Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty four hour NBA News. This's you, Chris Haynes. It's time, Markstein, It's some time. This League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should be a good one.
Friends, Welcome to another edition of This League Uncut. Mark Stein here, of course, accompanied by Chris Haynes from Turner Sports. We did not arrive at the name of this show by accident. Hashtag this League is obviously a huge part of the show title, and this Thursday night in the NBA was a This League kind of night. Man the Philadelphia seventy six Ers up three to two, a chance to close out the Boston Celtics at home move on to the conference finals for the first time since two
thousand and one. Jason Tatum misses thirteen of his first fourteen shots. This thing was set up for Philly to finally finally get past the second round hurdle, get back to the final four, and really give themselves a chance
to win a championship. And what happens. Tatum goes nuts in the fourth quarter when it looked like he couldn't win a shooting contest against Fresno pacifics Chris Haynes Tatum goes wild in the fourth, Boston Storms back wins, evens the series, forces a game seven, and then it gets even crazier in the night cap with the Phoenix Suns trying to save their season. No DeAndre Ayton because of a rib contusion, No Chris Paul who's been out for
several games with a groin injury. Phoenix in an elimination just like last season. Phoenix goes down by thirty at the half. A year ago, Game seven at home, second Round against Dallas at halftime, Phoenix down fifty seven twenty seven. Tonight at home, Game six, have to win to force a Game seven in Denver. The halftime score Nuggets eighty one,
Sons fifty one. Game basically over at halftime. Denver rolls on to win comfortably and ussure the Phoenix Suns to their own off season of discomfort, where the Boston Philly loser is headed, where the Milwaukee Bucks are now, and where so many other teams in the league are After a season where you had a number of clubs go all in to try to chase the championship, and my man, my man Howard back he had a great line in GQ, he called it the Age of Chaos, a fitting summary
for where we are and a fitting summary for this Thursday night. Wow, let's start with the first of tonight's surprises. Chris Haynes, I'm gonna be honest with you. I thought Philly was winning this game. There was nothing pregame that you were I was just I didn't want to hear about a Boston bounce back. I know they did it. They won at Milwaukee in the exact same situation last season, down three to two, needed to win a Game six on the road to have a shot to extend the
series and win in seven. But you know the Bucks didn't have Middleton. I just I thought Philly went to a new place by winning Game five in Boston. They've won twice in Boston already in this series. I mean, are we are we now going to say that the We're now going to ask the Sixers to win a third road game in Boston to get out of this rounde. I just all the frailties of these two teams, they
were all on display tonight on both sides. But Jason Tatum, when it looked like just going to be the worst night of his life and the worst off season of his life, brilliant in that fourth quarter. And like I said, I putting my hand up. Didn't see it coming, man, I really didn't.
No, huh, Well, you're not alone. I didn't expect them to beat the Sixers at their place at all. I thought the Sixers had their number. I thought the Celtics were mentally out of it, didn't have I just think they didn't have the answers. But they had the answers in the fourth quarters. Jayson Tatum for sure came through. And can they win? Can the Sixers win a third game in Boston? That is a lot to ask. That is a lot to ask. Boston is not easy. I mean,
it's a good series though, definitely a good series. If I was a betting man, which I'm not. If I was a betting man, I would just have to favor the home team. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I wouldn't be confident about that pick. But it's Game seven, it's in Boston. That's why, that's why the regular season is so important, so you can have the home court advantage. But I know Philly, having already won two already, they go in,
they go into Boston with confidence. But I don't like the way it looks they had a golden opportunity to sell it Game six at home that definitely could have cost him a series.
I mean, just getting to the conference finals would have been demons would have been exercised in Philly. And now for the next twenty four plus hours, they're gonna have to hear it all again. I mean Doc Rivers like it or not, there is no getting around his record. Doc Rivers is seventeen and thirty two in elimination games. And you know Embiid only had two points no rebounds in the last six minutes. So Harden is taking all the heat for how poorly he played, But it's not just gonna be on him.
I mean.
The Sixers. They haven't been to the conference finals since the days of the Answer, since I was in my beat writing infancy that was. I mean I had six seven years in the league.
I mean it's it's Lakers.
Yeah, they look, they made the finals and they lost to the Lakers. But I mean just that team won the East, and you know that was Iverson at the peak of his powers, and it's been more than two decades and tonight was the night, and it just look this this whole season has been bonkers, and you know, just night after night after night, we just keep finding out that we think we know these teams, and this year,
more than ever, we don't know these teams. So I guess if there's ever gonna be a year where you know, we get shocked again and Philly wins this series, you know, they win a third row game and win a Game seven in Boston. Look, I guess anything is possible this season, but I'm just psychologically I can't wait to see what this team looks like.
I mean.
This, they know the opportunity that was squandered tonight, and I'm sure as we're taping this on Thursday night, they are They're in agony. It was teed up for them so beautifully in a series that statistically, in a lot of ways Boston has dominated. I mean, Boston is plus thirty eight for the series. This series should have been over, but no, it was Philly with the chance to close it out tonight. And I think in sports we tend to we tend to say Team A can't get over lost,
be they'll never recover. It was so gruesome, you know, and I think teams routinely surprise us. But man, like I said this, there are so many psychological layers here for Embiid, for Doc Rivers, for Harden, I can't wait to see. I'd love to see improved me wrong, But you know, I'm skeptical in the extreme for m.
B, the MVP winner.
And if you look at, on the other hand, what the Joker is doing, dominating quietly as he always does so, and B would definitely get his share of criticism, probably the most criticism of his career. If they don't pull this out. You know, there'll be a lot to be had Rivers as you as you said, the track record speaks for itself. So there's a lot of stake for the sisters, a lot of state going into that final game.
Yeah, I just man and yeah, and you know as we speak, I mean, that's the thing. These HiT's so weird. It's how quickly things can change. Because Jokic won the last two MVPs, and coming into the season, there was all this talk that voter for tigue, voters are not gonna want to vote for him a third time, and I think there is truth to that. I think voters were not gonna give it to him unless it was
an absolute, unequivocal slam dunk. But the whole second half of the season, of the regular season, the conversation changed, and it was not just that Embiid was the likely winner, and that was proven to be correct. Embiid did win his first MVP, but it was that these playoffs were going to become a referendum on Jokic's last two seasons. And you know, I don't want to get into a huge all night MVP debate, but I mean, I you know,
I gotta, I gotta say it. I mean, you know, Jokic has he's shutting a lot of people up right now because you know, they're going to the conference finals for the second time in four years. And as I keep pointing out, the two times in that four year stretch they didn't go Jamal Murray was injured, he didn't have his second best player. First of all, the Nuggets don't even have a second All Star. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, Junior, Aaron Gordon all excellent. They've got a better bench than
they've had, but there's no All Star there. Jamal Murray still has not made an All Star Game. So Jokic took all this heat all season long for his suppose d playoff failures, and it's like, okay, what you know, the last two times he's had a squad, he's in the conference finals. They lost to the Lakers in the bubble, and let's see what happens in these Western Conference finals. So I mean you said it. I mean this is the list of I think, the list of teams that
are at this crossroads. It just keeps getting longer and longer and longer. I'm gonna have to count it up. I think we're getting close to half the league worth of teams that are all facing these really uncomfortable off seasons and and tough roster decisions. But you know Philly's going to be at the top of that list. I mean, Harden and Doc Rivers are their play the past playoff failures. Now it's going to be that's all they're going to
hear here about. And Joel Embiid, Yeah, when you win the MVP but your team underachieves in the playoffs and and you know you're the Sixers are up three too, you've got to finish the series off. You just have to.
Yeah, I don't want to go too far down the road. But if they don't, you know, this is a this is a team that can go through a similar situation like the Milwaukee Bucks, where they might they could change coaches, they could James Harden's future is in doubt. There, Well, where does Philly go from there? Are they going into the next season? Will they be a championship contending team?
There's there's a lot, you know, there's a lot that will dissect you in this league because at the appropriate time.
And look, we've been talking about this for ages now, but the reason we talk about it so much is because the chatter is out there. When you talk to other teams, they I mean, you know, I did. I'm trying to remember. I've done quite a few radio shows here lately, so I can't remember which one it was, but one of my recent one of my recent radio appearances, they said, you know, do you think do you think
James Harden to Houston is real? And my answer to that is, we don't know yet if it's real, But there's enough smoke that teams around the league watching this situation are convinced that the Rockets are serious about going after Harden in free agency and pursuing a reunion, so you know, one kind of cautionary note or you know where I'd say, let's just wait and see a little bit. You know, I am intensely curious as I get ready
to go to Chicago for Tuesday's Draft lottery. For once, I'm going to be somewhere and you're not going to be somewhere. That's the first time that's happened in ages that I'm somewhere important and you have to check in with me to see how it was. What if Houston wins the draft lottery, if they get web Bin Yama, do they really still want to pursue James Harden or do they make it all about wem Ben Yama's timeline
at that point? And you know, I guess, uh, if that happens, the Rockets will have to answer that question.
Yeah, but I think just using common sense, they get that kid, you build around him.
Yeah, I would think so, I mean if they get if the Rockets win the lottery, to me, I I don't look, I've questioned their interest in the hardened reunion anyway, but I know the Rockets want to win that. You know, they've just endured the three worst seasons in franchise history. They don't want to be a rebuilding team anymore. James Harden, by all accounts when you plug into the grapevine, his interest in going back home. There are legit reasons for
him to want that. So yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be a very loud and noisy offseason in Philly if they can't go to Boston and surprise us yet again. But this whole series, man's like, like I said, when Milwaukee went out out Philly Boston, to me the winner, that was your favorite to win it all, and they've both been so shaky in this series. I'm not even sure I'm picking the winner to beat Miami. I do think Miami will close out the Knicks in Game six.
Jimmy Butler is playing the basketball of his life and they got spoke coaching. I'm not sure. I'm not sure I'm picking Boston or Philly to beat Miami. I'm really not.
Well, you know you're assuming that that series is over.
Stone, Yeah, I am, that is the one. I mean, Well, look, I've been wrong, left, right and center with my picks here lately, so I am though, I do you know, no disrespect to the Knicks they did what they had to do in Game five to extend that series. I just don't think a veteran Miami team is going to do what Philly did tonight and squander the close out chance. I just don't. I just don't think Spoe and Jimmy Butler will let that happen.
I would. I would agree with you. I would agree with you. I'm just just starting something.
You always like to You like to just sit there and jab me, because you know it's easy. I know I'm easy.
You'd like to see how you react.
You know I'm easy. Pray in ad. I think I think what we saw tonight probably gets Miami even more ready to you know, the Knicks. The Knicks have had a great run to me this, You know, the Knicks fans don't want to hear any of this. They want to win the series and go to the Conference finals
in the first time in forever. But you know, to me, even if the Knicks are out after Friday night, even if Miami finishes that thing in six, I think tremendous season in New York, Jalen Brunson found yet another level improved for the fifth straight season and or maybe the fourth straight season. You can't really improve on your rookie season. But they're gonna keep They're gonna keep building that thing. They've got so many pieces to make upgrades. The Knicks
have a tremendous future no matter what happens. So if I am prematurely writing them off, I'm sure, I'm sure I'm gonna hear about it.
Oh you will, Oh for sure you will. Yeah, no doubt about that.
Mister Haynes. Let's move west now, because for me, honestly, what we saw out of this game Denver at Phoenix in Game six, I think it's almost crazier than the events in Philly tonight. Yes, much closer game in Philly, but that this could be so one sided that the Sun's season could end this way the same way it did last season. I really, I really thought, even without DeAndre and Chris Paul, that the Sons at home had a more than decent chance of forcing a Game seven.
But you know, we're constantly on the search for a true favorite in the league, and like I said, Boston and Philly have both been so shaky in that series that, like I told myself, I gotta stop saying that the winner is the favorite to win it all because neither one of those teams are playing well enough to deserve that mantle. The Nuggets, on the other hand, unbeaten at
home in these playoffs. They closed out the Wolves in five, they closed out the Suns in six, and mister Jokic doing just fine as the non MVP this season.
Yeah, but he's looking like the MVP he is again. He is doing it quietly. That's that's his game. He dominates quietly his game. You're not going to see it on many highlights except for probably his passing, but one to truly, one truly, one of the most dominant players have in the league right now, arguably the most dominant only offensive end. With that being said, I picked Phoenix to win this series. Matter of fact, I take it a step further. I picked Phoenix to win it.
All, and I warned you not to do so. You did you?
You wasn't on the bandwagon. You didn't you didn't pick Phoenix.
Well, no, huh, I think I think I think I think I did warn you that. It just wasn't enough time. It just it wasn't.
It wasn't. But it's KD, It's Devin Booker, It's Chris Paul, and I felt like if anybody can mesh in that timeframe, it would be those guys because of their talent and their IQ. But KD went out with that injury towards the end of the regular season, was out an extended period, miss time, Chris Paul with the growing injury, last two games, miss the last two game to the series, and they just didn't have the depth. They didn't they didn't have
the depth. And I still you know, it's one thing, Stein, if if the public would allow me to make a pick at the regular season and make a pick at the postseason and allow me to stick with my pick, I'll be fine. Like if I had the chance to change my pick after the first round, I probably would have changed it, Stein, but I'm sticking with my pick.
I'm sticking with the pick I had in the postseason.
I wouldn't comfortable with the pick.
I wouldn't confident with the pick, but I stuck with it. No.
Look, and first of all, I'm the same. Once I make a pick, you can't you can't change it. I mean, you just you know, Milwaukee was my pick to win it all this season, and you know, there you go. I mean gone in Round one. I mean they were down forty four to twenty six after a quarter tonight. I mean, this thing is a mess. This is an absolute It was hard.
It was hard.
Crops to the Denver Nuggets, who I think will now get some incredible shine because again they've been they've got a real home court advantage, they've lived up to the one number one seed so far. Again that the last six plus weeks the regular season was nothing. But Jokic better do it in the playoffs or his MVPs are invalidated, even though MVP is a regular season award. But that pressure, if it's bothered Jokic, you can't tell one iota that
it's it's bothered him. And they go to Phoenix and win by twenty five to close the thing out, and now it's just, you know, put the Suns right there. You know again, I'm I'm i gotta stop prematurely putting Philly there, because the Sixers could win a Game seven in Boston, but the Sun season is over, and they go right up there with Milwaukee and Dallas and Portland and anybody else you want to name for these teams that have to be looking at major, major, major changes.
DeAndre Ayton can't see him playing another game in Phoenix. You know, I think there's some question about what sort of market he would have with three years left on his deal he's on. You know, this was only year one of the one hundred and thirty three million dollar deal that he got after doing an offer sheet with the Pacers and the Suns matched. But he's a former number one pick, a recent former number one pick. A market will emerge, and you know, I uh, I just
think they're gonna move him. You know, Chris Paul is a harder call. Chris Paul's contract is easier to trade financially because there's only a sixteen million dollar guarantee a little shy, a sixteen million partial guarantee for next season. The fourth season completely non guaranteed. So theoretically Chris Paul should be easier to move than DeAndre Ayden. But I think, look, they may end up looking to move both of them. But I think I think eight and eight and there
has to be a fresh start. I mean, it's just it's just gotten way too tense. Uh, you know, I think on both sides there and I do think there will be some sort of action, but you know, they gave up so much to get Kevin Durant, and I think they found that. You know, they decimated the depth around him to get him. And you know then you got Durant and Booker only playing, Durant only playing eight
games before the playoffs. It's just just too hard to throw it together on the fly with with the a deb you know, and and as good as Denver.
Is, let me, you know, I agree with most of your the points you made. But can a case also be made that this group just hasn't played together love enough and that you give them one more run, give them, give them another him one full season, even bringing Ayton back one full season to see what this team can do, can't.
Can a case be made? Can a vala case be made for that scenario?
I think to a degree it can. But the nature of this loss was so one sided after a one sided loss last season, so I think there has to be a significant change of some sort. You know, based on everything I've heard, I think Matt Ishbia, the new owner, is a MANI Williams fan. I don't I don't see that this. I don't see this being laid at the coach's feet, even though they're non competitive in this huge game six.
Whose feet star?
Like I said, I think eight and be the first one to go. I'm actually gonna break one of my rules. I don't like to do fake trades, but I think today I might actually lob a fake trade into the ether completely fake trade.
Should should What I mean this is this league uncut, is not this league cut.
But you know that's not a you know that's not really a function of this league uncut or not. Like, I don't like to do fake trades because we're counted on as league insiders to report actual moves, and like, I don't like to hypothesize about, hey, this would be a great trade, because again I don't want to confuse it with when we report the real deal. But in this case, I am gonna get swept up in the pod moment here.
You're making me nervous.
I'm making you nervous.
Though we switching size.
DeAndre Ayton to the Dallas Mavericks to hook up with his buddy Luka Doncic. Hypothetical fake trade. This is purely an idea. Eighten to the MAVs for a package that would that would feature, first of all, Dallas has to keep its number ten pick in the lottery. If the MAVs fall to eleven in the lottery, that pick goes to the Knicks. So if the MAVs can retain that pick, you package the player they draft at number ten because
that pick the MAVs. The MAVs have to make that pick, and such a trade would have to be executed after the draft. They can't do it beforehand. But you package number ten with Tim Hardaway, Junior, MAXI Kliba, whatever other contracts are needed to make the math work. And hypothetically, I do wonder if there would be interest in the Phoenix side from that. I I, you know, Ayton is a former number one pick, but I don't know how
high his stock is. Maybe maybe they can do better than that, but I'm not so sure they can do better than that. And I think the Suns and Ayton, I think both sides need a fresh start. Luka Donca and Aytan they've they're from the same draft class, and I I, you know, I think their buddies. I think there is a fondness there. So, you know, I could see two teams and they do they do share. Mister Bill Duffy is an agent so I you know, I think, uh, I think that's two teams that need need to shake up.
And so again, throwing that one out there purely as a hypothetical, as a maybe, as a concoction, in my mind, not even a maybe. It's a full, full on concoction.
Uh. I'm just looking at four.
I'm looking at some fake news right now. Stein, I'm looking at Dwight Howard. I'm gonna send this to you and Ryan. Dwight Howard just posted. I guess he failed for it because it's definitely fake. So he failed for a fake quote and he posted on He posted it on Instagram. It's a quote supposedly, it's supposed to be from Chris Paul. The quote is, if I don't win the ring with KD, I'm going to Taiwan with Dwight Howard. It's so Dwight Dwight posted this fake Cobbat say a
CP three, what we're doing here? We gotta be better. We gotta be better. Come on, dw we gotta be better. I do not that's that's something Chris Paul would not say. But we gotta be better. Man eight years yeah, and for him, Stein, that's right, Oh man, this was I remember when I remember when they picked up KD. He said he's never had a situation like this where he could just get out the way you know, he told he told me he's been wanting to play off the ball for a minute. And he did it a brief
time with Houston and they had some great success. Believe they were a win away from getting to the NBA Finals when they were playing the Golden State Warriors a few years back, and he just didn't get to see it happen.
We didn't.
We didn't see enough time. So that's why I asked, like, Okay, could management, could they look at a scenario where they bring I think if they're going to bring anyone back, they'll bring CP back over eight and I think eight and is. I think they're probably done with Aiden. I think they're probably tired of each other at this point.
Yeah, That's what I'm saying. Like, it's not inconceivable to me that they would not move Chris Paul. But I think, look Ishbi has shownas he's going to be super aggressive already. I mean, you know, he put a bazillion assets on the table to get the Durant deal done. You know, he had basically been there for a day or two
officially when that trade went through. So I am sure the Suns are gonna aim high and explore every single option, but I I think that, you know, the safe the safe bed is that they're going to make at least one major move, and I think it has to be it's got to be eight. I mean, with this new CBA coming in, it's just you can't have you can't have a four star construction and then be able to
put pieces around him. It's just that the the restrictions are too onerous when you can't use the tax mid level and you can't make sign in trades, and it just it restricts you so far if you if you advance into second apron territory. So it you know, it behooves the Suns to try to They got to see if they can try to move eight, and if they move eight, and then see if they can get some depth back because they were clearly lacking in that department.
But the other thing tonight, man, they showed they showed the great Al McCoy call it on the radio during the game. They you know, you got the legend Hub Brown on the TV broadcast and then they're talking about Al McCoy. I mean, Al McCoy is ninety, this is his fifty first season calling Sons games. He's retiring, one of the absolute gents in the sport, won an absolute legend in the broadcast game. And I mean the Phoenix Sons. He's leaving the job without the Phoenix Sons having won
a single title in all that time. They made the finals multiple times, three times, seventy six, ninety three, and twenty twenty one, but couldn't win it. And man, al McCoy fifty one years in the job and didn't get to see a championship. That's rough.
Yes, that's tough. Yeah, everybody was expecting it to be this year.
But you really, you really, I mean you liked I mean, I know Jamal Crawford was the same.
You don't make that trade.
You don't make that trade and not have those expectations like you make those You make that trade to win it. Now there's no it's it's win now. You know this, you know you know that question. Giannis was asked at the end, like is it's a failure? This was a failure. This this season was a failure.
For sure.
It was a failure, but it was also like again, I mean, I feel like I brought it up more than once because again it history tells us you just mid season trades don't lead to championships. We can go over the history one more time. Clyde Drexord to Houston in nineteen ninety five. That trade led to a championship. However, the Rocks were defending champions and they had a guy
named Hakim Elijahwan who everything revolved around in Houston. Rashid Wallace to Detroit in two thousand and four, that to me, that is the standout example. That's the best that a mid season trade has ever worked out because Rashid wall I mean, it's really hard to pinpoint who was the best player on that Pistons team. Was it Chauncey Bhillips, Was it Rashid Wallace? Was it Ben Wallace? Was it Rip Hamilton? It was it was the ultimate ensemble cast.
But Rashid's two way play and the kind of defender he was that really changed the dynamic of that team and took it to a new level, to the point that they smoked the Phil Kobe and Shaq Lakers in the two thousand and four NBA Finals and then Markasol in twenty nineteen. But when he went to Toronto that was Kawhi's team. He went as a complimentary player in this trade. Kevin Durant is supposed to be the alpha. He ended up being the co alpha be because Devin
Booker was so good in these playoffs. But again they were together for eight regular season games and that's just not enough. So I mean that kind of does back up your case. That to a degree, you could run it back, but like I said, it's there's been so much negativity building up since the finals of twenty twenty one. When it comes to DeAndre Ayt and Mani Williams the franchise, there has to be a change there. There just has to be.
Well, that's what the offseason is for and we're going to see. But they definitely would Matt Ispia. He is in when now mode. When now mode, He's going to apply pressure and I wouldn't be I'm just saying this. I wouldn't be surprised if he added staff to that front office. There's going to be there's going to be changes all around. I believe, really, yes, I believe.
So all right, we will get back to the Suns and they're busy offseason. I have a feeling you're right and that they will be a fixture among the teams we're talking about once we fully shift our focus to what's happening at draft time and free agency. But we still have two massive games Friday night. There is absolutely
no letup Nick's Heat Game six in Miami. You've already heard the clips that Tom Thibodeau is surely racking up and going to use them in his pregame motivational speech because I said Miami was going to close that thing out, So let's see, maybe I can. Maybe, maybe I turn out to be a mini spark that leads the Knicks to a surprise. But no, I do think Miami will not make the mistake affiliated tonight. I do think the Heat will find a way to finish that series off
on its home floor. Lakers have the same opportunity against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors closed that thing to three to two on Wednesday night. Chris Haynes was in the building. I gotta just say, from far away Dallas, just watching on my TV, scary what happened with Anthony Davis. Scary to see your reporting that said Anthony Davis needed wheelchair assistance to be relocated to the Laker locker room where he needed to be in the bowels of Chase Center.
All signs point to Anthony Davis playing this game six, But I mean, how effective will he be? Has he really shaken this thing off in record time? Major major question mark.
Was it was scary. I'm just being honest. I saw ad as he walked off the court and I was able to follow him to the back before he needed will share assistance, and his equilibrium was off. He couldn't really stand up straight. It was a scary sight. Like I know a lot of people are making light of it, but that that wasn't a light situation. And so I'm you know, I was very surprised, you know, that night that he didn't suffer a concussion. So that's good news
for the Lakers. And now he's gonna he will play in game six. We don't know how effective he will be, but he will play in Game six. We were able to see him walk and leave the arena and at that point he was walking fine. He was walking fine, but I saw him the way he looked right after that, and he just did not look right. So that's that's pretty much a miracle that he's going to be able to play. With that being said, the pressure is on the Lakers right now. That's exactly what the Golden State
Warriors want it. And you still it's going to be tough to close this Golden State Wars team out because they've been through every scenario imaginable in the postseason. They've been down, they've been up, They've played with key players out and performed well and got to win. This will not be This will not be an except exception Friday. I expect a really tough game, really tough and close game. I don't expect to blowout from from either team tomorrow.
So I don't know what to expect. I can't even say I you know, you know, I usually I tend to favor the home team. I can't even I can't even go there, starn I really do not know what to expect.
Yeah, in these playoffs that have been so topsy turvy, so surprised, fieled the year of the lower seed, as I've been calling it, I mean, yeah, you know, I guess I'm giving Miami some extra respect because of Jimmy Butler and Eric Spolstra by my you know, in my belief that that they'll be able to close out the Knicks in Game six, but any any other series. I mean, could Philly pick up all the pieces and win a
Game seven in Boston this year? Sure? Why not? And could Golden State undo and pull themselves out of a three to one hole this season this spring? Why not. It's it's you know, almost anything is possible in these in these wild playoffs, the age of chaos. As again, as as Howard Beck called it, I did I did see while we're recording this, Kevin Durant just went to the podium after Phoenix's elimination. The KD quote quote, it sucked.
It was a bad feeling. It was embarrassing. They came out and hit us in the mouth and we couldn't recover. Gonna be such an interesting off season in Phoenix. But yeah, get getting back to Lakers Warriors. I mean, I certainly, I'm you know, I'm I'm far, I'm fifteen hundred miles away. I'm watching it all on TV like everybody else, And really did expect that Anthony Davis was going to end up in the concussion Protocol but he did not the
Lakers say, I think he's officially probable. Is the is the listing?
They listed him probable, but not due to the hair injury.
It was due to a foot injury, so.
It's not even on the injury report. Man. But yes, if I'm the Lakers, I would advise them to uh. I would advise them to win Game six, don't don't let this, don't let this go seven, where we saw what happened in the last Game seven and the mister Stephen Curry delivered the first fifty point game in Game seven history. I wouldn't advise.
It, not at all. I won't be covering game six, I'll cover Game seven. That so game six is ESPN game and the game seven is an ABC game, So if it gets the game seven, I'll cover that. That would just be for writing purposes, Bleacher.
Report and podcast purposes.
And podcast purposes of course, yes. And then after that, I'll be on assignment for T and T during the doing, covering the entire Western Conference Finals.
And the next time you and I connect for one of these pods, I will be in Chicago already for the combine, the G League Draft Combine, and of course Tuesday's draft lottery brick for Vic Victor Webbin Yama, we will finally find out his team after months and months and months of anticipation. Wem Bean Yamas season is still going in France, so he won't actually be there. He's going to have to watch it from Afar himself. But I'm really looking forward to it because I've had playoff
obligations for the last bazillion years. If I've ever been to Chicago, I legit can't remember it. I think this is my maiden trip to the pre draft camp in Chicago. Again, if I've been to one in the past, I completely don't remember. But this will definitely be the closest I've ever gotten to the actual lottery. And so this is one that I figured, with Wembin Yama being at the top of the list and how badly teams want him, a pretty good one for me to make the trip
and check it out. So that's going to do it for this edition of this League, uncut, Stein and Haynes together again. Please please please rate, review and subscribe to the sh Show, and we will be back soon with all the thoughts on how Round two ended up. A look ahead to the conference finals, and a look ahead to the draft lottery. Talk soon, everybody, and that'll do it for us.
See you next time. This League on cuta IS and iHeartRadio production
Chris Haynes and Mark Stein.