A court side view of what's happening in the roller coaster Clippers Mavericks series. We've got to talk injuries as well, because there are so many around the league. We talk about some coaching situations as well, Doc Rivers, Darvin Ham, Frank Vogel, and we even mix in some pseudo live reaction to the Phoenix Suns being swept out of the playoffs. All that's next on the latest edition of This League Uncut. Welcome to This League Uncut.
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Hey, everyone, welcome in to the latest edition This League Uncut. It's a playoff Sunday night. It feels like hours upon hours of drama, hardwood drama stacked on top of each other. Today, let's be honest. This first round league wide has been short on drama and racked by way too many injuries. But the first two games, especially today, the Knicks victory in Philadelphia, the Clippers winning in Dallas without Kawhi Leonard, that was a roller coaster. I was there. But let
me bring in my co host who's in Miami. He's getting ready to work the sidelines for TNT Monday Night, Game four of the Heat Celtic Series, Chris Haynes, Happy Sunday to you. Unfortunately got even more injury news today, more injury developments that have just dominated proceedings here in Round one. But we also did get some pretty great basketball, and as we're recording this, Phoenix is trying to keep
its season going. Minnesota and Phoenix locked in a close game halfway through the third quarter, with the Wolves already up three to zero in that series, so we'll probably have a result there by the time we wrap this thing up. But man, wild Sunday in your league, what's going on?
Yeh's crazy? I mean injuries galore, which is, you know, it's tainting this first round a tad bit, I mean the series with that. You know that you've been at thus far to Clippers and MAVs, Kawhi Leonard Tough, tough, blow Bunks, Pacers, Jannis Dame tough right there, Joel and b with the Sixers just not being his full self and you know it's been it's been tough. Jimmy Butler,
the series I'm doing, Jimmy Butler being out. You know this is you don't want to see this at this point, but uh, but let's let's talk about the Clippers in math since you're since you're out there, like with the news of Kawhi Leonard taking some time off to try he the word is he will not be back until he's feeling right. What are you hearing out there? And what is that? What is that series been like? Just to see the just to see the roller coaster.
That has been Yeah, honestly, today was wild. A couple hours before tip off, we had Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank, came out and said that Kawhi was being ruled out of Game four and more ominously, there's no timetable for when he's going to come back. And then what happens. The Clippers jump out to a thirty nine to sixteen opening quarter, just a re ridiculously good.
The Clippers were great in Game one at home without Kawhi Leonard, but they were next level in the first quarter to start here in Dallas, just had the three ball working. They were playing at a faster pace without Kawhi. The Clips ultimately stretched that lead all the way to thirty one points on Dallas's floor, and look, the Mavericks
were able to come all the way back. They took a one oh five one oh four lead late on a Kyrie Irving layup that if you haven't seen it yet, I mean, honestly, if you're listening to this podcast, I'm guessing there's no way you haven't seen it, because it was absolutely ridiculous how long Kyrie hung in the air and found a way to scoop one in underneath three very tall defenders who were trying to keep him away
from the rim. It looked like the MAVs were going to pull off a comeback for the Ages, looked like the Clippers were going to suffer a meltdown for the Ages, and then in crunch time the Clippers took over. So
it was really like Dallas lost this game twice. It really ended up being just a dagger defeat for the Mavericks because it looked like they were going to take a three to one series lead, looked like they were going to complete this unbelievable escape after looking so bad in the first half, and for the second time in this series, not responding to the fact that Kawhi Leonard wasn't out there, and James Harden found another gear in the fourth quarter in crunch time, much like we saw
in the first half of Game one, Paul George hit a ridiculous fallaway three in the corner. To that point, Paul George only had two points in the second half, and the Mavericks and their coach Jason Kidd in the immediate aftermath of the loss, facing a lot of questions, a lot of criticism for not switching to a bigger lineup late. As James Harden started finding the range with
his floater. This was crazy. I didn't realize this. Harden shot sub thirty percent during the season on his floaters, which hard to believe today because he made five in the fourth quarter and really looked like he could get just about anywhere he wanted to. It was a turn back the clock performance from Harden, and that's now twice in this series that the Southern California native. He's in his first playoff run with the Clippers and has just
been sensational. Both Clipper wins in this series without Kawhi Leonard. Both Clipper wins feature huge games from Harden, who has absorbed plenty of critics himself when you dig into his playoff resume. So look, I think Dallas has to be incredibly disappointed that they've lost twice in this series without Kawhi Leonard. On the other side, there's no indication if Kawhi Leonard can even get back on the floor in
this series. As well as the Clippers have played without him, I would imagine, I don't think they want to rush him back right now. They're playing frankly better without him because of the state of Kawhi Leonard's health, and if you saw him in Games two and three, he didn't look remotely like the Kawhi Leonard that everyone has come to expect in the postseason. But you know, we talk about injuries, and there are so many to get to with.
You know, the Bucks now losing Damian Lillard on top of Gianna Santitokumpo, Jimmy Butler in your series, Joel Embiid playing hurt in that series, and we can go on and on and on. No Zion Williamson of course in the OKC New Orleans series, But in Dallas, Luka Doncic is playing hurt right now. That is painfully obvious when you watch the Mavericks play and Luka Doncic is shooting
sub forty percent in this series. And after all the praise that Luca got for his defense in Game two, which was probably the best most impactful single game defensive effort of his career, today his movement was so labored. The Clippers were targeting him and rightfully so. And I mean, he is ailing. He is nowhere close to where he should be. It's the playoffs, So just like Embiid and Philly,
Luca's going to try to gut it out. But I mean it's yet another injury headline in this postseason that has more than we can count.
I think as far as the Clippers, with Kawhi Leonard and his injury, I think it bodes well for the Clippers in the short term, the fact that now they know the guys that's going to be there at least for this series, and so they can focus in on that,
they can try to build off of that. And as you you know, as you as you already stated, they won both games already without Kawhi, so you know, I think this is something I think this is more of a relief for the Clippers not having to worry if Kawhi is going to be in the in the lineup this game, out the line next game. Like that, uncertainty is out the picture now now they can just focus on playing and being a team. And so that this series is very much alive, which you know, I want
to see a nice compelling series. And you know, the drama is still there, the intrigue is still there. Hopefully Luca continue to play at a higher left. I know he's laboring, you know, obviously everyone could see it, you know, but this is still very much a compelling series. You don't know, you don't know who has the momentum right now or who's going to keep the momentum, I should say.
So you know this, this thing, this thing is far from over, which is good, which is which is more than I can say from say, for a couple of these other series out there.
Yeah, look, every other series in the West got to three to zero, so we need at least one series in the West to deliver. And yeah, I mean it is remarkably this series has been pitched back to toss
up status. And again I think the Mavericks, though, they're going to have to really pull together and steal themselves because to get two shots at the Clippers with no Kawhi Leonard and both times just getting routed in the first half, you know, just blitzed badly in the first half of Game one and Game four on their home floor, especially when you factor in the history that these two teams have. Remember it's the third time in the last five years that these teams have met in the playoffs.
The Clippers, they've only won three playoff series since Kawhi and Paul George came together, two of them are against the Mavericks. This is the best team that Luka Doncic has ever had around him in his series against the Clippers. And you know, Luca today postgame, you know, he said he feels like he's letting Kyrie Irving down, with Kyrie
Irving just playing incredible offensive basketball. And today Kyrie Irving willed the Mavericks back into this game with just ridiculous shot making, not just the layup, but again that layup was an all timer. And look, I think it's health. There's just no you know, Luca struggling at the defensive end. Okay, that's not exactly a new thing, but Luca shooting sub forty percent from the field. I mean, that just tells you that something is wrong. And it wasn't even just
the shooting today. Multiple times in this game he drove to the bucket and got the ball knocked out of his hands, basically stripped on a drive that never happens. Once Luca gets inside, He's just so strong when he goes to the rim. So it just you can just see he's not His game is not all there. And two days off now before Wednesday's Game five back in LA. But Game six is Friday, a potential Game seven is Sunday.
It's basically every other day to finish the series. Once we get to the game five stage, and this really is the series in the West now that is providing all of the drama and what happens from here. Can the Clippers keep winning without their best players? How will the Mavericks rebound from an absolutely deflating defeat. And yeah, I you know, it's going to be fascinating to see
how Doncic looks Wednesday nights. Again, not just shooting sub forty percent from the floor, he's shooting not even twenty seven percent from three point range, and those are just I mean, that's just way below his typical standard. And I've watched him enough to know that I really attribute a lot of it to the state of his right knee, because he's just not moving well at all.
Stime, before we shift to another series, let's go off the court real quick as attains to the Clippers. Do you think the situations the Clippers are in with Kawhi having to sideline himself again, they've been down this road before. There's no extension yet for Paul George. Do you think that Paul has gained a little bit more leverage now his extension talks, or do you feel like this this probably won't play a factor at all.
I think it's too soon to know the answer to that question because it too too so much can still happen in this series. But look, there's no question that the Clippers future is one of the major subplots here. Steve Balmer here on the road in Dallas, very visible watching pregame intently both of these games. You know, at Clipper home games, there's places that he can go to kind of stay out of the public eye. But in Dallas,
Balmer was a very visible presence at these games. Intently studying warm ups, and you know, I'm sure he's trying to analyze this himself, because, yeah, around the league, there is tons of curiosity. What will the Clippers do? You know, Kawhi Leonard played in sixty eight games this season. It's the most we've seen him in the regular season since twenty sixteen seventeen, when he was still in San Antonio seven years ago. But now a are the Clippers second
guessing how much Kawhi played during the regular season. Maybe sixty eight games was too much. And they've already extended Kawhi Leonard. Remember that day in January, We're out of the blue, with no warning, Kawhi gets his extension. Paul George, as you mentioned, does not have his extension. He's eligible to be extended through June thirtieth. The Clippers need to come to terms with George before then to keep him
off the free agent market. Where we know the Philadelphia seventy six Ers, who by the way, are now facing elimination. The Sixers losing Game four at home, and the Sixers are one loss away from their offseason starting. We know the Sixers will be at the front of the line to go after Paul George in free agency if the Clippers don't extend him by June thirtieth, and then James Harden. James Harden has really been the driving force in the Clippers two wins in this series. James Harden not even
eligible for his extension until the summertime. But once June thirtieth slash July one hits, now Harden's gonna want an extension too. So do the Clippers want to run it back with this team at two time two in this series? I think they still need more data to be honest, because look, there are high stakes and there is considerable pressure on both of these franchises. The Mavericks traded away a ton to get Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington at
the trade deadline. Dallas will not have its first round pick in this draft because it is the last element that they must convey to the Knicks to complete the
Christops Porzingis deal from five years ago. At the deadline in twenty nineteen and then, the Mavericks have also surrendered control of their first round pick between twenty twenty seven and twenty thirty, so they need this team to deliver and advance and live up to the promise they showed when they went sixteen and two in the second half of the season to get to fifty wins and move up to the number five seeds. So whoever loses this series, like so many teams in the West, is going to
be facing some really tough questions in the offseason. The MAVs have used most of their trade chips, how can they improve this team if it goes out in Round one? And the Clippers, if they go out and round one, are gonna have to ask themselves do we re sign Paul George and James Harden knowing these guys will just get a year older and this is basically the team they're gonna roll with. And look Phoenix, Golden State, Sacramento, the Lakers. All of these teams are facing really hard
offseason questions too. In the West. That's kind of the status quo for everyone. Any team that loses in the play in or Round one has some really tough choices to make. But yeah, I mean, I guess that's my long winded way of saying I can't really answer that one. But I don't think well, I can't answer it to this degree. I don't think as impressive as this victory was to save themselves after blowing a thirty one point lead. I don't think this one victory is going to prompt
the Clippers to make any declarations. They're going to need to see how this series turns out. Let me ask you something. Do you think we see Kawhi Leonard again in this series.
Or do you think I don't not in this series? I don't.
I agree, I don't either. I think it's now kind of The rumbles around the arena this afternoon were that he's still going to try and he doesn't want to rule himself out, and whether that's game five or Game six or a potential Game seven. The rumbles were that Kawhi is going to keep trying. But yeah, I mean, I mean you saw game two. In game three, he is just not moving well at all. Yeah.
Well, I guess that's a good segue over to the East for a little bit, talking about guys not moving well, which ultimately led to them not moving at all. Bucks Pacers that series it's got ugly. It's gotten ugly over there. Yeah. I don't. I don't foresee. I'll just say this, I don't foresee. Damer Gianni's returning for this series.
I don't this is at three to one down. It's just there's it's not worth the risk. Yeah, I mean talk about team that has a lot of off season questions. I mean, the last thing they need is for Giannis or Dame to sustain a long term injury. I mean it sounds like they're playing right on the edge as it is.
Yeah, yeah, it's unfortunate. You know, Dame came into the playoffs really feeling good. He had about a week off. He was dealing with achilles soreness towards the end of the regular season. Then he had like a week off and he got he got right, He got himself right, and you've seen in those first couple of games in the playoffs he was he was playing probably the best ball in that little two three game stretch. You can make a case that was probably the best you've seen him.
Mat just like scoring in bunches and in droves, and you know, that was the Dame, that was the Dame of old. You know, he was telling me, man, I'm feeling good, like he was ready, and you know we all knew Giannis was his His intention was to be able to come back at some point in this first round. But it's just it's never got to that point. And now the state that the Bucks are in, down down three games, the one it's it's just not why is
to try to throw them out there right now? You know, if if the Bucks would have put up a better fight, which they were under man so it's it's tough to ask. It's tough to ask them to to fulfill that. But if they were able to put up a fight, win a few more games here, you know, you probably could have have seen a scenario where Giannis er Dame might be able to come back, not full strength, but just be able to come back and at least be a decoy. I don't know how effective, but it's just not it's
not there. It's tough, you know, it's tough. It's probably the best thing for them to do at this point. It's probably just it's focus on the off season. Regroup, damon Giannis. You know they didn't get the train during the off season last year that the trade happened so late. So get it off season to train, build, you know, build some more continuity together and go into next season and try to and and try to dominate but yeah,
it's tough. You never want to see a series go out like that, where or it can be the two best players are in the series, you know they're they're done. Then Bobby Porters in Game four gets get sejected and you know it's just you know, they're shooting itself on the foot.
What happened? Though? I thought our pod was supposed to make guys, it was supposed to help guys soar to new heights. I don't think we I don't think we did that for Bobby Porters.
Yeah we did it. I mean, how long did Poppy? Maybe it's a time limit. Maybe you gotta be on the show for about thirty minutes minimum, you know, maybe it was a time limit thing. I don't know. I got to look into the analytics of how long he was on, what he said, how fully engaged he was.
So why doesn't producer Ryan keep those analytics? We should have a spreadsheet with Yeah, we need that. I guess we need that minutes they how long the interview lasted?
Yeah, because our coaches are you know, most of our coaches are doing well. Who came on, you know, came on the show. I will still say Mike Brown did well, look, they didn't make it to the playoffs, but they took down a team that they really wanted to beat desperately. It took down and took out the Golden State Wards.
I don't think we can take credit for that. When Mike Brown was on last season.
I think that was last season.
I don't think I don't think that. I think it's a two year, two year dame winning the three point contest hours after talking to us that I think we can say that a little bit of this league uncut magic dust was. We can say that we can we can we can draw a connection there, but claim I cannot say that we had anything to do with Mike Brown winning a playing game against the Warriors after we talked.
I thought we had a two year there was a two year expiration. Finch.
Maybe like if Minnesota keeps rolling, maybe you know Finch in the All Star Game appearance, maybe we can take a little credit for that all my bet, Well, let me ask you this because obviously, you know, Doc Rivers has been under so much pressure coming in there at mid season. The results haven't been what the Bucks were hoping for after making that coaching change. But and this has to take any notion of heat on Doc Rivers off.
You know, I don't know how he could win a playoff series without John and Dan.
He's fine. I think there's enough. There's there's enough of a track record with this group where you can evaluate it and see, Okay, now they know how Dame plays. Now they know you know what Dame and Giannis. Now they know how they can improve playing with each other and playing with the collection of teammates. So now they can kind of evaluate the market and see, okay, what players will fit best with them? What does Dame need, What does Gianni's need? What does coach Doc Rivers need?
Remember Doc Rivers, I will, I will expect or I would suspect that he'll bring in a few more of his staffers on board. You know he didn't. You know, he brought in believed two assistant coaches, Dave Jaeger and and our guy Recks. And I believe that was I believe though that was Yeah, I believe it was just two. I believe it was. And so if you look, if you look closely at the Bucks, you have to be a Bucks fan and really look at this. But if you if you look closely at the Bucks, bench, And
I'm talking about the assistant coaches. You've seen since Doc has come on board. You've seen some guys, some coaches, some assistant coaches who start off from the front bench and then they were moved to the back of the bench. You know that what that was Doc rivers like filling out his staff, giving other guys promotions and giving some demotions, and so you know, Doc still has to find his way and be able to plant his mark as well. So you know that's that's the But no, he no,
he don't Doc know, he don't Doc. They're going to try to figure this thing out together.
I have to say, I'm really going to be interested to hear what Jannis has to say when he sits down at a podium for his end of the season press conference. It's not going to have the blockbuster headline potential most likely that we saw lastie in after the Bucks lost to Miami so stunningly in Round one, and of course we had the whole there's no failure in
sports speech. I'm not expecting those kind of fireworks, but just psyche wise, this is two years in a row that Yannis entered the playoffs with an injury that has prevented him. I mean, this injury is likely going to
prevent him from playing at all in the series. Obviously, last season against Miami he did play some in the playoffs, but it's two years in a row that an injury has really interfered with his playoff hopes and dreams, and so I just I would I'm really ready for Yanna's unplugged to kind of hear what his mindset is and what he's thinking, because the expectations for this Bucks team were so high after the trade to bring in in Dame right before the start of the season, and it's
just been a brutal season in Bruetown. So I really want to I know the series is only three to one, but yeah, I mean, how can we say that the Bucks really have a chance to get out of this round with no Joannis, no Dame. There was an injury scare tonight for Chris Middleton on top of everything, but Middleton was able to play on But yeah, I mean, this is this has just been It has just been
one thing after another for the Milwaukee Bucks. And wow, we've gotten this far and we haven't even talked yet really too much about the first game of the day, the Knicks go to Philadelphia and win Game four. Another wild one. Jalen Brunson, your guy, the little lefty forty seven points career playoff high, yet another major playoff downer for the Sixers. An absolutely brutal fourth quarter for Philly.
Embiid only had one point. I believe in that final period the Sixers as a team missed their last ten shots. I think they scored three points in the last five minutes Embiid played. He was clearly exhausted at the end. And look, when you're a star, when you're a perennial MVP candidate, you take the heat when things go badly.
But look, Joel Embiid scored fifty points on nineteen shots in Game three, and I'm struggling to just go after him now because of what we saw on this Sunday, knowing that he's playing hurt, he's playing at far less than one hundred percent, and I think that has to be factored in. We can't just ignore that that. You know, the Sixers go to pieces when Embiid is off the floor, and so again I'm struggling to just put this all
on him. And it's amazing, really what he's giving the Sixers so quickly after a meniscus procedure on his knee. But man, Philly, you know this is it's just been one playoff let down slash disappointment after another, and they're down three to one now to the Knicks, and it really looks like Jalen Brunson is just not going to let the Knicks lose this series.
Yeah, the Knicks are. They're a tough, minded, gritty team. And you know, I'm very impressed with the the DNA that they've uh that they've latched onto that is of coach Tom Thibodeau. They are really they're really plugged in. They are really plugged in. Not the not the fanciest team, not the most electric, They're just a hard fought team that's just going to give it to you from start to finish. And Philly, Yeah, I mean you touched on it right there. When Joel Embiid doesn't play that the
team falls apart. And we've seen that during the regular season. They were one of the best teams in the East. Joel goes out all of a sudden, they're in play in range. So this this team is not This team is not what they should be right now, and that's based off of embiid missing a chunk of the season and EMBD not being anywhere close to one still dealing with that injury. You know, he's gutting it out. He probably shouldn't be playing. He's gutting it out, and you
have to give him credit. You have to plout him for trying to be there when it matters in the season most so, I can't blame him. It's just, you know, it's just it's a sad tale because they've been through this time and and time again, and you know, you don't want you don't want to say, well, they just can't win with that and bid, I mean, you don't
want to say they can't win with them be. I mean that's not I don't think you can say that yet because he hasn't been healthy, you know, during postseason play for the most part. But there is a trend. But it's tough, man. I just want to see the big fella healthy and he was playing some dominant basketball before an injury. Really really unfortunate, but you got to give credit to the Knicks. All all you can do, similar to the Indiana Pacers, all you can do is
play who's ever on your schedule. That's it, on your schedule, play who ever on the roster at that time.
Yeah, because that's the thing we've been waiting. We've been waiting and waiting. Will Joel Embiid ever be able to enter the playoffs healthy or reasonably close to healthy? And he entered these playoffs well shy of healthy. And yeah, he scored fifty points the other night, but that doesn't mean that he is anywhere close to one. I didn't I thought it was unwise for Embiid to complain after the game about how many Knicks fans there were in
Phillies building. Obviously there were a ton, but that's not really an issue. I think he should be raising in the way of a Game four home defeat. But when it comes to Embiid on the floor, I do think we have to give him some slack because he did come back from a knee procedure faster than he should have, just like Karl Anthony Towns in Minnesota. They both came back faster than they probably should have from a knee procedure. And we know, as we've said already, without Joel Embiid,
the Sixers have no chance this series. Our former ESBN colleague John Hollinger, he tweeted out pretty smartly earlier today, you know, the Sixers have a guy making almost forty million this season, Tobias Harris only has eleven baskets in the first four games of this series. So the Sixers truly are leaning very, very heavily on Joel Embiid and they wouldn't even have a chance without him, and that does have to be something that we remember and keep
track of. On the other side, Man Jalen Brunson, obviously I saw him the first few years of his career, but I continue to be astounded year two in New York, year two since he left the city where I live in work in Dallas. I mean, he just still continues to get better. And he had a really rough start to this Philly series. He shot sixteen for fifty five
in the first two games, very uncharacteristic. But what he did today with forty seven on the road to lead the Knicks to this win that gives the Knicks a three to one lead when so many other Knicks were struggling offensively. Just man Jalen Brunson has had a remarkable season, and I think he's gonna end up in the top five and MVP balloting somewhere. No I doubt he gets higher than four or five, but he should be in the top five. He's been that good.
It's been really good. And one thing I like about Jalen, No matter if his shot is going in or not, he's going to be aggressive. He's going to stay aggressive. You're not going to have You're not going to have an off night. If you're defending him, He's not going to give you that off night. He's going to keep coming at you. And I think Philly first couple of games thought they might have figured out something, you know, stop his effectiveness, you know, to bring down that shooting percentage.
But Jalen man, he's a hooper man. He just know he knows how to get it done. So kudos to Jalen. He's leading this Knicks like no no nobody thought this. I remember when he signed that contract went over to New York. People thought they were they overpaid. They didn't see this. So I'm happy that he's exceeding expectations and he's continued to elevate his game and his team's game. So definitely fun to watch what hasn't been. I ain't gonna say what has Listen, so stile say this. You know,
we give a lot of credit. You said, all right, Bobby Porters. Okay, maybe Bobby Porters is somebody who's came on this this pod and hasn't really stepped up like we expect most of our guests to come on here and have a has some success posts the visit with us. But there's another guy. I guess we got to mention Darvin Ham. God, you know Darvin Ham. We've had Darvin Ham on and he's been on within the year. He came on last summer and you know, they gotta win.
They were close to be getting swept. They gotta win. In Game four one in La Lebron, James play out of this world at the David stepped up. D'Angelo Russell finally had a good game in this series. So now the series shifts back to Denver for Game five. If the Lakers lose, everyone expects that the Lakers would will make a coaching move after that. Is it deserved or not? Listen, I think the roster isn't that good, and not only that, I think they've been plagued by a lot of injuries
that were just out of their control. I mean, Jered Vanderbilt hasn't played in since I don't those months. Christian Wood hasn't had had a low impact this season, free agent gate Vincent has had a low impact this season injury as well. Cam Reddish been out extended time. So it's just they haven't had their whole team out there for a long enough stretch and period to gain some continuity. So I I put a lot of it on that, maybe not saying the roster isn't good enough, but just
they they haven't had their guys together long enough. I put it more so on that. Man, I know, people, you know, start to criticize Darvingham. You criticize any coach, criticize Darvinham. Frank Vogel is getting the receiving the same treatment out there in Phoenix, and you know, not calling time outs, not making adjustments, all of that stuff. And look, man, it this league is tough. It's tough on the head coach.
But what I will say, what I will say, if the Lakers do come up short in this first round, and if they do decide to let Darvingham go, my question is who's out there that's my question. Who is out there that can take this team to the next level, What proven coach is available.
Well, certainly Mike Budenholzer is out there, and we know he's a championship coach of recent vintage. I'm just not so sure that that's where the Lakers would turn if they did decide they were making a change.
Yeah, I agree with you one hundred percent on that Ham comes from the boot and holes of trees. So I don't know that they would go down that road again. So again my question is who is out there? Who you know? Because Lakers there, they're quick to make changes, particularly on the head coach, head coach in front. Okay, but who's out there?
Well, here's the thing. It's been at the very quiet to this point on the coaching carousel. The day after the season, there were no dismissals. It was very unnfl like. Obviously, Charlotte is still searching for a coach. Washington is still in the midst of a coaching search. The Brooklyn Nets decided very quickly after the season to hire Jordi Fernandez away from Mike Brown staff and Sacramento. Jordi Fernandez will be the new coach of the Nets starting next season.
But we know that when things happen in the playoffs, when teams lose earlier than they expect or hope, that does lead to surprise openings on the coaching carousel. And you know you mentioned it as well, Frank Vogel today before the game, before this game against Minnesota, that as you and I are recording this is going down to the wire with Minnesota trying to sweep the Suns out
of the playoffs. Frank Vogel before this game had to answer a question about his job security, and Frank Vogel said at his pregame press conference quote, I've got full support for matt ishbia end quote. We will soon see if that plays out, because again, as we're recording this, the Suns Anthony Edwards just threw down a ridiculous dunk in traffic to put the Wolves up for heading into
the final two minutes and change. And if Minnesota can hold that lead, the Suns would be the first team eliminated from the twenty twenty three to twenty four playoffs. So yeah, if the Lakers lose early, if the Suns lose early, you know, put them in the same category. Like I said before right there with the Warriors the Kings.
I think the Hawks qualify as well in Atlanta, where these teams are entering difficult off seasons, really hard choices in the offseason, and in one or two or maybe more of those situations, pressure will be immediately foisted upon the coach once their team was a living Ye. But I'm glad you brought up the Lakers because you have
neatly led me into the Monday preview. This episode is dropping on a Monday, and later today you'll be on the sidelines for Game four in Miami Celtics at heat, and then later in the evening the Lakers in Denver for Game five. The Lakers did avoid the sweep, they did extend their season. The one wrinkle here in that, I mean, you would think Denver's going to finish off the Lakers Game five in their gym, but Jamal Murray sustained a calf injury late in Game four in La So.
But this series is over right, there's no way the Lakers can come back.
Well, it was one game at a time, Yeah, one game at a time. I mean the eyes are death. Oh now, Chris Finch hurt himself. No, Chris Finch. Don you see that.
You must be ahead of me, your feed must be ahead of me.
Wow. Coley runs, Oh, hit some right in the knee. It looks like, oh the right knee.
No goodness sakes.
Injuries.
That is the metaphor of these playoffs. Now Mike, oh, Mike Conley straight into Chris Finch's right knee.
Man, Finch is still down.
Oh wow, these playoffs man, just way too hazardous. Greg Farnham, the Wolves trainer in another Wolf staffer, had to help Chris Finch off the floor with one forty one remaining. Not even coaches are safe in the twenty twenty three to twenty four playoffs. Man, this is ridiculous. So we wanted to just wait till the finish line to make
sure sure. But it is finished now. The Timberwolves again, a franchise that in its first thirty four seasons won only two playoff series, both in two thousand and four, twenty years ago. Sadly, Chris Finch didn't get to be on the floor for the finish of it. But the Wolves have broomed the Phoenix Suns into the off season. The very high priced, top heavy Phoenix Suns Man what
are they going to do this offseason? I mean, look at the coaching box if you want to, is Frank Vogel's job legit under threat as has been suggested in some league circles, I mean changing the coach? What is that really going to change? How does this roster change? Because of how much Phoenix is spent to put together this star trio it has assembled, the Suns, as everyone knows, are so far into the second apron they have no
easy way to make changes here. Bradley Beal, his first season as a Phoenix Sun, ends with a nine point performance in Game four and Beal, as we mentioned, fouled out late and nine points six turnovers in the final game of the season. For Bradley Beal and no matter what happens with their coaching situation, how do the Suns prove this roster next season? It's really hard to see a pathway for them to improve this roster meaningfully.
Well, you know, you can start by getting the point guard. Yes that should be a top priority, but definitely you know, you hit it on the head, definitely too top hit.
And Bradley Beal has no trade clause, so they can't trade Bradley Beal unless he consents, And who's really what kind of market is there going to be for Bradley Beal when he's making about fifty million next season and his first season in Phoenix did not go well. This is the matchup Phoenix wanted. They got up to number six, They won the season series three to zero against Minnesota,
and everybody thought this thing had upset potential. And man, the Timberwolves just absolutely reaffirmed that they are the best defensive team in the league. And truly, man, I am sick for Chris Finch. First of all, just hope that the injury, the knee injury isn't too serious, because it obviously looked awful and the way he had to be helped off the floor that alone should be caused for concern. But just absolutely sucks for Finch. His first playoff series
victory as an NBA coach. And I say that as someone who watched him coach in the British Battle League a quarter century ago against Nick Nurse and he doesn't get to be out there to enjoy it. But man, the Wolves. How impressive were the Minnesota Timberwolves in this first round?
Crazy Minnesota Timblewolves. Okay, see Thunder play.
And we've we've barely talked about the Thunder. Mark Dagnaalt named Coach of the Year tonight. I mean the Thunder have.
Certainly they're getting people's attention. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but this is potentially setting up very nicely for the Thunder in round two because assuming that OKC can finish off New Orleans up three to zero, and again, of course the Pelicans do not have the injured Zion Williamson, the Thunder will play either the Clippers, who don't have Kawhi Leonard at the moment,
or the Mavericks, who have and ailing Luka Doncic. So the Thunder in their first playoff run as a team pretty much the youngest team out there. What an opportunity the Thunder have up three to zero now on New Orleans, and man stat Muse just tweeted it, I have to repeat it. The Suns did not win a playoff game
this season, swept out of the first round. But on top of that, the Suns possess no first round picks between twenty twenty five and twenty thirty and no second round picks between twenty twenty four as in this June and twenty thirty. So the Sons have no draft capital to make moves. How do they if they decide to keep Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal together, how do they improve around those guys with very very limited flexibility to sign free agents or make trades. Man Matt
Ishbia has a lot of questions to answer. Last thing, is South Beach treating you all right? How about? What did missus Haynes think of her anniversary being talked about on national television?
Yeah? I had to show it the next morning. Nah, let see, it was cool. So our anniversary is actually today. So we went to the beach, hung at the beach, Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler's agents got us reservations at Carbone Italian restaurant out here, spent like three hours there. She had a great time. She had a great time. So you know, we didn't we didn't.
Yeah, I heard your colleague Brian Anderson put the city on alert the Haynes family's in town.
Yeah, that was cool. Twenty one years.
Congratulations my friend, that is awesome, And congratulations to show contributors. Charlotte Haynes as well and beyond wishing you guys a happy twenty first anniversary, I am wishing for no more injuries. Can we just stop it with the injuries? Can we have one, two, maybe three days of good health in this league? Enough? Stop it? All right? That's gonna do it for this edition of this league Uncut. As always,
please follow us, rate the show, review the show. We would love to get a five star review from you. Chris is on Celtic's Heat. I believe through game five. Is that correct? You're on that series at least through game five. I will be on MAVs Clippers, probably to the completion of that series. Definitely through the first six games. We'll see if a it requires a game seven and if I would make it to that game seven that is tbd. But I will be at Game five in LA.
I'll be working actually on the Mavericks radio broadcast, as I did for Game one and Game two in LA. So busy times, that's the way it is in the playoffs. But Chris and I will be together again very soon for the next edition of this league Uncut. Thanks as always for listening, and one more time, happy twenty first anniversary at Chris and.
Should and that'll do it for us. See you next time. This League Uncut is an iHeartRadio production
Chris Haynes and Mark Stein