, Jimmy, Steph, those guys where it's just like, man, I don't want to play them in.
The playoffs to activate No, Yeah, it's like they're gonna those are playoff killers and you don't want to.
Base them off. So you know, I still think this this team's got a lot more exciting.
I don't think it was like the switch fully flipped, like, oh yeah, this is a contender now. But we've seen it work. As you mentioned that starting lineup that they've rolled out with their new Big three and Moses and Pods. Not only eleven and oh starting they're plus twenty net rating together on the floor, they've got a ninety seven point seven defensive rating.
They really take care of the ball.
They get the shots, even though the offense has been kind of okay. I think they're gonna figure it out from playoff time where it's like, hey, you got Steph running around, He's impossible to account for. Jimmy's getting those duckins drawn, all those free throws Draymond can orchestrate, and they've got guys who can knock down shots so so many.
I was watching just watching the Pelicans in the game against the Pelicans and the Spurs, Like when you're on, you can you could hit a three from any position on the court. Like I was like, wenton, post what are you doing, sir?
Like nice dude, shout out, shout out to Quenton post Man. Yeah, he just he really surprised me. I watched like when we took him, like in the second round, they had him on the two way. I was like watching some of the tape and I was just like, I don't really know what this is here, you know, like we'll see his release looked a little slow, and they really
worked on it. Like the guy just gets it out out of his hands so quickly for a big man, and you know he looks he's a little slow footed, but like they've got their like you know, din store Brook Lopez now, so they can out there, you know, get a little bigger.
And the lineups with him work really well too.
When they can throw Jimmy out there and it's like, hey, you've got a seven footter working outside. He's a lethal shooter. He gets it off quick and then Jimmy's just going to work in the post.
On these wings.
You know, he's taking them the task, he's drawing fouls, he's getting his buckets down there. So they've really figured some stuff out. And it went from early in the season whereas like they got a bunch of players, but I don't really know who's like this locked in playoff.
Rotation that they're gonna have. Now it's like, man, you've got a.
Killer starter five and then you've got Gary Payton. Hope he gets healthy. He's been playing really well. Quinnin post is looking really nice too. And also, man, shout out to Gee Santos. He's another guy like alongside with Posts, he's kind of just come out of nowhere, yeah, and just started contributing. Like the guy hustles, he knows where to be. He's a demon on the glass. He can hit some open shots. So if they really got like a nice cohesive playoff rotation together.
Now yeah, So with the so with the postseason in mind, you know, we kind of you know, alluded to some of their matchups or how they've done.
Against these teams.
Give me your nightmare matchup as well as the matchup that you would feel like you know, it's yeah, totally comfortable with the road to the end.
Yeah, well, I mean the nightmare me is falling into the play in and having to play the Clippers because the Clippers.
Just have our number, Like the Clippers have just had our number recently.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of teams in this Western Conference picture who do have our number as of late. I mean, you know, playing obviously, we've got our demons. There's the lebron Oh seeing three baskets, you know, uh self mythologizing or whatever, but yeah, hey he hit the shot.
That was brutal stem Yeah, if I saw.
That one basket, and so there's that, and then jaw hitting the floater on us. Obviously getting boat raced by Sacramento last year was pretty rough. Play with the oper but I mean the play is tough enough, and then the Clippers just really really match up well, they can go small, they can match up with those lineups, and then we just don't have an answer for Zubox on the glass.
So that that right there is scary.
In terms of like, you know, if they're six seed or above, they're getting like a real you know, seven game matchup out of the gate. Scariest for me is still Denver. We've lost nine in a row against the Nuggets. Jokic just continually beats us up. Even when Jokic was out. The last time we played them, like Aaron Gordon just
went off. He couldn't miss, and it just you know, that's like one of those games where you're just like, hey, you know, we haven't really figured out the MVP, but maybe we can get him without yet Oh never mind, he just hit like seven threes.
All right, Well, we just can't beat you guys.
And then LA I still wonder because I feel like the Luca Lebron dynamic has kind of changed things because yeah, obviously those two going toe to toe is like crazy. Offensively, that's hard to deal with, But when they match up with the Lakers, I feel like a lot of it is Okay, you're gonna have Jimmy and Moses Moody in Luca and Lebron's faces. They'll do a pretty good job at that. Austin Reeves is obviously crucial because he's that third option. He's the shot maker. I wrote this article
like a year ago. It was after the Lakers and Warriors matched up in the playoffs. A couple of seasons ago, but I tracked all of the primary defenders of Steph Curry and how they perform in the playoffs relative to their normal shooting percentages. And if you go all the way back, like all the history of Steph, on average, the guy who takes the primary staphf matchup is four
points off his true shooting percentage. And I'm no biomechanics guy, but I feel like chasing around the guy who runs the most in the league is probably gonna take your legs out. You know, those open shots that Lebron and Luca get for him, maybe he doesn't have his legs under them as much. You know, maybe those closed out attack floaters just don't have the same juice, or you know, he can't commit with the same oop to drawing his fouls.
So like, weirdly enough, I'm a little more optimistic about the Lakers matchup since they got Luca, because I'm like, hey, if you guys.
If you want to go small ball with us, like, you're gonna have to beat us at our game.
I know that that's the Lakers game too, but I'm like, at least you're doing it on our territory. Sure, like the teams with a hill or a big man, you know where It's like we had we never had an answer for Anthony Davis and Lebron front court. We could just never figure that out with the personnel we had. And yeah, the Lakers have some really good small ball lineups. But I'm like, hey, at least we get to play the way we want. We're going to try to play fast.
We're not getting just like offensive rebounded to death and second chanced all the way out of the game. So yeah, I'd say firmly that Clippers playing matchup scares me. Then I got to go Denver because they got a number. And then the Lakers, beyond that, kind of feel good about a lot of the matchups that they have on the board.
Memphis, Houston, all of those guys. You see it coming.
Memphis, Memphis. I mean, you know, if if if you say, our.
First round matchup is going to come against the team that just fired their coach, the guys pushing each other on the sidelines.
Yeah right, yeah, yeah.
I'll take that. You know, I'll take stability versus whatever that is. Like, they got a.
Bunch of individual talent, but I just don't trust them to come together as.
A team Houston. I mean, what can I say?
Since February twenty twenty, there have been as many pandemic as a Houston Rockets wins against the Warriors. And I know, I know they've leveled up this year, but like you know, we are sixteen and one. Since yeah, we're sixteen and one, and I know that this year is the year that they've leveled up. We still got their number this year. They're exciting, they got all these athletes.
Great.
I don't trust them to score at all against our defense in a playoff series.
They really just don't scare me that much.
I mean, really, my hottest take is I think on this Warriors team that of all the teams that could realistically fall to be the eight seed, I think the Warriors have by far the best chance against the Thunder.
You know, I mean the Thunder are buzzsaw right now. They look incredible.
But I go back to a matchup we had against them earlier this year where it was kind of like the old Thunder matchups after Katie and Harden were gone and it was just Russ and Russ cooking, and they said, you know what, Russ, you're getting single c We're putting our best perimeter defender on you. Whatever you do against us, fine.
We're not going to let you pass.
We're not going to let other people get involved. And they ran that same game plan last time against the Thunder. I think Shay got like fifty four on us or something, and we we had it the whole way. Yeah, like he's doing everything he could. But you single cover everybody, you know, you don't let Jayalen Williams get into space, you don't let their shooters get open. They were just floundering. And I mean that was still with injuries, you know,
like Chet wasn't back yet. So it does change things on the defensive end of the floor.
But I kind of think they got.
A puncher's chance even against you know, like a what should be a seventy win team.
I don't mind if you did that dirty work. Yeah, go ahead.
I'm personally I'm invested in Golden State or any other team if they would like to. If you want to get rid of OKC on not our behalf, but yes, on our behalf.
On our behalf, yes, yes please do. I love this idea of you guys falling to the eighth seat to then do battle with the thunder. Yes, yes, yes, this is a fine idea, This is a fine property, I say, I enjoy this. Indeed, all right, let's take a quick break and we're going to come back to talk a little bit more about basketball and maybe actually, no not maybe definitely do some contender v Pretender or Chicken tender after this and we're back. And look, it's not all guns n' roses for the Lakers.
You know.
Sometimes we do wobble a bit. And I just want to point something out because this was I think very painful for Jabari and I and all my friends who are Laker fans on this very chaotic text threat. I got going when we played the Chicago Bulls last week. This was a close game. It was coming down to the stretch. The Lakers were going out of body to keep this game close, and then we get hit with
a buzzer beater from old Giddy himself. Okay, and I almost turned inside out watching Lebron James make some of the most elementary mistakes I was, I truly was watching and I was like this, My face turned.
I said, what is it?
Who is that? Who that? Who is that? That's that Lebron? But we were talking about this off Mike and I said, no, no, we might as well just talk about this, Jabbar. I mean, we'll take this wherever you want to go, because I think this was one of those moments that I thought, may for a second, we're like, okay, let's see what Chicago does. They didn't, They didn't quite take that momentum into the next couple of games, but it was a moment.
The entire fourth quarter. I mean, we can, we can be upfront about this. You know, the Bulls hit eleven or fourteen from deep wild, I mean you wh yeah, exactly. But the truth of the matter is, even with the hot shooting, even with you know, the Lakers selling all the way throughout, they had a six point lead with less than thirty seconds left. Yeah, they had a six point lead with less than thirty seconds left, and they
ended up they ended up losing that game. You know, the sky isn't falling, but on that night in particular, it certainly felt like that.
I don't know, I really, you know, this is the best part about being a Laker fan is that you are so unwell mentally that you could just watch Dan go up.
Yeah, that's it.
I'm throwing it all the way.
Bro.
Yeah, that's it, that's it. I'm a I'm a I'm a Sacramento Kings fan. Now I don't care, let's light the beam. I don't know.
I'm off this, but this is my shout out to the homie Richard normal one of my like Mount Rushmore tweets where he said, one of the core principles of fascism is the party in charge has to make themselves believe that they are the oppressed party.
The Los Angeles.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, absolute.
Yes.
The best way to show that is when this show started, the Lakers had won a title just two years prior, right as we were talking about it. You know, I think it was on the pilot episode that we were doing with Jack, and I think I said something like, man, it's been it's been a tough couple of years.
Man, did we know?
He said, and they basically he just reminded me how old are you? And I, you know, explained to him at the time early forties, the Lakers had played you know, have played in like thirteen finals in my life. You know, it's something along those lines. But I recognize we are you know, as Miles said, we are unwell.
We are unwell.
It is a true expectation. It is not these aren't These aren't.
Acts, because it does it think you're not even watching basketball. You're saying and in this year's version of Lakers are gonna give me a championship. Yeah, like that's good.
Sexual.
It's not about how's the team doing. Ever, It's like, well, it's yeah here, I'm like exactly, I'm like, y'all, I have twenty fingers in toes, So y'all got work. You got three more things to do before I fill out my whole all my digits.
What are we doing?
I'm just gonna be walking around clinking all day.
Yeah, have terrible foot injuries from wearing all these rings on my feet. But yeah, I mean, what did you have any thoughts on watching that? That regression from Lebron? It was just kind of it was it was it was breathtaking.
Yeah, that was.
Jarring because I don't think I've ever seen i mean maybe like Miami, like against Dallas when he looked kind of rattled. That was like the only like I'm so used to him just being superhuman all the time. Yeah, that like seeing him just like have a brain fart is so crazy.
Right.
First of all, my main takeaway is Stacey King is unbelievable at what he does. Like the Elizabeth I'm coming home just on the call.
Was just trying me.
That was so good.
But I like watched it back, you know, because I saw like, oh, they got the bucket and then like steal off the inbound of the three and then rewind it because I'm like, wait, wait, wait, it was like that could not that couldn't have been Bron. It's like he just threw it right to him. I was like, it's not even like you know, it was a little off target and it went off the hands or whatever.
I was like, he just smoked that one. You know. I was like what is this?
And that was the craziest part to me, you know, I'm like, you know, wild stuff like that happens, you know a few times a year where it's like some team just gets like ten points and thirty seconds and turns a game on its head.
But seeing Lebron be at the center of it, Yeah, it's crazy.
It is.
It's like when you see like a grandparents start moving a little bit slower and you're like, oh no, no. But then but then he but then but then he brought it back. I mean like he had a clutch block in the Houston game down the stretch and I was like, okay, you are you are? That was a that was a wobble, like you said, a b fart, But I know what you're coming back, coming back.
I think that's you know that that remains the craziest thing about Lebron is because the reality is someone with the weird tear that he has on his body, you would expect him to have more instances like that. Charlie just described the fact that that's the anomaly is still just the craziest.
Thing, right, right, right, No, exactly exactly, Well, Charlie, since we have a great basketball mind, someone who covers the league, we'd.
Like to do this.
Now that we're getting into the postseason, it's time to play a little contender verse pretender, and then last week we added or chicken tender. If they don't fit either of those descriptors, so I guess we'll start. Just give us your breakdown, contender, pretender or chicken tender if applicable. First up, the Pacers seven and three over the last ten. They are on pace to potentially top the preseason win
over under projection of forty six and a half. Okay, feels like a traditional indie squad, fun competitive, but is there enough when facing the top contenders of the disting conference? Yeah? Not enough exactly. There go GNX Charlie. What do you think now? Can they push through or are they pretending? Or are they battered and fried and delicious?
Oh? You know I do. I do fall on battered, fried and delicious with a nice little, nice little dipping sauce on.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I think what we saw last year, they got some good luck, you know, with the Bucks being just like decimated with injuries in that first round series, which might still be the matchup this year, it depends, but and then the Knicks had their issues.
They pushed through. I don't think they're in contender status.
I think when you just look at that top two in the East, I don't think anyone else in the East is touching that. Yeah, but you know, they're not quite pretenders to me, because I think a lot of what we see out there is real, uh, you know. Shout out to one of my guys I've written about a few times, aaron Ne Smith. They lost him for the majority of the season, and it's no coincidence that him being bad has coordinated with them rising up the
standings because he's so crucial to what they do. He creates a lot of turnovers on the defensive end, takes all their primary matchups, handles them really well.
Guy's just a ball of energy too.
He's getting out in transition, He's just flying into the paint. I don't know if you guys have seen the meme that I think about all the time with him, where it's like nobody and then aaron Ne Smith and it's uh Ralph Willham diving headfirst through the window him all like every time I watch a Pacers game, like he's on the ground every three minutes.
But he's crucial to that.
Obviously, Tyreese like took him a while, like he had that late season injury that I think kind of bothered him into the early season, you know, like we saw he wasn't really playing in.
The Olympics because of it.
He's still like the star point guard that we all saw and the Sea Acam trade has still worked out really well for them at where I heard it, but they are like, you know, if you need twenty five out of pascital, he's giving you twenty. And if you only needed fifteen, he's giving you twenty. You know, he's just that kind of guy where he's just so steady, consistent. I really like what they're building, but yeah, I can't get all the way to contender.
Okay.
So but that's the good point because you didn't also want to I'm not saying slander them, but you didn't want to mischaracterize them as a pretender. So in this case, they are a chicken tender. Chicken tender, they are delicious and respect to her. Yeah, Okay, like we found a new category. This is how this is what happens when you stay fluid, baby.
A little bit, you know.
Yeah it's not but yeah, and disrespectfully snacking on him like to nourish my body. That's respect, you know what I mean? Jabari, who's next?
Uh?
The Minnesota Timberwolves also seven and three over the last ten. You know, but they were a team that, to be honest with you, I kind of rid them off. Admittedly, midway through the year they were hovering around five hundred as recently as February. Quietly they are eleven and three over the last stretch, but you know, don't look too deeply into their strength to schedule over that stretch and
we'll just ignore that. Exactly where are you on them, Charlie, Like are they are they going to be in the play in or are they going to do any damage this postseason?
Yeah, so that's where I was going to go and meet you already beat me to the spot there.
Month of March. We all love Mickey Mouse March.
Shout out to the home meet till bro dude at Uno Ball podcast for that term.
That's just lasered into my brain. Now. So they played in the month of March. How many teams do you think they played that were five hundred or better?
I think it's one?
Yeah, it was? Is it three?
They got four? Making me real bad?
But sorry, we're being dismissive though, that's the point.
And two they lost two to the Pacers of all teams. In fact, they beat Detroit and they beat Denver. I believe that was a Denver game other than they did have yokis my bad. That was a healthy Denver team hand up. But still, like I remember looking into it when the Warriors really hit their stride after the trade deadline and it's like, Okay, we gotta leave over Minnesota. We got to leave over the Clippers, we got to get over the Kings. Like there was a lot of
hurdles that they had to clear. And I remember instantly someone.
Sent me the Wolves rest of the season schedule and they were just like ugh, like it's.
Just no, actually it's pronounced oh yeah, yeah, that's a real yeah.
But yeah, I think I think I falled more towards pretender. And it's not that I have anything against the Wolves players. I just think, yes, the salary cap is what it is now. The cowardice to have the best team that you had in twenty years and immediately break it up. Yeah, for you know, for money reasons, Like there was no other reason.
You know.
They they got all the way there, they had such a good thing going. They finally figured out how to bear cat and go bear together, Like he've got aunt taken this leap and then they're like everyone just makes too much money on a conference finals team, right, and it's just brutal, Like the shooting leap has been real this year.
He's still struggling.
With the defensive attention given to him. I like Julius Randall and small doses. But you know, looking at like everyone's just like, oh, look at Julius over the last like, you know, ten, They're like, oh, they've won like the last ten games they've had together, And I'm like, well, yeah, of course they've beaten the Hornets, the Heat, the Magic, the Jazz, right, the Pelicans twice.
You look at it like this then, yeah, very narrowly right here and no other context around that. Yes, fantastic.
Yeah, you like got the horse blinders on, Like I could see a good team, but I just fall on Pretender.
I think they may they have some teams that they.
Match up well against, you know, like I think if I'm Denver, I'm looking at them and be like, please not again, Like I just don't I want to deal with this, but yeah, I don't know, I just don't really buy it.
Yeah, that's fair.
And finally, and I think we touched on this before, but the Golden State Warriors Pretender, Contender, Chicken Tender, Oh like or Bender from Futurama up to you? Is it a futuristic robot with a snarky mouth.
Yeah, Fender are they yes, Fender Stratocaster.
Huh.
I'm going with the lowest cee, lowest case possible contemper And it's the same time i feel about like Denver in La where I'm like, you know, I don't love them against Okay, see who's clearly the best in the West. But it's the same how I feel about I'm like, hey, someone else, you know does the dirty work.
For them and or you know, like injury strikes whatever.
I feel the same way about like the Warriors, where I'm like, hey, if they get all the way to the finals.
Any as possible, oh that point, get out.
Of the blood path. That's the West. I know the Cavs are incredible. I know the Celtics are incredible. I've seen what we do to these Celtics and I've seen it too, seen what we do to teams that try to run the twin Towers, you know, double big lineup.
I'm like, hmmm, you know.
I see a vision like I see a very narrow path, but there is a path, you know, on the on the little Poetrate's tip.
You know, there's a very narrow path.
But you know, I'm looking into the future and I'm seeing, Hey, if the matchups break the right way, you know, maybe they get some some right shooting. Luck we need we need Arwani Walker right, but you know I see a world where it could happen.
Yeah, I mean great reference. Uh, but can you get past Shia who is just kay Alexander?
Uh?
That's I'm sorry, I really.
Oh boy, guys, trust me, I have not.
That taking a Okay, we're gonna take a break and when we come back to fourth quarter, wrapid fire around of questioning with Charlie Cummings, and we're back. Charlie Cummings, It's been a fantastic appearance for you, I must say, but we are going to have to turn up the spice level. We're gonna have to turn up the heat. No, Miami, we are going to be very rude and aggressive with you in this fourth quarter rapid fire round with questioning, the fastest question and answer a segment in all sports
podcasting history. We ask you a question, don't do like a big intellectual run up to your answer. This is a three man weave drill. Don't put the ball down, you fire it right back from the chest.
Point four seconds on the clock, exactly half a second or last offense.
You going there? You go?
You ready, Charlie, let's do it, Bryan start the clock. Hi Bryan, Okay.
Jabart please go first as the guest co host.
Okay, okay, I appreciate that. Charlie. Are you ready?
Yes, sir, so you.
Already messed up. You've already answered that question. You are wasting every time. This is the rapid fire arms. So Charlie, are you ready? Thank you kindly.
Okay, you still delayed, so that wasted our time. Yeh?
Did Manta in fact have it all? And how fun would Monta be in today's game?
Mister have it all? Always would be sick?
Well mm hmm okay, okay, you do have to give us a little bit more than that, a little bit more.
Yeah, ooh, I mean any of the don Nelson guys, man, run it up. The guy could create a shot with the best of them. I love I love yea.
All right, all right, yeah, more on that later, thanks, Charlie. Next question, man, we got to keep this moving and I appreciate that. Man, clearly you're a fan.
But here we go.
Next question. More dominant player Draymond in MJ's era or Dennis Rodman starting his career in twenty fourteen to.
Now Draymond with Jordan Rules. Give me that all day. Yeah, well you can punch in his stomping his way through the nineties.
I had not thought about that.
Yeah, yeah, that is the perfect is.
What do you do?
What happened? It gets him a hackeen that.
I don't think.
I'm just saying, I don't think anyone's breaking up that fight.
No, no, no, no, no, okay, keeping it going, keeping it going, Yeah, Charlie, Man, that's really on you, bro. You really got to keep this thing going.
Man, Okay, you can pick any former dub legend to make the run with this current squad. Who were you picking Chris Gatley? Hey, you know what after you get banged on and you dare.
Hey, I could go sickle poll like Rod Higgins on some stuff.
I'd love to see a new pol.
But it's Mitch Richmond.
It's got to be at that, yeah Richmond.
Yeah, and just go on because I was a big Mitch Richmond fan as a younger. As a younger as they say in the UK.
Yes, as a younger. Uh no, you throw in like Mitch Steph Jimmy Draymond, Like, that's some dogs right there.
That's a hell of a scoring trio.
Oh God give me that.
I don't want to I don't want to see Drake. You didn't know about what for all the dogs? Was that lineup you just mentioned, Charlie, that's for all the dogs?
You know what I mean that.
Let's do a little bit of trivia, shall we? Who is the all time franchise leader in rebounds per game for the Golden State Warriors?
Will yes?
Do you know what that was?
Like? Twenty four?
He's pretty damn close twenty.
Five point one.
If you need heard.
Yeah, uh and Jabai hit him with the last bit of trivia.
All right, bonus, best guess how many times does Steph hit ten.
Or more threes in a game? Forty two?
Okay, that was a little a little too much dip by your chip there.
So this is the thing.
This is so as as we already know, there's Lakers fans are spoiled. We are we have, you know, our expectations. The fact that he went way up that forty it was but it was also crazy. It lets you know how spoiled he's been watching stepson Tiger. It was twenty six For mortals that don't have you know, suit like that. That is just a crazy amount, So twenty six times or more.
That's like I'm sure for like a Warriors fan hearing about seventeen rings or something like that.
You know what I mean.
It's Ray. It's got a crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious and actually no, this is the final question. See, we like to keep you on your toes during the rabbit Fire round of questioning. Charlie Cummings, you can create your own version of Coachella or the Up and Smoke Tour using the artists of today. Give us your lineup so we can get a just a peek into your mind any musical taste.
I've got three distinct categories going on. I've got a Bay Area rap, I've got a rap, and then I have got rock that your dad would listen to. Uh, we will go in reverse order. On the rock front, I've got sticks, I've got heart, and I've gotten shout out to Ann Wilson. Yeah, shout out to Pieces of eight by Sticks, one of the all time albums.
Hmmm yeah yeah.
In my Bay Areas, I have Mac Dre and Andre Nicotina ideally doing some songs together. Love that Andre and Andre piece. Yeah, a little bit of my homeboy Chevy. You know, we got to work that in there, and also shout out to Equipto. I'm just going full ninety Bay Area guys.
Uh.
It was tough to cut too short. It was tough to cut forty.
But oh you like what you like?
I mean, yeah, well you're bringing mac Dre back obviously. Yeah, I mean I get that.
You know.
Yeah, you know I'm Max Forever in a sense. Yeah, I'm pulling from the grave here. And for the Atlanta section, gotta have Outcast like always gonna you know, if three Stacks is going to be there, I'm going to be there. He can bring his flute if he wants.
Yeah, but please, but please, but please also do outcasts, you know, like I like the growth as an artist, but also I would like to hear Outcast also.
Yes, of course, like we all want to see it. I gotta have Future and Thug in there too. My my specific request for their set list. I need Thug to do Barter six front to back, no skips all the way through. I need Future on there. I need him doing the Future Ann Hendricks double side, ideally a little more on the Hendrix side. Give me that soulful sad rap. Give me a little crooning. Yeah, close it all out. I need those two just doing all the hits off, super slimy.
There you go. We need it, and you're just being honest as he would saying. So, actually, Charlie, you can due with us the honor of selecting the game of the week. This is the game that we tell everybody, all the listeners to check in on as we will be discussing it, barring any last minute flexing on our end. So we have four options. On Friday, we have OKAC at Houston or Nuggies at Golden State. Then Saturday Memphis at Detroit or Sunday Lakers at Oka.
See, I know which one on was on?
Which one is the one that you think will tell us the most about what's what's gonna happens to come.
Tell us the most? I mean, I'm gonna be biased. I'm gonna say Nuggets Warriors. I'm surprised if you skipped right over our little Thursday tilt.
But uh oh no, that's light work, bro, That's like work, you know. That's yeah, that's what I watna get stressed smoke. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, that's why that's why I've skipped it. Because we will not have anything like that to We're not going to put that sort of damnic leaves above our head like that.
No, yeah, one one, seventeen eighty nine Bronze doing like twelve points maybe, Yeah, No, I'm going I'm going Nuggets Warriors.
Uh.
I think, like I said, nine in a row against us that I feel like is the best test of is this team for real? Right? Like can they get the monkey off their back of just being beaten over and over by that team?
Hey, we did it, so can y'all you know what I mean?
Yeah, tell them Peso did it?
But you know, okay, okay, Yeah, I mean I think also it is uh will move immovable object versus unstoppable force basically because with that lineup, I'm like, yeah, I want to I want to see what that eleven and Ozer lineup look like with I mean because the other part too.
It's always funny when I read all these stats about how how much Jokic has to do on his own, and it is baffling when you're like, who do you who do you truly have at your side? When they look back and like he played with the all time he man, Yeah, who were his teammates kind of feels that way. I mean, no disrespect to Jamal Murray, but you know, a lot of a lot of pointing out of like he doesn't have any all star teammates, no all NBA teammates.
Just do it all jam Old disrespect intended for me though, just so you know, Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, good to know, good to know.
I mean, stale mad at those two game winners in the last series.
Just well.
Also, look, we all know that it is because of the Kendrick and Drake beef. You know it's it's ugly anyway for you know, as Californians looking at a Canadian guy like that.
I'm sorry, bro, that's true. Yeah, you had to fit a little Jamal slander in right at the buzzer though, didn't.
You had to because we don't follow the net.
Don't worry because.
We are unwell. Charlie Cummings, thank you so much for joining us on. Miles and Jabari, you got mad Boosti's where they people find you, read you, support you, listen to you, all that kind of stuff.
Yeah, like Jabari said at the top, check my writing out on DraftKings Network just jumped on with them. Been fun getting to do full time writing for the first time. I'll also still be putting out my work on dswitch Theory dot com. I always be writing on role players through the league. Get some dub stuff in there, other random little tidbits that I find interesting. And if you're in the need of a little Warriors content, the Warriors Invitational.
We're still hitting our episodes when we can getting out that Dubbs content. So yes, sir, and follow me on Twitter at Cleatheist eleven.
A clever name. You can find us on Twitter, Blue Sky wherever I'm at, miles of great g r a y not eya.
Some people like to miss.
Spell it is gr I thank you, like Ed Gray, the cal Berkeley legend.
A Jabori Davison being on Blues Guy. I think I am still on Twitter, but you know, talk to me on Blues Guy.
Get it's better.
Yeah, exactly, exactly and look. Also follow us at the hashtag mad Boosy's B S T I E S. That's what you find show Leak's updates, and that's where you can also find ways to join our discard server that is gonna do it for us. Remember, your homework is Denver at Golden State on NBA TV Friday evening. Please don't be late for class. We'll see you next week. Bye bye,