That our files sucks spreading the news.
Oh my god, he just turned this Celtics.
Could be leaving today, depending on when you're listening to this to you you, Yes, the.
Knicks are up three in one against the defending champions.
Terrible entry for Jason Tatum, though Indiana continues what has been an impressive six week stretch. Nuggets thunder back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Real tough series, and we'll get into all of that him or with Leuch reportstamp value on today's episode.
I am mild Thread and I'm Jack O'Brien, and this is Mile Miles got mad.
Okay, don't you be driving Spinny, that's our number.
Just secure you.
Sorry, that was my alarm going off telling me to sing Miles and Jack on mad Boostie's into my microphone. Turn down your thing.
Also, make sure your alarm is off when you activate your rice. Just don't don't activate it. To out of Nowhere on us NBA writer for leads You Report, host of the Hardwood Knocks NBA podcast, dam of a Valley.
Great to have you on. Yeah, Nick span much was it too hot onto their own team going into this one? I mean, none of us are right. I needed it. I needed it, I demanded it.
When I go out, the Celtics have to go out at all costs. So I was all in on the Knicks, but not that I believed. I just desperately needed the Knicks to win. But Dan, how where are you at? Where'd you start and where are you now? Because I heard you were not you weren't really too hot on on them right now.
Yeah, you know. Producer Bari reached out and asked if.
We could talk about this series when I was coming on, and my response to him was, I don't think the Knicks are still going to be playing by the time.
That I make this appearance.
So you thought it was gonna be a sweep. I thought it was gonna be like a five game set or a sweep. Yeah, that's what That's what I thought coming in, And I mean consecutive twenty point comes backs fall by Game three in which they fall back down by twenty plus again and actually lose. Game four was kind of like the eye opener where it feels like, oh, there might be something here because the Jason Tatum injury is catastrophic, but the Knicks We're gonna win that game.
Anyway, like we're gonna win. So that's that was the one that surprised me. The Knicks went up two to oh to won the first two games in Boston coming home, and we're still underdogs, and I agreed with that. I was like, yeah, there's are just gonna win the next four. And I was wrong. The Knicks are much tougher than I thought, and the Celtics I think more flawed. Yeah, that game three felt like kind of what we thought it would be.
Were like, well, if they start making their threes, then it's kind of a different story. And then when that happens, like, okay, so maybe maybe here, but yeah, I mean it's Jason Tatum. So yeah, it was his achilles uh ruptured there.
That's awful in the midst of like the game that where he was finally doing the thing that everybody was like, this is who he needs to be, right what his box score was? Wild? Yeah yeah yeah forty two eight four steals, two blocks. Yeah, yeah, I'm so by Jack your theory. Now you're my theory. Everybody's burying them, which is exactly the only way that you could get everybody to agree the Celtics are cooked. Was this right, And
I just feel like they are still extremely talented. They're still as talented, I think as most of most of the teams. I don't know. I just I could see them like putting together a run here. I don't know if they win it, but I could definitely see it. Yeah, a last gasp convulsion if you will. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. But Dan, do you think I'm crazy here now? It seems like you've got some confidence.
Oh no, absolutely not.
I think as a Knicks fan, you're always just waiting for the other shoot to drop. I really do think though, when you look at the Celtics without Jason Tatum, they're still super talented. Their shallower gets harder to initiate their offense. But if you told me that, if you told me they won the series, I'd be pretty surprised. Just being down three to one and then watching your best player go down the way he did has to be deflating.
But if you told me there was a game seven, I'm not saying I would predict it, but it just wouldn't surprise me.
Like, they're still superpersonal.
I can do a lot of things defensively, and I think we had questions about their offense with Jason Tatum. So now the question about their offense I think become more pronounced without him on the floor being able to hit those really difficult jumpers when their offense bogs down.
Right, Yeah, I will say like there was always like one of the only things that I had as a Celtic's you know, hater, was that I felt like they never fully it. Never they never felt like they were just like and Tatum's our guy and now here He's gonna like get us a bucket when we need it, and like we just all rally behind him, like even last year he wasn't the best player in the finals on their team, and it just like never felt like
it fully came together. So like this, maybe this like clears some space in whatever the weird kind of electricity is of like team dynamics that govern these sorts of things. I could just see something weird happening here. I'm not necessarily predicting it, but it wouldn't shock me. And it does feel like everyone's just like well they if they weren't cooked before, they certainly are now. Like I mean, I would even say if they had won that game
and Tatum doesn't get injured the Knicks just win? Like, why that still put the Knicks up seven with a couple of minutes to go. Do you think the Celtics would still be favored? Because they were favored after going down two in the first two games in in Boston, like coming to Madison Square Garden, they were still favored, Like do you think down three to one going home? Like, wouldn't they still be favored.
In Game five? Yes?
I think for this series, no, but it probably would have been something super slight where it's like they're a plus one oh.
Five, right, or something that's so wild it's unbelievable. Just enough, just enough? Yeah, man, the Jalen Brunstd of it all too, he's unbelievable. Man, tough, so good man.
Imagine losing him for nothing, at least, not.
For nothing, not for nothing, not for No, you didn't think this was all part of the plan. Come on, you didn't know, you knew exactly? Do we want to talk about the draft real quick? Because you want to get into this gets into my h A question that I have for you, Dan, because I'm a Sixers fan, the Sixers, and goodness I was, I was Daryl Morey yesterday like, I got my head on in my hands, just like I couldn't look when they said the Sixers
lost their pick. That felt bad. Uh. The ESPN commentator accidentally said, the Sixers lost their pick, so the MAVs obviously get Cooper Flag. Incredible, now that now the trade makes sense? Uh somehow, you know if you just just
scales have been balanced. Yeah, exactly, if you assume like just that this because they you know, if they kept Luca, they weren't going to be in the lottery, So in a roundabout way, they did this was part of the trade, and they did just get Cooper Flag, and suddenly it now makes sense for the first time since it happened.
I will say the Sixers are now in the third the third spot and the projected pick for two and three are teammates and their teammates who played on a team that did not make the NC Double A tournament and were bad. And I have as a Sixers fan, I have some questions here. I have some experience with this. I was so we picked markel Foltz number one ahead of Jason Tatum. His team had won ten games the year, but they were like ten and twenty the year before.
He was drafted by the Sixers. We picked Ben Simmons. His team was like five hundred, did not make the NC Double a tournament, And both times the Sixers just convinced themselves that doesn't really mean any thing. These guys were like super talented. I went, I was like, does
it not mean anything? So I went to Reddit to be like, whoa, who are the players who have played on teams that were bad and who were like on bad college teams who went on to be like great NBA players and the like most relevant thread was one from eight years ago when Mark el Foltz was drafted and people were like, oh, I'll tell you who was Ben Simmons. He's he's a superstar and he was on
a bed So that didn't quite work out. But like even when a star comes from a bad team, like they usually elevate them, like you know, Steph On Davidson, CJ McCullough, Like even one of the answers in the thread was Dame but like we were State was twenty one and ten and fifteen and one like in conference play like his last year, like one of his last years, and so I don't I don't know who is the cump where it's like this person couldn't get their college team to win games and then they went on to
be an amazing NBA player. Like it just that that bothers me too much and that and plus it's two of them, number two and three, Like I just feel like we're leaving something out and that that's like even the Jalen Brunson thing like rings in my head too, because he was a player coming out who was you know, not the right size, like didn't have all those like intangibles and like the things that people look for at the combine, and he was vastly, vastly underrated, who was like,
you know, a leader on a team that won championships like that. It's just like, I don't love the idea of picking one of the Rutgers guys personally, But Dan, what do you think.
That's I never thought about it in that context.
I think it's probably a fair concern to have, especially when you're drafting that high. And if it's two guys were considered these cornerstone type pieces, you kind of wonder where like Joelle Ebiid and Andrew Wiggins played together and like they weren't the most intuitive fit and that team found ways to win games anyway. Yeah, that's an interesting theory that I hadn't given.
Like Embiid also was like just learning to play basketball, like like he was like, wait, do I so I have to dribble it?
Right?
I can't just like spite that's volleyball. Sorry. I yeah, sometimes I forget like he was new to the game when he was like playing at Kansas and still like, yeah, they they could win games, you know, like it's just to not to have the two second and third best players and not make the NCAA tournament is wild to me.
I mean, Lebron's college team didn't make the double nc DOUBLEA tournament.
Yeah that's true, that's true. But those are really good points guys. I was going to say. I was like, what if they they never did? I mean, both of those guys would have gone to don is there? I mean.
But then on the other side of that coin, like you know, you'll also have those players who did it, play on great teams and really just came of age once they got into the league.
Yeah you know what I mean, you got like your Pippin Singer Rodmans and stuff like that.
But but I do get what you mean, it's like because then because there is an emphasis to be like we're gonna you're gonna go that high in the draft, but then you're kind of can't get it done on ther you know, in your your last college season. I get how that kind of looks a little bit. It's like, was this the most elite if there is? Like because I didn't, I mean I didn't watch many Rutgers games.
Was it just that like could they say it's like, well, you know, we didn't have any guys around us, so you know it makes sense that you know, we played the way we did or or do they contribute to their low performances on that team.
I just didn't. I'm not familiar with Rutgers seasons. I watched every Rutgers game, Miles, these guys stink. No, I didn't watch a single Rockers game. I'm just this is just a thing that I'm noticing now that we're And I did not look into the draft because I was ready to have my heartbroken. Have the Sixers give their pick away to the like soon possibly soon to be
national champion. Okay, see under, But now that they have, I'm all in and I'm like the first thing I'm noticing is that the Sixers are supposed to once again pick a player like top three from a losing college team. And I'm just like, ah, guys, we do this every time we get a top pick. We do this, and it's not a might be different.
And what's kind of different about this though, is assuming they're even a semblance of healthy is maybe it's different if you're putting these guys onto one of these guys onto a roster that has a bunch of help for them, and they're going to be able to be brought along more gradually rather than you have to come in and be or expected to be the guy.
Yeah. Yeah, And I mean maybe, like as long as the person just doesn't decide to relearn how to shoot and change their shot, maybe maybe they'll end up being okay. But uh, like Mark Calfel.
Did make an All NBA team, right, So it's like, if it follows the Ben Simmons course, if they just aren't as I don't know what the word is, they don't play as hesitantly might be the kindest way to put it, Like maybe then that you know, that's.
Not the worst arc to follow.
Yeah, but they were both like like in you know, Mark el Foltz seems like a great guy. I'm rooting for him all the time in retrospect, complete like disasters in terms of their ability to like capitalize on their promise. You know, Ben Simmons was supposed to be generational and kind of fell apart, and Mark hel Foltz like just yeah, like really in both cases like seemed like kind of worst case scenarios coming out of it. So I don't know, I would say Ben Simmons is the worst case scenario
given like what we saw even as rookie year. But I guess the fact that we got that rookie year and some all defensive type performances maybe maybe not, but that that would just be one of the things that I'd be taking a hard look at when it seems like people who just are good enough to play in the NBA and are like proven winners like to tend to be where worth a hard look. I say, stay optimistic. Yeah, you know, you find it like Ace Bailey just showed up to camp way overweight.
What's and You're like, no, no, it's gonna happen. Shooting for him too, He's shooting with his other hand. Yeah, he got his old coach helping him out.
It's cool stuff. He got Mark l Full, his uncle to change his shot training.
In Australia in the off season. Let's take a quick bak, let's take a great We'll be right back, and we're back. We're back, Wolves, Warriors.
What I mean another like just bummer injury, you know, Steph being out of the hamstring injury. I feel like this would be an incredible series. As of right now, I don't. I don't know, Like it definitely doesn't seem like Steph should rush back, especially given like what we what we saw with Tatum. But uh Ant and like Ant seems to be doing what what he did in the playoffs last year, Like he's just stepping up, becoming that dude.
Uh.
And then Julius Randall is.
Uh.
You know, all the doubters can can go do one as they say. Uh. But I mean, how do you feel as a Knicks fan seeing seeing this version of Julius Randall in the playoffs playoff Randall?
I like it better that he's taking clear shots at Tibbs where he was basically like, it's just good to be in a spot where I'm not standing around and so like they have him doing more away from the ball, they have him doing some like kind of a similar little bit New York had, but they seem to appreciate it more given how much Anthony Edwards can struggle against double teams.
So it's cool to see him sort of.
We very rarely get to look back on trades as like, oh, maybe that made sense for both teams. And I think there's still a lot to play out for Minnesota and New York, but it's cool to see, like kind of everybody, I mean, Dontha Evincenzo's not hitting shots right now, but it's cool to maybe see this potentially working out for
both sides and the Wolves offense. I still don't trust it, but with Randall playing like this, they're definitely more dynamic than they were with Kat just because Randal brings that live dribble play making element that as someone who's watched a lot of Karnafy towns in both Minnesota and New York, I can confirm he still does not have.
He does have. He makes some of the wildest shots, like that fadeaway that he hit against Detroit, like over the backboard was one, Like who was that big moment too, was one of the wildest that I've seen somebody, and it was like dead center of the red, like complete nothing.
But net I have a theory that he would be like thirty to fifty percent more valuable on the offensive end if he just ran like ten miles before each game and was tired. Because that's the only time he seems to take enough threes is when he's kind of lolly gagging back in transition and they hit him with like a trailer pass and he drills it. That dude is such a good shooter, and he's out here and like some of these games taking two to three pointers.
One three pointer against a Celtics team that just gets them up. And so you're sitting there, you're like, oh, the Knicks are down by fourteen, they're losing the three point battle by twenty seven points. Can they do anything? And it's you play him Tims a little bit. But dating back to his time in Minnesota, towns just doesn't have to be all threes. But I just don't know why he doesn't take more of those things.
Yeah, just got to hit him with a like a dart that's just like take them down and not like the old school dart r.
How is what's Jimmy Butler's situas he's still nursing that injured I mean it felt like this last that game for I was like, oof, buddy, you're you're not You're not looking the same at all.
He was sick and he still got that glute injury apparently, but he's he's not wired.
I guess to shoot first.
He kind of played that way in Miami, but since he's been in Golden State, I don't know if it's because it's new and like you said, he's been banged up.
I've just never seen him be so passive. It's just like a score.
I think a lot of it has to do Their spacing is really bad, especially without Steph. Like you have, Buddy healed, and that's like it when it comes to shooters that other teams respect. But nine shots. I know, I know you're injured, I know you're sick, but nine shots without Steph is insane.
Yeah, that's done. He was what his game was rating was minus thirty. That last one. That's honest aggressive. It like it really is an argument for how incredible Steph is. Like you hear people talk about, well, you know offensively, it's not just like the things that you see with the naked eye. It's also like gravitationally, like he just
like moves defenders all over the court. But when you actually see from one game to the next, like with him versus without him, it's pretty staggering, Like the guy's totally incredible.
Yeah, there's been that movement where people have made fun of, mostly Warriors fan saying they think Steph is the first player to ever have gravity, which.
Is kind of funny.
But it's different when kind of like you just alluded to it, no one else is pulling like three or four defenders in his direction when he doesn't have the ball. There's just no one who does that, And you're right, it's just the contrast is so stark when you watch the Warriors with Steph versus without them, like they're dating back to the Kevin Durant years, like they've struggled so much to put together efficient offense when he's not on
the court. Because it's a cliche, but he's just he's one of one and to still be that important to a team that's in the second round of the playoffs at what was he thirty six thirty seven.
That's also bonkers.
Yeah, and even like what the expectations and like what it looked like after his rookie year, like the fact that he's still this good. You know that he was able to put it together strengthen his ankles, a thing I didn't know was possible, Like, ah, I just need to do ankle strengthening exercise. That's like the type of exercise you would hear people talk about in the forties. Right, it's like focusing on one part. It's like it's all in the ankles. But I mean, we do have to
just take another moment. Brunson just that ineffable skill of just like when it's important, I make impossible shots and I'm gonna do it every single time. What Like, it's got to feel so great to be rooting for a team that where the ball is in his hands and in the clutch moments. Yeah, it feels inevitable.
It should be frustrating, and it is at points, But like him winning Clutch Player of the Year, I'm trying to think back. It's like, when is the last time the Knicks had a player that you actively wanted to have the ball in their hands with the game on the line. It wasn't even with Mellow that wasn't really
like Patrick Ewing style like this is. We're talking decades of just the Knicks Mount having that guy and to be confident with him late in games and to see him prove it like again in postseason, it's it's pretty surreal, especially when you consider what he was thought to be in Dallas even at his peak, and then was he He's listed at six two, but he's got to be like five, Like if he's six feet, like, I'll be shocked.
And to see him do this against like double and triple teams and Blitzer from the Celtics is I don't know, just kind of wild.
Yeah, the super producer Jabari saying Allen Houston was that dude, but he also wasn't like was he even the best player on that team.
For like he was like he was that dude for maybe like two seasons. And Brunson's like Mount Rushmore franchise level already after this his third guy's he probably deserves to be there already, so and it's like just doesn't turn the ball over for such a high volume guy normally too. It's it's really cool to see and just
as a fan. I don't think since I started rooting for the Knicks in like the nineties, I don't remember there ever being a player that I trusted to have the like the ball, like thought, oh, this SHOT's going in, and I think is a Knicks on your condition to assume that it's going to miss? And Brunson has kind of flipped that script.
Yeah, I'm like, who's the because I totally get that.
It always felt like, man, they just they're missing, like that guy, you know, and it's before that, who would you have trusted with the ball and the final seconds of the game.
Maybe probably Walt Frasier, Like I.
Like, yeah, yeah, right, Yeah, he was pretty clutch that that one game that he had, the Willis Reid game that is actually the Clyde Frasier game. Like his stats are in that game where so bunkers. Yeah, Like is he as popular a player an athlete as has been in New York since like what was the last time there was somebody this level? Is it Jeter?
They're not gonna say, he's probably not there, but it has to be just where it feels like they could do their infallible Yeah, it's even when they're frustrated with Jalen Brunson. It's the Knicks fans reaction just like, well, he'll adjust and he'll get it next game.
Like this is just an off night.
He's like beyond impeaching at this point.
So I think Jeter might be the right.
I'm trying to think of just like Knicks fans of maybe there's been more fanfare for certain players coming here, like the red carpet was rolled out more for a Maristdomi A twenty ten than it ever was for Jalen Brunson. But he's he's a god in New York City, and I think Jeter's the right.
He commits a crime and the first call is to Eric Adams, like it's not even like they don't even call the police, just like get mayor Adams on the phone. It is just like as an NBA fan, I'm being taken back to like that that ninety nine season where ewing went down and the Knicks were the Knickson eight seed, yeah and seed and went to the finals, like that was It's so fun when the Knicks are good, Like it's so wild for all the Yeah, I don't know like it the Nick it's just the NBA is so
fun when the Knicks are good. Like everybody just I feel like can get behind the Knicks because it's so rare. Also, I think it you know, if they were as successful as the Celtics, it probably wouldn't be as fun, but like having the Knicks be in the conversation now where it's like, oh yeah, I mean, I personally think Indiana is it looks as good as anybody in the league right now. But you know, if they get to the finals,
that's super fun. That's like I kind of am starting to love this team, Like even though I feel like they're flawed, they really like they're they're they're doing something.
Well that that increases the likability factor though when you're flawed, because yet they were three seeds, so it's not like there's.
Some like Giles underdog but right, no one.
I mean we were just talking about I thought they were gonna lose in four or five games in this series, and so to see a flawed team kind of defy the odds and go through the potentially the reigning champs and then if they're able to win, I mean, especially if it's like Indie New York in the next round, you talk about a flashback to the ninth Oh my god, the Conference finals got Reggie out there, like yo, yeah, Reggie Miller will be off the calls by then at
that point though, so that'll be he won't be conflicted anymore. But yeah, there's a likability to them that they're not supposed to have, because like they built this team and went all in with the image of we're going to be a contender, but because they failed in large like and they're like they went oh to eight against Boston and Cleveland. So that failure and then going to this I think that kind of lay the groundwork to make them even more likable because they're even just more unexpected.
Was Rick Brunson on that team that got to the finals?
Oh, I've no wow, I have no idea, just.
Thinking because wasn't he on the Knicks around then, like the turn of the century. I feel like that's just an man, it's all poetry.
I'm just seeing all my the Knicks frames.
I remember, I think it was maybe a season or two ago, and I was like, Bro, these Knicks fans, I know they're like j go bro, Like.
The first season, the first.
Season he was there, and I don't know like now they're like it just it felt different.
It felt different. It feels different, and I was like, well, you're seeing you You justified now, Myles.
You're right. Rick Brunson was on the Knicks during that finals run.
Wow, Jesus good for Look, Oh the energy is there.
You mentioned the Knicks fans like, you know, kind of trumpeting up Jalen Brunson. I bet you there's going to be something after this season, especially the Nicks make the conference finals where it's like who would you rather have Jalen Brunson or Luca or Yonna?
Like that is going to start if it hasn't already.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, you know what, Maybe I'm not even Maybe I'm it's not that the Knicks are like like the the NBA is more fun when the Knicks are making a finals run. Maybe it's just more fun when a Rick Brunson team is making a finals run. You know, I feel like that could be it. I just I just get excited for Rick Brunson. Wow.
Well I did forget that that draft in ninety nine they've drafted Frederick Weiss, the guy that Vince Carter absolutely destroyed.
Yeah, I think you retired like after that game or something crazy, there was like an offbed, done on it.
I'm done.
I don't need it anymore.
Man, What a time? What a time? How are we feeling about the Pacers? Dan?
So as of right now, if they met the Knicks in the conference finals, I might pick the Pacers in seven. I probably like New York's top five more. But the stuff the Pacers can throw at you, man, Like, they can play fast, they could play slow, they can be a finesse team, they could be physical, they can beat
you from beyond the arc. There's just so many different things that they can do, and I don't think we fully appreciate it that it doesn't feel like depth is making a little bit of a comeback in the playoffs, where it's like the Pacers are using their depth and it's working, and the Rockets push the Warriors to the brink while like, you know, using their depth as well, and like even the Calves, Yeah, they're banged up and
they're they're down in that series and potentially out. But there's teams that are like turning to more players than I feel like in years past, stretching their rotations deeper, and Indy is probably doing that more than anyone.
And I don't think maybe.
Even I picked them to lose against the Cavs in five, so I don't even appreciate them yet. But that's a team that they're dynamic and they can beat you from a bunch of different angles. And we've seen that for sure against Cleveland.
And I would say I've only seen I can't maybe this isn't right, but I've only seen a team definitely win the title from coaching from a coaching advantage maybe once in my lifetime. And I think it's with Carlisle beating the Heat that year. You know, like he's such a good coach who's able to like just figure things out that I might not be the only case, but like I do feel like he's good at figuring some angles out and like getting a team to a higher
level of performance than I would have otherwise expected. So I feel like that's that's a big advantage that they have over i'd say the Knicks and a lot of the rest of the league right now.
Is Tyree's playing with a little chip on his shoulder after everyone's called him overrated.
Thing there's just like, I mean, he's been he's like I don't know, if he is, that's great for him, well done. You know he you use that, however, but like he has to be aware that, like he disappears for months at a time, you know, like only when it counts. But yeah, I mean he's playing. I loved his dance as they called it after he hit that game winning shot. They're like, he's been given a warning
for doing that dance. Yeah much, not much. It's my favorite dance move when I get out on the dance floor.
You know the thing that all the kids are doing Thunders and Nuggets that one thunders and Nuggets.
Thunder sounds like thunders.
Thunders versus nugget. Who we got here?
I still think I lean Thunder. But this series has confused the heck out of me. Kich is playing, as we're recording, like he had wrapped up one of the worst three game stretches of his career just over these past three games. So you can either look at it as, Oh, the Nuggets are in trouble, or it's oh, you're like they've played okay and jok still hasn't had like a only he's only had one trademark Yokic game left.
I guess I'll frame it this way.
I've emerged from this series being more concerned about me too, rather than.
I'll say I was concerned about the Nuggets, like heading in and heading into the playoffs. I didn't think they were.
Gonna, Oh you don't think firing your coach.
For some reason. I thought that was a weird. Yeah, like I I've probably my my opinion of the Nuggets has gone up in this series, but definitely okay, see is like, I don't know, there's just some fourth quarters where it looks like they're playing through cement. Like it's just like, uh, what is I thought you guys were supposed to like be able to like move the ball, and their offense just looks limited in a way that I was hoping, you know someone, I just root for
anybody except the Celtics. So I just want everybody to be as good as they possibly can. They can and for that much, they have disappointed me in this series, but maybe they'll put it together. I mean it's hard playing at altitude, I guess, yeah. I mean, yeah, it's real hard. I can tell you that from experience.
You know, some I don't know if they got a cheat code or something up there, it's just whatever happens to you at altitude.
I just know that. I think that's why the Lakers kept losing.
You think, so I'll keep saying altitude that was our favorite excuse at the time.
I feel like they lost because they didn't put enough. I thought that, like.
Right, no exactly, that was it too. You know, we'll get another bite of the apple.
I think I think we'll be all right.
But yeah, I'm also really amazed, though, how well they've played despite the coaching change up at the last minute. And I don't know if that's also because like Aaron Gordon has also just been playing like out of have you seen all the conspiracy theories about like his number and like what the time like at which he was scoring buzzer beaters. There's some al there's some wild numerology going on with Aaron Gordon's playing, and like why he's just you know, kind of being that guy when the
when the situation calls for it. But you know, I love I love a bit of numerology mixed with us.
I need to go. Was that on Reddit? I have not seen anything?
Yeah, yeah, it was like on the it was like on the Nuggets thing. It was so funny.
I was like, this is such a level of thought going into this. But also blessed if you if you got to figure out that, like you've got a whole other engine powering this thing, then yeah, like.
Yeah, it's just like manifest destiny or something that he's doing this.
But but with math.
I I gotta find this.
Yeah, I'll share it with you when I find it, because it is it's like impressive of like only a fan.
Could come up with something like this. All right, let's take a quick break. We'll come back and oh Dan, Dan Dan, Dan, Dan, you have stepped in. You're going dan dan uh.
We we got the rap fire around a question will be and we're back and we're back.
Dan laughing, laugh and look at him.
That I got that Gotham glow about me right now, straight out of Arkham.
Let's do this, Dampa Valley.
It is time for the fourth Core wrap Fire around a question. The first question answer segment is that history. We're gonna ask you a question. You react, You go instantly within your soul. You let your soul speak. You do not get cerebral, you just respond. If you don't keep the.
Pace up of the segment, we will be New York routine. Okay, I hope you're ready for that.
Do you accept the check?
Wow? Okay? Well, I love I like the honesty, Dan, I love the honesty. Brian Stark the clock, Brian wasn't sounds.
Well, you've made them mad geez, I'm saying we're gonna be I'm compensating.
No further questions, my honor, Jack, you want to a first, Miles, I'd love it if you went first.
Actually, okay, great, Here I go, here, I go, here, I go again.
Girls, what's my weakness questions? Okay?
Then, Dan, you have the ability to waive your magic wand and create your preferred finals matchup for the end of this postseason tournament. Okay, this end of the season. What's your matchup? And what do you actually think the eventual matchup will be?
I would go with Nuggets Nicks for obvious reasons, and I think the eventual matchup is actually going to be Thunder versus the Pacers Thunder Pacers.
I mean Thunders Pacer Thunder Okay, Thunders versus Pacer.
Okay, Okay, do you really think that? Are you just doing a reverse cursinger? You don't want to put your jar.
I'm trying to get you guys clicks Oklahoma City, Indiana? Are those the big traffic driving market?
We've all been waiting for it that Okay, see bomp here it comes, Yeah, all right. Jalen Brunson in the late eighties on those Ewing teams or Ewing on Brunson's team right now.
Brunson on Ewing's team, How would anyone in that era defend him? Like what would that look like? I guess they could like close line him or something, and maybe it didn't get called.
But I also think that's an interesting answer because those were the first teams to shoot three pointers. That was the Patino They called him Patinos Bombinos because they were bad at nicknames back then, and they had like Trent Tucker. My dad was an assistant for them, and they shot threes and it was like, what the heck was going on with these guys. So you get Brunson there and he shoots as many threes as he does now, maybe the NBA is ahead of where it is right now.
Maybe maybe we went through our three point era in the nineties instead of you know, is.
It the inverse or we all clamoring for more mid range and post ups while that, like the Boomers are clamoring for, we need more threes.
You used to shoot threes, maybe Jordan is. I guess he would have just been to become really good at shooting threes. All right, I think that's the right answer. Although you ing on on this team would be interesting. I mean.
With ice alone.
Yeah, absolutely smells like menthal atum everywhere. Dan, just a little forecasting next season? What kind of uniform is Yiannis Antople wearing?
He will be wearing a Spurs Jersey Spurs?
That is interesting. So you think they'll trade the second pick the whatever the later first round pick they have is So, here's my thing. I want more than that, like I need future.
Yeah, I think they'll get way more than that. Like I think the Spurs will be They have two, they have fourteen. They have those Hawks picks they have Okay.
The Hawks picks is what I needed to hear. But when do they have the Hawks picks?
Like next year twenty six? They have twenty six and twenty seven they have control over so two more ooh.
That could be nice. That's juicy, spicy meat.
They have that Timberwolves pick.
I think two in twenty thirty one sill or maybe they traded that.
I can't remember now, Like, I don't want Spurs picks in the future. If I'm giving them Yannis and they have Wenby, they will be interesting. It'll be like the where the three point shooting is going to come from on that roster? I guess you can. That's always the thing that people are like, Yeah, you throw some shooters out there with them, but you're gonna need some real shooters because Yannis and like I don't know, Fox isn't a great three point shooter.
No, And if you keep Castle, but I would I would trade I'm not a Castle guy, so I would trade him too if it meant getting y honest. So, yeah, you're right, they would need it. Helps that Wenby's a pretty good shoe, I suppose, but you would want more shooters around them.
Yeah, yeah, all right. And finally, finally, would you take being this is the Lakers branded question, because it only makes sense for Lakers fans? Would you take being in the lottery for the next eight seasons for a single title for the I can't even say it for a single title for the Knicks this year?
Yeah, first of all, the Knicks and the lottery would be like, I would love the Knicks to have lottery picks, but I guess they don't own their own picks. Is that the but I would take? The Knicks haven't won a title since what's seventy three? I've watched a bunch of bad basketball since I've been alive, and I was nowhere near alive back then.
I would absolutely take eight consecutive.
I would take I don't know what the number is, but you could talk me into like a decade and a half lottery appearances if it meant when it.
Got titled the follow up, how many until you say no?
I think I.
Start thinking once you get to twenty, that might be my absolute max.
Those are generations just passing over.
Yeah, evolving. That makes sense.
Well, that's right, Dan fa Vallee.
You have actually answered every single question one hundred percent correctly.
I don't know how you do.
It, but you're honest. Right now, man, there it is the numbers. It's on the numbers.
And now you'll see that the numbers Jerseys seven, eight, and one are behind Dan, and that is of course, actually there's no explanation for that. There's no way to explain why those numbers are behind him.
I think that tyres Aalburn is going to go off for fifty points and override a bunch of the talk that was on this podcast.
I hate to freak you out, but seven eight to one is a Boston area code.
Wow. Oh, I thought that's why you did it. I thought that that was a New York area code for some reason. Oh my god, I'm just seeing I'm telling you.
What the Celtics confirmed is what I'm trying to pourtend. That's number three. Pick.
There we go.
I didn't think the writing was literally on the wall, but it might be. Dan Favalley, thanks again for joining us. Where do the people find you? Read you, support you, hear you all that.
They can find me on Bleacher Report and they can also check out the hardwind Knocks NBA podcast. Felt exactly as it sounds.
We have a lot of fun over there.
Where are you at on social.
Just at Dana Valley my name across any single platform that you care to search it on amazing.
You can find me on Twitter and Blue Sky at Miles of Gray.
I'm at Jack Underscore O Brian on Twitter and Jack ob the number one on Blue Sky.
And make sure you follow the hashtag Matt Boosti's basdies for show links and updates, and be sure to.
Join the combo on the Discorde server. That's gonna do it for us.
This week we'll be back as man. We'll see if the writing was on the wall, or maybe it wasn't. Who knows, who knows, but Osaka will continue bull tank, bull tang.
See you next week.
Bye bye.
Your slis your should us, your should only.