The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Celtics/Warriors Game 5 Reaction

Episode Date: June 14, 2022

Colin and Hoops Tonight  and Lakers Tonight Podcast host Jason Timpf react to the Warriors sitting on the verge of another title after taking a 3-2 Finals lead over the Celtics with a decisive Game 5 win at Oracle (3:00). They also look ahead to Game 6 and if the Dubs close it out in Boston, or if the Celts can force a Game 7 (24:00). Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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you can connect almost all of the warrior's success to Andrew Wiggins. So Tatum is struggling and has been awful in the fourth quarter. Who's guarding him? Andrew Wiggins. early in the series, Jason, we talked about, oh, the Celtics feel huge. They're dominating the Warriors on the Glass. Wiggins has emerged as a double figure rebounder end of the series. We talked about early. Who's scoring besides Steph? He needs a compliment.

He needs his Robin. Wiggins has emerged as the second score. If Steph didn't start so well early in this series, I think Wiggins could get MVP votes. He's a former number one pick. You and I have talked about, we've always known he's athletic. You know, in Minnesota, he had, I believe, four coaches in either six or seven years. There was just organizational chaos. You know, we always blame the player.

You put him in a solid culture, and I think the Warriors have been surprised by how good he is defensively. He's just been willing to fit into their ecosystem. But I think you can tie almost all of the Warriors' success from like game two on in this series. and almost all of it is linked defensively, rebounding, scoring to Wiggins. I think he's had an unbelievable series. With how physical the series has been and with the athleticism advantage that Boston has,

everyone is struggling to create shots. I mean, even Tatum and Brown are struggling to create shots to a certain extent just in the physicality of the series. Steph, it's not like Steph's getting a ton of separation. He's just so unbelievably skilled. that every time he gets even the tiniest fraction of space, he's been able to consistently make Boston pay. But where Andrew's value has been in this series is his athleticism.

He can look eye to eye with Tatum and Brown and be every bit as much of the dominant force of an athlete that they are. And that bit of creation that he had, I mean, Colin, coming into the series, we're all like, you know, what are they going to get from Jordan Poole? What are they going to get from Clay Thompson? And we were looking in the wrong place because in a series like this with the way that it's gone down, it was always going to be Andrew Wiggins that ended up being the guy who could be a release valve,

a guy who when things break down could create his own shot because he's 6-8 and he's got all that athleticism. And here's the other thing too, Colin, like, you know, we talked a lot earlier about, you know, whether or not he was miscast as a number one. But that was a-or-when he was in Minnesota. But that was a personality thing. That was not a talent thing. He just didn't have the audacity to consistently be aggressive enough to be that guy. He shied away.

He'd be that guy that disappeared from the game for too long. But he's got all of the turnaround jump shots, step back jump shots, all the dribble combinations, all the post moves. He's got all of the stuff, all of the tools. He just never had the confidence to lean on it. And, I mean, he hit an arsenal of complex shots tonight, turnaround fade away. He had a drifting hook through the lane there in the fourth. I wrote that down. I wrote that down.

Yeah. You know, it's funny. And Kevin Durant. Go ahead. Yeah. Kevin Durant, I think, was bothered eventually that he wanted it to be his team and it was always Steph's. It's the opposite with Wiggins.

He's never wanted it to be his team. It's not his personality. He loves that it's Steph's team. It takes all the pressure off him. So, and I'm not saying he's Durant, but it is interesting how chemistry works is that Kevin Durant always had this feeling like, I'm the best player. Why isn't it my team? Well, it's just not.

You're not the soul of this organization. Wiggins is like, oh, finally. No chaos, and I don't have to be the alpha. I don't have to be that guy after every game. And so it's a classic example of there's a lot of good ballers in this league. Great hoopers everywhere, but where do you fit? The other thing that jumped out at me is you and I had talked about this earlier is that even on the Celtics best nights, they had these six, seven minute whole.

holes, these dark offensive holes, they're just unwatchable. Their movement stops. Everybody is a kind of rigid. Tonight, there's an argument that they had six and a half great minutes. And that's it. I mean, they didn't play well. They were they were uncharacteristically bad in the first half. You know, it was funny, Jason. So I had to be on a call for the first seven to eight minutes of the game. So I watched the first part of the first part of the game. So I watched the first part of the first. the game with the sound down. The Celtics body language was so bad. I didn't get influenced by the officials or the crowd. It was so tight, like shoulders up tight. And the warrior's body language, not just because they were leading, it was so loose and fun and aggressive. And I'll hand it off to you, but I felt like it was almost like in the first six or seven minutes, the warriors kind of sensed They could smell blood. They could kind of sense that Golden, the Boston was a little tight.

This was a big moment. Game five winner wins the series. And I felt with a sound down, I was just watching body language, and I'm like, oh, the champion smells blood. He's got the dog in the corner on the ropes a little bit. Now, they turned it around. But I felt most of the night,

Boston was tentative. Their body language was tentative. You know, it was such a classic. Boston game. We talked after game one, if you remember, Golden State had a eight point run, an 80 run in 37 seconds. And then there was another possession where they scored seven points on the single possession. Boston has always been the team that has these extended stretches where they play good basketball and things go well for them. But then these lapses in judgment is where the more experienced and smarter team always takes over for them. You know, Colin, in this series coming into this game. four games. When both teams were in the static half-court environment, meaning no advantages, staring each other eye-to-eye, my offense versus your defense, who can score? In that setting, Boston was averaging about five points more than Golden State per 100 possessions. That's a pretty sizable gap. That means in that half-court static environment, Boston is flat out a better

basketball team. But everything surrounding that static half-court environment is a massive advantage to Golden State. And in this case, I mean, look at the pathway of this game. So Golden State starts 24 to 8. And Jason Tatum was awful during that stretch. We definitely have to get to that at some point. But after that, Boston settles down and plays a long extended run of good basketball. They go on a 66 to 48 run to take a two-point lead there towards the end of the third quarter. But then immediately after that point, they give up a 130 run. So I've got an extended stretch of high-quality basketball where Boston looks like the, clearly looks like the better team over a large sample size.

And in two short sample sizes, they blew it. The beginning of the game, they didn't come out serious. Their star came out laxidaisical. Tatum literally zero shot at. and a turnover in his first shift goes to the bench minus 11. Like you, it's hard enough to win on the road in the NBA finals. And you're spotting the other team a huge lead because you're not serious. It's just, it's genuinely confounding to me.

I've never seen, I've never seen a team like this because you see hot and cold teams all around the NBA, but they're bad teams, Colin. You don't see hot and cold teams that have a bona fide championship ceiling. It's so strange. As I was preparing on Fox Sports this morning, the staff, one of the guys on the staff, he said, because we were talking about, I had said before the series started, and I think I told you this, Jason, I said, I think the Celtics could outplay the Warriors in five games and lose in six, because they'll just get tight, shoulders will go up. And he went and looked at clutch stats this year for the Celtics. And they're like bottom of the league. This team is a lot of things.

But when you don't have that ring, when you don't have that bag, it's before you get it, I've seen this happen to so many quality teams. I saw it happen to LeBron in Miami. You know, that Dallas series, it's just you've never been there. You've never hoisted the trophy. And, you know, maybe it happens in hockey. But there's something about basketball, the ball's in your hand, the crowds on top of you. And I just feel like in the last couple of games, the Celtics have gotten really, really tight.

You can see it in their body language. And you and I have both talked about this is that you feed off your star. And Jason Tatum looks tight and the team looks tight. And Steph, for all is flailing tonight. You know, he's really the only game he's ever played without a three. He's still shooting. He's still confident. He's still driving.

And I think you feed off that. You're like, hey, our guy, he's not like an end. I thought it was funny at the end. They showed a picture of him sitting next to Steve Kerr. And I could just picture him looking at Stephen going, you ever had one of those nights? Steve when nothing goes, you know, that I can see Kerr going, you'll just be hotter the next game. But there is something to be said is that Tatum sometimes lacks confidence playing well. Step never lacks it shooting like he did tonight.

And I think team speed up it. You play college basketball. When your star is tight, the team gets tight. You follow the persona of the leader. And that's what's so disappointing about the Jason Tatum thing is like big game on the road, series tied at two. You feel like you blew an opportunity. You're already having a bad series. Like, Colin, I'm driving home from the gym today.

and I'm just listening to the radio and I hear you throw out a stat that literally almost caused me to spit out my drink. You said that Jason Tatum's field goal percentage was below Steph Curry's points per game average through four games.

I couldn't believe it. That is an absolutely insane stat. And again, like that and that's the thing. You know, what's funny is with Steph, it used to be early on in his career that he was prone to a lot more of these bad shooting nights. Like in the 2015, 2016, 2017 range, it was about a one out of three chance. If you look at his stats, he was below 40% from three and about a third from the field in

about a third of his games. But he's become much more consistent. The difference was, is, you know, and this is the difference between a really good team like Golden State and a team like Boston that's a lot more flawed is Golden State can win in a bunch of different ways. Like tonight, Steph didn't have it going to any extent. But obviously Andrew Wiggins kind of stepped into that KD role as the guy that could make things work with his physicality and athleticism when the Golden State machine isn't working. Clay Thompson hit some big shots. And then honestly, their defense, I thought Golden State's defense in this entire game was incredible. I think, you know, it's funny, Colin, because it reminds me of the NFL with the line play. All of us casual fans were

watching and we're obsessed with what the quarterbacks doing or what the skill positions are doing or what the secondary is doing. And little, like, unbeknownst to the casual fan, there's like this huge war taking place right in the middle of the screen in the trenches. And there's a push in a pull there that usually has a much bigger effect on the outcome of the game than most fans realize. It's like you always talk about like if Tyron Smith is out, Dak Prescott suddenly becomes a different quarterback. And in this game, there's been a push and pull in this series.

But Golden State in two of the five games, namely game two and in game five, they've been the more physical team that's been more of a resistance on the perimeter. It's like watching the 2016 Dallas Cowboys offensive line get completely run over by a skinny small team. It's really strange. It's kind of a bizarre thing that's taking place. But that's one of the many ways that Golden State can win. They can win with defense and with other guys on their team scoring. Whereas with Boston, it's like if they don't get a certain style out of their offense,

they literally are incapable of scoring. And you see that for extended stretches in this series. The NBA finals are here. And so is your chance to score big on Fandole. Sportsbook throughout the finals, Fandul's giving new customers, $200 in free bets. $200, free bets, guarantee when you place your first $5 bet. Bet the money line, point spreads, player props. Just sign up.

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Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform.

became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever

supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Well, one of the things I wrote

down everybody, but staff was good tonight. Wiggins was good. Clay hit big shots. Jordan Poole hit big shots. Loonie got rebounds. Dremont bounced back. And it's interesting. The role players, the Al Hortfors, Al Hortford, Jalen Brown, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, to me, didn't quite feel as effective. And so when Tatum struggles, what's left of the offense? There's

just not much there. With Draymond, it's interesting, is he got that sixth foul and probably should have been on Steph. You know, I'm watching it at the end and we're just getting ready to come in here. It was late, late, late. And I was thinking, that's a perfect game for Dr. on eight rebounds, eight assists, play great defense, and then, you know, a minute left, foul out, because lost in all of this, and he was really tentative. He was really tentative in game four, but I thought tonight he bounced back. But I mean, what they need of him in this series now, Wiggins is soaring, pool is scoring, Clay is now scoring, Steph didn't, but he would. It's not the scoring. The rebounding issue, they've solved a little bit of that. But, but,

Draymond already serves a purpose. And if he gets fouls, he gets fouls. He has to be active. And I thought he was really active tonight. Glass assists. He fouls out. He fouls out. You're not looking for him at the end of the game necessarily. But I, you know, I kind of, I watched him tonight. And I'm like, whatever the, whatever the stat said, I thought Draymond was really effective. You know, a couple times Jason Tatum had a fall away in the lane. And Draymond was switched over on him like, oh, that's a terrible. That's a hard nine foot fall away. And I mean, Jason was falling away. Draymond's six, seven, and long. And so my takeaway was tonight, Draymond really did what they need from him. Annoying, I mean, when he's falling and Tatum over to the bench, that's exactly what Draymond should be.

By the way, that's what he often was. We forget, you know, a couple years ago when they didn't need his offense either. He wasn't, you know, he was a catalyst occasionally. I just thought tonight was a, when he's like that, annoying, rebounds, assists, they're a hard, they're a hard team to beat because they're getting now scoring from other people beyond Steph. I thought this was Draymond's first truly great game of the series by his standards. The big thing was he was a threat to score rolling towards the basket, which is so important to punish Boston for helping off of him elsewhere on the floor.

To be honest, though, Colin, I thought the whole Draymond storyline, in this finals was so overblown. Like, he's so, he's the last player in the entire NBA to look at box scores with. Did you know that the best lineup for Golden State in this series includes Dremont? It's Dremont, Luni, Clay Wiggins, and Steph. And they were coming into this game, they were like plus 23 points per 100 possessions in this series in like 50 minutes. Like, Dremont has been doing Dremont stuff all series.

He's been amazing defensively all series. He's been great passing the basketball all series. He just had some rough offensive highlights and some rough offensive stretches earlier in the game, earlier in the series. And that's going to happen with Ramon. First of all, Boston's an incredible defense. And this is a terrible matchup for him. One of the huge subplots of this series is Boston's defense is geared towards trying to get Steph to score and taking away a lot of the four on threes that Golden State loves to run on the back end, that classic Warriors basketball. there hasn't been a ton of that in this series because of the way Boston's defending.

And Draymond is one of the many victims of that. You've seen that across the whole roster. I thought that whole story was overplayed. Draymond's been Draymond. He was a little bit below his standards coming into this game, but he played great tonight. And he's just not a guy. He's not a guy that the highlights or the box score will ever do justice for. Yeah.

So let's talk game six. You know, first time Boston's lost back to back. in a team in the playoffs they've been very resilient um god you know i thought tatum would play well tonight i almost bet the under on step at 30 and a half but i was like i'm not gonna i thought boston would play a great first half i thought there would be just desperate and they came out flat but um you you know we have to remember boston goes home hold serve we got a game seven and anything happens. I just, I look at the body language for the Celtics tonight.

They looked so, I mean, Steph's not going to play like that. It's almost like reality is set in for Boston. Al Horford's back to reality. Marcus is back to reality. Grant Williams, they're fine players. But all the secondary players for the Warriors have now kind of found their confidence and groove. They're all really comfortable.

we've gotten the best of Boston second tier players. The difference is Steph's obviously going to play. He's going to shoot better. I'm not sure Tatum is. I'm not shocked if Golden State goes back and wins game six. I'm not. I pick the Warriors in six. I just feel like, forget Steph and Tatum.

I kind of feel like I've seen the best of the Celtics reserves. And I feel like the last two games, I think the Warriors' reserves have been completely empowered by what's happen. I mean, let's face it, stars are almost always confident. It's that sixth guy and seventh guy or the fourth score. When he's feeling it, momentum is a huge factor. I think Wiggins is on top of the world. I think Dre is back. I'm interested to see. Boston will probably be a one or a two point favorite, but I wouldn't be surprised if Golden State finishes it. Your thoughts? I think this series is over in the sense that I feel more confident than ever about my Golden State and Seven pick. But we have seen this exact same situation twice with Golden State now where they have a road closeout opportunity and they're just like, we'll get them at home next game. So like I could totally see Boston just utterly destroying them in game six the way that Memphis did right before the end,

the way that Dallas did right before the end, just because Golden State has a little bit of that kind of arrogance. as well. But I got to say, Colin, I have been so unbelievably disappointed in Jason Tatum in this series. Like, this series is sitting at 3-2. They damn sure should have won game 4. That was a blown opportunity for Boston. You had a 66 to 48 run in the middle of game 5, and you've gotten next to nothing out of your best player. The gap between the way that Steph Curry has played in this series, and the way that Tatum has played in this series is so unbelievably massive. And if it was even half that, Boston wins this series in five or six games. Like it's been a really, really interesting indicator of how a team,

and it really should factor in more when we're making our predictions and we're making our analysis. But it's been so interesting to see how a team, like Golden State, at such a huge personnel disadvantage on so many spots on the floor, just wins a game with all of the smart elements of the game, all of the things that go beyond the physicality, all the things that go beyond the God-given gifts that you have as an athlete. It's all just, it's just they're a well-oiled machine, Colin.

I don't know what to tell you. They had no business beating this Boston team, and they're one-win-away. It's been an unbelievably impressive performance from them. Here's my notes in the first quarter. Boston, no rhythm. 12-4-Dremon two early buckets. Second quarter, Wiggins hitting shots.

Dream on more productive. Boston, one bench point, all half. Third quarter, Celtics, excellent start, defensive intensity. Steph, way off. Selt, eight straight threes. Fourth quarter, Wiggins, wow, drive. No Robert Williams on the floor. Clay three.

Boy, that was fast. Marcus Smart T. Losing composure. Wiggins 13 rebounds. What a game. MVP. question mark. So there's my notes. My condensed version, I guess, of my notes. This is fun. I think that composure pit is so interesting to me because they've had bad stretches of basketball,

but tonight was the first time where I felt like they looked a little shell-shocked at stretches. What you talked about at the beginning of the game was bizarre. Like they were, like they were surprised to show up and Golden State wanted to beat them. Like it was confounded. Jalen Brown was the only the guy who looked like he was really mentally engaged in the opening minutes. That was so bizarre. That engagement level was a super interesting subplot in this game. I'll tell you, what would worry me is if I was Boston flying back. Like if I was the coaches and I'm looking at the film or the players, it's like, boy, Clay,

last couple games, he's driving the ball. Clay looks more confident. So we talked about that, off an injury, a couple of them. I mean, forget Wiggins and Steph. they're going to be fine. But boy, when Clay, now you have three scores. And as I watch that, I'm like, yeah, you're the coaching staff thinking, listen, we can't get our star Jason Tatum to produce.

Now they've got Wiggins and Clay playing with confidence. Like, that's where you're a Celtic fan. You're like, it feels like we got to get off to a really good start at home. We can't feed that monster because, you mean, you know it. There are times Clay gets harder than Steph. I mean, Clay has had a half a dozen of those moments in his career. We are like, yikes. Like he is just, and he's bigger than Steph.

He's got a beautiful looking shot. Sometimes I feel like he doesn't quite need the separation. Yeah, yeah, I'm just thinking what Boston's thinking flying back. And I think Golden State flying back, they'll probably do it tonight or tomorrow morning, is thinking, you know, we've solved the Robert Williams thing a little. like we don't feel as small between Looney. Otto Porter, by the way, he's given them decent minutes. Otto Porter's been nice.

I mean, I think he started tonight. Otto Porter's played pretty well. Yeah, he started the last two games. One of the interesting little subplots from Steve Kerr that I thought was really interesting. And I thought Jeff Van Gundy did a good job of calling this out on the broadcast tonight. But one of the things that the Golden State perimeter defenders, I talked about earlier, how the perimeter defense in the NBA is like line play in the NFL. It's the push and pull.

How easily are guys getting dribble penetration? That's a huge indicator of the way basketball game goes. Well, what Golden State is having Wiggins and Gary Payton and Clay Thompson and Draymond Green do is he's sitting on these guys right hands. So almost every basketball player who plays from the perimeter who's right-handed, when they drive right, they're very good at getting all the way to the rim and finishing. When they drive left, they're very good at getting to their pull-up. But all of the footwork is weird for.

the alternative going both ways. So finishing driving left, it's strange footwork. So a lot of players are weak there. Pulling up to a jump shot driving right is a lot difficult because your body is turned a different way. Most people like to have their shoulders turn the other way. So one of the things that Golden State is doing is they're perpetually making Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum feel super uncomfortable by sitting on their right hands and trying to bait them into driving left and then stepping back into their pull-up jump shot, which is one of the best ways that they can get Boston to settle. You know, one of the things I had in my notes, Colin, I'm not sure if you notice this, but there is this persistent theme in this series, and it's been a persistent theme for Boston

through this entire playoff run. They are a bad transition defense team. When they're in the half court, they're great. But as soon as it gets helter-skelter up and down, they really struggle, which is really strange for a team as athletic as they are, because you would think that would be an advantage for them. But one of the big reasons why, Colin, is they, you'll see this all the time, smart, Brown, Tatum, beat somebody off the dribble. There's in the lane. It's crowded down there. Nobody's calling anything. Like there's no whistle, but they'll just fly into all the bodies, throw up some garbage, go sliding into the camera row with their arms up in the air, looking at the refs complaining, and Golden State's running

down the other way. So they literally spot the other team like 20 to 35 on fours every game by driving into the teeth of the defense. And when all you're supposed to do in that situation is, hey, there's three bodies in the paint. That probably means someone's wide open over there. And when did things look good for Boston when they were driving and kicking to wide open threes? And when they did their quarter, they made like eight in a row. You got to take what the defense gives you, Colin. And too often Boston just plays right into their own weaknesses. And it's really painful to watch.

Yeah, it is, it's been really, the playoffs have been great. And I think a credit to this is that the coaching on both sides has been very good. But I think Kerr has more to draw from. Wiggins was a number one pick. You know, we got to remember that. He was a number one pick. And Clay Thompson's a multiple time all-star. And Steph has been a unanimous MVP.

And so Imeoodoku, he can go ask guys to do things, but he didn't have a number three or four on this team that was a number one pick. And so both coaches, I think, have really done a good job of retooling. and addressing some issues. But man, it's clearly Kerr has gotten in the ear of Wiggins and said, Andrew, you're our best athlete. Go be our best athlete. And some of this is just Andrew.

I mean, a couple times tonight it's just like, okay, that's, that's what a world-class athlete looks like. You can teach. There's a ceiling on teaching. And I think as both coaches have reached into the toolbox, Steve's had a few more tools to work with more, you know, as we both kind of thought, me into the series, they got more offensive tools. And he has, you know, polished, found,

pulled stuff out like Jordan Poole. I thought Jordan Poole in the first like six quarters of the series was just unplayable. He was just, I mean, I remember writing it down on my notes. Like, get him off the floor. Curse got a way to get him, get his mojo back. Now, he's become a real threat. So you can always go into your toolbox, but if I've got a few more offensive tools, I mean, this is still a 70-30 offensive over defensive league. You know, good players get shots. And I feel like Boston, EMA is doing as much as he can. But if Tatum is playing like this, you know, some of it's like, guys,

I can't rely on Al Horford. I'm not getting 28 from Marcus Smart. Like, there's limitations on what I can do, right? Yeah, no, 100%. I think, like, to be clear, I think Boston has a little bit more two-way talent in terms of just overall talent, basketball players, length, athleticism, offensive skill.

But we both said from the beginning of the series, Golden State is more offensively talented. And more importantly, offensively versatile. Like Tatum and Brown are both like textbook slasher. They like to have the ball from the perimeter. They like to drive to the basket or if you cut them off, they'll pull up off the dribble for a jump shot. That's basically their style of play. Jason Tatum has been exposed as a guy who can't play in the post in this series. He's done it periodically over the course of his career, making tough.

Kobe fadeaways, but his entire post game has been completely unreliable in this series. So that's been exposed essentially. But Golden State has all these different styles that they can play. They can run a ton of high pick and roll with Steph Curry and Jordan Poole. Or they can be like, no, Steph, you don't got it going tonight. So we're just going to have you run around on screens, off screens off the ball with clay, that classic Golden State offense where, you know, it's Draymond at the top of the key. And he's the decision maker and everyone else is running around.

They can throw the ball to Andrew Wiggins in the post and he can do things or he can create his own shot off the bounce. Like, is there a single Boston Celtic who's played nearly as well, other than Tatum and Brown? Is there a single role player for Boston who's played nearly as well as Andrew Wiggins? No. Marcus Smart has been horrible in this series. Not a guy you can rely on. Wiggins, like we've said, is arguably even better than Clay, better than Draymond, better than Jordan Poole. He's arguably the second best warrior in this series. And getting that type of production off from a guy you weren't expecting it from, it just, again, buys Golden State additional flexibility. This is a game where Steph didn't have it going and the whole Golden State offense

didn't really have it going, but they had this release valve in Andrew Wiggins. And when you get 20 plus points efficiently from a release valve, that can literally swing a game. And I mean, those are the types of margins that we're talking about in these tight series. It's like, I mean, Boston, you got to be looking on your flight home. You got to be like, we had a lead late in the third quarter in this game and we spotted them 24 to 8. Like that's that's these are these all the I look back at these playoffs series and I realize they're decided by these little tiny things that happen over the course of a seven game series that often get glossed over. And it's like, man, if one thing goes differently here or there, it could have been a different champion. But in this

case, Golden State's flexibility has allowed them to win in multiple ways. And so they've won with Steph playing well and they've won with Steph playing like garbage, whereas Boston has only one when Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum have played well because they only have one punch that they can go to. Well, we hired him before the basketball season. He's been amazing. Hoops tonight, he's the host, Jason Timp. I hope you like these live shots we do in our YouTube channel. Please subscribe to the volume sports YouTube channel.

It's fun. I just love coming on and shooting the bowl. I had one cocktail tonight. I only poured it with four minutes to go. It's four minutes to need the clarity. I need the clarity. All right. This is great.

Everybody, thanks for watching. Jason, it's great to see you again. And we'll talk soon. See you next time, Colin. Make sure to check out the Dramon Green Show. I brought Dramon Green into the volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports, unique perspective, understands behind the rope, also chops up with guests like Gary Payton, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady.

Make sure download the Dramon Green Show wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume podcast network. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

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