Draymond Green Show - Playoff Weekend 1 Breakdown

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What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. As I said to you Offer four, We'll be checking in with you guys through out the playoffs, giving you my opinion on some of these games, some stuff to look for, different matchups that could be exciting, the games within the game, So.

Makes sure you keep tapping in here.

I also make sure you are subscribed to our YouTube channel, as I may go live during the game.

You can watch me watch a game.

You can get my thoughts, my natural thoughts on the game, whatever that is. So just make sure that y'all locked in tap into that week one of the playoffs. I thought it was very interesting and boring that no series started. What do I mean by no series started. As you know, there's an old cliche a series doesn't start until someone goes and win on the road. In all eight home games the home team won would suck. Now, ironically, a

So we will get into that a bit.

But as I said, no series has really started because no home teams won. So we had Anthony Edwards over the Phoenix Sons, and well Anthony Edwards in the Minnesota Timberwell was over the Phoenix Sons. And I said something to you all about that series last week that I think will need to happen. And when I walked away from that game today, what I said to you all is going to need to happen more.

So we're gonna get a little further into that.

Everyone is talking about the moment where Edwards had with Kdi. He had him on the left wing, sized him up, hit the Tracy in his face off the dribble, which gave him a sizeable lead. I think it put them up eighteen at that point, fifteen or eight team at that point, and was talking and had everything to say that he'd been having to say. And that was a moment. That was a very interesting moment because as I told you all, I think Anthony Edwards is poised to be that next guy.

He wanted to be that next guy.

He's telling you he that next guy, and he going to play like he that next guy. And I think it's something special to say when you are as good or when you are good enough to say I'm better than you and y'all old and all of the things that Anthony Edwards says, and then he goes out and prove him. Now, I saw something the other day that that made me like I kind of really been all in on Anthony Edwards since since day one.

Thought he was a special talent. Since day one.

When I say day one, I'm going back post or you know, pre drive, I thought he was special. Going to Clutch Pro Day, I remember that first year Clutch ever did their on their pro day on TV Anthony Edwards and so I personally been high on Anthony Edwards. But Anthony Edwards did something yesterday or two days ago and it had absolutely nothing to do with the game. A little bit to do with the game, But I always liked to watch the game within the game, and

A lot of nights that guys are just.

When you're playing for a championship year in and year out, a lot of Knights that guys are just tired, don't have it because it's the same thing over and over again. You need some eighty two night guys that's gonna step up for you on those nights, that can give it to you those nights. But those eighty two night guys, when they're specifically an eighty two night guy, they don't play in the playoffs.

They can't play in the playoffs, ready for the playoffs.

And it's a lot of guys out there, some of you, some of your favorite teams, that's eighty two night guys, and now they're in the sixteen sixteen game time in the sixteen and they don't know what to do. Some of your favorite players, some of the star players on this team are eighty two night guys, not necessarily sixteen.

And so Anthony Evers said fifteen more.

I said, oh, he differed because he been in Minnesota rotten right, Like Minnesota has not had a good go at it for years and they've turned that around. But for him to already be thinking like, oh, fifteen more man, I mean, these boys been talking about winning the championship and he's standing on that fifteen more after Game one,

Is the most important player in the series.

For the Timberwolves, Kyl Anthony Towns could have still been out. Anthony Edwards still was gonna be doing this. Make it a lot harder for them to be the Phoenix Suns with Kyl Anthony Towns out.

But Anthony Edwards is the man.

However, Anthony Ever's telling y'all in the media, Yo, the media, Yo.

He the guy go over there and focus on him. So what does the Phoenix Suns do.

They come out the gate with Kevin Durant on Kyl Anthony Towns. As I told y'all before, Brad Bill is a good defender. Brad Bill sitting down, check, he guard, he compete like.

I love that.

And this will go for some other guys that we're gonna talk about in this second. But it's a reason God start putting long wings on these guards. The shot making ability is too crazy. This ain't two thousand, This Saint nineteen eighty four. This Saint the eighties and nineties where guys were great. Don't get me wrong, but the shot making ability today it's way more complex than it used to be. And that's why God started putting it. The shot the shot creating ability, I should say, it's

Steph is small, not carrying as much weight, Limbs is different.

You see these guys still playing at an insane level, which they are. But once you get to that age, you can only do it in spurts. Al La Damian Lillard last night. Great First Half can give you that in Spurts, which we'll talk about that as well, But so with KD can't give you that forty eight minutes straight every night, although it helps their in the playoffs. That you get those days in between. It's impossible both

That has to be his matchup.

And what Phoenix has to do is they have to rely on Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen. You're gonna have to hear some shots and they're gonna have to rely on those guys to carry the load offensively. Because to ask Kevin to go try to lock up Anthony Edwards and then go carry the load on the offensive end.

He in year eighteen and they happening every night.

He may give you that one night, two nights of a series, but he can't give you that every night because the years are getting up there.

Man, the legs is different.

And what you need Kevin Duran for us to say, Kay, we need you to go stop him. We need you to go stop him. Don't worry about the offensive end. If you get some stuff in the flow of the offensive end, great. I know this is like, oh, man, that's Kevin Durant. You should never tell me. But k capable of doing that defensively, and Devin Booker capable of carrying the Lord offensively. So is Bradley Bill. Grayson Allen just got that extension. He got to make these shots

Kids A Winner.

You gotta play these sixteen You gotta hit shots, especially this series. Kay, if you get stuff in the flow, cool, But we're not about to depend on Kevin Durant on the offensive.

Man.

We need him to lock down defensively tonight. That's the role we need in this series. So when I said that at the beginning of the series. I still think that's true. And you know what, it ain't called Anthony Towns. That's winning you this series as Anthony Edwards and you need to go put Kevin Durant there. So that's Minnesota. The New York Knicks take the Philadelphia seventy six ers in a game where Joel and Bid in thirty seven minutes was plus fourteen. In the eleven minutes he was

I'm feeling right about that. Who's gonna stop Joel?

But to me, eleven minutes that Joel was out, how many minutes you're gonna play him. He's still coming off that knee injury. What Philly's gonna need is they're gonna need a better MAXI for forty eight minutes. Because that team that I was talking to you all about that didn't have Joel anymore a couple months back, like all they might be cashing it in when they kept Gotrier Patrick Beverley, Nick Batuoam had a game in that playing game he gave him more than he was supposed to,

I can't just.

Say that got shots gotta go in and D'Angelo Russell scored. They need a better Austin Reeves, you're on the Skotting Report now getting your bag now, gotta play better. But Danzel Russell make shots, Lakers win games. Danel Russell don't make shots, Lakers don't win games. That's the reason the Lakers was in the position that they was in talking about Danzel Russell on a trading block because they needed better Danchel Russell. Danseelo Russell on trading block showed up

Every night?

We know he's capable, but can you expect that? Can you rely on that night in and night out when guys are getting to the the number of years that they get into a d showed up, So it's on D low.

What did you What did you make of Darvin Ham's quote after the game he said he still has a he had a few adjustments on your on your kids that he's he's saving you. You've you've talked a lot about Game one being a feel out game of a series. Sometimes, what do you make of a coach saying I have some adjustments that I could have used in this game that we had a chance in, but I'm gonna save him for later in the series. I thought it was an interesting thing to say.

I think that's an interesting quote because the reality is you can't throw the kitchen sink at game one. You can't throw all your adjustments at game one thinking that's what's going to get you to win throughout seven game series. Now we'll get into this Milwaukee and Pacers game because I think they threw one of their adjustments too soon in a game that they had other no chance at winning because they were down thirty points at halftime, and they threw the one of their adjustments to kind of

Could have won.

That changes the series, especially, and that changes their confidence being that they've lost nine straight to the Nuggets, including four of those nine or last five of those nine

But to switch it the other way, like.

That's kind of throwing everything because where you go after that if Ad don't get it done, And so I think that's uh, I you.

Know, you don't throw everything in game one.

But that was a very winnable Game one for them in that first half and even in the third quarter, and they couldn't quite pull it off. It's gonna make it a lot tougher to get game two. A lot of these games you see been a blowout. Uh, these coaches in these blowouts are having a heart attack to winning teams. And these are these the winning coaches of

Ultimately, so we shall see Patress Bucks.

Patiss talked a lot after going four and five and zero in the regular season, including in season tournament. And the reality is Dame has something to say saying, you're having your moment, be humbled when you have in that moment. It was like like a gandhipot or some shit. It was very interesting when Dame said that, come full circle. Dan't go for thirty five in the first half.

Don't score in the second half, didn't really.

Need to score in the second half. But boy again we go back to these wings being on these guards them andrew them hardy compete. I've talked to about him on the pop before. Don't have enough size to game get guard Damian Lillard. I'm sorry, uh they Dame. Dame took his foot off the gas pedal in the in the first and second half, wasn't aggressive, wasn't trying to bring the ball up because he didn't feel like he

However, Dame is capable of that. Again.

We've seen Dame do that over and over again. And this is the best team even without Jannis. This is the best team that Dame has had. So Dame can go win you this series. Dame has actually played his best basketball all year when Jannis wasn't on the floor. So if I'm the Pacers, I'm a little word because I know what Dame's capable of. And yeah, it's only one oher and you're on the road, so you gotta go win one road game.

I get that, But I'm telling you Dame can do that again.

They're gonna have to put one of their wings with Lane on Dame andrewnimhard don't have enough lane. Dame is from the era where they started putting the guard the wings on the point guards.

So I know they did it years ago and all of that. But like.

I told y'all, I remembered CP coming to our best saying, dang, y'all putting six seven guys on me now like when Clay switched. I remember that, So I'm just take Dang from that era. So yeah, I like andrewering them.

Harden.

You may be, you know, having him guard Dane to take some legs away, uh, you know, and do all of that. He's picking up full court, but it can't be forty eight minutes and just Dame seeing him don't have enough length to buy the Dame shot.

The Pacers To go back to what you were saying before about sixteen game versus eighty two game. I don't want to have too big of an overreaction after just one game with the playoffs, obviously, but do the Pacers sort of feel like an eighty two game team compared to a sixteen game team. But the way that their offense is so built on speed and it doesn't feel like a playoff. I thought they don't have a lot of defense. They as a team, it feels like an eighty two game team.

ANYM might wrong there, one hundred percent.

They don't defend. Uh they haven't defended anybody all year. They had a one uh something I'm mistaken, a one forty to forty game this year in regulation. Took you one hundred and forty two points to win in regulation by two is absolutely insane. They haven't guarded all year yet. Their offense has been so high power. And I like some of those young guys that got on that team, but as I said to start this series, you got to defend when it comes to playoffs time.

You can't just run in transition.

You're gonna have to execute in the half court because the other team is going to not just turn.

The ball over. This is the playoffs. They're not going to take a bunch of bad shots create shot turnovers.

So you're gonna have to execute in the half court and you're gonna have to defend in the half court either. You know, Yes, their offense was high power. Yes it was off the Sharts, Raytons, you know the numbers, but a lot of that was because they were just out running teams you got to execute.

Now that's a different thing, you know. And so.

I do think the Pacers are an eighty two game team, not a sixteen game team. Not overreacting to one game. I told you all this before, h but they can't make many adjustments to what they do. You're a running team and you don't defend. You're not changing that in game eighty four, eighty five, whatever it is. That is who you are. And so they're gonna just have to run and try to outshot them and maybe you win a game.

Or two in the series like that, but that ain't gonna get you the series. In my opinion.

Obviously, the Bucks need a great Damian Lillard each night with Alianna's I think Dame's capable of giving them that four times to win four games.

But yeah, no, I don't.

They are in eighty two games team, not a sixteen game team.

In my opinion. Clippers mass series that I think is gonna be great.

Kawhi Leonard does not play Game one and the Clippers blast the Mavericks.

I don't look too much into that. That's how the series is gonna be.

One thing for certain is I know, oh that the Clippers excuse me that the Mavericks were preparing for the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard. And when you go into a game preparing for a star, excuse me, preparing for a star and that star doesn't play, it's almost like you've prepared for a team that you're not planning against. So Dallas is now going to that game finding out the night before that Kawhi is out, and their game plan is set up for Kawhi to be out there. They

Well in the playoffs on the road.

Now you need them to be halfway decent so you can go still one in game two.

Don't play better at home, don't doubt that at all.

But this is your chance to go still one on the road to take home court advantage in the series that the Mavericks is favorite, they gotta go get it done.

I think they gotta go get it done this game.

Now, you got Kyrie Irving and Luca Dantics. You can always go win a row game even with Kawhi, But I think this is a great opportunity for them to go get it done. Russell Westbrook, still, I think is the key to that team, the energy that he brings. James Harden is capable of having a night like that. Uh you know, That's that's what you run into against these Slippers. Kawhi is out, James is capable of giving you a knight. Russ is capable of giving you a knight.

I think.

I think the clip what the Clippers excuse me, what the Mavericks can do is I think they can put Big Daniel Gafford on Terrence Man.

Terrence Man is a good defender. He's houlding their guys.

You play off him, plug off him, make him shoot.

He ain't want to look at the rim all year. Make him shoot.

They struggle with Zubaj and you put big Daniel Gafford on Terrence Man.

You just stand at the rim. Brother. If Terrence Man hit ten three is great, we should have lost, but he go guard him.

You gotta put somebody now on Zubach and you just front Zubaj with that guy and you play Daniel Gafford. Huh front and Zubah Zubos gave them problems. Now, Daniel Goffison rebound the position. Zubas had a lot of rebounds and Terrence You play Terrence Man off the floor. That's their defender. You play him off the floor, make things easier for Luca. He's picking them up full court every time.

I think you can do that. I think that's adjustment.

That that the Mavericks can make that may win you one of two games. I don't think that will win you the whole series because then they'll take Terrence Man out and you got to make another adjustment. But I think that's something that they can do for themselves, especially with Kawhi not in the game. It also helps you load up and be ready to double team Paul George and James Harden. Now you get James Harden off the three point line, you force into the rim because we

And so that's just a couple of things.

I see in that Clippers math series that could possibly be taking advantage.

Of for the MAVs.

If you Clippers, you're feeling good about game one, especially with no Kawhi, trying to buy time as much time as you can buy it better for Kawhi. So that's the Clippers and the Mavericks. Boston we don't even need to talk about that is not looking good for Boston.

I mean for the Heat, they need jim bad. I don't see the Heat winning the game without Jimmie Butler. Boston is too good for them without Jimmy.

So we're not gonna talk much about that, and I think that.

Is a rap. So as we move forward, the home teams that I got not winning.

Their next game is Clippers. I think the MAVs take Game two and get that series started. Boston will win. I think Philly goes in and get Game two, get that series started, and then I think everyone else goes up too. Oh, it's a big game for Minnesota. You do not want to go to Phoenix one one. You want to go to Phoenix two. Oh, rolling off the

There. That's a rap from this episode of The Draymond Green Show.

Hop in next later this week, we'll be chopping it up and buy more game Peace