We're back on the drive with ESPN's Dave mcmanimon joining us for today's NBA Daily Assist Alex Jensen five o'clock hour tonight, always appreciate his time. Hey Porter, real quick? Do you follow? Do you follow Dave mcminimon on Instagram?
I think so? I think?
So?
Okay? Has he ever.
Posted a photo uh thanking us for bringing him on and like saying, Hey, this is really cool. I've been doing this for years and Spence rules. Has he ever posted any photos like that?
You sell the Richien hit?
No?
I mean, I'm just saying, like, I like Richison, but I do too. You know, I think Dave is on Riches show once a year, he's on our show.
I'm just curious.
Did I miss a post of Dave saying Wow, it's awesome to be on Spencer's show again.
I know we've had Dave on rem I think we've had Dave like on site before. Have we had him in studio?
Uh? No?
But you know, I'm just wondering if if he holds rich Eison on a pedestal, then he doesn't really feel like I'm worthy of social media sharing.
Yeah, you may have a point.
I don't know Dave mcminnimon joins us a Thursday. What's the deal, dude? I mean I like Rich Eisen too, but I mean, come on equal time.
I would say in my recollection, when I made sure to go remote on site with you Journal Star weekend in Salt Lake City, your operation didn't have a cameraman there capturing the moment and then sharing that image with me so that I could then share with my followers. Had I received that japeg and not shared it, I think you would have a point. But I would have to say, like, you got to up your game. You got to start doing it like Eisen, so I can start promoting the show the same way.
Porter, Will you please hire a photographer before Dave gets off their so we could do it next time he's in town, just for Dave mc minnibe's next hit. Okay, thank you, sir. I kid Dave, obviously, I kid.
All right. Look, you know the deal man, You do this job.
You're in this ecosystem, and you've got to put the fan aside, which I try to do. But I have not been this excited about a New York Nick team truly in twenty five years, since the late nineties, right, I am still incredibly skeptical of their ability to get two more wins. That's just where I'm at. But where are you at with Nick Celtics after two games?
I mean, listen, they the Knicks deserve so much credit for the way they did not give up on either of those those games. Day one, Cavs and foul trouble didn't find a rhythm, bruntson caught a heater late and mckel bridges making every play they needed in overtime. And last night, you know, like just they never gave up once again. And you know, the Boston I'm not saying they're like an intimidating opponent, but they are very, very
good one. They're a worthy champion, and anyone who watched them this year, I think certainly they have the best level of play when they are at their best. But the Knicks are making it tough for the Celtics to play at their best. And man, the Garden's going to be insane for Game three. I saw Jared Smith said he's going to go there. He needs to be in
the building. You can imagine I'll surely be a parade of former Knicks there, you know, Patrick Ewing going up to Boston for these games, but you know Pat will be in the building. You know you're gonna see Larry Johnson, etc. Center. It's going to be awesome. And I think this is kind of what everyone was hoping for last year, that NIXT team to make it to the conference finals, obviously upset by Indiana and they go were injured at the end of their run. They look like a real contender
right now. I will say this, though, the series is far from over. And you know, I picked Boston in seven, and you know, I guess my confidence and etic is shaken ever so slightly, but I don't think it's going to be easy from here on out for.
The next I'm surprised you picked Boston in seven. Most people picked Boston in four or five or six, so I'm surprised you thought it would go seven. And look, I completely agree with you, and we really should give Tom Tibodau and the New York Knicks a ton of credit for a number of different things.
They've changed their defensive approach.
Some of the switches that Boston is trying to force has not worked because Og is just such a beast and when the switches don't work.
It allow it allows the defenders to stay home.
So a lot of the Boston misses are can test it, but a lot of the Boston missues are not contested. Dave, So, do you feel like we're in for like a regression to the mean situation? Part of me believes one of these games Boston is just going to go like twenty two of forty two from three and win by like thirty.
I mean, you'd think that's going to be the case here. I mean, it's clearly the style of play that they look to go for, and they have the personnel to do it. You know, it's not just Jason Tatum, but Jalen Brown and Derek White and Pritchard Howser, etc. Like even a Horford and forzeingis when he's right, Like they have a ton of guys who can hit from the outside, and like you do have a non well, I want to get this word out right, anominally type things that
occur in NBA playoffs run. You know the Kimberwolves, who I've covered now in the first and second round. They open up Game one against the Lakers. They hit twenty two threes these last two games between game five against the Lakers and Game one against the Warriors. They're twelve for seventy six from three. Are they the twenty two to three team. Are they the twelve for seventy six.
They're probably neither, right. But with teams you know, throwing the kitchen sink at you defensively, they're going to have some ups and downs on a huge stage. And the question is, you know, will we get the rooty t type of semerity from this Celtics group going into Game three? That you never underestimate the heart of a champion, and they look like a different team and they have kind of the stable sense of mind to be able to recognize that two oh really doesn't matter. It doesn't matters,
Like what do we do? Tip off for Game three, play our best forty eight minutes of basketball, and then you know, continue to get back into the series that way.
So the rise of kind of the analytical approach to the game of basketball certainly is not new. I think John Hollinger was one of the first to kind of help people understand how new numbers can be digestible and not completely boring. I hate broadcast that are steeped and analytics. I think they're boring anyway, But ultimately I understand how the approach from a front office and a coaching staff can lead to more efficient you know, efficient play and
rotational decisions and such. But look, man, you're up twenty with thirteen or fourteen minutes left in the game. The craziest stat Dave for me from Game one is after Boston goes up twenty with three and a half minutes left, ten straight possessions they shoot a three and nine of those possessions the ball didn't even break the pain. Like, at what point do you say, okay, our style and the person now we have to your point that is suited to play this style won a championship a year ago,
has led to a tremendous couple of year run. But maybe it's okay to try to attack the glass and get twos and ones when you're up twenty with fourteen minutes left to play, Like, at what point do you kind of scrap the whole approach in the name of just running the game out so you can get to win.
It's a great point, and it's why, as we've seen the analytical movement basically say teams just want layups, dunks, and threes and specific corner threes where you've had people like Lebron James publicly be vocal pushing back against that, saying, like, what about the midrange? You need to have a midrange game because that's the shot you can get to at the end of the shot clock that teams are going to give it to you, Like, you should have that in your bag. And look at the maestro for the
Knicks in Jalen Brunston. I mean, he has every single three level score type of bag to his game, whereas you know Tatum, right, like that's what he's kind of been critiqued for over the last several years, where when he goes to that mid range step back, it's not a very efficient shot for him. And so you wonder do they have the personnel to get those shots you're
talking about on the fly? And also like who is their penetrating guard to, you know, other than Richard can do that in moments off the bench, but that's more of a change of pace type guy who's going to be the guy consistently getting into the pain for them. So as great as they are with their fastball, and obviously there's a reason they were the champion, and they're a team that hit more threes last year in their postseason run than any other team has an NBA postseason history.
But they if they aren't hitting, they all of a sudden look vulnerable. Now, I think the numbers will bear out and they're gonna win with that style in the long run personally, but I mean, they are certainly playing with fire going to the Game three.
So as you know the Missoula the portion of the basketball I don't know media or ecosystem that criticizes Missoula. It's okay. Inherit he inherited emy Udoka's team. He fell into the job because Will Hardy took the Jazz job. Will was Joe's number one assistant and then Will takes the Jazz job like two weeks later, loses the job because of what happened off the floor of Missoula.
Kind of falls into it.
So the criticism is, did he just inherit a roster and a system that is self sustainable because of the roster that Danny Danny Ainge then Brad Stevens put together, which I still believe is the best roster in pro basketball on paper. And so the criticism has kind of been all right, it's a it's an auto drive car, like you don't really have to do much.
I'm not sure how fair that is.
But what are you expecting from him as it pertains two adjustments that people think that he needs to make, or do you think he just rides with the system that won him the chip a year ago.
He seems to be And I covered the finals last year, so I got to spend a little bit of time around him. He seems to be a guy who's pretty strong in his divinchs and not one to meddle with the big picture. Now, of course, I imagine Neils some sort of adjustments, but I wouldn't even venture like a guess as to what specifically that would be. But I think in general this roster has perfected to some degree.
This approach of shooting forty three is a game, and I think if you look at the long time term sample size, right, you'd even say that for the two games so far the series, it worked for seventy out of the eighty six minutes or whatever ninety six minutes, right, So I wouldn't anticipate whole sold wholesale changes, but you know, he would be kind of a sleep of the wheel if he doesn't make some tweeks.
Last question before we move on, My goodness, I could talk to you for three hours today. This playoffs has been so insane. But should the Celtics?
Should they? Should they not find their way back?
If if Missulla stays stubborn and the Knicks get it, Let's say, I don't know, maybe the next go to MSG and get two. They're on the hook next year for twenty three, you're two hundred and twenty three million dollars in change, almost two hundred and twenty four million dollars in change. They have a new ownership group who I would imagine would not be thrilled to pay a luxury tax bill for a team that lost in the second round. If Boston doesn't get back into this thing and win, what do you think.
The offseason looks like for Joe Missoula and this roster?
And that is a very very good question. And obviously the owners group putting up on precedent amounts of money just to be able to take over. And that's a huge bill. And you know some of the pieces, you know,
a guy like Al Horford not getting any younger. I don't know, I think it certainly would have them reevaluate things and and look again at the the brunt excuse me, the Jalen Brown situation and him with Jason Tatum and figure is just really our best pathway forward paying both these guys incredible sum of money when there's still a
bit of an overlap. I would tend to think that they would try to keep them together together one more year, because again you're be talking about the big picture of this team is that this would be a second round exit, right, but over the last nine years, it would be that would be the earliest sex that they had. I've including two finals appearances, a championship, and six conference finals appearances. So do you trust the eject button on that? I
think probably not. But I think some of the kind of the role players, you would have to look at, what specifically were we missing against the Knicks and is it going to be something that we are going to achieve by continuing to pay some of these role players. And I think obviously there would be some degree of a shakeup.
You like dogs, Dave love Do you love dogs? Okay, We're gonna move over to Indiana and Cleveland. Now here's the deal. Donovan Mitchell is a golden doodle. We love golden doodles. Everyone loves golden doodles. The golden doodles are cute. You can enter them to a dogs show. They're gonna win a dog show here there. To win the NBA Playoffs, you got to have Rott Wilders and the Pacers have a bunch of dogs. Man, they got a bunt Nie
Smith and them. I mean, Benedict Matherin wants to fight everybody all the time.
And do you know, and we love Donovan here, I cheer for Nonavan.
And look, he nearly hung half a hundred and he's without three of his four best teammates.
So this is not even a criticism.
But we all thought we were a high speed ahead to Boston Cleveland and the Calves are up a creek. Man, what do you make of what we've seen so far with the Pacers taking that to a lead.
Yeah, I mean, that's what a brutal game. Brutal ending. I say, for Donovan Mitchell, you're missing three of your keyp rotation guys. You know DeAndrea Hunter, no Evan Mobley who just was named Defensive Player of the Year and can't go because of an ankle. Obviously Daris Garland has
been out since the first round. You put up forty eight I think you have nine to fifth four steals, and in the last two minutes and thirty seconds you can't hold on to a seven point lead, in part because you missed two free throws and you have a bad turnover, and of course Matt Screws also had a
terrible turnover. But I mean, that is devastating. And you know, he said the right thing postgame, Okay, we got to go down to Indiana and get two, And like, I hope there's confidence behind that statement because this is a really tough Indiana team and a lot of I mean a commentary is through the lens of the Lakers. JJ Reddick was so high on this Pacers team all season long. He thought that they play with an incredible pace, they are really sharp rotations defensively, and they have the size
and physicality to give you problems on the wings. And this Cavs team, they are very, very deep, but all of a sudden, there is a big drop off. Whereas you know, Dean Wade getting knights Man minutes, they seem deep. But when Dean Wade's getting six man minutes. It's a different mass that you're dealing with. You know, ty Jerome
was a six Man of the Year candidate. He starts in Game two, goes one for fourteen, you know, and it's the guy guarding Haliburton when he makes the game winning shot, and you wonder, you know, if he should have available up on him closer. I mean, it makes you think back to Game seven and twenty sixteen finals. Kevin loved it a better CONTESTO and Steph Curry than
ty Jerome did on Tyrus Haliburton that situation. So I think, whereas this is Calf's team, I actually watch a lot because I spent four year covered in Cleveland, and I really enjoyed this group. I think they're a fun group to watch. I think they're I don't have nearly the same faith I have in the Calves do I have in Boston. Like I think they are up the creek without a paddle. This is gonna be a tough one for them to advance through.
I agree.
One more question with this series though, because of course you want Evan Mobley and you want DeAndre Hunter, but they need Darius Garland in this series. Any thoughts on if they're getting close to healthy with either Garland or all three of those guys.
I mean, what we heard most recently from Kay Etkinson was basically putting it on the medical staff and saying
it's out of Garland's hands. When you start to hear stuff like that, you know, let's say, even if he does get in uniform at some point the series, or even as close as these next two games in Indiana, I think they're kind of laying it out there that he's not the player that we've accustomed to have received his contribution to the multi time All Star Like again, maybe I'm wrong, and maybe this is smoke screen from Kenny Atkinson, but his most recent comments that I read
in a Cleveland Plain Dealer makes me think that you're not going to be getting prid time Derek Starlin this series. So we're gonna have to try to figure a way to win without them.
Man to your point, I'm not sure they can. But let's move out west. With a few minutes we have remaining Warriors t Wolves. Game one goes to Golden State, even though Stephen Wardell Curry played thirteen minutes and left in the second quarter, So give us an update on Steph and give me your thoughts on whether or not Golden State can actually get this thing done if Steph isn't ready to go sometime quick.
Yeah. One, I have to give credit to Steph Curry speaking to reporters today Minneapolis. A lot of guys when they're injured will not do that, and I think it only benefits the fans to have that kind of trust with the press, to be able to give some information about what you're going through. He is a guy who he really doesn't know. You know, he's been in the league for forever and has never experienced a hamstring injury period.
He was asked if he even experienced tightness at some time in his career and he said no. And so the plan here is to give him a full week's rest, which means Game two, three, and four are out, and then see where he is at that moment. So right now it's just treatment round the clock. He is doing stand still shooting. I think probably just to you know, not have himself go nuts during this process more than anything,
and then we will see where the series stands. If it's going back to San Francisco for a Game six. I think everyone involved with the Warriors like that is the tie of skuy Hope is that we can get Steph Curry on the court that game, but we don't know if that will be a Willis Reid Steph Curry and he's going to be there just to get the crowd riled up. You know, people forget what those reason we scored four points in that game when the Knicks won it, or he will actually be able to recover
from this thing. A Grade one strain is one of two weeks and it's something that if you rush it back, you're automatically out for another one to two weeks. So it's a tough situation for them. I think the Wolves is sixth going into this series. I think it probably still goes that direction. But I do think when you get a guy like Jimmy Butler, that's a pretty good
alternative to having. Of course, Steph Curry's, you know, an all time great, but Jimmy Butler is someone who will not blink at this task that's placed on his plate right now. He will come out, he'll come out with a game plan. He would be ball dominant. They're probably not going to score a ton again, but they're going to grind out this game. They're going to be physical. They out rebounded the Wolves by ten in game one. They're going to try to do the same thing here.
And if they can get a hot shooting night from you know, Brandon Puzhevski or you know, Buddy Healed, they could have a chance to stay in this thing. Basically, all they got to look at the next three games. We got to win one and that'll assure us that this thing goes six. And if it goes six, you have a chance to get Steph Curry back.
Give me a thought on tonight. The Tea Wolves are a ten point five point favorite. Part of me feels like this could look a little bit like Oklahoma City and Denver last night. Part of me feels like we may see the Tea Wolves wrong. But what do you think happens tonight, the first game they're playing without Steph.
Yeah, I'm totally with you. I don't know if we're gonna be a forty point blowout, but I anticipate the Wolves come out like their pants are on fire and this thing's not even a game. You have to think, and especially because they have the athletes to just you know, be able to turn this thing into a track race, and you're getting rebounds and steals and deflections, and you
know if you get the whistle on your side. Chris Finch certainly doing his part politically to play the rests and put it out there that Rudy Gobert wasn't getting a fair whistle in Game one, and a lot of times that does work. You get the league's attention and it sways back the other direction a little bit. Yeah, I would be very I would be very impressed, but I'd be very surprised if the Warriors even make this a game. I think Vegas kind of has the line
right on this one. I think the Wolves run away with it. And then we reset the series in Golden State and see if the Warriors can kind of use the hometown energy to go back ahead and get that one more win because we have a chance at seeing Steph again. The series.
Would imagine Okase is salivating watching Boston struggling, but of course we're getting ahead of ourselves. I was tremendously impressed by Denver's just great an attitude to hang around and then make a couple of big plays down the stretch to get Game one, and then okay See to your earlier point, just Curb stomps them in game two. So through two games, Dave, what are your thoughts on that series and how do you think it plays out?
Thought? Game one is what a tremendous moment that we get the two guys up for MVP going against one another, one just starting his prime and she goes out Xander, the other guy clearly smacked a in his prime and the best player in the world, and then both tremendous performance.
Jokis was so good down the strets in game one, the play where he caught it above the foul on and he saw he had Caruso on him, and he just immediately put it in like Dad in the driveway mode and backed him down all the way to two feet from the basket, turned around, plopped it in, and then a couple of mostons later he gets it now top of the key partner scene on him surveys, you know, jab steps rise and fire makes it like he's so good now. Tremendous credit to Okay see for having the
right bounce back. But I don't think that means like the rest of the series is going to not be competitive. I mean, I don't want to hurt any of your listeners here and bring up old wound. But we remember Bulls killing the Jazz right in game three back what was that the ninety eight final, yep, and then Game four was a nip and tuck, like right back to being a competitive series. The rest of the series, quite frankly, was nip and tuck. So I don't think Denver's out
of this by any means. However, I think okay See probably avoided disaster by making sure this is a one to one series, and I do it anticipate them at dancing, but it could certainly go six or seven.
Final thing, Dave, I'll set you loose on this.
We actually have a local story which caught a lot of people off guard. Now, Will Hardy had had year four and year five options picked up, so he was not up against it. But the Jazz elect to extend him through twenty thirty one, which means, Dave, if he coaches through his contract, he will have a nine year run runway before he has to figure out what's next. That never happens in pro basketball. He would be the third longest standard coach right now. If he coaches through
the end of his contracts. Are your thoughts on the decision of the Jazz to offer and will to accept.
I was briefly talking about this with your producer porter before I came on air. I'd like to think that maybe Danny Ainge and you know, Ryan and all the decision makers listen to your show because I feel like we've talked about this kind of quandary that they may have found themselves in by clearly continuing this rebuild. And are you going to dim the light of your head coach?
And is it someone who's going to actually want to be involved in this or does he feel like he's not being able to like pursue what could be a great coaching career if he just goes through this. And I think they made it quite clear put their money where their mouth is that really value you. You are going to be there for now and for the future and for the extended future, and you are going to be the guy to lead us out of this. I
think it was a great decision by them. I think it's still going to be very hard for Will Hardy to actually go through because you know, they are not close to being a playoff team, let alone a contender However, the lottery goes you know, in their direction, and you end up with you know what. I'd say top two picks are both should be like can't miss guys. I think that it will be a fruitful journey.
For Hardy based off of the feedback I receive. They definitely listen because I'm either welcome with open arms if I'm nice, or I am shunned. And yeah, I'm giving dirty looks if I'm not nice, Dave, so I know I know they're listening. Hey, thanks so much for the time. I guy travel safe with chats him here. Dave mcmanman covers the NBA for ESPN. He is on the Warriors Timberwolve series. But some good stuff from Dave Today