The Draymond Green Show - Warriors Up 2-0 and a Rant About NBA Award Voting

fan duel sports book, makes it easy. What's up, everybody? Welcome back to The Draymond Green Show. This is our second episode, and first thing we want to do is say thank you for your support. For everyone support of the Steph Curry episode. It was incredible, UM. I mean the just the reception has been amazing, UM. And and I can't thank those that reached out personally, personally, UM, those that reached out over social media platforms and spoke

about how much they enjoyed the episode. I can't thank you enough. That's from me and and my producer Jackson. We can't thank you enough. Steph. If you hear this episode, we want to thank you again. I mean, it was incredible. I think we made magic. That's every time every time we sit down and we record this podcast, the goal

is to always make magic. And what's making magic. Making magic is bringing something to your headphones, to your car stereo, to your living room, wherever you enjoy your podcast at Making magic is something that you walk away from and say, damn, that was incredible. I enjoyed that. Um. Reaching out to somebody else, I think they need to hear this. That's making magic and every and that's what we strive for

every time we sit down and do this. When I you know, I've been very um speaking very openly about my goals and media and about my goals with the podcast, how much I enjoyed doing the podcast, and you know, I've I've spoke about how much this means to me, how important this is to me, and how great I want to make it and most importantly how great I want to be at it, and so uh, just to

receive that reception like it never goes unnoticed. I mean, it's something, it's you know, we all can work work, work, work, work, but ultimately, if you don't see results in your work, you know at some point you get defeated. And so I want everyone to know I don't take this for granted at all. Um, I don't think just because I'm Draymond granted basketball player that you're gonna want to listen to me. I take this very seriously and I can't

thank you enough such an incredible episode. With that being said, moving forward for us until the Warriors win the NBA Championship. UM, the which is, which will go through mid June. As we all know, we're gonna switch the podcast up also through a little teaser out there this week about the podcast and my interviews as well. UM, we're switching it up a little bit. The format will be different. I want to make sure, um that I can always fully

lock in on the playoffs. You know, I was talking to a couple of friends yesterday, and the reality is most people don't understand it's during the playoffs, like my family kind of takes a back seat. My fiance, she takes a back seat, my my children. I almost feel bad saying it, but my children kind of take a back seat. And the reality is during the playoffs, everything you're doing is to make sure that I'm ready for

this next game. That I have because one game changes one one play changes the game, one game changes a series reason, one series changes the outcome of your season, and so everything that you do has to be so locked in on the task at hand that ultimately everything ends up taking a back seat to that and what I what I can for you know, um, trying to coordinate schedules and all of those different things around our schedule can be a little tough. I've been super committed

to that. We've been super committed to making that work. However, during the playoffs, I want my focus to be strictly on the playoffs and bringing you good content. But the guest interviews are gonna have to take a back seat. They're gonna have to wait until until the Golden State

Warriors finished the mission and go in a an NBA championship. Now, Jackson on on this call is it's smiling as Jackson is a big time Boston Celtics fan, and so Jackson think they have something to say about that, which I'm totally fine with them having something to say about it. Ultimately, you have to stop it, but I'm totally fine with

them having something to say about it. So Jackson is definitely looking at me like I'm crazy right now, Hey, I mean when the Celtics and the Warriors meet in the finals, the schedule is still give me the same You're right, we are going to be putting the guest interviews on the back burner until mid June. The outcome for your season might be a little bit different than what you're describing when Robert Williams gets back, but hey, the scheduling is going to be the same as what

you're saying, So you're right. Meanwhile, we're still uh walking stuff back into the lineup. But yeah, no big deal, no, no big deal. No. But I hope, I hope everyone UM has the opportunity to enjoy these segments. Our goal is to put out a couple of segments a week, UM, so we still want to bring you the content. We still want to give you something to listen to. And this will be a little more about the playoffs and

things going on around the league. But uh, you'll get to catch some of the analysis, which I always think it's fun, UM. But don't worry the guests. We'll be at We understand and we know and we appreciate all of our guests, and that is a huge part of the show. So we're not ignoring that side, but right now it just has to take a back seat. I

want to again thank all of our subscribers are listeners. UM, I want to thank you and apologize, but but let you know we still hope to bring you heat and fire and we hope that you enjoy it and we appreciate your loyalty and we will continue to do all that we can to provide what you need on your ride to work, on your way home from work, to make that ride as smooth as possible. We will continue to give all that we got. Also with with with us with us, UM doing away with with the guests

interviews for now. Well, we're going to add to the show. Uh. It's kind of like a mail bad type of twists. UM. If you go on Twitter and you hashtag hashtag the drame on Green Show, Jackson and myself, we will find some of the questions and we will answer three to four questions per episode. Let's go four to five questions

per episode. UM, your name will be mentioned. I will let everyone know it's coming from you, and that's we would love your engagement to hear some of the things you may want to hear about going what's going on in the playoffs, what's going on in the Warrior series? Wherever we may be, UM, but your questions, we will be looking out for your questions. We will probably pick four to five a week, I mean four to five an episode, which is more like eight to ten a week,

and I will be answering your questions. And during the segments, UM, like I said, your at name will be mentioned, so we know who those questions are coming from. And you know, maybe the conversations from my answers to your question continues on your Twitter. Maybe I can chime in. I don't know, we'll see, but hashtag the Draymond Green Show with your questions, and we will be answering questions on every episode, kind of like the mail back episode we did a while back.

It will be a few questions along with what we're already doing. So in saying that the Warriors and starting are up to the zero on the Nuggets, what does that mean? Absolutely nothing. UM. That simply means we had to home games, we took care of home court, and that's just that. UM. We we don't want to make too much out of being up to old because the reality is as they always say, and it's so cliche, but the series does not start until the team wins on the road. And you know, now we have the

opportunity to go do that. So it's very important that we come out in game three with the mindset of this is a zero zero series. You know, all we did was take care of our home court and what we're supposed to do, and so the task is still the task. Job's not done. We understand that we have quite a you know, enough playoff experience to understand that being up to old means absolutely nothing. Hell, we understand that being up being up three one meaning absolutely nothing.

So you always kind of let that sit in the back of it head somewhere and and try not to lose sight of that, because, um, it's it's hard winning winning games in the playoffs series. It's even harder to close out a playoffs series, especially on the road. Again, we're up to oh, we have the opportunity to do that,

but it starts with game three. I think when when I look back at the first two games, um, you know, the one thing that sticks out in the one thing that everyone is talking about it is the new version of the deaf line. Up with with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. I must say it's it's been pretty successful of these first two games now and saying that, I think there are some things that that group can continue to get better at. I think there are some things

that that group will continue to get better at. Um. And the reality is those two games, that's our first time playing together all year. For it to work the way of work, I mean, it's very exciting because in your mind you figure you're only going to get better, right, Like you're gonna improve and you know, we'll cover up some things on the defensive end that we we possibly could have covered up, will continue to get better on the offensive end, and get more customed playing with each other.

Like those are all the things that you hope. But in saying that a very small sample sizing two games, I mean it's been absolutely incredible. Now, what's made it incredible, Well, Clay Thompson and two games and shot the ball well, um, and to be expected, like you expect Clay Thompson to shoot the ball, Well, that's who Klay Thompson is. Steph Curry. It's Steph Curry. Um. The first game back, you know

he was good. He was solid. Uh, he was really good and solid, but not quite You know what, what you don't expect from Steph Curry is good in solid. You what what we expect from Steph Curry is I don't even I don't even need to throw um words out there, you know what I mean? Like, what we expect from Steph Curry is what we expect from Steph Curry. Game one wasn't that, nord did I expect Game one

to be that? But Game two was exactly that. Twenty three minutes, twenty two minutes and fifty seven seconds, if I'm not mistaken, and he finishes with thirty four points. Plays an absolutely flawless game. I mean, he got off the ball, didn't turn I think he had two turnovers, didn't turn the ball over much as getting blitz. Then

that's making plays for the guys. I thought the way Steph Curry put pressure on the rim last night was absolutely incredible and it opened up the three point shot because if you watched the game, I think there you know, in their minds it's like we gotta take the three out of the game and all that. I mean, their entire defense was pressed up like they're pressed up there above the three point line. They're essentially trying to force

you to drive. Well, Steph Curry took those drives and then it opened the floor up, and it opened the three point shot up. So I thought, I thought, what Steph Curry came off the bench and did Uh he got us. He came off and got us settled in. I think they went up seven. Oh. Jordan Poole had his own five old run to kind of get the game settled down. But Steph Curry when he came in at the six minute market really just settled things down and really showed us how we truly wanted to attack

the Uh. Their their pick and roll coverage. Uh, we were able to figure out a lot and you know, they're pick and roll coverage was a little different, um than it was in Game one. They were you know, I think in game one we dissected them in the pocket. That's you know what, what's dissecting them in the pocket. That's me setting a screen for Steph Curry. That's me setting a screen for Jordan Pool. That's Otto Porter setting

the screen for Jordan Pool. And out once that guy rolled and you see the big who's guarding the guy who sets the screen UH, as well as Jordan's man pursuing once he's screened, then you roll and you open up and a guy drops that little past that's called a pocket pass. Because you're dropping it into the pocket, a pocket opens up, that's called a pocket pass. We

absolutely took advantage of them in the pocket. And so what I noticed immediately, and if you think back to the game, there was a lot of kickballs from them because what they made a concerted effort to do was take the pocket away. And so because of that, it kind of changed up their pick and roll coverage a bit, and we had to a jest and figure that out. I think once we figured it out, we were all good.

And it's not like we you know, we didn't really play out of the pocket much because they took the pocket away. But but our guards were great. Steph Curry came in and did what what he had to do. UH.

Andrew Wiggins was attacking the basket, which is great. You know, when you have a guy I think back to to Joe Dumarsum who is like a father figure my um and we've always talked about NBA basketball and he used to tell me Draymond you are on on your team, you always have to have a fence bender, like someone who's going to bend that fence over and over and

over again. And I thought that's what Wiggins has been these first couple of games, is he's been a fence bender where he's just been in the fence back, been in the fence back, and once he bends the fence back, then everyone else can come in and you can work behind the player, and that's when everything else starts to

open up. And so I think Wiggs, the way Wiggs has been attacking the rim has been incredible, but also the way Wiggins has been rebounding, and and no one's really talking about that, but that's what allows that newer version of the death line up to really work. You know, if I'm battling with joker Um, which is a tall task which we'll talk about, by the way, but if I'm battling him and I'm trying to keep him off the board, it's very hard for me to then go

get that rebound. And with Wiggins coming back in and rebounding, Clay Thompson coming back in the rebound, think Jordan Poole had four or five rebounds last night um, as we always say, we all know Steph Curry is a great rebounder that is very important into the into the small lineup working. And I thought Wiggins has been incredible with

his attacks on the rim. I thought he's been incredible on the defensive and he's been a locked Wiggins has been locked in like I've never seen Wiggins locked in before and and and and when I say that, I just mean like game plan, discipline, um in the fray, rebound in the basket. I mean it's been beautiful to see. And I mean the way he's stepping up to the challenge doing all of the little things, it's been beautiful to see. So that too, is what has helped that

line up. And then of course we get to the young sensation, most improved player, Jordan Pool, and what he's doing to defense is absolutely insane. And then you think of a defense having to prepare for Steph Curry, which is a nightmare, and then having to prepare for him twice, that's a totally different nightmare. And right now, that's what I see out of Jordan Pool when I'm out there playing with Jordan Pool, like the same little life hacks. If you will that I use when I'm playing with

Steph Curry to get him open. I'm starting to realize, I have realized are the same little life hacks I can use to get Jordan open. And it's in large part due to his skill set. And you know Jordan, as we all know, he went to the school on the highway from Michigan State University. Uh, no need to mention the school's name. But I absolutely hated him. I mean, he played against Michigan State. I get this kid out

of here. Like he never backed I've never seen him back down in a moment, and that dates back two then. Like I've never seen him shy away from a moment. He wants all those moments and it showed in these two playoff games. I mean, he got fifty nine points in two games. What is that? Twenty nine and a half point average a game? First two playoff games. That's a different thing. Like, that's a totally different beast. And not to be confused, he's out there running alongside Stephen

Curry and Clay Thompson. That right there is intimidating in itself. You start talking playoff basketball, um, the accolades that we have and then you throw this young kid in there. I mean I say that with all due respect. And he's just out there running around and playing like like he's not playing next to Steph Curry and Clay Thompson, which is a very big deal because most people wouldn't know what to do in that situation. Most people would just be like, oh man, I'm out here with him.

I'm I'm gonna sit back. I'm gonna you know, get out the way. N har That's not what he's doing. He's like, no, I want more of that, Like, no, bring the ball over here. Oh man, they're scoring, they're on a little run, so so let me go get a layer. Like his floor game and what he's doing right now is that's what's most impressive to me than anything. It's not the shot making, like guys, there's a bunch of guys in the NBA that can make shots. It's not him getting to the whole of it's his floor

game that's been the difference for me. That's been absolutely incredible. He's starting to face double teams now and like all of that stuff is different from him. The way he's handling all of those things absolutely incredible, which leads me to another topic, as I spoke about earlier this week, the Most Improved Player award. Again, you cannot tell me that there's anyone in the NBA that has improved more

than Jordan Pool. Now, when I look at Degont Murray's numbers, absolutely incredible, incredible numbers, incredible jumps that he's made, I think I think he may have added six or six and a half or seven points per game to his points game average. Um, I think he doubled his assists output or doubled his rebound output. It's one or the two. He doubled. He went from five point four assists per game to nine point two exactly. Like I don't I don't this agree with dejon Ter Murray being in that

conversation and possibly being the winner. I don't disagree with that one bit. I totally disagree with John Morant being a part of the conversation because John Morant, to me, is a part of the m VP conversation. Now, whether he ended up a finalist or not, that's neither here nor there. John morn is a part of the m

v P conversation. The reason John Moran is a part of the the m VP conversation is in large part due to the year he had last year to where everybody's looking like, oh man, if he continues on this trajectory, he's an m VP candidate and that's what he's done. So for him to be a part of the Most

Improved Player conversation, I disagree with that. I like, to me, what that she's screaming out is almost a young MVP award, Like, Okay, Joker is gonna get the m v P or Joel is gonna get the m v P. But on that on that list, there are some younger guys who could be in that conversation, and John Moran is one of those guys. And to me, it's almost like it's it's it's a Young MVP award, not Most Improved Player Award. Now, I'm not taking anything away from John Moret and improvements

that he's made. I think it's been incredible. But in the same token, John Moran was the number two pick in NBA draft. Like, I'm sorry, but when you draft someone with the number to pick, doesn't always happen, but you expect them to be that good. That's why you drafted them with the number to pick. Because if you drive someone with the number to pick. That's supposed to be a guy that you can now build your franchise around. So John Moran supposed to be this good. Jon Murray

was what the twenty nine pick? Again, I can't argue him being in that conversation. You look at who else is in the conversation. Darius Garland. Darius Garland. Who unless you just don't know basketball, you didn't see him on this trajectory. But I know basketball, and I knew when I went to see Darius Garland play USC in l A when he was at Vanderbilt, that this was the trajectory Darius Garland was gonna be on. If you didn't, you need to question your basketball cap, which a lot

of these people do. I think. I think the voting system is it's it's one of those things that's completely ridiculous and like outdated. Right, there's no criterion in place for any of these awards. There's no you have to play this amount of games or not. There isn't Well, what makes someone the most improved player? There's no criteria in place in MVP award, there's no criteria in place. We've seen God winning seven of his team in seven. We've seen guys winning team in first Joker wins it.

This year's teams in six, Joel wins it. This year his team was what four from the four from the East. I don't really like. It's actually a shame that there's no criteria to this. The voting on it is also

a shame. I think when you look at voting for All NBA, when you look at voting for defensive Player to your Most Improved Player m v P. Ultimately these things are voted on by the media, which I think is absolutely disgusting because these are human beings that could have personal issues against guys, because that does happen, because let's face it, these are human beings, and they ultimately end up deciding on like forty to fifty million dollars for guys like Jayson Tatum did not make All NBA

last year. He lost thirties seven million dollars. I think all because someone who's watching the game decided that he wasn't an All NBA performer. These are also people that don't watch every game. Like It's not like if you're a beat writer for let's say you work at ESPN, but you're covering the Golden State worries. You're not watching all of the Boston Celtics games. So how is it possible that you can't even say, oh, that you can

even say Jayson Tatum isn't all NBA last year. How is it possible that you can say Jordan Poole isn't the most improved player and you have not watched him play all year, nor did you watch him play all last year? How is it possible? And so there's a huge flaw in the system, and it's ridiculous that it hasn't been changed, especially with the amount of money that's

at stake. You mean to tell me someone who's upset at me because I didn't want to do an interview with them, Um can ultimately decide if thirty seven million dollars goes into my bank account or not. That's ridiculous. But it all goes back to the notion of what I've been talking about and how players are treated. Um, because the guy who works at Goldman Sachs Bonus isn't

decided by the employee. Uh, not the employee, the clients that are accounts they're working on, Like that client don't then call the CEO and say, hey, Um, John deserves a bonus, or somebody from CNBC doesn't call and say, hey, Jamie Diamond, um your employee, he he deserves a thirty seven million dollar bonus. That doesn't happen. But however that still happens to be the case in basketball, and I don't understand it. Like we're we're past the days of

of guys not understanding business this. We're past the days, uh of guys being completely oblivious two what's going on in their profession, how they can make money, the things they can do with that money. We're past those days. The fact that the power of these awards, the power of these are NBA teams are still decided by someone who could have never possibly played basketball day in their life, which means there are things going on in the game

that you just can't see. You will tell you how I know there's things going on in the game that you just can't see. I absolutely love football. I watched football so much. I enjoyed watching football more than I enjoyed watching basketball. I watched football religiously since a child. I feel like I know a lot about football. There's so many things going on during an NFL game that I miss that I don't know that thing is going on. You know why, because I don't have experience in doing

that thing. I don't have experience in doing that. So there's little games within the game that I don't even realize what's going on because that's not what I do. I study football, just like some of these people say they study basketball. As someone who's a part of the media, now, I think it's absolutely disgusting that at some point I may have a vote in deciding who Wednesday Defensive Player of the Year. I may absolutely hate Marcus Smart. You don't know that. How do you know I could not

vote for Marcus Smart because I just hate him. I don't hate Marcus Smart, but you get my point. I could absolutely hate him. Okay, so I'm thirty two years old. By forty I could have a vote. Guess what that means. A player that's in his first year being his ninth year, and if I don't like him now, I can then decide that I don't want to vote for him. It cost him forty million dollars. You think that don't happen now,

You can't possibly think that doesn't happen. A couple of years ago, I had the most floods first place votes. Not a couple of years ago when I lost to Kauai. I remember what year that was, but I had the most first place votes. Some guy left me off his entire ballot. Do you think that was a mistake or was it something else behind it that ultimately changes the complexion of my career. That's one defensive player of the Year I have. That could be the difference in Hall

of Fame or not. That's someone deciding that based off what merrite? Like what what? What is that based off? I don't get it, and it's shamefulness. I it's ridiculous that no one talks about this. That is just like, okay, you know why it's okay because of how we're viewed as athletes. That's the only reason it's okay. Because again

msn BC, they don't decide what Jamie Diamonds bonuses. So it baffles me that us as athletes are still decided by somebody from Bleacher Report, somebody from ESPN, somebody from blue dot com. I mean, like people create their own websites and become like these media personalities because they did a good job creating a website, then they ultimately decide someone makes forty million dollars. Not absolutely ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous,

And it's a shane that Jordan Pool. Not only will he not win Most Improved Player, he's actually not even in the top three, and he's actually the most improved player in the NBA. Kids out there looking like Steph Curry. Twelve months ago, he was on his way out of the the NBA. He's now in the playoffs, out there looking like Stephen Ordeal Ordelle, Stephen Curry the second. That's who

he out there looking like right now. And y'all mean to tell me a kid that was on his way out of the NBA twelve months ago is now out there mimicking and looking like Stephen Curry. With all due respect to stuff, we all know step changed the game in basketball. Jordan Poole, if you look at his twin two years old, we want our first NBA championship two thousand and fifteen, fifteen years old, you can't possibly think that kid is not going to the gym like, oh man,

Steph Curry shooting the shots. I'm gonna shoot the shot. So he's out there mimicking stuff. He's doing an incredible job of doing it. Twelve months ago, the kid was already almost out of the NBA. And he's not the most improved player. You're out of your mind. You are out of your mind. If he's not the most improved player, which he isn't by these ter ruble standards that we have to live by. He isn't. But you're out of your mind. And y'all wonder why I say basketball heads

don't know basketball. You clearly don't know basketball. You clearly don't know basketball. That's why I said I want to come help, say the media, because you're losing our credibility. People say stuff with no no, no repercussions, and just be talking, just to talk. Learn the game. Learn the game. If you're gonna do this job, learn the game because it's a beautiful game. It's been ruined, bodies, narratives, it's being ruined. Learn the game if you're gonna do that.

So I think I think it's absolutely ridiculous, and hope fully the NBA will realize, Hey, this is such an outdated thing. This needs to be changed. Whether some mix of players, whether it's coaches, whether there's some committee um that the NBA puts together. There's a bunch of things, and at this point it's just lazy. It needs to be changed unless we're gonna start allowing CNBC to decide who's getting a bonus at JP Morgan Chase. It needs to be changed. Stop looking at us like we're idiots.

We're businessmen too. It's probably trying to wrap our head around that. Okay, all of us are done. That's just the reality. So let's looking at that. The Celtics and Nets series one one game Man is by far the most exciting series of the year. Again, we'll see where it goes from here. But between Kyrie letting them fans that know exactly how he feels, which hurt Jackson Hart because Jackson would have been in the crowd getting all

of that from Kyrie. With Kyrie letting them fans know exactly how he feels while going out and scoring thirty nine points while doing that, that series absolutely incredible. Who on that game I forgot, you know, down down, down seventeen points, come storming back because you have two of the greatest offensive players to not only come storming back but actually take the lead, and then Boston have to

fight back to eventually get to win. But let's talk about this final play for a second, Jalen Brown caught that ball, and we all know Jalen Brown shooting that ball out of control. Whatever, no problem, Jalen didn't get to the baseline, realized I don't have anything. Spence Back settles down into the post. Beautiful surveys the floor. See Marcus on the left wing, wide open, skip pass swing it.

Marcus Smart shoots that shot ten times out of ten leading up to this year, He's shooting that shot twelve times out of ten leading up to this year. Marcus Smart shot things and drives. Jason Tatum, who goes on records saying I was just going to the rim to try to get a rebound, receives a pass from Marcus Smart, running full speed, has the body control and wherewithal to spin You know exactly where he is on the floor, have a terrible angle for the layup, actually make the layup.

It catches the front room and goes in basketball. Guys are alive and well. And what were they rewarded for. They were rewarded for Jaylen Brown not forcing up a terrible shot. That is growth for Jaylen Brown. That is the growth that has the Celtics in the position that they're in. That is the growth that had people saying you need to split those two up because they have not They hadn't seen it. No one has seen that growth. Kudos to Jaylen Brown. That was beautiful. Everybody thought you

were shooting that ball. That was absolutely beautiful. Kudos to Marcus Smart, who I've been praising his floor game. I mean Marcus Smart and what he's done for that team and being the point guard. See, no one says for all these years he could have possibly been playing out of position because guess what, when we all loved Marcus Smarten him coming to the NBA, what position to Marcus Smart play? Marcus Smart was a point guard. Marcus Smart was a true point guard, which is what we all

loved about Marcus Smart. He was a true point guard that could go score. Marcus Smart became a guy who wanted to go score and didn't really care about being a true point guard. Insert Email Udoka, insert Damon Damon Stodomer, insert Aaron Miles the point guard whisperer. Marcus Smart goes back to who Marcus Smart was playing point guard beautifully. Whole team changes, whole season changes, and then look at the results in game one. That's all a byproduct of

Marcus Smart. Are becoming the point guard that we all believe Marcus Smart was when he was coming into the NBA. And it's beautiful to see, absolutely beautiful to see those young guys figuring it out with the help of o g Ohad al Horford is beautiful to see. I gotta give a lot of kudos to them. Now, Kyrie and Katie, who are by far two of the most skilled guys in this league, by far, two of the best scores

we've seen. Right, They're incredible. My worry for the Brooklynness is those two guys have to play so well for them to win. That's hard, Like in a playoff series, everybody's focused on these guys. That's a very hard task to play that well all the time. But when you got those two guys, you always have a chance. And that's what we've been seeing as a late They needed to win games down the stretch, they leaned on those two guys. They needed to win a playing game, they

leaned on those two guys. They needed to get back in Game one, they leaned on those two guys. I think this series number one, this should not be a first round series. It is totally unfair to the Boston Celtics. It's totally unfair to the Brooklyn Nets that they are playing each other in the first round series. But as a fan of the game of basketball, I love it. I mean, it doesn't get much better than this in the first round. Um, congratulations to market Smart winning the

Defensive Player of the Year award, first guard since Gary Payton. Um. Absolutely amazing. And again, when you win, everybody wins. If the Boston Celtics were still having a terrible year that they started off having when they were twenty two and twenty two, twenty are in twenty three, whatever it was, Marcus Smart would not be a Defense Player of the Year. So just goes to show you how important winning is.

And for all those kids out there that may come across this podcast, you want to you're looking for a skill to master. You want to go master three point shot? Great, by all means, go ahead. You want to go master ball handling, by all means, be my guest. But the best skill anyone can master is winning, Because when you win, everybody wins. Awards start piling in, rings and championship trophy start piling in. When you win, money starts piling in.

Everything happens when you win. So if there's one lesson I can give to my young listeners out there, master the art of winning. That's more important than anything. And as you can see, Marcus Smart there's a testament to that. No one has talked about Marcus Smart in years. As far as defense Prayer of the Year a goos, they're winning boom first guard since Gary Payton. Absolutely incredible. I thought it was a shame that Bam out of Bayu wasn't top three. I'm not sure what Bam has to

do to get in the top three. Um, but it was a crying I mean, Shane that he didn't make the top three. I can go on and on about that, but I think we all know how ridiculous it is that Bam out of He's sitting first place in the East did not make the top three. Absolutely terrible. But Bam, I'm not sure what you gotta do, my brother. I think you, you and Joel need to sit and have a conversation and both figure out what y'all need to do, because, um, it just don't be adding up to me. Man, it

don't be adding up to me. I see Bam out of Bayou. I see him switch on the five. I see him be the catalyst of that defense, be the anchor to it. I see all of that. I see it, Bawn. I appreciate your defense, my brother. I don't know what you gotta do to get some recognition for it. Um, And you know, before we get out of here, UM, I just want to talk about a few guys that's caught my eyes throughout this playoff, these first few days of the playoffs. Jordan Pool number one, as I've spoke about,

Jordan Pool, has been absolutely incredible. Um, Tyrese Maxie has been absolutely incredible as well. I think he's the way he's playing off of James and the way he's playing off of Joel's great. I mean, what he's added to that team. It's making them a real contenders, a huge part of the reason they're they've been destroying Toronto these first two games. UM, gotta give that kid a lot of credit, a lot of credit. The way he's really come along over these first couple of years of his career.

Got to give him a lot of credit. The way he's showing up in his playoffs. I go back to MAXI, Maxie I've never seen a moment too big for MAXI I remember watching Maxie as a freshman go up against my beloved Michigan State Spartans, and I think, if I'm not mistaken, that that game was that masson Square Garden, this kid single handedly beat us. I mean he's hitting threes from like four, four or five steps behind the three point Like, who is this kid? He's single handedly

be my Spartans. I've never seen him shrink in a moment. Another one of those guys that irrational confidence loved the moment. Gotta get Tyrese Maxie a bunch of credit. I think

he's been absolutely sensational. I mean, and to do that again alongside Joel embiid Um, alongside James Harden, alongside Tobias Areas, you have to have some type of irrational confidence going on to just be like, yeah, I'm gonna just go do this, like yeah, no, I'm gonna go take this shot like I'm not looking for them, I'm gonna go absolutely incredible. So much props to Tyrese Maxie. Him and

Jordan pool Are. If I'm just going to name two, those are the two guys that jump out at me and their performances and what they've done, and then Kyrie Irving as well. I mean it was in a losing effort in a very tough game, but Kyrie was absolutely incredible. Kyrie the little big man with all the handles in the ratchet. I mean he's just putting guys on Kyrie putting guys on on his hip, on his shoulder, big by him and throwing left hand jump books like those

three guys. For me so far has been insane. Uh, it'll be fun to watch, and I'd be remissed if I didn't mention Jalen Brunson with his forty one point performance to beat the youth tall Jazz, says Luca Dante. I mean, that's that's the next level of Jalen. That's next level. I gotta get your problems. By the way, they put Maxi Claiber on the wing and allowed Rudy Gobert to keep funneling into the pain and just kicking the three and he goes a for eleven from three.

Kudos to Maxie. You deal what they put you out there to. Dude, brother, y'all gotta win. Hey, I'm not mad at one one. Yes, they were at home but I'm not mad at one and one. When Luca possibly returning the Game three, Game four, that's a totally different beast for you tah to have to deal with, So I'm not mad at that at all. I think Dallas should be thrilled with the position that they're sitting in right now. Um, and you gotta give a lot of

credit to Claibor and Jalen Brunson was absolutely sensational. So those are the guys that's caught my eyes h thus far throughout the playoffs. As I said, you know, these next a couple of months, there won't be guess interviews. I hope you all enjoyed today. I'm looking forward to later this week. But until then, Draymond Green, show peace.