Welcome to the Best of the Week for What's Right with Nick Right the best takes and moments from this week on the show. Enjoy, Demanda, I was pulling for Houston because of our ties to Houston. I also like Kelvin Sampson, tell us what happened?
Well, yeah, I mean Houston went from winning that crazy one against Duke on Saturday. I mean we have I've been pulling them for Houston, but that rev should be investigated from that game on Saturday. Okay, but yeah, so they lost the crazy one to Florida yesterday off of the potential double dribb or whatever. What are your thoughts on the tournament and how it ended?
I mean, I have a lot of thoughts here. Houston did not get a shot up, not on the final possession, on their final four possessions. They didn't hit the rim
seemingly for the last two minutes of that game. And somebody had a tweet that I wish I could give them credit because I thought it was really funny and actually pretty kind of profound, almost talking about Houston's style because they're just such a ferocious, relentless, tough defensive team, where they said I imagine Houston's practices are just three hours of suicides and punching each other in the face,
and that kind of is how they played. But there's downside to that, which is they never you never felt like they were against a great team going to be able to definitively put them away. And they had opportunities against Florida to put them away when that defense was just giving Florida fits, and Florida's stuck around just like Houston did against Duke, just long enough to where you see the college kids tighten up and Houston's kids tightened up.
Walter Clayton junior, you know, had a great final flourish in this game after you know, with five minutes left in this game, it looked like this was gonna be the first game in two years he had a sixty one game streak of hitting a three. He didn't hit one until late in the game. He obviously didn't score his first basket until late late in the first half or was it early second half, I don't even remember, but Florida was able to stick around and then steal
it at the end. Not getting a shot off in that spot is just the stuff of absolute nightmares for a coach, but they didn't get a shot off like it was if you just look at what Houston did over the final two minutes, because one of the possessions they did get a shot up, it was essentially an air balled layup. They were getting no good looks. And when you go to the waning moments of the game, after LJ. Cryer made missed a layup and then tipped in his own miss with two thirty left, here were
Houston's possessions. Made a free throw, then missed a free throw, badly missed a three, offensive rebound miss jumper, offensive rebound, turnover, turnover, turnover, turnover. To not get a shot on the rim in the final two minutes of the ninety seconds of the game is just so crushing, and you feel so sick for Kelvin Sampson. And yeah, but might I mean because again he's aultist seventy say it again that, oh yeah, well about the coach you're talking about LJ. Cryer Now LJ.
Cryer at the back to back turnovers and then Emmanuel Sharp had the back to back turnovers late, I mean both there, But for Kelvin, who was a great coach, got a show cause penalty and got run out of college basketball for a while, came back, and what he's done at Houston is remarkable since he's been there. It's our buddy. Buddy's probably too strong. But the kid we root for, Quinton Grimes, you know, was there and they were a legitimate contender since he's been there. So Kelvin
Sampson took over a mediocre team. His first year, they're thirteen and nineteen. His next two years they're in the n and then since then, this is what they've done. Twenty seven wins, and they won a tournament game, thirty
three wins, and get popped in the Sweet sixteen. Then COVID year, then twenty eight wins, Final four, thirty two wins, Elite eight, thirty three wins, Sweet sixteen, thirty two wins, Sweet sixteen, thirty five wins, lose the championship game by two, and you know, you you hope he has another great shot. You don't know if he's gonna have another great shot. He turned seventy next season. You'll keep coaching, but man, oh man, it as much as they stole one from Duke,
they absolutely let one get away. And so I had two recurring thoughts in that game. One was Duke had to be watching this game, like you gotta be kidding me, like that we we should be in this game. And you know they they their collapse was different than Houston's. There. I know you put it on that you hated the ref for the car. I mean, it's a bad call. Bad college refs are bad, and the review process in
college basketball is truly truly awful. And what nobody ever acknowledges when they're like, oh, they have to get it right, and oh, we've got the tenths of a second could matter. And I bring up every time, you know what also matters, fatigue and these this idea that being the better conditioned team should you should lose all edge from that in the final two minutes of these games because every out of bounds call there's gonna be a one to four minute break to review it. I hate it so much,
But set that aside. My other takeaway from really this entire tournament, but certainly the final four. We had four
number one seeds. We had by kin Palm rankings, four of the best college basketball teams of the last decade all playing, and despite that, you've never seen a better illustration for the glaring and massive gap between the talent and skill level between guys who are good enough to be starters and big time players for the best college basketball teams in the country and guys who are good
enough to play in the NBA. College basketball in the modern era, where guys don't stick around typically for that long, the best players never do, and teams don't stick together.
The gap between that and the skill and talent and nobility it takes to play in the NBA is the widest it's ever been, and it's why a guy like Walter Clayton junior who is going to be goes into the tournament a fringe first round pick, can just dominate and when most outstanding player like is I know there are some people, particularly where I'm from in the Midwest, that swear, and I always thought this was an odd
stance to hold love college basketball hate the NBA. Now, I'm not saying you have to like the NBA more than college basketball. Again, they're different sports to teach their own, but that was all always felt to me a more than a little racially charged opinion. The love college basketball hate the NBA take because you simply never hear that in college football, certainly have people that like college football
more than the NFL. But I've never once met a single person who's, like, I love college football, can't stand the NFL. But you do hear that sometimes college basketball, at least where I grew up, used to all the time, and I always thought that was a little quizzical. But they're they're just so vastly different products. Throughout this tournament, when guys made open shots, you were impressed. In the NBA, if a guy misses an open shot, you are shocked.
And this game, being stuck in the forties late into the second half, just a vivid reminder of how incredibly difficult it is for the guys who actually can make it to the league. But congrats of Florida Walter Clayton junior. Going into this year Demonse on most mock drafts was not even a second rounder going into this tournament. In most mock drafts, was a fringe first second rounder. And now he's probably going to be a late lottery pick.
He's a little older, he's not that athletic man. Oh man that say it again.
Late lottery pick.
No, it's awesome, it's great what he has working against him is he doesn't have the great athleticism and he's played for five years and so four years, so people are always, you know, twenty two to twenty three, how high is the ceiling? But I wonder if he could have a Dulton Connects style draft day where when he gets he gets drafted by a team or a good team and people are like, oh man, he can maybe help you immediately, even if he doesn't have like all star potential.
So things are gonna come down to the wire. On the west side, everyone from the three to eight seed are separated by max of two games, and then everybody from the four to eight are basically tied in losses. Yeah, so do you how do you think it's gonna go?
So, first of all, credit to the Rockets for removing themselves from this group. The Rockets are I I thought the Rockets were about to get punched in the face by the schedule because and I think we talked about it last week. Their their final five games were Thunder Warriors, and then and they played those two already and won them. And then it goes Clippers Lakers' nuggets. But it doesn't matter now because and this actually could work in the
Lakers favor. I don't know if what the Rockets will do, but the Rockets just need to either win one or have the Lakers lose one and they lock up the two seed. So, because the Lakers max out at fifty two wins, the Rockets already at fifty two wins. So if the Lakers so, here's why I say this could work out in the Lakers' favor. If the Lakers lose tonight to the Thunder, which they will, the Rockets lock
the two seed. No matter what. Will that make the Rockets in Game eighty one against the Lakers rest some people? I don't know now, maybe they would feel like they don't need to. But set that aside. Credit to the Rockets for handling their business. Now to the three through eight and we can throw it on the screen the Lakers. The reason that Lakers two game lead is actually a three game lead is this they have the tiebreaker over literally every single team on the screen.
There.
Nuggets are the four Clippers, of the five Warriors, of the six Timbrelves of the seven Grizzlies, of the eight Lakers forty eight and thirty Nuggets forty seven and thirty two and then Clippers, Warriors, Timberlves Grizzlies all forty six and thirty two. The Lakers have the tiebreaker with every one of those teams. That is a symptom of the fact. In one of the craziest stats of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder this year against the Western Conference are
thirty five and thirteen. The Los Angeles Lakers against the Western Conference are thirty four and fourteen. So why are the Thunder gonna win six sixty seven and the Lakers are right now sitting at forty eight. Well, the Thunder are twenty nine and one against the East and the Lakers are They are fourteen and sixteen against the East. So I mean that's the difference in the standings. But that is giving the Lakers the tiebreaker over everyone. So
I think it's gonna go like this. The Lakers lose tonight, they beat Dallas and then maybe they beat Houston. If they don't beat Houston, they certainly beat Portland and they are the three. And now the interesting piece of it, Denver, which is falling apart, has not recovered from the Westbrook debacle. Joker can just put up forty five, fifteen and fifteen
every night. It doesn't matter. And I don't know if you heard what Michael Malone said the other day, when Michael Malone said, yeah, Jamal Murray, we hope he's ready for the playoffs. That's concerning. I think Denver is going to lose to Memphis. Let's assume they beat Houston, because that'll be Game eighty two for Houston, and Houston likely
is not gonna, you know, be playing their people. Whether or not Denver falls to the play in will likely be determined by how they do against Sacramento in Denver when they play on what do they play tonight or Wednesday? I should have had that up in front of me. I apologize Denver plays tomorrow when they play Sacramento tomorrow the Clippers again, so much of this is predicated by what the Rockets do as far as resting guys, because the Clippers play the Spurs tonight, so the Clippers will
win tonight, and then the Clippers play Houston next. But the question is, is Houston, assuming the Lakers lose tonight, gonna be playing their guys. If they are, then that should be a great game. The Clippers after that are at Sacramento at Golden State Golden State has an absolute three consecutive layups at Phoenix. I saw Phoenix in person at the garden Friday night that they are cooked, so pix Golden State will beat Phoenix, then the Spurs, who
don't want to win, then the Blazers. So Golden State is going to be forty nine and thirty two going into the final game against the Clippers, which the Clippers are going to need to win potentially to avoid the play in potentially for seating. So Warriors Clippers game eighty two two massive. Right, The Grizzlies are at Milwaukee, at Memphis, and then home for Brooklyn in Utah. So Minnesota, Brooklyn, and Utah are auto wins. Those teams are not trying.
If they beat Milwaukee tonight, then Minnesota has a real chance of not only climbing out of the plan, but climbing all the way to the four or five line. And then Memphis it likely comes they're at Charlotte that to win. Home for Minnesota at Denver, home for Dallas. So let's let's do it like this. What are the guaranteed victories on teams schedule for the Lakers just one game eighty two against Portland, The Lakers will then need to win one other game to lock up the three
Oka se Dallas, Houston. They're gonna lose Okay sees. They've beat Dallas or Houston for Denver, zero guaranteed victories, Sacramento, Memphis, Houston, so no guaranteed victories for the Clippers. One game the Clippers put them at forty seven wins. They have the Spurs game, then Houston, Sacramento, Golden State for Golden State three guaranteed victories, Phoenix Spurs, Portland, and then that Clipper game for Minnesota. So put Golden State at forty nine wins.
I'm gonna do this in the dock so I can just see it. So Denver forty seven with three questions, the Clippers forty seven with three questions. As far as the games, the Warriors forty nine, one question game, Minnesota at Milwaukee, at Memphis tough home for Brooklyn and Utah, they're at forty eight with two questions, and then Memphis
at Charlotte three questions. Yeah, forty exactly forty seven. So the games that are going to determine the Western Conference playoff bracket is all of Denver's games against Sacramento, Memphis, and Houston. The Clippers games against Houston, Sacramento, and Golden State. For the Golden State that one game against the Clippers, and for Minnesota, they're games at Milwaukee and at Memphis. That's it. And so right now, I would think the
most likely seating is as follows. One Oklahoma City locked, two Houston essentially locked, three Lakers close to essentially locked, four Golden State, five, Minnesota six the Clippers, Lakers Clippers around won't be fun. Seven Denver eight Memphis. That's how I think it's gonna fall out.
Is that ideal for you?
Are?
Are there any matchups the well?
The ideal for the Lakers well, and by the way, that's set the seven eight obviously, then there's a play in situation. The ideal for the Lakers. Everybody wants Memphis. The idea for the Lakers is Memphis getting to the three line. I don't think that's happening. I would would I rather play Minnesota or would I rather play the Clippers.
I would rather play I Clippers been really tough since Kawhi came back, since Kawai has been playing like this, I'd probably rather play Minnesota now later in the playoffs. I'd take my chances with sadly Kawhi not holding up, but in round one with him playing like this, they're dangerous. Thing is everybody's dangerous. But if you're the Lakers, you
can't worry about round one. If it were to play out to where you are on the opposite side of the bracket of OKC and round two looks like it's Golden State OKC, you sign up for that if you, you know, if you if you're the Lakers, and you're only gonna have to be one of Golden State or Oklahoma City and they have to they play each other in a war in round two, while with respect, you're probably playing the Rockets. That is the ideal situation, and I think it's what they've set themselves up.
I think the Rockets are going to be dangerous in the playoffs. I know you say when they're young and all that.
I think they have a great team championships that's fair they have, and they have a great coach. Dylan Brook's gonna see Lebron in a playoff series and once again be like, it's Dylan Brook's time, and I don't trust Jalen Green. Now Amen Thompson is a monster as a young player, and Shingoon's great. Shingon's great. But I again, the West is brutal. None of these are easy. But it's you know it easy.
I'm not saying like they can win, Okay, I said, I know, I said defense wins championships. But I think they can mess somebody's road up. I think knock a team out early.
But you but you're kind of treating them demnse like they're not the two seed. They're like the two seed playing to their seed means they're in the conference finals. I don't see that happening. Like now, listen, maybe they maybe somebody clips clips the Lakers and they beat them, or maybe they can beat the Lakers. But I I think Houston, Houston has earned enough for me to where at this point I will almost assuredly be picking them
in their Round one series. I don't know, you know what I say that, I don't know if i'd pick them against Minnesota. I think Minnesota could be tough.
But yeah, I could see, yeah.
You know, they could win, but I think i'd probably pick Minnesota. Who's scoring big in the NBA this season. You are with all the new ways to get in on the action at DraftKings sportsbook and official sports betting partner of the NBA for Monster Slams, Dish in the Rock, to Cleaning the Glass, get behind your favorite players and the prop bets you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA player props. Ready to play your first bet? Try betting on something simple like picking how many points
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Very emotional game Last Night It was Lucas first time returning to Dallas since being traded. Originally, the fans are super high to seem it seems like a lot of fans are wearing the thank you for everything in Slovenian shirts.
Yep, good cheering for him.
I basically after every bucket, you know, they still got the love for Luca. And then he torched them score forty five points. What did you think of this whole game, this whole situation, right?
I was amazed by what Luca did. And one of my go to beliefs in sports is a very simple phrase, but it explains a lot, and that is legendary players do legendary things. And Luca watching what I thought was almost a too well produced pregame video, I thought that was almost too well done because it really hit home if it hadn't all ready, how outrageous the trade was, and how blind sighted Luca was by it, and how great he was. I was wondering how they would approach it,
how they would approach this video. Would they include the step back three over Rudy Gobert in the conference finals to give them a stranglehold on making their first NBA finals since Dirk was there since their championship and eleven and the answer was, Yeah, we're gonna do a real tribute to Luca. As if this franchise didn't spend the last six weeks calling him an out of shape alcoholic that we couldn't trust With three hundred and fifty million dollars.
They did, and it really affected Luca. He's crying. He so again. Up for those of us I know, I'm sure there's some people listening or watching that cry all the time, and there's some people listening or watching who never cry. I think most of us are probably in the middle part of that bell curve where we're not
never ever criers, but we are incredibly rare criers. Think back to the last time something affected you so much that you were brought to tears in public, and then think would you have been at your best professionally ninety seconds later? I wouldn't have been. He was. He lit them on fire from start to finish while dealing with the unbelievable and indescribable emotion that honestly, almost no athlete in modern sports history has had to deal with quite that.
A guy that good, that young, in that sport, who didn't want to be traded, Who thought I'm going to be here forever, Who gets the rug pulled out from under him in the middle of the night, and then has to deal with learning second hand that, oh, evidently a lot of these people that I worked for didn't believe in me, didn't like me, didn't trust me, are totally fine with trashing me anonymously or on the record.
Dealing with all of that, and then he scores forty five, is the best player on the court, thirty one in the first half, channels it all into his individual greatness that is as legendary as it as you will ever see. And I saw the stat and it's a great one that Luca becomes the first player you'll like this demanse, the first player in more than fifty years to score forty five plus points for a team and then forty five plus points against that team in the same season.
And I'll tell you who the guy was who did it before. But think about what the needle you have to thread for that to happen. You have to be good enough to where you have multiple forty five point games. You also have to be traded during the year. The last guy that did that, the only guy to do that was Wilt. But Wilt was a bit of a no Mad's too strong, but he moved around. He also was, similarly to Luca, I think, unfairly maligned or not fully
appreciated for how great he truly was. But Wilt didn't get traded against his will. Wilt didn't get blindsided by it. And for Luca to be able to do that, and for the Lakers to embrace him the way they have Lebron is, you know, cheering on the crowd when they're chanting Luca. Luca the embrace with his teammates right after the introductions, everybody kind of taking a step back and saying, this is Luca's moment. If you're a vibes reader, the
Lakers vibes are absolutely off the charts right now. All right, let's go to the other side of this game for a moment.
Yeah, I saw on the other side of it Anthony Davis was playing his ex team as well. That doesn't really seem to be making noise.
Well, so here's why I think, because it wasn't in LA I think because nobody felt like I don't think anybody felt like the Lakers betrayed Ad because it's just a trade you have to make. I also think this last night was a great example of why AD is
such a frustrating great player. And last night was also a good example of the gap between all time great and legend because Anthony Davis in that game, with the Lakers not having a real sinner and him fully healthy, you would have liked to see him be like, listen, one way or another, I'm getting my thirty or at least twenty five and putting my imprint on the game. Instead. Listen,
he was good defensively, and he had thirteen points. And it's why AD is, again as great as he is, a frustrating guy at times because he doesn't seem to always have that extra gear that you would want and the right He is not a guy that you can just say, oh, the moment calls for it. Therefore, he's going to be brilliant, at least on the offensive end. Now, defensively, everybody still brings up the Lakers free throw edge over
the last few years and all of these things. That's an Anthony Davis stat not because he's drawing so many fouls, but because he is and has been, and it's criminal. This guy's going to go his whole career without winning
a Defensive Player of the Year. But he has been the best rim protector in the league for a half decade plus now, and he can protect the rim without fouling, which is what led to those free throw discrepancies, and he was able to do a lot of that live last night, But thirteen points in that moment is just a just a bummer.