The Deep 3 Podcast - Picking The NBA Champion If The Playoffs Started Today | Ep. 194

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

What if the NBA playoffs started today? #nba Check out the TD3 merch: https://the-deep-3-shop.fourthwall.com/ Listen on Spotify!: https://open.spotify.com/show/3elbbqVumwqz8wlIdknsLW Listen on Apple Podcasts!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deep-3-podcast/id1657940794 Follow us on TikTok!: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedeepthree Follow us on Instagram!: https://www.instagram.com/thedeep3podcast/ Isaac's twitter: https://twitter.com/byisaacg Mo's twitter: https://twitter.com/Mojo99_ Donnavan's twitter: https://twitter.com/Dsmoot3D 0:00- Intro 1:47- Tatum is back! 24:35- NBA playoffs bracket 1:16:22- Shenanigans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If the playoffs started today, Donovan, scale up one to 10, how good would you feel about the Knicks making a run? Okay, so do you remember a while back ago when I made my predictions? And I said that the Knicks were going to go to the finals. I did. And if not, Mo would be shot down immediately. Yes. He's dead as hell. He's dead as hell.

I'm so nervous right now. I'm not going to lie. I've been talking a lot of mess to B-Soles. And I'm like, yeah, let's run it back. Let's run it back. I saw Tatum two games. I said, nah. Let's run it.

back. Hold on! I want the smoke now. Well, how good would you feel about the Atlanta Hawksmeek? I'm sorry, don't answer that. My bad. Running back. That was me.

My bad. My bad. As you guys see him in the title, we are going to talk about every single NBA playoff series, if the playoffs started today, we're going to go through and basically preview what would be the first round as a way to kind of talk about where every team in the playoff hunt sits today. How good we feel about them? How good we feel about them in specific matchups?

kind of start to view things that way. We'll talk about the rest of the playoffs after that and kind of like go through the finals, but we'll mostly talk in depth of the first round and then breeze through the rest. But before we do that, like Donovan said, there's a certain light skin man we have to talk about before we get going.

Yeah. I know you're excited. We'll get to him. Mr. Step back to himself. Come more, chat. Get him with editing today. Understandably so. Cue their intro music.

Let's talk about that guy. We're throwing it back. That's crazy. He was bragging. I don't need it. The cranium is crazy. Oh my God. Thank you.

We had to begin today off, like I said, talking about the Boston Celtics and specifically Jason Tatum. I don't know if y'all aware of this. Zero's back. Yeah. Yeah. Call him by his nickname, man. Zero's bad. Cadoosh.

Cadoosh. Cadooge. Cadooge. Come on, man. We have now seen two games. You got it. Of Jason Tatum. He's coming back from his Achilles injury in 10 months.

Absolutely outstanding. The fact that we see him now in this season, let alone, like playing it all is crazy. We've already crossed that bridge mentally, though. I think we all knew he was coming back. Now he's here. And now, like I said, you've seen two games of him playing, beating the Cavaliers. And then who did you speak yesterday? they beat the Cavs, they beat the Mavs.

They beat the Mavs. Oh, yeah, first they beat the Mavs. How are we feeling about them, Celtics? All in Cavs, by the way. Stinky. They didn't have Jared Allen, man. What are you talking about? They needed somebody to get those offensive revokes and nobody.

Exactly. I guess. So let's talk about how we feel about Jason Tatum coming back, how he looked in his first two games, how that affects are outlook now for the Boston Celtics, who are already the two-seat without him. Now they have him, how his level of play impacts the ceiling, all of it.

Where do you want to start? I'm not going to lie. I think the whole entire Eastern Conference is, got fucking shook, bro. I think everyone needs to reevaluate their expectations and look themselves in the mirror, like the New York Knicks, like the Detroit Pistons who are on like a, what, losing street for the first time the entirety of the year to have Tatum come back and you look yourself in the mirror and be like, holy fuck, like, we need to lock in now.

Because Tatum, although he shot like, what, 40, sub 40% from the field for the last two games since he played, bro, he looks like good legitimately. Of course, like the scoring has been up and down. but when it comes to all the other things that he's good at, just being that big, being a rebounding presence, while also being another distributor on the floor to just add so much, adds another layer of just like stardom to this team that's been needed throughout the entire of the year.

Meanwhile, of course, they still have Derek White. They've developed all their young talent. Jeline Brown is still playing like at a top 10 player level still throughout everything that all the mainstream media has been pushing. This team is scary as fuck. Now, throughout these two games, you can call it no reaction, but I think they may be the team to come out the east. That's not an overreaction at all. We've been saying this for months now, that if Jason Tatum comes back, this team should probably be the favorite.

You know, that was something we talked about in like December. And when it was first queued up, we were like, okay, that's cute to say, we'll see what he looks like, right? It's easy to say that if Jason Tatum comes back and he looks good, they can be the favorites. That's fun to say when we hear he's coming back in March, but we've got to see it because the Pistons deserve so much respect, because we know the Knicks are. what the Knicks are, which maybe that's not even a good thing these days. We can get to that later in the show. But it was thrown in the air a few months ago and slowly as more time has gone on

and we've seen the Celtics maintain this two-seat level. We've seen all the flaws in the other Eastern Conference teams. I think it started getting more and more believable in recent months that, wow, the Celtics really can win in their gap year. Now that we've seen them on the court, not even looking 100%, I think I've gone from, yeah, that's possible.

Maybe I'll be right to that feels like a certainty that they should be the favorites. They're winning the East. like it's damn you just give up like there it's it's like it's like I think unless you have another

another like miraculous you know first two games where they completely choked down a stretch and missed 25 threes in game one and then miss another you know 40 something three's in game two and you know the nicks are able to come back unless you have a situation like that

I don't see a team beating beating them because the like while we were doing the numbers for like, you know, what would it take? How much of a percentage of Jason Tatum would it take to get the Celtics to be at the top? Like, 75%, 80%. Yeah. Outside of the scoring, everything else was the same.

The rebounding is still there. The playmaking was fine. Like, he came out and he wasn't. I think he did a very good job in his first game, not, not like, forcing the issue and not like, oh, I'm coming out here. It's my first game back. I'm getting 20. Like, the game seemed very easy for him.

And there were so many times where he was coming off of a pick and making very, very nice, nice passes to cater down low. Their chemistry was already really good, which I feel like for him in the first game back, the chemistry that he had with everybody and with the bigs on the pick and roll was really, really nice. And so you have all of that. The shooting is going to happen.

Like he missed a dunk in his first game. That was tough to see. It was tough and I was nervous about it. Like, dang, like, is he cooked? But. Any air ball to three two and I was like, I'm not going to lie. Getting rim stuffed is the worst,

the single worst thing that could happen to you in your first game back from you. Because there's a wide open lane too. Yeah. No, he straight up the ball just hit the front of the rim. It wasn't even close to contests. But how he exploded before that too, how he made that cut to the rim was wildly impressive.

Exactly. Exactly. I think his first step looks excellent. I don't feel like his first step looks that different than what did him I remember. I'm sure if he goes side by side. There's still a little bit of ground to pick up. He looks as quick as I can remember.

He can't jump shots. He missed a lot of my range jumpers because it's not elevating. It hurt his rim finishing because he can't elevate and finish over people. Miss the dunk, obviously. That'll be the physical element that I think will see how it develops as more time goes. That's probably the type of thing that when people say don't expect him to be 100% until next year, that's probably the type of thing that that will be tangibly that the vertical won't come back until next year.

I could understand that. The real X factor to me is how his defense goes. Because I think offensively, if he has his burst and if a three-point shot is there off-ball, he's still a good passer. easy to see how he can come to immediately elevate his team and be that version of Tatum that call it 75% that we say makes them impossible to be in the Eastern Conference. The defense will be a deciding factor to me if they have a legitimate championship shot. Because I think obviously the Big Man Group is much better than we thought coming into this season

when I thought they were going to be a playing level team because the Bigman Group was so depleted from last year. Nemeas Kada, Jordan, everybody on that roster has kind of like exceeded those expectations. I still think in a playoff series against like elite bigs, you're going to need Jason Tame to a very good rim protecting power forward in that defense like it always has been being able to guard centers and small ball units do all the defensive stuff that has made him so special that'll kind of be the thing to monitor as we go on i think and he can he can do that i think and i think the most encouraging thing um for him coming back from the injury is that he immediately started and they

immediately said there's no minute's restriction and so the ramping up point is just you literally just have to get your your legs under you. And so we have what, like 20 games left in the season, something like that. He has enough time to get into game shape and he has enough time. Also, they're going to be the two seed. They're probably going to play some week seven seed.

And it's going to, well, listen, if Charlotte gets to... Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. Yeah, if Charlie gets to the seven and that's tough. But if somehow they mess around, they end up at the eight or even the six, who knows, but like that's... We failed to acknowledge the most important part of this.

my bad. So I'm sorry. I failed hosting this conversation to begin with. Jason Tadden finally has a good shoe too. And that was shown in this game. Let me see you. The new Jason Tadam fours came out during this game. These are tough.

Jordan Brand finally made a good shoe. Jason Tatum finally. Actually, I can't remember that Jason Tadens. Maybe he's had a decent one before. Jordan Brand's shoes notoriously garbage. This is fire. Those hit for the first time in a long time. The zero on the back.

It kind of looks a little Adidasie. They're kind of on that James Hardin Wave, who's kind of a shoot that a lot of people were copying. They're copying it for the, The good of the brand, these look fantastic. Off white cream with the green. Tough, man. It looks like a little sway-y on the green.

Yeah. Tough. Zero on the back. But listen. Jason was going to the curve, man. He came back with swag? KD was calling him zero. I was ahead of the curve.

I'm just saying. Yeah, align yourself with Kevin Durant. Go ahead and do that. And especially align yourself with Kevin Durant is on social media. I know what you are. In this case. Yeah. Disgusting.

Yeah, you feel good about that? Okay. Maybe not. Now that you all are putting me on the spot. Like staring at me. Look at the camera. Stay at the camera. Tell them. I co-sign Kevin Durant's social media activity.

I co-sign Kevin Durant calling Jason Taylor. That's it. That's all I co-signed from his tweets. So what's your confidence level? Let's get the Celtics fan perspective. Obviously, we were cautiously noticing that they were looking more and more like a threat for the entire of the season. We cautiously got optimism around December, January, that if Tidding comes back,

they can be the best team in the East. What has that progression been like as a Celtics fan? That's just like hoping for Jason Tatum's long-term health, for the team to have a success, all that combined. Oh, getting delusional and delusional by the day. Feeling like you're insane by the day because going into the season, especially those first three games, I was convinced this was the gap year. We were playing horrible those first three games. J.B's playmaking did not look well. Payton Pritchard and Derek White did not look well.

And Derek White still efficiency-wise still hasn't had a lot. best season. But over the course of the season, the way the role players specifically has stepped up and filled in the gaps that this team had has been absolutely phenomenal to see. Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Shireman, you know, Jordan Walsh, all these guys stepping up. We were a horrible rebounding team to start off the season. Now I think, like, we're the number one rebounding team in the league over the last 30 games I saw. Like, it's just been insane to see. Yeah. And that delusion. I like it you pointed out the fact that coming into the season, it was kind of thought to be a gap year.

I mean, three games where it seemed like a mega gap year. Like, it seemed like they were going to be even worse than expected. What an emotional roller coaster. Because by all accounts, it doesn't make sense of this good. No. It doesn't make sense at all. Coming into the season, like, I was so sure they'd be a pesky eight seed, pesky nine seed, what injury would happen.

And Brad Stevens would be very smart and say, I would like to get into AJ DeBonce sweepstakes. Yeah. The fact that he didn't even have a chance to want that because they were just so good after that first week. It's crazy. And obviously, shout out Jalen Brown, getting all the hype for it. Shout out Joe Missoula, who I think should be the runaway coach of the year.

Like, to me, it's never going to be unanimous. There's always going to be a lot of good teams, a lot of teams ahead of schedule. This is the most certain I've been of coach the year in several years. I feel like there's, to me, not even really a conversation with respect to Mitch Johnson, with respect to Davey Bicker staff, the way Joe Mazula has turned all these role players you just mentioned into impact pieces. I think if Jason Tatum gets back even closer to what we expect and he gets his scoring feet under him a little bit, this team might be better than what they were last year.

And that's crazy. Whoa. Like that, obviously, they won a chapter two years ago, last year you were saying it's a guarantee. It's not impossible that we get to a point where we feel like this team has an even better chance they would have if they kept their old guys. I think the name value for the Celtics were their last season. Like, he still had that super team Celtics.

But if you really watch those games, we were like weirdly relying on Jason Tatum a lot throughout the last season. This season, the attack just feels way more balanced and closer to the 2020. Yep. And to me that shout Jumazulu system, implementing even more off-ball action. The way he's used Jalen Brown, Derek White, and Payton Pritchard has three engines to get everybody going with the awful moving around them. It's been fantastic. You mentioned Derek White's shooting isn't good.

It doesn't even matter because Derek White, to me, is still having maybe the best year of his career, scaling up and being, to me, just as important as Jalen Brown. The team is serious. Yeah, it's tough when you have an MVP candidate and then Jason Tatum and then you have a top-five player in the world in Derek White. According to Kenny Jackson. All of that is tough. And I can kind of get to where you're going. Because even last year, like the Porzingis will he won't? Exactly.

That was hanging over much more than it was in the 24 season. And so you had like part of the reason why the Nakes were able to come back was because Porzingis was not able to go in that series. And he just was not impactful in that series. Andrew Holliday's offense took a step back last year. Yeah. So I can understand that. I do think, and maybe, like, maybe he does get his legs under,

but I do think that for maybe like the next, like, month and a half, the offense might look similar to how it's looked in these two games, which is very streaky, right? He missed his first, like five or six shots, and then he went on a run and he got everything together. You saw him getting his getting into a rhythm. Came out yesterday in Cleveland, 12 points in the first quarter, four, six, right? Very, very good, very, very efficient.

And then the rest of the game only had eight points. they were dominating for a majority of that game, but I can see it happening in stretches when he's like, when he's warm, when he's feeling good. And then depending on like coming out of halftime, coming out of certain long timeouts, like, are you able to maintain that level of consistency?

That's always going to be one of the harder things, returning from injury. I think the biggest thing for me is that for Tatum specifically, this is like the best time to come back from an injury like this when it comes to the state of the Celtics, because they have all these things happening in once. Like this is the best version of Janet Brown that we've ever seen. Of course, Derek White goes with his efficiency.

He has been wildly up and down throughout the entirety of the year, but that doesn't matter because he's Derek White. He does so many things other than like buckets at the end of the day. But seeing guys like Payne Purchill up level up, Neemus level up. And then these like young wings, like you said, B. Souls and Hugo and Baylor Sherman and all that. Like these guys are legitimate players.

Sam Hauser's there. And Sam Housers has been better overall. Like they're not overly reliant to. for team to come out and give you like 27 at all anymore. And that lends itself back to the defense, which is like what they legitimately need him for. This team is like they set themselves apart, like once again, Tomazula, just one of them guys who cemented himself as that.

And to go back and to think to myself, like, wow, like this team legitimately was in conversation, at least for the first three games of the year for like the number and overall pitch. Yeah. I feel that also, Jason Taylor has a crazy opportunity ahead of him. And what is that? You got to build this. He can get the public on his side right now. Yeah.

Okay. You come back from the Achilles. You have a deep playoff run. You have a very cool shoe, right? If there was ever a time to be up in public perception to not be the coin guy, everything that he's ever wanted is right there in front of it. It's at the tip of your fingers. It's right there.

You can be right. It's right there. Yeah. He can have all of the mythology, everything. Mythology. You can have it. If he comes back from an Achilles, faster than basically anybody else to return to like peak peak level and is able to

sustain that level of play get the Celtics back into a conference finals into the finals and you start you start rolling that now it's like hey man you're just that guy right you know it's one of the coolest pieces of fan fiction that could happen this year them getting to the finals and winning and then he gets finals MVP over jaylon brown this time after he's the one coming back from injury that would be the best mythologizing that might be a better storyline than anything we can see I'm not going to lie, the rollout for this Achilles return was kind of crazy. It was. Like, have y'all seen an injury rollout crazier than this?

The last one would be Derek Rose, like, back in the day. When I think about that it's not crazy than this because that self-decomedia team put on a motherfucking show for Jason Tatum. Yeah. Clay Thompson coming back felt similar fanfare, and he was like the most loved athlete in the world. I remember when he came back, it was like everybody in the country was a fan of him, Rudy for Clay Thompson.

This was a little bit similar. it helped like Clay Thompson missed two years so that made it even more impactful this is the opposite because he comes back so fast it's like wow look at this guy but that's the only thing I can think of that had this much fanfare yeah the Clay Thompson one was also crazy

because listen Clay Clay finished the dunk in his first game back did zero yeah his first bucket was a pullback dunk you're right it was come on man you're right it was actually I remember you saw a video of dudes

watching us from the baseline just pulled back dunk to a step back three injected in my veins. Is Jason Tatum and Deuce kind of like your version of like the royal family from British people? Are those your celebrities like? Yes. That's the first thing. I go like Boston legitimately treats Tatum like

royalties. He's kind of insane. Like when Drake brought out Tatum for his concert, I swear the crowd was louder for Tatum than the whole thing. It was crazy. Yeah, it makes sense. I'm sure. All right. Last thing. It's things like that. Like he can be the guy.

I'm going to name some NBA teams. You tell me if you would pick them if you pick the Celtics to beat them in a playoff series today. Okay. Level one, Celtics, first raptors. Actually, no, actually, you don't fuck that. Come on. Let's go towards, let's go towards an actual scenario. That'd be the first Tried.

You know, if you're a Raptors, Fink, you got it up. He's like, come on. Come on, man. Let's be serious. I was going to say that. Let's have rude discourse. Actually, let's go towards somebody in my playing the first round because the Raptors of the five seed.

I was going towards the worst team. in that tier. That's funny. Level one, Charlotte Hornets. Most hot team in the NBA. I'm not going to lie. That's a lot of stress

on Tatum's Achilles. You got to chase Sean Lamello, Khan, and Brandon Miller. I think it'll be all right. That's a lot. I think it'll be all right. Yeah, it's a cute story. Yeah.

Shout out to Charlotte to Charlotte for turning here around. They're whooping them. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. It's going to be a six game series in which they were up 3-1. Like,

like any six-game series is not a whooping. I know. Like if I'm a hornet's They will handily beat them Yeah I don't know Oh whatever If I'm a hornet's fan

I feel very good about pushing The Celtics Six games this year Pushing the six God we're so back We're so back Level two Level two

Cleveland Cavaliers Yeah they're pushing us To six too I never just like Cavaliers A damn my life man I trust the Hornets More than I trust the Caps Damn

Yeah I'll The Celtics Would beat them in five Damn Level three New York Knicks I trust the Hornets more than trust the Knicks.

I'm not going to lie. I kind of do too. If there is one team I fear in the east, it is the Knicks just because I saw them actually do it. Nah. But that's it though. I'm not, bro. A lot of people ain't talking about it again.

Jalen Brown or Jalen Brunson is taking a slight step back. His efficiency has fucking towered down over the last like 25 games or so. Uh-oh. What's talking about the regression beginning? Oh, oh.

29 years old. Small guards. We are seeing the decline. Uh-oh. We're not going to talk about it yet, though. But we'll see. He would know about smart guards declining. Facts.

He would know. He would know. Level four, Detroit Pistons. They got them. They can beat them. They will beat them. They will. They will.

Do you think there's any chance that Pistons beat the Celtics? Yeah, I think there's a chance. But right now you go into that series. The Celtics are the clear favorites in that series. I think Celtics and 6 would probably be the most likely outcome. Yeah, you think they're clear in everybody. in six Celtics and six. Six is across the board. I think it's hard because even even with the Celtics playing like this, even with Jason Tatum coming back, if he has a bad

night, oh no, now we just have to go back to what we were doing before, which is Jalen Brown giving everybody buckets. And even games like yesterday against the Cavs, Jalen Brown took over in the third quarter and had a really good third quarter and was scoring like that. They have so many offensive options that Detroit just does not have. So I would take. Boston in that series. Level five. Oklahoma, the Thunder.

If they make to the finals, can they be the Thunder? You see, if Tatum was at his peak level, like just banging on 100% firing off on all levels, then it'll be a conversation.

But right now, it's not close. It's okay, C. I'm DeLulu now. I'm taking my Celtics. That Thunder offense is fake. Listen, I got my guys.

The offense I won a championship last year, fake. Yep, fake. Outside of SGA, who they got. Jared McCain. Outside of the second best player in the world, who they got? Oh, my gosh. Hey, man.

Just saying. Two other All-Stars? They went to seven twice last season at their peak. They're beatable. But did they lose? That's awesome. Zero wasn't on the other side. I don't know.

I'm going to go with the Thunder still. If Tatum was 100%, I would understand the conversation. If you make the finals, you can win. Obviously, if you make it through three rounds, you can win a fourth. But I'll safely assume the Thunder win for now. this series going to seven

they they push oh yeah they put okay c to seven I guess right now I guess I would go okay see just because it would that would be four months into into Tatum coming back but I think it's definitely possible we're gonna see a lot of long series with under as long as this team constructed this way I'm gonna continue to have faith they come through in game seven every single time they needed to last year they kind of answered the bell

after selling games being forced to seven I'm gonna assume this will do that answering the bell meaning stays there I ain't got nothing to worry about. So I like. Low key. Big game, Shea was very real last year.

Now small game Sheet is down his leg a couple of times. First round, Shea, some stinkers. But big game, Shea always came through. But what if it's a game seven and the other? Big game Tatum is there.

Let's go. 51 points in game seven. I was trying to be on your side and you're pushing it too far. Give me the thunder. Give me a mile. What were you by to say, though? That like, that game was kind of scary before Halliburton got injured.

And he, and Halliburton was hooping. And so obviously, obviously it's like if you get to the finals, anything can happen. And then if you get to a game seven, really anything can happen. And so we've seen the Celtics team be in situations like this. It wouldn't be crazy if you said that they beat the Thunder. Well, of course not. Of course it's not crazy. In seven games either.

Yeah, of course it's not crazy. That's the end of our Celtics stuff. I would predict that. No, you wouldn't. No, you wouldn't. If you weren't the Celtic moment, no, you wouldn't. I'm very moved by these first two games. The moment is capturing you.

The moment is capturing the shit out of you. I've also, I've also haven't been super, super high on OKC. I felt like OKC has been more beatable than I think more people have thought about them for this year. Easy to say that now where they're not healthy in the Celtics are. So. Yeah. Capturing one at their absolute peak PR. wise and one that's been going through the opposite

struggle. Easy to say that now. Listen, don't let Denver. Please. God. We worked them. God, they're terrible. They're terrible. At least Payton Watson's better than Palin-Kerra. At least they got that going for him.

Oh, yeah. You curse the shit out of him. Opson, actually. He had the two best games of this season right after you declare Payton Watson better. He heard that. He was like, all right, man, let me like. All right.

I'm doing God's work. You are doing God's work for Maddoch, I hope it stays. Next thing we're going to do, let's transition over to the main topic of this show. Let's talk about the NBA playoffs. If they were to start today, we have up here the current playoff picture. We're going to talk about every single theoretical first round matchup, kind of talk through these matchups and based on how we're feeling about these teams against specific combinations of teams. Instead of just like vaguely, this team's a fraud, this team's a contender.

It's kind of nitty-gritty of how they match up with people in their conference. I guess we have to fly through the playing tournament real quick to get to the 1-8 seeds, even though they barely matter. Let's do it. Who do we think is going to be the 8-C going against the Thunder? Or actually, we should do 7-seat first. Who would win this playing tournament? 7-8, Warrior Suns, and then 9-10 Clippers Blazers.

I got, do I haven't seen Steph Korean ages, so I'm going to Suns. It's pretty easily. Yeah, you're right. Let's just, let's go chalk. Let's assume the Suns get to 7 and 8-seed. I mean, I don't seem to the Warriors. My fucking tank. Exactly, which is why.

I'm saying the trailblazers are getting into the Hey, Clippers are much better for The Troblers are getting in from the Tensey. God no. Don't go Clippers? Yeah, it's a clippers. Okay, I assume the clippers are eight

and assume the suns are seven. Because Kawhis there. Yeah, exactly. And Darry's Garland just came back. Yeah. No more it's from the choke, man. It's the Sherleaders. They have no one.

And then other side of the conference, at this point, safe assumption, the Hornets, well, Hornets have to make it out ten first to get the seven seed. So right another 10, we'll say the Hornets get the eight seed. And seven, Uncle Heat? Sixers for sure.

Yeah, Heat's been on a run recently Okay, so Heat 7, Hornets 8 That'll be what we work with Heat for sure was kind of fast The Sixers have been shown themselves lately, man Yeah, and Miami's, they're on a run right now too Yeah This is the best that Tyler Hero's been looking in BAM as well

The Paul George injury has kind of fucked over this They only gotta win one game though Isn't B gonna be back for the plan? Who knows? Well, we're thinking to start today, so if we start today No, he's out another week Oh fair, fair And Tyrese got banged up too

Yeah, he did that as well And the Paul George injury is really fucked him On the wings Okay, okay, 1A series first Oklahoma City Thunder versus Los Angeles Clippers. Three? Three games? That's not that's the possible way.

Cool, I can get you one. No, I can get you. I, the guys, Janich is out, so I don't know if it happens. They're getting swept. Yeah. It's not, it's not going to be a. Janich is out. Yeah, bro, they have Brooke Lopez as their lone big man on this team.

That's a huge loss, right? Brooke Lopez. Yeah, it's not much to say here. Obviously, we think the Thunder would win this series. Assuming J-Dub comes back, which I'm guessing if the playoffs came around today, they'd get them ready on time. Agent Mitchell just came back too. So they're getting closer and closer to full health.

I think for sake of this exercise, we should assume J-Dub is there, but not 100% because we haven't seen 100% yet. He doesn't need to be 100% to be the clips. He does not. Not much talk about there. Other 1-8 side, Pistons versus Hornets. Now we have a conversation. How would that series go if the playoffs started today?

The Pistons have actually been struggling as of late. They've dropped a few games as of late. The offense hasn't looked great as they tend to do. And this last game, Asar didn't play. The defense did not look good at all. Jalen Dern was getting putting a blender a little bit with Novasar there. Kind of at the low point right now, the Pistons. And the Hornets are up to the Hornets, hottest team in the NBA for last 30 games.

You can't feel good right now if you're a Pistons fan, man. Like, Dennis Jenkins, as soon as he got his contract, he's like shooting 35% from the field or some disgusted like that. I love a good scammer. He got his money. Good for him. He saw him for $8 million. He was like, yeah, I did my job. Honestly, the series feels like it could go six games.

Horwich is just so good at pushing you literally anyone in the league. And this is like not a nightmare matchup for the Pistons, but it could drag out to six. But I got the Pistons at the end of the day. Okay. I think, I think I'm going to go with the Pistons. I'm going to go in the Pistons. We'll go with the Pistons in five in this one.

I think that if what happened last year, in terms of the reffing and the amount of physicality that they allowed last year. That's a good point. If that translates over to another year, Detroit is going to, they're going to be able to be overly physical with Charlotte. And I think that's going to, that's going to be so different than what, than what Conn has ever faced and what LaMello is faced in four years, right? Then Brandon Miller's obviously never faced that.

I think Detroit's going to be able to be physical enough to where you can throw those guys off a little bit and they'll probably get an edge there. But defensively, they just swarm around too much. I would go with Detroit. The Hornets, if they're going to win a playoff series, they need to get matched up with a team that has very slow bigs, which I guess Dern is a little bit slow, but very unathletic bigs as well as what I mean by that.

Guys who aren't going to run up down the floor, guys that LaMello can get them running in transition and just flood you with creating good looks from three with those shooters running up and down the wings. It's kind of the opposite of the Pistons. The Pistons are also athletic, can run, a good transition defense can also beat you up on the boards and do all the young physical stuff that might kind of take away some of the shine of what makes the Hornets so good in the regular

season context and do the Hornets have the defensive personnel to force Cade stinkers to force a ball out of his hands put all the defensive attention to him like we saw last year in the playoff like we've seen the regular season sometimes this year I think Charles Lee is a good coach to get that done do we feel good about like Brandon Miller and miles bridges being able to blitz him and like really really get Kate uncomfortable? Not for four games. Yeah. Yeah, not for four games.

They could do it. I definitely see like they could do it for one game. Maybe two, maybe two. Yeah, Kade's good for a sninker in every series at this point of his development, I think. So, so for, yeah, for that reason, I think that they can, they can't really get to get to Kate. But overall, the Detroit is a much better team than them right now. So I would, yeah, I'm taking them.

But this will be fun, though, fun and so because we get to see Lusidia Batee versus Janeland Duren again. I didn't consider that and Miles Bridges I need that I actually do think the Barnes could win Yeah The Hornets could win

I think we're a glossing really too fast The Hornets are so weird Yeah it could win Yeah it wouldn't be crazy I'll beg the pistons But I think it'll be a long series I think the Hornets Like there's enough sample size

This is legitimately just a really good team When they have the starting five together It's one of the most effective lineups In the entire NBA I don't think they're just a like Oh cute team But you can't beat the good teams out there Like they had their terrible start

They got together They got healthy for the first time, built some good chemistry with the three guys on there, found their starting line up with Diabate starting over Calgary. I think all of it's pretty real. And this actually is a good team that should be viewed on par with the five seed, the six seed, et cetera. Yeah. This is one of the crazier turnarounds that you've seen from a mid-tier rebuilding team in like a long-ass time. Probably ever.

So I agree. And Charles Lee is a good coach. Came from the Celtics system. Very good switching defense. I'm sure understands all this principle that Joe Mazula does. and understands how to isolate bad shooters. Some of the Celtics have always done well. The Celtics always have really good shooting luck on their side

because they're really smart about leaving bad shooters open. I bet Charles Lee learned a thing or two from that and is going to leave some of those stinky-ass shooters open on the pistons. They have enough size. All their guys are 6-7 plus in the starting lineup that I don't think you're going to see ASR just like drive-and-dunk lobbying them to death from there. They have enough size to be able to get in between those passing lanes. I can see a world where the Hornets defense kind of makes those non-shooters look bad.

You've convinced me. Hornets and 7. Have I convinced myself? Is it? No, because it's, I don't know. I think it's a seven game series. I'm fine going on the Pistons because the defense and because what you said, the playoff atmosphere that might let them be more physical.

Yeah. But I do think it'd be a long series. I don't know if it'll be a seven game series just because, okay, this is cons, like, rookie year going into like the toughest playoff defensive environment that you can ever face outside of OKC. Yeah. And then Brandon Miller is like prone to just inefficient games as well. And then, of course, I didn't even get to the metal of ball.

We already know what he is when it comes to his offensive. of consistency within himself. It's too much, a little bit, too much variance that I could, like, convince myself, like, yeah, the business should handle this. But instead of seven, I think I feel comfortable about the six. Yeah, I can say all that about the pisses too.

That's a hard part. Pretty much everything you just said applies to the business. Their players are young. They have one playoffs used in the belt, which isn't nothing. We know how Kade gets prone to inefficiencies. Like, the same critiques kind of apply to them. But obviously, they're more defensive slanted, which probably gives my higher floor.

Which is why I'd pick them to win in six or seven games, like you said. But it would, don't be shocked if the hornets beat the pistons is all I'm saying I'll be nervous of them. I still would be shocked because even if they are like better than the 10 C, which they are, you said okay they're on the on the level of like the five or six seats. If the magic beat the Pistons, if the Raptors beat the Pistons right like those like those

five or six seats also is like he's the thing is like they should also get I just said that as just like a way to like approximate being respecting them they've been on the level of one seed for two and a half months now. So like it's a very unique team in that way that I don't think we're really capable of comprehending how good they really are because the record is one thing because their perception is one thing. It's a long sample size of them being the first second or third best team in the conference. That's hard to rationalize, but it's a long sample size. I understand that. And even we have an even longer sample size of Detroit and their formula working even going back to last year of them being respectable and them leaning on on their defense.

So that's why I will give the edge to. to Detroit and their defense and saying like, you know, they're going to be able to make, they're going to be able to make Charlotte more uncomfortable than than vice versa. And so I, at the end of day, Detroit's done this all year. So if they did go out in the first round, even to a team that is as hot as Charlotte,

it is, it is shocking. It might not be, actually not. Probably, yeah, we don't consider the pistons like on that level. So it might not be like, we believe level. But like, it's high. It's high up there. No, well, that's not that level. as a massive disappointment.

I don't sure. Yes, the piston's losing would be in itself with no context, a massive disappointment. When you look what the Hornets have been, though, it would just, the takeaway wouldn't be the pistons or frauds. Actually, never mind. It would be that. It definitely would. Because that's not the media works.

It would be that. But the main takeaway would be, oh, the Hornets were real. And then playing at the level of the one seed for two and a half months, they just were that good. And it was a close evenly match series. Yeah. Like, at this point in time with the Hornets, you can't look at them and be like, oh, this is some like, just cute little hot streak.

No, this is who they are. They keep rolling to. next season with the same exact team and be a 50-win team in the Eastern Conference. Barring good health. Will they get two good health years in a row? I don't know. The history says probably not but as healthy, I think they've proven that they can't compete. But again, I will pick the piston. So I'm not here to say the Hornets are going to win.

But I just don't be shocked if this happens and they win. This is not your traditional one-eight matchup at all, at all. Nothing about the Hornets are a traditional playing team. They break the norms of what we should expect for a 1-8. Is there any world where they can catch Philly? Like there are four games or like three and a half games back? Probably. Can they get into the 7-8?

Certainly. Yeah, certainly. The 7 is so getable right now. Seven is a little tough, but 8 they can get to, it looks like. I mean, they're behind both of them the same amount in the lost column. Yeah, but two extra wins. So that equals one more game ahead for the heat. Tyrese is out, bro.

Yeah. And the heat aren't slumping. The only reason I'm saying that. 76s are. Yeah. I think they can catch 8 for sure. Okay. 2-7 series out west.

Spurs versus what we said would be the Suns. Oh, yeah. Also, sweep. It's such easy conversation in the West. It is. I think last night I was like, man, forget K, forget J.B. Forgive me Yolkidge, man. Anshay, Wembe's my MVP.

Wow. He's hooping. And like this whole, this last week, as we've been seen, even with some, you know, pedestrian, offensive games, just seeing everything that he does defensively. It's like, wow. He's, Wembe's just on a different level. and then when he does have the offense going to maximum efficiency of I can score whenever I want, I can run the floor, I can play in transition, I can get in ones whenever I want,

I can affect every single shot. I don't, it's very hard to think of anybody that is more impactful than him on a, on a play-to-play basis on both sides of the floor. And so right now, even with everybody, healthy, he would be in my top two for MVP voting. Yeah. And I think that... Passing up Yolkich? Yes. Yeah.

Yeah, I think so. I think the defense in Denver has just been so bad and they've slumped to a very, very, like, weird position. Like, you really have to respect everything that that Vic and the Spurs are doing. They've passed them up in the standings. But the Spurs have just been much more

consistent than Denver. So I think I would put one. MBO. Yeah. I think we can gloss over the series. I think it's pretty clear that the Spurs, the level they're playing at. Shout out the Suns. It's been a great season, very respectable. Now Dylan Brooks and Devin Booker getting healthy. They should be there come playoff time. Great story. Great respectable. Jordan, not one of the coach of the year candidates. They're just kind of overmatch against this defense of the Spurs. Yeah. Next one, 27 over east. Two Seed Celtics versus, what we say? Seven C heat. Yeah. Celtics versus heat. How would that go? So let's assume Jason Tatum is exactly how we look in the past

two games. So he shoots 42% from the field as like the regular. Let's say he shoots a cool average from 3, 35% on his normal difficult shot diet. Defense isn't 100% there, but he's a good smart defender and he's passing really, really well. Against the Miami Heat team, with Tyler Heroes coming back, playing well. Bam's having a pretty good year. Still an amazing defender, obviously. Shooting well, full stretch big now, could match spacing wise with the Celtics. How would that series go? Let me see who's on this heat team. Yeah, no, because whoever the nobody is is going to be somebody that's... Yeah, there's always someone, bro.

You're going to learn Pell Larson today, buddy. Yeah. Let me see who the real threat is on the... It's going to be Jaime Hockey's putting fear in your heart. He's going to be the role player off the bench that comes in, strikes gold. Yeah, it's definitely going to be Pelle Larson. Simone Fontecchio. My God. He'll go get your fits.

Yeah, Boston should... They should win them. this. Yep. They should win this series. It should be, this should be a five game series. But also, like, we could also see an upset. Like, this is why in a series. I can't. I can't.

I can't. I can't. I think I can't. I can't. I could talk myself into it. Tell me how you talk or something to it? What would be the selling points? Dude, Tyler Hero, these last few games specifically, I think he's reminding me that he looks like an all-star level talent. The passing has been better. The shooting's been

obviously like much better than over the the previous course of the year. Bamma, Bam specifically also has been like more consistent of offensive player, which has been like the bigger talking point. And defensively, of course, still like world class. No one has to say or bat and I about him at all.

Bro, this team is they have players. They got bodies and this is just like the normal Miami heat thing. And they're just never going to fully like go away. That's why they're so annoying. That's why everyone's tired of talking about them because they're always going to sneak up on you and do some annoying things. If you were saying this about like this specific heat team last year of like they got

players, they got bodies, I would kind of understand that going up against the Celtics or last year's iteration. This specific version of the Celtics is also built on we have players, we have bodies. Like they also they also have. Yes, both teams do have bodies. Yeah, they also have depth. I think with Tala Hero, yeah, he's a fantastic score. I'm not I'm not even joking when I say this

there's going to be one game where Peyton Pritchard is going bam with with Tyler Hero like he can he can also have an offensive game that matches Hero in that there might be seven games he can do that Jalen Brown can do that I think you look on on one side and you look on the other side and I think that Boston has a little bit more

they have a little bit more creation that I trust in a playoff situation. I'm not worried at all about Tyler Hero if I'm a Celtics fan. I'm not worried at all about a Tyler Hero, Bam out of biolid offense if I'm a Celtics fan, and I know the depth of wing defenders we have on our team right now. The fact that we have Derek White for Tyler Hero as a primary assignment, and we switch them on to all these wings now with Tatum and Jinnon Brown being there to Blitzham,

with Jordan Walsh emerging, with all the other wings we have at our disposal, plus some athletic bigs, or one athletic big and then two white guys that stretch the floor. But I think they have all the defensive person now in the world To kind of disrupt everything that Tyler Hero wants to do In these hot stretches and not allow him to get good looks off I wouldn't be worried about this matchup at all

I'm telling you I've been through this man It's not the stars it's the role players I keep telling you Jimmy Butler isn't walking to those doors to elevate these guys Yeah that's that's a main difference but I'm gonna say This could be like a ficey six games But reality I think I want to give them like five games So also real quick my favorite thing on these rapes is whenever somebody has a

whenever somebody doesn't shoot a lot of free throws there's always a hashtag ethical oh yeah yeah I did see that these hashtags

are mad funny hashtag ethical yeah because he had three free throw attempts that's very funny I do like that

you you will be hurt when when when Pelal Larson goes off for like 23 on 7 to 7th shooting

yeah it will happen for one game right That is going to happen. So I'm not going to say that you're crazy for that. But four games is a lot. It's so hard.

It's so hard to do that. I think when like, yes, you have Spow on one side. You also have a demon and a maniac on the other side in Joe Missoula that can also go band for band with with Spulcher in terms of adjustments and game planning and stuff like that. So I think you guys are fine. And the heat have had a in non-Jimmy Butler years or non-peak Jimmy Butler years or non-peak Jimmy Butler. years have had a reputation of getting into these series and being the team

that nobody wants to face and then you just fall flat on your face and it's a five game series. So I'm going with Boston. Easy. Sounds pretty easy to me. Now here's done with the easy ones. Minnesota Timberwolds versus Denver Nuggets. Three six matchup. Aaron Gordon's back now. Let's assume he's

I mean he's not 100% yet. How could he be? The playoffs are starting today. Let's assume he's 75% Aaron Gordon. I don't know. Brings his defensive value but is 100%. How do we feel about that? I guess the Timberwolves team who have added Ayudusumu

and still do Timberwolf shit where there's still maddeningly inconsistent for how good we know they can be. But I do think Iyo has kind of answered a lot of the bench creation questions they have as long as well as Kyle Anderson coming back that I think it's gonna be if everything clicks the right time

like we've seen in the past in the playoffs just as high of the ceiling as you've ever seen with Timberwolves. Yeah. I like Ios like he adds a new different pace. of the game with this team. It was like a post-game interview

where it was like, yeah, man, like, I don't know if I like playing. Anything ever isn't necessarily say he didn't like play with. I assume what he was like, he'd be making me work because the pace of play that he played was just insane. He just loves to run up and goddamn down consistently, which is fun as hell to see.

Yeah, he said, I like to play slow. Exactly. Not him. But this is what this team needs. I think I'm still going, the Minnesota Tim rules. We just seen this team face off a couple, a couple nights ago.

And they just like, bro, it was the same game where I think Jamal Murray got hurt as well, but nothing has gone right for the Denver like this year. I hate to, like, it sucks to say that they're going to go out in the second round, but this is like, I'm not going to say. Oh. That's the first round. Sorry, man. That feels crazy to say because of what we knew they could be after making the offseason acquisitions they did make.

But yeah, everybody's hurt. Has Payton Watson come back? No. Payton Watson's still not there. Christian Brown still having a disappointing season. Dude. Cam Johnson just keeps having these games. where it's like, fuck, man.

Stop thinking so much. He does not look natural at all. Nothing feels good about his fit there. Obviously, Yokic has came back from injury and they've been bad. I think in large part because his defense has been pretty goddamn terrible since he's come back from injury. Offensively, he's had some good games, some bad games, but I haven't been impressed by his defense as a whole for Yokic standards. This does feel like a loss season for them unless they get it going over the next month. So if we're talking playoffs today, I don't think it's crazy to say they'd lose in the first round if the playoffs began today.

It's crazy how much they slipped. It just kind of like came out of nowhere. Yeah. So you took you to the injury log, then it's not nowhere. It's just been here. Yeah. They had a stretch like this last year and they fired the coach. Yeah.

So it's like this, this is also equally as bad. I'm glad you were, I think we should acknowledge the insane locking factor that was. Yeah. That wasn't normal. That was crazy to have a lock in and be able to make the run they made last year. We thought they were left for dead when they fired their coach. Yeah. And they also, again, they were in a game seven with OKC2.

if Aaron Gordon's hamstring wasn't literally as as off the bone as as could be that game could have been a little bit different. Yeah, it could have been different. It was ridiculous that he played in that game in the in the first place. But they have had back-to-back years where their defense has really, really suffered. And they have not been able to to fully get on on board and have a competent enough defense to where the offense makes up for everything. And so unless you are going to get Yokic at his. at his peak, which last year, Yokic was,

Yokic was having Yokic like numbers in terms of the box squad, but then also you look across at his efficiency from every single area. It was otherworldly. He's still Yokic, but it's not otherworldly, right? This is not one of the absolute best seasons that we've ever seen from him. And so if you had that

and the boost from Jamal Murray, then I think you might be able to get away with it in the first round. Yeah. I don't think that they, have that right now. So I think that they are another team out west. There's been like two or three teams that as we get from the new year on to right now have been quietly.

And now that we're getting closer to the playoffs, loudly going, going downwards. They're one of them. Yep. The Nuggets are 19 and 19 since mid-December. Numbers have enough to get yet. But this loss may have pushed Denver out of the top 10 in that rating. And it's Ramari's out for a bit. I don't think the playing tournament is out of the question from Andy Bailey, the biggest

Yokich fan, Glazer the world has ever known, Denver Duggets fan, I think. Even ride or dies are noticing, you know? Yeah, like, bro, you have to understand that this is like a storybook from hell. What do you mean that Aaron Gordon comes back for the first time in like 30, 40 games or whatever it is? The second that he comes back, we lose Jamal Marie because he goes ahead and has like some, he missteps and slips on a Nicole Yoko just flip, bro. Now, of course, it's not a serious injuries. He's like questionable to come back against, I think, their next game.

against okay so you whatever so big whip whatever but still just feels like overall like there's nothing about the season's going right and just one of those cursed things right right nothing yeah 23rd in defensive rating for this season two and a half games back of the playing right now 30th in turn over percentage forced they don't force turnovers they 23rd overall in defense 23rd that's not a winning formula and of course they could lock in and get better as time goes on and do their playoff rising thing 27th rim defense in the league this year 203rd In 2027th. In 2024, there was sixth

two years ago. It's not the same team. 27th. It's not the same team. It's not the same infrastructure. They have, they have much, much different problems.

And I think as you, I feel like you see, you see this a lot of times with teams that are either championship level or are of like the Pistons archetype where you start, you start ascending with a very like defense first. culture or your defense is very, very strong.

And then as people move in and move out, then your team defense has to start adjusting and you start to shift more towards this like offensive forward, an offensive-minded team. They just haven't been able to maintain that competency. Going from at the top of the league to the bottom of the league is insane. Wherein all you really want is like, okay, obviously we're not going to be the fifth best team, the sixth best team in this specific category. Can we beat 10?

can we be 12 and still be among the top of the playoff teams? No. Yeah. They have time to get out of this lump, but again, the point of this exercise, the playoffs started today. The playoffs start today, there'd be no reason to look good about them against a, I think, pretty much healthy Timberwolves team. Obviously, Julius Randall has been playing well.

I'll give him benefit of the doubt that come playoff time. We can rely on him to some extent until he proves it's not the case. Anthony Edwards is playing at the top of his game. Irook brings them a new bench depth of guard play that can give them multiple looks, give them playmaking looks without Anthony Edwards being the, only guard that I can dribble on the court. Overall, no reason not to pick him Bulls. Yeah.

Next three six matchup, we have New York Knicks. Where's there, Orlando Magic? Of Palo Pan Carroll. Two straight good scoring games. I feel like it's the first time I've said that in 18 months. Two straight good scoring games. Now one of them, he pieced up the Janusless Bucks. Epidemi in March basketball.

He shot like 80% in the first half. He didn't play the fourth quarter. Demolished them. So that's to be taking a grain of salt. But I do think in these two games, we've seen him come off the ball more and play more decisively dribbling the ball less being more of a slasher taking less bad jumpers and hopefully hopefully that is a I shouldn't even say change but like tweak to his game that we can see going forward especially when

Franz Wagner gets 100% hopefully for the playoff run hopefully it's a start of a good stretch of palo going into the playoffs we know what the nix are just got molly walk by the lakers with no lebron turning the other direction do we feel like the magic can upset them Okay, trend in the other direction is, is a little bit much. Okay. I think they had, they did lose to OKC last week. Good game. The game, the game was solid.

And then on Friday went into Denver and not only beat them, beat the breaks off of them. Yeah, that is a matter. No, no, no. Beating, beating the brakes off of somebody is, is still like pretty, it's still respectable. So I, I'm not going to say that they're training the other way. I was ready to be it is a it is a it is a bad loss though to to go to go into L.A. Mikhail Bridges has zero points. Josh Hart has zero points how many picks you don't give it for him again?

Don't worry about that. Damn. Don't don't worry about that. I still think though that they would beat the magic in in a series. I think that I think Brunson also if the series started today, Andy Black got hurt yesterday, which I do. I do feel then puts even more pressure on, on Palo to continue having multiple good games in a row, which is something that we haven't seen in a while.

And Desmond Bayne has been playing well. Like he's Desmond Bain. But I think that, I think that the New York with Brunson and with Kat, who also had a good game yesterday, I think they're in a solid position. I think OG also, OG on Palo is, that's good enough for me. That's fine. That's a very difficult match of form for sure. Yeah.

That, Apollo, your legacy's on the line, buddy. I know. If you do cook the Nix, we don't have to reverse. At least I'm going to reverse some of the things I've said about you. I ain't going to lie. That's just more Nix hate from you.

Correct. Then Palo. That's great. I will let Nix hate guide me to having a better opinion on Palo Van Carroll, and I won't feel bad about it. You think if Pallow averages exactly, like right around these numbers

and leads them past a Nix, that doesn't change some of the conversations we've had about it? No, it will. And because this is the playoff, Now, if he does this, if he does 27, 10, and 5 on 56% from the field, this is exactly what people have, A, wanted in the regular season and B have said that he does in the playoffs. And so if he does this and gets a playoff series win, then it not only though, it triples down on this idea of him as a playoff riser. And that's just who he's going to be to the masses.

And now he actually has a win to propel that forward. So it is, it is going to be massive. If he plays like this, just the best basketball that he's ever played in his life, yes. Yeah, it would change some things. It would change a lot of things. Change everything. That would be a crazy sat line against a good team. Yeah, but the Knicks over the last like, you know, 15, 20 games, the defense has been much, much improved.

Yeah. Top 10 overall for the season. Yeah, they've found. That's an insane turnaround. Third and offensive rating for the season. Which is wild. Good on the boards on both sides of the ball. Seventh in offense, a rebound percentage.

Third in opponent offensive rerunper percentage. So they're winning on. the margins there, which is very important against a team at the Magic who, when they've been at their best in recent years, often won the rebounding battle. You would think if they're going to win a playoff series, they kind of get some of that juice back. So that would be a specific matchup point. That would be very important for the Magic to win if they had any chance of being the Knicks. Do we trust Orlando's defense? Because the defense also hasn't been amazing this entire year. I don't just a damn thing when it comes around. I know. That's why I got you all in five games,

honestly. Yeah. this would be a fun series because either way whoever wins this series the other team is going to get slandered it would be hilarious either way because both would be like a loss that would not only just be a loss it would be a referendum on like everybody about the team. The Knicks lost in the

first round to the Orlando Magic a team we've only talked about being a disappointment. Oh my God that'd be so funny. All in Knicks by the way. All in Knicks by the way. Sometimes you go all in and you lose. It is what it is.

It's obviously disappointed that happens. Yeah, no, that's cool, but. Bad hands, the Orlando magic. When you take a hundred million dollars, when you take a hundred million dollar pay cut though, ooh, I'd be living. Yeah, I think the Knicks deserve the credit to move past in this series. But listen, man, again, we're talking about playing if they play today,

and Palo Bancaro is currently in a good week. So if they're playing today, you're getting super shot Paloan Carroll. You might be cooked. Super Palo. If you play next week, maybe it's not so super. But right now he's super. The series would go long enough into next week. Fair.

We'd be far. Fair. Plus, he lasts about two weeks. Yeah, fair. Never mind. We'd be okay. You'd be all right. Okay.

Four or five matchups. Houston Rockets. Playing their stretch as the most fraudulent basketball we've seen from a Kevin Duranty in the last five years. It's not even fraudulent. It's just bad. It's just bad. No Stephen Adams.

The House of Car just continuing to fall apart. They're still winning games. Still have a good record. They won a few games in a row last week. But we continue to see that without the off and three-brun super power and without the point guard to lead and limit the turnovers, shit's falling apart real fast for the offense. Rockets' Twitter is turning on Shangoon.

Kevin Ramp fans are at his head after beginning of the season saying, this is the best team I've ever had. We've never had a playmaker like Shangoon. Now they're calling him David Lee. David Lee is nasty. We've never had a playmaker like Sengun. It's played with Hardin, Russ and Curry, by the way. And Kyrie for that matter

For what's worth Versus the Lakers Who as of today Do not have LeBron James They win a lot of games In that scenario They win a lot of games In that scenario

Statistically They don't lose a lot of games In that scenario You know what I heard the record is 9 and 2 Correct This is

I mean I like the Fuck man So how do you How do you feel about this About the narrative Yeah What's true

Yeah They don't They win a lot And don't lose a lot When they don't have LeBron. Is it, are you looking at it and you're like, is Bronz's fault or is there something that... Okay, well...

Or is it more like coincidence in those games? It's not a question. Yeah, it's not nothing. I said this all year. That is... So, LeBron's fault is a weird way to frame it. It's not his fault, per se. Are you blaming the king?

Am I blaming the king? Yes, but no. Yes. The reality is, yes. The reason the team is disappointing relative to what we thought their ceiling could be is because LeBron's not good enough anymore. And it's not his fault. He's fucking 41.

the idea of starting LeBron, Reeves, and Luca together doesn't work as well as we'd want. You know, I don't think you have a high ceiling with LeBron at the current state he's playing at where you can't shoot three consistently, can't blow by people, isn't a factor on the boards to the degree you want and isn't a rent protector. But him being the power forward next to a defensively deficient backward like that, that's not good enough unless you have primary to go bare behind you and the Andre and and Jackson Hayes are not that. So those three can't coexist super well.

and the ceiling is higher on Reeves and Luca clearly than Luca and LeBron-led lineups. That too certainly doesn't work. So I think it's LeBron's fault in that the three of them can't coexist and he's currently the worst player because he can't shoot threes this year. So by removing him, you just have a better fit

and the team performs a little bit better. But I do think if they want to make any noise, they have to find a way to make it work with LeBron because they don't have... Like, they can go 9 and 2 in a playoff in a regular season stretch without LeBron. They're not winning multiple playoff series at LeBron. The only way they get to the point

where they can make a sneaky run and make conference finals, is that they somehow, some way, find a way to maximize what LeBron brings, his three-point shot comes around, J.J. Reck does a better job with the lineups somehow.

It's the most out of the Bronon is a screener or whatever it would take. I don't know. So, yes, LeBron's presence does make them worse in some ways because of the fit, but also, yes, they need the fuck out of LeBron. Forget multiple playoff rounds.

Okay. Can they, they can, but will they beat the Rockets if LeBron? Obviously, LeBron, he'll be back, but like would you feel more comfortable going into a playoff series against the Rockets if it was just Luca and Reeves with instead of instead of the I hesitate to say more comfortable because again I think when the I think it's easy to say all this when you're playing a regular season schedule

and you have these stretches where like for one or two games it can get good I do think you need LeBron to win a playoff series just because I just think they're not good enough that talent wise juice wise I think it would be pretty easy to counteract what they do in this nine and two stretch if you have a off series against a good team with a lot of athleticism. So I would still say I'd rather have LeBron, I think. Yeah. Like, I think if you have LeBron, at the end of the day, like, that just gives you a little bit more insurance, because we literally seen just last year a guy like Austin Reeves had a terrible first round series against the, what, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It just completely, like, disappeared. You can't, you can't have, you can't afford that at all. And having LeBron back there just to at least give you some level of time that, you know, won't necessarily waver and completely take your team. We'll lend to self to, like, again, you furthering in the playoffs. Yeah, and well, here's the thing. Obviously, that's true. Reeves didn't play well in last playoff series,

and people hold that against him that, like, he's got to prove to me. He can play good against good defenses. And sure, I suppose he's got to prove it. Reeves, I think the biggest deal with the LeBron thing, Rees has been a lot better with El LeBron. And I think it's just a... And no, who else has been better with Elbron?

DeAndreighton. I think with LeBron, it's just, like, one more person that there's too many people to feed, too people that need the ball. And that's an issue that is probably a JJ Redick issue to figure out. But I say that it's an incredibly difficult issue to figure out because, one, he's LeBron James. You're going to want to put the ball in his hands. Good things tend to happen.

He's a smart guy, good playmaker. Even if he's not scoring well, he's a good driver of offense at times. At times. And Luca is Luca who's going to play Luca basketball. That doesn't leave a lot for Reeves. He's prone to cold stretches when he's playing this third option rule and he's like an easy guy to get squeezed between those two big personalities. it's easy to go through stretches

where Reeds doesn't get enough touches and falls out of rhythm like we saw in previous games before these last two. So you might get a better Rees without LeBron. That might be the harsh reality. Yeah.

That, I think this whole conundrum is very interesting in the second round series. The Rockets suck. Yeah. In the first round, they could be that a lot of them.

I hate Houston so much right now. they like you look up and they're down by 10 and they they like look and reams are going to abuse shengun as he's playing today they have they have to work so this picture is frying they they have to work so hard for every bit of offense and yeah and like they it's like it feels very reductive whenever I say it, but then I go and I watch a Rockets game. I'm like, well, this is what's happening. They only, they only lean on, on Shangoon and Katie for Isos. Like, like, their, their best offense is just like, here, go do something. Yeah. And if either of them

are not playing at their absolute best, then it's a man, can you really create 25 points off of, off of your driving and you're slashing and transition? And can you really make up for it there. Reach effort. Can you come in and take not only three pointers, can you take 30 foot three pointers to then stretch the defense out and show that you're super confident

and show that you deserve to be on the floor? It's super, super, super hard. Beesles, read this tweet to me. This tweet is killing me. The Rockets just lost to Ponds and Friends. 26 and 9 from PODs. Damn. Yeah, so to the two your points,

everything is true. You just said about the Rockets and why nobody should feel good about them if the playoffs began today. There again, they're a team that has time to get out of this lump, has time to get Shinggoon back to the confidence you play with at the beginning of the year. But as of today, are not in position to win the playoff series at all. The thing, let's say the Lakers don't have LeBron just for fun scenarios,

even though they would have LeBron. We know that J.J. Reddick, when he has the stretch as a really good defense, it's because they're really good at leaving bad shooters open and rotating off of that. They got 10 of them for you right there in Houston. There you go. We're leaving Shangoonoan open every fucking play. We're leaving Tari Easton open every fucking play. a man, every fucking play, we're going to get some cold stretches and that's going to win

in some games as the Lakers fan. But we also know that athletic teams can give them fits running in transition. The Lakers transition defense is terrible because they don't have athletes watching your guards that they be good and athletic to have a good transition defense because when they shoot a three top of the key, they're nationally going to be the ones backpedaling against a full-headed team athletes. Luke is the worst transition defender I've ever seen. He offers zero resistance in transition and reaches just small.

So that's going to be a flaw that amend Thompson, Tari, and all them will go out there and show is the strength of ours. So that goes the other way. I guess ultimately I would land I'm going to pick Luca and Reeves to feast defensively as like the deciding factor there. But that would be a close series

because they're both flawed fraudulent teams. Yeah, I think I eventually would probably lean towards the Lakers slightly and I might say the Lakers in seven. You're right. This is going to be an absurdly close series, bro. Tari isn't been shooting like 20% from three these last four years.

And you know what? I'm happy to see it. Continue to shit your pants, Tari. Because I want you to play yourself out of value to the Rockets So the Lakers can pay you this summer on a restrictive free agent offer sheet and the Rockets just don't match. I wanted them to know. Lakers can offer him $25 million. Make it so the Rockets have no interest in paying you so we can get you without a sign and trade.

Because he would change the Lakers life. It would be disgusting. But he's not playing well. They keep asking DFS to like, hey, can you give us something? And he's like, no. He can't give you a damn thing. No, I can't. Absolutely not.

He can't free bounce. You thought I gave to Houston to play basketball. Basketball? Bro, the restaurants are fire. The clubs are cool. Like, he's like, bro, I'm 37. Like, I'm just heated vibe. How does he really?

I don't know. He's probably like 33. He's 33 or now. Yeah, I don't know. He feels. Yeah, he's around like mid 30s. He's like, I'm, I'm not here to, for your basketball games. That's not what I'm here for.

So let's let's go and deviate a little bit. That's actually been very, very disappointed that like, that he hasn't been able to give them any. His body is just cooked. Is what it is. So shout out. Polinka for picking Jake La Ravia and Dianreighton over him. Yeah, you know what you want. You got that.

You got that Rob. Somehow you are. He's averaging three points shooting 32% from the field. Oh, yeah, man. He got out quick. From the field? What's the 34%? You know what's funny, too?

27. No, it's funny. I feel like Yonreve might be a decent Shangoon defender, which has got a funny for this playoff series. The best thing DeAndrean does is be big and be a good post defender. Again, if Shangoon is locked up by Aiden, his PR would never recover. Wait, wait. Wait, Bisol, can you click on this tweet with the highlights?

What the hell? Pause it. It's a highlight tape of E.M.A. Ducca playing for the Nigerian national team. And they said he better than DFS. Oh, man. LeBron kind of has to sign a minimum with Cleveland next year, doesn't he? Oh, yeah. I think he's out of there, yeah.

I think that's the one thing, is that, like, everything I'm saying for Cope that, like, need him for the playoff run, I'm also certain LeBron can't be in the Lakers next year if they want to have the best version of the team. Yeah, yeah, it's over. That dream to me has been cemented. Unless it's the minimum. Did I get anything's possible? But even then, like, I don't think you can start LeBron next to, unless you get a bona fidepressor

that changes things. And LeBron comes back from Syedica next year and shoots better and, like, he's in a better state, which honestly probably is likely. It's probably likely that he shoots better next year. He was really out for like 20 games for Syedica. Yeah, he missed like seven months. So it probably is likely for tomorrow. He's better for three.

next year because I have a full summer and I bet your summer's fucking matter when you're 41. What if he gets out of good. Snuck up on him. He can't do nothing for him. That would be unfortunate. That would mean he's cooked for good. Oh, man. But I bet when you're that old, your summers matter tremendously.

Yeah. So I'm sure he'd look better somewhat next year. But unless you get him looking better, which is a big fucking ask at 42 and you get a great rim protector. Somehow you pulled it off. It's hard to imagine you can start him. I think we learn you need two to, two different. defenders there. We need Tar Easton and Payton Watson types.

Yeah. I don't know how the, I understand. Six man of the year, LeBron? If you said what? Six man of the year, LeBron? No. Get the last only trophy that he doesn't get? He doesn't have a DPRY. Fuck, I forgot Marcusol.

Yeah, the Cleveland stuff is interesting, obviously, and we'll see how they, how they, because I mean, they're not winning a title, so we'll see how they lose this year. And if it's like in a sad fashion, I feel like he's always teased it for a long time. He's taking a minimum.

And it's like, all right, I'm not going to be in L.A. Do I want to go back home? I do feel like on the third option, the next thing is kind of there as like would I want to just play like one year here? I don't know. I would hate that. I don't know. I feel like it's just like in the in the background. I don't know if it's like a serious start right now because there might be some other things on the on the table.

but that does feel like something to me that it probably can materialize a little bit more as the season goes on but I would like to see him retire yeah I agree I don't at that point actually no I don't want that though because I don't want him to go outside and I think he'll retire as a summer

he'll go outside relatively relatively I want to see him go out with like a good ending and I suppose a farewell tour is necessary to be part of that let's like yeah there's no there's no good and yeah we're in an NBA ecosystem that needs moments, I think. And I think robbing us of the LeBron farewell tour wouldn't be good.

So I do think we'd be able to LeBron farewell tour in some regard. And I'd like to see him have a good year and have a chance to compete in that last year. So, never mind, I don't want to retire this summer. But if that wasn't a factor for just LeBron, then I would want him to retire this summer. Yeah. I think we need that farewell tour so bad. I'd hit up aspiration to say LeBron James. There you go.

To go for one more year. And make up for the salary difference. Hey, man, there was new poplatory evidence. What did they void Kevin Kowai's contract? and Kuwait becomes a Laker. Then do we want LeBron back in a minimum? Oh, 100%. Kauai and LeBron.

The wings. LeBron off the best. Austin Rees and Luca? That's fucking do it. Can you imagine that team? Would that even be good? That's so much ball-handle. That's way too much ball-hander.

Probably not. Fuck, that's right. You got nothing to lose. Would you actually want to see Kauai with Luca and Reeves? No. Because, like, they'd have the 50 million in cast space. Kauai at this point, nah.

I don't think I don't think I would want to feed. Well, what it would be next year? I don't think I necessarily want to see. I think it'll be amazing next year too. It's just like, well, it'll be healthy, who knows? Lokey, I really don't want to see Luca with another star. Like,

you want to see him finally get role players as you normal? Of that sense. Yeah, like I feel like Austin Reeves is kind of the top of the line of the types of players that I want to see him around because I just want to see if Luca and his teams are just able to do it rather than we'll, rather than trying to figure out can they fit together for a year. I feel like that specific storyline is super annoying.

And seen, we've seen it three times now. You get another scoring guard next to him and then fill the rest of the team out with some shooters, with some defending bigs. You can, you can see that. We've seen it with Brenton, with Kyrie with Reeves. They have, they have chemistry together. I don't want to see him together with another, like, ball dominant wing. All right. Last playoff series.

Cleveland Cavaliers, four or five matchup versus the Toronto Raptors, the Battle of the Mobbly versus. Barnes War continues Where do we go with this? This is a disgusting ass series, man That's the NBA TV series And it's okay You're right Because Celtics and Spurs

Are going to be not NBA TV So it would actually Pistons and Resortons might be NBA TV But yeah This one definitely would be They both have double headers Yeah yeah Look at the time of shine

To be man To be series I mean the cab should win If they're healthy with Harding out, the Cap should win. I'll say that first. I'm not going to say they're going to sweep them. No, they should. They should not.

They should win. But I will say anything to disrespect the Raptors in this moment because I just don't, I just don't think that they're going to win a series. Oh, no, hell no. It's really, it. Like, yeah, I did. I think that I, I, they could beat the Cavaliers. Cavaliers aren't that.

I don't. Hell no. They can't beat the Cavs. They're, their off, their offense is not, is not. not good enough to beat the cabs. If all of the cabs are there, I don't think that Toronto's offense is good enough to hang out.

I need to see BIA average like 35 in order for this to happen, bro. This is not a sweep with the way y'all are talking? You hear the rapists? It's not. It's not. Their defense is, this is once again a Raptors hate podcast.

Dude, let them hear, listen, their defense is good and there will be moments like, like yesterday. Again, it's going to be an NBA TV special. They're going to have weekend slots where they're the one, PM game. The cabs are going to come out. They're going to be flat. They're not going to be able to

make threes. The Raptors can get two games just off of like just off of defense and weirdness. But I don't think that they can beat the calves four times because that's going to that's asking a lot of R.J. Barrett and Scotty Barnes in late game situations. And I don't believe in that. I don't think that's going to happen. So what would you call the series like cabs in five? Probably, probably, but it can get to six. Yeah, yeah. I agree. I think it'll only get to six if you see like if bi has a series of his life and also scotty barns instead of like averaging the what 15 points per game since the all-star break happened scales up to like normal 20 as he should be doing that okay you can convince me you convince that eva mowby has some secret stinkers you can

convince me that james hardin does a james hardin thing in the playoffs and this like lends us off to six games worst case scenario if it's seven god damn that's a dash but i got i got the cast it's easy well there you go that's a quick series that's every single first round series. Let's fly through the rest of them just a quick thought exercise. So if we're going to the Western Conference, second round would then be... Did we go pure chalk in the east? We went pure chalk and everything. Actually, no, we didn't. So it would be Thunder versus Lakers? Dunders versus Lakers in the second round.

Again, easy conversation. Thunder whack the shit of them. OK season like three again. And we have Timberwolves versus Spurs in the second round. That would be awesome. The French battle download the big men. We might have to talk about this, man. It's tough. Can't talk about too much there. I keep moving, but Spurs. I'm going to go Spurs.

Gutt says Spurs, but I could easily see the Timberlows back in the conference finals. I don't know, man. It is the legend killer on the other side. Gutt says this is the Wembe superstar making moment and he shuts down the rim and has a stinker because he can only shoot jumpers. You can't get to the rim.

And Julius Trano gets absolutely locked down and they win with defense. I understand that. But I also, I see the vision of Ant dropping like 35 and just pointing and laughing at Stefan Castle. So I'm I think we'll go T-Wool's.

I think I might go to weeks. Yeah, the teams are complete. But I don't feel good about it. I swear a week ago, y'all were saying the Spurs will be in the conference finals. Probably. Things changed. Things changed. What changed here? Nothing changed. The day changed.

And then that would mean Thunder versus Timberwolves in the conference finals again. Thunder back to the finals, I'm sure. Oh, yeah. They own them. Yeah, this month. Eastern Conference, man. Strikes again. Eastern Conference.

We did get Pistons versus Cavaliers Oh my God, that'd be a hilarious series Pistons versus Cavs Ew I would I would root for the Pistons insanely hard in this series I think that they would win

Because obviously now we get into Playoff games with stakes And we know how James Hardin is So I think I would go with the Pistons here Also there's been a lot of talk From the Cavs are like We're not scared of anybody in the East We don't fear the Pistons

And then you go out and you get embarrassed On the national TV yesterday It's like, all right bro Yeah. Pistons it is. Let's be real for like two days. And the Knicks versus Celtics. Celtics.

Spank them. Easy. Easy. Easy. We all agree. And like we said, McGillick spank the shit out of them. And then Celtics spanked the shit out of the pistons.

Yes. So now we have a Thunder, Thunder Celtics, which we should have got... Two years ago? No. Last year. Last year.

Yeah. We should have last year. The Celtics held up their end of the bargain. We should have got two years ago as well whenever the Thunder with the one seed. The Thunder didn't hold the bargain two years ago. And the Celtics didn't hold the bargain last year. this should be a three-peat of Thunder versus Celtics Wow

I'm doing for this That could have been like exactly what the NBA needed Honestly if that would have happened Yeah And we would have had Celtics, Thunder Then Thunder again presumably winning That would have been the rivalry The NBA needs

Thanks God Adam, you suck Chad Holmgren and Jalen Williams You suck 24 Losing to the goddamn average At that point I was a tough series That's one of the biggest

Butterfly effect Of Turters a reputation for everybody Yeah They should have won that series A mini OKC, obviously. I think we shall be doing that. Yeah, yeah. And are we going to be OKC in six games?

We'll say OKC and seven. Just to say we're going to get some classic on our hands. Yeah. That one's surprising. And then OKC in seven, the next year Jason Ten comes back, 100% healthy. Maybe they get their get back. Nah. Boston and Seven, three one comeback on the 10 year anniversary of the three one comeback.

I'm for dating. That would be insane. That would be so amazing, man. That'd be sick. Yeah. Yeah. We need some new heavy slander, man. With that being said, no more Celtics talk.

It is time to transition to the last segment we have today. Last thing we're going to do today. As you guys see, we have balloons. We are going to play NBA pop the balloon. Beasles has put together a list of characteristics about certain players. We have to pick if we want those players in our lives. And if you guys have seen, brain rot popped a balloon on YouTube before. How this works is.

Beesles will name a characteristic of a player. He might say player has won rookie of the year. But okay, that's a green flag. We don't pop our balloon. As soon as you hear something you don't like, like about the player that will lead you to think that player might be trash, you pop your balloon. That means you're out of the running. That player will not be in your life. We are going to build teams. We're basically going to draft teams of five via this. And if you basically,

players, you don't pop your balloon on, you'll get them on your team. And we got to see who can draft the best players. Hell you. Okay. All right. Y'all ready? Yep. Yep. Let do it. All right. Here we go. First round. Mystery player. Number one overall pick. Okay. Okay. Okay. Not a bad. No red flags, no red flags. No, no, no. No, you think that this player's talented. They've been elite when you're younger.

Maybe able to lead your franchise. You would hope so. Next up, was drafted by a small market team. Okay. Okay. That happens a lot, you know, small market teams. Typically, they suck. You get a lot of high picks.

Okay. No pops yet. Okay. That's normal. Career average of 22 points per game. What? So loud. 22?

You don't like that? Wow. You don't like that? You don't like 22? I think I know who this is. I'm smelling a little Canadian in the air. Canadian. Smells like Canada in this bitch.

Smells real maple. Okay, okay, okay. I like it. Even if it is Canada, I follow with Canada. 22 is good. 22 is good. I'm keeping this. Yeah.

Yeah, I think at 22 points per game, you can still be on the team. Right. I think I can name higher. Okay. I don't think I can build my team around you necessarily. Maybe you're like a reclamation project, but we can work with it for now.

Yeah. Okay. Last characteristic. Career average of 28 points per game in the playoffs. Ooh. Oh. Never mind. Doesn't smoke Canadian, but it still stinks.

You're a riser. I ain't going to lie. I have a very fine place for you on my team. I'm not going to lie. You'll have fun with it. I will prioritize you to a certain degree, and I'll put you in the best positions. Smells like Disney World don't want it.

Maybe you won't have to rise up to this degree after the 20th of playoffs. You'll have a place for my team. You have a place on my team. I like you. That's my case. I actually don't know who this is right now. However, I like the playoff rising.

Yeah, I like the playoff rising. I will stick with this play. You will? I won't. He will stick. He's gone on one on my team. Okay, here we go. Smells like Disney World.

First reveal. Donovan, you get Big Palo, Super Paolo. You have fun with that being your first player on your team. I thought it smelled like Wiggins. Once I saw that playoff rising, immediately knew it was Palo Van Carole. You enjoy that. What do you want to put him? Small forward, power forward.

It's your guy now. We have no six men. Nope, no, just starting five. Put Palo at the power forward position. He said no six men. Put Palo at the power forward position, please. Okay. There you go.

First name on the board. Okay. Palo. Nice. Never the little one. All right. Next player. Here we go.

Never the little one, y'all. Mystery player number two. Okay. Six eight. Tight, tight, tight. I like that size. Okay. Played slash plays for the Lakers.

Okay. Played slash play. Okay. Okay. No red flags. Vando. They're you? small forward slash point guard oh a six eight small oh okay no very a very versatile player six eight

got you okay one more hint it's gonna be two players he's black oh everybody wants everybody wants him i have a feeling we have to go into a tiebreaker for this All right. I'll take myself out of it. What? Okay, hold on. Now, this could be Isaac Bonga again.

That's what I think. Which I'm scared the fuck out of me. I think he wants us to think it's LeBron, but it's Isaac Bongo. What kind of mind games am I playing? Come on. I think he wants us to believe as LeBron James, but it's fucking Bongo again. I think Bongo haunts us. I'm going to stay patient.

Will you? When are you guys to pop? I'm not going to lie. this he could have like an insane bounce back he might get lebron james or bonka yeah but honestly if he gets 2026 lebron james apollo let him have him six eight oh wait are we getting the current version of the player yes okay mo gets him welcome to my team here we go welcome to mo's team i'm gonna yeah yeah i knew it's i saw my point guards and hell yeah this is mr bonka get these six eight Blacks away from me, man.

Fuck. God damn. That was crazy. That was insane. He just wanted to pop. All right. What position do you want, Isaac Bongat? Small Florida point guards.

I'm like a lie. Banga and Palo would have destroyed my entire team. You were so close. So close. Go ahead and put him on my three men, I guess. Big Bang. Leasing point for this right now. Never the little one.

Never the little one. All right. Player three. Here we go. Player two. Damn. Plays for the Warriors. Okay.

Currently? Currently. Currently. Damn. What if it's Curry? Holy shit. You off? I'm off.

I'm off. What if it's Curry? I'm off that. I don't know. I'm about to mess with you all. Oh my God. Okay. Two guard.

Ooh. Two guard for the Warriors. Ooh. Amen. There's only one person who plays for the Warriors right now that I would want my team. He is not a two guard. Oh, man. Send this guy to pop the balloon in UK.

Y'all pop the balloon. Go ahead. Oh, man. All right. Six four and under. Plays the two guard. He's all yours. Six four and under.

You could still pop a balloon, but no one gets his player. No, it's his. He's the last one. Man, last, last hint, it was a first round draft fit. Uh, yeah, telling. Welcome Brandon Pajamsky to Mo's team. He's sticking with him? He has to.

He's got to the last one. Yeah. Okay. Mo, you get the one and only. Steph Curry. Are you a two guard? I'm kind of as a two guard. Why?

He's just not a two guard. He's just not a two guard. Yes, sir. He plays the one on the two. No, he did. He's not a two guard. You just, you can't just count as a two guard. Yes, sir.

Welcome to St. You all you haven't heard those. Is Curry a shooting guard? We've heard it. We've heard it. We've heard it. He's never been a, he's not a two guard.

I got Curry and Baga on my team, man. Lethal duo. Who the fuck stopping me? He's not a two guard? Curry and Baga, man. One of the highest scoring goals in league. Since he was a two guard. Yeah.

The machine guard, I guess. Apparently two guards. Yeah, it doesn't matter. You didn't put one or two. You just put two guard. Let's do it. We'll put a metric two then. I'm going to put a metric two.

All right. It don't matter, man. He's on the core goddess. That saved me. All right, man. So, what are you for my first player? All right. He's white.

Need that. Franchise Cornerstone. Okay. So need a couple. So he'll be Josh Giddy. Shooting 36% from three. Are you white shooting 36? Nope.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope. So you're a bad white? Yeah. To the audio listeners, we are very sorry. We understand this is a tough listen. Last one. Also, first-on-draft pick.

He's mine. Okay. Donovan? You got it. You got it. Give me Luca Donchitch. Or is it Josh Giddy? You get the one and only.

Is it Koot? B-Paz. He is the Warriors franchise chorus, Tony. See, currently. Shoot 36%. The only way who's shooting bad right now with the league is Cooper Flag. It needs a rookie, man. Lucas, she's 36.

Austin Reeves, she's 36 or so. Come on, man. Fuck. Where do you want? Your guy, your man, B-Pod's. A POD's a shooting guard. Okay, okay. Honestly, over-hated.

It can be a fine fifth option on my team. What a cornerstone. We can survive this. Building your team off a PUD. We can survive this. We can keep it going. All right. Next.

Or a man. Oh, okay. Okay. All locked in. You know, I'm not popping. Face of the league conversations I need him I need it

I need it I need it two way star I need it bad I can feel it it on my body I knew who this is I need him

There's some tingling going on People call him by his jersey number I'm not popping I'm not popping I'm not popping I'm not popping We all want him All right

I'll fight y'all Make y'all pitches If they For those who don't know At the end of each round if there's multiple people who have a balloons, they have to pitch to me why they should have. I have pods.

Okay. That's your pitch, nice. Good pitch. I think I need to help. Listen, I got... Can you give me a solid? I got Steph Curry and Isaac Vanga. Who won't want to play with Steph and Isaac Banga?

You have the ball in your hands. You have so much space. You can slip into the... You can have the ball in your hands at the one, apparently. You can slip into the three. Or the four, listen, man, we play any style basketball you're gonna out here with Curry. Come to my team.

Listen, I have Palo on my team. Also in a very similar situation as this guy, because he's playing with another big wing, another forward who everyone's asking him, can they play together? Can you change your game to play together? He needs the guidance of this player to be on his team. That's why Palo needs this guy as a teammate.

My guy needs you, so please come here. Hale da. I'm gonna go with the guy who, truly does need help. The guy with V-pods. Isaac gets Jason Tatum. Let's go.

Give him zero. People call him by zero. You're forcing. You're literally single-y. People are more than one. More than one person calls it now. You and Kevin Durant. You get Jason Tame with three.

You want to Tatum at the three or four? Three. Okay. There we go. All right. So this is what the teams are looking like so far, y'all. Palo Bencaro alone. Yes.

Gary Bonga. Palo. Pretty even. Okay. Yeah. All right. Let's go back. All right.

Let's see who's next. Next up. Great passing big. Need that. Okay. Need that. Okay. Champion.

Need that. Okay. I was thinking with Shangu. I was going to pop my balloon fast as hell. He's only a few. He's won awards before. He's won awards before. Great.

Passing big. Okay. I think I need it on my team. I think I need this player on my team badly. No one's going to pop. Not yet. Not yet. Listen, great passing big is, it's rare to find.

Yeah. Okay. Last hint. Don't want to anger him. Need this player on my team. Don't want to anger him. Yes. Y'all pop.

I need this guy. Take him. I'm going to go ahead and make a pitch. He's leading us. I believe this Nicole. It's cap. Listen. I don't know where the,

I don't know who the cap is going to result in him, but it's cap. Nicole Eokch or not, you can play for my team. I have Curry, unlimited space and you, you can be angry all you want.

I got Seth Curry. He deals, he knows how to deal with anger all the fucking time. I need a high character team. Don't get me any hot heads. Is this you, is you pitching mo?

Yes, absolutely. That's my pitch. Oh, this is Dremont Green, isn't it? Yes. It is Dremont Green.

Okay. Yes. Okay. There we go. He got him. But he's getting this version of Dremont. Yeah. He gets Korean and Dremont.

He can't let this happen. Listen, if Drey is there. He's getting the warriors. No, but listen. If Curry's there. He has the 2026 warriors and then instead of Kaminga, it's Bonga. Like, we're good. We're okay.

Hey, listen, man. If Bong is a body out west. We'll be straight. We're definitely good. This is nasty construction. We're straight. We're safe out west. Oh, we're chilling.

Paulo and Dremon. That's been funny. Followed, Dreyvon, dynamic duo on the wings. Crazy. Unlimited buckets. Is that why you passed here? Like, ah, yeah, nasty. I see it, I see it.

All right, next player. 6-8, I have to double check. All right, 6-8. Type, type, tight. Dating a celebrity. Need them. Has multiple 20-point-per-game seasons. Okay.

I feel like I'm going to be a letter straight here. Was in Tatum Conversations. What? was I'm cool I'm cool you get up Kyle Kuzma Yeah you got to Tatum it's cool

You got him Not Tatum What's his name BI BI Pallow Okay I'm the last person So I guess

You're keeping them Yeah I guess too If you're last you have to Yeah I have to You are Going to get

Kyle Cousman Kooz Koozman What does I off the end of conversations I knew it was Guzma You have Palo and Kuzma You stick

like shit. Your team is disgusting. Ew, bro. Cooze and Powell. What do you want Cooze, man? Sput 3. Keep moving. Yeah.

He doesn't even if we care. Now, I wouldn't have had to do this. If you had just gave me Tatum when I asked. But no, you gave it to the guy who has B-Pocle. So the next star that comes up, he better be on my team.

Listen, man. I'm going to know. Just for consistency's sake. Better be on my team. Fair, fair, fair. All right, let's move on to the next player. This is trash. This is not a fun game anymore.

I was excited for recording today. Not, not today. Plays for the next. Oh, wow. Okay. Point guard. Ooh. It's going to be Jose Alvarez.

Ooh. It's going to be Jose. It's not a bad addition, even if it is. Brother, I have Kuzen and Powell. You need so with an outstanding trait. Jose. Give me one more hint. Six through and under.

I got one more hint. Okay. A dog. They both dogs, though. It's Alvarado. They both dogs. No. I'm happy with it.

If it's Jose, I'm happy with it. Jose. Okay. Caitlin Brunson. You counted him out. Just like everyone in his life. Jalen, I got Curry. Ooh, and then Draymond's there too.

First of all, it's a terrible fit. Listen, listen, listen, listen. Jalen and Curry. There's no such thing is a terrible fit with Curry. Yes, there is. There's no. I've seen him and Dela. You're talking about terrible fit.

You have pods on your team. So you're talking about. You got pods leading the show. Don't talk to me. Leading the show. Yeah, Jason Taney with one Achilles currently, right? He's still figuring shit out. Come on now.

That's like, fuck. I got Curry. I got Brunson and Green. I got the best team so far. Because you have four players. I'm happy. I'm happy. He's the most of you.

I got two all stars in a DPO. Your front court can't hit two threes and 50 attempts. Brother, you have Paulo and Coos. Why are you talking me right now? They can't do anything. What are their outstanding qualities and traits? Free throws. Come on, man.

Freethos and light skin. That's it. All right. Next player. Emotional. Ooh. I already have too much going on on my team. Sorry.

This one only has three hints, three hints. Okay. Franchise Cornerstone. Okay, I need emotional star. I need that on my team, honestly. I'm keeping them. Okay. Last hint.

Over seven feet. I'm keeping them. I'm keeping them. I'm keeping this. Okay. I should have fought. I'm keeping this. I don't want to pick.

I ain't go lie. I do old Donovan. Hey, don't give him Victor Webanyama. I need this player. I made the pitch last time. For consistency sake, I deserve this player. For consistency sake, I, I, Hold on for consistency sake.

As a Celtics fan, what did you love nothing more than to see Jason Tatum and Victorim and Yama share a jersey wearing wearing jersey? We're wearing Celtic jerseys if you'll give you to me. You second. I will let you see a fantasy

of Tatum and Wemby your selfish thing. In what? The comment section? No. Exactly. I'm gonna give it to you, man. Don't worry.

Thank you. Loser. There you go. Oh, wait. Is it Wemby? It is Wembe. Just to confirm. Yeah.

We're back. We're back. We're back. Yo, I feel so sorry for Wemby, you made his life hell. He'll be crying even more. No, Palo and Coos can you play well next to him. Paulo and Coos, please. Lo-key.

Not really. Mind you, we're getting this version of the player, Palos, had back-to-back good scoring games. Great. Nice. Coos. In March, nice. We're trying to win games in March.

All right. Next player. International player. Hmm. Great in international. national play. Okay. Okay. Could be Dennis Schroeder. He's black.

Might be Dennis Schroeder. One more hints. Not liked by a certain podcaster. Not liked by a certain podcaster. Um. It can't be, as long as it's not shade this game. Not liked by a podcaster. It's not going to be by a certain podcast.

You know what? Wait. I think I'm a tap out for this. I think I'm a tap out. Yeah. I'm cool. I think I'm going to tap out. Cool. This is either Dennis Schroeder or Janice.

I'm going to assume in a certain podcast or is Donovan is Janice. I think it's Dylan Brooks. Yeah, I think it's Dylan Brooks. I think LeBron is the podcaster. I'll take Dylan Brooks. I think it's Janus though. He gets Dennis Trotter, buddy. Who's a podcaster?

Jeff T. He's like Dennis? Oh, he didn't know like Dennis? Yeah, I swear he has some stories where he like, especially like the first couple years of Dennis career where they were battling for minutes. Oh, yeah. Honestly, I'm kind of okay with that. Dennis.

Being the guard next to Tatum kind of makes sense to me. Dennis Ponds and Tatum. Ooh, you all bullshit. He's really trying to pitch his team right now. It's not that bad yet. Fuck, man. He's what the team's looking like so far. How do y'all feel about your team so far, man?

I mean, when he changes everything. So I'm fine now. I'm big man away. That'll decide everything. If I get the right center, my team can be decent. Yeah, I'm back to being somewhat respectable. Dennis is better than Banga and Coos. So my weakling is the best.

Shut the fuck up. Best weekling. You have Tatum and Pod. Why do you say Tatum is a superstar? Listen, man, he's working his way up right now. He shooting like 37%. Because we're getting this version of the player. He's coming off of an Achilles.

Come on. It'll be fine. All right. To lead a team. Next player. Two teams left. Two players left. Six six wing.

Okay. Known as a shooter. No shooter. First round draft pick. Okay. And average 17 points per game in college. I'm cool off you, buddy. I don't have no room for small players on my team anymore.

6-6? That's funny. I need size. Welcome Dalton Connect to Donovan's team. You can't. You have don't. You do have skips to use. No, we don't.

We're going to go. Okay. All right, Donovan. No skips. Okay. You now get Dalton Connect. I knew it. Oh, wow.

I knew it. Wow. It's over. It's over. It's over. I'm calling the shit at these players. Yo. I recognize these bums.

Connect, palo and coos. Let's go. You're cooking. Yo, Wembe's in hell, man. You're cooking. Wembe is in hell right now. Yo. He's just shaking.

Yep. feet. Next player. That's me. And I'm staying beside him. 6-8. Only three hints for this one.

6-8. Okay. Played slash plays for the Lakers. Okay. Rui Hachamora, welcome down. Small forward slash point guard as well. Okay.

Keeping them. Be. Whoa. Okay. That's all I said. All you need is a center. I know, but I dream I could play center sometimes. Go for it.

So let's see who is it. This is no more hints. Oh, no more hints? Yeah. Fuck, this is it. Yeah. Six, eight. Okay, this is too risky for me.

I can't do it. Give me LeBron James. Yo, stop, brad. It is Lebron. There you go. Needed that. He's sniping these. He's reading me like a fucking book.

Jesus, gross. Ah, man. He's sniping ease. He's cheating, man. I get it. I see the play. Oh, hell. Give me LeBron.

My bad, honestly. You got zero athleticism on your team. I have Jason Tatum. Stop back in like you. Did you see him jump the other day? He just got stuck by the room. Stop saying that. Like, it means something right now.

We're just talking about how encouraging it was. Yes, but now he's the focal point of the team. Listen, I need one star big and I'm in there. Tatum and LeBron. If I get Yokins, then what? Then it's good. Then I'm winning the championship. You got no shooting on your team right now.

What are you? No shooting. What are you talking about? You have B pods on your team We got to stop back on my B-Pods The worst playing in the world What did you would let B-Soles do to your brain Now all of a sudden he's a B-Pos

Defender We gotta stop this narrative Come on, Don't You're being unfair to B-Pod You've hated on it for a year and a half Not a bunch of B-pods That's a crazy part Hated on him for Madlo

And all of us a year I mean, listen to y'all bait And I laugh just funny He's a friend of the show V-Pots Now he's the number one activist for B-Pod rights, Martin in the streets,

hold it up, pick his eye. That's my guy, I'm standing with him. Oh, Greg. We can, we can be a dynasty with you. All right. Next player, next player. Dennis Shrewd, too. Top prospect from his class,

like top three, top five. I know exactly who this is. Damn, already. Okay. It can't be good if you're good. What does that mean? It's got to be facetious. Six-10 small four.

You got a daughter. You got the cheese You last You last You last You last Six 10 is a trait No, no, no

Monty Bates No It's a microphone No, it's MPJ It's MPJ On the end In the line Oh yeah

Yeah You got your men You got your men You've got Coos Powell And the PJ It's

You got your man is, buddy. No. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, man. I'm mad because I do it off the wrist. Because I have it my point card. Oh.

Facilitating. No, who am I in a point? Yeah, this is too. Palo. Pallow making decisions. F.J. Connect. Cool.

Tall ass line up for no reason. No defense. No offense. You're never going to catch a lob. Just women. Can I have one trade? Nope. No.

All right. So me and mo, need to center left. All right, here we go. Good Lord. Here we go. Donovan is out the game. We duke it out. That's your team.

Here we go. Has a Supermax. Don't mean nothing to me anybody else on these days. Cool. Okay. Multiple 30 point per game seasons. Mm. Known shooter.

Okay. Mm. drafted in the 2010s. No shooter drafted in the 2010s. I need a big man. I can't think of any Supermax shooting big man. You can have them. Okay.

This could be KD mate. Now, Katie's not on the Supermax. Nope. Drafton. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. That's the case.

Or it's probably somebody small. No, he never had a 30 point per game season. Oh, you're right. No, it's not here. Somebody small. This is a star. Welcome. Bradley Bealtyer team.

Wait, he only has one 30 point per game season. Does he? Yes, too. is too. Welcome Bradley Beal to your team. Yo, what does your team even? Did he actually have two? Yes.

Welcome Bradley Beal to the center position. No, no, no, no, yeah. Dremont's at my center. Come on. Dremontz of five. We can rearrange. Brunton, Courage, Beal, and Bunga. For now, he is your center.

Until we rearranged. My team might make the most sense if I play my cards, right? I'll live. All right. So one player left for me. One player left. Do I get to like just pop as much as I want

So I get a player like No Why don't I have a balloon I mean no He's the last guy Yeah, that's fair, okay I guess we'll say hell not We'll say I can't go forever

No, I got to go on the next day You get one pop Yeah, I want to get one pop Go ahead Where does that rule come from? We're ending this right now Exactly go ahead We're running long, let's go

Elam ending Exactly All right 611 big man I guess I'll take them Okay Top 10 pick Dames Weizman

Oh God. Top three pick. Who? James Wiseman. 80. One more hits. Average 2011 and 3 in college. Oh, James Wiseman didn't do that shit.

I think James did. He's getting 80s. He played three games. Actually, he might have. You're keeping him? So you're only doing good things. This probably is a bad player. 2011 and 3.

Do I think it's Anthony Davis? No, AD 6.10, I think. No, he didn't average 20 in college. This is probably a troll, but I need a big man. Are you going to... It's probably a troll. It is a troller. That's James Wiseman.

What the What? Wait. Is there another James Wise? What? Who is that guy? Who is that guy? I am referring to the worst James Wiseman.

I dodge a bullet. Who's next? All right. You got to take this one now, man. No, I don't. Yeah. You got to end this. You got to take him.

You got to end it. Bucket-Gather? I do you have an opportunity. I do need to send her. I'm not going to take a shooting guard. He's a bucket getter. Okay. Makes 50 million a year.

This might be a deal, breaker for you two guard yeah but i can't take a two guard like at least give me a center we're gonna be not potato method five because he's like that up there was a lesson you got tinkle hook over everything last hint dating a celebrity well i don't want two guards so keep moving give me to a center pop oh my god i come on man all right who was it who was it no this guy's no this is donovan mitchell okay so a great player buddy i did big all right let me let me just go to the last thing you get to a second i'll take where the last big is.

You should have took Wiley. Israel, yeah. Yeah, who's the next big? Not even the last one. Oh, Shane was next. We had to skip him. All right. All right.

Here we go. Slam cover. Oh, give me Jalen Duren. Give me him. I'm not popping. Average 12 points for game in the third. Give me Jalen Duren. Look smackser.

Give me Jail and Duren. I'm not going to like, this is not a good look. It is Jailen Dund. This is not ethical at all. Unethical draft. Yeah, unethical draft. How? I can just pop forever.

It's a rule that says I have to take a player. Why would I have to take a player? It should have been that last one. It should have been. It would have been way funny if you took Wison. Don't give a fuck. Come on. It's content, man.

All right, here we go. Here are the final teams. We can make adjustments now. Because these lines are kind of crazy. All right. Let's start with Isaac. Any adjustments you want to make to your lineup of sorts? You cool.

No, no, no adjustments to me. make. Obviously we know Dremont his center. Okay. Who on the draft? I think I did. Yeah, shut up. You have Dremont and Banga and two, three small guards. Your team is stupid as fuck. Yeah, I got Brunson Curry. It's easy 65, 70 points in my back court. And they got Jamon Green holding it down. Like, I'm cool. 65. Yeah. They're both averaging 30. 70 points. Who are they passing to? Banga, dick.

I think I think I did. What? Passing to the bonka? It's four or five. Cool. Cool. If you didn't get MPJ, you could have Demitre Shea.

y'all blearlow is too fast okay no my problem was that i wasn't you got had jalen brunston he just believed in your next player it was that i wasn't fast enough facts i knew mp.j off the first clue that's so funny well these are the teams i think isaac has the tea that makes the most sense

i clearly have the best team i have the only regular team between mo and donovan Loki like Donovan's team more for some time. The team is better. Most team is dog shit. Bringing that the five in Bongka at the four. Bills.

The three is really the icing on the cake. Biel is paying. Biel's pain. Most team is winning 12 games a year. Yeah. We're turning Palo into a point forward. And so we're going to put Palo at the one. We're going to keep connect at the two. Coos is playing three.

MPJ is at the four and Wembees five Listen, Wembe is a playmaking hub off of Palo? You could do a little bit worse And by a little bit worse, I mean, Bill's the three Yeah So the strat is to make sure you have your blue At the end so you can be choosy That's how you win the game

We didn't run this back She said so the strat Strat Strats Touch grass I'll cry So my stratt is so comfy Compi strats

It was a comfy strats not going to lie. It was very comfy. But it also depends on us being able to correct identify James Wiseman, which we all did. Oh, man. I didn't have the opportunity

because I was stuck. I was gone by then. That's what you got to do. We got to put what are you guys in a corner and two of us pop real fast to make you stuck with a shit. That's the real strat. It's leave the shit into one person.

You got to stop saying that. Strat. It's a real word. Strat. Just say static. You know the other old. It's fine. You know, Don was 27.

He's old. It's fine. That you make sweet. I'm crying. He can still get it off. He's pushing 30. He's never heard straddle. He's not to be pushing 30 saying comedy.

He's never heard anything. He got off the internet in 2015. You can still get it off of crying. So that's the end of this episode. If you're still here, goodbye. Thank you.