The Deep 3 Podcast - Power Ranking Every 2025 NBA Playoff Team | Ep. 136

Episode Date: April 12, 2025

Power ranking the NBA playoff teams before the playoffs start! #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 2:35- 20-16 10:52- 15-7 57:35- top 6 1:31:34- tiktok time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you guys ready? For what? The Lakers? Shut up, man. To win the NBA championship? Shut up. Luke is back. I don't know if you saw.

They just played the Mavericks. He was making layups again. He was getting to the rim again. That was a very... He wasn't looking too fat anymore. That was a very... Obviously, Lucas was going 45 isn't crazy. That was a special day.

This man had tears in his eyes before the game. You knew he was dropping... I call that motivation. I call that... You knew he would drop him 40. And that was crazy, though. Well, we're going to have plenty of time to talk about the Lakers today. playing time to talk about all the best teams in the NBA, because as you guys see by the title,

we're doing our third and final power rankings of this season. This is the last podcast of the regular season. By the time we get to next Friday, the next episode is out, the playing term is going to be done. We're going to be prepping for full-on NBA playoff coverage. So I think today is a good time to do our laid-in land, do our final rankings to really talk about who we think are the best teams in the NBA, how they stack up against each other. But today we can do it a little bit differently. For the first two, we all come with our top 30 list, our top 20 for the playoffs, counting, playing

teams today we're going to make a combined list and in fact we're going to do it with this graphic you'll see on screen right now we're going to make a combined top 20 with a kind of pseudo tier list element we're going to put them all in a pyramid so we really have to think about the order plus the groupings make a little more difficult a little more mental challenge going involved should be fun yes this is this is the this is the proper way because we especially when we talk about like the calves and the Celtics and all that we talked about all year like the inner circles and stuff like that this is a very good way to to visualize it yeah Yes. It's add a little spice to it. And at this point, we were all aware of how each individually feels. I think it's more fun to make a combined list to kind of have like the T3 consensus who were the best teams in the NBA. Yeah. We have a slight problem. As you guys saw him with the intro, you couldn't hear or see Mo. Good news is he is in this episode and you will hear him just fine as soon as I cue this music and we get back and jump into the episode. Bad news is we lost the first 30 minutes or so of his video file. So yeah, for the intro of the episode, the first 30 minutes of Yap.

you won't see him well i guess you'll see him but you won't see his video file you'll see a slightly different version of him and then about 30 minutes in we'll kick back into normal and it'll be like nothing ever happened it'll be a regular episode business as usual so sorry for the inconvenience bear with us for about 30 minutes of just looking at me and donovan and they'll get back into the show as normal know what to say. Pray on eaters, rejoice. All right, I think we should start at the bottom of this list, right?

Kind of get the teams that, you know, don't really have a chance. They're here because of the technicality. They're here because the playing term exists. We don't know who's coming out of yet, so we've got to include them. Let's talk about the weakest teams on this, and then we'll move our way up to the top. Who is the number 20 team on this list? Who's by far the worst team here? It doesn't even matter who the worst team is, because 16 through 20 all suck.

and all the Eastern Conference playing teams I'm talking to Orlando Atlanta it's not just the East it's not just the East in these four I'm putting the Eastern Conference in 16 through 20 it is five well you know what they take a four

of the five they can do that okay so here's the thing I'm not going to Bulls I'm not going Bulls at 20 I have I like what we've seen from the Bulls in terms of what it takes to win a playing tournament game this team has been running fast getting up threes Josh Giddies grabbing rebounds

running a transition flinging that bitch out Montez-Elis is playing well Kobe White is playing well I think they might get out of the playing tournament so they're not number 20 to me I don't know Is the Bulls game this in today's age

really playing tournament built I don't know What is playing tournament built Been said before But from what I've seen The playing tournament is different bro It's not playoff basketball But it's not regular season basketball

It's good in between It's not serious But also at the same time It's semi-serious She gets spooky into DeMarre Rose and Trey Young Invitational. Boys turn to men. Exactly.

And I understand that. But like, come on. It's whoever they are playing. No, but also, who are they playing? Right. Like, right now, right now they're in the nine. They're going to be playing the 10 seed. Who is the Miami Heat, who I think should be at 20.

I agree. I think the Heat are the worst team out of all 20 teams currently in playoff, play in position. I agree. We're going Bulls at 20. And you know what? I almost feel inclined to not go Bulls at 19. I'm with you.

I almost feel inclined to actually look out West. Do we think, so Dallas Mavericks, 38 and 42, they have Anthony Davis back, they have Derek Glythe back on a minst restriction.

They just played the Lakers and defensively played really well, gave them a hard-fought game to the second half. I struggle to imagine this team does anything without a point guard right now. They started Naji Harris

essentially as their point guard and had Dinwiddie as a backup because Kyrie's gone. Noggi-Hairs. Noggi-Hars. Noggi-Marsal. Oh, Noggi-Marshal.

They started Naji-Marshal as their point guard essentially in that game when full switchable defensively. It's a fucking stellar defense. It is such a non-starter to win a playoff series either to get out of the tournament.

Like, you're not winning with that approach to offense. Life is so hard for Anthony Davis, so hard for Derek Lively doing a two big lineup with nobody that can pass the ball at a lower average rate. The offense is,

a non-negotiable without kairi they're not they're not serious like it's not their fault they just can't be serious i understand that i'm i'm okay with them being at at 19 and honestly now that we're talking about it shout out to maybe two members of the eastern conference playing because you might not be in the bottom in the bottom road you might you might you might not be there 19 and 20 exactly but we can't put dallas at at 19 yeah and it's not their fault again last 15 games are 24th in defense and 23rd in offense and they haven't had what they have now for a lot of those games right but i almost feel like they'd be 20th just because there should be disqualified because they don't have a chance anybody get out of the playing tournament but they can get hot and win a game maybe too

you know you don't never know what it happens but they're like again not their fault they're kind of a guaranteed sweep in the first round if they get that eight seed and play okay z they're kind of a guaranteed sweep i think absolutely i agree i agree now do we go bulls next we got bulls next we got We have Hawks, we have Kings, and we have Magic as three of the candidates for this final three slots at the bottom tier. Currently, the Kings are the 9th seed out west.

They are up and down, four and six in the last 10 games. Mostly down, but there's been some ups. They are obviously very talented. They added Zach Levine, lost to Aaron Fox, and they still have a good group of talent. The fit has been nightmarish. It's been kind of what the people with the Bulls fans

who looked around and said, wait a minute, they want to do Levina de Mard Rosen again? They didn't they us for real life? They like that? They want to try that again? It's kind of been what they expected. I've done this.

But they do have some bonus. They do have good ball handlers that can get hot in a play in setting. I don't feel inclined to go to them next. Do you? No, they're not next. I don't think they can be next. I think they're in the top end of this year. So Bulls are Hawks.

Who's next? Who's the next? I'm thinking right now, me personally, I'm thinking kings are Hawks at 18. So you're not one, okay, I like, I don't, I appreciate the Bulls have been doing. I don't appreciate them that much. I don't like, I don't like the, like the Kings. I don't like what they put on paper. But can they want to play a playing game, though?

I truly think that they have just as much chance to win a playing game as a singular playing game as the, as the Chicago Bulls. And now, whether you want to say that that happens because of just matchups, then like that's fair but also if we're talking about matchups the kings whether they're playing like Minnesota or or I don't know who's in the who's in the eight spot at this moment it always changes but the seven and eight seed out west are much harder competition than seven and eight out east so I actually think that it's harder for Sacramento to be a viable playoff team and get to the seven or eight and actually get there you're right but that's better know right now. Right now in this moment, I think it's equal. And I kind of like

the Bulls a little bit more. Okay. In this in this situation. I, we're glossing past the Hawks who, Mo, do you tell us with the Hawks? How do you feel about the current state of the Hawks going to play in tournament? I feel good. Right now, they're the eighth seed as we speak. They could flip-flop any day from now, I think I flip-up any day from now between the Chicago Bulls. I do think they're better than the Bulls. I think we have more proven talent. We've been more of a complete product in terms of how we've been playing basketball

over the last, I don't know, like three, four months or so. I feel like we're better than the Bulls. I think generally the Bulls should be right up next after the Dallas Mavericks. It's been a lot of time for no reason. Come on now. Yeah, I'll go Bulls too.

Oh, shit. messed up. Yeah, I'll go Bulls. The Hawks have been clicking offensively really well. And I think in a play in tournament, if you enter a shootout, you know this is their stomping ground they have the most playing experience ever

this is the greatest playing to show him all time does this play in shit this is what he does this is his stomping grounds next few teams listen we got the hawks and we have the kings these are mr playing in between treyong and de marty rosen they've been there every single year of its exception of its since its inception i should say and yeah i think that's 16 and 17 i think these guys

just have a better chance of winning at least one game we like we like the kings more than the hawks I don't I think I like the hawks better than the kings I care we could go ahead and switch that thank you why not

with the bone is back healthy now I don't think I like the hawks I mean the hawks they have worse competition so I guess they have a better chance of getting out but I don't think it's a better team really they've been clicking as of late

offensively for sure but the key I don't know maybe I'm just enamored I think our defense makes us a better team yeah I think I think our defense makes us a better team now again neither is great maybe the king's defense actually might be better

permeter wise for some reason i'm saying what you talking about the hawks of defense is what inspires you what the fuck are you talking about listen this is the this is some of the best hawks defense that i've seen in the entire like tri-young area so of course it's inspiring to me bruh 19th means some to me yeah listen when jalen johnson was in those doors i was moved right now it's 22nd in the last 15 games sure we can go we if you guys really want to we can go hawks at 16 there we go I'll save my arguing energy for things I care about later

now there we go how do you feel about their line of magic right now Palo Ben Caro is playing like a god scoring wise for the last 20 games he is putting up he's been dominating March basketball

he's getting to the room we talked about a couple weeks ago he's doing what we saw him do in those first five games that got us so excited that made us rank him as a top 20 player he's looked like that again

still not the perfect player so those things to work on the team still doesn't put him in the best situation to succeed and drive offense but he is scoring extremely well right now. We know they're depleted.

We know they don't have Jalen Suggs. We know that the juice isn't there to make a real run like we thought they could do when we were talking about like, oh my God, can this be the four seed early in the year? So now we're kind of in between, right? Where we're getting a good version of their best player but the team as shown the formula isn't really ready for this year. What do we do with that?

I think that we still have to, I think we still have to put them probably around like 15 or 14. Like on the high end, if you really believe that power, can just go, go crazy and carry this team and do what he was doing in the first round of last year, but not only just put up those numbers and keep them in games, but win those games, that's fine. They're also set up to get dusted by either playing, like, if they win the playing tournament and they win their first game, they have to go to Boston.

Like, and they have to play the Celtics. they're getting swept if that's the if that's the case and then if they if they drop a game now you have to play the best team in the conference hall game you're getting swept like i don't see a situation where they can get a game in the playoffs at this moment but i do kind of like i want to highlight palo and everything that that he's doing but they're still not a viable playoff team yeah they just have so many holes right without jalen suggs their guard room has no no two-way players right Cole Anthony can do some driving things offensively

has a little bit of juice Anthony Black, good defender I'm going to say Jayland's talk again KCP great defender famously having a nightmare offensive season though he's bass back a little bit none of these guys have like offensive threats

I'm just naming guys that are good defenders you have no threat from the one you have no threat from the five really shout out Gogh Betazadee who I think is really good they play Willie Collie, not Willie Colley Stein why did I just say that? They play Willie Collie Stein

Willie Colley Stein. Why about blinking on his name? Wendell Carter Jr. I got the Akron is mixed up. They put Wendell Carter Jr. a lot who I am so disappointed in the last few years. I remember a couple years ago we did our center rankings? He was up there.

You put him at like 18 in the league for centers. And he just, I don't know what happened to him. I generally, maybe Magic's fans can tell us. I don't know what he's good at anymore. He just kind of is a guy. Seems like he leveled out, bro. Yeah, they just have too many players that are just guys, no threats that it's honestly, it's so impressive that Palo is

scoring the way he is right now with how just terrible their offense is. So I'm encouraged for them long term because Powell looks good. I don't really have a silver lining for why they can make a run this year. Exactly. And I think that's why they belong at 15. Their talent deficient is not necessarily their fault. But also at the same time, when I look at the front office, it's also your fault. And yeah, they're just like cooked by a whole bunch of things in the roster.

And there's no real pathway for them to be above another tier. at all. I hope Goku get traded one day and he gets to start for someone because I feel like he has some juice waiting to be unlocked with full starter minutes. Oh, yeah.

I mean, he was, even like in the off season, his name was being thrown around and go to some other teams and be their starter and stuff like that. He's solid. But I think if you look,

if you look at the numbers, last 15 games, even with Palo playing this wall offensively, they're still outside the top 20. That's not going to get you anywhere. And so I don't care how good the defense has been. It's been number one the last 15 games. They're locking up right now. And that's fine. You still, if at your best, right,

and obviously you have injuries, but if at your best, your number one score is scoring the ball and you are not in the top 20 in offense, that's very discourage. That's very discourage. But they are ath of net ratings. They are playing decent basketball right now. It's, I don't know, it's hard to balance this where we have in our mind, we know that they have to go against the top two teams in the east and we know we don't have a single no thoughts in our mind that they stand a chance there so they might be better than one of the two of the teams left actually don't know if that's true because most of them are west teams left but they are like pretty respectable as of late like being top 10 and net rating for 15 games double size isn't nothing it is

a former that can do something to have the best defense in the league right now plus a 30 point per game score but we just can't divorce ourselves in the fact they have to play the goddamn Celtics or the goddamn calves and they don't stand a chance there Yeah. So respect to the magic, respect to you guys getting it out of the mud, doing what you can with the state of your roster, but it's not looking good for you. Yeah.

Okay. So we're putting Orlando at 15? I think so. Yeah. They've been like 15. Now, I will say if Franz Wagner was shooting the ball better, then I would feel a lot better about putting them maybe at like 12, 13 or somewhere in the middle of the fact, but that's just simply not happening over the last like 15 games,

14 games. You shoot like 27% from 3. That's still not hitting it whatsoever. And that's one of the biggest problems, right? We haven't gotten good Franz and elite Palo at the same time. We just haven't seen the ability to make each other better. At this point, early in the season, I feel like the biggest issue was Palo on ball post-injury was bad. The pace of play was bad.

The passing was good, but the playmaking in terms of getting into the paint and making defenses rotate was bad. That's all better for Palo now that he's healthy and the oblique injuries behind them and you feel like he has a better rhythm going for him. But now Franz is playing terrible off ball. like we just can't get both these guys clicking at the same time and i know i said i said that a couple weeks ago i said franz's playing terrible off ball and somebody commented a magic fan i think his his like youtube name was like franz stan or something like that and they're like how can you say franz is playing terrible right now it's so dramatic off ball he cannot he catches you he has not been a good off ball player we know we can do with the ball in his hands but if you can't perform

next to palo as the guy it's a long-term issue exactly and that's like you have those issues for the entirety of his career you just simply have to be able to shoot in order to make your life easier and everyone else's life easier. But shout out, Franz, man. I love Franz. I hope it can work with these two. But I know this is appropriate too because the bottom five, I feel like the magic are a tier above this.

I feel like they're defending so well as a way that they deserve to be to start this next tier, despite also standing zero chance of making a run. So I'm kind of happy that it broke this way. Okay. Yeah, that's not bad. Let's not bad. So now we get to the interesting part, right?

We got through the teams that don't really stand a chance. We have left the top eight out west and the top six. out east. These are the serious teams that can win a playoff series. Any team on this list can win a playoff series, right? Yes. Who do you feel the least confident in? I feel the least confident in a team like the either the Memphis Grizzlies or the Indiana Pacers. I'm willing to lean either way or maybe even the players. I feel pretty good about the Pacers actually. Oh, okay. You feel confident in them. I like the Pacers as well. I think it sounds like we're putting the Memphis Grizzlies at 14?

I guess so. It's kind of, to me, it's between them are the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves have had some good play as of late in the second half of the season. Julius Randall looks a lot better. The spacing, Gobert's been scoring his ass off lately. Gobert's having one of the best scoring choices

of the last like three years. You look really good. They've adjusted the offense to having Gobert the Dunker spot and Randall being the main screen setter in the half court, and it's worked really well. But they've just had, they've had some games where they look really good,

And in some games where they blow a 30-point lead to the goddamn bucks and Kevin Porter Jr. as a masterclass, they're still up and down. The ups are a lot better now. But again, this Western conference is absurd. There's eight teams that can win a playoff series, legitimately. Somebody has to draw the short straw. And I don't know if I think it's a given that the Grizzlies are just completely cooked. I understand the coaching issue and the defense issue that kind of led to that coaching

issue and every reason why they're trending in the wrong direction. I still don't think they were a top three C for a long time for a reason. I don't think the Timbool is like a tier above them. No, no, they're not a tier above them, which is why we're going to, like, we can put them back to back if you feel like that. But I do think that Memphis should be, Memphis should be right there at the bottom of this list just because of one, and we've talked about it all year, the availability of John Morant, to the everything that has happened over the last week that led to you don't just fire your coach

yeah for no reason for no for no reason and like if listen if john morant was nicole yoke's then maybe we'd be having different conversations and we're going to talk about the nuggets coming soon but like the the grizzlies they have a lot of uncertainty around them and i don't feel good about them and if you talk about like the top four in the in the west it's like do i think that the grizzlies can beat the thunder no do i think they could beat the the lakers no do i think do i think that they can beat the rockets that's the only one that i have any type of any type of faith in but even at that point like that's that's just because i don't think that the houston can score in does this move you john morant last 10 games 30 points for game 7.2 assists 62% true shooting

turning the ball over less 2.9 a game he's shooting well for from 3, 37%. He looks a lot better in rhythm, especially he's shooting these off the dribble 3s I've been really impressed with. He, I don't have his on here. He's taking 7 3s a game as well, bro.

This is a different genre. I didn't even see that. That's crazy. And yeah, obviously the pick and roll percentage is up post Taylor Jenkins. Zach Edie's looking pretty fucking good now that he's actually getting to run pick and rolls

and be involved in the offense. Who would have thought? He looks like one of the best rebounders in the league. Who would have thought? Seems like he's a real good player with some skills despite the weaknesses. Who would have thought if we actually use him?

I feel like despite the turmoil, they don't look horrendous right now. There is silver linings from the changes they made. That's fine. I still don't. There's still two teams minimum that I don't think that they can be in a series right now, and that is OKC and the Lakers. I don't think that they're beating them.

They're currently in the six seats. They might play the Lakers three right now. If it sticks, but it's going to come down to the last couple of games that these teams are all tied right now. But like, do the Clippers, I don't I don't think I I don't think I like Memphis more than what the clippers are doing right now

I just think that like I can understand you on that the kids are a lot more stable and consistent I do trust I haven't said their name for reason I'm not considering them right here I'm not I know you're not and so that's what I'm saying like when you just when you go down

and if we do this exercise for every team I think that the Grizzlies had the least amount of outcomes that you feel confident end up going their way and that's why I would put them at 14. Well, Grizzlies or Timberwolves? Who was 14?

Grizzlies or Timberwolves? I'm leaning towards the Grizzlies for sure. All right? Listen, y'all, whenever you come out and prove everybody wrong, just know I noticed. I was on this side. Stay on that side. Stay on that side.

Yeah. I was on this side. It's a madman. I was on the side. Okay, so do we feel good about Timberwolves going next at 13. Are you guys on my side there? Or are you looking at the Warriors? Are you looking at the Clippers?

I think we need to introduce How do you guys feel with the Milwaukee Bucks? Okay, bucks and Pistons? You're right. They're kind of scary right now. They're very, their front line is very bleak. No Chris Middleton anymore. Of course, because you got traded. You got the Kyle Kuzmans of the world, Brooke Lopez.

Well, there's six and four in the last time. Yeah. And Yonis is playing out of his goddamn mind. They should be five and five. But in the way that he's doing it feels so yeah you said they'd be five and five that that that Timberwood's game was disgusting I can't I can't believe that they

won that okay so the bucks are interesting they're six and four in the last ten they beat the living shit at a four straight wins against four straight bad non-playoff teams so it's a cookie cookie uh well I just blank what was I going to say

what I think I was going to say Mickey Mouse and I said cookie monster my I don't know what you're trying to say. It's a Mickey Mouse schedule to some extent. So I'm not putting that much stock in those wins, but they are streaming together good performances. Listen to that comeback game,

Kevin Porter Jr. had a great stat line. I don't want to hear about no goddamn Kevin Porter Jr. Me neither. Please stop. But they're going to need him to do something with Day Mal, and I guess he's fucking going to keep shooting really well and taking advantage the opportunity he's got him.

I'm talking about Kevin Porter Jr. in a playoffs. I'm not allowing us to do that. But how much has Yonis carried this, though? because Janice is playing amazing, amazing basketball offensively, especially. How much does that carry you pass it to guy? I mean, I say this, but the other side is Anthony Edwards is also amazing, so I don't know.

Do you guys feel better about the Pistons and the Bucks right now for sure? Yeah. I'd feel much better about the Pistons, for sure, because they're more complete. And when it comes to playoffs, I don't know why. It sounds so crazy to say this in the year of 2025,

but I trust the Cades, the Malik Beasley's, and just a complete collection of people on this team to upset someone in the first round or proceed to the first round than the Milwaukee books because they got the most dude their roster's so finicky right now like who's starting for them at the point he represents his last name's like Ron's

I forget his first name but it's looking really bleak right now and I don't trust the look at those guys Calcusma is the second option on offense I do not trust that whatsoever yeah Ryan Rollins touring your prince and Kyle Coosma in your starting lineup without and Dame Mike

come back. It's still in the air that they say he's recovering and I guess it comes down to how his body handles the blood thinners and if you can come back on time if he comes back obviously we feel differently but without Dame I don't think any of us expect them to make a run of any sort I don't know if I expect them to beat the Pacers in the first round without Dame. That seems like a tall fucking task

despite how great Yonis is. I guess we can go to the bucks here just because they're disqualified with injury. Yeah I'm not holding my breath. Which I actually not think but I think we should put the Grizzlies about the bucks for that reason. I am completely okay with that. Shout out to Bobby Porter's He's back, but he's not enough to go ahead and, like, sway my opinion whatsoever.

Well, Bobby Porreis was straight at bad to start the season. So he needs to, one, be enough, but also prove that he's going to be impactful and, like, play better. Because the start of the season was rough for Bobby. Stay away. Okay, so we go bucks at 14, grises at 13. Now it's really hard. My first thought next is, if we're going to choose to believe the Timberwolves are the good version of Timberwolves. That we're going to get a good version of Julius Randall playing within this new spacing system.

and we don't think he's going to be a tyrant taking over the offense like he did in some of those playoff meltdowns for the Knicks. We all think Anthony Edwards is the best shooting in going to go into the league playing like a true top-10 superstar, right? Tyrants are ridiculous. We like what Julie Brown was doing right now. We choose to believe his skills are going to be captured

in a effective way and utilize well. Gobert is playing really well again. Defensively, their top 10 for the whole season. As of late, I'm sure it's also really high. We did come up here and praise Jane McDaniels for being back. He's proceeded to go away again. and he's super up and down Super up and down

We'll see you like 12 points again bro My bad idea I'm probably getting this cooked I know If we're being positive Which I don't mind being for them I think they're better than the Pistons I agree

I agree I think the Pistons are right up next In this line in the Ames Yeah I respect the hell of the Pistons I'm really curious what Kay looks like In the playoffs series If you tell me he's this guy

That like he's gonna look fine If you tell me he's a guy that elevates and takes over and his game transits perfectly in late game situations you can get to his own shots and continue to be effective against high level defenses

and like change this equation to where they should be higher I wouldn't be too surprised but I also don't want to I don't want to gas the roster up too much you know it's really impressive what they've done they still are relatively lightened talent

the defense has been great second half of the year the shooting has been great obviously when league be using them that's true I probably feel better about the high end talent on the timber world

yeah I think I'm letting the overall just like tone The tone and the vibes of the Pistons probably cloud my judgment a little bit just because they are, but they are closer to their 100% than a lot of other teams are. Yeah. And so like that, that in itself is good. But then also when you look at other teams and how good they are at their best and that they're 100%, they are better than the Pistons.

So, all right, so we'll go Detroit and then we'll go Minnesota. I'm not sure. Wait, do we feel good about the Grizzlies? Yeah, I was about to say that. Do we need, I think we need to slide back the, look at us respecting the grisies a little bit more. I try to tell y'all, man. They shout out the grizzlies. I think they're better in the Pistons.

This may be where, I don't know. Am I drawing the line right here personally? Do I like the pistons more that I like the grizzlies? Eastern Conference tax, keep in mind. That's fair. If the grisies were in the east, they would be the three seed. Hey, man. Let me see.

It's not, listen, it's not my fault. They got to pay these stairs. I said that as a joke. But let me see what the actual standing-wise, what would they be? Currently, the Grizzlies are... I think there'd be 4. The 47 and 32, so that would be one game behind the Pacers. So they'd be the fifth seed, but they would be one game behind the Pacers, or that half a game.

It doesn't matter. Yeah, but they'd be in that mix for the four-seat, actually, not third. Shout out with the Knicks. I'd just be so much fucking better. We get it. Yeah. So, but they'd also have an easier schedule, so maybe they would also be higher at that rate. But record-wise, they'd be fourth or fifth right now in the east above the Pistons.

So if you're doing that, one-to-one, what you've shown us in the regular season. but I guess I understand if you feel so badly about the grizzly trajectory that you're just like want to ride towards the other side? Listen, I don't feel comfortable putting teams that have a lot of turmoil that choose to have turmoil

10 games before the playoffs. Now they did also lose Jaylen Wells as well. Oh, you're right. I forgot. Yeah, he broke his wrist as well as the head stuff that was scary. He broke his wrist. So he's out for some weeks for that alone. Probably the whole playoff run, I'm sure.

He's going to be hoover with the cast? I'm okay respecting them over the Pistons Just because they still have Jaron Jackson John Moran is back We've seen what John Morant does in the playoff series And the big man rotation outside of Jaron Is the little ify with Brandon Clark gone We'll see if Zach Edie can stand up to playoff defense

I don't know We'll find out But there's enough holes that if Moe decided to go On Donovan side and pick the pistons over them Because of Jalen Wells being gone I'd respect it But I feel a little bit better about the Grizzlies Yeah, I'm going to rely on the stardom and experience of Jow, Jaron, and Desmond Bain over the Pistons.

This guy does not respect the thugsake enough. I don't. I don't thug shape every morning like you do, brother. You said it you practiced in the mirror much more than I did. I did it one time, maybe twice. I think the pistons have one of the most interesting players to watch in this playoff run because the first round, it's pretty much set in stone. they're going to play the Knicks, right?

Jalen Dern, what are you prepared to do about the Carlton Towns pick and pop game? Are you going to prove us wrong? Are you going to defend the best you've ever defended in your life? Are you going to look like early season Jailen Dern where you look a little lost and they really pick on you? I don't know. He's looked good as of late, especially as a score. If you tell me that he comes out and really, really surprises us and dominates that matchup physically and shows that he is the running mate to pair with K'd long term, I can imagine it,

but that's a big question mark for me. Playoff defense is the center. It's tough. What is he going to do with the second? second best offensive center in the league car at the 80 towns listen it's playoff time i'm bought in and jaylon brunson especially jaylon brunson loves to attack slow bigs he loves to get into their body draw fouls that's going to be a tough tough matchup and you know he has a sart thompson he has a good defensive infrastructure around him kate's playing good defensively it's not

going to be him getting picked on every time i'm sure they'll do a lot and they'll put him in positions that he's not getting in a lot of one-on-one situations of brunson but you can't avoid it entirely you're going to have the nix are going to try they're going to do it so i i you know what fine we're just I mean you guys you guys already decided that like Memphis is going to go above Detroit but like fine we'll do that

okay well who's the last team in this tier that you feel like isn't in the top four tier is that when you loop in with these teams that are playoff teams and are respectable but these are teams we all don't really feel like have the juice to make a run for real who falls into that last one the clippers naturally should probably

fall on this last spot oh disagree feel disrespectful full saying that, but also at the same time, too, I'm like, am I thinking about the quality, the fact that they have to go through the team that they have to go through in the West? I think that's the wrong way to look at it. Ah, man. I'm stuck. I'm stuck between three teams, right? Okay. I'm stuck between the clippers, the Timberwolves, and the paces. For the, for the clippers, I'm stuck because obviously you have the massive Kauai factor of like, is he going to be able to hold up for two playoff rounds, let alone three or four?

So there's that aspect of it. The Tim Wolves, what we saw the other night, like, that is worst-case scenario. And so, like, you still have questions about Minnesota and their offense and some of the playmaking stuff. Because for, like, you have Mike Conley there to be, like, the vet point guard, to settle the troops and run all this offense. If he's out there, right, at his advanced age and everything that he's been. Advanced age. right and everything and like the way to call someone oldest fuck i'm just saying i'm just saying if he's if he's out there and he's not going to be doing the veteran point guard i'm leaning

the troops i'm setting everything up against a regular zone and you guys fall apart that actually was very very concerning for me so i have i have those questions and especially about and his playmaking in the playoffs in a playoff context and and randall he's he's a good playmaker but also when you start to load up on people i'm kind of nervous about that and then there's the paces which is they are really good. But at the end of the day, they're, they're a solid team.

I don't know if they're going to be able to make a massive run in the playoffs. Those are the three teams that I'm currently decided. These teams are a good case study in, are we going to give teams credit for their ceiling

or evaluate their floor or evaluate where we think they're really going to fall in between those three things? Because I think the Timberwell was an incredibly high ceiling team. I agree. We saw this nucleus

minus, plus Kat minus Randall be in the conference finals last year, right? This team, we've seen them the formula works in playoff settings against good teams. Obviously, it looks different now without Kat, without the true two big lineup and inserting Julius Randall and whatnot,

but Gobert, Anthony Edwards ball, both sides of the ball. We've seen what that can be and we've seen it in stretches over the last 20 games in which it really clicks with Randall and they beat the shit out of the Denver Nuggets. They own the different nuggets. Every other team is up and down. But we've seen them destroy one team over and over again. So we know

they had the capabilities of dealing with top-tier offenses. The Pacers, on the other hand, highest floor here. One of the highest floors outside of the top three teams, I think. With Tyrese Halliburton playing the way he plays, leading offense, playmaking the way he is, with the just unpredictable frenetic style he runs with, the pace he brings to the team,

and kind of allows everybody else to be better. Seacom's had a great year. We know we all like Nemhar, we all like Benedict Mathrim, we all like Needsmith, we all like this array of wings they have. That sounds to me like a high floor team, So it's kind of the opposite of the Timberwolves. And the clippers are kind of a mix of both, I think.

So I kind of feel inclined to go to the clippers, the highest of these three teams. Just because while Kauai is there, with that elite defense, Zubot is one of the best centers in the league now. James Hardin's elite playmaker. Kauai's looking a little Kauai like lately. That feels like a good mix of floor and ceiling to me. Yeah, I'm going to try my best to just lock in and go straight, like, like algebra one, absolute value.

And not. Not factor in the injury stuff right now, even though that we're going to look in two and a half weeks and we're going to get the tweet from Shams saying that he's not going to play. But I will say, I will lock in, I'll do that. We'll put the clippers at the top of these three. And then I guess at that point now it's Minnesota versus Indiana. I don't know, man. You feel better about between this two, Mo. I don't know.

Between those three, earlier I said I had put the clippers naturally in that next point. spot you lost that one but i said again you lost that one we're both going clippers high so you decide pacers versus timber exactly exactly exactly and so look i was saying like i initially wanted the clippers i reverted i changed my mind already in between the t-wolves and pacer's i'm going to lean towards the pacer just because being better they've been playing fantastic they're okay okay yeah they belong at that last at that last tier oh wait no so are you saying the Pacers are the last tier or the next tier? Are you saying they're 11 or 12?

They're 12. Gotcha. Okay. That was confusing as fuck. I lot my brain got fried. Okay. So we're going Pacers 12 or Pacers 11. Timberwolves 10.

Clippers 9. Interesting. I feel good about this. Wait. Me too. Do we feel good about the clippers being better than the T-Wool's though? I don't know. I feel pretty good about that.

Again, if you don't, if you don't factor in. injury, yes, the clippers are better than the Timoros. So right now, the playoff started to be Nuggets versus Clippers. I feel kind of good about the Clippers' ability to win that series. Having Zubach, he's legitimately one of the best interior defenders of the year. Amazing rebounder, amazing cleanup man in drop coverage. Been fantastic offensively, too. We know what he can do in the post.

It's a rare breed of player. It doesn't exist anymore, but he loves a simple shot. He's probably the most underrated player in the NBA. Probably. We know what he can bring. We know what they have defensively. with guys like Chris Dunn, guys like Derek Jones Jr.

at the point of attack that can give Jamal Murray some issues and really try to... Chris Dunn is very good at fighting around screens. So if you can blow up the handoff game

and blow up the two-man actions of Jamal Murray and Yokic and really force Yokic to beat you as a one-on-one score like he hasn't been as of late, Zubwatch is a decent defender to help do his best against the best

scoring center in the league. I feel kind of good about them being able to clamp up enough defensively and Kauai being able to torture Christian Brown, Jalen Pick at all these guys that I'm not sure

sure yet give me another way to think about it but i might pick the clippers to beat the nuggets but that's just talking about the scope of like specifically the nuggets i feel like i can say similar things when it comes to the t wolves because it feels like they have the nuggets number like you mentioned earlier i'm more so thinking about like league scope wise or whatever and i don't i don't know if i feel good about someone like james harder on a night-to-night basis because one night he's going to go ahead and give you like he's going to give you 30 30 be three and another night he's going to shoot 16% from the field and he's going to look like ties jones out there on the court sometimes or least when it really matters the most so they're winning

games so i would understand that if they were winning games because he was having an out-of-body efficient year they're not winning games because of that you know it's it's baked into the strategy that james hard is going to have to be a volume shooter more than is comfortable with that's going to lead to some poor efficiency they're winning despite that they're winning with defense they're a top defense in the league they have been all year and with kawai back they have him who has been not 100% Kauai as of late but he's had flashes right he's looking more and more comfortable as time goes on so if i feel like we can give him credit that he's gonna you know ramp up a little bit in the playoffs right that he's going to have some real

star quality games it's kind of okay if james hardin isn't a super reliable score i think but at the end of the day i completely forgot about that mo i'm honestly glad that you brought that i hate that i say that i hate that i said that point i like i hate it so much not Because listen, because you went lower and understand I'm about to go lower. Yeah, I hate that. Because I can only look past one fault. If I'm looking past the Kauai injury, I can't look past the James Hard and stuff. And that is a real thing.

I did not want to mess this up, right? Well, if we're going to remind Donovan of his biases, Regal Bear plays for the goddamn Timberwolves. Julius Randall plays for the goddamn Timberwolves. He was hurt. He was hurt. But mind you, understand that in a series, where James Hardin scored in a seven-game series

with James Hardin scored 40 points twice. He averaged 22 points. Like, the drop off that he has in some playoff games is very, very real. And so I think having those two caveats, like, we might have to put Minnesota above that. I get why you're saying that, but this isn't, this apples to oranges

in terms of team construction. Like, this is the least, I'm not going to say that, because they are very reliant on James still, but it's the least rely on his scoring. We keep talking about the scoring. James Hardin's scoring is very secondary to how this team is going to win games

and potentially win a series. But they're very insulated for James Harden Stinkers. It's okay. It's almost expected. It doesn't matter. Like, he's been very good this year despite being an efficient all year.

There's always another level. There is. I get it. There's that aspect of it. I know. And we're not talking about the most trustworthy office in the guy that world. No, no, it's not.

But I do think that I, okay, if I'm, if I'm, if I'm going to look past, like, if I'm going to look past the injury stuff, I do think that Kauai is enough to overcome James Harden playoff performances. So that in itself does have to be, it does have to count for something. And as crazy as the Western conferences, it's absolutely wild. And Tyloo in the defense. Exactly. It's wild that we sit here today and the Clippers are, like, going to be in the four or five. I like the Clippers, man. I like them a lot. I hope they win a series. I really like the best bull they're playing.

We have to go clippers at the top of that too. So I do think that right now we have we have the right order of the trio. I don't know, man. I don't know. I love the clippers. I love the clippers so much, but also at the same time to, okay, over the last 15 games, they've been number one in defense or number two, number two in defense. So the Orlando Magic number one. You said that earlier, Isaac. Yep. But through that number one, I don't Look at their offense. Check the offense. Yes, but also on top of check the offense.

Check who they've been through those last 15 games as well. Not their fault. They've got to play the teams in front of them. Mavs, Mavs, Spurs, New Orleans, Orlando, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks without Jalen Brunson, Memphis grisies through all the tour that they've been through. Hawks, Hornets, Miami, New Orleans, King. It's, we know the story here. I understand.

And if they had a regular solid play, stat line, I would be with you. But they're 13 and 2 and had the best net rating in the NBA for that stretch. Like, they didn't just beat them. They dominated them, which that is what you've got to look for, is the margin. And, of course, they're expected to win. They're not necessarily expected to beat the living shit out of all these teams. And they have.

I don't know. You didn't need some teams that they should be up. You know what I'm saying? You're supposed to beat the living shit out of these. For sure. But you know what I'm saying? They had the number one net rating. That's like not.

It's inflated, though. It's inflated. Well, yeah. Yeah. I'm not putting them one on this list. Like, we're not necessarily putting them high. The number nine. I don't know.

I trust the four of the ten rules, me personally. I trust the four of the ten rules. I'm not sure their floor is better. I mean, like, again, the Clippers, it's not just the last 15 games. They've been a top four defense all season. Like, we're not talking enough about that. We're focusing on the offensive stuff. They are a truly elite defense led by one of the best coaches in the NBA who has shown

time in time out. He's put maybe the best in the NBA besides Eric Spolstra at matchup dependent coaching. instilling good defensive schemes to slow down exactly what you want to do offensively Tailu is one of the best adjusters in the league. If you give him a healthy team and you give him enough offensive punch and the defensive infrastructure is healthy, I feel

better by the floor of that. What I will say is that I think something that supersedes the clippers for the Minnesota Turnbulls is the ability of anti-Averts to just turn into fucking God and then also the defense sustaining to a certain level as well.

Now, they haven't been as good as the clippers defensively all year long, but they're not, like, far off whatsoever as well. They're six for the year. They're also pretty high. So I'm like, I think Anthony Edwards supersedes everything that the clippers have been doing from personally. Yeah, I won't be shocked if you're right. If you just say Ant ascends and has that type of series where he like is a difference, that wouldn't be shocking. I can see that. All right. I think we're settled. Who the fuck is next? Now it's hard. Who goes at seven and eight? We know the top. top teams up out there. Now we should have to have to disrespect somebody to put them in tier below. My first thought, New York next next.

Sorry. The next might have to be eight. I think it is what it is. I disagree that they have to be next. Oh, no, no, no, I didn't see. Okay, so it was them with the nuggets. I think the nuggets are seven and eight. My bad.

I didn't see them for a second. That's the next debate, I think. Nuggets are for sure seven and eight. Right, right now. And I was trying to. to say this with Memphis. I feel it even more with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are walking lick right now.

Yeah, they're absolutely walking like. I'm cool with Nuggets 8 actually. Really? Shout out, shout out to Yokic. He is going to be amazing. Everybody else in that locker room is a question mark. Bro, we got headlines coming out today a couple days after the firing in which they are airing this fucking drama out.

There's a full media smear right now to say Russell Westbrook is the problem. Not necessarily, but Mike Malone's treatment of Russell Westbrook was the problem. There was headlines that some people within that locker room didn't like that he got to special treatment and lack of tough love that Nicole Yoker, Jamal Murray already got. They said those two, I understand, looping in Russ with that and treating him with kid gloves is too much to tolerate. Drama, drama, drama, these motherfuckers are whispering behind each other's back. We'll see if Adelman instills confidence in the defense, but their defensive talent is bad. I don't feel good about them at all purely off of like a Bill Simmons

like vibes rating type of feel right now Exactly no I don't I don't feel good I don't I don't feel good And also I don't feel good about the X and O's Their defensive talent is trash They've had gains where Yokic had a 60 point triple double And they lost

And that wasn't a rare occurrence He's had numerous outlandish stat lines In which they lose Because they cannot keep up defensively The offense is a little bit less potent than it once was The defense is a lot less potent than it once was everything that made them special looks more and more regular as the days go on.

And in that 60 point, in that 60 point triple double, one of the key things that we cannot lose sight of was that Jamal Murray was hurt, right? Jamal Murray has been dealing with injury issues. And so going into the playoffs, him not being at 100%, everything, whether it's been from the start of the year, middle of the year, now, everything that we talk about with the Nuggets is they are going to be as good as Jamal Murray allows them to be. Because obviously, Yokic is going to be great and he's going to get you to a floor. But to get back to that championship ceiling, get back to that Western Conference

Finals appearance ceiling, Jamal Murray and Yokich have to be going and clicking at the same time, and we haven't necessarily seen that. So you have questions about him. You have questions about the defense. You have questions about the coach. You have questions about the vibes. I don't like what they are putting on on paper or on the floor right now. they have to be the next team.

Yeah, I agree with you guys. I want to hear your argument. I don't agree. I wanted to hear, I want to hear a pro-nuggets argument from somebody, but it's not possible. Yeah, no, it's not possible whatsoever, bro. Like, the only pro-nuggets thing that I could say is like, yo, Yoker, Nicole Yoker just king vamped this bitch right now. Did you guys hear the, like, the last quote that he had during a press conference? He said, yeah, the beast is most dangerous when it's vulnerable.

Oh, my God. That's so tough. Yo! I might have to get back in. I might have to jump back on the barrowagon. He's jumping bars like that. He got me soaring this bitch. I understand that he had a good game last night.

They started Jalen Pickett. Hey, he played well. He had 18 points, I think. Yeah. Again, I understand. He made jump shots. In a playoff series. Well, that's because Jamal Barry was hurt.

Yeah. But, yeah, no, even just like the talent-wise, the talent is not strong. Like, yeah. We talk about how it's deteriorated post-KCP, but Dayron Holmes not being able to play this year and hoping they don't trade up for him, hoping he could be the talent injection that makes up for it. With that gone,

they just are simply worse than last year and it shows. He's gone, yeah. He tours ACL like literally like a month after he got drafted. That's so fucking bad, bro. It's very unfortunate. Like, he's such a butterfly effect of what could have been if he would have said healthy. But now they don't have a good big man room outside of Yokic.

I mean, if you want to count Aaron Gordon is big man. He's great, obviously. but the bench bigs are not good they're wasting money on Dario Sarich wasting money on Ziegnaji wasting money on several other players that we don't got to go down the line because it's a bunch of not nice things to say

they have their starters which are good counting Christian Brown who off the bench do you feel good about in the playoff series this is me saying nobody damn yeah I think we're all sold on the on the Denver Nuggets here we're aligned

sadly hey low key I'm I bet the club is I'm gonna have to revisit this because I'm talking myself into it these guys suck I don't like them we'll come back to it we'll come back to it we it's that you know what now let's have the conversation right now yeah it's definitely up for discussion

in terms of momentum should we put the Memphis grizzly I mean the the goddamn nuggets right now the Memphis Grizzies let's go five spots back the Grizzles is gonna end up the top six at the end of this so like we have to balance like not overreacting too much because it's just a coach in the day like they still have the same players so but why did the coach get fired because the players suck

because they were they were already slipping they were already in a downward spiral so even like yes malone's firing is something that we shouldn't over overreact to but it was a it was a product of what was going on so i don't think it's it's i don't think it's overreaction if we keep having the nugget slide because we're just saying everything that you guys have been doing for the last 20 25 games in a playoff series where it's even more highlighted yeah that's going to come to so let's do it let's put the clippers at at seven above them okay I what about the T-wolves no I I definitely think we should put the T-Wools higher because as a let's do it let's do it the T-wolds are technically trending better than the than the Denver Nuggets right now

we have to remain consistent all right whatever it also just comes down to health too like it's a mom-marie has play out Tremal Marie and all this changes but we'll see if he's healthy it's not great that he's missing games now. I don't think it's the most serious issue in the world. They're probably prepping him to be available for the playoffs, but I don't feel good about betting on them turning it up out of nowhere. And I think post-warriers and Cavs for those four years when they're in the finals every year,

especially because the Cavs, especially because LeBron, people kind of convince themselves that championship caliber teams can turn it on out of nowhere. They can stroll through the regular season and flip a switch because the Cavs did it in 2017. It went from like the 20th best defense to top 10, right? So there's the idea in people's head That that's what championship teams do No, that's what the LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers did

Nobody else can fucking do that That's not a regular occurrence you should expect You shouldn't just assume teams can do that Because I've been there before More times than not, teams are who they are And the team you saw for 82 games Probably the team we're going to see for the next 16 I'm going to choose to believe the Nuggets are

Who they tell us they are And that is a 10th best team in the playoffs Pain, man I'm cool with that too So did the Knicks round us out, number seven? That feels pretty safe? I don't know. Yeah, I think that's the...

So you could go... Okay, so I guess now we have the Warriors discussion because the Warriors are in the same mix of these other Western Conference teams. Oh, no, that's actually not where I was going. He wanted to go to the Houston Rockets. We all know this. I know he did. We had to have the Warriors discussion.

Had that had the Knicks discussion. And if you guys don't look to Rockets, then we can. But I'm going to tell you right now, I will argue with the death. I have grown quite a fondness in my heart for the Houston Rockets over the last month. The Turks got to him. I mean, early this season, I was telling us we should respect the Rockets because So we kind of go back and forth. Our first time rankings, I was saying, respect the Rockets.

They're winning games. And you guys were like, yeah, it's fake. And I was like, bro, who cares? They're winning games. We've got to respect it. At the time we got to the second one, everyone kind of realized that they're a really good team. The half court offense is ass. And we know that playoff basketball, while it is still basketball, it is still NBA, there's

some differences. And notably, half court offense matters a lot more because transition is not easy to eliminate, But if you're locking in for a playoff series, you know, when people say things slow down, it typically means teams are pretty capable of stopping transition attacks for the most part. You have to be able to attack on the half court, and the Rockets can't do that, right? Or I should say, that's not their strength. It's quite a weakness compared to other teams of their caliber. At this point, they've won so many games.

You're not to two-see by fucking accident. They are a truly dominant defense, truly dominant transition attack, truly dominant offensive rebounding attack. They're so physical. They're so good at what they are. They know their identity so well, have so many quirks. I think this is just a great team that different tier to meet in the Knicks. They're real.

They are, they're not going to win the finals. I'm not coming up here and saying that. If you tell me the Rockets are in the conference finals, I won't be even a little bit shocked. I'm not going to predict it. I'm going to predict the Thunder and the Lakers to beat them to make the conference finals. But if you tell me the Rockets can beat the Lakers and it happens, I won't be bewildered.

It's very, very possible. I definitely would be shocked. I definitely would be shocked if that outcome was to happen. But for the sake of this conversation, I do believe the Knicks belong in this last place over here. Why? It's just some of the basic common things that we've been talking about. Jalen Brunson is back, and he's been, I have no worries about him.

I'm just going to leave it at that. And O'Janer Nobi has been playing the best basketball fucking of his goddamn life over the last, I don't know, 15, 20 games or whatever it is. on the show. Yeah. Shout out to see Lee. That's what I was like.

He hit the theme music. He's going crazy. Oh my. 360 step back threes. I have no idea what's got. O. G. Anthony Edwards.

What's going on right now, brother? I hope he has Olympians of a certain ilk at the sidelines every game. She needs to sit next to Spike Lee every game. But the obvious is the obvious and there's no of waiting that for the New York Knicks. I did see some interesting things over the last game, I believe, they played the Boston Celtics.

We saw eventually what happened, and it was encouraging, most definitely, I would say, compared to all the other matchups that they've had against the Celtics. And that's kind of how I gauge them when it comes to, like, level of seriousness of contender. Because obviously, that is, like, probably the team to beat out in the East considered they were the champions or whatnot. So I like them. I love what they've been doing, but I quite easily see them, like, reverting back. to habits that hindered them

and what's been stopping them from being like the league of the east. I like them a lot. These seven teams are the serious teams to me. These are the teams that one of these seven will probably be or four of these seven will probably be in the conference finals. The five or so below them are like punch a chance. You can get there.

You can't write you off. But these seven teams are the teams in the NBA, I think. And obviously there's another tier above this for the three of them. But I do not feel like the Knicks are super. far below these guys, but if I'm going to leave one in a tier below and leave them in tier four, I'm going to go to the Knicks just because the reality is who you got to beat to get at your conference. And we know that the Knicks match up well with a lot of teams. Those guys in Green are not one of those teams they match up well with. We understand the limitations

they have with their 1-5 combination defensively. And their strengths are incredibly high and can carry them. The offense might be ridiculously hard to stop in a playoff setting if we get anything close to what we got from Jaylon Brunson last year. If we get that same type of performers from him with five-outs facing now on Carlincy Towns attacking off those actions, they're going to be a tough out for 99% of teams, except the Boston Celtics. So simply because of that, I'm willing to put them a little bit lower. And you can say the same thing for the Rockets on the Thunder, I guess. But I think, I just think the matchup-wise stuff, the golf is pretty big between the Knicks

and the Celtics. I will concede this only if the Rockets are the very next team. I can't promise you that. But we'll talk about it. Then I can't concede this. You're going to have to have been going to vote. Because I will say, the last game against the Celtics, that one, that was the second most demoralized than loss of the year.

The first game, that one hurt because I had, I was, I was very, very, exactly. It was video proof. Exactly. I was very hurt by that one. But this last game, this last game hurt even more just because Jalen Brown wasn't even who'd been like that. He barely even played towards, towards the end of the game. Like he was, it was really.

Jason Tatum and Chris Stops and Derek White and his timely threes were fantastic. But like, Jayne Brown wasn't a factor like that in this game, especially down the stretch. And they just couldn't get it. And they were in control of this game and they couldn't close the deal. And so if you're making the argument who you have to beat to get there, okay, fine. We'll put the Knicks at seven. That's not the best argument because you also can say that about the Thunder. So it's not my only argument.

No, no, just what I'm saying, to make a deep player for an end, to get to the conference finals, the Rockets are going to be the two seed. They would have to play okay. Oh, you're saying they would to see them in the second round, Knicks. Yeah, so like the, because if it was Nick, if it was Nick Celtics in the conference finals, then I think I really would have a problem, and I think I would pick the Nix over it, but you are correct. So, yes, we'll put the Nix here, but I do think that the Warriors should be over the

Rockets. All right, well, let's talk about now. So if we're, you go with that, Mo, seven, we go to the Nix? Yeah, I agree with that. Okay. We're moving on to our top six teams, the best teams in the NBA, the top three tiers. Spoiler. This to me, like you said, comes down to Warriors versus Rockets, right?

For number six? Yes. Man, oh, man. This is tough. For the past couple months when we talk about the Rockets, we all treat them like they're an easy look in the first round. Or just not, I don't do we've said first round, but the NBA Twitter. You said first round. I've said they're not making the finals.

But in general, the tone has been first round, you want to face them, right? I don't feel the way it all anymore. I feel like playing them is fucking war and it's hard. And I'm willing to say that the OKC Thunder are better, the Lakers are better. We've got to have a real conversation about them versus the Warriors. Because I might have said so a month and a half ago. But the way the Rockets are playing, the way their strengths just keep shining, the way they're making it work with the two big lineup and not being going to be played off the court

because they offensive rebound 50% of their missed shots with Zangoon and Adams on the court together. the way of Men Thompson is the best defensive wing in the NBA and thriving more and more at the ball in his hands. The way Jaylon Green is just straight up playing better and better, not to a star extent. That ship has sailed, I think, but he's scoring more and more effectively. And even if he's not a star,

if he's just like Norman Powell or whatever, that's effective in a defensive slanted team. Sangoon's playing well. Everything is clicking for them extremely well right now. I don't feel like it's a given that the Warriors would beat them in a series. I agree with you. if we had this conversation like 20 games ago back when they were slumping a little bit and i saw we all saw like a lot of the read a lot of the downside of this team really

shined but they since then bounced back from then from that and like roared in the most outstanding way to the point to where like they've absolutely lucked up that two seed um something that moved me a lot was seeing the playoff light game it almost felt like a damn preview um seeing them face off against the golden state warriors i saw your goat done Donovan have nightmares. He was facing demons. That goddamn demon was a man, Thompson, like Isaac said earlier. And seeing the versatility of this team defensively, they have, they probably have the best team defensive versatility in the entire NBA, I would say.

Considering, like, athleticism and just the different array of guys that they get thrown. Besides, I mean, besides a thunder. Yeah. Yeah, Thunder, of course. It's those two guys for me You can throw on the subject if you want as well I agree And you know what the big difference is

You said they were slumping early in the year And everybody's treated them In the most lazy way possible Because they're such a like Regular season team They can't do in the playoffs They don't got the skill They're too young

And a lot of that probably is true When you compare them to the top three teams In the league That's probably true to an extent We're not comparing them to that We're comparing to teams like the Warriors And I think a reason they slumped Nobody wants to say this

Because people think this guy sucks Jabari Smith Jr. is incredibly important He missed a lot of the time time and their defense fell off a cliff. It's, for the reason you said, Mo, their defensive versatility and the types of lines they can deploy, it is such an advantage to have, like, three or four players on your roster that can be versatile defensive power forwards. You look across every contender, you have players that can play the four and can give

you switchability, interior defense as a shot blocker, all these type of vital things. PJ Washington on the Mavs last year, right? We had Dremont Green famously. You have Jason Tatum for the Celtics. You have Aaron Gordon famously. Who else fits this mold? Jaron Jackson, he plays a lot of five, right? Ogen-Nobie.

This type of big wing that can switch on the big, switch on the guards, insanely important for having an elite defense in the modern NBA. They have Tari-Eason. They have Dylan Brooks. They have Jabari Smith. They have so many of these guys.

Jabari Smith might be the most important one of their defense. There's a lot of debates between Rockets fans on if they should continue the starting line up or not. Because a lot of people feel like you got to bench Dylan Brooks to start Jabari because him next to Sangoon is so vital

for their defense. he does so much small stuff for them that the biggest reason that they slumped because he wasn't there. And with him being back, I feel like this defensive talent is enough to win one or two playoffs series. It is. It is. And they are definitely talented enough to do that. And I think that they're like you see year in it and year out, certain teams can win in the regular season just because, hey, we're just going to play harder than you, right? And the Rockets have not only that aspect, but the fact that everybody is also talented defensively, and so you combine those two things, and that's where you get, that's where you get defenses that are, are truly

dominant. So I will give them that. But I do think that, I think the two things are happening right now. One, I think that everyone has said for the longest, oh, Houston's an easy lick, it's an easy lick. And as you get closer to the playoffs, the general public might start to be like, you know, start to, you know, rethink the Rock is this and that. I'm not saying you guys necessarily but I do think of the whole because I have heard some some other people who have been down on the Rockets for the year kind of start to push their praises a little bit and they are playing better so you're right they are just getting better and it's a little bit of overreaction to the game on Sunday it the bag that game highlighted what a man

Thompson is capable of do we do any of us think that Steph Curry is going to be held to three points the entire thing until like that that's what I'm saying is like one step is is going to bounce back. They're one in terms of like Rockets versus the Warriors when Jimmy Butler plays. They play two games and they're one and one. The Rockets were two and one or the Warriors were two and one against the Rockets pre-Jimmy. And so I think that in one of those games, it was in the playing in the playing tournament and you see like the Rockets won that game, but in that game you saw down the stretch.

You saw the half court issues that Houston had. I do think that in this series, that is a very very very. very, very legitimate thing. And I do think that for two teams that are great defensively, having a poor half-core offense will come down. Like, that's going to be a deciding factor. And so that's why I'm taking Golden State over Houston. I hear you.

Calling it overreaction to this one game is no, because they also beat the thunder the game before and had a fucking war with the Lakers that they barely lost the game before that. It is a, they've been having a lot of good games. If you want to say it overreacting the week, sure. But even in that Laker game, right? Yes, LeBron made some great plays. You also had the same thing where it's like, yo, these guys can't score under five minutes.

Sure. Yeah, it's going to have to get them. I'm not saying they're an amazing offensive team, but why do you think they were in the game because they're defense? And it was a battle that came down to the last couple of minutes. And they beat the shit at the Thunder, which that was just an off game, granted.

We don't think that's going to be anything that we doubt the thunder for. But no, credit it's not easy. Credit to them for that. Yeah, that doesn't mean a lot. look fantastic. Sangoon is really scoring well as of late. They they're striking a better balance that early in the year when I feel like they've been trying to figure out

how much to play through Sangoon and in which ways. And if you look at his play type data, he's pretty, he's pretty fucking bad at offball play types, dump off, roll man, all the stuff that's like a traditional big man stuff. He kind of sucks at all that. But he's just extravagant in isolation, extravagant in post-up situations. And I feel like they're trying to strike

the balance of what to do there. In that game I guess a thunder, they were letting him post up and isolating him from the high post the elbows he was killing chet and that is a real strength is that most teams don't have anything to deal with the lakers do that's why they shut it down in the game because they have lebron james who's a great one-on-one post offender for close games not every team has that and if you want to say the warriors have drearmon so you feel good about them stopping in a series that's fine individually for this team but it's a real weapon that i don't know how i feel about this specific conversation

with them versus the warriors but it's not as easy as i one thought would be going obviously no and i'm not and i don't want to yeah i i don't i don't want it to to seem like i'm saying that the rockets are going to get beat in five in any series that they play or even if the wars play them that they're going to beat that they're going to beat them five or or the lakers would do that right i'm not i'm not trying to say that it's going to be a war just because that's how houston likes to play basketball but if we're talking about winning the series winning four game four games out of um out of seven even if it comes down to the last two minutes of game seven, I do think that eventually Houston's half court offense, which has been a problem

the entire season, it's been something that we have, that we have pointed to. We talked about with the Nuggets, who you've been for 82 games. It's probably who you're going to be for the next 16. I don't, for me, that's a bigger deal and I don't want to discount that. And so I think that going into the playoffs, so that does mean just a little bit more. I do think that that is going to be a weakness in something that is going to be exploitable. And so that's why I'm putting the Warriors above them. Yeah. I also

love the Warriors, so I'm not mad at it. The Warriors are also amazing defensively. Jimmy Butler is currently leading the league and Frito's drawn in terms of percentage of play. It's like 23% of his players or something ridiculous. Typical. Steph Curry looks pretty good now, obviously, with Jimmy Butler back. He looks like Steph Curry.

He looks like a guy that's in conversation for first team all NBA. Dremont Green might be the DPOI. There's also Jimmy text, too. Jimmy playoff text that we kind of have to add in. Sure. I'm, I also, spoiler, I fucking also love the Warriors. They're also amazing. So, Mo, if you agree with the Warriors 5th for the Houston Rockets. I think this conversation was needed, um, to just to just to show how much we respect

the Rockets and how much they've grown over the course of the year and how real of a superpower that they have. But ultimately, it's not, it's not easy. It's not an easy conversation whatsoever. Yeah. But I'm going to give the edge to the Warriors for now. And I'm going to I'm going to Warriors. I'm going to face the Rockets up next. That's cool. Yeah. Definitely.

Yeah. And I've seen Rockets fans, I forgot the guys name, but Smart Rockets fans I follow was saying that it feels like they're watching their three young stars in Singoon, Amen, and Doja and the green there, like, mature into being the stars of a team. That's definitely how it was felt these last 20 games or so. They are coming together at the right time. Like everything is clicking perfectly at the right time. And it's not just like they've convinced us now that style play is better, which to some extent, you know, you do it for 80 games

that's a lot more convincing than 40 so it is that to some extent but they're also like clearly playing better than they were early in the season like they are continuing to improve as year goes on continuing to find the right balance of how they want to deploy

different looks they have I mean Yudokas had a great coaching year not necessarily they have a lot of moving parts that you could very well find yourself falling into bad habits of how you want to deploy those of the rotations and whatnot

and a lot of fans constantly demand certain things in these rotations and I think he's on a really good job of staying composed and experimenting with different looks and get into the point now where towards the end of the season we have a good grasp of all the looks they can deploy all the amount just ridiculous amounts

of lineups they can deploy they have big lineups where they don't play a point guard and they have like a men Tarisen, Dylan Brooks, Jabari Sangoon and just destroy you defensively. They had the two big lineup where they have Singoon playing since Stephen Adams they can go small and really play more

Jalen Green, Fred Benvley oriented just a very versatile team that's done a really smart practice of getting here the right way. yeah i agree i agree and with that being said the lakers are obviously four right yeah no debate yeah naturally they're four i mean who would have fucking thought at the start of the year obviously that they would come up to our rise all the way up to four obviously seismic things historic things has happened to the roster but even since then they've legitimately proved themselves to

be one of the best teams in the NBA and through and through have entered themselves into like the championship race and those are legitimate discussions because of how well Luca and LeBron have been able to gel alongside of each other. The defense seemingly not falling off and their offense continuously getting better

and better as each day goes on. And also fucking Austin Reeves and his development in the season two. They're just finding new strengths as time goes on and it's they're building up their argument on a day to day basis. It's harder and harder for them for me to like see them as lessomless as a championship team. Dude, I go so back and

fourth of them as a Lakers fan because obviously the Lakers were on top of the world you have Luka now or kicking ass everyone's happy and excited I've been a little bit more reserved in the recent weeks

since LeBron got hurt and came back LeBron looks bad actively as of labor for his standards he looks bad he can't blow by anybody these lineups with LeBron only

and no Luca with Luka on the bench bad the offense falls off a cliff I'm worried about that but you have to get amazing LeBron to be able to win a championship right to be able to contend with these top three teams that are above them

and Luca past three games has looked so good that I'm starting to feel better but before that he also was struggling and I was feeling really bad about this team I was like my god man this lack of big man

offensive threats is making it so hard when these two guys aren't necessarily playing at their peak right now I kind of felt like damn are the Lakers overrated right now but then thank God these last few games Luca is looking like Luca again We had this game against Mavericks. He scored more points in the paint

that I've seen him score all season counting his time with the Mavericks early in the year when he started a little bit slow. He looks good. These two games against the Thunder, bro, he is the Thunder's kryptonite. The Thunder lock everybody up besides Luca Donchish.

They have all these elite defenders. None of them have anything for Luca. They did a good job against LeBron. Not Luca. Luca can pick on all these guys, shoot over them. It's just like Lashers' playoffs. I am being convinced once again

that this team has a real chance. Just because they have the one guy that can make the thunder's lip quiver. They have the one guy who is, if he's going to continue this trajectory and play like we know we can play in the playoffs and elevate again like we've seen him do countless years, despite the weaknesses of the roster, despite the lack of Lopteret, the lack of good screen setter for him. If he's just going to be a shot-making demon, anything's possible. He's that good. Yeah, I agree. I feel more confident. I feel also confident in LeBron and his ability to get back to a certain level over the past few games.

he's been playing better specifically to just like Lucudanches instead of three games. It's been like two games. He really hasn't. Not back, but to my back. He's really good at

getting the points you browse and assists. He's not super impactful, especially as the one ball handling the court right now. Now, in the fourth quarter of this mass game, you can tell he was saving his energy because the fourth quarter he turned the fuck up. But the first three quarters, man, it was not pretty.

Yeah. Not pretty. His impact as an individual player isn't what it once was. I'll say that. Yeah, absolutely. I agree. but in terms of like seeing what he seeing him at his best which is obviously like alongside

luka donchage i feel very confident his ability to hone in on that through the depths of the playoffs which is what like solidifies their spot at four to me damn near i can don't don't even don't even say i was going to say some i was going to say if lebron was more consistent in his play they could have an argument for three they don't obviously for now so i'm going to reserve those thoughts and opinions i don't know i mean if austin reed is a third star you guys he's playing like an all-star level for an extended period time see this is what i told you don't say me i didn't open the door i just listen lebron's offense is sucked lebron's offense is sucked but defensively he's defending his

ass off they're defending on a string j j j j rex looks like he's one of the best game plan coaches in the league they have three star ball handlers for counting austin reeves and they don't have to play the celtics they have a better chance of beating the thunds than this maybe some other teams to do they definitely do they have the best chance in the western conference but they stay at four for me so yeah and it's it's a testament to how absurd the top three teams are right it's not even really about the lakers you just the top three teams are just the top three teams but man the lakers are i think the lakers are the biggest variance team in the league from me right now that if you told me they're in the finals i won't i'd be like what

the thunder lost what the fuck but like okay somebody did it I guess it could be the lakers but if you told me they lost in like the second round to the rockets I'd be like oh okay so their lack of threats of a big man position ended up hurting them luka was still jump shot the pendant because the rim scoring didn't translate against the elite defense lebron struggled to put it together every other night and it wasn't enough juice like you saw in past couple years okay I guess I could see that both sides are very possible they could be massively disappointing or fucking completely destroy everybody's bracket do you think do you think a second round next is disappointing

a little bit I mean I don't know I mean what's the standard for you in the season is it conference finals or I told you I'm up and down I've been kind of worried about them so like I won't be that surprise but I think the NBA world would be if they lost the Rockets in the second round

I think I think it would be the betting odds would come out and the Lakers would be the big favorites in that series yeah they would be yeah I think a second round lost to the Rockets would be definitely disappointing it wouldn't be like fuck man is there anybody that they can lose to in the second round that you would be like

oh like all right where it would like obviously like you would be disappointed because they lost but not of like a the season is a disappointment type of thing. Well if the bracket started today they play the grizzies first round easy lick then second round they would play either the Rockets or

Warriors slash Tim Bulls to say it's the Warriors they could lose till if you told me to lose to the Rockets or the Warriors it's the it's the realm of possibility as a like the worst case scenario that could happen right I won't be that shocked

that happens a lot of people would be a lot of people would be insanely shocked if those things happened okay yeah I just I just think that therefore I think that

we've known the top three we've known the inner circle so much so like the the Lakers do you have you have two of you know the best playoff players

in the league on your team and that that gives you a certain floor and it also gives you a ceiling and so I think that they deserve to be four. Okay. So now we get to the part that we knew was coming, right?

Top three. This is interesting because... It's easy. It's easy to make sense, but... Well, she isn't... It's really not easy because we have clearly... We have two tiers here. Two and three and then one.

And I did that on purpose. This is why we did this pyramid because who's the championship favorite between the Celtics and the Thunder or the Cavs? We had to pick one. These are obviously top three teams that are close to each other relatively, right? But if we got to pick one,

that is the favorite who we think is going to win the finals or who's if that's even how you view it but who should be number one in the power rankings that's not easy I don't think don't act brand new Isaac you who's going to be number one is going to be who you said

like 30 games ago 15 games ago 10 games ago at the beginning of the season you know I feel I just mean for everybody I don't know you guys agreed I don't know I mean Celtics deserve some thought I thought they deserve thought absolutely because they are the reigning champions and as of late they've been good great elite they've you could tell me that they've been one of the best teams or the best team

in the NBA but me personally I know who resides in number one I'm going to choose who's been doing it from day game one to game like 78 79 but I will say the Celtics and specifically Chris Os Przingis doing what he does has been oh they've taken logo threes against the New York Knicks Again, it's the Knicks and a different caliber team, different defense or not,

but him being fully back. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. So obviously I've been staying on it. Obviously, I've been saying it's the summer. I picked the OKC Thunder to win his finals. As soon as they got Isaiah Hart and Stunning career, so I've been standing on that. I'm not going to deviate now.

So you guys know I think OKCC should be won. But if I'm putting on my objective hat, there is concerns that people have about the Thunder against the Lakers against whoever, right? There's a lot of pressure writing on Jada. shoulders as a second score, a lot of pressure on Chet, who post hip injury,

there, he's one, coming back from a hip injury that he recovered from in season and didn't get a summer to rehab. So his lower body is not strong right now because he broke his fucking hip and had to sit down for three straight months. So you're feeling the effects of that in terms of his ability to attack with strength. Two, he's playing power forward, which he's never goddamn done before in the NBA. And there's been some adjustments there. It's clearly not the best way to utilize him as a score, but they're kind of hoping he adjusts and sacrificing his individual production for hopefully more versatility and whatnot but it's been an adjustment right i think he doesn't look great as a power forward when he starts the center he looks really good

that's a question mark we know jadov's offensive variance is a question mark obviously people have concerns about the inexperience and whatever that i don't share but it's a thing and the celtics are just like the safest team in the league that we know what they can do we've seen them do it and not something that's been super under talked about when it comes to the boston celtics is like Jalen Brown and the health of his knee like over the last I don't know two weeks or so he's been like talking about how he's never had any serious injuries throughout his career and over these last few games even like the last game or one of the last few games you saw him play against the next year talking about how he only feel like 20 minutes don't have been using towards

the end of the stretch that's like also partly because like yo he has serious issues with his knee and he's been talking about this pain over the last few weeks that's been like kind of like terrorizing him and a ton of Celtics fans are noticing how scary and detrimental that could be towards their championship contending future. Yeah, for sure. Them being so unbeatable and so clearly the favorites is fully contingent on them being fully healthy because they have a top six that's utterly absurd and when they're all there, they're damn near unbeatable.

If you lose one of those colleges, you're still fantastic and maybe you could still win, but it's not a near certainty at all, especially with how great the Thunder are. So it sounds like we're on agreeance. Thunder go one? Yes. Thunder one for sure. Yeah, because if we're doing the power ranking, even though that it's like it's a whole,

it's not just the whole season, but it's also how you're playing right now. But at any 10 game stretch of the season, you can pull up the Thunder's numbers and they are one of the best teams in the league. So when you look at body of work, how they're playing right now, how they project to the playoffs,

they have the best combination of all three. They deserve to be at them more. Yeah. Now, I'm still putting in a one. my eye is trained, zoned in, honed in, red laser on his forehead to Mark Dagnall. I am watching carefully. There is not, this isn't a bad problem to have. It's a good problem to have.

But it's an important problem that he gets the right answer to is how they're going to handle these two big men. Like I said, Chad Holmgren is so unbelievably much better as a center than a power forward right now. He is not, I don't think you should be starting him in Isaiah Hardinstein full time as your main look. Obviously, you're going to run that lineup, but good amount. out. And if a certain match it calls for it, if you think that it gives you a better chance of defending Nicole Yokic and doing the Timberwell's playbook, sure, maybe you start for that series. But case-to-case basis may be different. I think the main look should probably be to go back to Chet at center. And a lot of Thunder fans feel like he's hiding his cards and not

going back to yet for this last week and kind of playing real vanilla because they had the one seat locked up and not want to give anything away, which might be the case. They have so many good players, but it really, really matters for the championship ceiling to beat the Thunder, I mean, to beat the Celtics, that they nail that part, I think. And that's going to be a big choice that we have to see what's how he goes on. Because he's been pro give the two big lineup time to gel and see if it becomes something, which I understand when your team is so good, you can experiment. And it has been good.

But I think every Thunder fan agrees that when they have the smaller lineup, the defense is a little more tenacious. They force a little more turnovers. They're a little bit faster. They have a better scoring threat from Chet there at the five. You can still go to the two big stuff in spurts. It feels like that's the right answer to me. But we'll see.

That's going to decide a lot to me. Yeah. And I do have a lot of faith in the Thunder and in Mark D to deploy the lineups as needed and use as in like as an adjustment and not necessarily the base of it. So I'm cool. I also think that a lot of it, a lot of this also depends on Jada. Because if you're able to play the, and we talked about the. last time, if you're able to play the two big lineup and J-Dub steps up offensively,

he might be inclined to be like, okay, well, we're good now, right? It's okay. But if you feel that you need a little bit more offensive juice, you might have to go back to that original look to help out J-Dade up, provide a little bit more spacing for everybody, and, you know, rely on chat as an offensive threat. So I, you know, again, we talk about this as X-Factors. J-Dub really is, I think, the key that's going to determine what direction they go in. Yeah, and it's not even just offensively, too. I think defensively is the bigger thing. When they're small, I think their defense is better when they're small,

which is like against what most people think would be the case, right? But they have so many insane perimeter defenders, and when they have Kaysen starting out there, and they have four guys that can be demons and passing lanes and cause turnover havoc, which is holding it down? That's been consistently the better defensive look, I think. True, true. Okay.

So they're one. Now, is there a debate between the top two East teams for two and three? Obviously, the calves are the one seed. They've been the one seat for the entirety of the year, pretty much wire to wire. They've earned a spot up top in a lot of people's eyes. We know what the Celtics can do, defending champs, that gives you benefit of doubt for a reason. The Celtics have kind of, they're getting healthy now, and the calves, not limped to the finish line, but they took their foot off the gas, obviously, because they've locked up the one seed. They have not been as locked in, and there's been some stinky showings because of it, but I think we can attribute that to nothing to play for, and naturally they took their eye off the ball a little bit, which is fine in a regular season perspective.

With that being said, it means something, though. I don't, I'm not throwing it completely away. The, the four-game losing street that they had, it was not. I don't give a shit about the four-game losing street. It means just a little bit to me, I think the game that they had the other day against the Kings at home, that, that one is a little bit alarming just because of how low I think of the Kings. Yeah.

But you played everybody. It's not like, you know, it's not like, okay, we're just going to, we're going to come out here, we're going to play everybody 25 minutes, and then we're just, you know, we're going to get out of here. All the starters played and they played regular minutes and they couldn't win at home in a game that I think would have like definitively locked up the one seat or something like that. But like they've had, like you said, they've had a couple of these moments where it's like, you're not as impenetrable as you look like.

But you know it's malaise. Like do you think, so I guess the question is you know that it is lack of focus because once he's locked up, do you feel like that's something that's going to translate and you think that's going to hurt them, or do you think they'll be fucking fine because they'll try harder? I think ultimately they'll be fine. However, I do think that those five games give me a little bit more credence to stand on because I've thought that the Celtics are the better team throughout the, in terms of like who I would take in a playoffs series.

That's fine, but because of those five games, if you credence to stand on, that feels like you're looking for a reason to say I was great. I was. That's bullshit I was and I found it If you did the Celtics are better That's fine If these five games

When they stopped trying Because they were so far ahead Is the reason why That's utter bullshit No For me personally Because I've been saying it But I didn't want to listen

So now I had to point to some losses Because everyone's like Oh look at the words Look at the stuff Now I have something Now I have something to show you guys But I do But I do think that the Celtics

I've You could have asked me In October You could ask me in January You could ask me now I would have taken the Celtics in a playoff series against the Cavs. I'm still going to do that, especially with the Celtics peaking, you know, peaking right now, even with, even with Jalen's injuries. I think that, one, KP's his offense and him being on the floor consistently, like Mo always says, that's what makes them unbeatable.

And two, the thing that I have asked and I have complained and screamed about for the last 18 months or whatever, about Jason Tatum, none of that matters anymore. Jason Tatum is, is that guy offensively doing, doing things carrying this team in big moments. That's right. The stuff that I have asked for, I am seeing. Say it again. He's him.

Top five player, superstar. For so top five player. For so superstar. For sure, top five. I think we throw around a superstar. Top four, but he's obviously a superstar. Jason, Dayton. What?

I think there's. There are five superstars. in the NBA. Now we're going to go into all the conversations. There's not five superstars. The league has gone so much bigger than what it used to be, Donovan. They're definitely, we need a brought in, like, how we talk about the word superstar now. If Jason Tame is not a superstar, we care way too much about this label.

He is so clearly a superstar. Yeah. We have to, I don't know if it's like 100%. That's not, that's not the point. I'm trying to praise him. I'm trying to say that he's really good. I'm trying to say that Jason Tatum is doing all the things. And I feel really, really good about the Southern.

right now. And if they don't make it to the finals, I will be shocked. I feel good about them too. I don't know. Mo, are you in agreement? Are the Celtics two for you? Me personally, yeah, the Celtics are two. They officially, like, overlapped the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seeing Chris Ops-Pradius come back fully in effect, while also seeing Jalen Brown, and I think it's like me bone bruising or something like that that he's been going through, like, hinder him. Prozingis is, I don't want to see he's more important to me than Jalen Brown, but I'm banking on. Like, seeing Prisengen's back, it just makes them unbeatable in every other way. If Fersingus is there, Derek White is there, Drew Holiday is there, and more importantly Tatum as well, then I'm going to put my worries about Jalen Brown to the side and see, like, this ginormous, this insane blueprint that just feels unbeatable.

I'm putting the Celtics in too. Fair enough. It doesn't matter if I want to be contrary to or not. The Celtics are going to, I'm outvoted regardless. I don't even know my answer is there. I've been strong with it all year. I've wanted to give the Cavs credit in like conversation to say we can't gloss over it because the Celtics are defending champs.

Like the Cavs are the one seed for a reason. It's kind of the Rockets thing that I understand the trends we see year by year of what transits to the playoffs. I understand that NBA fans at large feel the need to it to be proven to them that they need to respect to young team before they're willing to. I kind of hate that. But I also can't be upset by giving the Celtics credit when they're playing the way they are. and if they're going to be fully healthy,

that they're so unbelievably proven that I can't be mad at it. And also, like, there's only one, no matter how many good, like, young teams or, like, unproven teams there are in a season, only one of them is going to be able to prove people right, right? Only one person is going to be able to be the champion. So as for me, in my household,

we will be trusting in the Oklahoma City Thunder. And that's going to be our young team, and we can go from there. But, yeah, I think Boston, they are number two. And you just look down the line and at every turn in terms of who's going to be playing in crunch time, they have somebody who can make plays either offensively or defensively. And if Jalen Brown is not there, that's fine. Derek White's going to hit every time we shot that there is.

It does not matter. He's going to be shooting. Drew Holiday, he's going to have one game this playoff run. where it's going to be a tie game, he's going to go in and strip somebody and save the game that way. Al Horford, Al Horford is, they're going to have one game where people are going to say, hey, let's just pick on the old man today. And Al Horford's going to be like, I don't think you understand who I am, right? And he's just going to be fantastic defensively.

Peyton Pritchard is going to have his game. They have all of these ways that they can win. They have all of these options. They have the, you know, the experience. You have Jason Tatum coming into, you know, another level on everything. They should be too. Yeah. And there we are, man.

this feels a good list to me we went okay C number one obviously a close race between them and then two and three we have Celtics and Cavs how do we feel about the Grizzlies at 12 are we bummed the Grizzlies up to 7 8? I mean listen fucking 7 through 12 are all so tight

like I mean now I'm looking at I probably like the Grizz is a little bit more than the Pacers but I'm fine with it it's not it's so close I'm okay with 7 through 12 being whatever order we feel yeah I'm okay with this if I was doing the knee pick

stuff of course i think i'll move the grisies just like a tad bit of over the pacer's but overall i feel really i feel pretty good about the sense and then also of course i think back to like the timboros thing i think i'll push them bump them over the clippers but hey like it's just one spot over i'm going to kill myself over it can't do and i think this is the perfect td3 pyramid wow look at that our last power rankings of the year we all feel good about it but surely it will age absolutely terribly because this is going to be one of the craziest NBA playoffs that we've seen in a long time I think parity wise anything can happen like truly besides the one and two seats I guess really really just besides the one seeds

anything is in play for any outcome I don't even like have confident predictions this year like whatsoever besides the thunderer Celtics and calves will win the first round I have zero predictions I'm confident in truly truly anything can happen when I see the actual bracket I promise you I will go 100% with my predictions. I promise you all go about 50% because I'm horrible predicting the first round every single year. I'm just fucking ass at it. I will predict every series perfectly.

I'm so bad. I love that conflict, I'm horrible. First round series, I'm horrible. I'm horrible at it. Every year I suck at it. Well, I said the last two years I suck at it. It's hilarious. Yeah. With that being said, that's the end of the main part of the episode. Welcome to TikTok time. Coroner Eaters. We march.

Welcome to TikTok time. some fun stuff in line for you guys. The first thing we're going to do today, we're going to talk about the goat. You know, we haven't been mentioning him very much as of late. You know, we don't do enough talk about the goat. Talking about LeBron?

Talking about Stephen A. Smith. Today, we are going to grade that the best Stephen A. Smith takes, or not best, I should say. The most outlandish. The best than the worst. Probably mostly worse, but I pulled 10 of his most crazy, infamous takes.

Only the NBA ones. We're only doing the NBA stuff. We're not talking about Shoheyotani. We're not talking about. Anything else insane? Okay. Just the NBA stuff today. We're going to grade them.

You know, you guys let me know how they age, if they're good, if they're bad. I don't know if you're going to be, I don't even know if you're going to be grading them on correctness or not, because it's Stephen A. Smith,

but whatever you want to grade it on, you'd let me know. I'm grading on pure entertainment. Oh, man. Tois their own, do whatever you want with this, but I got 10 takes for you. I want to give you guys the reactions to them.

I don't care how right or wrong these takes are. I'm letting you know what right now. Okay. All right. First up, I am pleading with LeBron James as a father. Stop this. Again, on pure entertainment.

One, pleading to somebody as a father. When you don't, you don't even like him like that. Is Stephen A. a father? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, he just has a daughter. I didn't know that. But that, that right there, oh my goodness.

I'm giving this an F. This is ridiculous. It's pure entertainment. He knows how to keep the show going. And not only this sparked. Not only a media tour by him The media tour And LeBron

Going on Pat McAfee's show It gave us at least two weeks Bro Of just straight high school drama content I would understand this I would understand this If something crazy happened to Brani Only thing that happened is Tyreus Max

He scored six points on him That's why he said this He acted like he just put a torture chamber Like he got done up by an all-star boohoo Everyone gets that treatment bro What the fuck? He gave him two drives in the third quarter And he was like

Does he even care about his health? He acted like he was thrown in front of a train. Yeah, it was wild. But again, Stephen A. Smith is about the show. He's about the ratings. He knows how to say things in a certain way to get you to care. And boy, do LeBron care about this? He cared.

So on that, A. A plus. This is a F. This is a mean F, bro. He says this as if LeBron's over here, like, forcing Brony to play and telling JJ right to shut the fuck up and play Brony over there. Like, it's a mean F. Next one

I don't give a damn about that kid in Europe The Phoenix Sons have to take DeAndre Aton First overall in the draft He said in 2018 He led DeAndre Ains or get to him bro Another mean whopping F Because he's got damn wrong And also wasn't funny

He was talking about DeAndre Aten like he was Shaq He was like when you got the shirt They don't change your franchise You take over him to David Robinson I believe He was all in on him Who, listen, man, we all liked Aiden at the time. A lot of us also liked Luca at the time.

This was crazy then. It's not just revisionist history that's aged hilariously. Yeah, saying you don't give a damn about him as if he's just, as if Luke was just like some regular dude, Gorondragic or something of that nature is disgusting. That's what he thought he was. It was disgusting now. And it's a whopping F. Yeah, no thought. No thought.

This was Island Solidarity at its finest. you understand because Dandre A.N. He's from the Bahamas, Stephen A. Smith and his people are from St. Thomas. He said, I'm standing with my people. He's going first overall. We got up, we got this question. Again.

Oh, no, went back for his accent. He said, is that a trick question? To give him a Kwame Brown, who cares? Throw a parade whether you win a championship or not. This man was a bona fide scrub. He can't play. This might be. This might be the. Stephen A. NBA take of all time.

Like, this might be the most infamous one ever. I love that he was asked, did the Lakers get up too much for Powell Gasol? And if he was on TV, he wanted to be like, are you fucking dumb? He said, though, parade. Holy shit. Whether you win or not, we got him out of here. That's a chip in my eye. Like, who's the modern equivalent that if you traded him, you'd be like,

jobs finished, we won? I can't think of a single player in the league. According to Nico Harrison, it was Luca Dachax. Facts. I can't think of a single player that I have that much disdain for that I was like, besides the ones that don't keep their hands of themselves. But other than that, like, nobody do I feel this strongly about that. That I was like, when lose or draw, we won.

We got about it. I mean, I don't know. Yeah, never mind. I was going to say Westbrook, but even then for the Lakers, he wasn't like that bad as if you had to throw a parade. That's different. That's different. I mean, like you said, the Stephen A. Smith quote goes out in history and sports media history. This is an easy a.

Yeah. Plus. I'm so, because remember a couple years ago, Kwame Brown was going on a tour just talking about, he was going after everybody. And I'm shocked that Kwame Brown. And maybe he did it. I just didn't see it.

But did not run up and physically assault Stephen Smith for the state. Because this stays with Kwamey Brown for the rest of his life. How dare you be smirks by name like this? Dude, whenever most people think about Kwame Brown these days, they don't think of him as like the player in, like, positive or negative things that he did in the court. They think about Stephen A. Smith and what he said about about himself, bro. Yeah.

They think he can't commit two post moves to memory. Exactly. That is his legacy. He's got bad feet, bad hands. Yeah, he has small hands, bad feet. Can't commit two post moves to memory. That's such a bar. He can move, but he's not really mobile like that.

He was like, uh, bro, he was in the flow state. He's like impaired to a degree. Like what did he do? Like, this is very, insulting. That was just pure flow state takesmanship. This is the greatest take in NBA history. Next up, the Lakers should package Kyle Kuzma and picks to get Devin Booker. He said in 2020

January. Hey man, listen, Dilo and a pick could have got you anybody on NBA Twitter. Kuzma and a pick. This is January 2020. This is before or post-bubble? Before the bubble. Before the bubble. Before the bubble. Ah, so Kyle Kuzma, he hadn't hit the game winner yet. Yeah, nah

Whapping F minus He's doing the traditional Run of the Mill Lakers jargon And it's not entertaining It's diabolical To progressive conversations That we're having to the game

Today This is funny for so many reasons One hilarious Kyle Kuzman for Devin Booker Ha Two, this is like three months After the season started When they got Anthony Davis

They won the chip Later this year Why is he going so hard Three months into the experiment Everything about it was funny Suns fans are like What are you talking about Lakers fans are like, even I'm saying, what are you talking about? And I'm a

Lakers fan. I'm insane. It's just pure, pure bread insanity. Again, great stuff for the aggregators to take A plus take. A plus take. He knows how to get his words. He knows how to get his words into the mainstream. I love it. It's true. It's a craft. He's an emphatic speaker. Congratulations. Exactly. I think Kari should retire. Clearly you don't want to play basketball. all bad enough. He said this after he three games for personal reasons. Stephen A. Smith saw Kyrie

and he saw a demon. He hit everything about him this year. Oh my goodness. Again, A plus tape. Oh, my God. This is F. It's only A plus because you are watching you're like, I can't believe this is on TV right now.

And I can't believe that it's on TV and I don't have to pay to watch it. Right. I didn't know if you were allowed to be this dumb on TV. This is amazing. This is ridiculous. this. I think Kyrie should retire from basketball. First of all, Stephen A. You've used PTO

before. Let's not be outlanded here. Karee missed three games. He acted like he missed three months. Like he was at home chilling playing fucking war zone. Now, I understand why Kyrie has a bad taste in his mouth because of what happened in the previous year when he comes to the whole COVID shot stuff or whatever. But again, this is an insane drag. This is a F. F. C. C is funny as fuck, but F. Stephen A. Smith's ability to hold personal grudges is next level.

And the fact that he has fans like, fuck, I go out there, tell him he sucks. Who cares? It's hilarious. Can you imagine if you got an opportunity to interview Stephen A. Smith one day? I would have to know how to handle it. I would not know how to go about it. It would be so funny. I know we'd be yelling it'd be hilarious.

Yeah. All right. Next one. We need Stephen A. Smith for crayons. Oh, my goodness. That would be crazy. Crayon, eat is rejoice. We're going to ask him what a goat did.

I'll be cold We're going to ask him to do like Key for a couple of point guards And he's going to be like Yeah, but big booty Latinas He's like He's like, I'll try out of the place I'm like, sir

I said Steve Nash or Chris Paul He just want to talk about some ass That's all he wants to talk about He's on his own platform He just off the rails I'm like, are you cutting Kyrie or keeping him? He's like, bugs That is

Listen, that is true Anytime he's not on his platform, that's the only thing. That's all he talks about. That's horny. As fuck. If he's not on ESPN, it is booty and politics. Crazy combination, by the way. He's a political gooner, man.

He's like, one, I get hell of hose. Two, I can fix the country. Two, I can get hos while fixing the country. Oh, man. Oh, I can't breathe. he said you do not want to make an enemy out of me he told to kevin durant in 2015 again the tone in which he said this was fucking hilarious he said you don't want to make an enemy out of me as if he had shooters at every corner of katie's block exactly exactly i watched this i watched this live and i just

remember thinking like is he going to try and kill him what what's the what is the end goal if if kevin durant makes an enemy out of you what happens then like what's the what's the what's next step exactly I mind you this happened because all Kevin Rant said is I've never spoken to Stephen A. Smith because Stephen A was reporting that he would leave his team of re-agency and Katie was like I don't talk to

his ass. He said, none of my people know you, bro. All he said was Stephen A made that up and he was like count your fucking days. You don't make an enemy out of me. What are we doing, bro? Don't come to work.

Don't show up to Bristol and I'm telling you and like anytime anybody has anything to say about Stephen A and anything he says now he has to tell his whole life story I was eating tuna fish and Kool-A sandwiches I've been a reporter for 20 years working my way watching high school basketball exactly working my way on the New York Daily Post on this on that just like yeah I just said I didn't think that the clippers were going to win the championship Bro, he takes every single thing personal. That's what makes him great, I guess.

I know, my favorite Stephen A quotes and when he threatens violence to professional athletes, so I'm going A plus. Okay. And very much is like, who do you think you are? I love it. We have been hoodwinked, bamboozled, let us stray, run amok,

and flat out deceived. He said after the Knicks Stratt of Christophezzarzenegger. This is the most factual thing that he has ever said. Not because Christopheuse was a quote-un-called bad draft pick, but because Phil Jackson, came into, he came on to the Knicks and said, we're going to be a contender this year. We're going to try and compete.

And then he picked somebody that after the draft was like, yeah, he's a project. He's going to take some time. We're like, what? Why are you doing this? Mind you, Stephen A. Smith said, you could have drafted Willie Colley Stein just as Winslow or Stanley Johnson. Amen.

I think they made out okay. Hey, man. At the time, everybody was very high on Stanley Johnson. I know. I remember. At the time. Man. Crazy.

This wasn't even him. as an analyst. This was peak fandom at its finest, right? He was so distraught. He was so, again, deceased, running a muck, bamboos, and all those things of that nature. And to, I felt every single word

that he said at that time, that me right there carries on for decades, bro. You know how upset you've got to be to feel like you've been run amok? I've never felt run amok in my life. Could we? You've never had Phil Jackson as your GM. Not once. I've had Magic Johnson. I still didn't feel run a muck. And he

did some bullshit. Then he trade He tried to beat the Zubach for nothing. For like a second round picker, some dumb shit like that? No, for that one dude. What's that white shooter?

Mike Muscala. Mike Muscala. Anytime we're talking about You don't understand this. Isaac and I were in the car together. He pulled over to the side of the road to send out a tweet over how disgusting he was.

That Zubach was, we left a Waffle house because Zubbos got traded. And Isaac was like, this is devastating. This is fucking idiot. I can't even eat my head browns right now. And I still didn't feel run amok. I can't even have my all-star special.

I did feel hoodwinked and bamboozled, but not quite run amok. This is an A-plus take. This is hilarious. A-Eleet. A-plus. It's the weakest move I've ever seen from a superstar player. He said when Kevin Durant joined the Warriors. I'm giving this an A-plus because he came off of, because he said that he was on vacation

and came out of vacation to talk about this and to give this. take once again creating a rip between him and Kevin Durant making an enemy out of Kevin Durant in this statement. This is after the other one though. So you already had bad blood. He came out and he was like, I got to take every opportunity to call this motherfucker soft.

This is the week. This is the very next year. So he had the most static for him. He was super charged up, especially after his boss is hit him up and be like, yeah, big boy. But yeah, big boy, you got to go ahead and cut that vacation short. Come back in the studio. We need you. Yeah. This right here,

A plus. This take defined how people felt about Kevin O'Ret for the next four years. And even to this day, some people will still call it the weakest move from a superstar. Some people. Look at the man in their mirror. Hey, man. No, Stephen A. Smith set the tone for this. It'd be like that.

Okay, next one. I don't know why Nike made these uniforms with hoodies. You're going to have a lot of white folks in the crowd who think this is Trayvon Martin being revisited. He said in 2018. when J.R. Smith wore a hoodie on the bench. I will say what the fuck? In this current moment,

I am feeling hoodwink, bamboozle, like to stay running a mug. Because you said it wasn't going to be anything wild. And this is insane. This is the most... I forgot about this. He saw J.R. Smith simply wear a tech fleece hoodie. And he was like,

That's a threat. The white folks can't handle this. What the fuck was he talking about? This was ludicrous. Hearing him, yeah, that's a threat. They're going to see people with his stats. They're going to see Bradley Beal and be like, whoa. That's a threat.

Folks like didn't want to sit around J.R. because he had his hoodie on, bro. They forfeited their seats. We don't want to sit around him. What is he talking about? He said the bench is no. place for a hoodie. I feel like the bitch is a perfectly acceptable place for a hoodie.

That feels so okay to me. He said white folks in the crowd who think this is Trayvon Martin being, right? Why are you throwing Trayvon Martin's name in this sentence, bro? You could have just said it was unprofessional. He's fucking insane.

F to your take. What was he cooking? It's insane. This gets forgotten about in the list of crazy shit he said. This is so forgot. I completely forgot you just brought back a wave of memory and this is like this is pete stephen a smith when he was doing like get up in the morning two hours of first take leave for leave first take have lunch do three hours of a radio show he was talking for like eight hours straight just saying

nonsense at a certain point it was it was ridiculous and if you talk for eight hours straight something out of your mouth but there's no excuse for something this wild this is this isn't even close the most offensive thing he said though i'm not condoning it i'm just like you know the You're at home, do not Google Stephen A. Smith, Ray Rice. Don't do it. Do not look up what he said about Ray Rice. I'm going to do that right now. Don't do it. Don't do it. Next up we got. If he put his hands on me, I would have swung on him. Talking about LeBron's confrontation. Again, a plus because it's great TV. And in defense of Mr. Smith, he did say that LeBron would have beat him up. He did say I would have gotten the work. But as a man, I just had to, from my,

My own personal pride, I had to do it. Why did he bring this up at all? Nobody suggested LeBron who put his hands on him. He felt threatened. Dude, what makes Stephen A look in a more like a clown after this is that LeBron posted a mean of Stephen A boxing. And he looks like a puncher that he threw so the guy Stephen A. He was going to throw out his goddamn shoulder, bro. It looks so bad and weird.

One, he brought up, uninhibited. Nobody told him to. He brought up what he would do if Stephen A put it, if LeBron put his hands on it. him and then he brought up he would also get beat up about it nobody didn't force you to say any of these words i would have swung on lebron james you would have missed you can't reach mind you mind you he just signed his new contract he was feeling on top of the world of course he would have swung of course he would have swung i'm the hundred million dollar man so now I'm suit him and that's the last one we got this one is just hilarious let's go d

Swung on LeBron You are out of your mind No, I'm going to A plus He's hilarious Next thing we're going to do It was funny Nick Wright said That Stephen A Smith was writing fan fiction In real times

That's exactly he was doing For himself He was living out of wild his dreams Elite God Stephen Netsmith's a wild guy Insane Next thing we're going to do We're going to guess the NBA player

By their jump shots We've done a lot of guests the NBA player variance You've guessed by hairlines You guess by smiles By noses By teams that played for By stat lines

By colleges By all sorts of variety of things Today Can we guess any more You're gonna see a silhouette We absolutely can't We've actually never done this I've been waiting on this

Bro So I wanted to Yeah I've been waiting on this for you You have no idea I've been waiting on this game For fucking seven eight months bro

And it finally happened I've been training for this moment Okay I don't think it's too hard I did some recognizable with jump shots. Maybe next time we do it, it'll be insanely hard and I'll do some bullshit. But this time it's all popular players at. I think you guys should be able to do well at this. We'll see. I gave you as

layups to start. We'll see. Maybe you guys disappoint me. I don't know. Maybe it's easier said because I know who it is. But yeah, real simple. You'll see us in the wet. You tell me who the player is. Let's do it. First name, who is this? This is easy to me. Go ahead. This looks like a two guard. One of the greatest of all time. I'm leaning towards Kobe Bryant. I'm looking at the arc of his shot too

and how that left hand is laying on that ball or guiding that ball. I think that's Kobe or MJ but I'm leaning towards I'm leaning towards actually this might be I'm leaning towards Kobe right now I do think

let's see let's see I can see I can see the Kobe but the arms are kind of skinny though you're saying Kobe swole and so like KD, maybe? No, not KD, not KD. Like a fading KD? I think

it looks like this is like the damn near like the release point of the shot. So I'm going to lean towards Kobe or MJ and I'm going to say Kobe, but now I'm starting to feel like it's MJ but I'm going to say Kobe. I'll trust him. We'll go Kobe. This is Kobe Brian. Katie's arms are way longer than that.

Boom. Yeah, there we go. The Archivist shot is so one to one for me. The high release point. It makes it real clear that it's Kobe. Okay, this is the start off an easy one. Who is this player? Oh, my God. This player's swole as shit.

And this floor looks off. Look at the head. It's on both sides of the ball. Yeah. Looks like you shoot it with his forehead. It does. It looks like he's playing volleyball. He's just going to throw the ball up. I don't know who this is.

I think this is. This is not too hard. Is he playing right now? No. Probably not. Is this Larry Bird? this is larry bird what wow that's crazy i was going to say this goddain jokim noah i'm in the pocket i'm in the pocket yeah this is larry bird okay two for two textbook as it can get okay yeah yep

next one who is this photo alert photo alert float alert no that's not a floater that's a one hand and if you see they got a little bit of froze this is jeremy so hon this is jeremy so hon this is jeremy so That's crazy. You're in your bag right now. Yeah, there's a one-handed free throw. Brother, locking with lethal shooter, man. Why are we in the NBA taking one-handed free throws? Because he understands it now.

Clearly he doesn't. I hope he made the shot. I bet he did. He probably didn't. He was like... It's probably like a 50% chance you made. Three for three so far. Okay, you guys are kind of cooking.

Next up. This is like a deep shot. I can tell because... What the? Yeah, it's a low release point. This is weird. I think this is Trey Young. This is a deep shot.

No. No, because Trey Young is more of like a push. This is. Yeah, this looks like a push shot. I don't, I don't think so. Because art don't feel as high. Yeah. Low key.

Low key. Loki. I can, I can kind of see this being Shea potentially. Hell no. Shade doesn't, sheet. I know what you're good. No, it's not. It's also not Trey Young

Ooh, not Shea, not Trey Young But somebody who's also She's a lot closer to the shoulder It's not so like Weirdly out of Okay I think this could be Palo Baner if so then

Bro, this skinny motherfucker He thinks this is Palo Van Caro I was thinking Tyrese This is Tyrese This is Tyreys Alliburton What? Oh man Look at his godhand

It's not even on the ball He's got two fingers on it His jumper is crazy Palabaccaro is crazy Palabaccaro is small as hell compared to this God damn Look at Tyree Saliburian's soul

He cut in the gym a little bit Okay, fair enough, very enough I'm lying Lateral raises, I see you Next up Who is this? This is the favor. This is ferocious

This smells like greatness This smells like one of one This smells like LeBron James My Glorious King Spend a lot of time Smelling him Yo A couple whips here and there

This is LeBron James Correct guess Boom Ooh, I know that beautiful shot from anywhere. Work of art, masterpiece, if you ask me. You're right. All right. You do know that shot.

You got it right at me. I guess the glaze is warranted. It's not glaze. It's in my blood. Next up. Who is this player? Oh, see, that arm is too skinny and it's in line. Now, if you know, there's only a certain population of people that really, really shoot with their elbow in line.

Those are the whites. Is this Chet Hungry? This is not Chad Holmgren. Oh, that's crazy. Okay, he looks left-handed It could be lefty though Yeah Is this lefty

He looks lefty? Who can that be? Chris Bosch? Tayson Prince Taison Prince I will say you're There's something in common What you said for the first person

But it's not Chet Holmgren White man White lefty Skinny white lefty who are we thinking of here I don't know where you're getting lefty from I don't know what the fuck you're looking at

to see lefty well it looks lefty because it's traditional left hand shot but I guess it's inverted um all right never mind I'm assuming he's white then yeah just a white man

all right let's think let's think the arms are they're mad skinny though keep my name's something got oh yeah it's just yeah the silhouette can be a little bit tricky

look at that belly oh this is Nicola Yolkits yeah that's why it is from behind too that's why yeah yeah that's what I was like

Lefty what are you talking about I guess you saw it flipped yeah okay okay this is Nicola Yokic Yeah the release point is dumb high

skinny arms belly He's reaching for the goddamn God's with it when it comes to when it comes to yeah shoot that bitch of Matalypus

I'm trying Next up, who is this? He's nice as hell. I can already tell. Damn, glaze. Always live, I can tell. Wait, just show me. I just, I hope it's just not somebody that's good.

He's good. I swear to God, he is. There's no way he's not good. You said you can tell he has aura from the movement pattern? Oh, God. Oh, man. This isn't a shot of losers' take. Exactly

Oh shit Who is this Come on They're good step up I need a name You said he's sexy Take your pick You did say that

I don't know if sexy's enough Like I didn't say it was sexy What the hell It was a sexy Shut What is it? Is this

I don't know This just feels like Some two guard Is Jordan This is not Michael Jordan Fuck Is this Jordan Pool

It's not Jordan pool fuck all right so the head is it's close it's kind of above the head of is this she it's not she damn this one should be easy is it i think so kair irving this is kairi irving this is the shots yeah yeah yeah yeah so smooth he's so tough what i say donovan you thought i was so tough See, my tough radar was going crazy. Who is this? Oh, fuck. See, I don't even know which way they're shooting.

And that's a problem. Dude, he's like loading up a lawnmower. He's searching all the way back. Who does you feel like this? It's like, way over the head. It's like a therapist blot. What do you see in this? Exactly.

Way over the head. You see your darkest fears? way over the head like that it's catapulting the ball you're describing it you're describing it properly there's somebody

should pop in your head yeah I'm searching for Donovan has a better in my sister Donovan has a better chance to get in this one I mean this can't be

something crazy like Bill Cartwright or something is it Marcus Canby this is not fuck no shit that's a crazy pool

over the back you shoot funny too bro who's the funny MKG correct this is Michael Come on Gilchris.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. See, that's how bad his jump shot is. I'm saying it's going over the back of his head, and it's right there in front. Nobody knows where the ball is. He doesn't know where the ball is. This is so crazy. It looks worse than this great shot that he does in real life.

This looks madness. He's one of the most tragic stories in the league, bro. Nothing even wrong with him, too. You have a jumper like this. Tragic stories. He didn't die. He was not biased. Who is this player?

Oh, this is Kevin Durant. This is not Kevin Durant. Wow. This is Steph Curry. Incorrect. This is not Steph Curry either. Okay. This dude looks like...

Clay Thompson? Yeah, there we go. There we go. The most perfect form you can imagine, just pristine. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It was either going to be Katie, Steph, or Curry. Yeah, it was somebody perfect.

Sub splash bro of some sort. Yeah. And that's the end of that. You guys are pretty good. Do you guys anything? That's fun. That's hard, though. Didn't struggle too much.

It was good. I couldn't tell for far because I knew them. So it was kind of hard to, like, divorce that in my head. Yeah. It got harder when they were, like, shooting free throws. Yeah, yeah, when they were backwards. Yeah. Okay.

Next year we're going to do, let's get negative. I want us to name the most disappointing player in the league this year from every position. So it can be a variety of skill sets. It could be from context, like they didn't get opportunity. They didn't play well. Whatever may be to you, who disappoints you the most of the season, point guard through center. Is there anybody obvious to jumps out that you want to? go to right away.

Most disappointed by this season. I don't think so. I'll say John Moran. Continuously throughout this season, I would say John Ray. But he's bounced back as of late, so I feel like it's starting to normalize a little bit, and like it was coaching related. But he's up there. Is Lamello Ball disappointing because of how another year of injuries that after the

hot start, it kind of fell off? Yeah. For the sake of injuries. yeah like for the first I don't know 20 30 games of the year he was on fucking fire and then he went out he missed a couple games

and since then he shot like 39% from the field for the rest of the season so I think it's some of it could be La Mello yeah there's so many question marks that just still haven't been answered we still have the same questions we had a year ago yeah I'm sorry

I mean on this note we gotta go draw and beat it center 100% like it's not that's not a question this isn't disappointing in him it's just sad that his body's given up on him and we're done with the prime of what was an MVP level player, all you can be is disappointed because it's unfortunate.

And guess what? On top of that, two guard, Paul George. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Or I guess he's really more over three. Yeah. Either one. Either one.

Paul George is on there for sure. You're paying this guy $60 million a year and he looks like he's far past his prime. Damn. All right. So we have, we have Lamello at the one. Paul George at the three, Joel and beat at the five. Let's fill in the two and the four. Hang.

I mean, Zion got hurt again. We'll pay 30 games. But he looked exceptional when he was there. So I don't know. It's kind of what you expect at this point. So I don't know. So this guy was kind of already on a downward trajectory, but this year has been absolutely terrible.

Bobby Portis at the 4. I guess. Bobby Park is no deserve to be on this list, bro. I love Bobby. And I know you are Bobby Ford is super fan. How are you on PDs and you're still bad? Can we just split the entirety of the Phoenix Suns organization on this list somehow? Just one through five.

Yeah, put Matt Ishby at the two. mostly Bradley Bill Bradley Bill is the two I think Bradley Beal is stealing money from the team which listen left his king

robbing those billionaires blind I'm not really disappointed Bradley Beal shout out proletarian king Bradley Beal stealing from Matt Ispia but my God is he doing cardio

there was up right now we don't give a yeah there was a clip the other day of them playing the wars where he just started yelling after Steph Curry 3

and they're like man he's juring for the other team Bradley Bill can be the two four who's going to be a power forward this one's hard I mean low key I'm marking in

not having a good year because the jazz are a fake organization that could be up there okay that could be up there yeah I'm not really seeing anybody else

who's going like see that him or crazy disappointed him or Zion or or a little bit disappointed in Scotty Barnes

maybe that could be the four but he's kind of just shown Yeah, not really him His team is really that out We can go Lowry Because we actually did think

That the Jabs were going to be Kind of decent at the start of the year Lowry was a big part of that They obviously are trash So yeah, we'll go Lowry at the 4 T. John Salon T. John Salon? Is I marking the best answer here for the 4?

I'm looking around There's not a lot of disappointing power 4s It could be, yeah I mean, I could say I'm not right What are we going to say? I was going to say Jalen Johnson did disappoint me

because he's been hurt for the second straight year but he did so development in his game so it's a different type of disappointment not within his game I'd say yeah isn't even the Mavericks they're so disappointing

ah what about the goodness Julie is Randall disappointing no he's better who he bounced back he should be honestly I think we might have it down I think having Lamello

the Phoenix Suns Paul George Larry Markening and Joel NB I think that's okay. Yeah, I'm cool with iron marketing. You know, part of it is the Jazz are tanking, and he has, they're sitting him for injuries that probably don't exist. But also, it just, everything has been slightly worse to him this year

when we thought he was going to be a recurring All-Star. He'll probably get back to it when the Jazz is trying to win games again, but it hasn't been pretty this year. And guess what? He got his money, too, sitting down. Shout out those scammers. We love it. Speaking of scammers, another underrated scammer is Patrick Williams.

Remember, like, two years ago I was going bat for him. My fuck assuming, like, 30-5. who were we debating it was him or somebody i forget i don't remember who were we arguing i remember i was like who do you think this motherfucker is i forgot who we're arguing between i feel like you had like kegan murray or something like that oh yeah my been kicking murray serious wow i think so it was something it was outlandish it don't matter regardless like the top 10 oh power for do we go jonathan camminga loki oh wow let's move fast it actually is it cammingo

I think it is going to be good. I mean, listen, I'm trying to get back into the Chase Center, so we'll just go with Lauer Room. Listen, it hasn't been pretty. It's coming back. It's not fitting with Jimmy Butler. It's not going well. Next thing we're going to do, though.

Honorable mention. I'm going to name two NBA players. I want you to tell me who has the higher NBA 2K rating right now. No, I don't play the game. Yeah, none of us are average 2K players anymore these days. So based on what you expect, who has the higher 2K rating? I'm watched. LeBron James or Jason Tatum.

He's got to be 10. Tatum, but that LeBron juice might be that Luke LeBron and Lakerboots might be real, but I'm still leaning towards Tatum. I'm never going to say that 2K is going to put Tatum over LeBron. Give me LeBron in 2K. Wow. NBA 2K is run by some goddamn

hype beast. You are correct. He is one spot above Jason Tatum. There's no way that LeBron is going to retire anything lower than a 95. It doesn't matter if you average is 18 points a game. 94 overall. I can't even be mad at this, bro. I think it's wrong. But, hey,

When I put on my LeBron James shades on and I realized who I am at heart, this is correct. And you realize you look in the mirror and you're like, damn. I'm a glazer. I am a bronze sexual. It is what it is. And I'm proud. Next up, Anthony Davis or Anthony Edwards. Anthony Davis has been out of people's mind for a long time.

Andy Edwards, not only because you had last year when he was great, added the three-point shot to it. Give me Anthony Edwards. Keep mind, Anthony Davis. recently have Lakers juice. How long does it take to wear off? One update cycle. Give me Andy Edwards. I think it's Anthony Edwards, too.

I don't know why, but AD just looks, he looks like Celtic Shack in this Mazger's jersey. It just doesn't feel right now. It just don't fare right. So I'm going to be. I'm disrespectful. Give me, man, man. Anthony Davis is one overall higher than Anthony Edwards.

Wow, so respecting him. They don't appreciate the three-point leap from Anthony Edwards. What was he last year? I'll round this. It's been the same. Wow. Okay. Better better at all.

This is Anthony Davis-love, not Ant-Man Slander. Okay. All right, too, okay. For respect on the Mavs legend. Richard Wemann Yama or Kevin Durantz. I love Wendy. He's not there yet. It's still Kevin Durant.

KD is also another one of those guys where he's not, he's not retiring. Keep in mind, the sons are absolute dog shit. I don't care. That boy nice. They're a dog shit too. That boy nice. There's a lot of guys on that team that are nice. Doesn't matter.

They still suck. I don't know. Kevin Durant. The San Antonio. Spurs sucked, too, even when Wemby was on the court. So I'm leaning towards KD. Yeah, but the sun's suck in a way that's disrespectful to sports as we know it.

What does that have to do when Kevin the three-point line? To give bunnies. Yeah. Fingles. It's O.D. This is one of his most efficient years as well. It just doesn't make any sense. I'm leaning towards K.E. Victor Wormon Yama is one overall higher.

He tried to warn us. Wow. Okay. Okay. Okay, 2K. That's so ridiculous. Kevin Dere is the perfect 2K player. Yeah.

I guess the defense of that's right of this world. I'm okay. 93 for Kevin Dore. It feels weird. Yeah, I'm surprised they're doing that much. It's not crazy, but I'm surprised they're willing to be honest.

I'm surprised not even tied up. Okay. Yeah. They're getting ahead of the Wimby Love. You'd rather be too early than too late. Okay. Carl Anthony Towns or Cade Cunningham. This was hard.

It is hard because Kat does have that New York love when he's been putting up monstrous numbers but Cade has arrived This is a very tough one When you're thinking about like public perception And what like the masses will say This one's kind of hard Yeah the mass is

Cade is blown up this year though And so that's why that's why I'm stuck So has Bodega Cat He earned that nickname They didn't give it to him Cat has the best PR he's had in a decade I'm going with cat By one

I think I might lean towards Cade because statistically thinking about the ratings and shit he probably has better defensive ratings than cat and his offensive ratings cat is one overall higher who nailed it okay sounds a bodega cat

there we go man 93 is that's gas that's crazy gas as good as Kevin Durant gas that's ridiculous and what planet one overall lower than Wemby topy is sloppy that is ridiculous next up

are kind of high, man. Austin Reeves or Deeran Fox? Lakers push. Ah, wow. Deeran, new team. What has this world come to? Austin Reeves is having an amazing season. I understand that.

He's playing Austin, for sure. He is. Deeran has had somewhat of a down year due to injury and shit. But it's the air. It's the air pot. Like, he has to be over Austin Reeves at least right now. I feel like they ain't been watching. I'm going to lean towards, I think, I think they're the same.

overall. I think they're the same overall. Oh, you think it's a trick question. Yeah. Incorrect. Austin Reeves is one overall higher. Shout out the Lakers, man. Shout out the Lakers. We got three all-stars. I always would have told him this during her interview, bro.

So we can slander Austin Rees to my face and make me sad. I'm glad to tell him this. What? That's insane. That's crazy. That white boy is dangerous. How many times I'll tell you guys? He is very, very good. but the gap is

wider than they think it is. Oh, so you think Austin Reuters there's a 90 and he's four overall that you think it's wider than it should be. Go to hell. Exactly. This guy. Evisa Zubach,

or Bam out of bio. You said it earlier. You think that Zubach is one of the most underrated players in the league. Correct. I think that goes to 2K. I'm going to go with the Olympian and Bam out of bio.

I agree. I think BAM stats have took a hit especially earlier in the year and I think that he's still working back up to get his credentials back for now Zubatch Oh, you're one Zubatch Donnell on Bam

Oh Yeah, I'm going to Zubach I'm going to Zubach because you Like, I'm with you I think that Zubach is underrated I don't think that he's getting the love like that So I think that BAM in this moment is higher

2K knows ball Zubotch is better by one overall Zubatch at 88 overall And the Laker's straight at him from Mike Muscala I want Magic Johnson I won't even finish my sentence But it wasn't going to be

I'm not going to be here He's out of the now Magic Johnson when I catch you When I catch you magic He's like I'm a swing on Magic Johnson He'll put his hands on me Oh that's so Shoutouts we watch man

Tyrease Halliburton Or La Mello ball This shouldn't even be a question bro But 2K has You know they feel a lamello at 2K You know he is the 2K player Other than Kyrie Irving Katie It's like La Mello Ball's run on that list

I'm going Tyrese Tyrese is just a better player I'm going to Tyreys Halliburton Yeah but it's 2K You have to realize who's behind These ratings and statistics I'm a lean towards La Mello Ball It's always safe to go towards the hypebees pick

But this time they know ball Tyre's Halliburton is one overall higher One overall is still disrespectful to Tyrese Halliborne, but okay, okay, 2K. I doubted you. When they're right, they're right. Broken clock. James Hardin or Kauai Leonard?

This is the trick question. Same rating. Mo, what do you think? I think, oh, man. One missed one time, one held the team down, one's the two-time finals MVP who gets a lot of, a lot of benefit of the doubt. Where are we going?

James Hardin had a 50-point game. like a couple weeks ago. So I'm going to lean towards his Hardin for now. You'd be correct. He is one overall higher at a 90. James Hardin at a 90s. Dude, two candy's rate. This rating inflation's ridiculous.

Zubach 88 Hardin at 90. They better win the fucking playoff series. They better win the guy. This is crazy. They have to go to the worst of competition. Back in my day, it was an honor to be a 90. This is crazy. Yeah, 98.

This is the one of the three best years in the league. No, it is. He's not talking about a bum. He's a fucking legend. Okay. Evan Mobley or Palo Bancaro? So, it's looking like they know a little bit of ball here. And they are crediting people for the season that they've had.

So because of that, I think Evan Mobley might be higher than Palo. I think Evan Mowie's defense stats are ridiculous. And they seem the three-point shot added into his game. He might be a 75. in that category for 2K now. And it's definitely higher. I think it should be higher than Palos, so I'm going to lean towards Evan Mobley.

It's the numbers game. Evan Mobley is two overalls higher at a 92. Oh, even Mobley at 92. Yo, 2K is. Inflation is crazy, bro. Holy shit. He deserves it. That shit feels accurate to me.

92. One of the best two-way player is in the NBA. 92. If Kat's a 93, Evan Moby deserves a 92. Again, that's also inflation. Yeah. Well, this is a player I like.

That's a player I don't like. So I'm going for who since this is worth it. It's $85. He's, I mean, he's, this, I'm all-star now. Let's talk about back in my day, though. Back in my day, he's, oh, your day sucked, old man. My day was correct. We had truth.

We didn't give anyone 90s. Nevermoving's not anyone, though. No disrespect. Shea goes to Alexander or Luca Donchich. Shea. You got the. This one's tough. This is Shay's year.

This is Shay's year. Through and through. Lucas is a Laker. Lucas had a down year, though. It's just now having his best game of the entire year in game 79 of the year. I think Luca, I'm going to Luca. Okay, Steve, fans, you riot if this is true.

This is a tough one. The two best guards in the NBA, undoubtedly. Right now, Shea is two overalls higher. Two, ninety-eight. You know what's crazy? That's not ridiculous. This feels fair to me. Luca has not been Prime Luca at all this season.

Shea is insane. is not ridiculous. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Wow. I don't know ridiculous to say at all. Okay.

Someone's at the comments that can be like, She's probably at the free throw line right now. And I bet he's making them all. I bet he deserves it still. 99thito rating. Damn right. Like that. Okay, good.

Very warranted. This makes sense. It's crazy. 98 is insane. That's like he might be the best player in the game then if that's the case. He's tired. Yeah. Yonis, Shea and Yolkut are all 98.

Wow. K2K. Hmm. 398. in the game. Three best players in the world. See, Mo, back in our day. She's a cool, like, 93, 94 back in my day.

Exactly. But it blows. It's okay. My day was correct. My day was when shit was in order. Okay. Next thing we're going to do, let's see, what do we have left? Okay.

We're going to rank the top 10 players in the NBA right now going to the playoffs. We're going to do a combined ranking where I'll do number one. then you guys go two or Donovan goes two or you go three and we'll combine to rank who we think are the top ten players for the playoffs

okay as I say going to the series who you think are the most dangerous players okay top ten that was a disgusting sounding burp straight those pistachios

and cashews dogging down my throat right before two uh before ticot time whoopsies just nut medley okay the fuck

uh that wasn't even that wasn't even when I was getting that triple nut damn number one player easily obviously going to cole yokic i think we can go chalk there that's clear best player in the game yeah and that's going to be the case for the playoffs still now is the team going to be good enough for it to fucking matter no but he'll be number one okay donovan who's number two uh all right the second best player heading into the playoffs this is tough this is tough because

there's two options there is you know you know the right one you know the right one we we got We got to go with the MVP. We're going to Shay, Gilgis, Alexander. That's not ridiculous. That's very fair. He's clearly the best score in the NBA right now. Bucks fans, I understand. Yonis is still amazing.

Salute. I think he's final three to three. Yonis' defense has been ridiculous. This is the easiest three of my goddamn life. He's an argument for him to be number two. The defense is insane. The rebound is there. His passing over the last few weeks since Dame has been out,

or the last two weeks since Dame has been out, have been ridiculous again. He's easily number three. Number four, the conversation's open now. Yeah, four, I feel inclined to go Jason Tatum and respect the body work. If Luca's rounding into shape, it could be Luca, but for the whole season,

Tatum's been better. We're talking about heading into the playoffs. Are we projecting or what we're seeing today? Heading into the playoffs. Fuck, we're going, Luca. Who! We can't even respect Tatum. We can't even respect Tatum?

That's why. Ted is been better this moment. Tate doesn't have been better all year But listen Playoff Luca I'm gonna take the bet That's why I'm being as a blind faith I'm a Lakers fan

Don't expect objectivity here And that is why I'm going with Jason Tadam at 5 Should be 4 Listen he's been better for the regular season I'm going to be better all year Damn I wonder how long we're to go

Without saying a player from the Cavas I ain't picking a cavalier right now Hell no not this soon I didn't intend to Okay Number six Mo Number six these are where the vets come in

I could say Steph I could say LeBron won't be crazy for either either of those guys I'm going to lean towards LeBron because I trust his decision making and I think the defense is going to remain to hold true

Glaze all right Yeah Don't tell me he glazed me You just picked Luca over Tatum Yon is LeBron at 6 is way crazy than that Lebron at 6 is insane

No you don't put Oh my God How can you call yourself a Laker fan and willing to glaze. I guess we'll go Anthony Edwards at seven. I feel like that's fair. Am I missing somebody? Am I missing somebody?

It's Anthony Edwards, Steph, or Brunson? I guess those are three that I'm choosing between? Around this conversation, yeah. So, like, personally, I would have Brunson at, like, six or seven, but the fact that he's coming off of an injury and still, like, is taking just a little bit of time to get back into his rhythm.

I can see him being at the bottom of this list I'll go Steph because he has help now we think he'll look like Steph in the playoffs but I'm not mad at going Ant-Man okay well Donovan where you're going I got a pig with my heart

I'm going with Mr. Brunson that's over over Anthony Ehlers Jaylon stop it stop it stop it no no but this is not even glazed off we've seen Jaylen Brunson in the playoffs put offenses on his back I understand. Score 40 night after night after night.

I'm going with Jalen brothers. I understand. It's just a hell thing. It's just the hell thing. That's the only thing that it's in the air is he going to be 100% but it's not ridiculous. I love that we're putting in this top 10. He deserves it.

Yeah, for sure. That's not crazy at all. I guess to finish this off, naturally I have to pick Anthony Edwards. He does he can. There has been, yeah, there has been times where he's given the Timberwolves or helped them give 40 while also playing elite elite defense on the perimeter. So I think that's easy pick.

So who's number 10? 10's hard. Let's do this by committee. Because this is, I don't know who was number 10. Okay, so the options are we can take somebody from the caps. We can take. So you can go Dematch. You can go Cade.

Yeah. You can go Tirees Halliburton. Do we go? Why? Does Kawhi belong in these conversations? I don't think so. Just consistency. I don't, jaw.

I'm not doing that, but I understand. So, yeah. I think that if those are the options I might lean towards Cade I you know Cade over D Mitch I'm gonna go D Mitch

No yeah D Mitch Demish has taken a step back To allow others to eat this year But I think if he needs to In a playoff setting He can still turn it up I'll go him over Cade But it's pretty close

Yeah let's do that I can't be I can't not have a I can't not have a cap in the top 10 Yeah I can't be mad at that That would be disrespectful

So we got Yokic Shee Janis Luca Tatum Lebron Steph Brunson Edwards DeMitch It feels fair

It feels pretty good And like we're giving Steph the benefit of the doubt I don't think it's ridiculous We're giving LeBron and stuff The benefit of the doubt LeBron's crazy I'm not going to let's shout

I hope he plays this level Because in the Lakers We're gonna see Walsing to the conference finals Yeah If they have This is gonna age like wine Three four weeks from now

You're gonna be like oh Oh it's cooking You don't even drink wine No I will There's no scenario right All right Clip this y'all I don't drink why I'm on LaHennessy, leave me alone

I don't even have a bottle Oh, I don't, damn Okay, and last thing we're going to do We're going to do a little quasi playoff prediction Where we're going to have some ex superlatives that we're going to put in These are your final predictions before the playoff start You've got to stand on it, a variety of categories Stand on it

Yep, I'm going to ask you a question, you just answer it Okay Who? Why is it not working? Who wins the Western Conference? Oh, man, just straight up like this? Yep. This is tough.

No, it's not. It's the OKC Thunder. But I'm picking the team that's 14 games ahead of the second seed. I'm leaning towards the Oklahoma City of Thunder. They're doing dominance. It's day one for all types of injuries. Or there would be Chet Hungram breaking his hip, Isaiah Harnstein missing out on some time,

J-Dub missing out towards the back half of the season. They're like that through any. lineup possible. I'm meeting towards O'KC. Unless Luke Dodgers walks in and makes history, I'm going O'KC. I'm going with the Thunder. I've picked the Thunder before the season,

mid-season, right now. The Thunder are winning the title. Yeah. They can lose the title, but I'll be shocked if they don't get there. I'll be baffled if they don't end up in the finals. Who's going to win the East? Now, this one's tough.

Legitimately, two teams you can pick. No, it's not. Boston Celtics. I think that the Celtics It's a conversation that means It is It is But I do think that the Celtics

For me I'm picking them And I think Even if they They played the Cavs In the Conference Finals They beat the Cavs In six games

And they would go to The NBA Finals that way You know I think it's fair to pick The Celtics But there's a real chance You're wrong And the Cavs win Which could always happen

I don't think There's a chance you're wrong And the Thunder don't make it there Whereas the Celtics There's a little bit of an opening But I'm still That's fair I'm going Boston

And you got me I'm outvoted I'm winning It's not outvoted Who do you think Which young star Will surprise people In the playoffs

Who? Young star, young star Who's gonna have Their big coming out party And really shocked the world I think this award Belonged to Kate Cunningham You think I'll have a good

You think I'll beat the Knicks Yeah I think they're If it ends up shaking that way I'm pulling up to your house Black trucks think I think Cade Cunningham and the rest of those guys could genuinely have a series of the century. I think the series could actually go like seven games as well. I don't know if Cade's going to necessarily outplay someone like Jalen Brunson, of course.

But I think in terms of how he's going to hold up in some of the performances, I think he's bound to have due to the nature of his game and how efficient he will feel in the playoffs. I'm going to take Cade. My mind goes to Anthony Edwards and Amen Thompson. I can see a man just keeps getting better and better keeps getting bigger and bigger spotlight making bigger and bigger and bigger plays and bigger moments I won't be shocked that it keeps going and like the Rockets win a series people don't expect because he's just a demon on both sides of the ball if if I am incorrect and the Rockets do win a series then the answer will be a man I think or could be Sangoon loki listen they they had a long run last year I think Tyree Talibyrin reintroduces himself and and is like I'm Hey, I'm actually like a good player. Yeah. You know, like I'm not somebody on a superstar free trial anymore.

That's a good one. I'm going with Tyrese. Next one, or we'll go to it. Which player will prove their doubters wrong? Tyrese Halliburton. This is where I'm going, Tyrese Halliburton. So much the NBA world still treats him like he's a fraud who didn't deserve the hype he got, even though he's bounced back and he's a good player again.

I think he's going to continue to be just as good as he has been. It's going to be Tyre's Halliburton. Okay. I think I'm a lean towards the other conference. I'm leaning towards OECC specifically. Jalen Williams, Jadab, I think he's going to, he has a very good opportunity to prove his legitimacy as a second star. There's a lot of pressure relieved from him, not only defensively, but offensively too, now that he has those two bigs who can playmake and have their whole entire actions going on. I think the load is a lot easier for him to carry as a second star and he'll get him as that guy.

You know, people who don't like Shage decided that he's some fraud, free throw merchant. It's not going to work in the playoffs. I'll say he's got to average 30 in the playoffs. I guarantee it. He ever started last year. Those people are so dumb. He was, it was an efficient 302. His numbers looked so identical compared to his pre- or his regular season production. So I guarantee you, Shay will prove the haters wrong, but that's an easy one.

Yeah. Who will prove their haters right? Which player is going to confirm all the suspicions about them? Cat, Garley Towns. Oh, probably. That's the easiest one. If they see the Celtics, he's probably going to get diced up. Don't do it.

Oh, it's probably, Cat. You're right. I hate it so much too I didn't even think about that It's just it's a Celtics thing Man it's not even about Cat The Celtics are just the worst matchup for him Yeah exactly

Don't do them like that I don't do them like that I don't know who else it's like so clearly Cat I don't know who else it could be He is at this point In this moment John Morant has a lot of doubters He has a lot of haters

If they go outside He will be proven a lot of people right Jamal Murray maybe if he doesn't have A crazy series again He's battling with movies already If he's not 100% people are going to ignore the injuries and say look at this fraud he's not a playoff riser this double dip on top of jamaan murray in that same conference kawai leonard if he just

doesn't end of remaining healthy or james hardin if the defense holds up or whatever for the for the clippers and that's they still don't have enough offensive juice that's probably going to be on your shoulders so yeah those two a lot of people want some shit to prove yeah which team will fall apart and have to blow it up good donovan same pose as lebron he wanted to be lebron so bad. I don't believe that. I do too. Don't put that on me. And blow it up is a hard part because I guess if the Knicks falling apart, you know, just coming into the playoffs with injury, but they're not going to blow it up.

It's not going to be that bad. We are going to go. Oh, the box is the clear answer. The Milwaukee Bucks. Or low-key the Nuggets. They already have a change of leadership. If they go out in the first round. They already blew it up. But they go on the first round, Michael Bord Jr., you're not safe. Jamal Murray, you might not be safe. both of these teams with MVP big men none of you guys are fucking safe if you

lose in the first round do you guys think if the Cleveland Cavaliers got upset they would have to blow it up blow it up no would they maybe trade Jared Allen maybe that's not really blowing it up okay blowing you up is like the only outcome is they trade Jared Allen and put Evan will be at center and like trade him for a big wing

or something which that's not blowing it up I can see I can see a world and where like someone like Daris Garland disappoints as well and they're like okay it's going to work I doubt that wait go back go back two slides? To the doubt of slide? To the doubt of slide?

To who's going to prove him wrong or right? Who's going to prove the doubters wrong? Who's going to prove the doubters wrong? Darius Garland. Okay. Now that you brought him up, I'm so sick and tired of people talking about Darius Garland like he's not like that. Like he didn't have his jaw broken last year.

He's going to be fantastic in the playoffs this year. We're going with him. All the reason isn't to him is because he's going to have to defend his ass off against the Celtics. That's going to be difficult. So that's the part that people might doubt for a good reason. We'll see. But offensively, yeah, he's going to be completely fine.

He's averaging 22 and 6 in the playoffs. Don't say nothing. Sure, that's a very reasonable bar. I agree. That's fair. They don't think he could do that. Maybe I don't have a good grasp of how much the doubt is out on him right now. They really be hating.

Who wins the finals? Final prediction. Who comes out with the chip? I think OKC probably has historic season. And it's going to be shit. It's OKC. Everything on paper says OKC, but obviously the Celtics are the rating chance for a reason. They have the benefit of the doubt.

Which side are you going on? The new kids or the proven vets? What's very interesting about this is that nobody wants to save the thunder because they said that they have to prove it, but there's never a better feeling than saying, I told you so and being early. And I'm going with the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the title. The second they got Alex Caruso Hardinstein,

I put you on. I tweeted that they are the 2015 Warriors. I still feel that way they're going to win in my opinion. They have a top three net rating of all time. no team in the top five has ever not won the championship. I'm going to go with the side of history. If you're this dominant in the regular season, 100% of the time it has translated.

They're the best regular season defensive team, though you've seen in quite some years, and that's also like something that's been underrated about this team overall. I'm meaning towards O'KC. If they don't win, I'm going to delete my Twitter account because everybody's going to be mean to me.

Your legacy is on the line. I'll have to just take it because I'll have to have deserved it. They're going to call you all types of names. They're going to, I already got people in my, never mind. They're going to get me deported. And that's the end of this episode. If you're still here, what should people comment?

No, I'm not saying. He's a threat. He's a threat. If you're still here, comment, Stephen A. Smith is horny. And we'll see y'all next week for the first episode of the NBA playoffs.