The Deep 3 Podcast - We Picked 1 Word To Describe Every NBA Team's Season | Ep. 144
Episode Date: June 6, 20251 word that perfectly sums up every NBA team's 2025 season! #nba Check out the TD3 merch: https://the-deep-3-shop.fourthwall.com/ Listen on Spotify!: https://open.spotify.com/show/3elbbqVumwqz8wlId...knsLW 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 & New Merch! 2:38- NBA Finals Game 1 Reaction 38:08- 1 word intro 39:27- Knicks 45:40- Hawks 51:22- Lakers 57:25- Cavs 1:05:03- Pelicans 1:11:35- 76ers 1:17:33- Hornets 1:19:00- Bulls 1:22:04- Heat 1:22:47- Nets 1:25:42- Wizards & Jazz 1:30:00- Pacers 1:37:35- Thunder 1:42:22- Grizzlies 1:46:49- Spurs 1:50:08- Bucks 1:53:33- Trailblazers 1:57:40- Magic 2:01:50- Suns & Mavs 2:06:00- Rockets 2:09:02- Kings 2:11:52- Warriors 2:16:00- Pistons 2:19:25- Clippers 2:21:30- TWolves 2:26:30- Raptors 2:28:25- Nuggets 2:32:50- tiktok time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Y'all, it is 10.25 p.m. Thursday. June 5th. I'm here to tell you, live reporting from the scene. I looked across my TV about 30 minutes ago. And I saw the devil in Oklahoma. I saw him at play. I saw sacrifices being made. I saw blood magic voodoo going on on the court. And his name, the man perpetuating all this, Tyreece motherfucking Halliburton.
Y'all, we are here. As you see about the title.
We're going to give you one word to describe every single NBA team season.
But before we get to that part of the episode,
we got to talk about what we just watched live.
We're here recording an instant reaction to game one of the NBA finals
in which Tyree's Halliborne and continue to do haliband things
and find a way to win against teams that the people don't think they should win against.
What is you going through y'all's mind right now?
He is lucky that this is not 300 years ago because he would have been,
he would have been on trial.
That's a witch.
That is a straight witch.
Okay.
I thought you go somewhere else
I was going to.
He said 300 years ago.
Yeah, I know.
I was okay.
I know.
I was like, wait a second.
Yeah, man.
The Pacer did it.
The Pacers found a way to win
in a game that they were losing
for 99% of it
and that is not an exaggeration mathematically.
Crazy, crazy game.
We're going to talk all about that,
give you our reactions.
Do all that before we get to the main part
of the episode.
But before we get to that,
we have a low announcement to make.
It is time for our seasonal merch.
The TD3 summer collection
of merch is here.
You see I've been wearing it
We've really been wearing
For a few weeks
Some of y'all have noticed
Mo has one shirt on
With the sun on it
I got this crew neck
That has the flowers
In the basketball
If you guys have noticed
I've been wearing this other shirt
I think I'm showing it on the screen
right now
So you guys can look at the visuals
This is other shirt
That has an orange on it
Mixed with the basketball
Heat been wearing that for a while
We got a hat for you guys
A bunch of T-shirts
Full line of our summer
Collection for you guys
Going to be available for the summer
I like it a lot
We were hooping the other day
Having her little photo shoot
And man
my attributes plus 10 that day
you're hooping in the merch
Absolutely got you feeling like Tyrese Alberton
I don't deal with the devil
Not Tyrese
Link in the description for this new summer merch
We're gonna keep promoting it over time
But as you guys see it's out now
It'll be here when the episode's out
Hey man check that out
Drop a like on this video
And yeah man
Let's get you to our final predictions
I don't keep some predictions
Our finals reaction
I mean, I don't know what to say.
So let's talk about game one.
The final score, Indiana Pacers 1-11 to 110.
This was a truly inexplicable game.
In the first half, the Indiana Pacers had 19 turnovers.
We watched this first half and said, yep, that's what you thought would happen.
The most aggressive, insane playmaking defense we've seen.
in our lifetime as fans probably,
is leaving their mark on the game.
They're running the ball pressure
to really, really have their way
with this Patriot's offense,
which was so great for three playoff rounds.
They hit this buzzsaw.
Not a surprise, right?
And then the second half came around,
and the Pacers did exactly what they've done
throughout three playoff series
every single time.
They stayed in the game.
They chipped away at the lead,
slowly, slowly, slowly.
Got in position for when the fourth quarter
comes around.
They can out-clutch you.
And my God, did they just out-clutch the thunder?
finishing with what we said
the Tyreys Hellebron game winning
mid-range jumper
what are y'all's current thoughts
I mean I I
we were we were telling you
because because at half time
I have time
all of us are sitting there and we're like
yes they're up by double digits
this should be a 20 point game
yeah it was a very bad
thunder out game that they
the offensive shot making was so bad
they should have been leading by a lot more than they were
and you you felt it
especially in that third quarter
because they came out
they were a little bit aggressive
and you're kind of just waiting for all third quarter
for the thing that the Thunder have done
in especially at home in these playoffs,
which is we are going to not only turn the ball over,
we're going to score off of this,
and all of a sudden this 12-point lead
is going to get to 22 and it's going to be wraps on it.
And we've talked to all playoffs about how
as soon as you get up 10, 12, right,
if you're the Thunder, you don't let that lead go.
And they, you know, Indiana, they hung around,
they hung around.
It got to 10.
and I was looking at you and I was like
listen it's getting kind of scary
you're having PTSD flashback
because I saw there was a knee smith three
and I said oh no
I said oh no that's exactly how it starts
Donovan the whole second half was like
my stomach hurts my stomach hurts
I'm scared you would have thought
that there was an armed assailant with a knife
to his loved one's throats the way Donovan was frightening
could you feel it at this point
and the craziest part was
and the reason why it was so scary
is because Tyrese Hallamor was getting abused on defense.
Like Oklahoma City was going after him every single time.
Offensively, Lou Dort was making life so hard.
There was a point, especially in the fourth quarter,
Tyrese was just off in the corner.
Andrew Nemhart was out here getting his bag work off.
And Indiana was still able to come back.
And you're like, okay, this is not good if you're the Oklahoma City Thunder
because everybody else is getting going.
And you know that, like you said, slowly but surely,
they're just going to be there, be there, be there.
There's going to be some stupid wild shot that they take.
And lo and behold, it's Tyrese Halliborne to win the game.
Yeah.
When I, after witnessing that game, I just, it just feels genuinely chilling.
Like, what the fuck did I just watch?
I feel like I've seen the Grim Reaper in person come back and just slay human beings
live in front of my face.
Because there's no way we're, we're continuously watching this game in the second and third
quarter and even earlier in the fourth.
And it feels like the Pacers aren't able to.
jump the eventual hurdle and close the game within five to four points to three points.
And that happened, obviously, towards the end of the, or towards the final few minutes
of the game.
Andrew and I'm hard, I said this during the game, and I wholeheartedly mean this to my heart.
He is the most dangerous 11 point per game score that the NBA has ever seen, ever.
Yeah, he was a big part of that come back to.
Obviously, he ended with the Halliburton jump shot.
He hit a big three stepping back over Shay, who he got some room on.
against on a stepback. She had a solid late contest, but it was a late contest. Namhart smacked that
shit in his face. That really, really was like, that was the biggest shot, I think, to getting
this lead back into single digits and making them have that comeback. Yeah, man, I mean, so the story
of this game is the fact that despite an amazing defensive performance in second half,
Thunder offense once again, shit the bed. You, you know, you got up and down games about the
playoff run, especially against the Nuggets. You had really bad J-Dub games, really bad check
games that kind of made that series go longer than it should, gave the Nuggets games that they should have
one, especially early in that series.
It's kind of a similar story to what we just saw.
J-dub, 6 for 19 from the field, 1-4 from 3.
That hurts.
Chad Holmgren, 2-4-9 from the field, 0-4-1 from 3.
Kaysen Wallace, 3-4-9 from the field, 0-4-3 from 3.
Aside from Lou Dore and J-dub, none of the 3-point shooters made more than 1.
Nobody came to shoot besides those two guys.
Yeah, and that's tough.
And especially for Chet, this is something that you clearly saw the difference for Miles
Turner, where in the New York series, Kat was able to really, really attack him because Cat is
very quick and very big.
Chet is not that.
He tried that early in the game.
They really made a big effort.
They put the ball in chess hands.
It didn't go well.
And Chet just doesn't have that size or that first step, Lightcat, to really attack
Miles Turner and put him in a lot of conflicts.
And any time that Chet was going downhill in trying to throw his shoulder into Miles Turner,
Turner was like, all right, fine.
like I'm here right that's the one thing that I know for a fact you are not going to bully me
and so you you weren't able to see chat really take advantage of of opportunities right there
so on that on that front that like that was that was an answer that Indiana showed that they have
which was especially critical considering that Oklahoma City changed their starting lineup and
they finally went away from too big they started case in Wallace and we've talked all all playoffs long
about how as soon as you put another wing, another smaller player, having Chet at the,
at the five, that's where you get those advantages.
He wasn't able to take advantage of that.
Yeah, exactly.
But the defense took advantage.
Defense got a lot better with the small ball on us.
That's fair.
You're right about that.
You're absolutely right about that.
But there's only so much that you can give up when Chet is over here grabbing six rebounds
and he's being slutted out by Aaron Newsman Seacum and Miles Turner.
He just looked overall like going to bat to what you said, Donovan.
He looks like he was a step behind throughout the entirety of the game.
His impact wasn't really what we thought it would be,
especially with him being unlocked at that five position.
And now if I'm someone like Mark Dagnall,
I look at that, I evaluate that.
I'm not saying I'm like making a quick move
and forcing Hardinstein back into that starting lineup.
But I'm definitely heavily raising my eyebrows
and maybe it's just genuinely not ready yet.
I would relax.
Dude, that's not why they lost at all.
They had more offense rebounds in the start of the second half than they did.
there's a lot of long rebounds
to let that low rebounding number
they just did not make any shots at all
the defense was amazing
with the small ball lineup
you don't force 19 turnovers
by accident in the first half
getting Jason Wallace out there
and having the four guards
that's the big reason
for the going to small ball
it's not even offense
it's when they're smaller
they're better defensively
they had to go big against guys
like the nuggets
because of yokech and whatnot
but all season
their defensive rating
in their lineups
with multiple guards
and only one big
have been by far their best
that played out exactly
as you'd expect
I'm obviously you want chet
to shoot better from the field
offensively that is important but I don't think the defense and like the rebounding and closing out
possessions was anywhere close to their biggest issue no they got their asses beat on the boards
usually they get what was the what was the final outcome I believe it was like maybe 38 to
56 or something like it was like that level of ass whooping just cannot happen and that's where
i'm like yeah no chat you have i don't want to reevaluate him and snatch that chain immediately
but having as i say a hard and son reinsert into the lineup is not as it's not a terrible idea
Bro, they kicked their ass in the second half.
Exactly.
That's what I'm saying.
That's why I'm like...
It ended up to 64 total rebounds for the Pacers to 47.
That's a disgusting asshole.
But again, it would have been a 25-point game, though,
they just made some three-point shots in the first half.
So I'm not going to put that as a biggest reason they lost,
but obviously, you're right, it can't be a 27 difference.
Like, it's not.
And I look at someone like, I see how...
17.
Exactly, yeah.
Correct.
And I just didn't like...
I wasn't a humongous fan of chat tonight.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, definitely can be he did not play a good game.
I'm not trying to...
Defendom State play bad game, but I wouldn't reevaluate the small ball thing at all.
Maybe you want to give Hart and some more minutes.
I mean, take advantage, but the one big, like that element of it worked because the biggest
thing is defense, I think.
Yeah.
But yeah, that's a big rebounding difference.
That's quite large.
Yeah, I think for me, like, the biggest thing if I'm okay, see is I'm staying the course.
I still, obviously, tonight, inexplicable.
You can't, you can't give up a 15.4th quarter lead with like nine and a half
minutes to go.
Yes.
That should not happen on your home floor in any situation.
However, the entire game, you feel good.
Like you said, with the defensive performance, you feel good.
Even though that Jada, there were a couple shots where I'm like, eh, like, you probably,
you probably took that a little bit too early, right?
Like, he was taking the middies that Indiana was giving him, but some of them were early
in the shot clock.
Some of them were some long twos.
You were like, maybe you could get a better shot than that.
So you'll, you know, you'll go back in game two if you're, if you're JDA and you'll find some
some better shots and better opportunities.
You're going to shoot better.
You're going to play better.
There's that.
But I think for, for OKC, this is definitely something where now you really have to tighten
up and the, you have to win every game by 20.
Do you feel good?
Yeah, because this is, this is their one.
And Indiana let's let you know, like, OKC has their superpower of their.
defensive versatility, Indiana
superpower is devil magic.
And the fact that they can stay
in these games. And if there's
any slight crease, if they can
win it, they're going to go ahead and take it.
And so you know exactly how dangerous
they are. You can't play around anymore.
And their devil magic is being
able to just consistently carve and
knife into the defense and make
passes that you really don't think that
they would try. They make the most
audacious and blatant passes.
The millisecond that it's available.
Andrew Nymard does that obviously
Tyrese Halliborne does that
Even Aaron Needsmith
Whatever he
Whenever someone else is open for a quick second
He's more than open
It's just contagious over there to swing that fucking ball
No matter what it is
The Patriot shot 46% from 3
Just like they have this whole series
We talk on our stream about it
I said OKC and 6 as my final guess
Just because this team is gonna shoot the shit
Out of the ball
And part of the OECD defense is to give you open shots
To they want to funnel them to the shooters
In positions that they feel the best about obviously
But when every single shooter in their rotation shoots over 40%,
especially from the corners, you're going to have to play good offense, OKC.
Like, this is going to happen.
They shot 36% as a team, 10% less.
39% from the field, OKC.
This is just the same story we saw against the Nuggets where they should win a game.
The defense works perfectly.
They go small and put more perimeter defenders out there that can make plays,
and they get 14 steals because of it.
That worked.
That worked clearly.
Miles Turner had his way with Hardinstein and Pass.
series, you can eliminate that by putting him on the bench and you get more mobility,
get more defensive playmaking.
That works completely.
Nothing matters, though, especially against a team this good and this disciplined if you're
not going to have baseline level shot making.
You clearly have to have competency offensively, and we know this team has this type of
floor.
Can you do two things?
Can you check, one, the fast break points?
What were the fast break points?
Because, OK, see, did such a, they did such a good job.
10 to 11.
Okay, see, and that, that feels insane.
Yeah.
The Knicks, the Knicks were allowing Indiana to just run up and down all the time.
And now you finally get to like an actual defense.
And it felt like, OK, C was like, you're just, you're not going to get those easy buckets.
You're not going to get super instant layups off of runouts off of May baskets, all of that stuff.
And the fact that any time that there was a May basket, Ludo was like, where's Tyrese?
I'm on him early.
And they were doing such a good job.
And especially because they had the four guards in the lineup, they were able to,
they were able to switch on a lot of the actions up top
and really make India to take their time.
Like, like you said, that is very repeatable
and it is going to work.
Like, you just have to shoot better.
You have to close out these games.
Yeah, it's really not even like, obviously.
So, yeah, they can rebound better,
but that's baked into the strategy.
They're always going to get out rebounded
because they're prioritizing fast break defense.
That's why they only had 10 fast break points
and the prioritizing having more defensive playmakers get those deals.
So that give and take is expected.
it just you have to execute better in the fourth quarter like there's very few i think
adjustments you need to point to the thunder like is there anything else big picture that you watch
and you're like oh that was a bad decision that firstly no it's hard to call back but i will say
one of the main things that i that was super interesting was seeing how uninvolved
tyrese halberin was they attacked them a lot in i think maybe the second end of the third
quarter yeah and it felt like they went away from that so maybe that's something again
that should be re-evaluated.
But although I will say, I did see Tyre's Halliburton in the fourth be a little bit more
active.
But still, if you're going to pick on something, Tyrese Halliborne is the one for that.
And I feel like they went away from that.
So maybe that's one thing.
Just look at this.
It's all blue.
It was wild wire into the end.
We made our predictions right before we began our second half of the episode.
And I, if I remember correctly, you guys said, OKC.
And I said Indiana by like two or three points.
I hate myself so much.
Did I want that to happen?
Did you say that?
Yes.
I don't remember that.
I did see that.
I hate that I said that.
I didn't really mean it.
But God damn it,
it was right.
I think I said OKC by 8.
And that's what it felt like
because no, no, it was hilarious.
All game, Indiana was making plays.
I'm like, oh, big shot.
OKC up by 10.
It was just a consistent 10 point lead.
And I guess that speaks to the super high floor
of the OKC team overall
because their defense is so ridiculous.
Terrible, terrible,
shot making game.
And they're up by 10
for almost the entire.
game like look how much thick blue is in the middle here yeah it's it's it's crazy but for india for
indiana one shout out to obitopin because at the very start of this game he was awful he
he was bad and we were looking around we're like he he he's gonna have to sit down because he had
some bad turnovers he was not making a lot of shots it was it was not looking good he came out in
the second half and even um later in the first half once he finally got settled in his three ball was
flying you saw him being more active he was yes he was really really important to double up on that too
another player who was given a lot of shit to but he actually had more of an impact than he needed
a more positive impact than he needed a negative one was bened mathern you look at his box
where i think he put up like five points three rounds and two assists super impactful considering
how physical he was on defense and also naturally his ability to get to the line he's one of the
more imposing players on the pacers he's not your traditional pacer player who is super straightforward
with his moves necessarily but seeing how he was able to not get a shot off very well i think he
shot one for five but still be a brute force and let his physicality be known getting into it
with as a hard and sign and just like consistently clambering his way into the rim is so important
because they don't have many guys like that on this roster yeah they do you talk about matthin yeah
they they really let okay see no don't don't play rock okay c play a j mitchell tonight and so it's
Like, you know, stop playing around.
Stop messing around.
They got very cute in the first half.
Yes.
They tried to do the thing that Kat did.
They tried to attack Miles Turner with Chet.
He drove it a lot more than he usually does.
You can tell it that that didn't go well.
And then AJ Mitchell Lintman, minutes.
I showed you guys a tweet in the first half.
I forgot who tweeted it.
Said this is the most disrespectful finals ever by Mark Dagnall.
Yeah.
And it almost worked.
Again, it's so hard to talk about this because you're wire to wire that much in the lead
until the very end.
like you you can it didn't work obviously they didn't win the game but when you're leading for 90% of the game it's like yeah your decisions ultimately work for a majority of the minutes played until the last few in which the patient just do what they always do and make big shots it's kind of how the you were talking about as a nix fan in the last series you're like we outplayed them all game what are you supposed to do differently I don't know yeah it it really it really was PTSD as we were getting down to to the end of it because and they showed a graphic at the very end of of
players who have hit like game time or go-ahead shots in the last five seconds and playoff
game since 97 and the people on the list is it's uh lebron it was like lebron uh Tyrese and it was some
other uh like go i think it was a Celtics little person yeah it was some other like you know
all-time player and the the fact that Tyrese has five of those shots and like three of them
are these are in these playoffs maybe even four if i go back and count he's on an all-time run of
shot making stepping up to to the plate whenever the team needs it it's it's one of it's one of
the wildest things I've ever seen and to see how he took that shot with zero rhythm he was not
very much productive none of his shots look like he's in rhythm especially if it's a shot
within like within the the three-point arc if it's a midi I'm like man that's break
like it never looks good that's what's funny in so many these game winners there's shots he
doesn't usually take yeah that is not something that has
in the normal Tyrese Hallibur and shot diet.
It's something that you say, that bullshit,
oh, it's in the road.
It's just outlandish.
He gets so good at everything.
Inexplainable.
Once that clutch moment comes up,
there's less than three seconds left,
Tyreys Halliburin gets amazing at everything.
He just becomes flawless,
and it makes no sense.
And like, okay, so I guess the question is,
does this change your outlook?
When we did the playoff predictions,
I said OKC in six,
I was weirdly,
I was the biggest defender of the Pacers,
and then you guys said,
okay, C, and five,
does this change your art decision?
at all? No. I still think that OKC dominated again for a majority of this game. And it's okay. We've seen
them have lapses before and we've seen them respond. And while they are, well, okay, I said
that like Jdub and Chet passed the test in the, in the Denver series and they came through in
the Minnesota series and everything was fine. We still know that like Jadab still, he's not like a top
10 player in the world like he doesn't have these these he's the offensive consistency from him
isn't something where you're like yeah every night jadab is going to give me 25 a night yeah so
these things are kind of baked in a little bit it's weird that it happened in game one i thought
that this would happen in like game three or game four but i still feel really good about okay c
it was game one against the nuggets too right when mark dangnall choked it so like yeah we've
seen this story before yeah so i'm still i'm still going okay cm five i am backpedaling a little bit
here it is i still believe okay she's going to come away with this series but it's going to be
a lot harder for them because this this is unlike any other team that they faced in the first
half you guys said they had what how many turnovers do the patients have 19 19 they finished
the game with i think five in the second half yeah in the second half i think they finished i think
they completed the end with like five complete turn their total turnovers for the game were 24 yeah so
they only have five more turnovers to finish out the game that is ridiculous that is uh they
they have such a they have an amazing floor that's able to keep them in the game and all they
need is a string of plays to go the right way whether it be like 50 50 hustle plays whether it
be insane stupid magnet balls from guys like miles turner whenever they happen when you can get them
or whether it be like andrew nimhard just straight up prison ball i'm going to kill you and
and it doesn't matter what I see,
who you are in front of me.
I'm going to give them another game
because they aren't it to me.
I don't want to.
You think I want to step back on my word?
No, I don't.
I said earlier, like,
Pacers are going to win this game,
and I didn't want to say it.
I just have to give them a game.
But after seeing how they walked down,
OKC, and it's inexplainable,
I give them another game at home specifically as well.
But I don't think, again,
if OKC comes back and win this in five,
I'm not going to be surprised whatsoever
because going back to things you said,
Like this type of shooting, this type of shooting from OKC is, it might be one of, genuinely one of their worst shooting nights of the entirety of the playoffs.
They've had a couple of those, though, that felt like they're going to be the worst night of their entire playoffs.
There's no way this team wins four in a row.
Like, when we're talking on the stream, I was like, we need to respect the Pacers.
Y'all are way too optimistic that it's going to be five.
This Thunder team has these floors.
And what I said in that stream was why I told you guys I was like not confident it would be four or five like you guys were.
The Pacers are so much better than the Nuggets.
we get bogged down in the idea that the nuggets
push the Thunder to 7
and we treat these playoff outcomes of the series
like it's like proportional like
oh if they got to 7 that means clearly they're like
close to the same level and this team lost in 5
so they're proportionally 20% better
that shit doesn't work that way the nuggets were not
that good the Thunder played down the competition
gave them games they shouldn't have the Pacers are
several tiers above the nuggets and they have been since January
1st they cannot beat this team four times in a row
with this offensive infrastructure
the Thunder will have games like this in which the shot
is just not good enough and obviously the Pacers are a tier above the teams that they got by even
with that they'll still win the series but it's going to be at least six games I think and now
now that they lost the first one I guess you could think that could go seven now because
winning four in a row is very difficult yes but also offensively I don't know if it can get
worse than this and so if you got 2% more offensive you're okay see you probably end up walking
away with this game and Shea ended up with 38 points
B plus game from Shea.
It wasn't a great Shea game.
Even though that he almost had 40, which is, again, speaks to the level that he's at.
But there were a lot of times where it didn't feel like Shea was really in a rhythm.
In the first half, he only got to the line two times.
The second half, you know, OK, see, they got in the bonus and he started getting there.
So it was a little bit better.
But offensively just getting into his spots and knocking down shots time after time after time, it wasn't there.
he took he he scored 38 he took over 25 shots right the the overall efficiency of his game
that is normally there wasn't there today so i think even if everybody else shoots the way that
they do you can get a a slightly better she and again probably walk away from a game like this
and that's why i think it is also clear there's nobody on that team that can guard him oh yeah
of course not yeah we knew that yeah she's performance is never a question to me like yeah
a 46% from the field, 46, that's low for Shea standards
because he's had one of the best scoring seasons we've seen.
But it really comes down to the fact that he only had three assists
because these motherfuckers were bricks.
That's really what it comes down to is they did not finish the plays
that he set up for them.
He dimed Chet for a drive on one of them.
He missed a damn near open layup.
There's a late contest, but he should have made it.
In a one point game, there's so many margins
that could easily flip it like you said.
So, yeah, I'm not, again, I'm not worried
they're going to lose a series or anything.
But this feels to me like the win the next two
lose game four win the next year for that something like that and okay c and six like four in a row
is just really hard to do against anybody that's as good as the Pacers yeah i agree with you i feel like
through that too like no matter what happens in this series you're almost always going to be
having the two stars behind shea which is jada vinchette under a microscope continuously
for their offensive wolves no matter what in the awesome no matter what happens the off season like
you're going to want the same price is going to want to juice up this roster even more which sounds insane to say have the assets and flexibility castaways on all that to do so but that's something that has to happen if they want to get to that next level of just genuinely unbeatable which sounds insane again i know because they damn near won 70 games in the regular season but they're just not unbeatable it's so funny because there's so many things you want to talk about like okay c was locking up so much of what the Pacers do and there's so much to talk about there but like they lost the fucking game so it's like damn guess i got to give it to the Pacers but the way
that okayc was like they were manhandling him man they were obviously dominating with the
steals in the first half but the way that they were switching their smalls on the siakum and miles
turner and like begging the pacers to post them up constantly against guys like caruso and then
locking that shit up like it was a master class defensively for three quarters like it was so good
it's like it's hilarious they didn't win this game yeah exactly with how good of a defensive
performance was needed their shoes to be competent and they couldn't even do that you know how pissed
I'll be if I was Lou Dort, man.
That was one of the greatest games of Lou Dort's life.
And dude, Lou Dore is going to give us some stinkers, too.
He's had some, the Nugget series.
If we get back to that version of Lood Dort,
what did he finish tonight?
He had like, he had 17, I think.
Yeah, he finished with five of six from three,
five of nine from three by the end, 55 percent,
five or ten from the field, 15 total points.
Match cost on both ends of the board.
Four steals, two blocks.
Damn.
Crazy block in the fourth quarter.
He was insane defensively.
Yeah.
Well, yeah.
Chet's going to be better than two of nine.
from the field so that's a safe assumption they're not going to have him attack miles turner as
much they're going to play back in the normal rhythm with him and have him focus on doing this stuff
he was doing before they clearly the game plan was to quit the ball in his hands and that threw everything
off because it wasn't working that'll fix itself you can assume a jdub redemption he's up and down player
not just a down player but then again i mean all it takes is a couple downs in a row and things
get spooky but we can assume there will be bounced back there that alone makes them win this game
so no reason to panic but you know same thing we were saying in the nugget series the whole series
we were like oh they'll fix us they'll fix this they'll fix this they ended up not fixing it
three times in a row not in a row I should say but three times out of seven games and we had a game
seven that we didn't expect so it's not out of the realm of possibility that the patient's pushes
to seven I I can't say that either they got to show up they they use that I have it's really
that's really that's really for nine minutes and we we were making fun of uh of richard
Jefferson because once the league got down to seven he was you know he got on the bike he was like
this is a 48 minute team you have to do everything and we're like man yeah yeah yeah they got it
locked up and then again point three seconds left indiana takes their first lead of the night
it was it's really the night yeah yeah yeah i don't know it was literally wire to wire yeah yeah
thought there was a couple it was there was one lead change there was one tie and one lead change
oh my god and i believe it was for the siacum free throws as well yeah i think that those
street those gave him the lead what I will say
this morning
Anthony Richardson shoulder injury
out indefinitely
another sacrifice another blood sacrifice
first it was Caitlin Clark
that it was your word out indefinitely
they don't have time people for his return
yeah so
I said it's getting spooky out there in Indianapolis
yo that front office is that cooked to me
I think I tweeted that Tyrese Halliborne has
inexplicable level of ice in his veins
ghost blood in his veins
we know where you're
it comes from.
He's amazing.
It's so funny.
It's so hilarious
this archetypal player he is
that he's this past first point guard
that isn't a great score
but every single time it counts
he becomes a great score
whether it's a close-out game
and it gives you 30
or it's three seconds left
you need one bucket he got you
like he's so hard to like gauge
because when we talk about
these players in the league
right now in their standings
just off this playoff run
it's small sample size
biased to a few shots
in most cases I'm like don't overreact to the sample size
there's not 12 players I'd rather have than him right now
fuck it he's top seven bro
don't ask me to list he's top seven like we talk about this
on the live stream on the hot takes thing
where we're talking about gauging this and then we were like
I was joking like if you do just this
and playoffs like he's got to be topped in right
and then you were like fuck it keep going he's the goat
he's the best right now and like that's how it feels
like at a certain point if he just keeps on succeeding
where does it end where do you stop extrapolating
playoff success when you're gauging him against other players
I don't know
And he
Yeah
And today was also funny
When he had the shot
Because every other time
That he's hit a shot
He's done something crazy
Like he did the choke sign
He was doing the big balls
Today he was just like
Nah I do that
He was so calm
So nonchalant with it
This team's too good for him
To get ahead of himself
He knows
I can come back to bite you
Yeah
He said listen I got out
Scott free
Doing the choke sign
Game 1
Not gonna try my luck yet
Exactly
And that's just a good business
Susan
But yeah
I mean
I can't believe this
I really can't believe it went down like this.
The Pacers are.
I can.
They're amazing.
Yeah, this is what they do.
I can believe it just fine.
This is what,
this is the OKCMO to blow it on offense when you have a generational defensive performance.
Yeah.
And this is the Pacer's MO to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and find a way to contact the devil within the fourth quarter and make it work.
Are they the team of destiny?
Yes.
There's just one specific play with a few seconds left.
So what are you not seeing?
I think it was like 20th quarter.
it's a dirt run it's a 2011 maves i think it was like 24 25 seconds off on a clock or whatever it was
one of the last positions of the game for okay c and shay got filled up with the ball and then you
passed it over to jadub last not last second at all jadup had plenty of time to cook but in those
instances like that like your your guy your superman your batman needs to have his robin ready at
all times for no matter what and sometimes that robin's going to have to masquerade as a batman yeah
Batman and Robin talk just simply just wasn't fucking there and that play makes me wish damn
bro like if jada wasn't to do that i just would rather he wasn't ready hope that i just would rather
wish they just kept the ball in his hands he doesn't got playoff experience
he's not the fouls it's getting to yeah the thing is the reason i'm not i'm not concerned at all
like when this happened to the nicks early in the series i think there was so one it was like small
sample one shot changes everything right but throughout the course of the game you saw a lot of
areas that they the patience outplayed them and you say well that can keep that very feasibly can't
keep happening they have these advantages i feel like they have no advantages here that like really
shined in that way you know like oh never not let me not say that they have a three point shooting
advantage in rebounding too sure but like again that's defensive rebounding specifically yeah like
again part of that's by design with the way they get back in transition so that's good that's gonna
happen against every team okayc he plays hopefully not to this extent exactly that's a key point but sure but
Like, but I'm not, normally it's a 10, 10 rebound difference to today of a 17.
That's more than you want, but that's not something that I'm going to be like,
that'll decide the series, you know?
The three point shooting difference, that can be the Pacers path back into it.
But if you look at the other side of the court defensively, I don't feel like J-Dub
and Chet had bad games because they have lockdown defenders and our lockdown schemes that
slow them down.
They've executed very poorly.
So like, sure, it's never only one side.
Clearly the defense has to make them execute poorly.
otherwise everybody would do well
every game
but I do feel like
it is fully in OKC's hands
to just play better
rather than
Neesmith is the answer
to guard Jaylon Williams
he's not going to have a good series
all game
stuff like that
like I don't feel like
there's big takeaways
on that side
to make us really spooked
about the Thunder
so
is
it's gonna be okay
it's gonna be okay
it will be
so shout out the HACA
shout out the Pacers
for just having a dope-ass
performance
and once again
having a moment
whether or not
it becomes something bigger
we will see
but
either way
way you need shout them out man it's it's not it's like we've talked about all playoffs it's not like
we're playing this series over a hundred games and it's some wild sample size right a whole season
it's a seven game max you need four you got one yeah yeah shout out shout out to you because
you did you did what you had to do and it doesn't matter how it doesn't matter how you get these
these games it doesn't matter if it's some crazy avarition of shooting or some wild shots you got
got made you made the wild shots you made the plays when you needed it to and now the the team
that was on the you know everybody for the last week right everybody's kind of already assumed that
okay c was going to win this series and we've you know kind of push past that in a lot of
conversations of like well you know if they get two are they the next dynasty this and that before
they even finish this one exactly we can't go there yet right we can't do that they they set to
get four they have six chances to do it now it's it's real work exactly we feel good but you can't
assume anything yeah dude the nicks beat the celtics we had these same conversations every game and
they went down three one before jason tamm's injury again you played you said you don't play
these games a hundred times if they played a hundred times the nicks probably went 72 of them
but in this seven game sample size that matters they lost three before they won one like it
it'd be like that and are were the nicks the better team overall and a hundred times sample
size? No. Does it matter? No. This is going to happen again. We've seen the story play out.
Nothing is certain. And the Pacers have gone on the road multiple times. And back to back
series, they've gone on the road and gone up to O. They did it. This team is good.
They did it to Cleveland. They did it to the Knicks. It's, it's scary right now.
Exactly. It is scary. And that's the main thing I was trying to talk about on the stream
when we were, I had to have the discussion, we were just like debating the difference in which
we would think that Thunder would win.
It's like, no, I think the Thunder would win,
but the Pacers are too good to act like it's going to be some four or five game sweep.
All the casual mass media that, like, Instagram posts like that,
everybody's treating it like it's a foregone conclusion of Thunder win.
I'm like, there's a difference between heavy favorites and certainty.
And people way too often misconstrue those things.
I'm like, we're pretty fucking sure that Thunder should win.
Tons of times in sports, things happen that shouldn't happen.
Nothing is a certainty for sure.
Yeah, I agree.
next game i'm hoping and i'm looking forward to chet bounce back game really a bounce
for all their goddamn role players there's been plenty of times where i see chet go ahead and drop
a smooth seven points nine points and it doesn't matter because everyone else is able to
fill in and chip in where they can offensively by hitting a couple extra threes tonight just
wasn't the night for that yeah yeah you can't get a terrible check check game and a terrible jad of
game at the same time that's just tough well you can unless tyre's halberton snatches your throat
but yeah.
That's what we keep talking about
you can't do this to win
Tyrese Hallibur did a game winner
it came down to one play
yeah
and then Shea missed a very makeable midi
and then Tyrese Hallibur
made an insane midi
that's the margin of victory
we're talking about here
so we can make these conclusions
we can say you can't do this
you can't do that
it's a game of one play at a time
they keep doing it
one play decides these games
so no grand takeaway from this one
I guess is what we're really saying
okay see and five though
I'm still standing there on that
yeah I think
Whatever you felt before the series, if you're a Pacer's fan, obviously a reason to feel good.
You got one.
Snatched Home Court advantage, so you should feel good.
If you believe in the Thunder beforehand, like all of us did, no reason to change your pick now.
They should have won this game.
Should have could have, would, of course, but this is a game for confirmation bias for all sides.
Yeah, I agree.
We're all locked in.
And with that being said, let's get you on to the second hour of this episode where we're going to talk about one word to describe every single NBA team season.
And we're back for our two of the show.
We're here to talk about what the title says.
As you guys heard by the beginning of this episode,
we were actually recording this before the finals game.
What do you think happened?
You're speaking to your past self.
What do you think they saw?
I'm going Thunder by 11 tonight.
Okay, that's strong.
I am going Indiana.
I think this might be their only, not their only chance,
but I think they come out, surprise the OKC Thunder
and win by like three points.
Well, you guys have already seen the outcome.
you guys were you heard us react to the outcome you will have what's your pick thunder by whatever
okay but comfortable victory under buy whatever eight I don't know comfortable victory thank
okay but like you guys saw about title we're here to give one word to describe every single NBA team
season so you know but around the end of the regular season like two weeks left we degrading every
NBA team season and that was about the regular season and like how they performed this one's
gonna be a little bit more vibes based I guess and it's also accounting for the playoffs which we didn't
have for that when things change massively for many teams depending on that so we're going to
kind of give a single word to sum up what this team should be feeling coming off of this year
and then obviously say a few more words to describe that and talk about it but really boil it down
to one single word donald you can go first who's your first team we've talked about them a lot
we would just we'll start off with the new york nix okay uh invigorating invigorating that's it that's an
interesting ass word i think i think you've seen it's a colorful word
I know.
You've seen the Knicks.
Like last year, they had their run and they got to the second round, loose to the
Pacers, everybody gets hurt.
But it felt like, okay, we're building something here.
And then now that you have this run where they make it to the East of Conference finals
for the first time in 25 years, you have Jalen Brunson doing the Jailen Brunson thing,
you go all in.
There was an energy there.
And on every single game, it felt like it was going to be a do-or-die moment for the Knicks.
And then the fact that you fired Tom.
you fired Tibbs after the season,
you are now injecting a whole bunch of new expectations
onto the team going into the off-season,
going into next season.
A lot of things within New York basketball
are just now elevated.
And so I just think the entire season
from start to finish was very invigorating for the Knicks.
That's a decent word.
Yeah, I was kind of thinking about it, like injection of life, I think.
Yeah.
So same thing.
you just use a better vocabulary word for that because we all season did not talk about them like a team that had a chance to make the finals and they clearly did they were close they were a couple games away from really really being the biggest surprise the season honestly because of how much we had little little faith they could beat the top two teams in the east so that alone the run adds extra life gives you a new fine expectation that you're going to carry in the next year whether or not it is like not i don't want to say deserve but whether or not you should carry that in the next year you will you will have higher expectations now with the new coach like even
more reason to be excited because you can say, hey,
Tim's held us back. We get a smart brain in there
that does more offensive juice to the team.
So that's a new life added to the fan base.
Did you guys see on Twitter just, I think it was last night
or two nights ago, we saw PJ Tucker, Janeland
Brunson, and I think Kat, they were all out in the clever
way. It was the whole team. They were celebrating
the Tens firing or something like that.
They were not celebrating.
They were turt dancing on his fucking grave.
This is my narrative bag.
That was a team outing for morale,
purposes. You go out, you hang out. Why was it morale so high? Huh? Why was morale so high?
What are they celebrating? You just finished a long season. It was a very successful season.
Even after the tip thing, and this is one thing that I did think about where, yes, I was massively
disappointed and you can call this hope, or you can call it perspective. At the beginning of the
season, I was like, this team has to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. That is where they
are going to go. And because we thought you are going to lose in the conference finals,
to Boston like that's going to be the thing as the season goes on you realize they're going to
play Boston before the conference finals so we kind of just wrote them off early the fact that
they still got to the conference finals by beating Boston as a whole the season was a very it was a
success like it from whatever your your expectation I mean unless you thought they were going to win
the finals which not many people did except you right so like this this season was was very well it went
went well so you're you're celebrating a successful season yeah I think you have reason to have
hope now going to next year like you you have a good excuse to be optimistic about the Knicks
which I feel like at best in the recent years you had cautious optimism at best yeah now I think
you can consider them especially with the east be neutered a little bit with Jason Tatum
RIP being out for at least the next year the calves being at the very least having more
question marks that give you even more reason to doubt than you already had at the very least so
you have lots of reason to say
next year could be our best chance
of winning the East that we've had of your lifetime.
Yeah, I agree.
The foundation is there
and I think at very least
again, you will not be
as good as you were this year
which is still like very high
for the East and Conference.
Three seat is the floor.
And it might be a little bit different
just because like the way that
a normal tips team plays
every game matters
and you're going to go after every game
and you have all these starters
playing big minutes.
So there's a floor there that you might be able to reach.
We still don't know who the next coach is going to be.
We'll see what happens.
We'll see, you know, whoever is named and their offensive principles and where
they come from and their values and all those things.
We'll see how that, you know, ultimately ends up affecting the team.
But, no, it was a good season.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Undoubtedly, there's a positive takeaway from it.
And I would say about a month before the playoffs, there was so little hope, I think,
in the Knicks fan base that there was going to be this positive outcome.
Like, it was a pretty defeated fan base during that stretch towards the end of the regular
season where they were looking little iffy and the Celtics were as great as they were all
season.
They looked like they were full of life.
Obviously, the Cavs had nailed the one seed.
There was not a lot of hope from the fan base.
We were all watched.
We were all watched because it was like, hey, Detroit is not anything to snuff at, right?
Detroit had a lot of momentum going in.
And you're like, listen, if you don't take care of business, if you come out and think it's
suite which they loki did right like they there was a situation where that could have been a seven
game first round series yeah and the nix had already lost two games at home to detroit in that
in the first round so going to in game seven it's not it's not anything that you could have just
you know put in pen we spent towards the end of the season they faced the boston celtics
the cleveland cavaliers and the detroit business of course like those losses don't really
mean much because it's april basketball march basketball but they were trailing just a there you
left the regular season with a trail of L's from top tier teams.
It's a stench.
Yeah.
And like we spent the last three weeks bullying you because it's funny and you're easy
to get riled up and because the Knicks were like just the funniest thing ever for
you specifically and the storylines that you were buying into.
But despite that.
It happened.
No, no, no.
Just like convincing yourself they're going to come back and win.
And it was fun to be like, come on, man.
They're down three one.
But after the dust settles and after it's no longer funny to make fun of you.
because they're out of it, you very much
should feel good about this team. Yeah.
But not that good. I do. I agree.
But not too good. I feel great.
I will say, a team that I feel
so many things about is the Atlanta Hawks.
I think the best word that I have.
Yeah, fuck it. Let's just address it.
Let's just address it. Let's do it.
I haven't had the opportunity, thankfully,
to talk about the Atlanta Hawks over the last like,
bro, it's been like a month, two months.
And my life, the quality of my life is amazing.
I sleep better. I eat better.
my lifts are better bro my skin is glowing my teeth shine a little brighter i don't know what it is
but i'm just starting to notice some type of consistencies the only thing only reason we've said
the hawks at all anything pertain to them the past month is to say point guard x and point guard y
are better than trey young that's all we've done hawks narrative wise is damn brunth is so much better
tyree so much better and then we talked about a kongwu for like two seconds in the draft clip
that we did the other day we kind of called a mid aren't even nice the best word that i can come
up with as a hawks fan right now as in the making of this video as in the month of june is that
i am feeling frenzy like i feel hope i feel optimism but also i feel worry why because right
before the season ended we fired our gm for our assistant gm who's apparently been all not all
around the league but he came from the spurs and the golden state warriors and i feel good because
we have for the first time ever again we're mid 37 wins 41 wins blah blah blah i get it but this is
the best foundation that we've had in the strongest core of young players around tri young that we've
ever had that could be conducive to winning we have a vision but also at the same time too we just fired
our gm of course these tri young rumors are all over the place we lift on several important picks
over the last few years whether it be dion j hunter or well i don't say dion j hunter but kobe buffin is like
the person who sticks out like a sword thumb. So I feel like very frenzied because I'm like,
okay, we got a new GM, completely new mindsets in the building. We have the 13th pick and
22nd overall pick in the, in this upcoming draft, which is very important. We don't know
what we're going to do with Akongu and Klankepella. It's, I'm assuming we might want to
start Okongu, but is he really the center for the future? And then the biggest talking piece of
it all is like, what's going on with Tray Young? Why is he over here talking about
how he wants to stay with the Atlanta Hawks a couple weeks before our GM gets fired.
What is going on?
So I feel frenzied.
Yeah, that's a good word because I think especially over the last two years, specifically
last year when you like rebuild the roster, it does feel like you guys are in a like dash
against time to figure out if you can maximize Trey before his value goes like absolutely
down because there obviously like he's a small point guard.
there's already been, you know, a lot of conversations about can you win with Tray Young as,
you know, one of the two best players on your team, this and that. And so the fact that you traded
for Dejante Murray and then had to walk that back because you were mid. And then now you're
rebuilding. You got, you got Reese and Shea, you got Dyson Daniels. You're trying to figure out
what all of this means. And is there a way that you guys can get above that nine seed,
41 games, you know, 42 games line? It, it does feel like there's a mini era that's coming
into a close that you guys are trying to see if you can extend a little bit more.
So frenzy does make a lot of sense to me as a term for you guys.
Yeah, exactly.
And then, like, as I see a close to the era, potentially, I also see like a new beginning
because it's like, holy fuck, we got the most improved player of the year.
We pulled off one of the best trades in the NBA over this past season when it comes
to exchanging Dejante Murray for Dyson and Daniels.
We have a defensive player of the year.
We have a potential all-star on our roster who just,
literally needs to be healthy.
These are real pieces.
We have the number of overall pick
who a lot of people, like me,
admittedly, kind of just like shunned on
shun day one, but he had a fantastic
rookie year.
Optimism is there.
Okay.
Yeah, it is.
You're ahead on the right direction
is like the way to phrase it, I guess.
Like optimism in terms of like
we're the next up, no.
But training in the right direction,
the spark of optimism has been laid.
You will see what fuel they add to that fire.
But yeah, you at least see the spark.
Just so many.
It's just a frenzy, bro.
That's still overall, like, encapsulating.
We're just so many thoughts for this team,
and I don't know where to go.
Yeah.
And it's like, whenever you're operating on, like,
are we going to be bad mid or good mid next year?
You're like, yeah, they'll be towards a good side next year.
They're turning towards the five seat instead the ninth seed.
Go to hell.
No, that's real.
That's real.
Like, next year is not going to be a year that make a big jump.
But you can project them to be on the high end of the midscale next year.
Cavs, Cavs, Casers, Knicks, Magic.
I assume Boston's going to be good still.
Well, depending on what they do,
which that's going to be a fun when we get to them.
But those four, those four,
and then let's just say you guys climb up to five,
that's good.
Yeah, yeah,
you're training in the right direction.
You're not ready to be a great team yet.
They're not there yet,
but they're on the high end of mid
and they can take another step.
I feel like you're talking to a puppy right now.
That's good, man.
Good job.
That's exactly what I'm doing.
I'm talking to some.
Keep grinding, bro.
You'll be all right.
I'm talking to someone to damage.
Stay consistent, bro.
Still consistent, bro.
Bro, post 10 times a day.
It's all about clip farming.
some people back to your Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Lemon app.
Does Gary E.
Yeah.
Dude, you gotta post a thousand times a week.
NFTs.
And you would know this if you bought my course to 10 out of a month.
Dude, sell your shoes and buy a camcorder.
Garage sales every Saturday, 9 a.m.
Sell Trey Young now.
You don't need them.
Okay.
So that's the Hawks.
Let's stick with the trend of our teams first up front.
We'll go to the Lakers.
My one word to describe the team.
I, Lisa Al-Gaiib.
Who?
What?
Wait.
Luca Dantzic is the only thing that matters for this season.
Obviously, there was the downside.
I was looking at me like, I thought since what's going on.
That's for us.
We have.
So in other words, the one, I'll use one term to describe this team.
I said, a three word phrase instead of one word.
Yeah.
A new hope.
He said two words.
Nash and Paul.
Well, you all cheat and I use three, a new hope.
I think is the phrase because for this season,
the only thing that matters is the fact they got Luca Donchich.
Obviously, they showed us reason to believe they could make a run.
That shit was a house of cars.
It was fake.
It was false.
It was Fugazi defensive schemes that worked in the regular season
did not work in the playoffs, right?
So the reason we had optimism for them this year, false hope.
But before we even gained that false hope when they made that trade,
the only thing that was talked about day one was,
okay, so the next era of the Lakers is here.
they're going to move past the LeBron era.
Right now, we're kind of juggling both.
But eventually this is all about building towards the Lucidantia era that comes next.
And that's all that I can take away from this is going into the summer,
I'm already over the playoffs loss.
Like as soon as I saw, this team didn't have the juice in the first three and a half games.
Once you got to that middle point in the series, I was like, okay, so they just don't got it.
I have no reason to care anymore.
They clearly are not built for this year.
Oops, I was stupid for having hope.
Now I'm like, okay, so how do we make this Luca Dantzsche's era work?
how do we retool this team this summer to give our new hope everything he needs to lead
this team towards whatever comes next yeah because if every team in the NBA right now like
we just did a massive redraft Luca goes where like three at worst
wembe shay because she's still younger uh yokech he still has a good amount of years then it's like
luca and yonis not not lucas younger than i think i would yeah but she's a safer bet right now
i think but yeah it's for that's a debate MVP yeah yeah but even even even with with
I think, I think if we're doing a redraft, because the same reason why you would take like
Shay over Luca, you would take Luca over, over Yokic, because Yokic is near and 30 and Luca's not
necessarily there.
Yeah.
And I didn't mean Shay, I meant Shay's younger than other stars like Yokish and Janus.
Yeah.
But yeah, so like, Luca is one of those like foundational pieces in, in the league.
So yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't really matter.
And they have, they are one move away from getting the thing that we all said that they
needed all year long, which is they need an actual big. They did not have any playable big men
in that in that series, at least at least not playable to JJ Redick. And the fact that now
you have an offseason where he can be involved fully into player personnel decisions and not only
get a player that fits with Luca, but fits with what JJ wants to do, that's massive for them.
Yeah. And you could say one of the words that describe this team as disappointment, if you'd
like because we did all truly believe that this team had it in them to somehow after such
a monumental trade make a run in the playoffs like it wasn't completely ridiculous for us to think
they had a chance to win a playoff series at least one right like yeah they very well should
have won one so they did fail in some regards but you know it's not the most important thing
while people like me allow myself to have hope and be a fan and truly just believe like oh they're
bringing it all together once the dust settle it's like okay it's not shocking that that was false hope
It's not shocking that that didn't work out the way we wanted to believe it would.
So with that being in mind and with, you know, taking a step back and realizing what really matters to the future,
it's all about next year and the next year and the next year, the next three-year window while you have Luka under control before you can inevitably decide he wants to stay or go.
You probably have at least a year and a half, two years, maybe three of a runway to prove to him he should be here long term.
That's what it's all about.
And if they didn't do this trade, I don't know what that runway would have been like.
You would have had 40-year-old LeBron, AD over 30.
damn i don't know like you wouldn't have had a long window in front of you whatsoever this probably
would have been more like lebron's about to announce a farewell tour and you should trade ad before
he loses all his value and now we have the complete opposite of that as in terms of a long-term
path in front of us if i was to get into the weeds a little bit more and talk about a specific
player luca dantsich and describe one word for him going into next year based off of this season is
like bomb that he has a time bomb on his chest
because I don't, there isn't a player who has as much pressure to perform at like
God tier all time level like Luca Donchitz since we've seen LeBron as a Laker or since you
could even say since we saw, um, KD joined the Warriors back in 2016.
Another thing that helps put more pressure on to Lucas for me personally, I mean, I like
narratives. This is what this episode is about. Some dude in your draft class, 2018 specifically
just won MVP and he might win an MVP and an NBA championship.
If I was to tell you two, three years ago that Shay was going to win an MVP before
Luca Donchitz, you would be so shocked.
You would call me a fucking moron.
Chains have been snatched.
Exactly.
Chains have been snatched.
And that is the most, one of the more shocking things to develop over the last, I don't
know, seven, eight months.
Of course, Lucas went through a hell of a lot of things, whether it'd be him being traded,
him being injured, and all that.
But there's a lot of pressure on him specifically to be peak Luca better than ever.
And he needs to break new barriers or at least reopen them so he can enter his name
with these conversations again.
I think the word to describe the next year is pressure.
I said for this season, I said a new hope.
But like I'm calling this guy the chosen one.
Yeah.
I call him Lise and Al-Gai.
That's the chosen one from Dune.
So I'm calling him like the king.
Like he needs to be the one to like lead this team.
So that in itself includes a whole lot of pressure.
So that's definitely the way to describe Luca over the next year.
He has everything on his shoulders.
Fair.
All right.
My next team, let's go.
Let's stay out east.
I'm going to go, at least stay out east with me.
Cleveland Cavaliers.
Okay.
Controversial.
That's the word?
Yeah.
Okay.
Controversial.
They went over.
What did you say?
I said, what are they?
I didn't Ross.
Okay.
They won over 60 games.
God forbid.
They had, they had a great.
a great statistical profile.
You had,
you had DeMitch taking less, right?
All the,
all the high vibes were there.
They looked like a team
that was on the inner circle
of the title contenders.
Yet throughout the entire regular season,
it was kind of split on like,
if you were a ball noah
and you're like, yeah,
Cleveland is like that.
Or are you saying,
this is the same team
from a couple years ago that keeps,
that keeps, you know,
going outside.
I don't really trust them.
Darius Garland had a great,
year, All-Star, all that, once again gets hurt, has the playoff performance where he's coming
in and out.
And now we're sitting here in the off season, there's still, you know, reasons to question
about like, okay, what is next season going to be like for this Cleveland Cavaliers team?
Him and Mowgli and Hunter all got hurt in the playoffs.
They go out in a very weird way.
And so now this entire season where it was one of the best seasons post-Lebron, you look at
them and you're like, hey, I don't really know what they are.
And if you look at them and you say that team, they were frauds the whole time,
you have a section of people that can legitimately be like, you're stupid.
Look at everything that they did for the entire regular season.
They just got hurt.
You just did all of this.
They should run it back.
They'll be fine.
Or you can say, this team was fine.
It's just injuries.
And there's still another side that can say, nah, that was just regular season.
They had opportunities in the playoffs.
It didn't work.
I still think that while they were extremely good, there are still a lot.
of questions about Cleveland and their roster construction, their makeup, what happens to them
and the amount of dog in them, you know, like, there's, there's a lot that we still need to find
out about a team that won 64 games last year, which is kind of weird. Yeah, that's why the word
I would use is frustrating because there's all these questions and you have no clear answers
whatsoever. For everything you said, the haters are right but wrong at the same time. The optimists
are right and wrong at the same time. It really comes down to whether you value sample size and
process or just raw outcome in the playoffs not here to say which one's the right answer but
everybody has fuel to their fire like you said and if you're the calves what do you look at
from this playoff run and say we can learn from that you clearly don't have enough perimeter defense
i think the picture is exposed that regardless of who's healthy but the lack of primitive defense is
really really exasperated by the fact that your offense is neutered by the injuries so you could
say we didn't set the defense up to succeed well because of the injuries or maybe it's vice versa
maybe you would have lost anyways because the defense was a problem regardless there's so much
air, so little concrete answers, you have to really look within and decide, like, what you
want to hopefully be better in a better circumstance.
Yeah.
That if I'm the front office, I am, this is incredibly frustrating.
Like, there's zero, zero clarity.
Yeah, I agree.
There's almost questions when it comes to every single player on this roster outside of
Evan Mobley and probably Donovan Mitchell.
Even Donovan Mitchell.
There's questions about DeMitch.
Even, yeah, but even Donovan Mitchell, like, he didn't have the greatest regular season
whatsoever, one of the, not worst of his career, but it's not an outstanding.
any regular season at all.
Very forgettable
Donald Mitchell season,
which he somehow ended up
first team all in the year.
Forgettable?
Forgetable.
He didn't have a spectacular year.
Yeah.
I mean...
I mean, okay,
forgettable when it comes
to his personal career.
Okay.
No,
it is forgettable.
I mean,
he took a backseat
and like said,
I'm not going to have the high usage
so everybody else can thrive.
That is part of it.
But he also went a long part
of the year not quite having
the scoring effectiveness
that he usually does,
especially at the rim.
We talk about that all year.
So I think forgettel
is probably the perfect word
because it's not bad.
It's just like,
not, it's a footnote.
I always hear
Forgetta won't be like,
that's trash.
Of course you hear that.
I'm not surprised.
But also in the playoffs,
like he had a few crazy games
when everybody got hurt
where he almost won
scoring 48 points
and like people remember those games
and think, oh,
the team got hurt,
he put the team on his back,
Demich is fine.
He did his job.
He was kind of a black hole
in some of those games.
Like some of those games,
he took it upon himself
to revert to old DeMitch
and say,
I'm going to have to get a lot of buckets,
which you understand
because everybody's injured.
That man had,
a 45%
usage rate
and average three assists
per game
that just doesn't
make any sense
I mean shout out to you
he was playing
some Montaella's basketball
for a little bit
you did what you had to do
and like part of it
is because he lost guys
and had to revert to that
part of that is he was like
pushed into bad habits
by a good defense
that really took the
took his bad habits
and put them pressure on
them for him to do that
and he just did it
so he's not fully absolved
of blame either
so I agree
I said to say
even more frustrations
because you don't even know
if your best player
is at fault
exactly
And then that leads me to question next, up in line, Darius Garland, his health abilities and how, again, how reliable or sustainable he can be in the playoffs.
Those are just straight up for super frustrating questions because you can't go based off anything because he hasn't even had the opportunity to showcase what he can do when he's 90 to 100%.
Next up, we got Jared Allen.
What the fuck is going on?
People want me, people over here thinking that if I trade you, Evan Moby will be empowered and my offense will be a lot.
lot more fluid. But also at the same time, you are very much a part of my my superpowers as a
regular season or just the NBA team in general because I have the ability to have to have
basically two starting lineups when you're a part of this roster. We have, we are the twin towers
with you a part of this organization. Yeah. So it's like all around when it comes to their
core players outside of Evan Mobley, you have major questions. Yeah. And even Evan Mobley,
I don't have questions about this, but he didn't have a super aggressive scoring playoff
series with the Pacers. And I think that was because everybody else around him, the team really
went away from him in like a schematic way and didn't empower him enough and then put him in
position to succeed. But also the patient did a really good job taking his ball handling away with
like the ball pressure they put on everybody in the roster. So even him, it's like you better,
if you're going to play center, you're going to be asked to be a bigger score. You better be ready
for that. If I'm Cleveland, the moment we get to March 1st, Derris Garland, sit down.
I'm just I'm going to put you on ice
I'm going to put you in bubble wrap
We don't even talk about that
Yeah he's like I just
I have to get to a playoff run
Where you are healthy and at least
Right at the end of the season
Everybody's hurt right whatever
I need you to be 85%
Once we once we get to the playoffs
Not even man he needs to be healthy
Like you're right
He needs to be healthy
For someone like him especially
His player profile like you have no room for error
When you're that small
This is three times
This is three times
It's hard for small guard
to play through injury at all.
Yeah, that, that Darius Garland has not been 100% whenever the Cabs have been in a
playoff type of scenario.
And like you said, if Jared Allen is there, that's your, that's your superpower to kind
have two lineups.
If Darius Garland isn't there, you don't have that ability, right?
So like he has to be there.
So they're going to have to figure out.
It's like having a door with a no handle.
It's fucking useless, bro.
There's been a lot of rumors about potential Darius Garland for Jaylon's Suggs trades.
We'll talk about that in future episodes when we get into like looking forward to
the offseason more, but those are the type of questions that are in the air right now because
of everything you're mentioning with the lack of health that isn't his fault. Like I maintain,
I don't blame people for getting injured. It's not their fault unless you're like at Zion
Williamson situation. You're coming in and like unhealthy like out of shape than maybe. But
especially in a Darius Garland situation, it's not his fault. But if you get unlucky every year,
it's hard to build around. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Okay. I'm not going to lie. Someone just
made me excited. Do you have the new or pelicans or? Oh, I do.
Keep you talk about them
because he just mentioned
him like
oh my God
I've been dying
to talk about them
I don't even know
how to talk about this
right now
do you
do you have a word
for them
it's not
it sounded like
you were very excited
to the new ones
unknown
complete unknown
D&D
yes
the question is
not question
the word to describe
their season
because we're not talking about
looking forward
yeah
this season is to be
determined
that's how you
describe the season
because they had
a season from hell
everybody got hurt
they had a grizzy
type of season
Herb Jones got hurt immediately
Dejante Murray
RIP's Achilles got hurt immediately
Zion played 30 games
looked mid for 15
amazing for 15
hurt again
there is so much unknown
with this team
it's all to be determined
and if we won't look forward
a little bit
what's your takeaway from the season is
your foundation is to be determined
because they didn't get the number one pick
they didn't get number two picked
they didn't get something that you could say
we can draft a potential star
so you're not going to find
your new foundational piece for sure
in the draft this year
there's so many Zion
on question marks
whether or not
he should be your future star
whether or not he should be
in the NBA now
since that we have
looming charges
that who knows
where that goes
but if it's true
he's fucking out of here
so that's another
looming element of it
that he might be
the biggest sicko
in the league all of a sudden
if that ends up being true
what the fuck do they do
about that
because you owe him a lot of money
and all of a sudden
you're looking at a fucking
I don't even know
I was going to say a name
but you know
a something situation
and Joe Dumas
in a press conference
a couple days ago
which was after the news
broke of that
said they still plan
on Zion Williamson
being their foundational piece,
being their franchise player.
So that was already question marks
with do you want to put your eggs
in the basket of the guy
who's never available?
Now he has a looming court problems
that are to be determined.
If it's true,
you definitely don't want to put your eggs
in that motherfucking basket
because that is a horrible basket
that you should want
no part of anything
that has to do with that type of stuff
on your team.
I can't imagine a player
in terms of the space
they're at in their career
that this is a worse thing
for their long-term value in the league.
You already were on thin ice
and now you're,
about to fucking hammer that ice with a drop a grenade on the ice like yeah who knows what
they should do and you mentioned joe dumars they have an entirely new front office they got rid of
david griff and they still have they're still in a good position but john williamson is not
nearly as safe as he used to be through all the injuries like he this is one of the biggest like
okay this damn near a boomer bus season for you bro because this new front office has tape on you
they have they have your catalog of games and how available you've been over the last i don't know
four or five years and it's interesting because this front this new front office is left with
djante murray who i think he tore as achilles or something crazy like yeah he did and he's
getting paid up until 2028 he has a player option in year 2020 so there's he there's stuck with him
for quite a little bit they do have crazy who has who in my mind is on the verge of becoming a
all-star caliber player and he very well could be that depending on what the pelicans do this right do next
regular season.
C.J. McCollum is still there.
Okay.
But outside of that, you still have
plenty of questions outside of this roster.
I'm happy that they got someone like Kelly Owinnick
during the middle of the season.
He's there.
They've been clamoring for a stretch five
alongside on the ones, and he could be that answer.
But this team, again, similar to like the Atlanta Hawks
in my mind, it's just like a frenzy of questions.
Yeah, and again, it's also exasperated
by the fact that you might have a nasty man on your hands.
That makes it so difficult to
know what they should do like Joe Dumars he I guess he has to go on the podium and say we still
trust in the guy but you know that front office is panicking because you already aren't sure about
it and I just got here I just got this job yeah like you already had a question mark do you want to
put you want to rely on a guy who's unreliable and now he might play for Rackers Island next year like
it's so much to figure out without even mentioning the other guys in roster there's Trey murphy
trade rumors right now I don't know if they're that's crazy but I guess they could sell high on
him if they felt they're far away like they can go in so many directions that it really comes down
to this new front office what direction they want and then we didn't even mention they have one of
the biggest trade pieces that the NBA has to offer in those Milwaukee trade picks and swaps as well
so they're still in a one of the better positions in the NBA to pivot into you know next level
stardom and they can they can trade for God knows what depending on what happens with Tray Murphy and
all that.
But they're not dead in the water
But they could easily fuck up the situation
Oh yeah yeah
They have a lot of they have several good paths in front of them
They have to fare out which one they want
And the Zion Williamson question
And really muddies that up
Because that depending on which way that goes
Can ruin several of those paths
If you're stuck with his contract
And he's not going to be on your team
This team feels like it needs to be sold
And relocated
Like it really does
It feels like they need a complete reset
From top to bottom
And again they try to do that
with the front office but with a with a new front office with a core and a team that just
basketball wise you've had to tear down and reshuffle because of injuries you've also had to
do that because of you know looming lumen stuff with your star player that you don't you don't
know like if this if this were a movie or if this were a video game you you you turn the game off
and you just restart like it wouldn't be anything where you're like yeah this this makes me feel
very, very good about where, where we're going.
I'm just starting a new dynasty.
That's it.
So this year they have the seventh overall pick, not the greatest pick, but not the
worst place to be in.
Next year they have, yeah, exactly, I agree.
Next year they have the rights to swap with Milwaukee in 2027 as well.
They have the right to swap with Milwaukee.
And then they have their own first round picks going for pretty much.
They have so many decisions to make.
They can make a big.
gas blast and trade for God knows what, bro, the next superstar who's out and try to
pair him with Zion Williamson, or they could steady try to build this homegrown through
the riddled pieces that they've had.
This is so much to talk about with this team, and I'm just excited to see where it starts.
I think it all starts on draft night for them.
I'm unexcited to see it.
I'm not excited at all, but anything.
Yeah, I very much don't want to see it, because it's,
looks like it's going in a nasty place I do not want to see okay there you go well my next team up
similar is situation to the norens pelicans is the phillade office 76ers okay i cheated a little
bit i have two words for them hard 75 they need to lock the fuck in hard 75 they need to lock the
fuck in paul george put that mic down joel and b please figure out what's going on
what that means. Please.
Jared McCain. I love
the side businesses, bro. You are
thriving. I love, I love the media
personality that you're becoming, bro. Just so
it's clear. Hard 75 is three words.
Oh.
That's hilarious.
Back in the 75 hard.
You don't know what he's saying.
In the 75? It's 75 hard.
I've always heard people say hard 75. I swear
to God. Hard 75 is wild.
And you look up Art 75 on TikTok.
how people are saying.
No, I know, I'm telling you, it's 75 hard.
Wow.
Yeah, look that.
75 hard.
A tactical guide to winning.
Yeah.
To winning the war.
Well, that's a book.
That's what's from, I guess.
Yeah.
Okay.
75 hard.
Does this mean like 75 days of hard work who get your life right?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Just being like super strict and disciplined.
That's a good word.
They need to lock in.
That's the lock hyphen in.
So it's one word.
Lock in is what the 76ers need to figure out because they're similar to the Pelicans in that
there's paths in front of them,
they have to lock in
and figure out which one
I want to go down.
It kind of feels like
their path they're choosing
is get the very most
you can at the Joel Embedier.
We're not going to punt unimedia yet.
We're going to try to get him healthy
for next year.
Loeb managed the living fuck out of him
in a way that nobody has ever been
low-managed before.
This man is not playing two consecutive quarters.
We're going to low-manage him
within games.
He's not going to play more than three times a month.
We're going to make sure he's available
for the playoffs.
They're going to go to extremes
and try to get the most of that,
see if they can get a bounce back year
for Paul George healthy.
and then probably use the draft assets to kind of like tobo friends.
They got a third overall pick, bro.
They got blessed.
So they're probably going to pick Ace Bailey because he can probably
they're going to try and make him like a 3-and-D guy at first
and let him grow into his wings,
but pick a wing that can contribute next to their stars.
Like it feels like they're going down the path of
we're staying loyal to him beat for at least one more year.
Obviously there's questions there.
There's a lot of questions on whether that's the right path.
So figuring that out, it's very similar to the Pelicans.
Yeah.
And that's why this last year, like their word is just hell.
like that's that's where you that's where you were it's a good thing we paired them
the pelicans because they're very similar situations yeah and so you have everybody on
your team getting hurt everything that that went down the whole you know podcast debacle
that played the team so self and self-inflicted self-inflicted debacle like it did not need
to be a storyline I feel like they have even less rude all you could have just stopped making
the podcast and yeah you didn't have to announce anything or just keep doing it like at the point
you were so deep in just like keep doing your thing like nobody gave a fucking
anymore and then when the season's already lost now i'm a lock in if you were just kept going nobody
would be talking about this podcast do you know how mad i'll be filed a six just fan man man he'll be so
piss you lock in when it's over but yeah um they have even less room for error compared to the
new one's pelicans because of naturally the age of their stars on this team yeah and they they can
easily fuck this fuck the situation up and in my mind if they miss on this pick right here like
they're completely done.
There's no hope for anything
the Dwell and B era
is already looking really fucking weak
but I think with this pick missed
it's beyond it's gotta cross their fingers
and hope it's not over like
at this point there's very little reason
to leave this season
feeling good about the Joelle and Bede era
like everyone like this season
was kind of like a collective funeral
for the prime Jewel and Bid
and maybe it's premature
maybe he comes back after another surgery
and looks to be he still look good news on the court
he's not incapable of playing basketball anymore
like it's not a great go
situation where the injuries pile up and he sucks now. It's not quite that. So maybe we're
premature and he has at least one more year of 50 games in him. But that's the bar now is 50
games. We're not even hoping for 70 games anymore. The bar is so low and there's so much
room for variance that at the best, best case scenario in terms of the way you can view this
team, it's a bad bet. That the possible the bet hitting, the possibility is there. You could get
some joll and B play that still is one of the best players in the league, but it's not a safe bet
whatsoever. And as all they can hope for is bad odds going in their favor.
We're going to talk about them a lot in the offseason, especially as we start to get more
news about Embed and whatever, you know, ramping up he's doing, whatever, wherever recovery
it is. It's over. It's done. That's how it's all that's good.
But betting on the Sixers to have, I don't know, if in their mind, their goal is still
like, we want to win a championship next year, you're trying to hit a 20-leg parlay.
if you're trying to do that. It's not anything that you can
realistically be like, yeah, we actually have a shot
on this. That's how I'm going to describe the six years this year
and going forward. They are now bad bet. That is how we refer to them on the show.
They are bad bet. Damn.
Every year, really, the history says every year they are a bad bet.
Even when Jerome B was healthy, some of those bad bets weren't necessarily
they're false, but now the bet is as bad as bad as it's ever been.
Damn. That's tough.
With that being said, though, I do think they'll probably get a better version
of Paul George next year within reason.
Expectations will be recalibrated a little bit
And I think he could look a little bit better
You know, he still defended well this year
But you need so much more to go well
For you outside of Paul George looking slightly better
Did you see any clips of Paul George on the
I forgot what podcast it is
I think it was
That Barso podcast with those two dudes from Philly
And then Gillian Wallow
Yeah
Yeah it was funny as hell
Because of course
They're natives to that city and all that
They were talking so much
kindhearted shit to Paul
George and they talked about how disappointed
the city was with him and how
they basically want him out of there to his face
and it was hilarious.
All right, we got to speed through
some of these teams now. Donovan, who's your next team?
Speed through, sorry
to the Charlotte Hornets
but this last year was a simulation.
Simulation is your one word
Charleston. This is one of those
years where like
I know, I know
like you picked a bad team on purpose
And you're like, I'm just going to, I'm going to bench all of my guys.
I'm going to get all the drag picks.
I'm just going to take.
And there's that.
Yeah, there's not a lot of hope.
You hired a new coach going into last year, but you still have all the same questions about
Lamello.
Brendan Miller missed a lot of time.
Your number one picks, I'm blanking on.
Tijon Salon.
Thank you.
Again, a forgettable rookie season.
Definitely auto sim rookie season.
Yeah.
So, Shrano Hornet, your last season was a simulation.
Yeah, I think that's a good way to phrase it for keeping a light on them because obviously we've talked a lot about the lack of faith we have in their future. Obviously, the lack of faith we've begun to have with their star player in how much questions we have with Lamello after being, I think overall we've been Lamello optimist as a show over the years. My optimism is dead. It's on life support.
Show me a little bit of something next year. I can come back, but it's on life support. The beeps are real slow, few and far between. It's not a strong heartbeat right now on the Lamello Island for me.
Yeah, his PR is slowly dwindling as we speak, naturally because there's other stars who's continuously, like, surpassed him in the NBA rankings.
Yeah, life support.
I'll call that.
Your team is on life support.
Next team up, since you want to speed along, Chicago Bulls.
Okay.
I think the best word that I could come up with for them is delirious.
Just like, you're just like a disturbed person.
If you're a Chicago Bulls fan, you've had a really disturbed.
NBA year
you were super close to getting
someone like Cooper flag
disturb hilarious
put all your keys in
for Josh Giddy
you finally traded Zach Levine
but for basically nothing
and you sat on his trade value for entirely
too long
the list of names
Alice Cruiser from last year follows that as well
you just are just a you're just a really disturbed
person right now in the NBA landscape
because of the you just been
sitting on your hands the entire time. You don't know what to expect. You don't have no real
expectations or a pathway for this team because they are the opinion of this NBA hell for
everything. Yeah. Yeah. The foolish is kind of where I would go. If you start in the offseason of
last year and then go all the way up to here, it's just it's a lot of bad asset management and just
wrong, wrong practices. Regardless of what the outcome ends up being, you didn't necessarily
do things in the most optimal way and so for that reason it's like all right you're choosing
you said earlier about the hawks being on the good side of mid the bulls are on the bad side
of mid they're on the mid they're right in the middle they had a good second half of the year
mid the mid the mid the mid I'd say a bad religion is how I described that freg ocean song is
about loving someone who doesn't love you back bulls fans that ownership to group does not love you
back they don't go fuck about the fans they care about your money being siphoned their pockets
They will do the worst thing every single year
in terms of getting you
with the championship product that you want
because the love you pouring to this team
you want it to be rewarded with good play
at the very least, they'll never get it.
And then won't even pretend you'll get it.
You'll just get bullshit every year
and you're going to like it
and you're going to put your butts in seats
and they're never going to change.
Caruso is helping a team
win a championship issue.
And they got no draft weeks for it.
And instead you guys got the 65th best player
in the NBA that you're going to pay
$35 million a year
to continue to make you be mid of mid,
and you're going to convince yourself that it's good.
You can convince yourself that him plus white plus bozellas
can maybe do some stuff.
You're going to convince yourself you can be the pacers.
You can operate from the middle
and slowly make smart moves over and over again.
Those smart moves do not begin with paying
Josh Giddy $35 million a year.
I can assure you of that.
That's so sad.
It sucks because it's going to happen.
Why is Billy Donovan still one of the longest tenure coaches in the NBA?
What does he do?
He puts butts in seats.
He keeps a job.
He has an easy, safe job.
That's great for an NBA head coach.
Most people aren't promised that type of job security.
You know, from that output of life, you are correct.
There's no expectations to do anything other than win.
41 games a year.
It's a fantastic job.
I guess so.
I guess so.
We can move on the man.
What's my next team?
I have the Miami Heat's.
Pergatory.
That's the word described this season.
You ship Jimmy Butler off.
Now you're simply like, and I say purgatory, not even in like a terrible way
in just like a literal way.
You are in between eras now.
You are in between whatever destination you left versus where you're going.
You're firmly on that card right now trying to figure out which lane you want to go down,
figure out where Pat Rally is and it sends you,
which star path you can go down,
which path to attain that star are going to go down?
Is it going to be a tank and draft?
Is it going to be a signing trade like you got Jimmy Butler with?
Is it going to be a Tyler Hero, take the keys, take us to the promised land?
Good God.
You don't know yet.
There will be a lot of questions to answer for you this summer and really next trade deadline as well.
But right now you're just simply in wait and see mode, pure MBA purgatory.
Good for you.
All right.
Next,
for me,
the Brooklyn Nets,
yeah.
Foundational.
I think that they won in the all season.
You got your,
your picks back,
which is,
it's a very,
very,
it's a very big key to tanking,
right?
It's one of the reasons why
we're talking about like Janus
and if you're the bucks,
it's like,
I mean,
should we trade him?
Because we don't have control over our picks.
So why would we,
you know,
trade the franchise player like that?
So you have,
you have the nets.
They go out.
get, they get their, their picks back.
The coach that you just hired,
Jordy, from all,
from, you know, from everything that looks like,
this, that's a, that's a good coach.
And that's somebody that you,
that you can actually see building a,
a culture for this team, wherever you decide to go.
You tried to tank because of him
and the players that you had in, in the building.
You weren't necessarily able to do that.
All year long, we talked about,
are they going to trade Cam Johnson?
That didn't necessarily, that didn't happen.
And it, lokey feels like,
they at least for this past season you wanted to keep a veteran and at least one like above
average you know asset on the roster so that you can actually win games and not just be a
complete dumpster fire of a team last year felt like something for them where you won 24 games
is it 17 games no is it good no but it is something that for the new era of brooklyn nets
you now have something that you can build on so i do think that last year was pretty foundational
for them. You see the rumors that they're trying to trade
Cam Johnson plus pick 18 for another lottery
pick? It's a smart move.
I haven't seen that. I would hate that.
In terms of asset management, like, turning
this draft is like top heavy,
but like nine through 20
is kind of flat from everything that
experts say. I'm believing them because I haven't done the most
research yet. So if that's the case,
Cam Johnson is somebody you could have got two first
on picks for. Maybe they'd be bad for some picks
in a contender. Maybe you don't value that to each their own.
But in terms of just pure bites at the
apple, turning what could be three,
if you count pig 18 plus two Cam Johnson picks
into a little bit better pick
if you went up to like 10 with the rockets or whatever
that would be terrible asset management
Yeah that's not the greatest asset manager
I agree but maybe they have a very specific guy
that they're enamored with
And they want to cash, they want to sneak in and grab them
And if that's the case hey like all power to you
He better be fucking really good though
I would just trade up with something other than your best asset
If we're trying to move up 10 spots
Like it's not like it's insanely hard to do that
That using Cam Johnson as that fodder
unless there's more coming back as well as that lottery pick
or unless it's like a top six pick
which then I guess I would understand but
I don't imagine any of those teams are leap into do that
Yeah probably not
But even if they keep Cam throughout the season
Like I would be shot
I was kind of shocked he didn't get traded at the deadline last year
I would be floored if he was still on this team
At the end of next season as well
Yeah
I was next team oh
Next team similar to the Brooklyn Nets
Are the Washington Wizards
My word for them
is anchored for the first time in maybe damn near 10 years eight nine years they finally have
somewhat of they're building an identity and they have something to weigh them to hold them down
which is literally defense you have Alex Saar the number two overall pick last year who didn't have
the greatest rookie season but you walked away from his rookie season very feeling very good about
that pick and seeing his outlier skills as a big whether it be his mobility the shot
blocking his ability to do very very unique things at that size on the offensive end
with his handling his playmaking and all that you have a lot of good pieces on this team we
even talk about um damn what's that other french guy belabbal the other french guy yeah the other
french guys there's so many french dudes in the league i know i think the wizard's word is progress
like they just they're simply early in a rebuild they make a progress this year the young guys
they picked had flashes yeah reasons for optimism
They weren't bus.
Yeah, I agree.
You could very well be like a team like the Utah Jazz,
who just have been in the same state for several reasons.
I guess we can just quickly move off the Wizards.
I could double up and talk about the Utah Jazz.
The never-ending tank.
Again, just despair.
Like, they are the definition of two words,
empty calories, bro.
They just don't do much.
They play games.
They are one of the NBA teams.
Exactly.
Over the last few years, they had a good surprising year.
Oh, my God.
Lair Mark and came up to the scene as one of the best forces of the league has to offer.
We're blah, blah, blah,
any age is making all the,
he's making moves in the league.
For what?
Second round picks.
Moves are being made.
Yeah.
I don't know if he's doing too much.
He's like moving fast.
Yeah, he's like that Kendrick Perkins dribbling move,
just hella bag work off.
He's making moves.
Are they used to know,
but he's making shit happen.
Transactions are happening.
He wasn't he a part of the Luca Dantus trade?
Just like so casualty.
Yeah.
And he didn't even know he got bamboozles
and he being part of looking down to the trade.
Exactly.
Like I don't know what's going on over there.
I feel so bad for those fans because also on top of the lack of moves
or whatever you want to call it happening,
you paid liar marketing what he paid,
what he deserved,
but also just like,
yeah,
what's really going on here?
You demanded a hell of a haul for him
when you dangled him out in the trade market.
And then what really like nailed it in the coffin for you,
I guess this NBA season slash off season as well
is seeing that you guys dropped off
in the NBA lottery
and you guys have I think like the fifth pick
or something like that
and you take all year
for the hopes of
someone like a Cooper flag
who would have been
the greatest representation
for your organization
I get ready to speak concanipple
wrong Duke White
you're getting the other one
sorry guys
shit's sad man
which I mean I like concanipple
but you're right they needed a lottery
look they needed a Cooper flag
Dylan Harper
That's where it ends for that
They needed somebody of that stature
That you have that much of a ceiling to as a prospect
Not to say they can't get a star at pick five
You always can
And you should draft better than they have in the past
But man they needed all the percentage help they can get
I agree
Coming in as the worst NBA team last year
Just to end up with the fifth pick
Man tough same with the wizard same with the wizards
They dropped even further
Yeah
And like you blew the Cody Williams pick seemingly
You have Collier who is a hit for pick 20
but I don't he's not
transformational as a franchise
that could be a good piece
you have no transformational pieces right now
and they are too deep into this rebuild
to not have a franchise guy
you can't even like restart the rebuild
because how much lower can you get from here
they could get lower they could
they could ship Larry Marketing out right now
yeah it won't be hard
Larry marketing for Paul George and pick three
who says no get off the trade
you get off the contract
it wouldn't even do it they don't they don't play they don't play laurie anyway
that'd be that'd be dumb as fuck for the six years of the i'm just kidding it's interesting
though but for the spurs i don't know oh oh okay now casking trade for laram marketing
book it i would love it okay next team uh Indiana Pacers we haven't talked about the
finals merch the finals guys right now we're talking about them later well we have we
would have already talked about them for you guys for us is later so that's why
Indiana Pacers, what's one word we can describe this team?
Just unforeseen, really.
This is completely unforeseen in the best way.
Nobody saw this coming, is what I'm saying.
It is the most, probably the most surprising finals of the last decade in terms of the
final's appearance.
It's them or I think which year was it, one of those heat years, they were the seventh seed?
I think the second one, right?
The 23.
I'll go, yeah, the Miami-Denver one, I think it's probably a little more.
They were the seven-seat for that one.
I think they were the one-seat for 2020.
but no no they're the ones in 2021
they were the eights
you're right no 2021 I think they were the one scene
they didn't make it really both those Miami years
that was surprising that Jimmy Butler dragged him there
so it's like that or Halliburton dragging
them or Halliburton and Seaccom
dragging the pages there it's as
of the last decade some of the most
surprising picks to make the finals
just because this team was not bad
at all they were very good
but they were very good in a way that very few people
expected to translate to a finals birth
when you had the looming threats of the
Celtics and the Cavs. Obviously, they blitz the calves. We know the injury part was part of it,
but they still beat the shit out of them. So it's fair to say they would have won either way if you
want to take it there because they won by such an easy margin. It's just the primary, they're going
to be the benchmark from now on of how to be a good team that remains good, gets a little bit better
every year, continues to do their thing while everybody's sleeping on them. It's unforeseen because
everybody in the mass media, including us, sees the success, sees the amazing net rating in the
second half of the season and says, all right, whatever, prove it to me. Show me you can win without
superstars prove it to me prove it to me you can beat the reigning champs in the east prove it to me
you can beat the 64 win team in the east yada yada we'll believe it when we see it we saw the shit
and nobody thought they would but here we are they prove everybody wrong the anti tankers
they have their poster child yep if you are one of those people that are like tanking is
unethical you should not do it you should stay good the whole time you can look at the paces
and be like this is what they've done their entire existence is not tank and even though they
it's their first finals appearance in, you know, in 25 years.
They could have had one.
Listen, they could have one in, in 04.
You had the malice at the palace.
They've been in conference finals a decade ago.
They've had a whole bunch of opportunities.
And it's funny because every single decade, you look up and the Pacers are involved
in something pretty monumental in NBA history.
And it's because they are always giving themselves a chance.
It's because they're always good.
And they're never saying, you know, we're going to.
bottom this thing out because you could be a team like the Washington Wizards that never
figures out how to get out of the rebuild or like the Hornets would be a better example.
The Hornets never are able to really, really go from the bottom to like a top three seed in
the conference.
When Kemper was at his best, they were sneaking into the playoffs, 8C, 40 and 42, that, you
know, that type of team.
Indiana is saying we're just never going to be that
We're gonna we might be mid sometimes
But guess what our highs are gonna be high
And they should they should be commended for how they've like built this
And another way to describe the season is trust in the process
The first 15 games of the season
We had no faith in them
Remember Tyrese Halliburton started so poorly
By the first 25
You was wigging on them in a Telitw suit man
Dude I was pissed as a Tyrese Halliburton supporter for many years
Those first 10 games he looked so goddamn awful
I was like yo I give up on him being
top five point guard. I think that's what I said is that he will bounce back. I do not believe he'll
continue to average 12 points per game and seven assists. He'll get better, but I no longer believe
he's going to prove to me he's a consistent top five point guard. I firmly said I am out on him as
a top five point guard. Now, we soon learned after that, that was a early season reaction. We soon
learned, okay, he's done with injury. I said, okay, windows open. Show me that that is the reason why
get healthy and show me because I still do not have faith. And another part of it is they,
despite the injury, like that's not the only thing. They made a big change to their office.
to start this season. It was far less Tyrese Halliburton ball. His usage rate was lower. It was way
more empowering of the ball handlers. They did this egalitarian thing to make sure that the offense
isn't one note with your stars running pick and roll. We're going to play through everybody,
make sure everybody has a rhythm, make sure all five players can attack off the dribble, kind of like
2019 Raptors in that way. And when it wasn't working, I was like, yo, Rick Carlisle, give Tyrese
Halliburton the ball, play through him, find a way to get him a rhythm. He looks so bad in the system.
I did not trust the process
I had given up on them
I was so motherfucking wrong
this team blitzed the playoffs
because of that style of play
it played off in the long run
everything all the lumps they dealt with
by getting Tyrese used to that
getting everybody else in the roster used to that
that led to them being disappointed start the year
they learn from those losses
they learn from those adjustment periods
and now they're so much better than they ever have been
yeah I think the word for them
another word for them also
two words winning margins bro
They just do all the things that you necessarily won't think is moving mountains whatsoever,
but they just win every small trade you can think of, whether it be trading for the exchange
between Malcolm Brogman and Aaron Neesmith a couple years ago, or it could be hell.
Like when they traded for Obie Toppin in the summer, I think it was 2023 or something like that,
and they just traded, they got Obie Topper for just simply two second round picks.
They blew the doors out of that trade, you know, and we can also talk about the obvious Tyrese Heidelberg trade or when a year ago, when they traded for Seacum, Pascal Seacom for basically, it feels like nothing.
The trade package was Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis Jr., Jordanora, and two first round picks in the 2024 NBA draft.
Basically nothing.
They ran away with that trade.
and to see them just continuously
just make the right moves
transaction-wise
is
damn mirror a blueprint
for every middle of the market
small market team
in the NBA
Who was those first-up picks
It was a Jacoby Walter
and was shed the other one?
I forget
But it was not players
that'll blow your mind
like the fact that they gave up picks
in a draft that is deemed to be poor
for draft standards
Yeah, Jarus Walker
and I forget the other one
But yeah
Yeah, Jarus Walker
and better at Matthew
No, I'm saying
In 2024 picks
They gave up to the Raptors
Oh
Yeah, the ones
They gave to the Raptors
In that trade
They gave them picks
That became Jacoby Walter
At 19
Where it was
And then I forget
What the other later one was
So they gave up poor
Draft capital
And a poor draft
For Pascal Caccom
And a bunch of contracts
That do not matter
Fantastic trade
To what you're saying
Yeah, I agree
And then
What's so funny
Is like earlier today
I was looking at
Just the history
Of the Indiana
Paces
And how
What rumors
They got themselves
to remember back in like 2022 when they yeah they offered diondra a like a fucking massive
bag yeah do you know what that could have done to this organizing that would have decimated everything
damn i'd rather be lucky than good butterfly effect works out thanks god yeah i'm just out of this team
i'm very i'm always happy to be wrong about a team when they're just like ethically better
like they just played the game the right way quote unquote and they just blow my expectation out
the water because i don't believe in them that's i'd much rather be wrong about that than me
believing too much in a team.
So shout out the Pacers.
And shout out Tyrese Halliburton for once again being clear top five point guard after I gave
up on them.
All right.
Next team.
Because I gave up so hard.
Next team, we're going to go to the other finals team.
And we're actually going to keep it pretty short because we've said the word for the
thunder is just juggernaut.
Nice.
And so we've said everything that we've needed to say about the thunder in our preview
on Tuesday, T3 Tuesdays, you know, you know what I'm saying?
Tap in.
They're amazing.
And you have an ascending MVP in Shea who just went to a completely different level.
You have Jaylon Williams who defensively got to a new level.
You got Chan Hong Green who we saw flashes of another step.
You know, the injury kind of deroged everything.
But in terms of team chemistry, depth, your star being that good.
And going into an all-time level team, that's what they proved this year.
And that's what this entire year has been about.
And so it's been, it's been super, super fun.
At least for me, I know some of you all have hated it.
But it's been very fun watching Oklahoma City really climb up the ranks in terms of a team that two years ago was 40 and 42 made the play in, one to play in game, and then got their doors blasted open by Minnesota.
You come back next year, one seed, fell in the second round.
Once again, one seed, almost in 70 games.
now you're in the finals and there's a there's a situation where you might lose less than 20 games
this entire year that's insane the 80 and 20 happened they want 80 games before they lost 20 that's
insane and you know you said some people didn't enjoy it because they hate them not only do they
have they not enjoyed watching the thunder succeeds in this play out for him they've not enjoyed
watching us enjoy it they hate that we enjoy the thunder so much every time we say anything good
about the clear juggernaut that's going to be dominating the west for years to come ideally
if things go well for them
and they say healthy and whatnot,
people hate that we enjoy it.
Here's the glaze.
Every time I speak as glazed
because I'm acknowledging
the clear, legendary player in front of us
that's on the all-time great team
for an individual year.
All we do is acknowledge that
and we enjoy it
because it's awesome to see as fans of sport
and they're, yo, get it out of your mouth.
How is he talking?
And it's great because at a certain point
if you keep saying
these things are happening,
this team is good,
they're going to do X, Y, and Z
and they just keep doing X, Y, and Z,
at a certain point, when does Glaze become seeing what's in front of you?
It's just having eyes at this point.
Like, it's just like, yeah, this team's going to make the finals.
They made it.
Get it out of your mouth.
They hate them so much, man.
They hate them so much.
I don't get it.
And we told you this back in June.
It's not even like we saw the first 25 games and we're like, oh, yeah, like, this
is definitely a title team.
The moment they got Caruso and especially the moment they got Hartstein, it's you added one
of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
And then the one roster weakness that you had last year was, hey, you guys don't have a backup big.
Let's just go get one of the best backup bigs in the league, who was a starter on a Knicks team that was very, very good in the playoffs last year.
You have no question about either of them and their playoff experience, whatever, you know, standing up to the moment.
They've just, they've hit every benchmark along the way.
They've answered every test along the way.
And they've been a juggernaut throughout this entire year.
I saw a comment on our, I saw a comment on our finals hot takes video where we were.
reacted and someone was like I didn't know this was an okayc thunder fan podcast I was like it's an
NBA fan podcast and if you enjoy the NBA there's a good chance you enjoy the young best
team in the NBA that is you know putting their names in history it's an enjoyable story
yeah I agree again similar to what I said about the Indiana Pacers them just winning margins
okayC they are the poster boy for that they do it in every single team building a facet that
the NBA has to offer over the in the free agency, the trade market, or doing it through
just, yeah, free agency, trade market, and all that.
So it goes back to the cruiser thing that you mentioned hitting in the 2022 NBA draft
twice, which is so rare to see in Chet and Zadab.
And then it goes back to, it all starts with like the Paul George trade to that happened
years ago.
Feels like an eternity now.
Yeah.
And so for all that's hand, the one word I'd use to describe them is just completion.
this year like you're seeing the process of rebuilding this team on the fly i've been saying all year
that it's one of the best rebuilds of all times especially when you think about the timeline and
the height they're reaching it was really like a three or four year window like you said starting with
trading paul george tanking for a few years getting shake in that trade then getting check
getting jd up etc this year's just the completion of that journey i agree we're seeing the fruits
yeah the fruits yeah the fruits yeah don't call him that because it's never mind some team that feels
like the complete opposite yeah
especially with other narratives.
Something that feels like
the complete opposite to OKC
are the Memphis Grizzlies.
Nice.
A couple years ago,
they felt like OKC
in terms of like seeing the camaraderie
between teammates,
seeing a young star point guard
who we all thought had MVP type potential,
which he still does argument or whatever.
But when it comes to...
Put that on pause.
Yeah, fine.
He's all NBA potential.
We'll say that.
that's fine regardless his name has diminished just a little bit and value of raw
and the NBA has in perspective has changed when it comes to how consistently can you win
with John Moran and can you reach those levels it's not only John Moran it's this entire team
that needs to be questioned and my word for them is just straight up damn like there's so many
period yeah damn like this is such a what a way to go out what a way to go you fire head
coach just a couple games before they
NBA season is over.
Jared Jackson, Jr. has one of the most embarrassing
first round playoff performances that the NBA could offer you
over the last five years from an all-star level player.
Is he all-B-A?
Jared?
No, I don't think he ended up making it.
Oh, wait.
I can't remember actually.
He might have because I think I saw, I think I saw Grizzly fans be in an
upwar about it because now they might have to pay him a humongous bag
because of contract stipulations.
I can't remember if he made there or not.
But yeah, he was in that running, so it won't be surprising.
I think their word is crossroads
Because we've said this for several teams now
There are paths in front of them
This one's a little bit different
Because someone like the Pelicans
Someone like, who's the team, the Sixers
They are
He did not by the way
Okay
He did not
Thank God
The Grizzlies picked their path
And they've done a very good job
Of maximizing that path
For the most part right
That path is just run its course
So now it's like what's next
I guess is the word really
Is like what is the next chapter
going to be
Because they
You've seen now the ceiling of this team
going down this path and this style
is not good enough. You just fire Taylor
Jenkins, right? So that's kind of throwing the white flag up
for this iteration of the team.
You can't just replace
the coach and running back next year, I think.
You can, I guess, not as the wrong possibility.
They might if there's no other better option, but
I think you can't do that and expect to
get over the hump. You have to make some type
of big change or at least a few
small changes to give yourself a better version
or a slightly different version of what this is.
I don't know what that's going to be, but
they're certainly at a crossroads or they have to make a tough decision.
They, yeah, they have to recalibrate everything that they thought.
Everything that they thought was possible with their team.
Two years ago, after they, after they lose to the Warriors in the second round, like you said, they are like the young team.
And you could, you could have thought about them being like, oh, the Grizzlies are going to be, you know, the next one's up.
They'll make a conference final soon.
Even coming into this year, it's like, oh, my goodness, they're getting job back.
They can have all this death.
They just had a Zach Eadie.
They have, you know, a big body down low again.
And they're just not that good.
And so now because of everything that John Morant has done and the situation that he is, you know, currently in as your best player, you have to rethink who you are.
Do you still think that you are a slight tweak away from making the conference finals out West and giving yourself a chance at the finals?
Or do you say we kind of have to take it a step down and maybe rebuild a little bit on the fly and do a retool rather than a rebuild?
but they just have to figure out where they are and be honest with themselves
about the spot in the championship race that they are yeah that's a good thing honestly
i kind of prefer their situation to a lot of other teams because like compare them to the calves
the calves have questions because of their lack of playoff success and it's so ambiguous
because all the the noise in these equations that you don't know what to do this shit is
unambiguous as hell for the grizzlies you know clearly your team is not good enough you do not
have the top end talent to compete with the likes of Oklahoma City. It's not going to happen with
this iteration of the team. You know that for certain, I think. I think maybe maybe fans would
disagree with that. Maybe people have more hope because of early season success and the things
that went wrong. I guess you could tell yourself there is hope. But I think if you're honest with
yourself, they need more juice. You can debate where that juice comes from. You can debate how
drastic of a change needed to get to that juice, but they don't have it. And that is good, I think,
that they have that clarity. Yeah. I agree. I agree. So many decisions to make. Well,
not really so many. There's like this really big, massive decisions to make, which are seismic.
Yeah. Next thing we got is the San Antonio Spurs. The word to describe the Spurs in 2024, 2025, looming.
They are around the corner. They are looming as a major threat in the NBA. They are not there yet,
but you see them around the corner. You know they're coming and you know it's going to be fierce when they
arrive. But the roster shows work to do when we still making progress. Obviously, the blood clot
factored into that maybe they would have already
arrived in the late season push that didn't happen,
who knows? But as of now, with everything that
happened, the moves they made, the moves that are left
to make, the decisions that are left to make, and the draft
and what to do with that pick, whether
it's pick a player or trade it, they are
looming for sure. It might
be another star trade that they do,
if they get like a Kevin Durant or get a Janus,
God forbid, and it becomes a three-team,
I mean, a three-star team next year, and all of a sudden
they're firmly in contention,
or they play it slow. They have maybe
one more year of looming where they're good, but not amazing
it where they have this young core with yearn and wemby or you know maybe it's something even more
foreseen that we don't see coming a combination of both whatever path they go down they are around the
corner and they will be here as a major threat in the west pretty soon when i see blood clots
you better watch out i'm knocking blood clots out man yo i'm so upset he the the the level that wendy
was playing at and the things that he was doing on a nightly basis it makes me so upset that we
then like we couldn't see that for a whole season but now like you said that that lumen is such a
great word because we get a full offseason where dear fox can actually heal his hand
where wendy can can come back you're going to have a full off season again also we've we've kind
of passed over it but like Greg popovich and his health issues was also a major major storyline
and so now that you have a legitimate like you know Mitch is the guy yeah and he's going to be there
from from start to finish that's also another plus that you have in san antonio and not like a
question of like is pop going to come back is he not what's that you know like what's going on
with that situation they have a lot of good things born for them so i do i am very hopeful for
what they're going to do next year damn brad blood costs got hell of victims i just remember
earlier in the years in the summer then assar thompson like he wasn't able to play because he had
blood clots
Damien Lillard
As I had blood clots too
Yeah Damian Lillard
Just faced that shit
And no
We got a lot
Blot Cots up
Yeah but Dan gave him hands though
They fuck blood clots up
He did
Yeah bro like yo
God damn
They kind of on a run right now
Fuck
That's kind of crazy man
Yeah but thankfully he's recovering from that
And they don't forget
Blood Clots to
Blood Clots to Chris Bosch from us too man
Again when I see
Blood Clots when I see
Fuck blood clots
all my homies hate blood clots
but yeah they obviously just have
so much potential man
like they're just
their tip of the iceberg
is another way to describe it
is that everything you've seen from this team
obviously they're not good yet
is tip of the iceberg
actually you haven't even
what the hell is this
I know look at that guy
you haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg
in terms of the team
that it's still completely underwater
but for wendy specifically
it's so tip of the iceberg
like he's so good already
and so far away from how good he'll be
and that that is abundantly clear
that like you all you've gotten
is a taste of it
You still haven't even gotten the whole load.
All right.
So let's talk about the team on the screen as well.
Okay.
The Milwaukee Bucks.
That's my next team.
Okay.
Scary slash spooky.
Either one, right?
Whichever one that you would like.
Spooky.
I like that.
At every turn, you are scared about what was going on with this team.
Right?
You start out, you start out even, even when they were, whenever they were like, they were good.
And they win the, the end season, the Emirates.
NBA Cup.
Hell yeah.
They win that.
Oil money.
And then you look at that and you're like, hey, this team's kind of scary.
Like, they might be able to do something.
And then they trade for Kyle Kuzma, jump scare.
Right.
Dame, dame, he tears his, his Achilles.
Damn, frowny face.
Incredibly scary.
Now we get to the playoffs and you're going and you're playing the Indiana Pacers and they're
just, listen, they're over.
and over just in your face running running through your face over pounding scary right the
pace is looking extremely scary and again we are now in the offseason the yannish trade rumors are up
and if you're a Milwaukee bucks fan you're looking at the future of this team and it's like man
it's getting spooky out here every single every single checkpoint of this team season something
was going a little bit wild yeah so you are in the off season with a lot of uncertainty and you're
just kind of scary because it can really go either way.
And even if Yannis comes back, we have another year where it's just going to be
honest, no day.
And this team was leaning on Kyle Kuzma and once again, another jump scare, Kevin Porta Jr.
Brooke Lopez, oh my goodness, right?
It's just, Doc Rivers?
Ah!
It's just, it's threats all across the roster, all across the team.
I don't know.
I'm just scared.
I think that's spooky is how you describe their next year for sure.
Yeah.
I think for this year, deterioration.
The roster just slowly, slowly deteriorated over the last few years.
And this year, for all the reasons you said, the deterioration was just like accelerated.
Trading Chris, Brooke fall off, getting KPJ, getting Kuzma.
Well, I guess I was trading Chris.
Then obviously finalizing with the dame injury.
Just.
And they even went through like some random ass, some random ass drama with Bobby Portis.
Like he randomly got suspended for 20 to 25 games.
Bobby Portis on Roids.
I forgot about that.
It was pain killers.
like it was so random bro and obviously not to say Bobby porters is moving mountains but he's an
important very important piece for this team and because of how talent deficient they they are
or they were still are actually he that move mounts for them so forgot about the PED so much shit
happened with this roster of us oh much and scary I guess is is the best way to put put it for
Milwaukee bucks fans he just chipped away little by little and now you have no hope to me of next
year being a real contender I think that's out of the equation
you have to hope that Janus is okay with that and that he just rides or dies for the city
he very well might be okay with that he might be okay with staying there forever and he just likes
living there wants his legacy to be the debucks guy forever but if he cares about winning a
title in the next two years there's no way he wants to stay unless he is I don't know
blind yeah but he might be loyalty over winning that's very possible so it's not a guarantee
you request to trade but you just know that if winning is the main thing there's no chance
these days.
I have a question.
What was the word they used for the San Antonio Spurs?
Looming.
Looming.
Okay.
I'm going to steal your bag.
Damn it.
But it's to a much lesser degree.
Okay.
My next team is the Portland Trailblazers.
Okay.
They are.
If the spurs are looming, they're peaking.
They're like, they're like.
Peekaboos.
They're like sneaky.
You know, they're sneaky.
That's what they are.
They're sneaky.
They're just, well, they're coming.
They're not coming out of nowhere, but you see, yeah, you see, you see the
little turtle head peeking out they're not this this past year they won they're edging good god
that's what i wanted to use for the san antonio spurs but i didn't want to say it that's what literally
filled up for the san Antonio spurs that is a good spurs one you're right the spurs is definitely edging us
but um yeah the porlor trailblazers are you're old spurs fans are edging tonight
oh my god send me the time every eight two times a game but yeah the porland troopers are
definitely sneaky because they damn near just trotted their way into 37 wins and no one
really cares they have one of the more stable young cores at the NBA has to offer it super
deep they have like eight and nine they're like eight and nine players deep that are just
valuable NBA players that a lot of NBA teams would love to have but they don't have
necessarily the guy yet they have identified guys who can be a part of the core one of the
biggest ones is to moni kamara who just like is one of the best defenders in the
NBA one of the best three three d players specifically as well then you got of course
deni of dia who had to his own to to his own metric and scale a breakout year and he's
been every bit of what scouts projected him to be back in the 2020 2020 NBA draft you have
major question marks when it comes to your guard rotation you don't know what's
going to happen with scoot but it feels like the star potential
that he had just a couple years ago is definitely out of the question because of the lack of
his lack of ability to stand out on the court in any degree offensively specifically then you got
shed and sharp who's just up and down and consistent he had a injury riddled year of course you
well no he didn't I lied um he just had a very up and down year and there's been a lot of times
he's just coming off the bench and it's just like you don't know how to gauge him or see real
value with him didn't make a leap this year he just continued on this path exactly so they are
very close to next year we could look up and they're winning like 40 games and whatnot.
But speaking of speaking of this year, they're just a very sneaky team and you can't.
Yeah, exactly.
It's like you don't expect there's nothing you really think about.
You can't just like you said.
They won 37 this year.
Next year, they might win 40.
Yeah, exactly.
The West is crazy, bro.
What's is crazy.
But this past year for this past season for them was such a massive success, success.
And no one envisioned them winning 37 games at all whatsoever.
That's true. I love that sentence also because you can really make any prediction
then just be like, yo, the West is crazy. Yeah. It's why I don't know what's going to happen.
You know what you're right too. It is crazy. Like we never know what's going to happen. Nobody has
ever predicted the West standings correctly, I think, in the last three years. Not a soul has got it
right. So that's fair. Like we could very well look up and they could be, who knows, they may
throw out a massive bag to a random ass veteran and they could be shit like a top five seed next year.
and that's not out of the realm of possibility
because their defense is that ferocious as well.
Over the last 30 games of the NBA season,
they had a better defense than OKC.
Now does that mean much?
I don't know, but just know that they were
an elite defense in that caliber.
Okay.
Could you imagine how good they'd be if Scoot was a star?
They injected a star point guard into there.
That's all they're missing.
If Scoot was John Wall, this team would be amazing.
Oh, my gosh.
This team would be on such an amazing trajectory
if Scoot was what he was hoped to be at the high end.
Yeah.
everything else going for them yeah exactly and now they're in a position where they have to sit down
and retool but we can just save that for an offseason conversation right now okay don't what's your
next team or is my team okay uh Orlando magic how do we describe them um construction what's the
opposite of progress the opposite stationary the Maryland magic season is stationary they made absolutely
zero progress in any meaningful way, I think.
I guess Palo and Franz got a little bit better.
They put up better numbers, so that's good.
You want to see that.
But as a team, absolutely zero progress because the shooting concerns are still there,
the offensive concerns are still there, everything that we came into the season saying,
if this breaks right, they'll be this good.
None of that broke right as well as health.
Obviously, Sugs I heard too, which is a big part.
I'm not here to say that they suck or anything.
The Suggs part was, you know, unfortunate.
Yes.
but all your eggs can't be in the Suggs basket
you can't be that make or break
I think I obviously I've talked a lot about
via I've made these points
via Palo Van Carroll discourse
but I think at large the magic are
talked about in very lazy ways
where everybody says oh well they have no shooting
so what can you expect right
they got no shooting nothing else is possible
so we pretend all the flaws of their stars
are purely because of shooting
the flaws their team are purely because of shooting
I don't think that's the case
I think top down their offense sucks in a lot of ways
that starts with their best players
goes on to their role players, goes on to their coach.
And none of that really improved to me this year
in a way that I am excited for.
I'm still excited by what will happen when that improves
or if it improves.
So I'm not like selling my stock on them by any means.
They still have a bright future,
but you did not see the progress you want this year.
I think if you're a magic fan.
Yeah, I think stationary is cool
because I remember last year,
whenever we were going into pregnancy
and they ended up getting KCP,
it was like, okay, that's good.
Is there anything else?
Like, do you want to make another big move?
Because you knew that like KCP,
was at least expected you're expecting him to bring some shooting he didn't have a great shooting
year over there but you also were kind of waiting on them to go get a point guard with a little
bit more creation or going or getting a point guard who can actually set people up that way
you didn't have to put all of that on friends on fronds and and palo and so this offseason
it's kind of the same questions are you going to be able to go get a shooter and are you going to be
able to go get a point guard who can play with these two guys so we're not just watching
you know palo who kill him all day or franz who kill him and and work like that and so yeah
stationary is fine because we're again we're in the same position that we were 12 months ago yeah i think
palo ben caro strengths got stronger he got better he had flashes of the strong driving
some of the weakings are still there in terms of the bad habits franz the strengths got better
when he was the on ball star for those games where palo was out he was incredible playing like an
star, the shooting was just as bad in the late half of the season. So in terms of them specifically
the stars, they progressed, but not weakness-wise. And then obviously the shooting is still a
problem. The lack of a backup point guard is still a problem. There was times where they had
D. G. Augustine starting and it was a revelation. D.J. Augustine's old ass who just joined the
Rockets front office today because he was purely a competent point guard. They need competent
playmaking that's still a need there. I don't think their bigs made big progress. Like
their young players, like the Jed Howards of the world, all the other guys like that.
Who else in the room?
Not even Cole Anthony.
It's Jed Howard.
Anthony Black.
And who's the other one I'm forgetting?
Trey.
It was their pick.
Tristan de Silva.
Tristan de Silva.
Those guys weren't bad by any means, but nobody made like a big leap from that group, I think.
So everything just kind of remained where it is, I think.
I just want to say again, Franz shot 19% from three on seven attempts a game in the playoffs, in the Boston.
That just can't happen.
And guess what?
guess palo ban carroll the strength of the the heights continued to stay high he had a lot of
points for game in the playoff setting there was still the flaws in offensive process that
that led to some iffy lineups with him being the main playmaker there so we'll see they
did they have to figure out the figure out the um organization of talent needed to maximize those
guys and we still don't know what that is thanks all right i want to double up here um is not
not because of not because they have the same word but just because both of them
were very like they're bad teams
yeah okay um phoenix
suns
unsettling
disturbing
yeah
diarrhea I was like
damn you just wanted to stop
every
just messy
honestly
honestly
honestly honestly
honestly we've talked about how
especially once we got past like
the all star break
why the hell are we watching the suns
man this team sucks it's awful
you look at
all the hope i keep going back to how high we were on phoenix after preseason basketball last
year and we're like man yo booedah holders coming in here whole scheme is changed oh my god
ryan done he's going to be the savior and then this team even with kevin dera and debon booker
and and bradley bill they are they're they're awful and they they the vibes were bad
the coach gets fired they don't have control over any of their picks you watch the team
team and it just was not a fun watch and it was unsettling to watch the phoenix sons in
2024 2025 the phoenix sons taught me a valuable lesson to never believe in talent just because
they're talented damn that's the only take from preseason that i really feel bad about is believing
of the sons and not even because like the the idea of believing in kevin durant and devon booker
getting better over time and the reasons we thought they're supporting cast get a little bit better
it wasn't the worst process in the world i don't look back and like we're fucking morons but it went
so unbelievably bad that I'm like how dare you have at one point believe in them it is so
disgusting to see how well that wrong that went that I'm like whatever I got to do to never
believe in something like that ever again I'll do it yeah so so yeah so that so that was the son's word
secondly the Dallas Mavericks freedom freedom freedom the Dallas Mavericks freed themselves
from logic they they freed themselves from consensus thought from group think wow and they freed
themselves from jail after getting bailed out in the in the draft lottery this year is about being
who you are authentically and doing what you want and not allowing wow for better it works
yourself and not allowing the world to put their limitations on you they broke every mold this year
and nico harrison especially because now that you have cooper flagged you can look at yourself in the
mirror and say i did it my way and i can live with that nico said nah
I'm gonna do my own thing
freedom is the word
for the Dallas
matter of whether right or wrong
time will tell
history will tell
the history books will tell us
whether or not Nigo made good decisions
but he made his own decisions
and nobody can take that away from him
he got it
I have no words for that man
I have no words for that
as a girl man that's all you can ask for
is just to live your life
and living your truth
and they did that
so shout out to them
yeah and like
there's not you much
us to say they just they just feels like
insane like they're the last
24 months for them felt just like a long
ass drama movie bro like
they feel the highest of highs when it
comes to make reaching the NBA finals
after the year prior to that missing out in the
play in and falling into
the lottery getting up Derek lively
then you have a season
of a lifetime make it to the NBA finals
after you had a slow
start and you kind of rejuvenate
your roster midseason would
when it comes to trading for PJ Washington
and I use single-handedly dismantle
the entire franchise
in one singular night
by trading away the franchise
in Luca Dongeant and now it's a rebuilt
in like three months
the fuck it's going on man
like I'd be sick to my stomach
I'd be a bro
it feels like a roller coaster
sick to my stomach
you love your mom's in the hood
somebody should smoke
the mutes, smoke the mutes.
No.
Crazy cliche sounds like 80% of that.
So I think my next
team is the Houston Rockets.
And for me personally, this is personal for me
because I've been super loud about how
ass, not ass.
I didn't think they were going to be very good
this year.
Before the season.
Before the season, exactly.
I didn't think they were going to be good
before the season.
They proved that.
they proved me wrong
I'm sure you tell me why you didn't think they're gonna be asked
you thought they were just too young and weren't there yet right
yeah I believe they just weren't there just yet
and I think they need they needed to figure out
more pieces on the roster and where they
laid along I wasn't
foreseeing this defense
this ferocious demons that defense
that just felt like they threw
constant haymakers that's my word
for them they just throw consistent
gut punches
all around the court in all areas
on the defensive end whether
be the of assar or a men thompson being one of the i don't know maybe eight best defenders in the
NBA and just he's a he's a wonder boy damn near when it comes to what he's able to do on the court
at times then you got jailing green who you don't expect a haymaker from him on most nights but
randomly he can give that shit to you and he can look like prime jordan or he can look like
the last two years of deion waiters of his NBA career you never fucking know when it comes to him
There's just so many moving parts of this team that will get you while you're not paying attention.
And that's why my word for them is just, you know, they're a hate maker.
I think their word is force, just pure force and just really just brute force and finding ways to be unique and just forcing your identity, not capitulating to any group think about what modern basketball is and playing to your strengths.
That's what they did.
They want with pure force this year.
They said no offense, no problem.
We are going to be so good at defense
that we become good at offense
because you run so much in transition
we know we don't have shooters
we have really fast young athletic players
we're going to play into that
we know defense has to be our thing
we're going to play into that
they just unique is really the word
to describe them is they are the most unique team
in the NBA and they found a way
to make it work.
Very happy for them.
Yeah because like I think the reasons
that people like you could have believed
they're not ready yet
weren't even bad reasons looking back
like the ways they became good
are weird or unusual
are not the normal path
for a team to become a two seed.
You will never see a team be this good
and this unique of a style
with this little shot making
and shot creation
and playmaking across the roster.
It is like a really like
one and a hundred type of young team
to make this type of leap in these ways
that I don't even think you just feel bad about it.
You should just be like,
hey, props to them on doing things their way.
Yeah.
Yeah, because they still have questions about it.
They gave Jaylen Grette and the contract
that they did in the structure that they did
because they're like, eh, I don't really know.
And then you finish the season there
and you're still sitting here like,
yeah, I don't really know.
yeah yeah they they want in spite of their weaknesses because their strengths are so strong
i think i the weaknesses you and everybody else identify weren't even wrong it just didn't matter
in the end but the process was not bad i think yeah so shout out them they just got the shit out
the mud and figured out a way to be good nice great story my next team is the sacramento kings
the only word to describe the season is mid like we can just go towards the normal thing we say
they are who they are they are who we thought they were they are a perpetually mid team that does
not make good decisions ever that does not have, you know what I mean to phrase this?
When the trade happened and they traded Deeran Fox and got Zach Levine back, I said that this is
not a good return, but if we grade this on a curve for Sacramento Kings basketball and what
their goals are, it's a goddamn A. I guarantee you they will be mid and they will be competent
mid and they will score points and not succeed anything ever with this trade getting Zach
Levine in the door. And that is precisely what happened.
They had a goal in mind and they reached it.
Whether or not that goal should have been the goal in mind is another question for another day.
Yeah.
But for what they want to do, they did it.
Yeah.
For someone who has context of the NBA, that's the best way to put it.
But if I'm a new fan, new fan, my word for them is just like discombobulant.
I'm like, wait, what?
Like, you see Zach Levine and DeMarterosan just a couple years ago on the Chicago Bulls
and you think that this is the best move for your organization alongside a like a super non-shooting big.
and DeMontas a bonus.
Now, maybe super nonchering is too harsh.
She did take like two threes a game and shot 41%.
Salute.
But needless to say, like just so confusing, so wildly confusing.
They never made a move over the last, over this past, this season,
everything that they've done, word for word, has just been straight of confusing.
The firing of their head coach, Mike Brown.
The trade for Deerner Fox wasn't confusing.
Of course, you do what you do right by him.
send them wherever but the process in that is just so nasty it's just a cease and devoid of hope
i think trading de erin you don't want to do that you felt it was necessary i don't think anybody
king's fan won't be outraged by that because of the way it happened that it was borderline mutual
that they both realized this wasn't going to work out derian said yeah you should probably trade me
i'm not demanding it but you probably should trade me and they were like bet we got to do we got to
do that in and of itself is not a nightmare scenario you can trade dearon fox but the way in which
they went about that trade, the way they decided to pivot to trying to be exactly as good
as they already were by getting Zach Levine. And they got worse because the fit with Demar
wasn't good. But the goal there was to be exactly what you already were, which wasn't
fucking good to begin with. They chose to go down the already bleak path and said, we're
going to do the best we can to stay exactly the same. There's just no hope there. There's
no optimism possible when the best you can hope for is the same. You can't hope for a teardown
to get better in the future. You can't hope for imminent success by getting a better player than
Aaron, all you can hope for is the same bleak-ass path you've been looking towards for the past
three years.
There we go.
I'm not saying no words about that.
Yeah, fuck them.
Next thing, my guy, is the Golden State Warriors.
What word do you guys and give the Warriors?
I think they got hope for the first time in a couple years.
Rejuvenation?
Yeah, rejuvenation.
That's the best word to do it.
That's the best.
They, obviously, the two timeline things didn't work out.
We're past that.
They have to maintain the timeline they've been on the whole time.
And the timeline, it's Steph Curry's timeline,
they elongated that timeline and rejuvenated it
by adding another old and Jimmy Butler
and kind of gave themselves a puncher chance
to make it out of the West.
Didn't work out because the Steph Curry injury,
which is devastating, obviously,
because they had a real chance of at least making it
to the conference finals.
We'll see what they could have,
what type of power of veteran leadership
they could have done.
They push the thunder, who knows,
but they could have sold themselves,
and it's possible.
They didn't get that.
But I think take away the heartbreak
of the Steph Curry injury
and look at the season as a whole,
You came into the year and immediately were met with, God damn, this team sucks.
This is the 10C.
This team has no hope at all.
The death of two timelines led to both timelines going outside.
And now at least the initial timeline that shouldn't be your main one, probably, but it still is.
It got life added to it via Jimmy Butler.
They looked the best they looked in several years.
It is fully rejuvenated.
And I think next year, assuming Curry, Draymond, and Butler can maintain the level of plate
they had this year, which I don't see any reason to believe won't be the case.
They'll be a really, really good team again.
Yeah.
I'm still hurt that we weren't able to see them in that second round, like, healthy
because the Steph's hamstring and because Jimmy Butler's booty hurt.
And so I'm just like, it sucks because if you could see that, especially seeing how
Minnesota's offense performed, not only in that series, but in the series against the
Lakers and in the competition, this whole playoff run, Minnesota's offense wasn't amazing.
If they were able to get a little bit of a push, we really could have gotten OKC,
Golden State in the in the conference finals and then like you said who knows right I think
the Thunder still win that but whatever yeah I haven't having this team and also anytime
that you watch a Warriors game they're not going to let you forget that this team was
rejuvenated yeah they're going to put up the graphic of hey you know this team was 18 and
three after they got you know Jimmy Butler and their defense is better and the offense was better
and so having having him there it gives you a lot more
flexibility because now we don't have to spend the summer thinking can Jonathan
Kaminga re-earned the trust of Steve Kerr and be the second option and can he score 20 and fit in
this motion? We don't have to do that anymore. You can you can potentially find a move for him and get
some more assets, get some more value and get players that are actually going to play in this
rotation. Yeah, you know your team's identity now. Yeah. It was a big, big question mark for the first
two months of the season. Man, I remember during the first few months of the season. These guys were
really, really, they're really relying on someone like Jonathan Kaminga and just finding scraps
from Buddy Heald.
They called him again, like a splash cousin and whatnot during the first 15 games.
October Buddy Healed was something to behold.
We did episode two weeks into the season that was the most underrated player on every team.
We said Buddy Healed.
I would never come underrated now.
But he was on such a heater, I was like, I guess we got to respect it.
Maybe Steve Kerr figured it out.
Maybe this is Buddy Hill for this season.
October and November basketball is also like, it's not fake, but it's very cautious because
the buddy heel was going crazy.
La Mello ball was averaging like 35.
Tyrese looked horrible.
Jeremy McCain was out here dropping 30 winning games and stuff like that.
Yeah.
It's a fun time.
Yeah, that part's real.
He's a superstar.
No, I know.
I know.
This was an especially wonky start to the season for sure.
Yeah.
I really love how Jimmy Buller came in there.
He just like reassured everyone of his roles by his playstyle.
like he by him being thrown into that starting lineup he made some like moses moody moody a pivotal like solid three indie piece because he just naturally fits alongside step curry the entire time and also he has a very specific solid role with jimmy baller which is just catch and shoot play a whole player ass off on the defensive end so i like rejuvenation rejuvenation that's a great great cool for that all right my next team the detroit pistons okay competency yes this is
all that anybody has wanted for honestly for a long time for the pistons but specifically in the
kate cuttingham era you've seen some of the trash lineups and some of the awful teams that that
he's had to play with and the moment that you went out and said let's get this guy who's played in
the league for at least nine years and can be an adult in the room let's get two of them you have
your best season in a long time you've won your first playoff game in years and this is the first
time that you've also actually been able to get a real opportunity to look at what do we have
in Kay Cunningham as our franchise player we got average level NBA players what do we have from him
do we actually think that he could be a franchise player the answer is unequivocally yes you got that
answer now this offseason you can look at the pistons and say yeah okay we need you to improve
here here and and to help you do that we're going to go out and get XYZ players to
further help your
development. They were competent
for the first time in a long time and that is
a huge, huge win for Detroit
basketball. Yeah, that's what's all you got to say
is competency. Like the bar was so
low for them. Like, you can't
people are going to forget in a few years
just how miserable the start to Kate
Cunninghouse career was. Like, brother, last
year they have, the last year
they achieved what felt like
the unachievable in
making history in the worst
way possible. They had
28 straight losses.
That's damn near two calendar
months without winning.
Fuck, man.
The depths in which they crawled out from
is remarkable. And that's the only story of the season.
They were surprisingly good
and they could have made a playoff push. They lost the first round.
It doesn't even fucking matter
in the grand scheme with things. All they needed was
competency to be able to get a little bit of playoff reps.
They could have got swept
and they'd still be on time because they made the playoffs
and got significant progress.
They could have lost in the play in turn.
It would have been significant progress.
They could have been the 11th season
and not made the play in tournament
and it would have been significant progress.
So everything else was gravy.
No, K. Cunningham didn't have a great playoff run.
He needed those reps to learn from that.
Hopefully he comes back from that a little bit better
and we continue to see him make these steps forward.
They started this year.
Overall, if this was grades for the year,
A triple plus.
Yeah, I agree.
I agree.
Man, for their fans this year,
this season felt like three words for you first day out like this is their first opportunity
to be like man i'm free i can like proudly say i'm a pistons fan get it out the mud we do we do
bro even trading for did they trade or was it just a off a regular um signing after yeah
did they trade you for who shrewder dennis shirder yes the trade for him yeah amazing trade also he
he he again like helps exemplify with this
organization is about man so first day out for these fans for sure happy as
fuck for them yeah they got tennis got traded to the warriors and traded to the pistons like two
weeks later oh you remember when dennis shirder was supposed to be the answer for the warriors
that was a weird couple weeks yeah you don't often see a player get traded for and then traded
again at the deadline yeah very very strange season only only someone only someone like dennis
shoulder can achieve that bro very very strange season for dance i got one more team i got two
And my team is the Los Angeles Clippers.
My word for them is, bro, God send.
Like they...
God send.
Yeah, they were saved this season because one of my biggest talking points prior to the season starting was like, yeah, if they have a poor season, which I was anticipating on happening, they're fucked because they don't have their first round pick due to the Paul George trade happening.
And they were a godsend, not only for them, but us as NBA fans, bro.
O.K.C. would have had a fucking lottery pick if they would have.
one if if the clippers were not as good as they were this season seeing what james hardin was
able to do and hell who deserves even more problems in james hardin is tyron loo just getting
the most out of his guys consistently being one of the smarter motivating all those words NBA coaches
one of the best that the league has to offer god send bro and just keep them alive until kauai was
able to come back and do what he did for the last i don't know three 25 games a year god send
i would describe this season as maximized they got every
ounce of productivity they could out of every player on this roster.
We got the best Norm Powell season of his career, the best Zubot season of his career,
the best season of James Hardin's post-prime career, I guess we'll call it that.
Outside of Kwai Leonard, who was obviously the big question mark that led us to believe
they would fall to the 1011 C potentially if things went poorly, they maximize every single
other player they could to escape that fate.
And yeah, we talked about at late all season.
They're one of the biggest surprises of the year out of pure hard work determination,
good coaching, maximizing talent.
And that's all you can take away from this is
With them, their future is so
Their future is the now
They just are stuck with this team
As what it is unless they want to completely blow it up
Which wouldn't be smart
Given their asset situation
All they can hope for is every year
To get the most of this group
And they damn sure did that this year
Typical
Typical clippers
They always find their way out
Somehow some way
I don't know about that
But they did find out the way out this time
They did not bottom out
Yeah they're always stable
And they just been reliable
No matter of whatever reason
historically they are not
but over the last 10 years
yeah they've definitely found ways
to reinvent themselves
next time I got
the Minnesota Timberwolves
another one I'm going to cheat
because I can't think of one word
but one phrase is very important
proving the haters wrong
that's how you describe their season
everybody was including us
up in arms when they traded Carltony Towns
for we talked about it
mostly emotional reasons
mostly dude you finally got good
how are you going to change it all now
what the heck we don't love Julius Randall
don't hate him I guess but
you figured it out
with Kat and how you're going to start over again?
How are you going to do Anthony Edwards like that?
He finally got what he needed to be in one seed, yada, yada.
We all didn't like it.
And we neglected some parts of it because of that.
There was obviously a lot of nuance involved in that.
But overall, the reaction across the entire NBA media landscape was, what the fuck are they doing?
Bold move, I guess, but I do not think it's going to go well.
And then that was immediately followed by it not going well to start the season.
And, of course, everybody up here, everybody in TV, podcast and whatever,
use the fact that we didn't like it at first
to give ourselves confirmation bias to say
see, I told you it won't work. It's never
going to work. They're going to have to blow it up.
And the reality is, we shouldn't have reacted
so hard to the first 20 games because surprise,
surprise, they need time to figure it out. They need time
to figure out this new style of play around
Julius Randall to make him fit with some pretty
unique players in Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards.
And what you know, eventually they figured out,
they figured out the best places to put all them on the court
to make them synerdraz off each other. They found ways
to maximize Randall's passing and Gobert
is a loft threat in the dunker spot.
rather than the main pick and roll big with Randall in the corner.
They figured out all the small stuff that requires time to figure out.
It could never be done overnight.
And they got to the point now that I think regardless of how the playoffs went down,
they lost the better team, that trade was in pretty unequivocal success, right?
Yeah, I agree.
There was real downsize to the cat thing that we all, like, we all decided to look past
and pretend the cat fit was perfect, even though a year before that we fucking hated the cat
and Gobert fit.
They just figured it out.
So we took that to mean, okay, they figured it out.
going to be good forever. No need to try anything else. But that fit had real perils. Maybe they
said to themselves, the cat-go-bearer thing has a ceiling that we've reached. We want something
with a little bit higher of a ceiling. And they tried something new and it's worked unequivocally.
Yeah. I think they viewed the cat stuff as as great as he is when it comes to certain things
on the NBA court in order to reach that next level. And also contractually as well,
he's paralyzing as a player. Yeah, the financial part was a big part of it. And the financial
thing was real. We all acknowledged that that they pay him too much money. And it was going to be hard
to get out of that but in doing this trade i think too much was made of their flexibility like they're
not going to get that much better and like have this many they're not going to get another star
like say trade randall right like i think that part was a little overstated but what was understated
was a fact that this team would be just as good if not better with randled than cat and that part
they proved all of us wrong yeah i think like the the phrase that we used to them would be
inflection point yeah because for all the reasons at the start of the year but even now at the end
we're not nobody's out here killing um and because of the series that he had everybody understands
you play a really really good defense you're not going to have 35 every single night whenever
you're playing a team like this but we are saying okay like you went through this it's time to get
better right like it it's just very simple and playing i don't think anybody has any doubt about
about aunt and his ability to improve or his his ability to be a score but it was very very
that, you know, he has to go and add some things to his bag.
So now you look at the Timberwolves and you look at the offseason.
And with Ant and his growth and then with Randall and his decision and a lot of the
financial decisions, the front office also has an opportunity where they have to make decisions
and they are at an inflection point of how do we want to construct this team around
Ant for the next two to three years?
Are we resigning Nasreid and Keel Alexander Walker?
How do we feel about Rudy Gobert?
Are we going to get off of him early or not?
Like there's a lot of questions that they have.
So it is a very, you know, we can go one way.
We can go another.
And that's what they have to figure out.
And Roger's finally signed with the Steelers.
Of course, right before mandatory minicamp.
He decided to stay home for all the OTAs and finally signed, of course.
Tactician, man.
Tactician.
I think another word that I would use for the Minnesota Timberwolves is resurgence.
And also you could, I guess another synonym is vindication for all the things
going back to what you said about what a lot of people said when it comes to how they felt
about the cat trade and expectations and all that earlier we talked about how paralyzing cat felt
i think still like there are some things about someone like julia sandals games and also maybe
just how this organization this roster is right now there are paralyzing things that legitimately
will stop you from being at the top of the NBA but they did a great they did a great job of
lessening those lessening the amount of times and what will take for you to
you know be real they lessen the amount of roadblocks I would say yeah that's the best way
to put it yeah shout at them next team my guy is the Toronto Raptors
so they're the only way to describe them tell me one word for this is going against
the grain everybody tells them do one thing and they said nah do my own thing and it's a
thing that contrarian contrarian yep the Toronto Raptors you
These things can be boiled down to contrarianism, I guess.
Because everybody said, obviously, after they finally traded,
I could go back even further.
They took forever to trade Seacom and O.G. and Anobi.
Everybody was clamoring, get rid of these guys, restart, sell high.
They did not sell high.
They sold medium at best.
And finally went down to rebuild.
And then this year, after doing that,
everyone wanted them to actually commit to a rebuild,
go for the number one pick, do things slowly the right way.
And they went out and traded for Brandon Ingram.
after keeping Agapoto and said,
we're going to kind of not do that, actually.
We're going to try to be good.
10-foil on head thinking.
Bridger's going to be good.
That's our goal.
You thought we were tearing it down.
You thought we were trading these guys to tank
and get another superstar to pair of Scotty Barnes.
Nope.
We were tearing them down to continue to try to be good
just in a different way.
And time will tell over that's right or wrong, right?
I actually do kind of like the Brandon Ingram
and Scottie Barnes fit more than a lot of people
that have been hating on the Raptors.
I haven't hated on them at all process-wise.
I think it's strange and a little bit unique,
but I think the vision is there.
And, you know, again, we'll see if it works out
and they're proven right.
But at the very least, it is a unique, contrarian way
to go about trying to build this team
that you have, you have to prove the doubters wrong, I think,
because there is reasons to believe it's not smart.
It's not impossible to do well,
but they have some proving to do.
Never let them know your next move.
Yeah, there you go.
That's it for the Raptors.
Yeah, you're going to keep Raptors fans on their toes at all times.
They're so interesting.
All right.
Are you done?
Do you have?
We can go for it now.
I'm good.
Oh, I've, all right.
My last team is the Nuggets.
Okay.
Reshuffling is the word for them.
Obviously, you fire Mike Malone.
You fire Calvin Booth.
It is a reshuffling in the front office.
You had to endure a very, very rough start from Jamal Murray.
And because you lost KCP in the offseason, you had to, once again,
reshuffle because you had to figure.
out where that depth was going to come from.
Russell Westbrook ends up being a super important part of your team.
And because you have guys like Darya Sarich and Zignaji who are just, are not playing,
you have to figure out.
What are we going to do?
When you get to the end of this year at the end of the playoff run, you know Yokic
is going to be there.
You know that you want to keep Aaron Gorda around and Jamo Murray.
Is Michael Porter Jr. going to be there?
Because you let Casey walk and you use that.
money elsewhere because you're trying to, you know, deducted tax, do all that.
MPJ, his money is coming up and you feel like you're, you're a little, I'm forgetting
the word, wow, you don't have a lot of options.
Yeah, you're limited.
Thank you.
And so now you are going into next season thinking, how can we make this team better?
How can we continue to extend the championship window around Yokic?
It's going to take some reshuffling, some retooling.
that's what this entire year kind of borrows down to.
Yeah, it's so funny because it's like every single time that we want to look at
this Nuggets roster, figure out ways to get better, see one of the immediate ways outside
of MPJ is like, okay, you look at someone like Jamal Murray and then he goes on a random
st, puts up like, gives the most random team, 35, 40, you're like, well, okay, fuck, we can't
trade him because he looks like the normal version of himself.
So you're right, they do feel like very limited and almost like handcuffs into certain
things and it's going to be a tricky situation for them to figure out a way to uncuff themselves
without the keys.
Yeah.
So, yeah, when I think about the Nuggets, it's, I mean, they overachieved in the first, in this
entire playoffs, like the Clippers, for a lot of that series, felt like they weren't in control
and felt like the opportunities that were open.
If it wasn't like a 50-50, who's going to get this game?
It felt like the Clippers had a lot of moments who was 60-40 and they should have won those games
and Denver just out hustled on algorithm, right?
I'll execute it all that stuff.
And then nobody has been able to really push OKC and you think about, like, we're going to
look back at this playoffs and be like, the fact that OKC was in a seven game series with this
version of the Denver Nuggets is insane and it's a testament to the turnaround that Adamen was
able to bring the team to and the level of control, Yoko, just,
able to have over a team and over a series and game and all that.
So I'm not sure where the nuggets go from here.
They obviously have to make moves.
I'm very curious to see what direction they ultimately choose because your ceiling and as
we're seeing in the league, your ceiling and your windows are lower and closer than what
you actually think that they are.
The house's funny collapse.
Can't wait to see what they do.
I genuinely have absolutely zero clue
What they're gonna do this summer
Which means the answer is probably fucking nothing
But I don't know
Surely they gotta do something
It'll probably be minimal
I hope it's more than minimal
But I genuinely have
I don't even have like T leaves to point to
Zero I clue what they're gonna do
Yeah
I'm interested in seeing what they're gonna do
It's like so hard to point to someone like MPJ
It's hard but it's not hard
Because of other irrelevant things
But he just had
arguably the best regular season of his career
put up like 19-7 rebound shot 50% from the field hyper efficient and then he walks into the postseason not injury riddle but he gets injury riddled throughout the postseason through the clipper series and his value is just immediately diminished and so when it comes to like when you value what other teams would want to snatch and grab and will give you a sizable amount of assets for it's immediately like MPJ because he's still young his contract isn't like fucking
egregious he has value and his skill set is doable that every team needs in the league so
stuff cool and as every team we have one word for every single team season described it
some of them gave you a little bit more than one word had to cheat a little bit but we've described
what every single NBA team should take away from this season and with that being said this man
has a crown in his hand you know what time it is I have the confession I for some reason
I stole the other crown from the last episode or it was the stream I think it was a stream
I took it home with me for no reason.
I'm like,
bro, why is this here?
What the hell?
You know what that means?
In your car.
Crown eater for fucking life.
Cameras on or off.
It is me regardless.
But when I go to sleep,
I live,
eat, breathe,
crown eater time.
That's what I am.
I'm going to present.
I'm going to crown tattoo soon.
I'm lying.
I'm not.
But it's time.
And there you have it.
We're on a TikTok time.
Welcome to TikTok time.
Being.
Today we're going to begin
But talk about one of our favorite topics
NBA jerseys
We're going to begin with aesthetics talk
You guys know how it goes
And today
We're going to pick the best NBA city jersey
In every single NBA team's history
And when I say that, just know I'm lying
You click the title, you thought it was every team
It is every team in the Eastern Conference
And next week we'll do every team
The Western Conference. It'll be a two-part video
You guys will see this back-to-back weeks
Yeah man
There's eight years of city jersey so far
That's crazy
We can go through all 15 teams
teams in the east pick the best one and they do the same thing next week for the west stop the
count now eight years is crazy man fuck time is flying i wish you did not say that 20 18 is the first
one that she was eight years ago time is flying great all right you guys know how it goes we're going
to pick the best one first off we got the boston celtics what is the best jersey here
listen well first of all i know it's not this year this year suck yeah this is the worst
it's been running for the worst the worst the selthics actually have the worst collection on
this entire list we're starting to low bar their design team is not very good yeah look at the top
Bro.
Great bullshit.
Listen, I'm not going to lie.
Top bro.
I'm not going to lie.
2020 didn't hate it as much as everybody else did.
But.
I respect that they actually did something and did the Celtic look and did something for the city, the Irish population.
I'm glad they tried in 2020.
The other years, it's, I don't, there's very little city influence in 2018 and 2019.
But with that being said, it looks goofy.
The 2019 one underrated, right?
I guess.
No, no, no.
There was an earned, because there used to be city jerseys and.
Earned jerseys, the earned jerseys were four teams that made the playoffs the year prior.
Earned one is a, it's the, this city jersey, but it's flipped.
It's a green one with like white lettering and stuff.
That one is fired.
This 191 is not, is not great.
To me, this is between 22, 23, or 24.
24 is kind of out of it.
Yeah, 24 is out of the race.
I like the wood on the sides.
It's unique.
I like that they showed homage or something, but okay.
To me, it's 22 or 23.
23 is more character.
22 is plain, but it looks.
looks kind of good.
It looks classic.
22 looks more classic.
It looks like it's a part of their regular, like, lineup.
You know what 22 looks like?
It looks like they're copying the Lakers.
And the Lakers, like, old school and they're like job shopping thing, but like making
it like the Celtics.
I think for a city jersey, we also have to keep in mind that these are supposed to be
city jerseys.
They're supposed to represent the city, not just look good.
I don't know what 23 represents, but it probably looks the best.
It has the most character.
I'm going 23.
I'll go, I'll go 23.
Low key, I know it's very, very plain.
21 is kind of cool
The fact that it looks like the banners
Oh yeah you're done
Nope
That's the coolest concept
It looks absolutely terrible though
That's way too much text
Yeah not for a jersey
I understand the concept
I love the
I'm giving a props for that
Okay best concept
Worst execution
I think 23 is
Don't know the concept
But the execution is probably the best
203 is my favorite
You know what I found out
The other day
Actually yesterday with Donovan at the gym
I heard that they're taking out
cursive in schools
In elementary schools
Yeah kids are dumb
Who we heard it from
Who was kind of demented a little bit
not gonna lie
yeah he's he's had some
some head trauma before
oh so I've heard that kids have a hard time
reading cursive and have a hard time reading books
in third person brother is that true
in third person in third person
third person quite as well
fuck cooked wow
anyways next team
the Milwaukee bucks a lot of blue going on here
but I think one of the best collections on here
they really leaned into the blue
a common theme here the first one
2018 all these teams did so little
they're just there's no city elements
they're just random jerseys
yes
burn 19 i will say that for sure what 19 needs to be burned
burn burn is this supposed to be that kodak i forget i don't know but i remember their their
court their home court specifically ass they matched along with the jersey too just felt so bad
one of your it felt like a deep one of your worst opinions what you like 19 i like 19 a lot
19 is cool i don't i don't love it but i think these blue ones are clearly better to me 23 is by far
the best one here 23 is one the better city jerges to me i adore you know
wear that jersey.
Adored.
I love that jersey.
Okay, let's cross some stuff off.
18, gone.
22 feels more like an updated
classic rather than the city.
So we'll go to that.
23 or 25.
Are we out on Cream City?
Cream City's in the running,
but 23 and 25 edge it out to me.
Cream City is a generational jersey for me.
It is between 20.
We're all split all over the place.
It's between 20 and 24 for me, person.
Hey, sounds like we should go Cream City.
It sounds like we should pay homage to the legends.
It's the only, it's the only consensus that we have.
Cream City, it is.
It's consistent, and it's creamy.
And who doesn't love that?
Exactly.
It's fan favorite for a reason.
Everyone likes it.
Number 2020, Cream City, you win.
You need Cream City in your life always, bro.
There's literally no life without the cream in the city.
What would I do without going to Cream City?
Exactly.
How would I survive?
Exactly.
My fellow Creamy brethren, we're here to respect Cream City.
All right.
Brothers in Cream.
You're disgusting.
Cream on.
Next up
Chicago Bulls
Some real hits
Hit or miss
To me
You got some hits though
22 is easily
Number one
22
22 is fantastic
22 is fire
22 is fire
Okay
22 and 19 are my two
favorites
And normally I don't even
Like black
jersey like that
I'm going 18, 19
and 22 on my top three
19 did a great job
With the idea
The idea of making it the flag
Is cool as fuck
And
And that's about it, though.
I don't love the execution nearly as much as 22.
Yeah, I'm a fan of 22 and 23 personally.
23 is also pretty nice.
But 22, man.
That font is beautiful.
The red is striking.
I like it a lot.
Okay.
So 25 out, 21 out.
20 is atrocious.
What the hell were they cooking with 20?
Again, 20's not atrocious.
20 is terrible.
This is very, any jersey that has like really big logos up front, I always see them.
And I think six flags jerseys.
It's six flags.
It reminds me of the sleeve jersey.
Yeah, I hate that.
That's what they were doing.
Okay.
22 for you.
I'm cool with 22.
Okay, that's an easy one.
That one we can fly through.
The Atlanta Hawks, strong collection.
Anything outside of M.O.K.
You guys are going to hell.
I never forget.
He was putting off for MOK like a couple years ago.
I was putting off for MOK.
You did.
You were in your MLK, yeah.
Oh, I was.
You were giving MLK for a couple of years.
You were 18.
Trash.
Yeah.
17 is pretty cool.
I mean, 19 is pretty cool.
19s but it's like too modern yeah it's kind of I feel like 19 feels a little bit mystical
you know what when 20 hit the streets and they did peach tree for the first time
was revolutionary 23 is an even better version of that though if you could combine them
what I'm if you could take the Atlanta and put it where peach tree is then I like that I don't
like having the the peach tree on the yeah the Atlanta I love cursive I love that that typeface
I'm gonna go 23 23 is tough for me I probably lean towards emma
okay of course number one and then we didn't speak a people about 22 at all loki because it feels
like a classic jersey yeah i mean it's cool and so loki i really like 25 any words for 18 the first
i like i like i like 25 a lot and in 26 when what they're gonna do is they're just gonna flip
it and make it blue with white or whatever something like that i do not like 25 at all that might
that might hit 24 is stupid but kind of grown me a little bit i don't know why it's unique
it's unique as hell i'm not gonna pick it i'm not gonna pick it's unique as hell it's a unique as hell it's
a regular jersey
I like
Lowercase ATL is hard
Yeah I like it
I hated it at first
But now looking at it
Compared to every jersey league
It's so unique
So we're going 23 or 20 or 20
I'll go
We're split again
I'm going 21
I'm gonna go 20
I'll go 20
I'll go with you
We'll go 20
I'll be the type of year
Okay Pete Street it is
The Cleveland Cavaliers
To me
24 and 25 are amazing
I even 23 really
They're kind of on a three year
hit streak of fantastic jerseys.
I really like 24, the simplicity.
I'll go to the blue in 25.
Wow.
It's kind of easy for me.
I just see like beautiful progression.
Like the worst one, obviously, he's 18.
They got better every year.
They got much better every year.
I agree.
I can 23, 24, 25, sign me a friend of me.
Yeah, that's very fair.
And I'm going, I'm going 25.
Yeah, I'll go 25.
I honestly, one other better jerseys in Cavs history, I think.
Yeah.
Whenever we talk to Darius Garland, he said that,
the that 21 was his favorite um i don't i don't mind it it is sneaky i like the concept of it
because you're taking the letters from the rock world hall of fame i wish the execution was a
little bit better because it does end up looking like a ransom note yeah and i'm just i'm not
with that for 25 listen me me personally my favorite color is that shade of blue like baby blue
carolina all that stuff that's what that is so i'm going 25 23 24 and 25 this is such a good
job of being like not doing a lot being very clean like 24 and 25 especially it's just two
colors and it's very slick goes really well with their new jerseys they brought in around
those times the calves are on top of the aesthetic game for me right now they perfected their swag
they did shout out 25 Miami heats started off with a bang slow we got ones they were on a run
18 19 and 20 is the only conversation that we can have and to me it's white I think I think 18
I think they started the best one but I could see an argument for 19 one block
I think 21 is an atrocity
and is a crime against humanity
but I know the youth loves it
I think I might lean
Fuck them kids
They can't read
They can't read
They can't read third person
What am I taking your opinion?
You can't read
You can't I'm not doing that
21's out
22 again
Rantam Note out 23 same concept out
24 and 25 die
Dumb and dumber out
My intelligence by thinking
that I would think this is cool
I'm going 18
okay 18 or 19 you're the one picker poison they're both fantastic green the motor city
the Detroit Pistons a pretty under probably an underrated group but I don't know the first five are
kind of ass but the last three are pretty good 23 23 is hard man that green works I like 2023
easy one yeah it's easy you know where 23 comes from right nope where it's a big Sean inspired he
oh he was creating this right I mean how much you love director or some might that boy but I
We'll see.
My guy.
Man is washed.
25 is also very good.
Wobody, wobbley, wobble.
Relax.
I wish I'm not going to say it on the show because he's too vulgar, but there's a one bar that I always tell you that ruin Big Sean for me.
Go listen to the song too good on the Big Sean Metro one mixtape.
I have to say he, there's a new feature that he just came out with when there's a line.
I was like, damn it, I'm trying to defend you so bad.
Oh, man, it's cooked.
The Charlotte Hornets
Buzz City
Where are we going
Are we going with the CLT
Keep the classic
No
I'm not going to lie
All these jerseys
suck ass
None of these are good
22
I don't like gradient a lot
22 is actually the best one
That is a Ben 10 jersey
I'm sorry
That looks radioactive
I think
Ready me up
Get the watch ready
I'm shape shifting
But you're right
It's probably the best one
I think 25 is the best one
Probably
Yeah you know why
Because it's a regular
ass hornet shirt
It's not doing too much.
That is the same thing as the one above it.
The same thing is Buzz City.
It just has Hornets.
How do you go from being the most popular team or one of the most popularly teams because
of your graphic designing abilities in the 90s?
Yeah, in the 90s to now just being an afterthought.
This is by far the worst set of city jerseys.
It's even worse than the Celtics, I think.
And it's so disappointed.
Also, 19.
I see 19 and I get PTSD because I see Tony Parker in a watch.
Oh, my gosh.
I see a wash Tony Parker number nine.
And I'm like, oh, my God.
That's a Tron jersey.
Yeah.
Nope, nope.
I guess we can go 22.
The New York Knicks.
These are.
Has to be one of the kith ones, I think.
But 22 is also really strong.
Classic hits, except for 21.
We've had some, we've had some good ones.
The fire department one is also pretty cool.
21 was absolutely atrocious.
That one is bad.
I'm so mad.
That is gross.
I'm so mad.
Anytime that you start putting sentences.
Yeah.
On the front of your jersey, you've done too much.
Doing entirely too much.
Would that be said, I'm going 25.
I like the white kith one a lot.
the blue kid is also really good
yeah either
either one of those two
and I'm gonna go this year
I'm either 25 or
2018 for me person
22 is super strong as well
yeah
a good amount of good hits here
your Orlando magic
my god 2018 is terrible
that galaxy when you wish upon a star jersey
I forgot that they did that
dude someone threw a rocket
whoever created that
when I was made him dumber
when I was saying this up in prep for
I saw a picture of Mo Spates wearing that
I wanted to throw up
What do you have against most spates?
One, he was very washed at that time
So it's a forbidden jersey
And then it has galaxy on his chest through legs
The shorts are also midnight stars like this
It is bad
It's like those 2015 galaxy pants people were wearing
In middle school awful
I think the best ones are either 24, 25
I might lean towards 25 from me personally
They're gonna come in they're gonna be like
Middle School in 2015 damn
I said middle school it was 20s school
It was 2015.
We're sophomores in high school.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was 10th grade.
21 is cool.
I do like the influx of the orange.
That's nice.
That's the easy one to me.
Really?
Yeah, easy one.
It's really 21 to me.
Yeah.
I love 21.
21 and 24 are my two favorites.
Okay.
But you hate the Dallas Cowboys, and that is a Cowboys jersey.
It says Orlando.
So.
I see a star.
I see navy blue and I see silver.
All right, 21 gets it.
There you go.
Time breaker.
20 is literally a Tron jersey.
That looks exactly like.
Tron.
25, you have a special place in my heart.
25 is also good, but I think the
one of the last time you watched Trond.
You've made a lot of references.
When was the last time you saw it?
Well, there's a trailer out right now for Tron Legacy.
Okay.
You watch it?
Fuck, no.
I'm not watching Tronleleger.
Starred Letto.
Hell now.
God, no.
The Toronto Raptors.
Oh, these are so many hits.
Every year was a gold OVO jersey until this year.
As soon as he got spanked up inside of him.
We can't associate him.
He got wop, wop, bop,
they dropped him on his shirt.
is it no more
this one they're all pretty good though
that actually is very fun this is the most consistent
fire linens it's extremely funny
this is crazy that's probably
not why they did it but the correlation is there
I like 18 a lot
personally but I think all
20 is really good too that simple
font
well how do you guys feel about 22
don't like it
it might be the worst might be the worst
it's a little jumbled
yeah
I'm going
I'm going to go
I'm gonna go at 18.
I think like
obviously
it's always nice
whenever you can get
like a black jersey
and a white jersey
and it's like
man what if they
just switched to this
full time
but the black one
and the way
that they started out
with that one
I really
I really do like that
yeah
okay 25 is underrated
I like the novel
of 25
when you look at it
side by side
it's not as clean
of a jersey
but I like the novelty
of it
yeah 21 maybe
I would ever wear
25
like if I would never wear
I would never wear
this is not for fits
Absolutely not.
Yeah, whereas most of these gold ones, you could get a fit off with it.
21 is cool.
20 is the best for fits, I think.
But 18 was really good on court.
But 20 is good for wearing with clothes.
I picture like 18 through 24, specifically all the black jerseys.
You get that with the black and gold sixes.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Or the G&P sixes, yeah.
Okay.
I'm putting together 27 fits.
Oh, my goodness.
You get those sixes, black skinny jeans with a little bit of rip.
Oh, my God.
Get a little flannel.
On top?
He got it.
I'm killing the game.
I'm killing the high school.
The Brooklyn Nets.
2019.
Easily.
Easy.
Easy.
Yeah, 19.
I will say 22 is incredible.
That's a throwback jersey.
That's cheating.
They went to a jersey they had in the 90s.
19 is an original.
It pays homage to an element of the city with the big and smalls.
Coogee just sweaters.
Yeah.
Perfect jersey.
It's, it's.
I just remember them DeLo days back when he revived that city and gave these guys hope.
There's a one picture of him doing the ice.
Yeah.
The meme is a way.
with that Cardi
song
for sure
19
19 is on
City Jersey Hall of Fame
20s
it does too
20 is really good
Yeah it's cool
But it pales
in comparison
to 19
Especially because you
changed
from Brooklyn
to bedstine
Yeah
You're doing too much
Yeah it's a little goofy
It still
I mean it pays homage
To the city
And the designer
So it's cool
But I like 19 more
18 is bullshit
We'll look at 18
That's so stupid
Your brain's at man
The Philadelphia 76ers
And my first thought
is 19 is absolute bullshit.
That is true.
19 is trash.
That looks bad.
It looks like a sweater.
21 is also trash.
Dude,
20 is so hard.
18 is fantastic as well.
25 and 22,
that rainbow is nice.
That's what I was going to say.
I like 22 a lot.
I like 22 as well.
But I also like the cream of 20.
You know I'm a big cream guy.
Exactly.
Respect the cream.
But 22 and 25.
One of those two has to win to me.
Me personally,
I'm rocking with 20.
then 22 it is
yeah I'm going
22 23 is in bad news though
23 looks good on court
the Indiana Pacers
see they start are all
19 19 is nasty
this is a crazy
just so much noise
there's no consistency
23 is trash
I do not like 23
there's so much going on
on these jerseys
I know you guys know I hate 24
and 25
23 looks like pamper's
I don't know why I just think
a diaper
but I see that right
big ass overalls
21 obviously looks like
a classic jersey
but it is
19 is so bad
It is awful
That is fucking horrible
So are we going 22
For the best one
22 or 18
21
Actually 20 is clean
No it's not
No it's not
And these are the options
And you guys
In the ones you just said
I like 22
I like 22 out of the ones you name the most
Then we'll go with 22
I don't love any of these
But yeah
We can go 22
I mean they've been wilding out
For three straight years
Yeah these last two are so
I hate them
I know the young fans like them
I hate them
Charlotte Horn.
The Washington Wizards.
Might as well be.
This is no contest.
Nobody's saying any words.
23.
Absolute classic.
Perfect jersey.
Especially because they followed up
with the bullshit of 24.
23 wins in a landslide.
Shout out to cherry blossoms.
25 is also decent.
They did a better job
with the district thing
with the color scheme.
Yeah,
because it was in a Game of Thrones jersey.
Yeah.
It still is a little bit,
but at least the colors make sense.
24 is so goddamn random.
25 is like,
that really spilled the death of city jerseys.
That 25, that 24 jersey was jumping the shark
For the city jersey program
It was really the end of the end
You're like, why would you do that?
I don't know, man, it's terrible
But 23
Beautiful
Beautiful, bring it back
And that's all of them
That's the Eastern Conference
Damn
Next week we'll do the West
Stay tuned
We're gonna do every single team
In these next two weeks
Okay
Let's lock in
Next thing we're gonna do
We are gonna go to a little website
That recently has been all over Twitter
All over YouTube called batter up
Because they have this game
where you can guess the NBA player
by their jump shots
which is something we've done in the past
with still images
this time we can do it
with kind of a video
that's blocked out
of who the player is
so real simple
we got to identify
who the players
we're looking at play are
we got his first one
looks somebody running off a screen
or a catch and shoot
a little condensed jumper
yeah it's a catcher shoot
it's a push shot
immediately like
that push shot
makes me think about Tray Young
but he's not coming off the screens
like that
at all never
But he's not.
That ball is in his hand.
Jamal Murray coming off of a...
He's jumping a little bit too far, too, as well.
You don't think Jamal Murray?
No.
Jamal's a good guess.
I like Jamal.
The way he's getting into it, that seems right.
Let's see.
And I'm just imagining him running off with his yoga trains.
But I don't think he lands like that, though, as well.
Jamal Murray, nope.
It is a PG, though.
But it's not Jamal Murray.
It's in the West.
When the age is yellow, is that mean above or below.
I have no idea.
It just, yeah, I have no idea how to gauge that either.
There's no right or wrong.
It's a point guard in the Western Conference.
Who is this coming off the screen with a condensed jumper?
It definitely looks at Trey Young, but we know it's the West.
Let's go.
Oh, this is Buddy Healed.
Oh, yeah.
There we go.
No, no, it says point guard.
Could he be listed as that?
Fuck, no.
You think he's buddy healed?
Okay, no.
Fuck, I was wrong.
It looks like it, though.
This is a point guard.
This is throwing me off.
Normally, normally there's really easy.
I played this yesterday.
Could this be Malik Monk?
No, he's this isn't.
He's a point guard.
I mean, he was listed as a point guard.
at the end of the season.
I don't know how updated this thing is.
No.
Okay.
But he's 27 years old point guard.
Okay.
But this is he?
No, never mind.
Fuck.
I mean, if we just think, we just think about it like the suns.
Wait, are we in the right division?
No, we're not.
Western, it's not Pacific or Northwest.
So it's the Southwest.
So the point guards out there are.
It's not Fred Van Fleet.
Furbillies too stocky.
It's the Rockets, the Spurs, the Grizzlies.
the pelicans
and the Mabs
Who do fuck is this guy?
I'm struggling
I don't know who this is
Let's let it reveal
Let's give up
We're starting off with an L
Jose Alvarado
That's a difficult word
I want to never guess that shit man
They start off with a difficult one
Okay you got it
Let's see from here
Let's get some redemption going
He was not expecting that ball at all
That is a
Oh I know who this is immediately
It's a funny looking jumper
This is Dylan Brooks
Is it?
Yes it?
Yes is Dylan Brooks
He's so awkward.
Because he finishes with that one arm.
Yeah.
Dylan Brooks.
Immediately.
Look at that.
Redemption right away.
Yeah, he lets go of his guide hands so, so soon.
So too quickly almost.
Yeah.
That's a unique one that I thought we were going to start with.
Yeah.
That was fast.
Okay.
We got one.
Catch you.
Kevin Rand.
Kevin Rand.
Post up.
Actually, no.
Jason Tatum.
That's Jason Tatum.
That's Jason Taylor.
Look at the way the follow through goes.
Yeah.
That's Jason Tatum.
It's Jason.
Tatum for sure.
Look, yeah, they started us off with a difficult one,
but we got immediate redemption, two in a row, incredibly easy.
Yeah, he posts up like KD.
That had me at first.
Yeah.
But that followed through.
I know it anywhere.
Next one.
Okay.
Here we go.
Catch, shoot.
Now that's McHill Bridges.
You see this?
I don't think so.
I'm looking at the base.
It's not McHale.
Those are Slenderman arms.
Those, they're just too long.
We can try McHale, but I just know that.
Oh, is that Jane McDaniels?
It's Jane McDaniels.
That's the better games.
Yeah, that's his base.
his feet kind of separate a little bit.
They're not aligned.
Yeah, that's J.D. McDaniels.
Oh, it's not.
Small forward.
In the west,
in the northwestern division.
On the Timberwolves.
What?
On the Timberwolves.
What?
Huh.
It's not J. McDaniels?
It's not to kill Alexander Walker.
No, it's definitely not to kill Alexander Walker.
That's not, it's not, it's not, not Nodagh.
It's not, it's not, put, put, Nicky Alexander Walker.
Sure.
How was it not Jada McDaniels?
I don't know
I don't know
What the hell
Okay now we're doing it for a damn
Wait what
Is this someone who don't get no minutes
You gotta be someone
Okay I'm just gonna give up
Because who is this
I gotta know
Oh that's Anthony Edwards
Yeah from deep
Okay
It's and from deep
They kind of nerfs it
His deep shot is not the same
You know regular
I also got full because I thought he looked skinnier
In that
I thought it was no his arms
did look longer
Yeah
The the okay
Okay, we'll take that one
That's a hell
We could have got that
I'm not taking that
God damn
Who is this
I think this
I think this might be
I can't even say
That bounce follow through
I feel like everybody's
McHill Bridges
Is this Malik Beasley
I don't know man
That bouncingness is
A lot of
A lot of players
This looks like
But look at how like
Tens his shoulders are
When he shoots
It's very condensed
Kind of reminds
It doesn't even Chenzo
Or is it Jamie Denos
Again
No no
The point after
the Dante
I think this is a guard
The Dante
Guess doesn't sound too bad
I think he's a Dante
Or it could be Mikhail Bridges
Oh no
It's in the West
So it's not Mikhail Bridges
Yeah
Huh
He west
So it's not Malik Beasley either
Could this
The bouncing follow through
Wait scroll down to the clues again
Could this be Norman Powell
It's a shooting guard
Should be Norman Powell
Let's see
That's my guess
Norman Powell
It is not Norman Powell
it is not Norman Powell
He's not in the Pacific or the northwest
So west again southwest
Jalen Green maybe
Oh this might be
Fredman Vleet
No that's too long to be Fredman Vleet
The shot is too high for Fredman
Yeah
And Jayland Green kind of pushes from his chestnut
He elevates to his eyes
So it's like a real fundamental shooter
Is that just Clay?
Is that just Clay?
I'd be surprised if no it's not Clay
Okay we got the right
It's a shooting guard in the Southwest
But it's not on the Mavericks
So we got Rockets
We are Rockets, Spurs, Grizzlies, Pelicans.
Hmm.
Trey Murphy, no.
Yo, this game got us in the blender right now.
Yeah.
These shooting guards are difficult.
Point guards are difficult. Point guards and like bigs are easy.
These shooting guards are hard.
Try, try Trey Murphy.
Okay.
I don't think it's Trey.
Yeah, I don't think it's Trey.
Oh.
Pelicans, though.
On the pelicans.
Is it Herb?
Oh, this is CJ McCollum.
We're idiots.
Oh, is a CJ?
Yes, it's CJ.
Look at this base.
His base is wide.
Okay, it's Eugene McCollum.
He looked taller to me.
I don't know why I thought was a taller guy.
Okay, we should have got that one easier.
That one's a bit of a bad miss.
Damn.
Okay, we got it.
We're batting about 500 right now.
We're doing not as good as we should be, but not horrible.
Caught it up high.
This is a big for sure.
He did not shoot often.
Ew.
This Clint in one of his three attempts.
That jumper is disgusting.
Yeah.
This is not a shooter.
Ugh.
So that makes it.
Oh, this is Kauai Leonard probably.
No, it's not.
Look at the base.
And look how, like, he has no arc on that shot.
Listen, the way that they're scanning it and the way that the hands are just big.
I don't hate that.
There's no fucking.
Look at the release.
I don't hate that.
No way.
It's cool.
Oh, you're right.
It's Kauai.
Yeah, look at the base.
He's so lateral, bro.
Look at, of course.
Look at the way he moves.
That's Kauai.
You got it.
After all that age.
I did not think those hands were Kauai.
Yeah.
You got it.
Okay.
Redemption for you.
Not for me yet.
Who are we looking at?
He's so slow.
Yonis.
Yeah.
Yonis.
he's like oh shit me
all right yeah that's yon that's yon that's honest
he got him immediately
he has zero pressure
he was he was wide open
no one was coming up to his ass
ooh i feel like every i see jamed jennels
everywhere I look
could this one finally be the jami daniels pool
no it can't be jama mcdain is too much of an awkward
nope it's not jama dynald's yeah he's in the east
small four he kind of catapult
so i'm guessing the yellow for the position means he
plays multiple positions?
Yeah, maybe.
We're thinking...
So it's in the east.
Scottie Bar.
Wait, no, no.
It's a USA.
Yeah.
So they are American.
Scottie's not American?
Wait, is he?
I saw, I'm thinking today.
He was thinking about playing for the...
Scotty's a lot of bad guess.
Let's go with Scottie Barnes.
He was thinking about playing
for the Jamaican national team.
Okay, so it's a combo guy.
I'm guessing more power forward than shooting guard.
It looks kind of tall.
Is this Franz Wagner?
No, Franz Wagner's more of a catapult shot
He has a hits right now too
This might be Paula Macero
See, I always confusing
Because his shot is heavy
His shot is heavy
Everybody here looks skinny
It is palo
There we go, shot is heavy
See, I got to see something at the bodies
They're making everybody look skinny to me
So I keep thinking slender guys
Yeah, it's the base and also
The release of the wrist
Yeah, that's why I keep going to Jamie Daniels
Yeah, I keep thinking skinny guy
Let me stop looking at the body types
The body types are leading me astray
I keep trying to cheat it.
Oh no, he don't.
Oh, no, no, no.
It might be subonis.
Oh, wait, no.
No, he jumped a little bit too much.
But it feels like...
He got stone hands, bro.
No, no.
Let's go bono.
I think subpoenas is a good guess.
You clearly have a weird jumper.
Yeah.
Okay, yeah.
Yeah.
He got stone hands.
Yep.
That subonis is definitely a bonus.
Stiff.
Okay, catch and shoot.
Oh, this is hard because it's not a good angle.
No, but it's very fluid.
Yeah.
Hmm.
This is a beautiful jump shot.
What's that?
What's that little hop come from?
Doesn't look super tall.
Yeah, the hop.
Who hops like that?
Um,
Jamal Murray?
This could be a lot of players.
It's like that almost almost like a set shot.
He's very convinced.
He's not getting this.
Is this Darius Garland?
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Is this cat?
No, he's too small.
He's too small.
Again, the body types, he's going to get us straight.
The base, the base seems kind of wide.
You could try cat, but I just, I know what it's.
not a lot of lift he doesn't look that tall you know it's not a center my guess who doesn't
have the little like the condensed quick with the risk it looks a little a mellowee but i don't think
it's the mellow try darius garland i think that'll lead is better yeah you're currently coming through
with the most so okay combo guard age 25 in the eastern wait in the eastern conference central
division kate kate's a little bit more box no that's not kate that's not kate 25 in the eastern
conference central division who's in a central division it's kind of like bulls yeah bulls bucks
pistons cast oh this is erneesmith you think so yeah look at the the arc on his shot
nez no fuck my bad but it is them hard that's what i meant to say nem hard nem hard you just knew you saw
this past week yeah this is Andrew nem hard yeah yeah his shot is so confined yeah perfect okay
that that makes sense how i see that angle's tough though yeah the angle's ass they try to screw us
Oh, that's front
That's wrong
That's right
That's right
Damn
I'll be dead
If you got this right man
Oh my god
Frantz you gotta kill
Whoever made this
Immediately
Damn
We got to fix frauds man
Last one
Ooh he's a
Jumper
Oh he was pointing at folks too
He's a
He's getting into the shot
Very quickly
Can this be
Jordan Hawkins, maybe
Jordan Hawkins
I'm gonna let you have
like that is a pool
Let's see
Is it Jordan Hawkins
I was thinking Jordan pool actually
Shooting Guard USA
Western Conference
Uh huh
Leans to the side a little bit
Like the right side is forward
Western Conference
Shooting Guard
The release is telling me a lot right now
What is it telling you?
He's a shooter
Shooter
Shooter
That's a very
Very quick trigger
Yeah
You're losing me here
I don't think
It's anyone on the clippers
It can't be someone like bogged on
Speak to me
When it comes
You gotta carry out
I suck at this
Fuck no
Could it be someone on the Warriors
Like who
He means pods
Moses Moody
I don't know
Can't be Moses
Listen I mean
Let's start out a name
We need we need
We need more hints
We need clues
It is USA, another shooting guard
Fuck, nothing
Okay
Nothing
But it's not the Pacific or the Southwest
Okay
That is on the south west
You know what
Everywhere I go
I see Nikiel Alexander Walker
Fuck it
Try it speak to me to kill
Not Nikil
Okay
But he's in the northwest
Could this be a trailblazer
Oh this is Shaden Sharp
This is Shaden Sharp
This is Shaden Sharp
But he's so nonchon
When his jumper
Yeah
Shaden Sharp
Not grateful
Damn, I was so sure.
We got two more guesses.
We're in the right division, though.
Yeah, in the division.
It's not the Timberwolves, not the Trailblazers.
So that would be nuggets, nuggets, jazz.
Oh, is this Strother?
I think you're cooking.
You're cooking.
Is it Julian Strother?
You got it.
Julian Strother.
No.
What?
Dude, what?
Oh, we got to walk away with this one.
He's number three, not on the Nuggets.
What's the four team in his division?
Jazz
Jazz Thunder
are the last two
Jazz or thunder
This is not
J-Dub right
No
I don't think so
Aaron Williams
I was thinking about that too
It's a shooting guard
Wait wait
Isaiah Joe
No he's number 11
Oh no it might wait
Number three
Damn why
Did we suck at this
No
It has to be some
I think it's someone
It's someone O KC
Is OKC and jazz you said
Yeah
What the fuck do we think
about when it comes. It's not Colin Sexton. It's not no damn John Collins.
I don't know who number three on O'KC would be. I can't remember. I'm so bad at remembering
numbers. It's not no damn Lou Dort's five. I say Joe. We sure can't be a jazz member?
It's 11. It might be a jazz. That's all we're cooked. It's not Cody Williams. It's way to.
Oh, it might be Keonté George. That's my last guess. Okay. Oh, that's a shooting guard. Is he shooting
guard? Yeah, he got moved to shooting yard, but. Keante George, final guess. It is Keont
George. You clutched up to end it.
fucking home the last one thank god we did very mediocre at this but moe definitely carried as hard
shout to my my fascination with jump shots all i'm here for is to tell you who's in what division
exactly that's my only value i'm here to press the buttons we are collective i'm here to press the
buttons my my eyes go blind when i see that we are a team all right next thing we're going to do
i am going to do it's in a category game we haven't done that in a while i'm going to listen to
category five of them i'm going to tell you to name a player from that category you
have to try to not say the same person that i say and if you can get through all five levels you
win we haven't done this in a while it's been a while last time i did play this game i was in new york
fighting for my life yeah i very rarely won i was close though you you came close to winning several
times first up name an NBA player who has led the league and assist at any point you don't say it off
bet oh shit okay so at any point in history name a player who's a league and assist
all right three two one trey young game's harding it's tray young kill me now of course i'm
gonna say tray what the fuck he lost in round one i'm picking my favorite player yeah i'm saying him
he couldn't get past round one i should have said lebron fuck man or mad let's see a don't
do you just set up for me you know exactly what you're doing you always lose right away because
you never think past your initial bias yeah exactly he says it first and you picked my biggest
bias ever too.
You say that first thing
that comes to mind
every single time
and you always lose.
Damn it.
All right, Donovan.
Level two.
A coach in the east
right now.
Tibbs.
Ooh.
Oh.
Oh.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Charles Lee.
Doc Rivers.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Domain survive another round.
An elite room protector
in the NBA today.
A little bit harder.
Narrows it down
to like five to seven players.
Yeah.
Okay.
Three, two, one.
Anthony Davis.
We got Chet.
I was going to say, yeah, I was about to say, yeah, I was about to say, yeah,
I was close, you all, listen, my first thought was Wendy, but I thought he was going to go then.
No, okay.
A Western Conference Finals MVP winner, there's only been four, it's only been around for four years.
Oh, Western Conference Finals MVP.
Oh, the conference finals MVP.
It's a brand new award.
There's only four of them.
Dumbass award.
Who's won the Western Conference over the last four years?
Just think of the teams that made the finals in the last four years.
All right, so we have, who do you have, Mavs, Thunder, Curry, Warriors.
and uh nuggets
three two one
okay stuff
shay gildas alexander
you put um tray
oops
she gildas alexander
damn say what happened to you man
balden
did you almost say she
no okay
last but not at least
level five
can you do what mo can never do
a Toronto Raptors player
who made the Hall of Fame
so a Hall of Famer who played for the Raptors
okay
This is very limited.
There's only a few.
I'll tell you, there's three players who are in the Hall of Fame that won't play for the Raptors.
Oh, I can only say two of them confident.
Three, two, one.
Tracy McGrady.
Wait.
Chris Bosch.
I would have lost.
It was T-Mack, Bosch, and Hakeem-Elazwan.
The three options.
Vince hasn't made it yet?
Oh, did he just get in last year?
Did he inaugurated yet?
Is Vincent?
I think he's in now.
Okay, the list is like that.
So maybe that's four.
I think so, but yeah.
Donovan, you win.
You made it through all five levels
I will avenge you
Listen I do it for the both of us
I understand
Level one is hilarious
God damn
Trey Young immediately
I got too excited
Right before you
Finish your question
Instant Trey Young
What are we going to do next
Next thing we're going to do
We're going to do a blind ranking
I'm going to list
Five NBA teams
That have made the finals
In the last five years
You guys got a blind rank them
So winners and losers
It seems that have made the finals
Blind rank them
Okay
First off, the 2021 Sons.
All right, but they lost.
So we can't put them at the top of the list.
I'm going to five.
You can be the worst loser on the list?
Okay.
I'm fine with five.
Unless the Miami Heat are here from 23.
Yeah, I think they can't go five.
All right, so we'll put it at four.
I think four is, yeah, because they had a lot of depth.
They had a lot of depth.
First D.C.
Whether it be, yeah, like that.
How to do it to them?
Macau Bridges, Cam Johnson, Chris Paul, who.
I think he didn't think Chris Paul go like 16 for 16 in a in in a playoff in a
playoff game wasn't against a pelican or something like that no it was against the clippers
I think but okay we'll go four yeah okay four for the son that's a safe bet yeah
22 warriors first winner of the list we have to go three I'm gonna say three okay okay
yeah if you think that there's like an even mix of winners and losers you always say
that the wars are like the worst champion in the last 15 years.
Yeah.
So we'll go three for the 22 warriors.
That's perfect with me.
Okay.
Uh, 2024 Celtics.
They might be two or one.
I'll go one.
It's unless, unless this year's thunder are on the list in the last five years,
we probably have to give the Celtics thing.
I don't know, because I feel very strongly about that 23, 23 Nuggets team.
I'm, I hate to break it to you.
No, that's a debate.
The 24 Celtics would beat them.
I don't think they would beat them.
I think they would beat them.
I think Bruce Brown and Casey Pee would give these guys fits.
Oh my God.
Those are names we go to?
Yep.
We're going with the Celtics.
Death pieces.
Fucking.
You want to put them at one?
Let's put them at one.
All right.
2024 Celtics.
Number one.
It's fucking me, man.
The 2023 heats.
Five.
There we go.
That's what we said.
That's what we said.
Okay.
So all you have left is number two.
We got the 2025 Thunder.
You know what?
At this point in time, the thunder have not
completed it so they have not won the championship yet so we'll put them at two you guys nailed
this exactly right i think you didn't cook me okay yeah you can flip the thunder in south
six at one and two but other than that everything is right in the next week and a half yes in this
current moment we're correct okay there you go first time you guys have really nailed it i think
like 100% without doubt no we're on a row next thing we're going to do i'm going to show you
some NBA teams you got to guess what the team is by their points per game okay so you're going to
see one through five only seeing their points your game tell me who this team is okay so their four is
hooper right he's the star he's 28 you're not getting a lot from everybody else 6.8 points is kind
of tragic man that's and that's and that's so replace that's that's 3 and d okay what it feels like
it feels very dirkish
but I don't know
if Dirk ever averaged 29 a game
I'll say these teams are all from 2010 and onwards
and they made the playoffs
I'd give you some kind of help
Okay, 20s and onward
So again, listen this would fit the bill
for Dirk but I don't think that they're two
Like Jason Terry was not averaging 18 a game
I think he actually was close to that
18? But it's not the 2011 Mavs
Huh, what I'm saying
Okay, could it be like
the 2016
2016 pelicans
It is not
I'll say
The power forward
You do not commonly
associate him
At playing power forward
See now
What this feels like
Is a
Kevin Durant
Lead team
Close
It is not Kevin Durant
But you're cooking
Hmm
Not Kevin Durant
Jason
Jason Tatum
Year 1 maybe
Or not year 1
Yeah 1
You'd be a god
I know
This may be Tatum
This was a little bit difficult
I started off
In one of the harder ones
Yeah, 13.9, very solid, 18 points.
I don't think you'll get this one.
I'm not going to lie.
28.7.
Is this a, a LeBron year?
This is not.
You're so close.
Oh, we're cooked.
This is the 2013 New York Knicks.
That is Carmelo Anthony.
Yeah, I wasn't going to get that.
I started off a really difficult one.
I knew you guys working at this one.
That one is very, very difficult.
Okay.
Yeah, I was not thinking about that.
That's very good.
We're starting out the one for them.
That is, I can't remember.
I think it's Jason Kidd.
Or is it Raymond Felton?
13.
Raymond felt.
I forget.
I did it yesterday.
It's probably Raymond, yeah.
I can't remember.
Next up, which team is this?
While they all suck.
17 points is not bad.
No, but like...
Do they all suck or do they play as a team?
Yeah.
They play as a team.
We got two people scored under 10 points.
All suck.
This has to be a early, early 2000s team, man.
2010's team.
Anything with Rashad McCants in it.
No.
No.
No.
No, my bad, my bad.
Damn.
Yo, 16.7 points is kind of sad.
Oh, fuck.
What's that noise?
Oight!
This is the Atlanta Hawks?
No, wasn't the Atlanta Hawks?
Ooh, thank God.
Oh, you met 15?
Yeah.
Listen.
But they all made the playoffs.
You're not far off.
This is crazy.
Think along those lines.
Huh.
Could this be a San Antonio Spurs team?
This is a 2014 Spurs.
Yeah.
That's crazy.
You said they suck.
I'm like, no, they're actually all fantastic.
That's crazy.
Correction, they're amazing.
My bet.
Okay.
They're actually incredible at, actually.
They did play as a team.
They did play as a team.
That's crazy.
What team is this?
Okay.
You got a star.
Oh, this is...
This feels, all right, 2721.
That feels very...
In terms of like, star duos.
Yep.
Feels very Jason Tatum, Jalen Brownie.
It does.
You're not far off.
I'll say that.
That is a good...
If it's not that, then it's definitely LeBron James
and Dwayne Wade Co.
That's for, nope, that's further off.
Think back to the J.B. Jason Tatum
comparison.
Oh, so is this,
this a, uh, a Coilander Paul George
This is the 2020 Clippers.
Man, they were so,
we're good.
This team was stacked.
He only average 21 that year?
Yeah, yeah, but I mean,
playing off of Coilander.
Yeah, yeah.
And they were a deep team.
Yeah.
Okay.
Good team, man.
Yeah. Terrible playoff team.
Next up, which team is this?
Oh, this is buckets from everywhere, man.
It's crazy.
What even three stars gave you 75 points a game?
27 from your three.
I've only seen this type of,
I've only seen this type of offensive explosion one time.
And it feels like, is it like the 2021 Nets?
This is exactly that, the 2021 Nets.
Damn, those seven games that they play together,
I was like, this is the greatest offense I've ever seen.
And if they were to play for 82 games,
I think that would not have been hard to argue for it.
This is the, like,
they don't get talked about as one of the best teams
that didn't win a finals because they didn't have time
to put it together.
that's one of the most talented teams ever failed.
These guys won 90 games and an 82 game season, man.
They would have been so good.
They would have been amazing.
Yeah.
I just don't make no sense.
I don't care about the Nets and I don't feel invested in any of those guys' legacy.
But it makes me sad, but I see that team sometimes.
I'm like, we missed out on basketball excellence.
Who averaged 14 for them?
Joe Harris.
Joe Hale.
What a name, man.
This is ridiculous.
How do you have three guys averaging 25 and still have another double-digit score in your
because all their legs fell off?
Unbelievable.
Shout Joe Harris
Next up
Who is this team
Ooh
Okay
This is a pretty good team
Center is your best player
24 from your center
This is a one
From their league are 17
Very very very
Very well rounder starting 5
Could this be the 23 nuggets
This could be and it is
Damn
Shout out some Michael Porter Jr.
Hooping
Shout to KCP
Get him 10.8 points
If only they still had that
Okay there we go
Aaron Gordon was 16
is very much needed as well
You said a very well
rounded team that's exactly what it says with the most well-rounded starting five of sometime yeah okay
next up who is this team 34 from your lead guard oh man this is special 25 from year two
oh man this team is they're bringing bad memories who score like this not a lot of players
clay's one of them one scoring like this feels like could this be like a 2015 warrior's team
you think isn't clay this one of 25 points per game maybe not in 2015 nah no that's a lot of points
your game.
The only
guards that I can think of
it's like
Oh I know what this is
Good
Now I'm lying I don't
You just said some shit
Could this be
Russ and PG
You think we're
No
PG's average
27
You should know that
Oh I know what this is
This is James Hardin
This is James Hardin and Russ
You don't know anything
It's not them
It's not them either
No
Fuck
Think along those lines
though you're you oh i know what this is
doesn't know what this is again
where i just gets to me
this is the 2024 Dallas Mavericks
oh man Luca and Kyrie
at 33.9 should have been clearly Luca
yes I just never think of Luca as a point guard
even though they yeah really what do you think of him at us
the guy big guy on the court who just play or shit yeah athlete
a three who like in that LeBron thing where it's like
like he's the three but he plays the one
Yeah.
Who is this team?
Well, rounded again, 28 from your lead, 20 from your two guard, 24 from your three.
I saw 13 from your four and six points from your five.
So clearly, okay, so your point guard is your lead score.
If we think about everybody,
see, this is tough, though, because, like, having three 20 points scores on your,
on your start lineup is very much demon time.
It is.
But look at those bottom two.
Again, stinkers.
You don't do nothing.
To have...
13 points of respectable arm line.
To have 20...
So what trios in your mind?
What point guard to shoot are in score like this, though?
I think of Curry, but I immediately X them out because Durant's not averaging 24.
Like, that's like almost, that's almost inverted.
This does look like the 2017 Warriors, but it's not...
Yeah, it's definitely not.
But that's almost exactly how it looked if 24.
was 28 as well yeah i think of curry i'm just thinking about high octane guards curry hardin
luka can't be luca at all because you don't have two players giving you that that amount of
production incorrect this is the 2025 lakers it is lucca oh and austin reese fake demon
yeah the fakess wow the fakesst i wish that was this postseason wow okay yeah this is this
season that was hard that was hard who is this team okay 14 from your lead guard 19 from
your center this is so evenly distributed so even very even 21 from your from your two guard
14 14 14 what are we doing 19 and 21 what are we doing three 14 points scores so 20 10 then
ups I feel like this is closer who is a shooting guard center combo that they're clearly your best
players but they're not that great
let's think about all
the two guards out here
okay
this is center 19 shooting guard 21
that's a pretty unique combination
yeah
two guard and five
I'm so and then everyone else
lost right now and I'm very upset
y'all cooked I'm very upset
with myself wait wait wait wait
yeah one guess
one guess for I cook you
be I don't know 20 20 Miami Heat
nope it is a 25 Houston Rockets
damn damn
that's Jalen Green Alperin Singh
Gung
damn you
Damn you
Damn you, Jayle Green.
And that Wingstack commercial.
And especially the Wingstall commercial.
Who is this team?
It's a barbecue chicken 27 points per game.
Damn.
This team is stacked.
And he got 18, 18, 18, 18, 18 around a 28 per game score.
I know who this is.
Maybe he's sad.
This team is lethal.
I think this is the 2019 76ers?
That's exactly what this is.
Yeah.
Can't believe this team didn't win the finals.
Damn.
Damn you, Kauai Leonard.
Damn you, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, JJ Reddick, and is that Tobias Harris?
And they lost because Kauai Leonard, shot a jumper.
They went, doink, doink, doink, swish.
They wouldn't want a chip that year.
That would have been his chip.
Because the Warriors got hurt.
If they get hurt again, who knows, that's how to know.
I guess they probably wouldn't because they wouldn't be against that.
But who knows?
I don't know.
But yeah, they would have been in the finals.
They were really good matchup against the 2017 Warriors.
Who did the Raptors playing the conference finals after this again?
The Bucks.
The Bucks?
Maybe the Bucks would be them, actually.
I don't know.
I mean, the bucks were up too old.
The bucks were up too old.
Yeah.
Yes, maybe the bucks would actually beat the Sixers.
And then they built the wall and.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
This is the Sixers' best chance of winning one, man.
This team was amazing.
And then they picked Tobias Harris over me.
And Jimmy Bowler left.
Which team is this?
30 from your two guard is outrageous.
I'm going to lean towards, could this be like 2020?
Yeah, 2020, Utah Jazz.
decent guess no Utah Jazz tough
Incorrect
My calling was not giving you
6.1 points your game is quite low
That is a certified corner sitter
Is this the
2021
Washington?
Nope
What the fuck
You think the Wizards made the playoffs?
They did
In 2021?
In one of them years
Because remember because Rush dragged them
You're right, you're right, you're right
Yeah
That was a very good guess
That was a very good guess
but that's not it though
okay
okay
two guards who are scores
here we go
I'm thinking about
demo booker
okay
I'm thinking about
Jimmy Butler
yeah okay
I don't yeah he doesn't have
the back end
I'm thinking about
wow I'm really
I'm really blanking
yeah you guys are sucking
this one is not hard
okay
it's not my final guess is
you got a 30 point per game
score at shooting guard
a certified corner sitter
at power forward
a good threat at point guard
a center 14 probably because the guard set him up
I'm going to hate myself
you are though I'm embarrassed
reveal it I give up
2018 rockets
did you even try
see did you even try
yeah I checked out
unbelievable
yeah I'd be forgetting
and that's the last one went out with a dud
unbelievable
I check out
because now every time I think about hard now
I'm always thinking about him as a point guy
yeah him dominating yeah
And so I forgot they got Chris Paul
Yep, it's him and Chris Paul cooking
All right man
Next thing we're gonna do
Last thing we're gonna do
We are gonna put the last 20 MVP runner-ups
Into a tier list
Okay
So all the players that came second in MVP
Do you guys want to grade this based on how good
The regular season was or how good of a player they were
Like all things considered
We'll go how good
How good as a player they were
Not their MVP candidacy from that year?
Yeah
Okay
So you know we're gonna gauge it just off of
how good that prime was in the year they became second an MVP.
Let's start with 2011, Dwight Howard.
Shout to him, listen, I just saw a clip the other day
where he was like, man, I should have won over Derek Rose.
And it's like, yeah, but not really.
However, Dwight Howard.
People act like LeBron came second in 2011.
They're like, DeRose stole it from LeBron.
LeBron was third.
He wasn't.
Dwight Howard from like 2008 to 2000, really before he went to the Lakers,
demon.
Yeah.
But with that being said, everybody on here is an all-time great
because they came second an MVP.
So I feel like Dwight has to be B or C.
I'm leaning towards C.
I was going to say C.
Yeah,
probably C.
Which sounds mean up front
because, again,
he's second MVP that was one of the best years
of Dwight's career.
But these are all,
these are all superstars at their peak.
So I think C is perfectly fair.
I agree.
Because almost everybody on here is amazing in offense.
And there's also a bunch of great defenders.
So C,
it feels fair.
You can move him up later.
You got a three-time D.
Is it a four-time?
Well, who cares?
Because we're engaging him for one year.
Yeah, this MVP here.
Fine. I love it.
Okay.
2007, Steve Nash came second that year.
Another playoff, flame out, came after this.
But he might be right alongside Dwight or right below that.
And it's right after he won his MVP.
So he was still at that peak.
He hadn't fallen off yet, really at all.
He was still good enough, but Kobe won it that year?
Yeah, we're going to go see.
I just think, like, especially at this point, once you won two MVPs
and you haven't even gotten to the finals,
that target starts getting bigger and bigger
and it's like, what are you going to do?
How are you going to respond?
And to not make the finals again,
even with that team and how revolutionary
they were, I'm going to go see you.
For gauging quality of player, though,
I think Prime Steve Nash is better
than Prime Dwight Howard.
He can't be super far ahead, though,
because he's also a one-way player,
but his one-way on offense is amazing.
And it's probably...
That's so hard to gauge.
I think his offense is a little bit better
than Dwight's defense.
And he wasn't like a black hole.
He wasn't like fucking 25 Luca
on defense where he's killing you on some plays.
So I feel like he can be beat.
coming off a back-to-back MVP
still as good as he was
Let's start him at C
And at the end
If we need to
Maybe we can move him up
I feel stronger that is B
But I'll let you guys
Have it as you guys
Okay
You agree Moe?
I'm okay with B
I want to look at his
2007 numbers
But he can be movable
He can be movable
2019 James Hardin
This is the
He's averaging 40
Year where he lost
Because Janus was a two-way demon
A tier
This is a good A tier for me
I think him
And so if you were going to look at him
Steve Nash and they're going to be like one was averaging 40
one stole Kobe's MVP quote unquote
yeah so people are going to view them hugely
different I don't think that they're that different
peak for peak like I think Steve Nash is highly underrated
obviously the way he played was very different
wasn't as Goddy scoring stats but I don't
feel like Prime Hardin is a tier above Steve Nash
no but you would tell me if you want to tell me he is I don't think it's crazy
to say he is I mean we're going like regular season
alone the the ways in which James Hardin was
breaking the game really is
that is on a different level than
what Steve Nash's
I think this summer
was that the summer
where they like
doubled down on foul baiting
and like in terms of
the rest not allowing it
yeah clearly not
he averaged 37 or something
so he definitely got one more year
it's the following summer I'm saying
oh probably yeah probably
yeah 2019 was his best scoring year
he was as amazing as he ever was
they had Chris Paul
but Chris Paul was washed
that was the year where he wasn't playing well
and he rejuvened himself
in OKCA after that
but for that year we were kind of scared
of where Chris Paul was gonna be like
so he had to carry an even greater
scoring load
if we're doing just regular season
we should do A.
If you guys want to say overall,
who's the best player, I think B?
I'm thinking A for me personally.
Yeah, let's show credit to the...
You know what, yeah, let's do that
because there's other James Harden seasons on here
and it's the best one.
So we'll give his best season A.
Yeah.
2006, LeBron James.
Hmm.
It's underrated.
Young LeBron, insanely athletic.
Yes, it's underrated,
especially because the next year,
next year he goes to the chip,
or not to the chip,
but he goes to the finals.
Yeah.
I think that we can put 06 at at a.
Yeah,
I don't think any of these LeBron versus can be below A is fucking LeBron.
Not to be a LeBron Glazier like always,
but he is LeBron James.
He is the best player on here.
So I think this is one of the weaker LeBron years.
Most of them are going to be S.
This feels like a hooker.
And this, yeah, this was like around the time
where you can legitimately start making arguments like,
oh no, he's top three.
He's top two.
He's the best player in Lee.
It starts right here.
Yeah, this is the first year where he probably was the best player
in the week. If it was up to me, I put him in that's why I stayed silent.
Yeah. I don't want to be crazy, but there's other better LeBron years than a comparison
or another tier, I think. Speaking of, this is an interesting one. 20-20, LeBron.
So this is the end of his prime. He was second to Janus. He, numbers-wise, was completely
still in his prime, but we know the athleticism is a little bit different. But to me,
this is still as good as good as any LeBron year because the defense was so good, playing with
Frank Vogel, playing with Anthony Davis. He was defending the best he's ever done. He played
point guard this year average almost 10 assists the scoring was still great obviously won the title
the average 10 assists you're right yeah won the title had all the IQ stuff that people love
2018 lebron for feels like ester to me to me that's clearly a different tier than 2006 go ahead and
it's estier one of my favorite random ass stats that i love about this year of lebron is usually when it
comes to double-digit assist average average leaders in the regular season you never win a
championship outside of Magic Johnson and LeBron James was able to acquire that because of how
ball dominie he was and also how great the defense was as well.
I saw a similar stat about Shea this year.
There's only three people that have averaged 30 and won a title.
Yeah.
That's crazy.
Three seasons.
I think two of them are Michael Jordan and I forget the third one.
Shaq probably.
Probably.
Yeah.
I don't remember exactly, but that's only happened three times.
I saw a stat today talking about how Shea, only Shea and Shaq were the only ones to lead the
league and score and also win a potentially win a championship.
That's crazy.
But Jordan never did that.
I think it was MVP, actually.
Yeah, so we're probably talking about the same thing.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's insane.
Okay, next one.
2016, Kauai Leonard came second.
This is his best like two-way form, I think.
He had the full defense still and the offense.
This is the first year the offense really exploded to being superstar level.
And this is-
He's 25 this year, I believe.
Yeah.
And when we were having a conversation a couple weeks ago about Pete Kauai, this is it.
That's genuinely one of the best peaks eight-tier.
The Warriors
The Warriors won 73 games that year
Stole all the attention
Didn't the Spurs won like 69
They won 67
Yeah 60 I thought it was more
Yeah 67
They were incredible
He was a best player
Damn you Zaza
Is it A tier or is it S
I'm leaning towards A right now
But it could
He doesn't he's not like
It could be S
It could be S
But he's like the archetype of a two-way
Dominate wing
He wasn't a playmaker
At this point of his career
So he was still playing within his system
he was very much like a weapon on offense score plus incredible defender but he wasn't to like set everybody up be the lead playmaker type of guy yeah but his his takeover on defense crazy was was insane and so the things that you would look at somebody where it's like all right i'm just going to go on a personal a run yeah kawai could do that on defense these are the times when teams were the person he was standing defending would just stand in the corner and not even try to be in the offense they play four on five on purpose yeah you want esther let's do it okay okay one of the best
two-way players of all time.
Okay.
Honestly, I think it's a bit of a stretch
as tier, but I'm not mad at it.
2010 Kevin Durant,
young KD.
He was a pretty below average
at best defender at this point.
He got better over his career,
but I think when he was young,
he wasn't a good defender.
Amazing score already.
He was already pushing 30 every year,
incredibly efficient, amazing.
Not as good of a pass-air as he became,
but the scoring was already like P-KD.
Sounds like a B-tier.
Maybe B-tier.
I lean A, I think
I think he's just a better
Different tier player than Steve Nash
Even when he was young
But he wasn't well-rounded yet
So that's a debatable
Yeah
I mean
That's very debatable
He was flawed at this point of his career
I'm gonna B
Okay
Okay
You know what
Let's do that
Let's go B for this one
Because next up
2013 Kevin Durant
A
A little older
A more well-rounded
Yeah
We'll go A for that
Even though honestly
They're probably not that different
But
We can give them
Do that
And you know it's crazy he also won in 2012
God damn it dude
And he was also second in 2012
Put 2012 and 8 too
Yeah just put them both right there
All the Kevin Durant seasons go right here
Amazing one of the best young scores I've ever seen
He was outrageous off the jump
If it wasn't for LeBron
Kevin Durant would have easily been
The best player in the world
And it would have been a conversation
He could have pulled a Larry Bird
I won three straight MVP awards
From 2012 to 2014 if LeBron wasn't there
Special
Yeah like
it's kind of he's Kevin Durant
so he's not like underrated
but in some ways he is taking for granted
with like just how insane he was at such a young age
like we are numb to the insanity of Kevin Durant
and then second place in 2010 as well
that's so many second place finishes
with scoring titles like
because he had won four straight scoring titles
and that's ridiculous and that's not happening
in Golden State that's not happening in Brooklyn
that's happening early on in OKC
and that doesn't happen today like you don't see that anymore
I remember so many people
specifically reporters in Oklahoma
would give him so much flack about being Mr. Number 2.
They would call him Mr. Number 2 always.
And it's like, bro, what do you want him to do?
It's LeBron.
I know.
That's exactly.
It's LeBron.
What the hell, man?
2008, Chris Paul.
Young Chris Paul, different.
This man was insanely fast, great defensively, amazing hands.
Still had you striving to the rim.
Obviously, he was a good shooter, amazing passer.
Nick and neck.
Honestly, right next to 2007, Steve Nash to me.
I was just about to say B-tier.
It could be an argument for A.
I kind of want to go A.
But I,
I feel like him and Nash are kind of like pretty identical.
Yeah.
I don't think it's super fair to put him up on.
I don't know why Chris Paul would be hired and Steve Nash.
I don't know what the argument is.
I mean, Chris is a better defender.
Okay, yes, you're right.
I do know the argument.
He's a better, he's a better defender.
At this, at this point, you can say he's a better score just because I'll,
of like period, just off of
aggression and the fact that like
his team needed it. Playmaking
right. You can't put everybody A though.
Yeah, we got to put him in B.
We can move him later on.
You don't think Prime Chris Paul is in the same tier
as Prime LeBron or Kevin Durant.
Fuck no. You don't believe that
with your own two eyes. Oh, eight?
Yeah. If we're talking
about how good that player was in that
specific year like yeah, that
that's the one.
If there's any year in Chris Paul's career
where he is like on that level for real
it oh eight has to be
I'm sure you can argue other years but oh it has to be
so what makes Steve Nash not on that same level
he is that's probably Steve Nash's game
I'm using I'm using the defense as the differentiator
as the time as oh yeah Chris Paul was second team all defense at year
NBA first team as you're as not only
as like your point guard as the best player
on on your team it is very rare
he was 22 years old by the way
demon
I'm so I still want to go B
but I'm very okay with A
if you want to go A
I'll give you A for the defense front
Okay
We gotta be we gotta be cautious
With our A place since from now on
I know
2015 James Hardin
The year he lost to Curry the first year
This is when he was a point guard
The scoring wasn't quite as high
But he was pushing 10 assists
I'm cool with B
Yeah it feels like B
Yeah or is a C actually
I think
2015 it is
It might be C actually
It's C for me
So this is the first
Is it the first year?
See the first or second year?
First year to play point guard
No, no
No, actually I got that wrong
Because it was Pat Bette was there
Yeah, you're right
He was still listed at shooting guard actually this year
But he was averaging 27.4 points, 10 assists
And they had they had Dwight there
This is this year too
My bad I got this all wrong
I was looking at free throws
It was 10 free throws
I got it all wrong
He was shooting ghost field
This is pre-point guard revolution
He's 27.4 points
7 assists
His mid-ranging was in
insane. I saw some highlights of the
other day back in that year.
Yeah. He made the point guard
jump in 2017, actually, when he lost to Russ.
That's when he averaged 11 assists a game.
Yeah. I got those years mixed up. Yeah, this is
firmly B. I mean, firmly C to me. I agree.
Just as we saw him get so much better. And with
that being said, 2017 Hardin, this is when he was at
11 assists a game, full-time point guard before they got Chris Paul.
Insane offensive dynamo.
He was the offense, bro.
Is it B or is it A?
I mean, we'll go
first I want to say A
but I'll let you guys rock on that one
2019 was a better score
but 2017 11 assists the game is a lot
It might just be by usage though
He wasn't really better
Just Chris Paul came in 2019
So he got less assist
The
I'm sorry
You guys are gonna have to decide this
Because I'm going to age
The 2017 like the playoff flame outs
It just in my mind
I can't separate it right now
I understand that
But this regular season
I think if we went
If we went 2019 in A
We got up a 2017
Right next to it I think
I think he was just as good
Okay
And you still
If you want to say
He's a fraud
He's a high-usid man
Whatever go for it
But
This doesn't feel like
The most playoff important list
It's part of it
I guess
We can't look past it
But I'm not mad at it
Okay
2021,
Oh man
Wait
2021 Joel and B
Yeah
second place
To the first
Yokish season
Oh yeah
Okay
Probably B tier
I'm fine with B
just to keep it moving
All right
but then again
Joel NB was amazing
Like if we're doing
Peak for peak
If we're not necessarily
Holding playoff flame outs
Against people
Joelle was also
an amazing defender
In this 2021 season
He averaged 28.5 points
Obviously he was a great defender
He was All NBA's second team defense
Hey man
Why does everybody feel like A
Wait 2021
Is this the year
Is this year
Steph got third
Got third?
Yeah
No stuff was hurt this year
in 2021
yes 22 is when he averaged a bunch of points on that shitty team 21 he was hurt yeah oh because 23
i guess okay yeah the years are weird but all right oh no you're right no 21 is the year
step got third yeah he was hurt for 2020 oh wait yes because 22 they won the finals in 22 he in 21
he averaged a bunch of points and the team is trash he had the he had the hair stupid uh yeah the
walkin boy so he's a great defense joel and b great defender 28.5 points per game 10.6
rebounds amazing defender amazing score one of the he's a better two-way player and a lot of the
guys in a man oh man he was seventh and d p o why that year too if we're gonna put in b what's the
reason i mean hate but like you know like hey but we can't put everybody we can't yeah you know you
just you just said we have to be more cautious than we've added you know i think we do i think we put
Chris Paul and B, and I think we put 21
Joel and B in B and 22
Juelan B in A. 22, he got the 30 points per game.
This is when his mid-range number really became
unstoppable. The ball handling got even better.
22 through 24, Juelan B was a different animal.
The bagwork was different. Defense fall off just a little bit.
For the sake of the bad work, I'm okay with A, I think.
Yeah, he was incredible starting 22 onwards.
I think that's when the mid-range really took off.
If we're going to differentiate and we're going to make it so he has some
even splitting. I think that's how you do it. Okay.
2024. Shea Gildas Alexander.
People are going to look at this and be like, what the fuck is he out here, man?
He won a VP, man. He was second place in 2024.
Relax. And I know everybody thinks Luca Dodgers was second place, but it was actually
Shea. Yeah.
Probably it's either B or C. I go C.
Yeah, probably C. Right. He got pretty substantially better this year this year.
C's fair.
How was this three points shot back then?
He actually, I think he shot better from three last year, actually.
Um, no, he did.
did not.
No.
He shot 35% from three last year.
Oh, you're right, 37 this year.
Yeah, you got better this year.
And the volume's obviously higher.
Okay, I'm fine with C.
Yeah.
Obviously, great season, but look who he's up against.
He's, it feels fine to compare that to 2015, James Hardin.
This year, his playmaking got better.
And not even necessarily in raw assists, but you can see it.
He's reading of the game, especially in the playoffs, got a lot better.
I'm fine putting shade lower.
2014, LeBron James, finished second to Kevin Durant.
Oh, this is right after 2013.
This is, this is S tier.
Yeah, it's prime of LeBron James
This is his last year in Cleveland
I mean last year in Miami
When he was carrying around the corpses around him
He was incredible
Too good to stay there
Obviously when the best players of all time
Mm-hmm
2009 Kobe Bryant
Oh shit
Damn
Doesn't 9
See this is this is one of those Kobe years
Where he's not
He's not putting up 30 every night
Just that mama mentality
Winner
A veteran
Who did lose to this year
Read the game different
LeBron James
Yeah
Young LeBron
You can go have
All that jumping over
People and all that
That's fine
We're winning championships
That's what that's what's about
I mean I'll put it in
In B
Just because it's on the
In the second half
Of Kobe's career
And the athleticism
Isn't necessarily there
So you think prime
Kevin Durant
Is a better player
Than older Kobe?
I feel like
Older Kobe's still
In level of A
I go ahead
Yeah he's still
Kobe
I mean he's still amazing
tactician. This is one of the smartest, best
passing code we've ever seen, the way he was able to
attack in isolation in this lower era.
I don't like him next to...
Put him in this. I don't like him next to Embed.
Oh my God.
Lo-key, it could go Estier. He came off
a back-to-back rings. He was still amazing. He hasn't slowed down
at all. This is Estier. It's called me fucking Brian.
The top-ton player of all time. Okay.
Here I am. Trying not to glaze.
I know. Glaze. Glaze a little bit. Glace a little bit.
He was on the first defensive team, too. Okay.
2018, LeBron James.
What about that?
This is like his best year offensively
As a straight up
Like score
As a shot maker for sure
Finishing the touches
Again it's LeBron James
It's gonna be Esther
We're gonna glaze
Because these players are just on different level
That's what it is
2023
Nicola Yokic
When he lost to Joelle and Bede
We listen
You know how I feel about 23
I feel
This is my MVP
So A tier
We can go S
well really okay we can we can go ask for 20 and that's the case 25 joach is damsure s too yeah
well guess that's that's the list the guys putting up 60 point triple doubles he's elevating russell
westbrook at this stage in his career to be great in 23 i've said it before and i will say it
to the day that i die joel and b gets it because kentrick perkins was speaking nonsense on disney
airwaves.
Yo Kitchen
23 and in 25 is
amazing.
Race relations.
Okay, here's our
tier list.
Honestly, it just flows
downward so perfectly.
We had the most
at S, the second most
most in A,
third most in B
and onward.
Do we feel like
there's anything we have to
move to feel good about this
before we end it?
Who's the worst player
on S tier?
The worst player
on S tier,
Kauai Leonard.
I don't think Kaui Linder
should be S tier personally.
I think Kaui Linder
look who he's up again.
I'm feeling.
I'm feeling at it.
I was in.
We,
We can drop it.
We can drop it.
Okay.
He'll move Ku Kauai down.
I think that I think that's a bit much.
Yeah.
Anybody we should move down in A tier?
Who's the worst per hour in A tier?
Um.
If you want to say Joelle and B, but I feel pretty...
Nah.
Because 23 and 24 are when he had his like really bad shit seasons, I think.
So if you want to tell me that this version, like, I view Juel and B as like regular season-wise, like, that's a top tier peak.
Like, he is incredible.
If you could have got it done in the regular, in the playoffs in the same way, we'd be talking
about him the same way we talk about Janus and Yokic, et cetera. So I want to give that credit,
but you could argue to me that 22 wasn't, he took a jump at 23. So if you want to put 22
down to B, I wouldn't be mad at it. But I'm also okay with rewarding him with A tier. I'm okay
because the essential that he was that he was at though, like especially getting into
his prime and his peak, it was, it was kind of nice and it was very special. So one of those
does deserve to be up there. Okay. Yeah, all the Kevin Durant seasons. Do both James Hardin
seasons deserve A tier?
yeah i mean we dropped we dropped the uh james hardin to see so i think i think i think we
managed that correct we balance your hate enough yeah okay and then kevin durant yeah i mean
youngest kevin durant b tier everything else a tier that feels fair steve dash and chris paul are
kind of hard like steve nash is just as good as james hardin like i really want to go
steve nash a tier but i know you guys don't want to do that so i won't force it i won't row
the conversation, but I do strongly feel
that if I'm trying to win a championship,
I'd rather have Steve Nash, not rather,
I would want Steve Nash just as much as I'd want James Hardin, I think.
I don't know, we're good here.
We can leave it here.
All right, well, there we go.
That's our tier list.
This was kind of hard, so I don't feel great about it,
but it's hard to sell.
It's a decent.
This is one of the, genuinely,
one of the hardest TOS you've done.
I won't be mad if you yell at me in the comments
and disagree about a placement.
There's a lot of subjectivity here that I will respect.
Yeah.
And there we go.
That's the end of that.
There we go.
And is that the last thing we had today?
Guess what the points were game, jump shot, best of your jersey?
That is.
That's everything we had.
That is the end of this long-ass episode.
We've been here forever recording.
Yeah, man.
Hope you all enjoyed it.
If people were still here, what should they comment, Mo?
Screw blood clots.
We don't fucking blood clots over here.
All right.
Comment all my homies hate blood clots.
God damn.
And we'll see y'all next week.