Well, well, well, as is the catchphrase that starts this podcast, It's playoff time, baby. We're taking a look at each series discussing the two one one theory with the incredibly talented and escape writer Around the Horn panelist author Justin Tinsley. On today's episode, this is the most excited I've been about the NBA since we've been doing this podcast. It's money to pumped.
Let's get it.
I'm Jack O'Brien and I'm Jabari Davis in for Miles and this is Miles and for Jack and or Jabari Jabari and Jack got mad Boosti's that has a nice ringing to it. Jabari and Jack got met Raelpha Boosti's JJA GMB Once Davis Lebron.
JMB driving Spinny Curry a three punter stop Curry from down Tell the.
Game, Honi, justin. Wonderful to have you, Justin Tinsley, thank you for joining us. How goes it?
It's a pleasure to be back here. Man, I always coming on this show.
This is uh Is it just me? Or is everybody as in love with the NBA right now as they? I'm so excited, Like I'm just getting through the work day looking forward to all right, what's the first game? Where are we in this series? Which is what we're about to talk about. We're a couple of days behind you, guys, so if we say something very stupid, we apologize. We're actually going to start doing a accelerated playoff schedule starting next week where we record and release in less time.
We'll still be behind you, guys, but this week we're in the distant past. It's Tuesday afternoon before the Tuesday night games. So Nick Cavaliers is one I know, same with Clippers Sons. You know, we don't know quite a bit about where these series are headed, but there's so much to talk about this Ah, these matchups, the matchups out West are so incredible, Like three of the four series are all time class or the like could be all time classics.
To that point, Jack, I think you mentioned this yesterday in the planning meeting. Justin, is this the most exciting at least first round matchup wise that we you know, that we've had, at least recently.
Yeah, I would have to go back and look, but there is like this fervent excitement about this playoffs because it's not wide open, but it feels wider open than it has been in years past. I fell out West like barring key injury unfortunately. Like to players like John Morant, you kind of feel like there's like four or five teams. If they get hot, they can make a run to the finals. And when it's four or five teams and there's only eighteen in the playoffs per conference, like that's
pretty wide open, man. So yeah, there is a different type of excitement around the twenty twenty three playoffs that feels different from years past.
So the only series that we have two games in the books on as of this recording Sixers Nets and Golden State Sacramento Sixers Nets has not been I've been enjoying watching Philadelphia win because I am a Philadelphia seventy six Ers fan. Like the Nets are tough. You know, they game plan, they have some different looks they're thrown at the Sixers. It really messes with them for at least a while, But then you know, there's just too much from Embiid and Harden and Maxie and Tobias Harris.
This is actually an interesting one to talk about the two one one theory because so far it feels like we've gotten I don't know, it's been a real team effort, like from the Sixers. It hasn't been a like I don't look at either of those first two games and say, Embid got that for them. You know, he every every possession went through him, but he got doubled and he was making the right pass. But it feels like it was like a I don't know that this might be an exception to the rule.
Yeah, I mean for the Mad Bootsies universe out there, or for anyone not familiar with the two one one theory. That is a theory that myself and one of my best friends, Kenny Macinda, we really kind of created created a couple of years ago. I would probably say during the twenty twelve twenty thirteen NBA playoffs. We just started
like looking at games differently. He was like, oh, man, last night that was a that was the Birdman game for the Miami He was like, oh yeah, Birdman came up big in the fourth quarter, and like, wait a minute. There's a science to this, and obviously it's not exact, but it's like in the two one one theory, you need four wins to advance obviously to the next round.
Of those four wins, two come from your best player, one comes from your second best player, and the fourth comes from let's just say a role player game, the Birdman game. So now does it apply to every series. No, But when you look at the series thinking of this theory in your head, you'll see, wait a minute, it kind of plays out more often than I thought it will. You know, I made the joke that it's like the sex panther cologne from Anchorman. Sixty percent of the time.
It works every time the time it works. And yeah, with this series in particular, it may it may not even work out that way because while you mentioned it, Jack, you mentioned it too, Jabari, Like the Nets are, they're a good team, man. I nobody predicts them to win
this series. But given everything that Brooklyn has had to endure this season on the court end off of it, and the fact that they got the haul back that they did, especially with Kevin Durant, and the coaching job that Jacque Vaughn has done this year has been in a masterful Mike Brown is going to be the unanimous coach of the year, and as he should be. But Jacques Vaughn, man, what he's done with that team is great and They're a really fun team to watch because
they compete. Man, Michael Bridges, he may not be a number one guy, but if he is, if he is on your team, he is going to make your team better. And so for game one with this series, I just look at it joke, not jokingly, but I look at it like lightheartedly, like, Okay, well, I believe Embiid had twenty six and six in Game one, and I'm like, obviously, that's a great game, but it's like it didn't feel
like the dominant Joelle andb and performance. And when I look back at that game, it was like, Okay, that may be the James Harden game. If I had to give it to anybody, he ye believe he had twenty three and thirteen hit seven.
Yeah, and people were saying it was like a perfect game, and you know, so.
You give it to him. Game two comes around, you know, James Harden does not play well and it turns shooting percentage and obviously Tyrese Maxey has the big night. So you figure from the two to one to one metric, you got your one that is your second best player, and you got your other one that is the role player game. You're like wait, I'm two Joelle Embiid games away from advancing, So will it play out exactly like that? Maybe Tobias Harris has a big Game three, and you
know Maxi has another big Game four and they move on. Well, apply the theory to most NBA series and you'll see, like, wait a minute, this actually happens more often than I thought it would.
And also Game two didn't feel like a dominant Embiid scoring performance. He still had twenty nineteen seven assists and like, I think three blocks. He was all over the plays on defense. So I mean, we might want to just give that one two Embid because, like I said, every possession had to go through him, or we might want to give it to Doc because.
You know, this thing about this is too like people like at me on Twitter about it, like, oh, that wasn't the Maxi game, that was the mb game. Oh no, it was the Maxi game. I'm like, at the end of the day, it's all subjective. It's who you want to give it to, Like, yeah, yeah, I created it, but I'm I'm not the only ones Like no, my rule.
Is all like I guess we got to give it to Maxie. He had thirty eight, But I do just want to mention it because I think my coach, Doc Rivers is getting a raw deal. On Twitter, people are like, so, here's what happened. There's a ESPN story that's like docs talk.
This is the actual headline, docs talk prompts unbelievable sixers response, and this is there was they came out real Lackaday's, Lackaday's a goal in the first two quarters, came out of halftime, and like there was a possession or two where they looked even more like they were sleepwalking, and then there was a time out and they came out and started executing after that, and people were like, did
Doc say something? And so if Doc was wired as the coaches usually are, and the people looked at the timeout speech, and the thing that was used on the broadcast was just Doc saying, come on, guys, come on, like just that that seemed to be the only thing, and then you know, like so that became the story that he got them to play. The thing that you have to understand is that James Harden was asked what happened in that time out and he said, Doc cursed
us out. Doc was swearing us up and down, justifiably, his job is to do that. When they're playing as unfocused as they were, they can't use that on the broadcast. So the come on, guys, is the only is the three seconds that they were allowed to use on the broadcast, and that, like the if you want to know what actually was said, you'll probably need the red band trailer too.
You know, that's a fair that's a fair critique, for sure, that's a fair synopsis.
Yeah, but also you know what it is, Jack, this is confirmation bias for folks.
These are the for the.
Folks out there that are like, Doc doesn't make adjustments, he's this, he's dead, you know, you know, he blows it. When they just see that, they're like, oh see see look. If that that's what he's saying, then that's why they've had failures in the past. But the reality is it's probably aligned with what you're saying, like they couldn't play everything specifically because you know they shouldn't play everything in the commercial and you know, you just get the the g rated Disney versus.
Yeah, I'm not here to say Doc makes great adjustments in the playoffs. I am here to say that what you saw was not the full picture, and that the level of coaching and preparation that goes into the games from an NBA coaching staff is beyond what your expectations are and beyond what they're allowed to show in the sound from the game section. I think when I was watching that, like during the game, I was like, this looks like have you ever seen blue chips?
When?
Yeah, when Nick Nolty's like coaching and his version of coaching is come on the play the whole do basketball get the basket in the basketball?
Like that?
That's what it felt like the parts that they were allowed to show of DOC. But that's not that's not an accurate synopsis of what actually happened.
You're always a victim to editing.
Man, Yeah, editor has the power that other series. You know, Nicks Cavs is going to have a game by the time you hear this, that seems like it's going to be a war. If I had to predicate Hawk Celtics, that seems like it's not going to be a war. I feel like the Celtics are going to sweep that one, and then heat Bucks is just like a complete wild card, Like I don't I don't know what to expect there. I mean, it seems like Yiannis is gonna be back per game too.
Yeah, I think losing Hero for Miami is actually a really really big loss for them. We all know Jimmy Butler is. You know, I said it yesterday that he's the alpha and the omega of that team. Everything starts and ends with him. He is one of the better playoff performers that we've ever seen. But you don't just lose twenty points a game and a pure shooter and selling become the same the team that you were with him on the court. Like there is going to be
a considerable drop. It makes the defensive assignments for Milwaukee that much more difficult to plan for because you got a legit score going so but yet and still, man, this Miami team, they're as scrappy as they come. They don't care about that eight beside their name, which is their seed, and they're obviously very familiar with this team. So while I do expect Milwaukee to win this series, it would not shock me if this thing went six, you know, just because they know how to muck it
up and not in a disrespectful way. But they're they're a tough team and they will rally around each other and they expect greatness out of each other, even with you know, Hero out of the lineup.
I will say, and this was the thought I had before the playoffs, but I didn't say it on the show because I was like, this is crazy, like the Bucks are gonna wipe them out. But I remember coming into the playoffs that when Milwaukee won the title, like being worried because I love Giannis, I always end up rooting for like the best player in the league, and just like I that narrative of seeing like somebody do it,
and so I was like pulling for the Bucks. And I was worried for them going against Miami in the first round because Miami had had their numbers so much and I feel like they had that great run. But otherwise there's been like a lot of questionable exits for Milwaukee, and I mean last year, obviously they played incredibly well, so like they might be pasted this But heading in I was like, are we sure this is going to be a sweep, Like this feels like it could be
trickier than we might expect. And now this prediction that I'm claiming I made before the series turns out to be right, So I'm a genius as always.
To that point, I'm wondering where Justin was heading into this postseason, where you know, where you were resigned as we were as like, No, Boston's probably the cream of the crop out there.
You know, I think Boston is the best team, but I don't think that that gap between one and two and even three is as big as we make it out to be. Sometimes, yes, Boston may be the best team, but I think you got you know, Drew Holliday there, who is a lockdown defender and a great offensive player. Brook Lopez was in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, and you know that's that's a that's a tough team to beat in Milwaukee. Philadelphia has a lot
to play for it. We all understand the quote unquote narratives going on around that team with the players. There feels like there's a lot on Philly's plate this year to get it done. So while I do think Boston is the best team, I think it's all about matchups, and I think it's about when you get a certain team like I it would not shot me if Boston went on to the finals again this year out of
the Eastern Conference. But it would not shot me if Milwaukee went, and it would not shot me if Philly somehow found a way to get it together and go, because I think they're the best three best teams in that conference, so.
You're still one. So I would be I would be legitimately shocked if the Sixers beat Boston, barring injury, obviously.
Here's what I'll say. Let's say Philly and Boston going to win their series, much much like you know we all expect him to. They're going to beat the Hawks, and you know Philly's going to beat the Nets at some point. My homeboy said it to me the other day when I was talking to him the phone. He lives in Philadelphia. He was like, the most important game in Philadelphia Sixers recent history hasn't even been played yet, and it potentially could be played in the second round.
It would be game seven in.
Him seven, Oh, in Boston game seven. We're giving him game seven.
Yeah, you know. He was like, it would go seven. He was like, as much as I loathe Boston, and he didn't say the word loath. He described Boston in more colorful language. He was like that that's a good team. Over there and if we could beat Boston in Game seven the next round, obviously, if it ever happens. He was like, that would be a definitive moment in Philadelphia Sixers, you know history, And I believe him.
So, justin for perspective. The reason why I even brought that up and the reason why I pointed it out to Jacks. You know, Jack is a is a true diehard fan, but he's cautiously optimistic, you know. Is that a fair assessment, Jack.
Man or cautiously Yeah? Yeah, I just don't. I feel like they've had the motivation to prove themselves for the past three four seasons and it just hasn't happened. So like, motivation is not the thing that I think they're lacking. Yeah, I don't know, we'll see. I just don't think enough has changed from last year that they're gonna suddenly put it together. They have looked good this season, it's just Boston has been a terrible matchup, and I feel like it's really all about matchups.
Yeah, I was.
I was hoping that they would like tank down to the four seed to face Milwaukee in the second round. That's how much I am. I'm not It's not like I'm just scared of the Celtics. It's that I just think that matchup is so bad for the Sixers, and it's just so reliant on matchups like the Hawks matchup that one season that the Hawks beat them, even though they were you know, not expected to. Like they have a really hard time with really quick, good shooting teams
that you know, can just run them ragged. And I don't know, I'd be surprised things have happened, man, Yeah, no, for sure. I've been looking at five thirty eight, just because they sometimes like five thirty eight is onto things
a little early. I've been interested to see how much movement there has been in the in the West, Like now the Lakers are the fifth most likely to win the title according to their analytics, and they've always had Philly having a pretty decent chance assuming they make it there. I think it's like fifty five to forty five between Celtics and the Sixers, which seems too optimistic for Sixers.
But what we shall see one of my favorite movies of all time once it. So you're telling me there's a that's right there? It is?
All right, Let's take a quick break we'll come back. We'll talk about the Western Conference, and we're back, and I feel like we could do the whole rest of the episode about the Western Conference. I feel like we could just stop doing the Daily Zeitgeist for this week and just do the Daily Zeitgeist about the Western Conference. The Western Conference playoffs is just bonkers and super exciting. Again,
we're coming to you from the distant past. So the only series that has two games played as of yet is the Warriors versus the Kings. Kings up two to oh. Unfortunately, there's not much to talk about in that series.
Move on.
Oh wait, wait, I mean Game one was one of the best playoff games and my recent memory really cool to see Deer and Fox finally, you know, make his playoff debut and just do what he does to the two in a thirty eight points. Game two had some moments of controversy, is what I'm hearing?
What were those moments?
I don't remember anything, all right.
Mad don't made me stomp out of here? Man, Come on, now, stop the yard again.
This is this is one where I'm taking the anti uh Internet take here. But I don't think Draymond did that on purpose. Is like it's hard. It's so I guess it's not. That's a weird way of saying. I think what happened is he got his leg caught up and then did the thing he does where he makes his body do something crazy to try and emphasize that he's getting fouled, and it ended up being a stomp. I have not been like team Draymond in most controversies in the past, Like there have been times when he
has lined up the kick. You know, he saw where his eyes were like, all right, man, like what is going on? This one just felt like he what he was doing with his body is what he does whenever he feels like he's being fouled, and which is just to like kind of fling his limbs everywhere. And one of those limbs that happened to stomp.
You know, here's what I hear. Look. I remember watching the game and it was it was pretty testy from the opening tip, and I remember thinking to myself, I was watching Sibonis and Draymond specifically, and I was like, Oh, they're just getting a little chippy down there. You know, they're talking to each other, you know, you know, uh, non spoken verbal communication is being said I can read body language like, Okay, this feels like if this game
stays closed, something is going to happen. I did not know like all that was going to happen, but I'm like, man, it just feels like Sibonis is trying to go Draymond into one of those moments, and which is It's a brilliant ploy. It's a brilliant The playoffs are just about the the mental mind state of the game than it is the physical, if not even more so. When it happened, obviously, I saw it happened in real time, and I didn't know exactly what, you know, the totality of what it was.
And then I saw the replay, I'm like, ah, well, he did grab his foot. I'm like, but he did emphasize the stump. So it's like, I get it. I understand why he got kicked out of the game, but I also understand why some bonus got the tech. But I also hope that, you know, you know, when this podcast comes out, I hope Draymond is not suspended for game too, because I need the theater. I need the drama. Uh. We already saw what happened with Draymond when he got
suspended during the twenty sixteen Finals. He missed that Game five, and it quite literally changed the course of basketball history when he got suspended. I don't want that to happen here. I think the punishment was already doled out in you know, Game two, in terms of, you know, ejecting him from the game. But do I think the stump was intentional.
I don't think Draymond wanted to stomp on him, But I think Draymond went full Draymond and was like screw it and like so once he got in that mind state, like you just said, I gotta let people know that somebody is wronging me over here. The only difference is when he lets people know that he's being wrong, he's also super wrong when he's letting people know he's being wronged.
Yeah, gentlemen, that man a town stomped, Kurk Franklin stomped, stomped the yard.
That man absolutely tries to stop.
Drew Hill stomped the full jumping everything, all four of them, all three of y'all. No, he absolutely did that on purpose. But here's the reason. Here's the deal. Like, you don't suspend him for the postseason, you kicked him out of the game. That's punishment enough that that right there is punishment in itself. And let's be honest, they'll be watching him. So if he does anything wild, you know, moving forward,
that'll take care of itself moving forward. But I gotta be honest with you, while you know, I completely understand and you'll understand where you're coming from Jack and giving him the benefit of the doubt kind of like the comment that I made earlier about you know, folks not giving doctor benefit of a doubt because of confirmation bias. Look, man, I've heard your records before, Draymond. I heard how you sing, I know your voice, you did it, and that's cool.
But I'll also just compare it to this. It's kind of like remember the vaunted play where Shack Drop steps on Chris Dudley and then he winds up pushing him down. If you look at that play, Chris Dudley went in shocked, you know, dunks and raises his legs. He grabs him and pulls him, you know, pulls his body into him a little bit kind of put and then Shack decides, well, no, now, I'm just gonna have to ragdall you and decides to push him. Yeah, he got we he deserved because he
was playing a dangerous game. That's kind of what happened, you know, in that situation and just and the only reason why it matters more now is because it's a postseason is because of Draymond.
Yeah.
No, for sure, I've always thought that the shack dunk on Chris Dudley was purely accidental. You didn't see him. There's one of the funniest moments in NBA his truly.
I remember that Sunday. Here's Shaq.
Against Gudley.
Tequil O'Neil was so powerful on that move.
That Dudley Dudley because not even famine. He just got overpowered by Shaquille O'Neill.
But Dudley without jowing with Shaq and threw the ball in his direction.
Man, if you want to pick somebody to go with, you go right to the head.
Of the class when you go after Shaq.
So, Warriors, Kings, the King's up too.
Oh.
I think a lot of people when we recorded last week, we were heading into the playoffs, and a lot of people were picking suddenly picking the Warriors to come out of the West, which I was a little bit confused. By because they hadn't been able to win much on the road this Watching the first couple of games, the thing that keeps jumping out to me is that we're a King's team that is great offensively, struggles to say the least defensively, but have done a good job so
far in the playoffs. This is actually not a bad draw because you've got a team that relies on shooting threes, and shooting threes is like such a streaky thing that can just change. And like, after Game one of that series, I was like, Okay, Like that was awesome to see the Kings win that one, But I feel like the Warriors are going to come back because they just missed a lot of open threes in that first game, and they won't miss them any open threes in game two.
But that's the thing about being a three point shooting reliant team, and like, so that's why it might be a pretty good draw for them, even though everybody was kind of saying that it was the worst possible draw.
Also too, you know what I've noticed through two games of this series, Man Mike Brown is coaching circles around Steve Kerr right now. It is It's ugly yeah, he's he's obviously, you know, he coached Cleveland back in the day, during the early Lebron days, and you know, he's always
been a defensive minded coach. So when you have a defensive minded coach with such a great offensive team that they really compliment each other because you know, you don't really have to do too much work on the offensive end, is sure up things on the defensive end. And we see that, like I see Sacramento making more defensive adjustments than I do Golden State at this you know, at this very moment. Of course, you know, the things can change on a diamond. Who knows how this series may
actually end. But in Game two, I expected Sacramento to come out with the urgency as if they were the ones down oh one, because they understand and they know if we go up too oh, which you know, of course they eventually did, if we go up too oh, that means Golden State has to win four out of the next five, and that is that's a hard ask for anybody. I don't care if you're the defending champion
or not. And I read a stat earlier today where it was like Golden State is the fifth defending champion in history to go down two to ohero in the next postseason, in the first round, in the first I think in the first maybe in the first round, I think, I guess in the first round. Yeah, all four of the previous team's lost, Three of the four got swept.
So game three, yeah, And I was about to say in the Oracle, but you know what I mean, Game three in San Francisco and Chase, it's not a perfectly to say that, like it's one of the most important games in this current iteration of the Golden State Warriors as we know them, because if you go down O three, I mean, even with Steph, even with Clay, even with Jordan Poole, that's it. I mean, you're not beating that Sacramento team four straight times. So Game three, it would expect,
I expected to be one of the most intense. I expected to be one of the most passionate, and I expect to see a level of desperation in Golden State that they were not expecting to tap into in the first round. Maybe in the second round, definitely in the Western Conference finals or the finals if they were to make it there. But they out I think Sacramento, they smell blood in the water. They know how important this
Game three is, so it's going to be very very interesting. Again, I was about to say oracle again, Chase.
Just like going back to the five point thirty eight like, because that's the analytics app that is easiest for me to look at right now. The teams that I've been surprised how much and how little the wins and losses so far have affected things. They still have the Warriors with a fifty percent chance of winning this series and they're down two to oh, that's crazy. Whereas the Bucks going down one oh, they only have a fifty two
percent chance according to them, of winning that series. So like they're they're seeing something in the Miami series, whereas like with the Warriors, they just expect them to come back and pull it off.
Let me ask this, do we believe in there? Like I understand that you know like that that the odds are there or that they're but do we believe that? And the reason why I ask that question is it's difficult enough to beat a team four times in a calendar year, but now you got to beat them four out of five, and I recognize, like this is this is the Dubs, this is the Warriors. We've seen, we've
seen their exploits. There's a desire to believe, But do you act, like, say, justin, do you actually believe that the Warriors is gonna come back and win the series?
Would it surprise me? No? If they want the series, do I expect them to No? For that exact reason, bro, four out of five times four you gotta win four times and basically a week and a half against the same team who hopefully will be making adjustments. And look, they're the Warriors, man, They've been there, done that, bought several championship t shirts along this run. So I'm not counting them out at all. But if they lose Game three,
this series is over. Yeah, we're doing This series is over, man, And it's just a matter of how many games would it be? With it be four, would it be five? Because let's just say they win Game three, Sacramento wins Game four, Sacramento goes back to you know, Golden one up three one. I don't see how Golden, who has been an awful, historically awful road team this year, suddenly cuts it on in that arena at that time with that much momentum going against them, So.
Golden State's record on the road eleven and thirty this season. Their home record also went compared to that, thirty three and eight, like incredible, one of the best home records
in the league. But we talked about this a lot during the regular season that like the West, when you looked at like the win loss on the road was like really bad for almost every team except the Sacramento Kings twenty five and sixteen on the road, So they they got it done on the road, unlike basically every other Like even the Nuggets were nineteen and twenty two, they were sub five hundred on the road. The Kings had a really solid record on the road, so they
traveled well this season. We're going to see if it holds up. But like that Game three is going to be I don't know, very intriguing, you know.
How sometimes the stage you can tell when it's going to be too much for like a young team, especially a young team that has never been in the playoffs, like the Sacramento Kings. I don't really see their heart punk cooler like that. I think the Aaron Fox will get up for a moment like that. I think Malik
Monk would get up for a moment like that. And again we talk about this two one one theory, like it would not shock me to see like a random Trey Lyles game in Chase Harrison Barnes, Like Harrison Barnes, going back, going back to Golden State. You know, Golden State has talked about we don't panic. We've been through all of these situations. Now's the time to panic, my friends, because Game three is a must win, is a must win. Your season is on the line in Game three. That's
that's not being hyperbole. That's not me trying to like hype the moment up more than what it is. This is it for the Golden State Warriors, especially Golden State Warriors with Draymond Green, because I don't think many people expect him to be back on the team next season. So like it, history feels like it's happening in real time right now. So I just hope the Golden State Warriors treated as such and don't just go into it like, oh, we're four time champions, we can cut it on whenever
we want. No, you can't.
Yeah, it turns out you can't, because I think you would have him game two, Yeah, if you wanted to and you lost by even more, how do we feel about the other series? I mean, Sun's Clippers is gonna there's gonna be another game by the time people.
Listen to this.
Same with Lakers and Grizzlies. Lakers and Grizzlies, that was the game one that showed me the most. I think we've been We've been watching talking about the Lakers a lot of this podcast, but like seeing the Lakers put it together at the moment that mattered the most. On the defensive end was pretty impressive and on the offensive end. That was another one where it's like, all right, we got our Ruie game.
Got the game way in game one. Man, that's credible.
I mean, but you could easily call that ad game because of how dominant he was on the defensive end.
And that's what it comes down to, man, with the Lakers, the defense. Since they made those trades, they've been one of the better defensive teams in the league, like top two or top three, you know, in terms of defense. It all comes down to health, and in particular the health of Lebron James, but really in particular the health of Anthony Davis. When Anthony Davis had that stinger in his arm and we all saw him mouth I can't feel my arm. I think every Lakers fan in the
world was like, damn, that's it. And that's not a fun place to live in if you're a Lakers fan, because this team has the talent to win the championship, but you just always feel like, man, is the shoe gonna drop off the other foot? Like that's a really traumatic and problematic way to be a fan. But being a fan is traumatic. So it's really all about the
defense with this team, the defense and health. I think Anthony Davis if he remains healthy and prayer for le he remains healthy, because you know, I've been reading up on what the last couple of years have done for his like his mental health. You know, people can crack jokes on like social media, but this is a dude who still feels all these things, like he don't want to get hurt. Anthony Davis doesn't want to miss thirty
games here and there. So I hope this is a prove it postseason for him in terms of just health. But uh yeah, man, that's the thing with the with the with the Grizzlies. You know, I love the Grizzlies, but you got you gotta watch what you ask for. Man, I'm talking about Dylan Brooks here. Oh, you know, like you're already shorthanded when it comes to your big men. Brandon Clark is gone for the season, as Steven Adams isn't coming back this season. So now you basically just
have Jared Jackson Junior out there. You gotta pray he doesn't get in foul trouble. So we'll see what happens with this series. But if you're the Lakers, you're not necessarily concerned about a game plan. You're concerned about the injury report. Yeah, and trying to keep that as bear as possible.
Justin you hit it on the head. I can you straight up as a Lakers fan, you find you what you have to do is you have to just come to terms with he's gonna get banged up at times and you just hope it's not bad.
Yeah, it really is that simple.
But when you know to your point, when he's in there, and I'll just make this point before you go to the next series, jack when he's in there, he's the most destructive force on the defensive end, and and I honestly think I recognize he's been injured off at different times in his career. But if we look back at the end of his career and he doesn't have a Defensive Player of the Year, much like Tim Duncan never
won one. I think it's a travesty and just an absurdity because when he's right, they're in the mix in any conversation.
Oh yeah, yeah, for sure.
Russell's played well since being acquired by the Lakers as Van drives, but he struggled along on a plot by Davis, swats it off the backboard Tillman fakes. Now he goes right to Davis. Another block for Davis. The average two per games are the regular season. Aldama's also in now for Memphis, Jackson Jones blocked by Davis.
That's block number three already.
When I've been played nine minutes.
All right, and the other series, let's take a quick break and we'll come back and talk. I mean, broad strokes, Suns Clippers will be right now, and we're back and Game two of Sons Clips tips off in a matter of hours. So that's where we are. We are chronologically disadvantaged. We don't know exactly what's happened, but game one was very interesting. I think surprised a lot of people who had the Sons coming out of the West, surprised a lot of people who gave up on Westbrook. Me never me.
I've always from day one, I say, you can shoot three of nineteen and still be the best player in the game coming down the stretch. There were a lot of times when he was doing these sorts of things. At the end of the game, he would just also take a terrible shot that would ultimately lose the game for the Lakers. And this was best of both worlds.
He did the things that affect the game and then took only like one or two really terrible shots and got to the free throw line and made them either side. Paul gets it in. Here's Booker suns down three on the break. Here in Game one, Booker taking off west Brook, a block.
By Westbrook and it frozen off a Booker.
It is Clipper ball. Want to play Russell Westbrook? Did this show you enough that you're off the suns on the Clippers? Or how are you guys feeling?
This is one of those series. I won't rush the judgment off Game one too much because I feel like all the key components are still there. Sayings Paul George. We knew he wasn't going to be there going into this series, whereas you know Lakers and Grizzly's we don't know the extent of Jah's injury and we know how much that changes the complexion of that and so on and so forthwar with others, but with the Suns, you I would hope going in the game too, that here's
a novel concept. Get Kevin Durant the ball, and get him the ball a lot because good things Durant that there should be no reason why he has a disappearing act in the first quarter because he's not really getting the ball, and then in clutch time in the fourth quarter he's not really getting the ball, but everything in between he gives you twenty seven, nine and eleven like
he can do that with his eyes closed, Phoenix. If you have Kevin Durant on your team, which you do, get him the ball in any type of scenario, good things will happen. And I hope that's the adjustment that Minnie Williams and his crew makes in Game two, because you know, we got Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant. This is a generational type matchup and it doesn't really happen
too much. I think that there's a really good piece on ESPN dot com about that right now, just about the legacy of having these two go at it, and like, these are two of the best players of all time. Kawhi definitely a two way player and Kevin Durant you can make the argument he may be the greatest offensive player of all time. But I hope there's a commitment
to this. Phoenix has so many weapons on offense, and I get that, yes, you should divvy the ball around, but when it's winning time, get the ball to your guy. And that guy is KD Trey five.
I'm wondering, do you guys, I mean, this may be just an obvious yes, but you know, how much do you think it plays in there seemingly having to figure it out on the fly just because he wasn't in that lineup, you know, on the stretch of the season, because I saw a rotation out there where it was Devin Booker and none of the other guys. And that's no disrespect to NBA players, y'all know what I'm saying.
I didn't quite understand how you have you know, KD and you know, Chris Paul, and you're not staggering a you.
Know, someway.
But to that point, I came into this absolutely thinking Phoenix would win it. I did not factor in the battle on the bench is enough in my estimation because quite frankly, and it's not taking anything away or it's not a shot at money Williams. But what Tyler has shown me is that he's a master and absolute master at game planning as well as adjusting.
And you know, I think I was gonna say my two big takeaways from game one is like Kawhi still has it. I slept on how good he still is even though he's you know, a little bit older and didn't play that much for the previous Yeah, exactly. But the other big takeaway Tyleru is just such a great coach. Underrated.
Tyler is incredible man. And Jabbar you mentioned in terms of like end game adjustments. I don't know if there's any better coach than Tyler, so I give him any chance I get to give Tyleru all the credit in the world. I will give Tyloo all the credit in the world. And Jabbar you mentioned something too, just in terms of yes, Phoenix has the stars and the offensive higher power. They also gave up a lot of stuff in that trade to get Kevin Durant, but they still
have the firepower there. But there's a familiarity with the Clippers that's not there with the Suns. Yes, they've only played eight or nine games with Kevin Durant, Whereas this is the most basketball we've seen Kawhi Leonard play in what two three seasons, and I believe he played going into the playoffs. He played I believe thirty two of
the last thirty seven games going into the playoffs. So there's a consistency there within that offense even without Paul George, because it's like, okay, well until Paul George gets back, here's how we're going to funnel and facilitate the offense. And of course it goes through Kawhi and you saw that in Game one. Kawhi like he doesn't have the prettiest jump shot in the world, but I swear every time he shot it just goes in. Like it like that little line drive shot that like Kobe used to
have in the early parts of his career. I'm like, it's not going in, but when it goes in, every time and Kawhi is one of the best big game players that we'll ever see in basketball. So where a lot of people were saying, like, oh, I want to avoid the Suns in the first round. I don't really talk, but if you try to really go inside of his head, cool, I didn't really care who he's playing basketball, bro, and it shows. So who knows what's gonna happen in Game two except y'all that are listening.
His shot has so much backspin on it sometimes I'm afraid it's going to like create a wormhole and go back in time.
It's because his hands wrap around the ball.
Yeah, yeah, he couldn't. The fact that he couldn't shoot at all when he came into the league and is now this good a shooter is you know, it gives Ben Simmons fans like myself hope that will never.
I don't know if that's gonna happen.
Get trade to the Spurs. That's what Wolves, Nuggets. The Nuggets looked amazing Game one. I still think the Nuggets are slept on a little bit, uh, just because everybody's too excited about all these other series with the bigger stars and the Nuggets are terrifying.
Yokich wasn't even at its best, and I think he fouls out in that game and they still blow him out by thirty Yeah, like, no disrespect, but all disrespect.
I'm hoping that series is not one of those series that's like, why are you at game six right now? Why did you just close this out of game four? Like, yeah, let's let's not prolong this. We already know how this is going to end.
Yeah, yeah, I mean I could see them taken at least one because Aunt has still not really done anything, and yeah, sure that's happening at some point. All right, rapid fire. This is just the fastest segment in podcasting. First thought, best thought, Jabar, you want to kick us off?
All right? You ready?
Oh well, you're just gonna take it like that. You're not even gonna oh.
Well, I mean he look, we're usually like no, you go no, Justin, do you have a preference as to who asks you the question first?
No?
No, I'm secure. Wow, okay, fine, Jack, all right, you gotta are you sure?
I'm certain?
It just seemed like you really needed this one. All right, No, that's cool, all right, Justin? Is there a single NBA player you would take right now over the chance of taking Victor Webbing Yama with the first pick this summer.
It's currently in the NBA right now. Yes, I would say probably the only one that I would take. It's probably honest.
That's everybody's answer.
That's been the answer. But the fact that it takes people as much time as it does is so crazy. Because Wemby Yama like that's as well. I think that's the right answer too.
It is like we can be real about that.
But outside of him, no, give me Wimby.
Yeah, I mean, I think like Jokich has been pretty good.
I guess.
Uh, he's one two m vps and a and he's pretty young still.
But just what Jack is doing is this is supposed to be rapid fire. He is prolonging it, waiting for you to stop him.
Oh, what I was saying was really interesting, but you go ahead, Jabari.
Well, for the record, officially it was very interesting, Jack, I want you yeah, all right, but keep it going, all right? What is your favorite NBA city to visit and what is your must have meal in that town?
Ooh, my favorite NBA city to visit would probably be it's my favorite city period in New Orleans. Yeah, and first place I go to whenever I go to New Orleans, I gotta go to Drago's and get the chogger rolled oysters. Yes, please, I have to. I have to. Mm hmm, Okay, New Orleans.
I'm What is your boldest postseason prediction for this year?
The Knicks mess around and make the conference finals.
Wow.
Hey, if.
I could see that, I could see that path.
Man. Look, Jalen Brunson is a beautiful When I say this, I don't mean this as any disrespect, you know, and in football, when you call somebody a game manager is like a step down for a quarterback. I think Jalen Brunson is one of the greatest game managers in the game today. I love his game and I don't think he's scared him. We see how important of a player he is. Look where Dallas is right now, and look
where the Knicks are right now. So yeah, my boldest prediction, the Knicks make the Eastern Conference Finals.
We've talked before about teams having like gravitational equilibrium, like where like you know, Lebron for a certain run of his career, just any team he was on was going to be in the finals. That was just like where he goes, well maybe Jalen Brunson. It turns out he just wants to be in the conference finals one way or another. That's where he's gonna end up.
Kind of like one way, he's gonna get you there. He's not gonna talk a lot, but he'll get you there.
Yeah, that's that's pretty cool. And he has been awesome to watch this season.
All right, this was for the money. This is where this is the one that matters the most. Okay, Jack, where Jabari the one who starts their name with the letter j M including myself.
Oh yeah, so we're all winners triple J. We are the defensive player of the year. Yeah, yeah, that's right.
I can't pick between y'all because I want to come back on the show man and I'm not trying to create any bad blood and burn some bridges out the door.
No bad blood whatsoever.
I understand pick Jack.
I'm still going to ask.
You very close to lifetime ban, sir.
I don't need that, man, I love it too much. Here.
Well, it was great having you as always.
Thank you fellas.
Where can people find you? Read you?
All that stuff you found me on social media? It's very easy to find me. It's actually my name at Justin Tinsley at Twitter, on Instagram. You read my work on The Aandscape dot com. You can see me on Around the Horn at least once a week. I'm a regular panelist on there on ESPN daily for a few episodes and one of the rotating hosts that they have on there now that Pabulo Torri has since moved on to bigger and better things. Yeah, that's that's where you
can find me. I'm always around, though, I try to stay as active as it can.
Nice. Well, thank you so much.
Make sure you check out Lebron's Power please. It's fantastic series. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I appreciate that that.
It's a series that definitely got going on at ndscape dot com that examines Lebron's impact off the court just in terms of variety of fashions. So it's been really fun working on that series throughout the entire season. I'm glad the Lakers turned it around because for a while I was like, man, they're really going to miss the playoffs and I got this whole like dope figures going on a battle, but hey love, hey, look guy, watch over babies and fools, and I ain't been a baby in a long time, so.
I love it all right. Well, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at mad Boosti's that is going to do it for us. This week, go watch the NBA playoffs. We'll be coming to you with a quicker turnaround going forward, so you can look forward to that. And we're back next week. Bye bye.