Gil's Arena - Nikola Jokic & The Nuggets Are Playing DUMB Basketball

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

Nikola Jokic & The Nuggets Are On The BRINK Of Elimination as Gilbert Arenas & The Gil's Arena Crew react to a thrilling game 5 between the Denver Nuggets & OKC Thunder where Shai Gilgeous Alexander c...ame through in the clutch and carried the Thunder to a pivotal win in the NBA Playoff Series. They debate which NBA MVP candidate has looked the most like the best player in the world in this series and break down what the Nuggets need to do to help Jokic before reacting to the reports of a hostile locker room exchange between Aaron Gordon & Russell Westbrook. Next, they react to Tyrese Haliburton & The Indiana Pacers advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row after a dominant performance over the Cleveland Cavaliers and debate if this team should be considered as a real threat to win the NBA Championship. They also break down the future for the Cleveland Cavaliers who came up way short after their best season in franchise history and revisit the classic Gil's Arena debate of if Donovan Mitchell should be considered a #1 option on a championship team. Finally, the Gil's Arena Crew breaks down the current state of the Golden State Warriors who also sit on the brink of elimination without their superstar Steph Curry and react to the return of Paul George to the podcast game following the announcement of a Podcast P reboot. Please give us a like and subscribe!!! Gil's Arena Crew - Gilbert Arenas Josiah Johnson, Kenyon Martin & Brandon Jennings Sign up for Underdog Fantasy HERE with promo code GIL and get up to $1000 in Bonus Credits and A FREE Pick: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-gil's-arena Use our code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/ARENA10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Join the Playback chat to interact with Gil and Josiah https://www.playback.tv/gilbertarenas SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAvjYgmwadC682OoC4Cc6TQ Join the Underdog discord for access to exclusive giveaways and promos! https://discord.gg/underdog 0:00:00 2 Min Countdown 0:02:03 Show Start 0:09:05 How Gil Scammed The Orange County Fair 0:12:52 Jokic & The Nuggets Are Playing Dumb Basketball 0:31:43 Jokic NEEDS Help!! 0:36:36 Who Is The Real MVP Of This Series? 0:50:20 Will The Game Ever Go Back To Old School Basketball? 1:11:46 Aaron Gordon Defends Russell Westbrook 1:20:20 Can Haliburton & The Pacers Win The Title? 1:35:47 Haliburton Is A Pure Superstar 1:51:25 Pacers vs Knicks Predictions 1:55:35 The Celtics Have No Chance To Win The Series 2:01:10 The Cavs Season Ends In Dissapointment 2:12:59 Is Donovan Mitchell The Guy On A Championship Team? 2:18:19 Max Struss' Message To The Cavs 2:25:25 MostlyFans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:35 Whoa, whoa! That's a good one. That's a good one. Talking a little football here in the arena. That's a good one. You got some football stuff coming up for this season, right? You still got that in the works? Not we.
Starting point is 00:00:47 Yeah. You work me enough. Trying. But I'll be supporting at the crib. Some Rams stuff. Trying to get it going. I love me some Rams, boy. There's no Chargers?
Starting point is 00:00:55 Got Adams? Chargers, no. There's two teams here. I know, I don't. Can't support both of them like you don't support the Differs? Not yet. Not yet. So you gotta pick one you like so I can. No, see I'm a new Rams fan so I don't even have an enemy yet. I don't. Can't support both of them like you don't support the Differs? Not yet, not yet. So you got to pick one you like. No, see, I'm a new Rams fan, so I don't even have an enemy yet.
Starting point is 00:01:08 I got you. I got to figure out who their enemies is and then. Whoever in their conference. L.A. still ain't embraced the Chargers. I'm in the division. That's San Diego squad. Like whoever like in the division, right? I should have brought the Raiders back.
Starting point is 00:01:19 Yeah, no, I'm just like it's the Broncos. The Broncos, Chiefcos Raiders Chiefs the Chiefs I can't I can't be for the Raiders that's LA too yeah you know better
Starting point is 00:01:33 you know better that's what's in the car this is Gil's Arena presented by Underdog Woo Woo as always we got the legend
Starting point is 00:01:41 Gilbert Arenas here with us rocking the the Cooper flag yeah you know high school As always, we got the legend Gilbert Arenas here with us. Rocking the Cooper flag. Yeah, you know, high school. I know he's familiar with this color, so he should be coming. Not now. Not yet.
Starting point is 00:01:56 But eventually, you feel me? You got to put on about 60 pounds. Lakers, everybody. They ain't even got drafted yet. I'm still trying to figure out, you know, if they want to make a trade. For who? Let them put on 50, target the hooker.
Starting point is 00:02:10 Only person y'all got. No problem. That they're going to want. Give them a second. Let them target the hooker, you know. You might want Rui, you know. We got Rui. One guy.
Starting point is 00:02:21 Rui. One guy. We got some cash. Damn. Some stock in the Laker organization you know what we'll trade you number 77
Starting point is 00:02:30 for the number one pick trade it back trade it back to you that'll be crazy oh my god that'll be crazy we want Kyrie too damn
Starting point is 00:02:39 get Kyrie back on his journey getting right boycott on this side of the couch representing Tough Crowd, Tough Crowd University, we got Mr. B, Brandon Jennings.
Starting point is 00:02:51 We see it. I'm liking what Tough Crowd has been rolling out lately. Thank you. Appreciate you for always blessing the arena. Finding us new threads, keeping us looking fashionable. And on this side of the couch, we got the distinguished gentleman from Oak Cliff, former number one pick, Kenya Martin, back here with us.
Starting point is 00:03:10 And for all the fans out there, we've still got two viewing options for you, our traditional version, mobile, vertical version. Pick whichever one you want to watch. Just make sure you support the show. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. The Thunder came through in the clutch again to get their second straight win over the Nuggets, take a 3-2 series lead. What does Denver need to do to slow down this OKC squad to force a game seven?
Starting point is 00:03:31 They got the Nuggets looking like old men out there. That crew throwing that bench at them. The Joker, MF, new game's going to waste. Nah, man, that man needs some help. He needs some help. Help! Tyrese Halliburton delivered a dominant performance to send the Pacers to their second straight
Starting point is 00:03:47 Eastern Conference Finals. But does Hallie's squad have enough to be a 16-win team this postseason? They're halfway there. They got the eight. They need eight more. Some on this couch are believers. Some are not.
Starting point is 00:03:59 Hey, I'm... Okay. We'll get to it. We're going to get to it, yeah. You see who he pointed at? He pointed at you. He wanted to hear your opinion. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:04:08 And the Cavs were the top-seeded team in the East this season, but their injury-plagued roster got hit with the gentleman's sweep. Should Cleveland run it back next season? Donovan Mitchell said he wants to run it back. Very emotional, obviously, after getting eliminated from the playoffs. Had a lot of things to say. But before we get into all that, as always, the show is brought to you by Underdog. Please download the app. Use promo code
Starting point is 00:04:27 GILL. Get $1,000 in bonus cash, plus a special pick-em. As for tonight, GILL has some picks up in his partner pack on the Underdog app. GILL already hit earlier this week. I'd be inclined to roll with him. He had a replacement. Yeah, I didn't. No. I had a doctor's appointment.
Starting point is 00:04:44 Who was that damn 16 yep Toe Toe Banger Harris Garland yeah so yeah
Starting point is 00:04:50 he was out there Jalen Brown higher 4.5 cut it off big bodega higher 19.5 points Derek White higher 18.5 points
Starting point is 00:05:02 Julius Randle missing his first 3 point attempt in the game tonight. That's a hell of a game. Okay, Gus, you got a little bit more bold and ambitious. Somebody tell him. That's some real gambling shit. I just like to start like I'm going to start with a green
Starting point is 00:05:16 or just start with a red and just call it a night. Yeah, I don't – yeah. I need the ones that could go all game because then you get disappointed and you mess around and hit it. No, I hate, no, no. I refuse to do certain ones because it's like you'd be like all green, and for some reason the one you need is always the last one, and that's the one that turns red. Like, come on.
Starting point is 00:05:40 Yeah. First attempt. First attempt. We asked the chat if they arrived with that. I did that one day. I just did. I went all in one day, like first everything. Yeah, first attempt. We asked the chat if they were riding with Fetty. I just did. I went all in one day. First everything. All that shit was red. They should give you something if you go all red.
Starting point is 00:05:54 I went crazy too. It was like something that you... If I hit four of these motherfuckers, it's great. I have times. It was like 190 times the money. Some crazy shit, right? They know what they're doing.
Starting point is 00:06:09 Damn. We asked the chat if they're riding or fading with your picks for tonight, Gil. 60% of the chat is rolling with these picks. Good job, Gil. Yet again, if you like them, go ahead and download the Underdog app. Use promo code GIL for $1,000 bonus cash plus a special pick. I know I messed up. Players F up too.
Starting point is 00:06:27 But go ahead. Was that Diet Coke? Mm-hmm. Who drinks Diet Coke? You know Diet Coke? The little diet? Delicious beverage for those who don't want calories. There's no calories?
Starting point is 00:06:40 No, there's got to be some calories. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything.
Starting point is 00:06:42 We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything.
Starting point is 00:06:42 We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything.
Starting point is 00:06:42 We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything.
Starting point is 00:06:43 We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything.
Starting point is 00:06:43 We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. We ain't put anything. No, there gotta be some Fuckers eat cheeseburger and cheese for chili cheese fries with a diet coke Toma. Okay, let's stop the shit man Say that 200 calories, but you save you know what you but what you eat with the diet coke I'm the same but I've see all here and see it all the time like My brothers get the regular yeah So what is the regular. Yeah. Get the regular and no fries.
Starting point is 00:07:10 So what's worse, the no sugar or the calories? I think the sugar is might as well get the one with no sugar, right? Yeah. Calories is. It's Gatorade I'm drinking. Double up. I'm just asking. If you can't watch the show live, it's on YouTube.
Starting point is 00:07:21 We have audio versions available on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. So we're going to start this one a little bit different. Gil, last week on the show, you talked about how you found a loophole at the county fair basketball game. Ended up getting banned. So our expert team found this photo of you
Starting point is 00:07:35 at the county fair. Yeah, boy. That's a lot of stuff, animals. Confirming the story. This was posted on your Instagram back in 2015 with the following caption. We just got banned from all the basketball hoops at the Orange County Fair. Everyone screamed the rims are bent. I screamed
Starting point is 00:07:52 hibachi, hashtag arena family, hashtag county fair rock stars. So OC Fair spokeswoman Robin Wackner said you weren't actually banned from returning and playing in the future, but had won the daily maximum of one prize per day from each of the fair's 15 basketball games.
Starting point is 00:08:10 She also said no one at the fair recalled anyone previously achieving that same winning streak. So what's the key to gaming the system and winning big at the fair for everybody out there? Because some of us struggle. I know the rims are bent, but what's the hustle? So on the long ones, right, it's the angle. Like I'm looking, I'm sitting there looking at it like,
Starting point is 00:08:32 and I said, yo, can you put the ball in? So, you know, they grab it and they do it like that. And I'm like, oh, so it's bent like this, so I got to shoot at that angle, right? So I get to the side, and so instead of shooting at mine, I'm shooting sideways. So corner store. That was so funny. So it like hit and then sit around and then go in and if it bounced, it bounces to the next one too and go in. So I was... So it counts if it...
Starting point is 00:08:57 And then they start changing and say it's only the one that you aim at and shit like that. Like, come on, really? They ain't know what they was doing. They sitting there like, come on. What's the process like for getting banned for the day at the county fair? They roll up on you with security. Yeah, they did.
Starting point is 00:09:13 Like, because I was just going from what's-her-name to what's-her-name and they're looking at all the tours and it was like, yeah, you maxed out for the day.
Starting point is 00:09:21 How you maxed out? I ain't no max. Oh, now it is. They ain't never had nobody win. You're going to play some other games. I don't know no other games. Orange County Fair, huh? They made that shit up on the fly.
Starting point is 00:09:36 Like, shit, we got to get this game out of here. Garner, can we pull that photo up one more time, please? I had the little ones. I had the big ones, boy. Yeah. How much money did you end up spending to win all those prizes? I don't remember. But he was going home with it.
Starting point is 00:09:55 Yeah. You see, I had stuff behind us. I see all this stuff. Big elephant. What is that? The elephant behind us. What did you end up doing with all those? Kids is playing.
Starting point is 00:10:06 Kids, man. But do they need all the animals? Yes. They have animals. Yes, they enjoy stuffed animals. Trust me. They start arguing about the ones that just had one in it. It was rough.
Starting point is 00:10:18 They like, Daddy, shoot. Dad, go play this one. No, that's lit, though. With the donut hat. I thought it was a sombrero at first. With the donut hat. Good old days, boy. This boy is crazy.
Starting point is 00:10:29 Look at little Elijah. All right, well, let's keep this thing moving because we got some playoff basketball to talk about. But today's podcast is sponsored by SeatGeek. Everyone can use our code ARENA10 and get 10% off your SeatGeek order. Whether you're a new customer or not, sports, concerts, festivals, you name it,
Starting point is 00:10:46 the Kendrick and SZA Grand National Tour is underway, so I've been looking on SeatGeek for the best deals. And the Dodgers are on their quest to repeat as World Series champs, so you don't have to pull up to a few games using SeatGeek. SeatGeek rates on a scale of 1 to 10, so look for the green dots.
Starting point is 00:10:58 Green means good, red means bad. No matter how many times you've bought tickets using SeatGeek before, code ARENA10 is going to get you 10% off your next order. So take out your phone, open the SeatGeek app, and add code ARENA10 to your account. Appreciate you to the folks at SeatGeek for helping keep the lights on. All right, well, now let's talk little playoffs.
Starting point is 00:11:18 Had some big games last night. SGA came through with a clutch performance in Game 4 to even the Thunder Nuggets series at two games each. Nicole Yolkish led the Nuggets with 27 points and 13 rebounds, but shot under 40% from the field for the third straight game. When a series is tied 2-2, the team that wins Game 5 goes on to win that series 81% of the time. Both teams played like this game, like their season was on the line. Let's take a look at the highlights, if we can, please. So after combining for 25 points in the first quarter of Game 4,
Starting point is 00:11:48 both teams got to work early in this one, combining for 55 points. OKC jumped out to a 12-2 lead to start the game, but the Nuggets kept their composure, fought their way back into the game. The league's two MVP finalists showed just how valuable they are. SGA finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. He was 12-23 from the field, 6-6 from the line. While Joker had something like an MFU game, reminiscent of the series opener,
Starting point is 00:12:12 putting up 44 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in 44 minutes of action. Jokic was 17-25 from the field, 5-7 from three, and 5-5 from the line. Jamal Murray had 28 points on 10-27 shooting. He was three of 13 from beyond the arc. And Aaron Gordon had 13 and five boards. But Michael Porter Jr., Westbrook, struggled for the second straight game.
Starting point is 00:12:34 Porter Jr. finished with two points on 1-7 shooting. Missed all five of his three-point attempts. Westbrook had four points on 1-7 shooting. You just ain't going to talk about the black boys. You're going to talk about the white boy too that's struggling too. Christian Brown, throw him in there too. Christian Brown will be throwing in there too. Right now. Christian Brown will be throwing in there. Put him on the grill right with him.
Starting point is 00:12:52 Put Christian Brown will be throwing in the grill too. Momentarily. Three to twelve. Eight points for Christian Brown. Clayton Biggs be over this bitch crazy Nugget shot 28% for 3
Starting point is 00:13:08 making just 13 of their 46 attempts but still led for most of the game OKC had a balanced scoring attack 6 player scoring as double figures after an off shooting night in game 4 Jalen Williams bounced back in this one finished with 18 points 9 rebounds
Starting point is 00:13:21 Hardenstein had 15-7 on 7-10 shooting Chet Holmgren 14-8 boards and two blocks. He was 6-9 from the field. Lou Dort, huge in the fourth quarter. Nine of his 12 points in the final frame. Caruso had 13 off the bench. Thunder were down by nine with a little over 10 minutes remaining in the game. Went on an 11-2 run to tie things up with six minutes remaining.
Starting point is 00:13:38 Dort hit three threes in that stretch. Kings went back and forth. With the Nuggets down three. Joker came through with this ridiculous three to tie the game. OK responded. OKC responded back-to-back threes from Jalen Williams. SGA to go up six. SGA knocked
Starting point is 00:13:55 down two free throws as well to cap off an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach. Thunder made six straight shots in clutch time. Shot 50% from the field. 40% from three in the game. The Thunder have outscored the Nuggets 63-37 in the past two fourth quarters to get their second straight win, now a game away from reaching their first Western Conference Final Six 2016.
Starting point is 00:14:18 After the game, SGA and head coach Mark Dagnall had this to say about their squad. We had no choice. The game obviously wasn't going our way. And we always say the answer is never a hero play or anything out of the ordinary. It's being who we are. It's trusting each other. It's playing with all five on both ends.
Starting point is 00:14:39 And whatever the problem is, we can fix it with collective effort and not a single effort. And that's all we try to focus on when it wasn't going our way. We did enough to get a W. We don't play to answer anybody. We just play for one another, you know, for our fans. The guys have an unbelievable connection in the locker room. You know, that's enough for us. And they've had an unbelievable spirit.
Starting point is 00:15:03 You know, that's why they've accomplished what they've accomplished to this point, and it's why they show the type of resolve on a night, like I said, that for a lot of that game we didn't have our fastball, but we hung around long enough and showed great will and connectedness down the stretch. So what does the Thunder's dominance in the fourth quarter, and especially clutch time, these past past two games say about this team? I mean, their offense is very simple.
Starting point is 00:15:38 It's ISO basketball. It's, you know, we try to figure out who the mismatch has and then we just go one-on-one. But the fact that the right people are making the plays in the fourth quarter, no matter how they're playing in the first three quarters, in the fourth quarter the right people have the ball.
Starting point is 00:15:59 And I think that's the difference between them finishing off the game very well versus Denver. That, you know, SGA Williams is going to be making a play, and then when they give it up, if there's not a quick open shot, give it back and we're going to go again. Also have guys like, you know, role players like Lou Dort stepping up,
Starting point is 00:16:18 knocking down three threes in that run. He had made a few up to that. I just look at certain things. Like he had made, what, two or three threes in the fourth quarter. But the last one where Aaron Gordon rotated off of Williams out of the corner and Luke Dort was...
Starting point is 00:16:34 I'm making Luke Dort shoot that one. I'm going to stunt and get back to Williams. Their corner shot for Williams is... Easier. Easier, right? But they've been doing what they have to, man, to get the wins the last two games, especially in the fourth. I think Nikola is tired in the fourth, having to do too much.
Starting point is 00:16:55 Not coming out the game. Yeah. Got to be on the floor. Can't afford to, man, especially when, like I stated yesterday about Michael Porter, right? He had one good game throughout this series man he's a liability out there he's not playing well you gotta sit him down
Starting point is 00:17:11 you gotta you have to play somebody different with those minutes man he's not giving you nothing Christian Brown to your point you was making yesterday right by guys shooting the ball when you you're in the fourth quarter. Are you two for eight from three already?
Starting point is 00:17:27 What are you still shooting three? You're made two before the fourth quarter. Two for seven, two for six up to that point. You open for a reason, man. They're not running at you for a reason. You're not a point of emphasis from the three-point line from them, man. You got to know that. You got to know your strengths in the playoffs.
Starting point is 00:17:49 You got to go to them in order to be successful and to help your team. It's about helping your team at this point. You got to play to your strengths in the playoffs. That's not what I was built on to get me in the NBA. I wasn't built on making shots. I was built on to get me in the NBA.
Starting point is 00:18:05 I wouldn't have built on making shots. I was built on athleticism, movement, playing hard, defense. You're doing those other things, but you gotta play to your strengths. And to your point, your point that y'all was making, that's what Oklahoma City does. They play to their strengths. They put the ball in these guys' hands and expect them to make the right play.
Starting point is 00:18:27 And the guys that shouldn't be shooting the ball, not. And the guys that are, they, so it's, and that's what happened late. Like, Denver being unselfish at times and selfish at times, right? Nicola being unselfish, Aaron Gordon being unselfish, Jamal Murray being unselfish, passing the ball to them guys, and them guys not playing to their strengths at times. time, right? Nicola being unselfish, Aaron Gordon being unselfish, Jamal Murray being unselfish, passing
Starting point is 00:18:45 the ball to them guys, and them guys not playing to their strengths at times is being selfish. When you think about the Thunder squad, two straight wins now, take a 3-2 series lead. I mean, they're young. Like SGA says, man, they stay consistent. I just love the way how your he stays poised through it all, no matter what's in that fourth quarter. And, you know, I think Denver, like you said, with Michael Porter Jr., they got to go somewhere else with it.
Starting point is 00:19:13 You know, I'm playing Russ just because I know Russ going to play hard and he going to give me something. You know, I think Russ was like one for seven. Yeah. And both were like one. But I still feel like with Russ out there, he will actually do more than what he, with Michael Porter. He has other ways to impact the game, but for the squad.
Starting point is 00:19:31 You got six people in double figures, Jamal Murray in double figures. Other than Nikola and Aaron Gordon, that ain't going to cut it. Yeah. That's not going to cut it. I think just OKC's youth. Yeah. Them being young. And they just look, they having fun, though. I'm going to cut it. I think just OKC's youth. Yeah. Them being young. And they just look, they having fun, though.
Starting point is 00:19:49 I'm going to just be honest. Just Denver plays stupid. Yes. You know, it ain't, it's not, OKC is not really doing anything that's dominating them. Denver's just dumb. They're playing dumb basketball. Right? The best shooters on OKC, right?
Starting point is 00:20:17 Chet can shoot the three, right? Yep. SGA can shoot that three, right? They don't. You got two dudes who have a flamethrower. They don't actually shoot the ball from that deep. They just keep manipulating the defense to get an easier shot. On the other hand, you have the worst shooters on the floor combine both teams. The worst shooters are sitting in Denver through the 30 people that's there.
Starting point is 00:20:52 And those guys are shooting more threes than everybody else. That doesn't even make sense. If you shoot your first one and you miss, don't shoot no more. No more threes. You make it, I give you another one. That's how we're going to play this game. But Christian Brown shouldn't be shooting that many threes. 8-3 point.
Starting point is 00:21:15 Two for eight. And then Watson. There's no threes for you dudes. Right? Just take one dribble in. That's the easiest. Just one dribble and changes your percentage maybe they don't have that in their game well we're gonna do it i mean i'm just saying maybe
Starting point is 00:21:32 that's not in their game i mean i don't think it it's it's it's at this point you're either chucking up threes when your percentage said that you shouldn't be out there shooting them right now but that's what i'm saying what is the coach is saying like what are these people saying somebody got to be saying something if you're looking at the numbers and you that you shouldn't be out there shooting them right now. But that's what I'm saying. What is the coach saying? Like, what are these people saying? Somebody got to be saying something. If you're looking at the numbers and you still tell them to shoot. Nothing being said, man. Back door, like, slash, cut.
Starting point is 00:21:55 Like, Christian Brown, when he played last year, everything was to the rim, right? Athletic white boy, go to the rim. Just dive. Like, you know what I mean? If you miss a layup, you have guys that are athletic enough. You got Yoki. She's going to get it. You got Aaron Gordon.
Starting point is 00:22:09 And then I'm telling Michael Porter, oh, wait, listen. I need you to take at least two dribbles for your pull-up. These quick shots you take because you jump high, you're always off balance. All your shots are off balance. They're not a on balance shot i think you think you're open and it's a good shot because you just jump higher than everybody but for the most part you're always leaning and always moving that's why your shot is short right i don't know how you train in the summer if you if you train it you should be
Starting point is 00:22:41 training full court running to the corner, knowing how you can use your speed. But for the most part, man, two dribbles, pull up. Get the control under you. Offensive rebound, slash and dunk. You should be doing other things. The three-point shot right now, they don't care at this point. Well, MPJ playing with the sprained AC joint. He should be playing right now.
Starting point is 00:23:04 Right? That's the left arm. But he can't lift his arm uprained joint. He shouldn't be playing right now. That's the left arm. He can't lift his arm up. It takes four to six weeks to heal. I'm talking about the other shit that you want him to do. Because if you can't lift your arm, bitch, don't shoot the ball. Right? If it hurts you that much,
Starting point is 00:23:23 you need to be a dribble handoff guy. Dribble handoff dive. Like, you shouldn't be shooting threes if your arm is messed up. Put somebody else in the game. Yeah. Who else? The rest of the bench can't shoot for shit either. Well, they're going to play,
Starting point is 00:23:38 somebody's going to play to their strengths. I'm going to look at them and say, hey, man, look. We as a group, we're not shooting more than 15 threes a day. We playing 2,000 basketball. We playing the old Lakers style. There's going to be four threes. Hopefully we three for five.
Starting point is 00:23:59 Two for four, three for four, that's it. Other than that, we're just going to attack the lane, man, because that's what the other team is doing. To your point, you're talking about Chet, SGA, five three-pointers combined. They were two for fold. That's it. Other than that, we're just going to attack the lane, man. Because that's what the other team is doing. To your point, you're talking about Chet, SGA, five three-pointers combined. They were two for five from deep. Yeah, they don't shoot. They don't shoot. They shoot it when they need.
Starting point is 00:24:14 I've brown-shot eight of them motherfuckers by himself. Eight of his 12 shot attempts were threes. Yeah, and the other two guys is really good. The one of the guys, he's a star first team. And he's, oh, come on, man. He only took five. Like, when he let it go, you're like, okay, that's really good. The one of the guys that really, he's a star first team and he's, come on, man. He only took five. When he let it go, you're like, okay, that's going in. But he rarely takes them.
Starting point is 00:24:32 He rarely is going to sit there and settle for that shot. Like, he has to done drove at least eight, nine times and you really backing up. He's like, all right. But he ain't coming off thinking three first. It's the size.
Starting point is 00:24:47 SGA size is crazy. Like 6'5 down there. 6'7 with his shoes on. I mean, yeah, 6'7. SGA done his job this series. So has the rest of the team. Getting it done on both sides of the ball. Obviously, McKinnon on Joker.
Starting point is 00:25:01 He had the three straight games under 40%. Snap down with 17 for 25 from the field in this game. Thunder bench has outscored the Nuggets bench 57 to 18 the past two games. So, how vital has the Thunder supporting cast been in this series? We had SGA's Pops here in the arena
Starting point is 00:25:17 a little while back, and he just talked about the team being young. Jalen Williams being an all-star for the first year, but still making progress. Bounced back from an off-shooting, like I said in the previous game, to come through here, do his job. But it seems like this crew just has a nice mix of some vets, with Hardenstein, Caruso, and that guy. But the young guys, too, are now stepping up and getting it done.
Starting point is 00:25:39 It's their confidence, man. They've been, for the most most part had the same core for the last couple years, right? And the disappointment of the way they the season ended last year. They use it as fuel. They all got in the lab, realize we gotta get better. Um at all aspects of this and I think they did. Um yeah, it's coming out and hooping man and the bench guys they they relied on them and they got to play a lot during the regular season because they were blowing teams out right so their confidence
Starting point is 00:26:12 not going to be wavered and he's still playing his guys right he's not like he's played them during the regular season playoff starting they're, I'm only playing seven of y'all. Like, that ain't how we got here. Right? We didn't get here playing seven, eight guys. We got here playing the guys that we spent this draft capital that we didn't accumulate it over these years. We got here with all of this. We know who our stars are and who our all-stars are.
Starting point is 00:26:42 We know that. But the rest of these guys are really good because we scouted them and we've done our homework on them, and we know they can play. So we're going to utilize their talent, and each one of those guys play to their strengths to come collectively to be where they are. What's so funny is you can see the game playing from a mile away. When Yogi's just posting up on the right side, right,
Starting point is 00:27:11 where he's trying to go middle with his left shoulder, and they're forcing him to go baseline because they're snapping back on the baseline. The guy whose man is snapping back, you don't know where to go? You don't know where to go? Like, you don't know where to go? Like, at this point, are you that stupid where they're pushing me to go back this way and you probably still all the way in that corner, huh?
Starting point is 00:27:41 Just sitting in the corner like, I could pass through the fucking rim, the baseline, the referee, and this man. Huh? You think I'm a fucking wizard? Yes. You're a joker, ain't it? Oh, God. Listen to me.
Starting point is 00:27:52 Like, I don't want to. Cut back doors. Call you the joker, don't you? Oh, that's great. If your man snap back, you follow, come back out this way. So when I turn and your man start right there, I can just give you the ball right here. Shoot this little shot. I got a double.
Starting point is 00:28:04 I got double pick. God damn it can just give you the ball right here. Shoot this little shot. I got a double pick. God damn it. You sitting all the way. I got to throw a damn bowling ball that don't touch the floor. I got to throw it in the air for it to get through. What kind of basketball? Do y'all not watch film? Have y'all not played with adults when you was little?
Starting point is 00:28:28 Like your man is snapping back to double him when he goes back baseline and not one of y'all said when your man snap back and stay, run back go back the same way. If your man snap back middle come back. Get the hand like This is the craziest shit that I've seen
Starting point is 00:28:47 I'm sitting here like they were pushing him to make him go back towards the baseline every single time they're over playing it at this point they want him to left jump hook they want him to do that
Starting point is 00:29:04 the one he made. Yeah, the way he did it. That's a tough-ass shot. And they came, he stepped through on one. Stepped through, yeah. And one. Because they went too wide. They went too, and one. Yeah, and one, then the other one, the left-hand jump hook. That's a tough, listen, man.
Starting point is 00:29:19 And even if you cut back door, you the other guy. The wing cut. The wing, yeah. Listen, man, you, dude, somebody got to guard. The wing cut. The wing, yeah. Yeah. Listen, man, somebody got to guard him. He going to pass it to him. It's just weird. It's just the person that's over here.
Starting point is 00:29:34 You're just sitting there in no man's land. They make it so hard for that man, dog. Let's talk Yokes. Yokes broke out of a shooting slump. Another MFU game. Wasn't enough to get the win. Seventh career 40-point game in the playoffs. Nuggets are two and five in those
Starting point is 00:29:49 games. So what more does Jokic need to do to will his team to victory and avoid getting eliminated in the second round for the second straight season? Say that again now? So what more does Joker need to do to will his team to victory to avoid getting eliminated in the second round for the second straight season.
Starting point is 00:30:05 I don't think much. Clone himself? Yeah, or try to have two more of him out there, something like that. Clone himself? I mean, 25 shots in the game, Jamal Murray, 27 shots, 10 of 27. I think it's just up to his teammates. It ain't him. I mean, we know what he going to do.
Starting point is 00:30:25 So it's up to other guys stepping up. So he missed eight shots. Jamal Murray missed 17 shots. Yeah, Jamal, he got a – hey, I feel you, brother. You got a hound dog on you, brother. You got a – that motherfucker's a hound dog. You got to get him up off you, right? Like, I don't know. Listen.
Starting point is 00:30:48 Lou Dort, brother, he's on you. The Dortcher Chamber, as they call him. You ain't pushing him off and doing all that little elbow shit. Nah, so you got to, like, I know you want to set the pick and roll with Jokic. Nah, fuck all that. That's not this series. You need them to switch. That's the one person you don't... Get a Caruso on you. Get a
Starting point is 00:31:13 James Williams. I don't want the big black big black. He looked like he wrestled alligators growing up. You don't want him on you, bro. That's what he's in the game for. They all play defense. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but this is different.
Starting point is 00:31:30 It's brute. He plays brute defense. Yeah. Give me the headband. Give me the headband white man hustle defense. I'll take that. The tennis player? Yeah, he run right into you. He gonna do some dumb shit. I don't want this one. This one's too disciplined. He gonna dive on the... He doing all that extra shit. He's going to dive on the floor. He's doing all that extra
Starting point is 00:31:45 shit. He's like, come on, dog. Get him off you. And when you're doing a pick and roll with Jokic, he ain't leaving. Get him to where you know they have to switch. Man, you better run that boy around. Yeah. Do something different. Double screen. You better run him the fuck around.
Starting point is 00:32:01 You better run him off a triple. It ain't going to get back to him back to pull this way and a triple back I'm gonna get back to him. Huh boy. I'm gonna get back to us. Okay, let him hit what a Like that no more I'm saying but you gotta do something to get that ball is because he is not deviating From that It just looks rough like you he's too Like, he's too strong for you, bro. But I think that was part of their game plan. And you don't have the foot for me.
Starting point is 00:32:28 You don't have the height advantage. Like, most guys that, like, Ludo do all that shit, and they're taller than him. He just, all right, look. But that was part of their game plan, though. That's part of their game plan, though. Makes some tough shots, too. To get him to get Murray.
Starting point is 00:32:41 He makes some tough-ass shots, that boy. You're so used to doing a pick and roll and switch it. Or Jokic, because Jokic got his body. He's running around and running through that. And it's like, yeah. He's refusing to get picked. So, yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:59 Chet made some huge blocks in the fourth quarter, too. It's easy, man. Yeah, some huge blocks at the rim in the fourth quarter. I think they're going to have to focus on… Happy for Chet, man. He likes Jamaica, man. Aaron Gordon, at this point, it's like…
Starting point is 00:33:18 That's what they need to run, man. It's just four or five pick and roll. See if you can get into the like get confused or just dog do they they don't run. They do it, but they just don't that old Sacramento shit man a lot of splits coming together man and I'm gonna try to make y'all make it a mistake man. Like you gotta you know
Starting point is 00:33:38 like they would know how to play it. They don't I'm because you have a yoke at you smart enough to understand that pass it to the post and then you have Jokic who's smart enough to understand that passing to the post and then you have two just two come together and start diving and handing off. You have that
Starting point is 00:33:55 offense. Mike Bibby and Page are coming together. Good luck. Good luck. Bobby Jackson and good luck. That's where MPJ comes in now. Because he's 6'10". Because now we're going to come and you already pre.
Starting point is 00:34:12 MPJ, you're going to be the dive guy. Yes. Okay? Yes. You're going to be the dive guy. And if I'm not going to use you, I'm going to put you first shooter. And then we're going to have Aaron Gordon. You come and when you dive, his man is going to try to help.
Starting point is 00:34:25 That's where you get your open shot. Yes, man. It's dog. I remember that. Especially in the guard, dog. Yeah, I remember that. That's your hell to guard. I'm trying to tell you.
Starting point is 00:34:35 I seen Jokic do one. He got the ball and he was getting ready to swing it and it was Christian Brown wide open. That man just dribbled hand to come and just move, dog. You can see he's frustrated out there. It's not that simple. And that's a great shot. The best shooter on your
Starting point is 00:34:51 team at this point, who's supposed to be the best shooter in the world, had a horrible go at it. So everybody else is like, they missed out with KCB. Let's talk about the two MVP finalists real quick. So for the series, Joker averaging 30 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists. SGA averaging 28, 8 rebounds, 7 assists.
Starting point is 00:35:11 Who's looked like the real MVP so far in this series, Joker or SGA? I'm going to go with SGA just because he's been consistent. He's been just doing the same thing. Is that based on team success? Does that weigh in on your... No, I'm just looking at him being poised, not getting rattled. You know, if it doesn't work this game,
Starting point is 00:35:33 we're going to come back and still do it again. And I just think he's just getting whatever he wants. So he's shot under what? 40% for games two through five. And averaging what again? 30, 15, and five. 30, 15, and five. Haven't played well.
Starting point is 00:35:55 I'm averaging 30, 15, and five. Game one, game five, had those two big games in between. Still, 27 to 13. Yeah, and I haven't played well. And we got two games out of it, so it's... Yeah, I'm going to... What was Shea's? 28, 8, and 7.
Starting point is 00:36:15 Which is great numbers. I mean, he's getting more team help, you know, in a sense where, you know, he's four points down from, you know, what he does in regular season on the scoring part. But, you know, you have other guys stepping up and Jokic's production on points
Starting point is 00:36:33 and rebounds has gone up, assists have gone down, but we can see why. Motherfuckers can't shoot. So, you know, if we're not adding our team wins and it's just them two we always compare when we get to the playoffs what is your production um you're playing against two seven footers i mean you're both you know they're both doing what they're supposed to be doing to
Starting point is 00:36:57 one have three three wins the other one I have, too, 49.5. I'm going to go with Jokic. Okay. I mean, it was a 50.5. 50.5 to 49.5. Yeah. You got Jokic so far. I mean, but it's really just exposing kind of what we've talked about
Starting point is 00:37:20 throughout the season with this Nugget squad. They run it back with this crew. Obviously, minus KCP, who's now gone. They both have big, big flaws. And I don't know why Denver is running a 2-3. Their best players are attacking the top. Just hit a pick. Go one, two, two.
Starting point is 00:37:50 Just go a three, two, one, two, two. Guard it like that. Where when Shea is sitting here, because he's very good at going high and then coming back quick low, right or left. So when he bounces high and then comes back, he knows how to dip his shoulder and get around. So you want another guy there.
Starting point is 00:38:11 If he's sitting here on the left and this guy is guarding him and the next defense is there for the 2-3 and he's sitting here and coming back, there's nobody on this side. So you want the first guy to pick him up and then these two at the elbow for him. Let them sit there and chuck threes. The one person you want to stop first is the guy who loves playing one-on-one
Starting point is 00:38:31 and attacking the middle. And then you will stop him and Jaden from trying to get into the middle of the lane and let Jokic play on the bottom. Run a one-one-three or some shit. Yeah, you got to play for him driving the top of the key. That's what three is about. They're trying to drive it or get the ball.
Starting point is 00:38:49 They're trying to make that pass, get the ball in the middle of the fourth shot or go man. So, because most rules are in zone. The ball gets to the middle of the zone, you go man. Like, those are the rules mostly. So, you put somebody in front of him and behind him and make it. Yeah, I don't know. They need to do something. Because you're playing zone for a reason.
Starting point is 00:39:09 I don't know at this point. Just do something. Yeah, you got to figure something out. Something different. What's so funny is I remember we was playing. Man, I got to play tomorrow. Our first playoff, my first playoff experience, we were playing Chicago. We started off at a 2-3, right?
Starting point is 00:39:22 Whooped our ass in a 2-3. We went to 3-2. shit just three just we're gonna switch this one with you with the top deny that that was it four straight they didn't know what to do they were so used to the whole offense was designed off of a 2-3 when we ran the 3-2 on it they didn't actually know how to run their offense anymore. So, you know what I mean? Like, when you're looking at it, like, it's not like OKC has zone. These teams ain't preparing zone
Starting point is 00:39:52 offense breakers. Right? They're playing fucking five out. So, they're going to play five out, play the one, two, two. Because what they say is, yo, we can just run our man stuff against zone. Yeah. That's what the fuck they say. But if you do a one-two-two,
Starting point is 00:40:06 you can still put a guy right here, right? Where? So one guy up top and two guys on the... Elbow. Elbow. Uh-huh.
Starting point is 00:40:13 Yeah, I can still do a high pick and roll. Yeah, I'm going to switch it. I'm going to switch it with the guy at the elbow. On a two-two, two-two-one. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:40:21 A high two-two-one. Yeah, that's what I said. I'm just going to let you sit there and throw it to the corner and just cause you gotta remember Harkinstein is out there too
Starting point is 00:40:27 and for him he's gonna sit on the he's gonna have to sit on the block so that means what he gonna float to the three
Starting point is 00:40:34 okay his name is Harkinstein ladies and gentlemen here in the arena presented by what is his last name Harkinstein but we
Starting point is 00:40:43 Harkinstein we call him Harkinstein Harkinstein Harkin Stein. I'm a motherfucker What's your hologram left hand did the left hand floater right? So if if 40 shots go to him good God Almighty do your thing But other than that, I'm just gonna want to to stop him in general. That's shot to shoot 80% Huh? He shoot 80% on that shit. So you don't want him sure that's weird. He shoot 80% on a month. No, that's Hey, so he's gonna have to pop out because we're gonna have a guy I did so we're gonna load on that side
Starting point is 00:41:09 So then you're gonna have to try to do what an overload they ain't been practice an overload basketball Well, we're just gonna pick on one side. That's yeah too good. Huh? That's just too good You would think too good. I think. You're saying? You would think. I don't think he's going to ever get rattled. It ain't about him getting rattled. He's smart enough to see what they're doing.
Starting point is 00:41:36 And it's just like, when they put the zone in, we was like, all right, we have Steve Nash and we have Rajah Bell over there. We're just going to run our offense over here. We're still going to run our offense over here. We're still going to pick on Steve Nash and his lack of defense and stay away from Rajabell manipulating it. SJ is really good.
Starting point is 00:41:55 These guys are really good. What doesn't happen is teams, they are not consistent in the way they go. They're not consistent. All right. In no world. If that you don't put two on him at all costs. Any pick and roll that Shea trapped, every time, man, he would never see a one-on-one pick and roll. I'm never switching it with him. Not one time if he ran a pick and roll and we said, no, he's never seeing one. If two come together, we're putting two on him. Every time that he runs this, he would never run a pick and roll.
Starting point is 00:42:52 If I had to come up with a game plan to defend him in a playoff series, that's one play that he would never run because I would double team him every single time. They don't even harsh show anymore. Even that part. I'll guard him like a Steph off a pick and roll. They don't even double
Starting point is 00:43:17 team him every time. I will guard him like he's SJ. And that's how crazy these fucking people are. They don't even double team Steph every time in the pick and roll. So they're so scared of rotation. The ball will find whoever we want it to find. They're so scared of getting in rotation and don't realize there's guys that are gifted in this shit. These max players, right, they are gifted at what they do. So if the best defender starts on him and he does a pick and roll to get a worse defender on him,
Starting point is 00:43:57 no, double every time. Every fucking time. Double every time. Just double Every time. Every fucking time. Double every time. Just double every time. Like, that is... If I can get the worst... If I can get the best defender off me every time, I'm going to do the same pick and roll every time.
Starting point is 00:44:14 These motherfuckers said... And I was like, why are y'all setting guard to guard, then big pick and roll? Yes. To switch and switch. Yes. And switch, switch, and switch.
Starting point is 00:44:25 Like, that's a waste of my time. Get your little ass up out of here. If this is who I want, I don't need you, Big. If I want the Big on me, I don't need your car. You're complicating it all. I'm just wasting. Now I got to rush. The shot clock down. One of you motherfuckers just come up here.
Starting point is 00:44:41 What's the one I want? Hey, you. Should Nicola look down there? I want him. They got the weirdest double drags I've ever seen. What happened to the two big double drags? I'm about to say, yeah, the four or five double drags. That's what you want? Where the guard coming from?
Starting point is 00:44:56 I got you guard over here. You guard. Harkin Stein in chat. Let's go. They got the four and five. What the fuck are they going to do? They got the four and five double pick and roll. They're not going to do nothing.
Starting point is 00:45:05 Harkin Stein, you're going to drop it. They're going to do it. They got the four and five. They're not going to do nothing. Because. You're going to drop it. You're going to roll it. Every single time. I don't care if you're the first or the second one. Die. Every time. You're every one.
Starting point is 00:45:13 And then sometimes every third one, slip that bitch. Yes. Run hard. Slip it. Then, yes. I'm going to throw it to him, and he's going to throw it to you. Lou Dort, you sit in that corner. I'm going to throw it to the wing.
Starting point is 00:45:25 He's going to wing a corner. One of y'all is going to throw it to you. Lou Dort, you sit in that corner. I'm going to throw it to the wing. He's going to wing a corner. One of y'all going to get it to him. If they rotate, if they pre-rotate, you'll get a wide open shot. Every time. I remember that. Every time. Every time. Come down and die. If certain guys we knew, right?
Starting point is 00:45:42 He's very aggressive, man. We're putting two on you. I tired of watching kobe play one on we at the game plan we prefer man listen we went and came out of a timeout hey this is what's gonna happen they throw him the ball i don't care where he at i'm running at him get fuck where he is i'm y'all i said it already right so y'all know i don't care where he is they throw the ball to kobe i'm running at him hey here i come yes yes he see he know it now hey i said i'm gonna do it every time so just so i'm gonna put it on your mind that you're not
Starting point is 00:46:21 gonna play for the rest of the half y'all gonna have to be fucking creative get him the ball or you got when i go out of the game he's the rest of the half. Y'all are going to have to be fucking creative to get him the ball. When I go out of the game, he's going to go the fuck off because y'all ain't nobody else going to do it. But right now, this is what's going to happen, man. I'm not going to keep watching this guy that averaged 33 in the regular season continues to play one-on-one basketball. It's just not going to happen. They have stats, right? It just seems like in an era of technology.
Starting point is 00:46:52 All of technology. It's like their information is 1996. That's your question. There's no film to see what this motherfucker do. I'm going to ask you a question. You ask me, how many guys worked in your film room when you came in? Two. Michael Conley. An intern or some shit, right?
Starting point is 00:47:13 Nowadays, Conley? Nowadays, how many fucking people you think you got working in that goddamn film room? I see everybody with an iPad. Everybody and their mom got an iPad behind that motherfucking bench. Looking at something different.
Starting point is 00:47:27 And nobody can come up with a game plan on nothing. I'm watching the game. I'm watching the game in real time like, yo, he keeps snapping back. Come out the backside. Shit, the film guy ended up being the GM. Come out the
Starting point is 00:47:43 backside. I'm just just saying back in our day yes you ain't got no trick play like the double square like like you know this is coming because he's watching all the film right what happened to the big pick the picker run run like even all of them he's giving them the information the guy in the film room is giving the coaches and everybody all the information he watches all the film. The guys, they're breaking all the film down. And they send it. Now it's just a link they hit. They got iPad or computer.
Starting point is 00:48:10 They send you the link. This is your scout. These are your players. Everything is. That's the problem. Right? All the people that has the film ain't played basketball, basketball. No.
Starting point is 00:48:23 Right? They know how to break film down. They don't know how to play basketball because they never done pick the picker and slash and cut and snap back the baseline. They've never done it to even tell you what to do.
Starting point is 00:48:39 No. Yo, do you think the game would go back to the early 2000s? No. Inside out? No. No. Inside out? No, not inside out. No.
Starting point is 00:48:54 Early 2000s is winning in the playoffs right now. Yes. Shea is early 2000 basketball. He's taking the fucking advantage of them. And Jalen Brunson is playing 2000 basketball. Okay. Mikael Bridges playing 2000 basketball. Okay. Mikael Bridges, 2000. All the super. There's only one player or two now with Ant-Man.
Starting point is 00:49:13 There's only one player who literally his game was threes. That was Steph. The rest of y'all are not Steph. It was like when Magic came. And then everybody's sitting there trying to get six nine point guards. Like they just you can't create a local round off unicorns that you can't create your teams off of unicorn players. Yeah. And that's what ends up happening in basketball. Like, I don't give a fuck if I have someone who looks like Kevin Durant.
Starting point is 00:49:43 He ain't Kevin Durant. So I'm not going to be doing Kevin Durant shit with him. Yeah, he's the broke man Kevin Durant. Y'all need to stop that broke man. Poor man shit, yeah. Because that's confusing. Like, oh, yeah, you're just going to do what we're going to do here. Like, no, that's not how the game is.
Starting point is 00:50:00 I don't give a fuck if I got somebody. Giannis is Giannis. Jokic is Jokic. We leave it like that. We're not going to create our system on something they do if we don't have that person. If he walking this bitch,
Starting point is 00:50:13 yeah, cool. Like I see, like, Sangoon. Sangoon is not Jokic. They do call him Baby Jokic. He's not Baby Jokic. He's not. They're two different type of games. Right? Just because they know how to pass. He knows how to pass a little bit. He's not baby Jokic. He's not. They're two different type of games. Right? Just because they know how to pass. He knows how to pass a little bit. He is not
Starting point is 00:50:29 equipped with the same skill set Jokic has. They don't have the same bag. But it's a copycat league, though. So, like, you know, like you just said, there's two players right now that's playing early 2000s basketball. I mean, I feel like all the teams now that's left,
Starting point is 00:50:45 you know, besides, well, I mean, the Wolves will win. You know, they still shoot a lot. But everybody else, like, they kind of play inside. Like, you know, like all the, so you don't really see it, like, changing because, you know, once teams see, oh, this team won it this way, you know, the league start taking notes. You don't think it'll go back to, like.
Starting point is 00:51:02 Play to your strengths, right? Whatever the fuck your team is, play to that. I know, but I'm saying a lot of these teams aren't playing to their strengths because they're just shooting threes. That is absolutely. So it doesn't matter if... When Philly is healthy, right?
Starting point is 00:51:18 And they just make a conscious effort that 50 times, 60 times a game Joel Embiid will get this motherfucking ball within 12 feet of the basket a conscious effort to throw him the ball on duck ends turnouts back screens storm the ball closer there's nothing no one will be able to do with him. Right? Now you got to start game plan like, well, shit. But don't nobody else really fit that. You could.
Starting point is 00:51:57 Jokic? Yes. But he. Yes. They're having a problem with that motherfucker now. Yeah, because they're trying to. Because he. yeah they're having a problem with that motherfucker now because they trying because he Joel Embiid is much yeah
Starting point is 00:52:08 better offensively than Nicola just his footwork and everything like Nicola's great at what he does but Joel a different
Starting point is 00:52:17 animal when he won't like if he shared the field he put that shit to work dog motherfucker problem that's a problem a fucking issue it's so to feel he put that shit to work dog motherfucker problem
Starting point is 00:52:25 that's a fucking issue it was so easy for him he never had the habits of I remember like if you ever
Starting point is 00:52:41 heard Kobe back in the day and you know I'm not playing against anybody in this era. I'm chasing that. I think if Embiid's mindset was this realm of basketball players is not on my level. Not at all. I'm chasing the Wilts, the Kareems, the Shaqs. And he focuses on that list yeah i think his motor changes i think he plays against these guys and this shit is so easy for
Starting point is 00:53:12 him he doesn't he doesn't try to tap into none of his greatness i don't think he realizes how fucking good he could be. Like, he's probably one of the only people that literally can average 40 without blinking. Like Shea said in the one clip, he said, you chase the greats, right? You chase this, you chase that, you chase the greats. Your point. Yes.
Starting point is 00:53:40 I don't think anybody's telling him. He can shoot threes, he can do the mid, he got the moves, he's a foul baiter he can literally average 40 I mean but because it's easy because he can walk down
Starting point is 00:53:56 walk in the gym and score steps didn't he start basketball late? huh? I said didn't he start basketball late? yeah so I don't think his knowledge is kind of like all the way. Does he have enough by now to? No. I mean, not.
Starting point is 00:54:09 I mean. It's what you want. What are you striving for? What is making you wake up every day, get to the gym, and try to maximize your day? How about you chase the guy? How about for nothing else? If you're not going to chase them dudes, why don't you chase the guy? How about enough for nothing else if you're not gonna chase them dudes? Why'd you chase the guy that has three right now? And I like the problem. That's the thing. How about you chase him, right?
Starting point is 00:54:33 I just gave him 50. Yeah, and then that becomes the problem Yeah, I don't gave him 50 out in and that's like with Giannis. Yeah, that's chasing something bigger than Red here his motor looks like he's trying to get better every goddamn Like with Giannis, Giannis chasing something bigger than right here. His motor looks like he's trying to get better every goddamn. Yes. Right? And that's, you know. Even with him, I want him to do this, what I'm saying.
Starting point is 00:54:54 Yeah. Even with him. 6'8", 9'7". Get your ass on the block, man, and make a conscious effort to throw this freak of nature the ball close to the basket. Him ducking in on the motherfucker. Good luck stopping it. Because all you want to play what do you because what they all you got to do is manipulate the fucking play have him start the motherfucker.
Starting point is 00:55:26 They're going to switch the play. Set a back screen. Let him come in. Duck the fuck in on the weak side. He got a small on him by now. I don't know nothing about basketball. But that's what I said. I think the game is going to go back to that.
Starting point is 00:55:42 No, man. It ain't. Because now coaches are going to have to actually coach and teach basketball again. Okay, that's good. I mean, that's good. That whole staff that they done created, if you look on the side of the benches, have you seen anyone that look like they have manipulated this game of basketball. I know some people say, man, like there's one in the one in a few people that would just have straight basketball knowledge because they put that time in.
Starting point is 00:56:16 But for the most part, just like the Googles and the big companies. Right. When they say, hey, I bet a million dollars you can't hack my system. That's just an audition for the smartest minds out there to say, yeah, I can. I can't go around looking for you, so I'm going to put so much money up there that I want to see where you're at. Then I'm going to give you a job.
Starting point is 00:56:38 I'm going to give you a job. I'm going to tell my team, hey, hackers is coming. So now they're prepared. I want to see who the weakest link is here, and I want to see the strongest person that i don't know of it's the same thing in in this game i need to figure out people who manipulated the game and i want them on my staff teaching my players their basketball knowledge from what they did on that court some people don't know how to watch film they don't know the fuck they're looking at in film their basketball knowledge from what they did on that court. Some people don't know how to watch film.
Starting point is 00:57:09 They don't know what the fuck they're looking at in film. They just, back screen it. They don't know what they're looking at. You can tell. The ball went in. They can tell. Miss shot, make shot. You can sit there. I'm sitting there just watching like,
Starting point is 00:57:22 how do you keep going for the same fucking, the same play? You don't know when, you don't know like if you're watching Brunson, right? He has a right side move. He has the left side move. Both the motherfuckers is lethal, but you should already know what's coming when he goes left, when he's going right, and you cut him off, you should know okay, he's going to spin back, and when he spins back, he's going to hit me and bump
Starting point is 00:57:51 off. You should have that planted. Say if he's going left, and he comes back, you already, like, there should, you should already have a blueprint of what these guys want to do. And they don't. They should. Brunson can do
Starting point is 00:58:08 the same move ten times. They're going to fall for the same up fake ten times. Right? He come in here, right? He going to fake like he's about to do a step back. You going to lean in. He going to go in. He going to come. And it's the same like,
Starting point is 00:58:23 God damn it. You just fell for the same move four fucking times do they get scouting reports like you know you know them big ass I can just watch a game I'm just saying like remember when that shit was written down and like the effort they was
Starting point is 00:58:39 yo they send it to this motherfucker right here everything is here now with them. What happened to like that? Don't send that shit to my phone. Everything is here. We got to get back to the, they need that binder. We had motherfuckers that didn't read the paper you gave them.
Starting point is 00:58:56 And that came on your seat. It put it on your seat. That's what I'm saying. Right? That's what I'm saying. No, imagine you sent it to them. They need that today. Put that shit on their seat.
Starting point is 00:59:06 We did watch it. You can put $1,000 on the back of that shit. We did. Listen, when I was with when I had that cup of tea with the Bucks, right? J.K., you should quiz these dudes. There was a quiz after shoot-around.
Starting point is 00:59:24 I heard about that. Some of it was mixed within the game plan and the history of the game and certain shit it was a test quiz and they put that shit in front of me and you know i you know what the fuck i told them i'm not fucking filling this out 15 years in man like i know more than everybody that's y'all get the gay that paper too i know more than every single one of them i was one of the questions what year was kenyan drafted like what pick of some shit and they motherfuckers had no clue no clue so it's shit like that but they sending scouting reports time to flight is, what time bus, everything is sent
Starting point is 01:00:08 to this motherfucker right here. And I guarantee they ain't tracking hours. They tracking how many shots you getting up when you go to the gym. They ain't tracking how many hours you spending on that motherfucking tablet or that
Starting point is 01:00:24 in that app watching plays. They ain't doing that many hours you spending on that motherfucking tablet or that in that app watching plays they ain't doing that shit my problem is if you're like if I'm a coach and my job is on the line and it's about getting better then I have
Starting point is 01:00:42 a coach for every player oh they got that it's then I have a coach for every player. Oh, they got that. Right? It's mandatory then that either before practice, during practice, after practice, you and your coach watching film on the person you're guarding, on the person you're going to switch. At this point, you got to know all five.
Starting point is 01:01:06 You know what I mean? You're supposed to be smarter because now I got to know what you do, what you do, because I'm switching on everybody. Y'all should be watching film with your coach and y'all sitting there studying the game. How am I letting you...
Starting point is 01:01:19 I know when you leave the arena and you get that test, you're going to look at it, put it down, and then going on about your day. I think I'm a pretty smart basketball player, dog. I watched a lot of fucking film. To get smarter, to get these guys are really good that I know who I got to guard night in and night out.
Starting point is 01:01:40 Right? And my film is not only what the team is giving me i am watching basketball games from tip to end i'm watching every single thing that this man is doing out here when he check out the game is Is he putting fucking hot packs on? I'm locked into this possibility that I'm going to have to play him in the playoffs, but I know I got to go
Starting point is 01:02:13 out and win regular season. I'm doing this, man. To your point, this is the reason I think Mike Malone got the boot. He obeyed those comments about the team not watching film. Everybody just wanted to watch their highlights. Not putting in the work behind the scenes. He had made those comments about the team not watching film. Everybody just wanted to watch their highlights. Yes. Not putting in the work behind the scenes. It's true. Yeah, like what happened?
Starting point is 01:02:29 Like who made that be okay? Like you know what I'm saying? Like when did that shift this swift to like... All that talent that was sitting on the bench too dumb to get in the game? No, but is it because... They dumbed down everything so they can play these guys. But is it because it's a players league?
Starting point is 01:02:47 And now players can get away with shit? I don't know. Listen, the only person I get to play. A lot of it, man. Just hear me out, man. Because it's just... Over the last, what, 10 years or so? 10, 15 years? It's been one and done right been around for a while.
Starting point is 01:03:11 You're you as a minor sports, right? The male brain is not fully until you're 25. Your thought process and being able to process things that you are told, seen, 25, right? Shit going one area and out the other. You see some shit
Starting point is 01:03:34 and it's oblivious to it. You ain't, danger coming your way. You have no fucking idea that it's right outside the door because you can't translate, transfer that same
Starting point is 01:03:45 incomplete thought process to basketball. These kids coming in at 19 years old. 19. The knowledge that they have received, some guys are special. Some guys are exempt to what I'm about to say.
Starting point is 01:04:04 But we're giving you information before you get to high school i mean before you get to this professional status as when you get paid to your contract if you really read your contract this is part of your job description not just dribbling passing and fucking shooting and jumping. Thinking it, being prepared, all that shit is part of your contract. But they can't physically do it. They're 19, 20, 21. So the information that
Starting point is 01:04:35 they received in high school, they didn't forgot certain fundamentals and certain things about the game. And now they're a pro and now this game is being played a certain way and you're supposed to be fed all this information to try to help you which you can't compute it because your brain like your
Starting point is 01:04:51 this motherfucker still low you still you still trying to figure yourself out off the floor and then they put all this responsibility to own you floor and all this information and you don't have the capacity to remember your fucking social security number right
Starting point is 01:05:07 so they don't know how to play and the information that you've given them you're trying to give them they can't retain it they physically can't if it hasn't been a constant like drill this information into you daily, where you don't deviate from it.
Starting point is 01:05:29 I put my son in this situation. KJ heard it every day, but his fucking still was like, but don't, don't repeat that to nobody else. Right. It's that. And I'm,
Starting point is 01:05:42 I did a hell of a job with the conversations and each step 15 16 giving him more don't do that don't have it and by the time he became a pro at 19 he was ready but he was still incomplete as much as I gave him and he was ahead of the curb and a lot of them dudes that get drafted at 19. Okay to your point, you talk about a guy like Ant-Man. Anthony Edwards, 23 years old, but has really started embracing watching film, but has pointed out
Starting point is 01:06:11 even during the game, he's got to talk to DiVincenzo, other vets on the team, about defensive coverage is where he needs to be on both sides of the ball. You're learning. But now learning how to watch film and break down that film. Listen, listen. It's just like a classroom, right? And a book and a test.
Starting point is 01:06:29 There was, you know how you had the answers in the back of the book? Mm-hmm. The answers in the back of the book is in film. Everyone looks great and unstoppable if you never look in
Starting point is 01:06:44 the back of the book, right? So if I'm just watching your highlights, you're the most amazing motherfucker. Everybody got a tick. Everybody got a bad habit. Everybody got a go-to move. Like, everybody got, like, if I go here and it's your left hand, you're going to reach every time. Like, everyone does something. And when you spot it, that's when you can take an advantage of it.
Starting point is 01:07:10 But the problem is this in the NBA. It became self-checkout. The information is self-checkout, right? Hey, man, give that man some smoke, man. Huh? What do you mean? Gil controls the smoke here on Guild 3. Just imagine you get to
Starting point is 01:07:28 check out yourself. Now you're playing on honor system. That's a good one. Everybody in the NBA ain't going to be honorable to themselves. I'm sending you the info. Now it's
Starting point is 01:07:43 all on you. Are you going to steal from yourself? Because that's all it is. Every time you don't open it and go really through it, you're stealing information from yourself. You're stealing knowledge from yourself. Just like, check out. Nah, I'll pay for it later.
Starting point is 01:07:58 I'm going to go in and I just start packing shit up and leave. Got you. Scan one, scan one, put one. Scan one, put one. That's why I like, I tell, you know,
Starting point is 01:08:09 when I'm working out the kids, and I'm like, we got 10 line drills. I'm not making you touch the line. That's you getting worked out. If I'm saying everybody make 100
Starting point is 01:08:19 and you want to make 85 and you sitting there cheating, hey, don't say shit. Don't worry about your shots. If you made 100, you made 100. He made 85. That's 15 that he fucked himself off of. That's going to show later on.
Starting point is 01:08:35 I'm not here to correct. You got to have discipline and correct yourself because at a certain level, there's no watchdog. You are your own watchdog. Well, you have to be what organization would you say still does it the right way
Starting point is 01:08:49 and still that you believe that still like every year out I'm pretty sure Pop did and what's so funny is you think they still got it right now over there in the Spurs
Starting point is 01:09:03 Miami of course Miami Do you think they still got it right now? Huh? Over there in the Spurs? Yeah. Miami. Of course Miami. Unless you get under the hood, but, you know, if you listen to like Phil Jackson and them, you got to be disciplined yourself. Same thing with Golden State. Discipline yourself. So it all depends on, you know, you got to get in there
Starting point is 01:09:24 and see what they do. There's a reason Jeff Van Gundy didn't coach for as long as he did and that's why he wouldn't accept a head coaching job there's a reason for that shit man that basketball mind he has there's a reason that he was like you know what
Starting point is 01:09:37 I'm going to stay on this TV man behind the camera because I can't deal with this style of this player like it bothered him if you listen to him to the way the game is played bothered him it bothers him right
Starting point is 01:09:53 I don't know what T. Lou Nim did to get him on that bench but shout out to T. Lou Nim because he wanted no parts of it so let's get back to these nuggets real quick. Something I want to discuss with you guys that happened before game five, after game five.
Starting point is 01:10:11 But before game five, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne dropped an article on the highs and lows of the Westbrook experience this season in Denver. She detailed a heated locker room argument involving Aaron Gordon and Westbrook after the Nuggets got blown out in game two, with one anonymous player being quoted as saying, he's so immature in regards to Westbrook after the Nuggets got blown out in game two, with one anonymous player being quoted as saying he's so immature in regards to Westbrook. But another anonymous player saying the great thing about this team is we're not afraid to talk honestly with each other and hold each other accountable. So after game five, Gordon addressed that article and came to the defense of his future Hall of Fame teammate. Really, I don't feel like talking about the game.
Starting point is 01:10:46 Earlier, I caught wind of an article that came out about Russell Westbrook in our locker room after game two, which was a completely arbitrary article and pointless and unnecessary by whoever it was that put it out. Russ is one of the most talented basketball players that has ever played the game of basketball. Quite frankly, he's been great for us all year long. We're brothers. We spend more time with our team than we do with our own family.
Starting point is 01:11:20 Of course, there's going to be disagreements, but that conversation wasn't for anybody other than our own group and the inter like the internal workings of our locker room so that article is just so arbitrary and so far from the truth Russ has been amazing for us and not only is he a great basketball player but he's an even better human being. And he's going to continue to be great for us, and he's going to make a huge impact, and he's going to help us win these next two games.
Starting point is 01:11:52 And that's all I've got to say about it. So quickly, speaking on the internal workings of the locker room, so as you guys may recall, here's what Aaron Gordon looked like the day before Game 1 of the Nuggets first-round series against the Clippers. Let's just go back down memory lane. Wait, that was before game one? That was the Friday before game one.
Starting point is 01:12:11 Look like allergies, man. Friday before game one, fat-lipped black eye. When Gordon was asked how he got the black eye, he smirked and responded, feels fine, it looks worse than it is, I don't know. Sometime during the regular season, probably didn't get a call. The Nuggets have played their last game on that Sunday, I believe.
Starting point is 01:12:28 This was on the Friday before the playoffs started. So how did he look during that game? Did it look like he got hit at any point? No. They noticed Friday what was going on. He made those comments. Maybe something, maybe nothing.
Starting point is 01:12:44 But we've had our suspicions here in the arena. Maybe something, maybe nothing. But we've had our suspicions here in the arena. Maybe something. But back to the video. What's your reaction to Aaron Gordon defending Westbrook? I don't like they got a snitch in the locker room. Oh, shit. And we got a snitch in every locker room. They ain't just started. No, no. I know. I'm just saying at this time of the season and we're going through the playoffs. They just fired their head coach. You think shit is okay around there? No, no, I know. I'm just saying at this time of the season and we're going through the playoffs. Just fired their head coach. You think shit is okay around there? No, no, I know it's not. No, I know it's not, but it's just
Starting point is 01:13:11 always seems like it's so easy to blame Russell Westbrook. Yeah, low-hanging fruit at this point. It's easy clickbait. Anonymous players making comments, which really... It's always the same motherfucking player. Oh, and that Shelburne woman? Yeah, Ramona Shelburne. I'm going to keep my personal thoughts to myself.
Starting point is 01:13:27 Talk about her article. Listen, if you want to find a snitch, whoever she go to first. Watch what she talk to all the time. Yeah. When she around, just watch her. Watch how she move. See who says what's up? Just watch how she move. You ain't got to her watch how she move see who says what's up
Starting point is 01:13:45 just watch how she move you ain't gotta just watch how she move be like oh okay it's an op in there that op is in that locker room article made it seem like it was different players and maybe she chose to not reveal their identity could have been the same human being as well
Starting point is 01:14:02 of course it is without the range of possibilities there's a person that don't like Westbrook. How about that? And we have heard the previous reports about some players not being happy with Westbrook's treatment on the squad. We know it wasn't Joker. But my thing is.
Starting point is 01:14:18 You say immature, then there has to be older players who have been there for a couple of years that were in championships. There's only like four of them. Four or five. Four or five of them, I'm pretty sure. And we could probably cancel our Jokic because he did one with him.
Starting point is 01:14:31 Jokic, you ain't going to say Murray. You ain't going to say the one who defended him. There's only a few going after that. I mean, you know, it ain't going to be no bench players because no one gives a fuck what they're thinking about anyway. So it's only going to be two or three people that it can possibly be.
Starting point is 01:14:48 You know what I mean? End of the season. How can I get people to tune in to my article? Let me see. Hmm. Russ. You know what? Let me hear some negativity about Russ again.
Starting point is 01:15:03 That tends to get people's attention. But he can kind of confirm that what happened in the locker room, just to say. So, you know, he's confirming, too, that there was an argument at the game, too. And, well, let's just go to game two, see who the fuck played bad. Adelman was not in the locker room at that point. When he was doing his post-game press conference,
Starting point is 01:15:24 came back in to see that that was going on According to the game to the first first round no game two versus the time after Thunder. I'm Happens Whatever walk is looking up that information as players Do you tend to have a good idea of who the snitches in the locker room? Hell? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Hell, yeah, I Know we are no idea on my team. Oh yeah. Oh yeah, that makes sense.
Starting point is 01:15:56 Game two, he led the team in scoring off the bench. Three people, I think. Narrowed it down to two guess who yeah brother it's just a rough series for you it's a rough playoff series
Starting point is 01:16:18 for you man but you yeah they gonna get rid of you you feel like nah it's just one of those things man where I mean Aaron Gordon I mean you can see he's standing up for
Starting point is 01:16:32 who he believes is not the reason that they are losing they're not playing very well so I mean you know I mean for somebody like Westbrook even if they ever had beef the respect of just the work ethic and us So, I mean, you know, I mean, for somebody like Westbrook, even if they ever had beef, the respect of just the work ethic and us as teammates over, you know, pushes them over the top. And you witness how people did him from afar, right?
Starting point is 01:16:55 The Lakers situation, the Clippers situation. Like, you're like, man, Russ is this, he's this, and then you're getting on the team with him, and you're like, he ain't nothing like what they trying to portray this dude as, right? So, yeah, it's unfortunate, man, that writing is in the past. You just came in there on some L.A.? Yeah, terrible. I just don't, like, there's been some articles that's been going on during the playoffs,
Starting point is 01:17:23 and I'm like, is this woman from Denver? No. National reporter. Oh, she's national. So that makes sense. National reporter, don't give a fuck about the internal part of a team. But if this is like local,
Starting point is 01:17:38 and we're in the middle of the playoffs, and these are the things that you're writing, like, the fuck's your problem? Like, maybe wait until after the series and we lose, then you can start putting this out. But we're trying to, like, now you got this team trying to figure out who the fuck told you. They're supposed to be getting ready for game six.
Starting point is 01:17:58 Now they're trying to figure out who the fuck is just telling and snitching and they're going to be looking at each other. Then we don't know if it's a player or now. One of the assistant coaches that's sneaking around is motherfucking ear hustling. And that's what you do to teams. She can't put it out after. It's irrelevant then.
Starting point is 01:18:16 Yeah. It's irrelevant after they lose. She's got to put it out now. So she did what her intentions was. She accomplished it. She accomplished that because he didn't want to talk about the game. He wanted to address this. Went right to it, was asked about the game, said forget the game.
Starting point is 01:18:35 I want to talk about this situation going on. As it stands, obviously Nuggets down 3-2. And in the game six, they'll have an opportunity to win the series. But let's keep this thing moving. Pacers embarrassed the Cavs in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, holding a 41-point lead at halftime, winning by 20. Donovan Mitchell left Game 4 at halftime with an ankle injury, but did what he needed to do to be available
Starting point is 01:18:57 with his team's season on the line. Pacers lead in Game 5 with an opportunity to eliminate the top team in the East, advance to the conference finals for the second straight season. The Cavs still believe they could overcome the 3-1 deficit for the second time in franchise history, first without LeBron. But Tyrese Halliburton and his crew show there's a difference between believing and deceiving. Let's take a look at some of the highlights. So Cavs got off to a hot start, taking a 12-point lead after the first quarter. Donovan Mitchell had 13 points in the first frame.
Starting point is 01:19:27 Cavs were 11 of 12 from the line. Meanwhile, Pacers got off to a slow start in this one, going 7 of 22 from the field in the first quarter, including 1 of 8 from 3. Pacers scored 25 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, but put up 27 in the last 8 minutes of the half. So Tyrese Halliburton had 15 total points in games 3 and 4. Appeared to be headed down a similar path after picking up two fouls in the first quarter while taking just one shot. But Hallie took over in the second quarter, hitting five consecutive threes as the Pacers went on a 16-4 run to battle back from a 19-point
Starting point is 01:20:00 deficit. So despite Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland going to combine 5-21 in the first half, Cleveland still led by 4 at the break. Indiana exploded in the third quarter going on a 17-2 run to take their first lead since early in the first quarter. Led by as much as 12 in the third before the Cavs cut it to 9 heading into the fourth quarter.
Starting point is 01:20:21 Halliburton led the Pacers with 31 points. Ada says 6 rebounds. 10-15 from the field, 6 for 10 from 3. First 30-point game this postseason, third of his career. Pascal Siakam had 21 eight boards and 5 dimes on 8 of 20 shooting. Andrew Nebhard added 18 and 6 dimes. He was 7 of 11 from the field. Aaron Neesmith put up a double-double, 13 points, 13 rebounds. Miles Turner had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
Starting point is 01:20:46 So Donovan Mitchell tried to help the Cavs mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his 35 in the final frame. Spider was 8 of 25 from the field, 4 of 13 from 3, and 15 for 21 from the line. Also had 9 rebounds, 4 steals. Evan Mobley had 24 of 11 rebounds in 2 blocks. DeAndre Hunter added 12 points off the bench. Darius Garland, 4-11 from the field, 0-8 from three, and finished with 11 points. So the Cavs cut their Pacers lead to one point in the fourth quarter,
Starting point is 01:21:13 but that's the closest they would get. Pacers up six with under two minutes to play when Spider was fouled on a three-point attempt. He missed all three free throws in that transaction. He did hit a three on the Cavs' next possession to cut the deficit to three. Neb Hart got an and one to put the Pacers back up by six. And with under 30 seconds remaining in the game, Miles Turner put the nail in the Cavs'
Starting point is 01:21:37 coffin, hitting a corner three to call game. You see how excited he was. Pacers got their third straight win in Cleveland to clinch the series, reached their second straight Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014. They are the first team in NBA history to make back-to-back conference finals appearances as a four-seater or lower since the playoffs expanded in 1984. After the game, Hallie had this to say about his series clinching performance and what makes this Pacers team so special.
Starting point is 01:22:06 We're different than every other team in the NBA. You know, we don't just have one guy who scores all the points. Or, you know, I think we defeat teams in different ways. We move the ball. The ball is flying. We've got a lot of different guys making shots, making plays. We've preached our depth all, you know, for the last couple of years. And, you know, it's paying off now.
Starting point is 01:22:23 So, you know, I had a great game. But, you know, I think a big and you know it's paying off now so um you know i had a a great game but you know i think a big part of that was guys were finding me putting me in the right spots and um you know we did panic after that rough start to the first quarter uh we knew they were gonna throw a punch you know we talked about that uh we knew that they were gonna you know throw a haymaker there but i thought we weathered the storm the right way and uh got going from there so really proud of our effort and proud of this group. So Pacers have proven that they're an eight-win team in the postseason for the second straight year. But Mr. B, do you think the Pacers can be a 16-win team this postseason?
Starting point is 01:22:57 I don't know anything is possible, but shout out to Holly. They call him the most overrated player. Every time their team needs a closeout or to get a team out of here, he always steps up. I just love the way he's been playing. I mean, he's played like an old-school point guard. A lot of his teammates are in double figures in scoring. That's when they're the most dangerous.
Starting point is 01:23:21 And, yeah, man, I just like the way he's been playing, the way he's been leading his team, and I'm excited for him. I mean, because they said he was the most overrated player, and he's the way he's been playing, the way he's been leading this team, and I'm excited for him. I mean, because they said he was the most overrated player, and he's showing that he's not. More anonymous players doing that voting. And they need to let his dad back in the arena. Let Pops back in.
Starting point is 01:23:39 I'm worried if Pops will be allowed in the arena anytime soon. Been watching at local Applebee's in both Cleveland and Indianapolis. But let's just throw this out. Kenny, do you think that this Pacers squad, seeing the way that they played in this postseason, could be a 16-win team? She made it this far. It's a tall task to get 16
Starting point is 01:24:06 but they believe they're playing well right now they got to this point last year so I think having that experience and not being able to get over the hump last year is going to help so it's a possibility man I think they are trending up. Being a really, I'm saying a Cleveland team that was well put together, well coached. So yeah, it's possible. They remind me a lot of my Nets teams. Play fast, defend you, be not
Starting point is 01:24:43 looking for one particular big score. If somebody have one of them nights, then it's one of them nights. But everybody's six, seven guys in double figures is tough to beat. As Oklahoma City has proven that, as Indiana has proven that, the Knicks are proving that. But when one has a big night, then it's great. But as long as everybody stays consistent, and I think they have been so far in these playoffs, they got a shot.
Starting point is 01:25:15 So you talk about that, but I think the difference with other teams, obviously Knicks got Jalen Brunson who can drop 40. And then you have SGA, same thing with OKC. Hallie not necessarily a scorer, but can do a little bit of everything on the court. Obviously a distributor, facilitator, but it seems like this team just has guys who can step up at any moment, and when they're all in sync and locked in together, very difficult to beat.
Starting point is 01:25:34 Battle back from numerous, you know, fourth quarter comebacks, deficits. Can you go to the video real quick? This is where Cleveland lost. Can you go back to that video? Why is that a foul on Siakam too? And you see in that fourth where Indiana was going, we're trying
Starting point is 01:25:58 to go six. Everything to the basket. Show you. Take a look. Jesus. Unconventional. Where is the contestant? I saw that on playback. It goes in. Mr. B on your playback, playback.tv slash hostile territory
Starting point is 01:26:18 for everybody who wants to tune in. Mr. B on playback. Ha. Boom. Ooh. Right here. right this right here stop yeah the game was lost on this play right here let's go up 10 it's not even about it's not even about the 10 points yeah it's about crowd control. Okay. Gotcha.
Starting point is 01:26:45 If you make this layup, nothing. The gym don't do nothing. Your players don't do nothing. Right? You are the most athletic person in this series.
Starting point is 01:26:59 If you would've came down and do what you... Think about fast break dunks. Everybody get... You start doing this. gets you start doing this. The fans start doing this. The players start. You go and do one of them Spider-Man dunks that you normally do.
Starting point is 01:27:13 The two foot power. Bring it back. The crowd go crazy. Your bench go crazy. It puts momentum into the game. There's moments in the game that you need to do something special. Like, think about whenever you've seen somebody on a fast break and they did something, everybody, you start doing this,
Starting point is 01:27:35 everybody start getting closer, you start doing this shit right here, and every time somebody on a fast break, a high-level guy, went in and just made a layup, you're like, aw. Every single time, you're like, aw. Every single time, aw. Donovan Mitchell's defense. Janky anchor. I don't care.
Starting point is 01:27:51 Go off two. I don't care. You're a two-foot jumper. Come on. Go off two. Playing with a janky anchor. I get, baby. Even if he makes it,
Starting point is 01:28:01 it's two points. In your building where you need to win, where you need to build and to be at level 10 the whole time. I dig it. It's two points. In your building where you need to win, where you need to build and be at level 10 the whole time. I dig it. Yeah. If you was down 10, that dunk right there
Starting point is 01:28:15 is what brings the building back. He might go up and foul you. I'm saying, maybe on his steps, he couldn't gather like, you know, he't gather. He looked like, he looked like, I'm just about to go lay this in. He thought he was going to
Starting point is 01:28:28 let him lay it in like it's a regular season. He thought it was a regular season. Right, true. I think about my... Sprained ankle. He went up like it's
Starting point is 01:28:35 a regular season. I think about some of them plays, just some of them plays, like that block gave Indiana... Momentum. Momentum. Oh, shit.
Starting point is 01:28:44 Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's how we playing. Yeah. And those are the little things that dictate the game that you got to take advantage of. Yeah. And then from there, it just trickles down. Yeah. No, you're right.
Starting point is 01:28:58 Yeah. That's what I said. I'm looking at the play. I didn't even know what the score was. I'm like, that's where it is. I got you. You know what I mean? Like, when you started the game off, right?
Starting point is 01:29:09 Motherfucker going in with one of them fancy layups, and you grab that bitch and throw it. Like, oh, shit. One of them. One of them. Yeah. It's just moments. I'm just going to play off.
Starting point is 01:29:20 We're playing the pistons, man. I got it. First three games, man, I got a dunk on the tip. Off the jump ball, off the tip. Oh, yeah. I got a dunk. First three games. And it makes you think a lot.
Starting point is 01:29:32 Timeout, timeout. Before game four, Chargers stepped that motherfucker. Hey, listen, man. Yeah. Look at this big. Not today. Did they call the timeout off the third game? No, you just saw it, right?
Starting point is 01:29:45 You just was like, everybody on their chest. Here we go again. Right? Here we go again. Take your soul out. You just need this. You already see it. It's like, yeah, they done.
Starting point is 01:29:58 There's moments in the game where you're trying to control. It's like a room controller. That was a room controller for me. I dig it. I didn't think about it that way. But what you're saying, though, despite because I watched the game live and saw that play and had the same feeling,
Starting point is 01:30:14 because you basically have an easy, for sure, two points, like you said. Crowd's going to cheer, but it's not going to look exciting. But I'm also looking at Donovan Mitchell missing the second half of the previous game, limping around on the court, doing everything he can to try and keep his team in the series. But I knew he was going to show up.
Starting point is 01:30:29 Yeah. But I'm saying, but in that moment. Jump off two, dunk it with two hands, something. You're a two-foot jumper anyway. Give me something. On that lean. You would have pulled out that motherfucking lean. Boom.
Starting point is 01:30:40 I mean, because he tried to come down on one play, and he got hung. Because he got all motherfucking hung. On the first half, he tried to come down and dunk it. That dunk wasn't for him. That dunk was for everybody in the building. So regardless of what you did, he's playing well. Everybody, it just seemed like everybody didn't come to work. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:30:58 And we will talk about that in a second. We will talk about that in a second. Because that's definitely what we've seen. When we asked the chat, can the Pacers win the title, 46% of the chat thinks that the Pacers can do it, 54%. Win the title? Yeah. 16 win teams.
Starting point is 01:31:13 So win 16 games in a postseason. No. That means you are the NBA champion of the world. No. That team shit ain't working in the championship game when you got motherfuckers on the other side that they got team play and they got dominant play. So you know at least the same motherfuckers going to show. We got seven games that one person on our team is going to be dominant at least five of those games.
Starting point is 01:31:38 And then somebody else can show up to help out. Even in their own conference, obviously. You got motherfuckers like, you good this game, you good that game, you good, you, nah, nah, nah. That's not how that last game is, unless you shutting them motherfuckers down from being dominant. It seems like, similarly with the Knicks,
Starting point is 01:31:56 obviously, Pacers defeated the Knicks last season, but Brunson was hurt, O.G. Ananobi got hurt early in that game seven. Different Knicks squad coming through with Cap, but they also have guys on their roster similar to the Pacers that. This is a rival. Yeah. But it is a.
Starting point is 01:32:09 It's a rival right here. WWE predicted it. Yeah. This might be one of the most exciting series in the playoffs. Which one? The Knicks and Pacers. It's going to take it back to the 90s for sure. The 90s?
Starting point is 01:32:24 Yeah, the 90s. The Knicks and the Pacers. Reggie with the choke back to the 90s for sure. The 90s? Yeah, the 90s. The Knicks and the Pacers. Reggie with the choke back in the day. You don't remember all that? No, I remember Reggie. It was Reggie versus Nick. It wasn't the Pacers versus... No, it wasn't.
Starting point is 01:32:36 No, I know, I know, I know. Good. Hey, hey. But they only promoted one. When we think about Pacers and we think about Knicks, we only think about literally like Reggie and Spike. That's really... Yeah, but come on.
Starting point is 01:32:52 Come on. New York, man. I went up to Indiana and went to a playoff game when I was in college. We got tickets to go to a playoff game. We was playing the Knicks in the playoffs. Yeah, that shit was... Yeah, that's a... It's going to be a good series if... One is finished. and they was playing the Knicks in the playoffs. Yeah, that shit was, yeah. Yeah, that's a lot.
Starting point is 01:33:08 Well, it's going to be a good series if, you know. One is finished. One finished their meal. The other one got to finish theirs. And the worst thing they want to do is keep this series going. They want to end it as quick as possible, too. They better. So, King, Steve, our showrunner on the show would like to know how you got those tickets to go to that game in Indiana.
Starting point is 01:33:25 Me in college, yeah. Statue of limitation that's since passed. And I respect it. We were testing you just this morning. Oh, no, my girl and college parents, they don't have money. Oh, okay. Mm-hmm. That was good.
Starting point is 01:33:37 Yeah. Fat. No, they stay in the neighborhood across the street from Hugs. Oh, okay. No, no, no. Why did you get new tickets? Because out of all the tickets, man, you're just getting new tickets, huh?
Starting point is 01:33:48 It was before my senior year, so if it was my senior year, that's one thing. I was just a mediocre basketball player before that. It was like my sophomore, junior year. I was okay then. How far is that trip from Cincy? An hour tops. I didn't realize it was that close.
Starting point is 01:34:05 They bring him back some good feeling games, man. So let's talk Howie. We got to give him his love. Like you mentioned,
Starting point is 01:34:15 Athletics Anonymous player poll came out, voted him the most overrated player in the league. Obviously took exception to that, performing at a very
Starting point is 01:34:21 high level since that. So Howie hit. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Huh? He was playing at a very high level since that. So how he hit... Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Huh? He was playing at a very high level, and that's why they did it. Wait, what happened? Yes. Not since then. He was playing at a high level. But he used that as motivation. That's why he got... That's why he started
Starting point is 01:34:35 he. That's why he started he. I was like, this motherfucker, ah, damn. And he's been playing up to... He had a couple of down games in this series, but when it mattered, when it was time to end this thing, keep it pushing. He was still plus. The motherfucker been averaging.
Starting point is 01:34:49 He's averaged a double-double. So, yeah, don't try to pretend like, oh, ever since he's been doing. I'm just saying, since that happened, he's had a little extra pep in his step. Howie hit six threes in the game. Second series clincher with five plus threes, tying Reggie Miller for the most in franchise history. So Hallie's performance got the attention of his Olympic teammate,
Starting point is 01:35:08 LeBron James, who offered these thoughts after the first half of game five. He said, Hallie, fucking hooping. We're the lames who said he was overrated. Quiet as hell. That boy nice. And even more, someone everyone would love to play with. He made sure to plug his Mind the Game podcast. everyone would love to play with. He made sure to plug his Mind the Game podcast. Everyone would love to play with, I imagine
Starting point is 01:35:30 including himself. But that's neither here nor there. That's neither here nor there. You've been off the broad bandwagon. We're taking our talents elsewhere. We're taking our talents elsewhere. I don't need to come to L.A. I ain't come nowhere to talk aboutA. I ain't come to work to talk about that.
Starting point is 01:35:45 I wasn't suggesting that he came to L.A. See, I find a way to put on my purple. I find a way to put on purple. I know, but I'm saying the Lakers don't want that. Don't tell us what we want and what we need. I'm telling you. Don't tell us what we want. Let's just keep focusing on how.
Starting point is 01:36:00 I was not suggesting that Howie came to L.A. You're not? He's going to stay where he at. But how impressive has Tyrese Halliburton been in leading his squad through their second straight Eastern Conference Finals? We talked about this over the past couple weeks. Seems like the Pacers are a team slept on, don't get the love that they deserve. I know they got swept in the Eastern Conference Finals last year,
Starting point is 01:36:18 but they are back this year again. Wait, then they got swept in the Eastern Conference Finals? The Celtics. He's been the best pure point guard in the playoffs. And we did have that conversation a while back. Running the team, running the show, no matter if he's having a bad game or not,
Starting point is 01:36:34 still finding ways to win and showing up in big-time moments when the team needs him. And I just love the style of play. I mean, so... Not just in the playoffs. Yeah, before that. That's just who he is.
Starting point is 01:36:47 Yeah. But I'm just saying since. Pass first, low turnover. Yeah. You got to love that, man. But, you know, since I feel like the overrated thing with people who's been like really paying attention to what he's been doing. Yeah, because they're a dumbass list.
Starting point is 01:37:00 It's special. Been an underdog most of his career. I'm ranked in high school. I got to start with the Kings. I know, but I'm just saying the ability and the trajectory. Best point guard, best guard? I mean, you know. Yeah, I'm trying to get.
Starting point is 01:37:13 Your point guard is a point guard. No, I'm just trying to figure out. If we ask, I guess, old school media, what is the definition of a pure point guard I know the basic the basic is think pass first you pass first before you shoot
Starting point is 01:37:34 but what is the stat on that what is the actual stat on pure point what classifies you as a pure point before you jump into just point guard? We know there's a number on scoring guard. What is the, what is, what?
Starting point is 01:37:53 Would you call Magic a pure point guard? John Stockton, his assistant. No. Who? I call Magic Johnson a power forward that was gifted like a motherfucker that made passes. Because he had vision like God. More important for you. I think that's where it got fucked up at
Starting point is 01:38:09 because of the unicorn. A guy who's a small Ford, I can put the ball in his hand, and he was magic. You know what I mean? It's the of course, pass first, low turnover, whatever the turnovers are, you want them to be the, of course, pass first, low, I ain't going to say low turnover.
Starting point is 01:38:25 Whatever the turnovers are, you want them to be low, of course. It's just the floor generalship of it. You are, you're dictating shots. Chris Paul is that, right? Yeah. He is your modern-day, typical, I'm shooting second no matter what. Right? Everybody else, unless I got to, I'm shooting second. So even if you lead your team in scoring, you still consider,
Starting point is 01:39:00 if you're doing that? Yeah, if you're leading your team in scoring. If you're shooting second? Yeah. I'm trying to fit. I seen an interview with Hallie and they said pure point guard. He said, I don't think I'm a pure point guard. I don't think it
Starting point is 01:39:15 exists anymore. I think what ended up happening is they told us we need to do more. We don't want pure point guards because the thought of a pure... Even back in the day. But he is that dope. But he's the one who took away the notion. He tried to, but he played that way.
Starting point is 01:39:31 A pure point guard is like. Pure point guard to me was always. I feel like John Stockton is a pure point guard. He scored. He got assists and he got steals. You talk about, but even like a Chris Paul averaging 21 and 12. That's what I'm saying. But Jason Kidd is a pure point guard. But what I talk about, but even like a Chris Paul averaging 21 and 12. That's what I'm saying. But Jason Kidd is up here.
Starting point is 01:39:46 12 is. But what I'm saying, but. That, right? But he still shoots second. I can score. I shoot a high percentage. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:39:53 Right? Chris Paul has always shot a, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Two and three, shoot a high percentage. He makes free throws.
Starting point is 01:40:01 So his points are not coming without of the, he's not hunting these guards nowadays, they are, shit, they are hunting that shot first, right, it ain't just Chris Paul, no matter, he can average 21, he still
Starting point is 01:40:16 is shoot second, I'm just talking about his third season in the league when he finished second in MVP voting, but he's shoot second, led the league in assists, but still gave me 21 of them things you got Jason Kidd, you got John Stockton they shoot third, fourth, fifth you know the league in assists, but still gave me 21 of them things. You got Jason Kidd. He shoots second. You got John Stockton. They shoot third, fourth, fifth. No, what I'm saying is how many points versus assists do you need to be in
Starting point is 01:40:32 before you become like – I don't think there's a number on it. No. I don't think it's because, like you said, Chris Paul averaged 21 and 12. So 21 and 12. So that's what I'm saying. Like if I average 21 and 7? Nah.
Starting point is 01:40:46 Okay. So. Okay. So no. No, that doesn't. No. I don't think so. No.
Starting point is 01:40:51 No, you got to be in that 10. Because you can stumble. Because the ball is in your hand. You can stumble into 7 assists. J. Kidd is a proof. Right? You can stumble into 7 assists. Okay.
Starting point is 01:41:00 So now somebody who will fit pure point guard but don't average that would then be Lonzo Ball. He's the definition of a pure point guard. His brother. See, he jumps into another realm because he... I mean, his brother got hurt, but his brother was more of a pure point guard. Lonzo is a pure point guard. Yes, he's a pure point guard. Lonzo is a purebred. Lonzo is a purebred guard. LaMelo is the
Starting point is 01:41:28 opposite. Yeah, so then when you talk about purebred, he's never going to average 11 assists because he don't play the game like that. Like when you talk about... He hasn't been on a team where he's been capable to do that. Like Rondo, you know what I mean? J-Kid.
Starting point is 01:41:43 Like, um... I don't know. It's just like some of the, like. Like, so just take Darren Williams. Darren Williams averaged, but he let his team in assists. But it's like, what is that number, though? Yeah. He can average nine. He averaged nine.
Starting point is 01:41:55 Is he, but you still don't, you look at Darren, like, he's a scorer first. Yeah, yeah. Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Like, if I told you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Andre Miller. pure point.
Starting point is 01:42:07 And he's not going to average 11 assists. Like, you know, because if we say James Harden, he's going to hell no. No. He got the assist. But he's not. But you see what I'm saying? So it's like there's this real fine line before Darren Williams. Ricky Rubio was a pure.
Starting point is 01:42:22 Whenever I start talking about people, I just start looking at their names. Like Ricky Rubio was a period. Like Ricky Rubio was a period. See, I always assume like 18 and 19 and 11. You know what I mean? Like 17 and 10. He was the best point guard in the NBA. Like 17 and 9. What is that?
Starting point is 01:42:37 Okay. I'll give you that. Who was that? Mulberry. Oh. So if it was somebody that, I thought them stats was now. Right? 17 and nine then. Hallie very close to that right now.
Starting point is 01:42:51 17 and nine then. 17 and nine then, yes. Yes. What was he called? Ball. Ball. Ball. Because he did.
Starting point is 01:43:00 What was Kevin Johnson? Look for his shot first. Huh? I'm pretty sure. What was who? Kevin Johnson. He was 19 and9 his career. So, Howie averaged 19-9 regular season.
Starting point is 01:43:08 I think he's about 18-9 this postseason. Right? Okay. Athletic, gifted point guard was – So, those other guards – Could get you in your offense, but at any given time, might put his head down and go get one, right? So, it's –
Starting point is 01:43:24 So, what about like Baron Davis and like Steve Francis and those guys? Now, Baron Davis is a tricky one because Baron Davis
Starting point is 01:43:31 is a pure point guard in his brain but he was skilled enough to score. He's like, he reminds me of more of a Hallie type. Okay.
Starting point is 01:43:42 Right? If I got a guy on my, if I got a team that can go do their thing, I'll I'll defer. I'll defer.. Okay. Right? If I got a guy on my, if I got a team that can go do their thing, I'll... I'll defer. I'll defer. All day.
Starting point is 01:43:49 Right? I'll sit here and do all the, I'll get 15 assists, you know what I mean? But if I see motherfuckers that's not fucking, then I'm going to go score 20-something.
Starting point is 01:43:57 So he reminds me of kind of like, Hallie, you can remind me of, who else is like that, where they can average, they can average 12 assists. Like same thing with Trae Young.
Starting point is 01:44:10 I don't have to be a score. Like I heard Derrick Rose, right? When he said, I wasn't a score. They made me a score. Right? And it's like some guys, they're just gifted enough. Like if Halle wants to average 30, he can.
Starting point is 01:44:26 He has the ability. He has the shot. He has the pick and roll. He has the system. So he defers more than, like if Shea want to average 12 assists, ain't nobody stopping him. Because he's going to,
Starting point is 01:44:37 I think that's his next step. He's going to manipulate the game so much. I think that's his next step. Because, he could do it too, because he got the ball. I think that's his next step. What about Jamal Tinsley?
Starting point is 01:44:45 He was a pure. He was a pure point guard. Pure, pure. Absolutely. Right, so it's like he's passed fourth. I mean, he's shoot fourth guy. Everybody else is going to get a shot before them all. So it's not necessarily, I guess it's not necessarily it's the assist. The assist doesn't dictate if you are
Starting point is 01:45:02 a pure, just how you play the game. Yeah, I think so. Because I heard him, when he said it, I had thought about it. When Hallie said it, he was like, now you can't just be a pass guy. You've got to be able to put the ball in the basket, too, because the game is going to dictate it. And when he said it, I'm like...
Starting point is 01:45:18 Because at that position, at that one and that two position in the NBA, you've got to be able to go get a bucket when you need one. You've got to be able to go get a bucket when you need one, right? You got to be able to break your man down. And if it's there, like you break him down in the first three quarters. Now, like he's proven, you break him down in the first three quarters, it's boom, boom, boom, here, boom, boom, boom, here, boom, boom.
Starting point is 01:45:37 Now it's boom, boom, boom, the fourth quarter. Now I'm looking for my offense now. And when I get to certain spots now, Pascal, see how I can really go right? It's Neymar. Here you go. Naismith. Here you go. It's but how he's still having that killer instinct though when it's not gonna get a bucket. It's just give the bucket. No matter
Starting point is 01:45:55 we're going to get a good shot with him. That's the thing. So what the to add on to the conversation that we're having to make sure we get a good shot right to make sure we get a good quality shot every possession some might it might be me like jalen brunson is i'm gonna make sure that a pass might be third for him in that situation right but it's gonna be a good shot it's gonna be a good shot. It's gonna be a good shot. Absolutely. It's gonna be his shot or free throws Then my teammates
Starting point is 01:46:28 But we get the good one every time other guys in the fourth quarter when the game playoffs and the fourth quarter We're getting a quality shot every time I'm gonna make sure when I'm when the ball is in my hand and I'm dictating these things We're gonna get a quality shot every position right low aid in game, shit like that. Just can't be kicking that bitch in the stands when the game on the line. Yeah, I guess in today's game you don't really want the old traditional sense of a pure point.
Starting point is 01:46:55 They can't shoot. Yeah. Minnesota's downfall is they have a pure point. They have a real pure point, and it's like, what are you doing with him? Because it's not like you're putting a ball in his hand to let him manipulate the game. You got him sitting in the corner doing corner shit. Mike Conley?
Starting point is 01:47:18 Conley. He's shooting 26% and 36%. Because that's not how he play. 26% and 36%. Because that's not how he played. 26% and 36% from the field. He becomes a second option at this point in how you play the game or how your team is functioning. Your team is functioning as Ant-Man is the primary point. Absolutely.
Starting point is 01:47:40 Which means you need to have DiVincenzo as your starting because he's the shooting guard, or you need to have DiVincenzo as your starting because he's the shooting guard. Or you need to have young Rob over that motherfucker come in and just playing wild man basketball. Because for the most part, 90% of the ball is going to be an Ant-Man's hand to you. Now when you have your pure point out there, being a shooting guard, he's sitting there like, yeah. What I do. Now he's just wasted minutes.
Starting point is 01:48:09 Because now he becomes your primary shooter and that's not what he do. He's pick and roll, manipulate, get a good shot and you done took him out the game. It is Chauncey playing with Chris Paul. Yes. Chauncey playing with Chris Paul. And he's sitting there like,
Starting point is 01:48:25 so I'm Rip Hamilton now. Yeah. What would you call John Wall? I'll call John Wall a pure point. Okay. Like John Wall's nature was to pass the ball and realize when he got to the NBA, yeah, these mufflers can't stand in front of him.
Starting point is 01:48:41 They slow. Yo! Yeah! He was 6'4", 6'5". Yeah, these mufflers can't stand front. They slow. You know. Yeah. He was 6'4", 6'5". This is easy. Hey. I see you, but hey. This is crazy.
Starting point is 01:48:58 So, like we talked about, it's looking like we're going to get a rematch from the playoffs last season. Pacers with Nick. Knicks up 3-1 to the Celtics. Celtics lost Jason Tatum. I love that shit, man. I love teams playing in multiple years back-to-back because you game one, dog. Hey,
Starting point is 01:49:13 somebody getting kicked out, tech, something, game one. I'm saying that's going to be crazy. Indiana, whatever you did last year, throw that shit out the window. Don't go off of last year game plan. No, they played Boston last year. No, I'm saying. Oh, Indiana.
Starting point is 01:49:27 Oh, with them. Took the Knicks to seven, beat them to game seven. That's what I'm saying. Brunson was hurt, had the janky hand. That's what I'm saying. Whatever you did last year, take that shit out the window. Because they got old. You got to.
Starting point is 01:49:38 This is a new game plan. Absolutely. Right? Absolutely. It's going to match up very, very nicely. It just depends on if this Pacers squad can kick it up even more of a notch. But, Mr. B, do you like the Pacers' chances against the Knicks, potentially, in the Eastern Conference Finals?
Starting point is 01:49:51 We know it's going to happen, though. Yes, I do. Howley got a lot of chip on his shoulder, and they've been playing well, and I just like the way their team is. I just like that, like I said before, seven, eight guys can score in double figures in scoring. And no disrespect to Brunson, but, you know, Brunson's been playing well. The Knicks have been playing well.
Starting point is 01:50:08 But I just like what the pace is on right now. I got highly going to the finals. You've been very pro-highly in this postseason. It's benefited you to this point. Can you think the Pacers got a chance to get the Knicks in this season? Anytime you get to the Eastern Conference Finals, dog,ers got a chance to get the Knicks in this series. Anytime you get to the Eastern Conference Finals, dog, you got a chance. You're playing very good basketball, you get out the first round.
Starting point is 01:50:30 You're playing better basketball, you get out the second round. Your confidence grows with playing the style that you've played in the Eastern Conference Finals or the Western Conference Finals, whichever one you reach. Yeah, so once you reach this point of it, yeah, you got a real chance.
Starting point is 01:50:49 So the odds makers and all that shit, them odds they come up with, man, I got a real 50-50 shot at this thing, man. So we just got to show up, continue to be us, and hoop, man. It's all about right now, wheel against wheel, man. Let's go out and fucking compete. Is everybody tired? Are you ready? Yeah!
Starting point is 01:51:15 Yeah! It's New York time, man. The city on fire. Them motherfuckers ain't slept since they won game one. Look, how they gonna be like this? Nah, they ain't slept since they won game one. How they gonna be like this? Nah, they ain't. New York ain't sleep.
Starting point is 01:51:30 Business has been open, man. Them motherfuckers ain't sleep right now, man. Crime has gone down significantly in New York. We need everybody. Nobody dying. New Yorkers up there like shooting each other. Niggas winning. Boroughs coming together.
Starting point is 01:51:46 I was about to kill you, boy, but I need you to be yelling. I'll see you after the series, God damn it. Who saw that video on Twitter? We're not even trying to kill nobody right now. I'll see you in a summer.
Starting point is 01:51:56 We need all the people right now. All the Burroughs is gone. I just think, you know what I mean? It's just how the city is right now. You're talking from the Liberty. Just everything is moving very well for New York, period.
Starting point is 01:52:16 Just across the board. Long time Knicks fan, Gilbert Arena. No, no, no, no. Listen. Everybody asked me. They was like, wow, them wasn't even, them wasn't even Tims. And I said. They were a pair of Tims.
Starting point is 01:52:31 I'm saying, you know what I mean? I'm level one. You don't get the Tim boots. Level one, you just get the, you're in the color, the hat. You don't get, you don't get, you don't get this thing, the, the what? SMD. I don't get to use that yet. I don't get the, I don't get to say the SMD. I don't get to use that yet. I don't get the butters.
Starting point is 01:52:48 I don't even get the Black Air Forces right now. No SMD. No SMD. I haven't leveled up to that yet. I'm still on my trial run. Free. Chad wants you to know, appropriate number of R's, though, in your year. Hey, I get three.
Starting point is 01:53:02 It's three, you know what I mean? Low level. I get the low level mixtape. Three yards in New York. Those are the ones I get right now. Low level mixtape. Low level mixtape, you know. So we asked the chat, who wins the Eastern Conference Finals? 63% said the Knicks.
Starting point is 01:53:18 Of course. 32% said the Pacers. But 5% said the Celtics. Because it ain't over yet. We've got games to play. And 5% said the Celtics. It ain't over yet. That 5% they holding strong. I love chaos so I wouldn't be mad.
Starting point is 01:53:33 Either way. Win one more. Just win. Make it interesting. I thrive off making it. Make it real interesting. Get it to six. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:53:45 I mean, this is wishful thinking. I mean, you know, Boston can get this game, you know, playing off of. We love Jason Tatum. We playing in the energy. We can do it without him. You can do that shit at home. Yeah, but reality kicks in. He ain't there.
Starting point is 01:54:03 He ain't there. That pure shooter ain't there. He ain't there. That peer shooter ain't there. The guy who's going to come in and create double teams is not there. Y'all going to have to play real basketball, and you're going to have to take real basketball shots to do shit you ain't been doing all year. I got to play go to hell ball. And I'm going to a back city.
Starting point is 01:54:26 Yeah. Got a finals in your field. Yeah. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's cool,
Starting point is 01:54:30 but the finals MVP ain't coming because you are the number one option and you are initiating the offense and you are commanding double team. We're going to know Derek. Why? And we got, I mean, but what I'm saying is it's, it's easy to play some real basketball when they get the double deck motherfucker first. Listen, we could just play.
Starting point is 01:54:47 And then we go. Like, it's easy for Murray and it's, here we go. It's easy for Christian Brown to go six for six for the three-point line. It's easy for Michael Porter Jr. to go six for six from the three-point line because they don't create those shots. Yeah, but you still got to make them. There's a person that's getting doubled first and all six of those shots is going to be wide open. So if he ever goes six for six,
Starting point is 01:55:18 he don't get a standing ovation because it's not like he came down that motherfucker, did some of these. No, it was, ah, where you at? You still got to make them, though. There you go. Yeah. You still got to make them, though.
Starting point is 01:55:29 Now he has to, fuck making them. He has to create it. Then he got to make, then he got to go through the double teams. There's, Gil, there's other people that can create, too, on that team. Now you got to create it off the first. We can just play go to hell. Like, if Jokic is off, if we take, like, we're watching it in real time. We're watching Golden State.
Starting point is 01:55:50 You take the one entity off the court and we say, score. With that entity. They're like, yeah. Yeah, but that. And Kaminga said, I got it. Yeah, it becomes a different game. Yeah, but that entity is a top five player ever. It don't matter who it is.
Starting point is 01:56:06 If I take the main source off the court and say, all right, y'all go out there and do your thing now, man. Yeah, what's the record without Tatum this year? I believe eight and two, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, eight and two. Now it's eight and two in double team. Now we know the game plan. We know there's a game plan. I mean, it's easy.
Starting point is 01:56:22 This ain't regular season. I mean. The playoffs has been showing these teams this shit ain't regular season. I have a blueprint of your game. And the blueprint is that, hey, now we, hey, we doubling you now. Okay, yeah. I mean, you're up 3-1. We doubling you now.
Starting point is 01:56:38 You're up 3-1. You're going to beat Tatum. Cool. We're going to double you. Who's going to be brown and sit in the corner? Who do you want that to be? P-Rabbit. Derek White. Derek White is Derek White. He's going to sit in the same position he was. Drew Holiday.
Starting point is 01:56:52 Drew Holiday is going to be Drew Holiday. He's sitting in the same position he was. Sixth man of the year. Yeah, who that is? Pritchard. Who's going to be Pritchard coming off the bench? Starting. Okay. You see how the game changes? We're going to start it. But do you see it changes? They can play all 48 tonight. They're going to start it. But do you see it changes? They can play all 48 tonight.
Starting point is 01:57:06 They're going to have to. So you can win this game because of power. If you get back to New York, boy, you might get blown out by 30. But that's my question for you. Obviously, you know the Knicks want to wrap this series up as quick as possible and have to do that on the Celtics' floor. But being able to come back to the Garden, win game 6, how turnt up the city will be. Oh, no, that'd be crazy. The city ain't
Starting point is 01:57:28 allowing it to get back. Eddie's going to come down from the stands. Eddie's going to come down. Eddie is coming down. This game right here is pretty easy for Boston to try to win it because they really, like,
Starting point is 01:57:44 down 3-1, down 3-0 as the team like Cleveland Cavaliers right you're some of those there's only it's usually three players versus the team, their own team. Because some, remember, this is a team sport. This is not like boxing where I'm down and I just got to, this last round, I can beat this motherfucker, right? I can beat him, right? I really believe.
Starting point is 01:58:18 And you go out there and do some shit that only you believed. Well, when you're talking about team and you have that belief, and a few of them got the belief that, motherfucker, I want to go home. Like, I already put it in my mind I want to go home. I don't want to be out here no more. I'm done. Fuck you, niggas, man. That is a mindset.
Starting point is 01:58:42 Fifteen players, at least five of them want to go home. They done already called and did all that, so you're playing against that too. Well, we will find out. They're champions. You know, that's what I said. It's easy for the Cavs, really. When you watch the game, some of them packed it up. Some of them already had their cars shipped out.
Starting point is 01:58:59 We will be watching it on playback. Right? Am I right? Am I right? You really playing against a motherfucker like, yo, come on, dog. Come on, man. Come on, man. Come on, man. I said, come on, dog.
Starting point is 01:59:11 This is crazy. We will be watching the game on playback. You're wide open, motherfucker. This is what you're doing out here. Playback.tv
Starting point is 01:59:19 slash Gilbert Arenas for this next game. Gil will be wearing his Timbs in a do-right. My fucking Donovan went to the line missing three, missed some three free throws yesterday. I was like, oh, this motherfucker poor shaving, man. Number one out.
Starting point is 01:59:32 But then came back the next possession, made the three. I was like, oh, he's motherfucking trying to make it look good. But let's talk Cavs. So after getting knocked out of the playoffs, Donovan Mitchell was still in shock. Coming back on the court shortly after the game, taking a seat on the Cavs bench by himself to reflect on the disappointing end to the season. During his post-game press conference, Mitchell also reflected on the series and the criticism that awaits, but had a message for Cavs fans and his team.
Starting point is 01:59:56 It's tough to win this league. Give them credit. We didn't do the things necessary. I love playing in that fucking arena, man. That energy, that crowd. We're all in the things necessary. I love playing in that fucking arena, man. That energy, that crowd. Rolling three at home. You know? Let the city down, man. This place is special.
Starting point is 02:00:14 This place is really special. And... We can get it done, Chris. I guess... Especially at home. That's what hurts, you know? Yeah. We're going to be down like this, and y'all are going to write
Starting point is 02:00:32 some shit about us, man. And that's going to be fuel. Like, you know, fuel for everybody. Y'all are going to say a lot of shit. Y'all are. And that's what it takes. I've been here.
Starting point is 02:00:48 So, I understand. We understand and now we just gotta use it as fuel for next year. Y'all gonna write us the fuck off, man. We'll be back. I mean,
Starting point is 02:01:02 let the city down, let each other down. We'll be back. We may let City down, let each other down. We'll be back. So, Cavs started the season with 15 straight wins, became second team in league history with three 12-game winning streaks in the same season. I thought Shug was clapping. My bad.
Starting point is 02:01:18 He was. He was. Emotional over there. Don't worry. See you in Cancun. They were missing Darius Garland for the first two games of the series and without Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter in game two,
Starting point is 02:01:31 still got hit with the gentleman sweep in the second round. Cavs had 64 wins this season, which is tied for the third most wins in the season for a team that didn't advance past the second round of the playoffs. Also had the coach of the year, Kenny Atkinson. Should the Cavs run it back next season or look to make some moves to strengthen
Starting point is 02:01:48 the roster? I think they should run it back. I mean, I think just injury. I mean, I think if they were fully healthy, they really would have a chance. Losing Derrick Garland with the toe. Evan Mobley. Coach of the year, defensive player
Starting point is 02:02:04 of the year. Jared Allen. Highest scoring team in the regular season. I don't think they're frontrunners and stuff like that, but I just think injury. I mean, happens to a lot of teams every year in the playoffs.
Starting point is 02:02:14 So, when you don't have, you know, Donovan Mitchell's out there playing without three All-Stars. I mean, how you gonna win? Yeah. That's one way to look at it i mean you can what is the other way you can look at your team and say yeah we had a great
Starting point is 02:02:32 regular season we was a great team we we we sacrificed coach of the year we and then you know we're gonna run it back the same or you can be smart and really say, we was good, but we wasn't championship good. We was Eastern Conference finals good, but we wasn't championship good. So let's get a little bit better. Let's upgrade some of these pieces. The worst thing to do is to think this team was going to win a championship, go into the summer, and then don't bring nobody in. So you say even if they did win a chip.
Starting point is 02:03:10 They wasn't winning no chip. Yeah, but how can you say that? They wasn't winning no chip. They wasn't chip ready yet. But getting there, you don't think they would have been able to get there like fully healthy? Don't know. But I'm just saying, I'm not going to look at the team.
Starting point is 02:03:25 You got guys that didn't even come out and try playing game two. I'm not going to look at my roster and say, we're going to run this. No, I'm going to upgrade. You didn't even try. For what game? Game two. Hunter Mobley. You don't even suit up.
Starting point is 02:03:44 We down. we lost game one it might be but you played the next game no that don't work man in this you ain't even try like go out fucking warm up then tell me listen man I ain't got it give me a shot of fucking
Starting point is 02:04:03 Toradol it's the playoffs game two we lost game one at home that shit mean like when I saw both of them dudes one playing man I'm like oh they ain't gonna beat nobody the mentality you gotta respect
Starting point is 02:04:19 Darius Gardner when we down man I'm gonna go out and try my toe is fucked up I'm gonna try he got that bitch limping around you can visibly see I didn't see no signs of Evan Mobley being labored I didn't see no signs of DeAndre Hunter being labored game 3 and 4
Starting point is 02:04:35 I didn't see that game 3 and 4 follow through on the push his wrist looked fine when he went and pushed Benjamin motherfucking Matthew he looked fine to me then so you listen you walked off the floor game 1 fine. His wrist looked fine when he went and pushed Benjamin motherfucking Matthew. He looked fine to me then. So you listen, you walked off the four game one. This is coming
Starting point is 02:04:51 from the competitive nature of somebody. I just looking when y'all talk, I was looking at how many playoff games I played. Fucking a lot. A lot of them. Was I healthy in all of them? Absolutely not. Was I my best? Absolutely not. But one thing
Starting point is 02:05:07 them dudes, them other 14 guys in that locker room knew, I'm going to try to fuck how I feel. You don't suit up, bro. Give me something. We already down. Darius something. We're already down.
Starting point is 02:05:26 Darius Gordon, we know he ain't healthy. We know this going into the... He missed game one. So him playing in game two is slim and none. We depend. We've got to this point, DeAndre Hunter, when you came in, we started playing better.
Starting point is 02:05:45 We rely on you nightly. It ain't just your points. It's your defensive presence. It's you being out there. It's something that we could use. When they didn't play in game two, I'm like, oh, man, they ain't going to beat nobody. Ain't got no heart. I don't trust you.
Starting point is 02:06:05 To Gil's point, if I'm Donovan Mitchell, I'm going to that motherfucker like, yo, man, we got to do something. I don't know who you got to go get, who you got to get rid of. Ain't nobody coming there. I'm
Starting point is 02:06:21 hot if I'm Donovan Mitchell, man. I'm labored. I mean Donovan Mitchell, man, I'm labeled. I mean, I came into this with a bum ankle. People can say, you know, I'm a player. Everybody, everybody. We all thought he playing in a doubt in our mind. He was playing in game five. With a doubt in our mind.
Starting point is 02:06:39 He was playing no matter how he felt. That's why he said after the second half of game four. The game, they're down 40. Right? You come out game two of you, DeAndre Hunter, and you, Evan Mobley, it get that way, and you be like, listen, man, this shot me cool. My teammates look at me different.
Starting point is 02:06:59 That matters. It did to me. I'm pretty sure it did to you. How your teammates looked at you. Whether they looked at you like, man. Right? You want to be dependent on that regular season.
Starting point is 02:07:16 Who won all the games in the regular season? Great. We did this shit together. Great. Cool. Cool. That ain't now. We depend on you, right? Evan Mobley, you defensive player of the year, homie. That means something to us.
Starting point is 02:07:34 We need you out there. We lost game one with you out there. You out there, we lost game one with you out there. Do you think we got a chance if you're not out there? See, that's the bothersome part, right? The mentality of the guy like, we lost game one with you. So you put us in harm's way. What you think we're finna do in game two?
Starting point is 02:07:57 We're down two games going on the road. Got lucky. Got a game. Right? Got lucky. Got a game. Right? Got lucky. So, yeah, you got to make some changes, man. I'm questioning them dudes, man. Like, if I'm Donovan Mitchell and I'm
Starting point is 02:08:15 Kenny Axel, I'm questioning them dudes. I know you're questioning them, but who going to come there? I don't know. Who coming to the Cleveland? The Lake on fire? The Lake was on fire? It's been on fire before. I'm just saying.
Starting point is 02:08:32 It's just the under 12 career playoff game. I just feel like this was their best chance. I mean they have a solid it's just like Bucs man. When Bucs won the championship and they went into the summer and they didn't upgrade because you were champions.
Starting point is 02:08:52 But you know why you were champions. The reality of why you were champions. The team, the megalodon that you faced that beat the fuck out of you, that showed you you're not even on our level. They all went down. That's how you advance. You didn't advance because you beat them. You advanced because they went down.
Starting point is 02:09:20 And you got to the next level. And you got to the next level. And then you faced a Suns team. Right? You end up winning. Who cares how you won? You won. You're going to the summer thinking you are, we are them dudes.
Starting point is 02:09:36 That should have been, hey, hey. We do remember what happened against Brooklyn. We got to upgrade this fucking team so we can. And that's what happened. That's why they haven't went nowhere because reality kicked in and then we just realized, ah, just Giannis is fucking good. Denver, them.
Starting point is 02:09:54 Denver, yeah. There's, like, you have to, you have to actually look at yourselves and say, hey, okay, all right. And they won it. Where, where, where, where, where do we need to upgrade? It's, it's, if, if we rank our team one through five, how many of us are top five in our position?
Starting point is 02:10:17 One of us is probably number 30. You can start there. One through five. There's one of us on our team right here. It's probably ranked 30 in the NBA in our position as starters. You can upgrade there and go from there. And that's how you you really have to. You really have to look at yourself. It's just like getting better in the summer. I don't give a fuck what you did. You go and say, alright, this is what I accomplished. What are my
Starting point is 02:10:49 fucking flaws? And how do I make up my strengths? And that goes for a lot of teams. And they're going to be one of them. Indiana, you beat on a team that was hurt, you're going to have to look at yourself. I don't give a fuck where you go. You got to upgrade, man.
Starting point is 02:11:09 You can't go back into the next season with the same iPhone. iPhone upgrades every year. You better upgrade every year. Let's talk about, just speaking of upgrades, so Donovan Mitchell reached the playoffs in each of his eight seasons in the league with the Jazz and Cavs, Never advanced past the second round. He's still only 28 years old. This is the conversation we had throughout the season.
Starting point is 02:11:29 But can Donovan Mitchell be the guy on a championship-level team? Well, I don't know. He's never been on a championship-level team. I mean, this is probably the best team he's been on. I think the Jazz were top in the West in one of those playoffs. But he hasn't been on one. The year following the COVID season. You can look at a team, start the season off and be like,
Starting point is 02:11:53 okay, these them boys. Right? You can do that. He's never been on a team where you're like, okay, this is his year to fuck up. He's never been on that. But do you feel like a lot of teams don't upgrade like this because they don't really know championship culture?
Starting point is 02:12:12 No, because there's only five teams that actually are trying to win a championship. There's only five. Every year, there's five. If they get it or don't, there's only five. Then there's 15 teams that just want to make the playoffs. So they're going to just keep the roster good enough to make the playoffs. Then there's 10 teams that don't give a fuck. They don't care.
Starting point is 02:12:33 They're going to make their money no matter what. Good, bad. They're going to keep getting the checks from the city itself in the market. And if they do get a winning team, cool. But that's about it. I'm not here trying to win no championship. That's not my business model here. That's why if you look around the NBA
Starting point is 02:12:54 and you're talking about billionaires and your team sucks every year, every year your team sucks, that's his model. That's his business model. Slumlord. So Brooklyn ain't tripping. No. I'm in Brooklyn.
Starting point is 02:13:12 I don't need to win shit in Brooklyn. If he wants to slumlord it, he can. He has. He's in a city where he can slumlord. Clippers can slumlord it if they want to. They don't need to. They don't need to win here. I know. He's bombing. No, no. You can tell he's if they want to. They don't need to. They don't need to win here. Bomber different, though.
Starting point is 02:13:26 I know. He's bombing. No, no. You can tell he's trying to win something. The newer owners, these new owners, it's like they're fans of basketball. It's them old motherfuckers. You got them old owners that's still holding on? Yeah.
Starting point is 02:13:39 Just, yeah, you just might. You don't really want to upgrade you. You don't want to upgrade your goddamn season tickets like that. Portland is up for sale. Yeah. Trailblazers is up for sale. Whoever comes in, gotta remember, when I'm buying at a price like that,
Starting point is 02:13:55 I gotta love the fucking sport. Something about it. If I bought my team for a million dollars back in 1965 and my team bought my team for a million dollars back in 1965, and my team says it's worth $600 million, bitch, I'm not trying to win. Don't tell me about it.
Starting point is 02:14:15 Who we got on our team? You can tell who the basketball fans are. They showing up to the game. Go, guys. If you go and look at NBA owners, and you start looking at, who the fuck is this? Yeah, they don't care. You start looking at like, who the fuck is this? I didn't even...
Starting point is 02:14:32 Who? She? I didn't know the woman was owning that team. I didn't know he was owning that team because they not there. They running off with their real business. This is a check writer. How much we losing to the team over there?
Starting point is 02:14:48 Yeah. Minnesota? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just write it off. So Mr. B, question for you. Can Donovan Mitchell be the guy on a championship level team? We won't know. We won't know. We won't know. We will never find out.
Starting point is 02:15:05 Listen. I'm going by history. This is not my opinion. I can give two shits about, you know, if history of the game is saying that at a certain height if you are the best player at a certain height your chances
Starting point is 02:15:31 of winning a championship is not very high in the last 40 50 years 50 championships whatever there's only two and Steph Curry is all of 6'4 still 50 championships, whatever. There's only two. And Steph Curry is all of 6'4", still.
Starting point is 02:15:51 He's still 6'4". It's not like he's just little framed. But under him, as the number one guy, it's only been Isaiah Thomas. Really. The number one option. It's only been Isaiah Thomas. Really? The number one option. There's only been Isaiah. We throw Steph in there because he plays like a little guard. But 6'3", 6'2", 6'1", it's only been Isaiah Thomas.
Starting point is 02:16:20 It's really happened. It really hasn't. There's really no. So just history says it. So we asked to check, can Donovan Mitchell be the number one option on a championship team? 53% of the chat says yes. So one more thing real quick before we move on to our last topic.
Starting point is 02:16:37 53% said yes? 53% said yes. Before game five, TNT's Jared Greenberg said that Max Struess sent a message to the Cavs group chat that said, if you don't believe, don't show up for work. Struess then proceeded to have his worst game of this playoffs, putting up a donut while going 0 for 9 from the fifth, 0 for 6 from three. So Struess have kept that text message to himself. Hell yeah, he should have kept that shit to himself, man.
Starting point is 02:17:03 Don't show up. Don't show up to work. Hold on, hold on, hold on. 6'3". With his shoes off, he's 6'2 1⁄2". Yeah. With his shoes on, he's 6'4". Yeah.
Starting point is 02:17:13 So, I don't know what... For sure. Was he a clown when he was making shots for y'all? Huh, my ass, you heard me. Mm-hmm. Was he a clown when he was making shots for y'all? No, he didn't shoot that shit. But I didn't... But, so, but was he... I didn't ask you that. ass, you heard me. Was he a clown when he was making shots for y'all? But I didn't... I didn't ask you that.
Starting point is 02:17:30 Was he a clown when he was making shots for y'all? So he a clown when he don't make shots? Y'all motherfucking fans. Y'all motherfucking fans are crazy. He texted like he about to have 30. No matter. Went out there and had a donut. No, he trying to say something
Starting point is 02:17:46 encouraging. He just had a bad fucking game. Right message, wrong person. No, he was making shots. He ain't make one. Well, he shot him. He's a shooter, right? He's a shooter, right?
Starting point is 02:18:02 Yeah, he's a shooter. I'm not going to blame him. No, I'm not blaming him. Right? No, no, what I'm saying is. You may call this man a clown. Like, him not making. He a fan.
Starting point is 02:18:12 Him not making. That's why I asked. He's a fan. That's why I said his fans are amazing. Him not making shots versus him not just showing up is two different things. He took the shots. Like, maybe his energy was just a little too high for this moment. Teammates didn't show up
Starting point is 02:18:25 in game two. Yeah, so I'm not, you know what I mean? I'm not worrying about, like, he went 0 from 9. He went 0 from 9. Where do you think it stemmed from?
Starting point is 02:18:33 He just didn't pull that shit out of his ass. Okay, no, I got you. I got you. I forgot about the game. Teammates didn't play in game two. I forgot about the game two.
Starting point is 02:18:41 You think he just felt woke up before game five and, oh, if you ain't gonna show up, don't, if you ain't gonna, don't, like,
Starting point is 02:18:47 no, that shit bothers some people. Like, you know what the difference was? You know why he was 0 for 9? Score your own fucking basket. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 02:18:59 See, the dude with the toe, the dude with the toe can't toe no more. Yeah, he can't get around these screens and then do,
Starting point is 02:19:04 you know, Max, score. Shit look a little different. Right? You're talking about a team the dude with the toe can't toe no more yeah he can't get around these screens and then do no Max score should look a little different you're talking about a team who averaged 28 assists in regular season 10 last night we not helping none of you motherfuckers when you get it do your own thing
Starting point is 02:19:19 and the motherfuckers realize oh shit only Donovan and Garland can create their own shots. The rest of us need them and they're not helping because Garland, we know he can't jump off his toe. We know he can't speed and get around his motherfucker. So we're not going to help. We're not going to. We're going to let Garland.
Starting point is 02:19:42 If you want to go and jump off and do all this good. But we know you're not going to, we're going to let Dave Garland, if you want to go and jump off and do all this, good. But we know you're not going to do it. We know you got to save some of this, probably for the next game. So we're going to just think you one-on-one. We're going to deny, deny. And if you get the ball, try to do it yourself. And you can't do it. So now
Starting point is 02:20:00 these shots that you're taking is created by yourself, not your teammate. So now y'all can't, y'all scored all these points. Only 10 came from assists. That means you're 18 assists away from how you play Cleveland basketball. We're not letting you play Cleveland basketball.
Starting point is 02:20:18 We're going to make you play Donovan Mitchell. Yeah, it becomes a little different now. And that's Yeah. Take it away. Yeah, it becomes a little different now. And that's... Yeah. Take away. That's coaching. That's scouting report.
Starting point is 02:20:34 And that's going out and implementing the scouting report, right? Yep. What does the scouting report say about Denver? What's their record when Jokic scores 40-something? Two and five, two and something. They got a losing record when he... Two and five when he scores. Because when he's scoring that many points, that means he done gave up on those motherfuckers.
Starting point is 02:20:52 That means nobody touching the rock. Yeah. Nobody else is. And now if they not touching the ball, that means the guys that he needs are not there. Mm-hmm. So what do you think is going to look like game six? See, the only way they winning is if
Starting point is 02:21:09 Jokic is 25 to 30 and 9 to 14 assists. When he starts creeping up into the 45, yeah, that means he's saying, look at all this. He's going to have seven assists or under.
Starting point is 02:21:25 Yeah. But he said they have more. They're just probably missing shots. Oh, yeah, that's the thing. That's the point. Remember, if they're making shots, he's shooting less. Yes. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:21:34 That's how it always works. Right? Donovan had 35. That means he ain't passing the fucking ball. When he's in that 21-19, that means these guys are hitting shots, so he's still believing in them but you can still believe and still get yours not when your team
Starting point is 02:21:51 is built away a certain way not when you've been winning if I'm winning I ain't really got to do it like that it's a formula to it it's a formula to how they have been successful like Hallie if you look at his numbers formula to it. Right? It's a formula to how they have been successful.
Starting point is 02:22:05 Right. Like Hallie, if you look at his numbers, the reason he hasn't had high assists or high numbers is because everybody's been doing it. Shit,
Starting point is 02:22:14 he's in there scoring, yacking about that motherfucker hitting shots and like he said it, yeah, they was looking for me tonight. Right?
Starting point is 02:22:23 Yeah, they found me and he the point guard. He the point guard saying, yeah, they found me. And he the point guard. He the point guard saying, yeah, they found me. Because, you know, usually they, we'll, we'll, we'll, we need you, motherfucker. We'll need you. We'll come over there. Other than that, they've been handling the game the way they need to be handling the game.
Starting point is 02:22:38 Right? Everything is about taking away what we think is going to hurt us. And, you know, some guys can jump out of that, like a Brunson or a Shea. We can say, we're going to make you a passer, right? Or a Shea. We're going to make you a scorer. And some of them are so good, they can do that
Starting point is 02:22:57 too and still find a way to get their teammates involved doing what the game plan is. If I know, alright, we're going to make Kenyon take 25 shots a night
Starting point is 02:23:11 because that means Kenyon ain't sitting here. We're trying to double him, and then he sit there and throw this pass or throw this lob or do that. We're going to all stay home and let Kenyon just dunk the work. That means he ain't scoring, he ain't scoring, he ain't scoring, and that might help us win.
Starting point is 02:23:28 Yeah, he had a hell of a night. Like the game plan is the game plan. And sometimes he starts dunking a couple times and like, oh, let me go and dunk in. And now he doesn't hit him. He's the three-coach like timeout, dog. Why are you helping? Yeah.
Starting point is 02:23:42 Why the fuck are you helping? Come sit your ass down. Come sit your ass down. Come sit your ass down. You know, so the game plan is the game plan, and, you know. So, with that in mind, let's move on to Mostly Fans. Presented by the good folks at Underdog. Download the Underdog app. Use promo code GIL.
Starting point is 02:23:57 Two hours, man. My niggas are fucked up. Download the Underdog app. Use promo code GIL. Get up to $1,000. I didn't have a Niggas Coast team. All right. We will be on playback. 4 p.mIL. Get up to $1,000. I didn't have a Gamecoast team. All right. We will be on playback.
Starting point is 02:24:07 4 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Eastern. I'm Nix this year. Right. Nix for clicks. I'm Nix and Jalen Brown. I thought she was Tatum. I'm Nix and Jalen Brown. All right.
Starting point is 02:24:17 Nix and Jalen Brown. Nix and Jalen Brown, baby. Like I said, pull up to playback.tv slash Gilbert Arena tonight. 4 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Eastern. I already told y'all when my neighbors lost who I was going for. It was Jason Taylor. Whatever Rashad team is, that's the team I'm going for. Rashad will be back in the arena tomorrow. We're going to be rooting
Starting point is 02:24:33 for the same team and the same player. Gil, since you brought up the Knicks, mostly fans question has something to do with that from underdog user Zedarian. The Knicks took heat for playing heavy minutes all season, but now they look the most locked in. Should more teams stop load managing and just play through it?
Starting point is 02:25:00 History. I'm going off of history. History is saying load management is hurting the game because it's hurting the players. These players are going down at a rapid speed. It's showing. They're getting injuries. In, injuries we've never even seen in a sport. Quads, hammies, side muscles. I ain't even know motherfuckers. We had side muscles over here.
Starting point is 02:25:38 Where did they create these shit for me to pull this? Right? There's things that are happening in the game now that wasn't before so i know we got new technology but sometimes you got to look in the past to see what what were y'all doing in the past because you know john stockton yep carl malone right we're talking about Michael Jordan Gary Payton you got players that played 82 games for years
Starting point is 02:26:11 in a time where it was supposed to have been a brutal basketball right you got a player that's playing who came in in 2003 that's still in the game averaging 25-7-7. You might want to ask
Starting point is 02:26:27 why? Right? Hey, Carmelo, hey. This is the Phoenix Suns here. I just want to pick your brain for a little bit. What was your summer workout plan? What did you do? Reggie Miller, hey. You was skinnier than a motherfucker.
Starting point is 02:26:44 How did you last so long in the NBA? What was you doing? Reggie Miller. Hey, motherfucker. Hey, you was skinnier than a motherfucker. How did you last so long in the NBA? What was you doing? What was your diet like? What was your, was your living? Hey, hey, McHale. Hey, Mr. Iron Man. Fuck you doing over there? Right?
Starting point is 02:26:55 There's, there's guys who's done shown. Like, are you living ways to stretch it? Like, what are you doing? Because obviously the fucking new people these 27 and down these these goofy motherfuckers that i've been listening to that got computers and shit they're wrong like the computer's wrong the the human body is still the body and something is saying that 90s 80s 70s is the physical part of being able
Starting point is 02:27:32 to play the longer some of these motherfuckers playing at Chuck Taylor's Chuck's Taylor's and playing 82 they have motherfucking super glue back then just regular ass glue and it was fine
Starting point is 02:27:50 right so there's things that you gotta take from the past to see why at least the basics you know what I mean there's why like is it actually lifting real weights? This bando shit?
Starting point is 02:28:10 This Pilates shit right here? I can tell you it's wrong because I can tell you this ain't Instagram. This ain't just take pictures and we look physique. Right? Right? Because I can tell you, if you tell all them to run and do something active, they're going to pull that shit that look good for the pictures with the... The pretty muscles, as we call them. Yeah, you got to jump and run and be... You got to really do that stuff in old school. They're doing all that shit, man. Old school is telling us all this day off
Starting point is 02:28:45 and we resting and all that. I mean. That fucks up your body even more. Yeah, right? We've been sitting around for two days. We resting and we doing this barely workout and we coming in playing against the motherfucker John Moran and I got to...
Starting point is 02:28:59 Come do this functional workout. Yeah. What happens to just lifting like I remember my rookie year my paper boom boom like we lifted I don't know what they do today you need your muscles to be firing at a very high level there's John Rentson
Starting point is 02:29:17 this motherfucker you gotta put muscles on top of muscles you already got muscles in training camp the training camp we did you put something on top of the muscles and then yeah And that was a different to our training camp their training camp today Man, I'm dudes going to training camp and walking out fine the first practice
Starting point is 02:29:39 Second practice walking in that third and then training camp over Even do they don't even do over. Man, this is tough. They don't even do it. Yeah, two days a night. That shit don't exist. Do you go to sleep at the same time? Every night? No.
Starting point is 02:29:52 Around the same time? No, no. Yours just... I'm going to sleep at night all fucked up. You go to sleep at the same time? No. No? No, I mean...
Starting point is 02:30:03 How do you know I sleep at all i'm pretty sure but but for the but for the most part yeah about 2 30 in the morning but yeah but for the most part your body you train your body to react right now if i was telling the kid how to train and how to get shots up right and let's say we're training for 200 shots a day so 1400 shots I need to take 1400 shots a week I'm telling you for the best results 207 days a week you do 200 a day and then you rest and then you do, you know, 400 on Wednesday. Then you rest and you do and you do that. I'm telling you what happens. Your body remembers that cycle is going to be ready to fire on Monday. It's going to want to sleep on Tuesday. It's going to be ready to go max on Wednesday, rest on Thursday.
Starting point is 02:31:11 What happens when you actually have to perform on Tuesdays and Thursdays? You're going to be trying to get up and your body's going to be say, this is a rest day. I'm not firing. That's what's happening in these, in these, in this sport that you're, you're,
Starting point is 02:31:24 their bodies is, is, is being trained a certain pattern and when you throw something on a rest pattern day it fucks it up. I always remember and was told on the night before the game
Starting point is 02:31:36 go to the gym and do something so your body knows the fire at that time. Fire at that time. I don't care if it's an off day, your body knows the fire at that time. Fire at that time. So I don't care if it's an off day. Your body does its routine. Go to the gym. Run around.
Starting point is 02:31:52 Do whatever. Even if it's for five minutes. Let your body know. Because if it's used to resting and going to sleep, it's going to try to do that. And I noticed that when we played one o'clock games. If somebody did a statistics on my one o'clock games if somebody did a statistics on my one o'clock games I know for sure
Starting point is 02:32:09 those are probably the worst stats I've ever had that's going to be my pattern that's where I'm supposed to be sleeping that is not singular and trying to now I got to over stimulate to try to get up for the game because my body want to naturally go to sleep,
Starting point is 02:32:25 even though I just woke up. So old school, I mean, new school need to try to think about just human nature itself to understand how to be functional. Real talk from Gilbert Arenas
Starting point is 02:32:39 here on Gil's Arena presented by underdog Woo Woo. Woo Woo. Ladies and gentlemen, we do have a playback at four o'clock. And as some of y'all pointed out, I do fall asleep on those streams
Starting point is 02:32:47 with my eyes open. You gotta be working me, man. But I want to say I appreciate y'all to everybody on this couch. Another spirited day here in the arena. Appreciate everybody
Starting point is 02:32:57 in the chat. Some good insight. Some great insight, some great talk, discourse around the game. We mind the game here as well. The body is smarter than people think, man. You can train that motherfucker to do whatever you want him to do.
Starting point is 02:33:09 Real simple phrase, man, that Gil, what he is saying. I was preaching, I said to the boy, I said, repetition becomes habit, man. Like, repetition becomes habit. That plain and simple. If you're used to quitting, you're going to keep quitting. If you're used to fighting through things, you're used to quitting yeah you're gonna you're gonna keep quitting if you're used to fighting through things you always fight through things it's it's it's it's a habit your body is gonna get used to the habit stunning also a habit as well like right now Right. Some of you guys at 1130, 22 to 30,000 a year. It's your habit. 1130 deals arenas on and you have created your environment around this time.
Starting point is 02:33:56 A very good habit to have, you know, very addictive, intoxicating, if you will. Need more. You ought to put the needle in your arm. Yeah, we need more to be fed. And it becomes part of your functionality, you know what I mean? And I'm pretty sure when we don't come on at this time, it kind of fucks your routine up. I mean, it's on CPT. Aw, see, these motherfuckers, I'm here, I'm
Starting point is 02:34:15 ready to see what the fuck they're doing, you know what I mean? Shit done fucked up my car, you know what I mean? It's just that routine you get into that makes you successful at what you do. I got one of my partners in Dallas. Like, he got his, like, whether he get done with jujitsu, he get home, get showered, roll him one, get him a coffee. He like, hey, Central Time, it's 1.30 today, local.
Starting point is 02:34:37 Hey, where these niggas at? Where y'all at? Hey, where y'all at? They're texting? The fuck y'all late for? I know some people at 1230 like, see these motherfuckers, man. They late now for 15 minutes. I gotta figure out
Starting point is 02:34:50 the fuck I'm doing for 15 minutes. You gotta do regular work. Just keep the stream up. We appreciate y'all for supporting the show, supporting the movement. This has been another episode of Gil's Arena presented by Underdog. Whoa, whoa! We will see y'all tomorrow! another episode of Gil's Arena presented by Underdog. Whoa, whoa. We will see y'all tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you.

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