Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - NBA West Squad: Western Conference CHAOS! Matchups and Upsets

Starting point is 00:00:01 Three, two, on today's show, do the Nuggets have no chance against the Clippers? And is Rudy Goberr just going to see the exact same thing he saw in last year's playoffs against Luca Dachach? We'll talk about all that and more on today. It's Lockedon to be a squad show West. You are talking ball with the NBA West Squad Show. From the Warriors to the Lakers, the Mavericks to the Nuggets, and everyone else in the West. The local experts of the Lockdown Podcast Network bring you all the scoops, breakdowns,

Starting point is 00:00:31 most comprehensive look at the Western Conference. Trash talk and big takes included. No holding back, we're giving the green light. It's time to talk NBA West. And welcome. You are Lockdown to NBA Squad Show West. My name is Nick Engstead, host of the Lockdown Mavericks podcast. This is the squad show where you take over the feed of your favorite lockdown

Starting point is 00:00:53 show. It's an open invite for any host to join to talk about anything they want in the NBA's Western Conference playoffs. Joining me today from Lockdown Thunder, the number one overall seed. Ryland Stiles from number two. Locked on Rockets, Jackson Gatlin, locked on Nuggets, Matt Moore and Locked on Warriors. Could have been six, Charlie Walter.

Starting point is 00:01:13 Could have been six. Could have been six. We'll take the seven. We'll get into. Will you? We'll take the seven. We wanted seven. We wanted seven.

Starting point is 00:01:24 We'll get into all kinds of things. It could have been six. If it wasn't for Draman Green getting cut by Coilin or exposing that. It could have been six if they didn't lose a game to the Nets. and the spurs and the jazz, the list goes on and on. You got to take justice for Lou Dort. We'll get into all kinds of stuff. We may end up somewhere completely different,

Starting point is 00:01:45 but I want to start here. The Nuggets. I took a straw poll at the beginning of this to see who thinks that the Clippers would be the Nuggets or the Nuggets would be the Clippers. And Rylind, you're the only one that thinks the Nuggets have a chance against the Clippers. Your rationale.

Starting point is 00:01:59 Chance, that's a little extreme. Yeah, I mean, I look at the Nuggets. And first of all, they're the best player in the world. And like for the tale of NBA history, that's been good enough. If you have the best player in the world, you're able to go far in the playoffs. And I just think that they have a new coach that maybe will rally around. And then they just have competent role players who have not played good this year. I will admit that.

Starting point is 00:02:20 But whenever the stakes rise in the playoffs, Yokic can set them up to have a good series. It just wouldn't shock me if Denver puts it all together in this one series. And we have the history of one, the best player in the world being what you need. And two, the Clippers is history of like, They can't get through a series healthy. And that sucks. It's a shame.

Starting point is 00:02:39 But it's the reality. And until they do it, it's tough to say that they will. They've teased us every year like Lucy with the football. I'm going to lean on Denver's championship pedigree. And it just would not stun me at all if Yokic takes over. And Christian hit shots and Michael Porter Jr. hit shots. And then Jamal Murray has a good playoff series.

Starting point is 00:02:59 Does the Ewing effect involve coaches as well? How does that work? Because it does seem like they typically play better for a couple of games. The Ewing effect of coaching is, do you take that shot? Do you practice that shot? Do you work on that shot? That's the Ewing effect on coaching. Good call back.

Starting point is 00:03:13 I like the Clippers, fellas. I like the clippers. I got the front row seat, not really, through the TV, but got to see him yesterday against the Warriors. And, dude, the perimeter defense is incredible. I think we've all forgotten how good Kauai is. And based on the way he's playing how healthy he is right now, James Harden.

Starting point is 00:03:31 I mean, just the way that those two play so much isolates in basketball, it's the antithesis of what the warriors do. But it's a thing of beauty when they're knocking down shots and they're doing it at a pretty high level. Zubots down low gives you a presence that I think can match up with Yokic as best as anyone can. I don't know how it becomes when he stretches the floor, which Yokic is going to do. But I'm riding with the clippers here. I think they're hot. They're playing their best basketball. And when you fire a coach April 8th or whatever it was, I think.

Starting point is 00:04:01 you're just kind of admitting to defeat. Yeah, I mean, I get it, Charlie Ball. So, yeah, keep in mind, like, there was yesterday, and, like, now they have to face, like, a real contender. And, like, there's, like, a difference that you've got to, like, manage between those different levels of expectations. Look, I matchup-wise, I don't hate it. If you were like, hey, building a lab a player to defend Kauai Leonard, you would wind

Starting point is 00:04:23 up building in that lab Aaron Gordon. Big, agile, strong. And, like, the great thing about the clippers is all the, all the clippers, The Clippers fans have been on the Locked On Nuggets live show comment section. Like, it was great because usually we have like a couple hundred. And last night, we had a couple hundred plus 12. So it's awesome. Like the entire campaign was able to show up with it.

Starting point is 00:04:46 But like, seriously, Chris Dunn's amazing. Zoo is tough. I like the matchup for Denver. I don't, when I look at the reality of the Clippers, like, have a better net rating, had the same amount of wins. with Kauai, they're like a plus 10. No, they're like plus 13. They're way better than what Denver is, even with Yokach on the floor.

Starting point is 00:05:09 So like, I can't say I feel confident because Denver's defense is a joke. But I do like the matchup for Denver theoretically. I just have a hard time being like, yeah, I trust Denver to get the win here. Denver's defense is a joke and you're saying you're very confident because our defense because like, I mean, the clippers, all they do is run isolation. and it's inherently an inefficient offense, which is why they're 17th in offense this season. Wait, wait, wait, time out.

Starting point is 00:05:36 Time out. You said there. Look, as long as Kauai Leonard makes it through the series healthy, they've got an excellent shot. What could possibly go wrong? Listen, listen, you said, you're right about that the clippers are an isolation-heavy team, but aren't James Hardin and Kauai Leonard's,

Starting point is 00:05:51 like, isolation numbers, efficient? Relative to the league. It's very efficient. Well, relative to the league, but when you actually look at, the overall, like, offense? No, because, like, that's a problem. If you're like, we're the most efficient offense in the league. I'm DeMarg Rosen. I'm the most efficient mid-range shooter in the league. Different. What does that mean? Oh, no, your offense isn't very good. You said we were 17th in

Starting point is 00:06:15 offensive rating for the entire season, but we're talking about with Kauai Leonard, our offensive rating has been, I believe, top 10. Sure. If you believe in March basketball, that any of that is legitimate, then sure. I believe in, well, you have, as somebody that went on a, the covering a team that went on a run last year because of March basketball, I believe in March basketball. Here's the thing. The last time I was on the squad show with Matt, he asked me, are the Clippers good?

Starting point is 00:06:37 And it was only 15 games left in the season. And I legitimately said, I think we're good, but to be honest, how good? Give me the last 10 games to figure it out to see what we can look like with Kauai. The answer is the Clippers are very good. And I was on the preview show with Nick last year when we were playing Dallas.

Starting point is 00:06:55 And because Kauai Lanner was out, I had no confidence. And all the Mavs fans were saying, this guy's so objective, you know, because he's, because I wasn't high on the way we were playing. He didn't pick the Clippers. Yeah, because I was like, I don't know about this series. I still have a lot of respect for the Denver Nuggets, but I feel way differently. This is the best the Clippers have ever played going into the postseason in my 20 years of fandom, ever.

Starting point is 00:07:14 I mean, and it's because of-20-1, though. Like, 2021, that team, I think wins the title. They were almost going to lose the first round. I was just saying, though, the way they were playing going into the playoffs. I don't think the Clippers are playing as well in Kauai. He had a foot injury the last month or so of the regular season that year. He has played amazing. But I don't know what you guys said before I jumped on,

Starting point is 00:07:36 but I can't wait for this series. It's going to be so exciting. I've such respect for Denver and Yokic. He's right about Aaron Gordon being a good Kauai defender, but what's going to happen when we set one screen? Is Jamal Murray going to stay switched on the Kauai the way in game seven last year against the wolves? The Nuggets kind of allowed Jamal Murray to keep switching on to good players.

Starting point is 00:07:53 That's something that I'm wondering. I talk to you this summer, man. You were low, low on the clippers. You were not happy with the direction. Kauai was starting to irk you with the way that he was always getting injured. Starting. He was out at that point. And I mean, for you to change your tune like this, it truly makes me believe.

Starting point is 00:08:12 That's an objective guy, right? Very objective. What changed the most for the clippers this year, Darihan? Having a defensive identity with role players that are just going to go out and be role players. I'm telling you, and I honestly, I don't even feel bad. Paul George, he just has this inherent, like, excuse making and everything that he comes, that he brings to a team. And it's, it really, you just don't, he doesn't know who he wants to be as a basketball player. Sometimes it's, I'm not getting enough touches.

Starting point is 00:08:44 I want to play, you know, run more pick and rolls as the ball handler. And then other times it's, I'm doing too much. I don't want Drew Holliday to pick me up full court. And he thinks he's this max player, but then he goes out without Kauai Leonard and averages 19 points in the playoffs last year. I think having more defined roles really changed a lot. And it was very clear what the game plan was. It's James Hardin's going to do his James Hardin thing. Zubots is going to be fantastic on both ends.

Starting point is 00:09:06 We're going to play through him more. And then Norman Powell's outlier first half of the season, I think, is what really propelled us to being great. And then now you had Kauai already to a team with a defense first identity because he was a defense first guy when he first came into the league. It's a team with a good mindset from a game to game basis and the coaching. staff has been awesome. Jeff Van Gundy. How much responsibility or how much, I guess, credit do you give JVG for coming in and kind

Starting point is 00:09:32 of helping, you know, establish this new kind of defensive identity for the Clippers? So much. But I always tell people because I'm, you know, as someone who I know it's youth basketball that I coach, but like the biggest thing I've learned is it really all comes down to the players and the personnel. JVG can be preaching anything he wants. But if you have the son's personnel out there, if you have the son's personnel out there, you're not going to defend well. Chris Dunn and Derek Jones Jr.

Starting point is 00:09:54 are elite and Evichu Zubats is elite. And James Harden has put a good enough effort defensively throughout the season. And yeah, I think he gets a lot of credit. I honestly think some clubbans give him too much credit because some are too hard on Ty Lou, but all of them deserve a ton of credit. And Jeff has been amazing.

Starting point is 00:10:10 Are we overthinking that Ty Lou versus an interim coach matchup between these two? I think that's a question. I think Tylo has boned it the last couple of years in the playoffs, so I'm the wrong person to ask about that. He completely boned that. that Mav series last year. He cost them that series.

Starting point is 00:10:26 They could have won that. And he cost them. I think Tyloo is, Tylo is both an excellent coach and a little overrated. Not only massively, just like a little bit. Like he's really good. But we fall all over ourselves.

Starting point is 00:10:36 And then you kind of look at it and it's like, look, the profile, even on this team, they don't take a lot of, like they're not hyper efficient. He had like a year where it was like, yeah,

Starting point is 00:10:44 we're going to take a lot of threes and have a very shot, healthy shot diet. And then he was like, no, no, no more of that. Let's have a complete clunker. Let's just do that. I think he's good.

Starting point is 00:10:52 Adelman's been really good. I have no idea what to expect of this Nuggets. Like, I have no idea what to expect. I will tell you, I don't think that Adleman's going to get, like, I don't think he'll get completely destroyed by adjustments. Like, he's been part of a staff that's made those adjustments before. I don't think Adelman's in over his head from an adjustment standpoint. In-game stuff, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:11:11 I haven't had, I don't have enough games of watching him as a head coach to know. But, like, I will say, I don't, I don't. Ty Lou is not, like, an indomitable force. It's not Eric Spolstra. It's not Popovich. It's not even Kurt. Like, great coach, but not like an indomitable force here. Are you looking at me to have a response there?

Starting point is 00:11:30 Yeah, we do debate rules here on the squad show. If your team gets called out, you get to respond. Okay. Well, I do agree with his assessment of Tailu overall. I don't know how, how can you think he cost the Clippers the series last year? I know, you know, yeah, I want to hear your opinion on that. Zoo killed them in that game one. Killed them.

Starting point is 00:11:49 Yeah, he did. Because Daniel Gafford can only guard driving versus small guards. And when actual big men go up against him, which is why if the Nuggets hadn't blown a 20 point leading game seven, they sweep the Mavericks and we don't have to deal with the nonsense of that fraudulent run. But instead, Lou is like, who's killing him. No, I know. I know.

Starting point is 00:12:09 Let's never give Zoo the ball again. Let's just, let's never see him. He is obsessed with small ball, which he's saved in this series because he can't do, right? Like there's zero capacity for him to be able to go like super small. in the series, except when Yoke isn't on the floor. So he's like kind of saved there. But that to me has been like the criminal thing is like he hasn't trusted Zoo enough in these series.

Starting point is 00:12:28 Zoo could have been the guy that he's been this year. Like he's been that dude and he hasn't trusted him enough. That's a fair assessment. I do still think that the players, you know, at times need to look at him on the floor when he's posting up. They've looked him off over the years. And we just didn't develop a culture around feeding Zoo until this year. So I do give the coaching stuff some blame.

Starting point is 00:12:48 But I think the biggest reason the Clippers lost. Dallas is because Kauai didn't play and he did they tried to put him back in and he was like gingerly walking around the free throw line during warmups and and paul george average 19 points yes that that was the big one paul george just got sunned by derrick jones junior and now derrick jr jr jr's on the clippers it's been great coming up are the timber wolves gonna face the same fate they did last year against lucidantages team and is your team happy with their side of the bracket we'll talk about that and more coming up locked out and be a squad Show West.

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Starting point is 00:14:15 Code lockdown MBA for 40% off. and a free item in your box for life. Thanks for hanging out of this on, Locked on and B, Squad Show, West. We have a show that covers your favorite team all throughout the playoffs and the offseason. The Lakers and Timberwolves. Luka Dantitch faced the Timberwolves last year, ended game two with one of the most legendary shots in his career,

Starting point is 00:14:43 hit it right in Rudy Gobert's face, and now Gobert faces Luke Adich again. Show of hands in this one. Who would pick the Lakers to win this against the Timberwolves? Charlie Walter, the only one holding out. What's your rationale? Okay, he put it up. He went, the peer pressure got.

Starting point is 00:15:01 Herd mentality. The peer pressure got to Charlie Walker. I needed to think about it for a second. But yeah, I go Lakers. Weird. I was raising my hand in the waiting room. I'm like, just in time. Let me in.

Starting point is 00:15:17 Brian Kavanaugh-Itsky. Everybody is picking the Lakers in this one. Why do you think that is? Because I think they're probably a little bit better. I got Andy and I got yelled at by a lot of Lakers fans for our show today because you know for Monday because we we took time an entire segment even to acknowledge that the Minnesota Timberwolves are good that they won ever do that tell Lakers fans anyone else in the NBA is good right come on. Hey Brian especially Brian especially Lakers fans that are also Luca fans now. So it, you know, we reminded, you know, we talked about how the Timberwolves have one exactly one less game, one fewer game.

Starting point is 00:15:59 Somebody can figure that out for me than the Lakers did this year. They won 49. Lakers won 50. The Timberwolves are a top 10 team in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, fourth best net rating in the NBA. Like, I realize they sort of feel disappointing in broad terms this year, but the overall product has been pretty good despite a lot of injuries. I still think the Lakers win because I like that they have home court.

Starting point is 00:16:26 I like that they get the extra week of rest, which they have not been able to get with being and playing all the time. And I think they have three of the four best players in the series. So I think ultimately that is what will get them to win. But it's a six game series, seven game series, probably. I think every series in the West basically this year is a six or a seven game series. But anyway, some people didn't like that. Well, look, Lucas teams have faced Rudy Gober's teams twice against one against Utah that they won and won against the Timberwolves that they wanted.

Starting point is 00:16:59 And Luca can just break down that defense. Yeah, uh, uh, uh, point of order. Jaylen Brunson won that Utah series, sir. Okay, what he won what he won one game. No. He had a really great one game. No, he was been through a entire series. He was great.

Starting point is 00:17:12 And then Luca came back. Luca came back. And they won the series. You know, okay. Matt, don't take this way from Nick. He has to live in his past memories as a MabS fan, okay, because he doesn't have Luca anymore. Let him live in the past.

Starting point is 00:17:26 Weren't they up to one before Luca came back? Am I mistaken? Yeah, they were. So how do you win one game? Okay. This is not even the point that I'm, there's not even the point I'm trying to make at all in any way. It's not even about the Mavericks.

Starting point is 00:17:41 It's about Luca, Luca can break down that defense. And then the last year, when the Timberwell was put in Kat and Nasreed, That was a lineup that really gave the Mavericks problems if there were any problems in a five game series. And now it's just Nasree because they don't have that cat option anymore. And now it's a Julius Randall trying to figure out how to, how can he create some kind of advantage in this series? And man, it's just hard for me to figure out how the Timberwolves hold up in a series like this.

Starting point is 00:18:08 I mean, I think, you know, look, the wolves have a serious defense and I don't think the Lakers do. But I just, they have nobody that can guard Luca. you have to have guys that have strength with him. That's the biggest problem is he's so strong when he gets you on that deep elbow touch on the post. And he just works you from there. It's not even really the pick and roll stuff because you can play drop with Rudy and they would actually be okay. Because Luke is not great pulling up for midrange. He doesn't have like a reliable pull up mid range J.

Starting point is 00:18:37 The problem is like he'll just string you out, get you switched up and then attack you. Or he'll just ISO you with Jade McDaniels or NAW back you down and then squire. over you. They just don't have a counter. I don't think that the Lakers have the counters for aunt and the rest of that offense, which actually shoots a lot of threes and is pretty efficient that the Mavericks did, but I still am just like, I don't know how you're going to get around this massive problem of you're going to have to double Luca and then he's hitting the corners. And then it's Rui Hachamura and Dorian Finney Smith hitting threes. And like the whole thing breaks down from there. I just don't know how they're going to be able to slow him down.

Starting point is 00:19:12 This is an offense all series, I think, based off of the matchup. I think to that point, The Lakers defensively, one of the things people ask me, well, geez, Minnesota has got a lot of size and the Lakers have one playable center. And, you know, while everybody in L.A. is very pleased with the progress Jackson Hays has made. He's still Jackson Hays. It's not only you do you don't look at him as a focal point of either side of the ball. He played well. But the Lakers have a pretty well established system at this point for. handling size i agree with with matt like guarding the threes it's going to be tough like

Starting point is 00:19:51 minnesota takes a lot of them they're pretty good they but i don't know they're going to have to shoot their way to four games and what size are you even guarding in this series besides maybe some naz reed like you got to keep you got to keep uh go bear off the glass um you know that's a problem potentially for the lakers you got to keep you know there's you know gnaz read is you know from inside and out is it they it's it's a problem it's something the lake have to address with every team that they play because they're all almost every team's going to have at least a couple guys who are in their rotation who are taller than the lakers players but they've got a pretty good system for that i just i think ultimately the ability to have lebron and lucca

Starting point is 00:20:32 over seven games to break down every flaw in your defense and then the third guy is austin rebs who is no slouch at that sort of stuff either i that ultimately I think the Lakers can out, can defend well enough and certainly will out offense Minnesota over the course of the series. Brian, what is this series for LeBron?

Starting point is 00:20:56 What does a series mean for his legacy? I mean, in L.A., it means more for his, don't answer that question. Okay, good. I thought you're really asking me. No. Okay, good.

Starting point is 00:21:09 You didn't mention Randall. I feel like he's the biggest expected of Minnesota. And I don't think anybody has faith in him and for good reason because in the playoffs, he doesn't done anything. and the Lakers have some of those big bodies like Doreen, Finney Smith, LeBron and Rue Hachamora,

Starting point is 00:21:23 that can not allow them, not allow him to bully them. But if you're a wolf fan, I feel like you have, Julius Randall has to have a good series to have any chance of winning. Great series. Are we too low on Julius Randall now? Yes. Yeah. I think, okay.

Starting point is 00:21:39 All right. But I don't believe in him in a series against this kind of experienced, like these kind of experience and smart players in LeBron and Luca. and as Matt said about McDaniels or the wolves defense. I mean, they were amazing last season until we saw them play Luca and he made them look. You know, you put them in jail and the pick and roll and just posted them up and just, yeah, they looked like there were nobody's after that. Jackson, a good way, like we are too low on him,

Starting point is 00:22:04 but we haven't like hit the bottom because we still all think that he'd be the best player that you could actually count on offensively for the Rockets. So that's like where you actually, that's the bottom of the barrel right there. Coming up, is your team happy with their side of the bracket? Get some thoughts on the play in tournament and all that kind of stuff. Lockdown and Bia Squad Show West continues. Today's episode of Lockdown and Bia Squad Show West brought to you by Open Phone. If you're writing a business, you can't miss a call.

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Starting point is 00:23:21 slash lockdown NBA. Thanks for hanging out with us in Lockton, NBA Squad Show West. Is your team happy with their side of the bracket? I'll start with Ryland Stiles. How did the bracket work out for the number one seed in the whole thing, the Oklahoma City Thunder? Are you happy with what transpired? Yeah, I mean, if you promised me that the Warriors went on Tuesday night and they're

Starting point is 00:23:45 going to go face with the Houston Rockets, then it couldn't have worked out better. and that's no slight to Denver or the Clippers. The thing is in the West that's this tough, you're going to have to play tough teams. And so if you get an easy battle against Memphis or Dallas or Sacramento, and then you have to take on Denver or the Clippers, that's the easiest route you can ask for to be able to say that LeBron and Luca and Steph and all these other guys,

Starting point is 00:24:08 and are all on the other side of the bracket that you don't have to worry about them until the conference finals. I only have to deal with one of them total. If you're able to make it to the conference finals, then it worked out. beautifully for the thunder. I mean, you couldn't have asked for a better draw than your second round opponent being Denver or the Lakers, or the clippers. Not to, not to say that these two teams couldn't beat the thunder, but it's just an easier path. Jackson, how, uh, how, how much are you

Starting point is 00:24:35 rooting for the Grizzlies on Tuesday night? Honestly, I'd be content with either team. It's like, like that, honestly, scorching hot take here, right? Warriors are scary. Would you say that you're fine in the West then? is that what it didn't work out too well for the last time that was uttered but go ahead jackson anyways look jane green's going to really get it done look as far as the difference between the warriors and the grislies here for the rockets first off the rockets have actually played the warriors pretty well this entire season and even going back to last season the final game of last year that ultimately eliminated the rockets from the playing tournament but um you know it's been a defensive

Starting point is 00:25:15 dog fight between those two teams every single time they come together this year And I just don't have a ton of confidence in the Warriors outside of Steph and Jimmy. The difference is those are the two guys. Those are two names that can absolutely win you a series, win you a moment, when you a possession in a game six, a game seven with the series on the line. And that's the deciding factor between wanting to face the Grizzlies

Starting point is 00:25:38 versus wanting to face the Warriors. On paper, absolutely, give me the Warriors. Like, or sorry, no, sorry, Freudian slip. Give me the Grizzlies. We're going to clip that. It'll go wild. No, give me the Grizzlies, right? Grizzlies are going to be the easier team to face in a seven game series.

Starting point is 00:25:54 They don't have as much experience. They haven't been there, done that. They don't have the guys at the top like Steph and Jimmy to, you know, win you a game, win you a possession in a game seven, a situation like that. But I like the rocket's chances against anybody in this Western conference outside of the thunder. And their bracket, aside from being the two seed, meaning they have home court advantage against everybody not named OKC, that's the one benefit.

Starting point is 00:26:18 their bracket is just brutal. If the Warriors win, they deal with the Warriors in round one, and then their reward for potentially beating the Warriors is then lining up with either the Luca, LeBron, Austin, Reeves, Lakers, or Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves. And let's be honest, it's probably going to be the Lakers coming out of that series. And then if they somehow beat those two California-based teams, then their reward is that they deal with the buzz saw of the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference finals. So the bracket is not kind to the rockets outside of having home court advantage. You can't suck up now after you're like,

Starting point is 00:26:50 give me the Warriors or we don't care who we play. It doesn't matter where the rockets. We can beat anything. Not scared of the Warriors. Not scared of the Warriors and not scared of the war. This is a big game in how long, fellas. There's a reason.

Starting point is 00:27:05 Yes. Since Garfield, it's dipped quite a bit in Memphis. So I think Warriors win that game. They take care of business. Let's go with a comfortable nine point win at Chase. We lock things up. we get back to it on Sunday, and then it's the Warriors and six against the Rockets.

Starting point is 00:27:19 I think every game will be close. Like legit, every single game, it'll look like a Piston series in 05, you know, 96, 92, 101, 95. We'll get a bunch of those games. But, I mean, since Jimmy Butler's joined the team, now granted, it's changed in the last week, but since he's joined the team, Warriors have won these clutch games. Let's not forget a week ago, they took down Nuggets, Lakers, back to back. don't let a fluke loss to the spurs and then a hell of a game that ended with two potential game tying shots or, you know, end of game situations where the Warriors could have gotten a bounce and won a game. Don't let that cloud your judgment. I think the Warriors are just as good as the Rockets, which they proved in the season series, beating them three times.

Starting point is 00:28:04 Jackson, how do you how do you how do you logic through that the like feeling this confident about the Rockets while the Rockets have the same half court offense as the Jazz this year. Their half court offense has been problematic. Absolutely. And it's it's definitely propped up by the fact that they offensive rebound at an NBA historic rate. Right. They've identified what they're good at and they stick to that. Like at the end of the day, their defense is what's going to win them games. It's not going to be their offense. Their offense is not. going to win them games. But they are holding the Golden State Warriors to a 103 offensive rating, which would be dead last in the NBA this season when they play against them. And have a losing record against them. They've had Steph in absolute hell. Dude, the first game of the season, the Warriors were up like, well, I think they were up like 70 to 40. Yeah, yeah, they were up like 70 to 40 and the Rockets rallied back and forced OT. Like, that's kind of a fluky kind of a game. I mean, Steph wasn't there for the first two of these matchups, but the three

Starting point is 00:29:04 matchups that you to play. He was inefficient, poor efficiency games. And the last game, he was non-existent. Amin Thompson erased him from existence in that last game. He did nothing in the last game. Couldn't even get looks off. That's how good. That's how good a men Thompson was face guarding stuff in that game.

Starting point is 00:29:23 Give me a seven-game series of that. Rockets and three. You sold me. Thompson's unreal, but Curry, it was a game against Memphis earlier this season where he legit had zero. or at least zero field goals. He did not make a bucket and then turned around and put up 52 against Memphis, not implying he's going to have that type of a night against Thompson.

Starting point is 00:29:43 But, I mean, it's Curry in a playoff series where you're getting, you know, multiple cracks at it every other night. Like, you're not going to shut Curry to under 15 points every single game. And the fact that they did, the fact that they did impressive A, but the fact that they weren't able to run away with that game and it was what, like six or seven with four minutes left, it proves to me that every single game in the series is going to be close. Can the Rockets, can the Rockets take down the vets and win these close games? Maybe.

Starting point is 00:30:09 But if you're a betting man and you get Jimmy Butler and you get Steph Curry and you get Draymond Green and you get Steve Kerr. Now Adoka is done it himself. But you compare that to the Rockets and it's like Shingoon. It's Jabari. Who are we going with here? How long is the suspension between Dylan Brooks and Draymond Green? Who's not?

Starting point is 00:30:33 Who's not so we kicked first? He'll kick the first. I mean, honestly, looking at it, yeah, that's, that's, that's going to be the question that the Rockets are going to be faced with this postseason. Who, who steps up in those big moments, right? Because the Warriors have the proven guys. No. I thought he was really leaning under that.

Starting point is 00:30:51 Honestly, I could. The Rockets lead the league in technicals and coaches and coach technicals and all that stuff ever since E. E. May Odoca took over. They don't mess around, man. They're the most technical laden team in the entire NBA. But, no, I mean, look you got to figure out who your go-to guys are going to be um and but in this series especially

Starting point is 00:31:08 watching that game the other day against the clippers the you know the deciding game of the seating in the west guys look scared to shoot down the stretch like the warriors don't have enough outside of step even jimmy doesn't look like playoff jimmy he doesn't now maybe he turns it on in the postseason maybe he looks on the playoffs okay sure but in a game that the warriors were like talking about as like treat this like a game seven, treat this like a playoff game, right? That was their whole, that was their whole mentality going into that game, right?

Starting point is 00:31:39 They wanted that arena rock and they wanted to feel like a playoff atmosphere. And yet guys were scared to shoot at the end. There was a lot of pressure on Steph to generate any semblance of offense at the end. And so much of their offense is based on, you know, these misdirections and split cut actions and stuff to try and get Steph open. He runs off a million screens and stuff. But when you've got a bunch of defender,

Starting point is 00:31:59 when you've got a guy like a Mentops, who can stick to stuff like glue. And then if you do get him, switched off of men Thompson. Guess what? Your reward is, Tari Eason, or Jabari Smith Jr.,

Starting point is 00:32:08 or Dylan Brooks, or even Jalen Green is a much improved defender? This rocket's propaganda. It's too much for me. It is rocket propaganda. Who is being swayed even a little bit by Jackson? You know,

Starting point is 00:32:19 more confident in the rockets than when he first started. He has answered all of this. If you want to know who, if you want to know who, like, who's going to win between the warriors and the rockets,

Starting point is 00:32:29 the Lakers. The Lakers came out of this like a dream. They get Luke, versus the wolves, and then they get the too old to do anything. Please, Quentin Post, have a good game. Maybe Brandon Kadevsky will score 28. Not the Quentin Post.

Starting point is 00:32:44 Jackson Gatlin and an offense that couldn't actually wind up winning the NCAA title. Meanwhile, in the other bracket, the thunder have to go through whoever comes out of the eight scenes, maybe the Mavericks and Anthony Davis. Okay, fine, that's not really all that much. But then the Lakers are the Nuggets and the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard. Nicoli Yokic, Shegildas Alexander. Like, that's like a serious gauntlet while the Lakers are just like, you guys done yet?

Starting point is 00:33:09 That's it. I wouldn't say, I wouldn't say it's quite that easy. Wow. It is the biggest reason, the biggest reason I think to be, when we've talked about the offense, be skeptical about Houston as the offense. The other one in Jackson, we talked about this when we were preving the, you know,

Starting point is 00:33:24 the two games that they had left to play. Houston, I think, won a lot of games in part because they just play harder. during the regular season and a lot of teams, that advantage goes away in the playoffs. Everybody plays hard. And so that is a an advantage that they have on a nightly basis

Starting point is 00:33:43 that I don't think will be there. That said, the arguments about defense and some of the flaws in the Warriors are compelling. And it makes me to your original question, Nick, I think the Lakers got about as lucky in this bracket as they possibly could have. Guys, thanks for hanging out with us on Lockton, NBA Squad Show West. If you want to check out a great show from all these guys, all throughout the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:34:03 We have them. Also the newsletter, LockdownDaily.com. We have a newsletter for every single team. Check that out. LockdownDaily.com. Thanks so much to listening to Lockton &B Squad Show West.

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