The Mismatch - Timberwolves Take Game 2, Knicks Stun Boston AGAIN, and Cavaliers Collapsing

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

Verno and Jacoby break down the Timberwolves' win on Thursday night, which ties up their series with the Warriors; the Knicks' incredible second comeback over the Celtics; and the Cavaliers' collapse versus the Pacers. Then they preview Thunder-Nuggets Game 3. Leave us a message on our Mismatch voicemail line! [phone] (0:00) Welcome to The Mismatch! (1:13) Timberwolves defeat Warriors: 117-93 (tied 1-1) (18:34) Knicks stun Celtics AGAIN (NYK 2-0) (46:13) Nuggets steal home-court advantage from Thunder (tied 1-1) (56:02) Cavs collapse vs. Pacers (IND 2-0) The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Hosts: Chris Vernon and David Jacoby Producers: Jessie Lopez and Tucker Tashjian Social: Keith Fujimoto Music: "New Frontier": JG1MFMNUC8ZGQBSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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You must be 21 and present in select states. Gambling problem, call 100 gambler or visit RG-dashelph.com. Welcome to the mismatch. I'm Chris Vernon. And joining me to us every week from the ringer.com. It's Dave Jacoby. What's happening, Berno? I just want to timestamp this.

We're recording this before this. the game is over because this game was over way before we just declared this game over. In the interest of full disclosure, I text Jacoby in the first quarter, maybe it was the second quarter of the game. I think it was the first quarter. And I said, okay, you want to start recording? Kevin Knox is in. Who is Braxton Key? Who's Braxton Key? Seriously. They're deep in the bench. They are deep. It was like a like a, my 11 year old soccer game. where like every player gets to play. That's what it felt like tonight with the Warriors.

Early in the game, Stan McGon, he's like, they're putting in the hyena package. I was like, hyena package. And they did the annoying thing, which is we're getting drilled the whole game. Now we're going to come out in the third quarter and we're going to cut it to seven so that now it's like,

oh, here come the Warriors. We've got a game. And then it ballooned right back up. You know, there's a timeout. And they come out of the timeout and, to the Timberwolves credit, it was kind of like, hey, how about we get our act together because we have, we don't have the opportunity to just coast the rest of the way here. And to wit, they came out, scored 11 straight points, ballooned it back up to 18.

And the rest of this has been pretty elementary. It's pretty whatever. But I will say this, like, I have empathy for people. And not everyone, some people. but I felt bad for Kaminga when he wasn't playing. He got benched and he wasn't doing anything. It was nice to see him, whether it's for the Warriors or another team,

be like, I've got value as a basketball player. You know what I mean? Like I don't know why I didn't play in the Rocket Series, but like he went what, eight for eight? Yep. His first hit his first eight shots and like some impressive, some impressive moves too. Yeah.

I was happy to see that. And then they went through that stretch. Like I said, after the Timberwolves took that time, out. It felt like the Warriors could, like they couldn't even get a shot off. It was like Moses Moody chucking it up at the very end of the shot clock. Even the first comming a miss

was like a long pull-up two from the baseline that looked like he was behind the bagpord. And I was like, oh boy, they can't even get a shot off against these guys. And that was the time where you were thinking and this is where playoff

Jimmy needs to become like playoff Jimmy, not like part of the machine, but rather the machine, and then the rest can play off of it. And it just, it never felt like it was there tonight for them. I think it's a function of two things. And we saw this happen last night with the Nuggets, where these teams, especially these older teams, they feel like, and we've seen the press conference 100,000 times, even Jimmy Butler said it after game.

I'm glad you brought, I was about to bring that up. It was like Mission. accomplice, right? Oh, no. He was like, we came here to get one, we got one. He goes,

it's so hard to play without Steph Curry. He's like, it's so hard to play without Steph Curry. And he's a little too honest. I felt like he's like, that was impossible. He's like, I'm not playoff Jimmy anymore.

Like this is very difficult. He looked like someone who just ran a marathon. And then he, and then tonight, he's just kind of like not the guy, which I don't blame him, but that's right. Well,

and what I was bringing up was that they did the whole we came here, we've gotten home court advantage now. And so there is this sense of accomplishment. And psychologically, this is exactly, and we're going to get into the other series. But as we said, this is exactly what you want, the team that is lost the home game number one to do in game two. You want them to have their grand slam effort, their backs against the wall effort, which is made obviously what's happened with Cleveland of Boston, all the more disappointing. But for their credit, both Oklahoma City and Minnesota, while they lost those first home games

of the series, they've come back and pasted, you know, not obviously Minnesota. They're not going to win about 40 like Oklahoma City did. But these are great responses by both of those teams to losing that first game. And the Warriors, there's no rest for the weary with this. If you're the Warriors, honestly, I think their conversation is probably, we have to, I was looking at the series today. So if you're the Warriors, I think they're splicing this up and they're very realistic, I think. And they are probably going, we have to split with them at worst. Because if we can split with them, we will get the four days after game five.

because this is a very odd series. After they play on a Wednesday, they do not play again until a Sunday. So I think if you're them, you're going, we can get Steph back. If we can get one of these next three, then we'll be able to have a game six on our home floor and we will get to have our guy back.

Because as of right now, I went and pulled this right before we came on the air. This is wild. So they played the Grizzlies in that play-in game on the 15th of April. They then started their playoff series against Houston on the 20th. By virtue of them having that seven-game series, this tonight was their 10th game in 19 days. That's tough.

And well, my thing about Steph is, I'm not a doctor, so I can't speak on his injury, but I'll give you the facts that they've been presented to me, right? When he went back to the tunnel, they had a report that he was out for the game immediately. There was no like Anthony Edwards tonight, you know, tweaked an ankle, questionable. They starts the second half. Like immediately, it was like a commercial break and all of a sudden he's not coming back. And then there's the report that he's crying in the locker room and Steve with, you know,

Steve Kurt. Like that's, these are just facts that presented to me. I'm not trying to be a doctor. And then there's quotes today where he's like, I'm dealt with this before. You can't force it. You can't press it. And it does seem like this is a more serious injury than some of the ones we've seen this season or this postseason even. Like remember Brunson couldn't walk and then he goes and he goes on fire in the fourth quarter.

And Anthony Edwards tonight like they had this game handled. Anthony Edwards did not need to come back. But here's a crazy thing, Jacoby. So his was an ankle and it looked very bad. Andy was carried off. And it's like, hold on now. We've seen Anthony Edwards. We've seen John Moran.

We've seen Jay Libra. What are they doing to ankle? And, hey, P.S. Why can't they do it to Evan Mowgli? What the strangest thing was in the in the Brunson one, he changed shoes. He went from like one color Kobe to another color Kobe. I'm like, do they change his feet like a Lego or something? Like what guys are?

These guys are making it. So that now, like, I guarantee you when Anthony Edwards came back and played in the second half of this game, Evan Mowbly was somewhere sitting on his couch being like, oh, seriously? Like really? Like, if you're sitting out with an ankle now, like we're seeing guys what appears to rip their ankle in half. And then they're coming back into the same game and being able to perform. It's the craziest thing. You watched the replay of the Edwards injury.

and he lands awkwardly and you think that's it. And then he gets stepped on by Davis. He's just stopped on. And I'm thinking to myself, like, the Warriors kind of like, they didn't put up like a white flag in the second quarter. But the Heena package was kind of like a bone colored off white flag. It was kind of like it felt like game five in Houston in the last series. It felt like Steve Kerr was like,

I'm not going to play my guys too much. if it's going great for us if we just haven't been one of those days where we're hitting all of our shots, then we'll give it a go. But it did feel like Steve Kirk went into this game with the attitude of we're going to go home one month.

I think the only positive you could take out of it. And look, I don't want to just focus on what happened with the Warriors. So I'll just end with this. The only positive, or the real positive, Camingo obviously gets a little bit of confidence.

if you need him going forward. But even more so is that you have proven once again Draymond Green cannot get kicked out of a basketball game. Like I don't, it is he literally control himself. Dude, he can

hit a guy in the head, then walk over to Tyler Ford and yell it's effing BS in his face. Like, who gets away with this? It's the leash he gets is crazy. I never want to hear him complain about any kind of treatment he gets from officials

because the leash that he gets, can you imagine? And they like didn't even give him a flagrant. Again, or no, or did they didn't tech him, right? No, he got tech. It well, okay. So now he needs. You didn't get him flavor, but now it's two texts away from suspension. So if you're a Warriors fan and you're listening to this podcast right now and you've got championship aspirations. Right. You cannot get through the amount of games you need to get through without him being suspended. He is incapable of it. And let's not forget it. You got an indefinite suspension from the league. And I assume that went to some sort of mental

health training or whatever. And if you're a Warriors fan, you're also like Draymond, like we literally in some people's minds, not mine, lost a championship because you were suspended. Like, what is it going to take for him to change his behavior? No, it is. Well, look, they went about it the entire wrong way. They gave him training, like mental health training,

which he has been, effusive in praise talking about the mental health training that he got and sitting there with the counselors and how much it changed him and all that kind of stuff. He said all the right stuff about that. He needs limb control training because he cannot control his limbs. They just, they just happened to either his legs fly up and kick.

people in the dick his arms fly up and they chop people in the head he has no control over extremity control extremity control spastic he's spastic he can't control his his his his his arms and hands just end up finding people's heads and face oh he i mean he has he lost the benefit of the doubt on the limb control 10 years ago it just always happens to happen with him he just he just cannot he i i wasn't meaning to kick him i wasn't meaning to hit him it was just a follow through of this foil that i had well it's also like you watched tonight's incident which was not that big a deal you clearly hit him in the face yes your limbs so what are you upset about what injustice has been uh cast upon you that you're so angry at the that's what he said he doesn't have

control like that was just that that was unintentional what happened he got fouled and then that was just a that was a follow-through getting found yeah no no need jerk yeah yeah it's like i got fouled and so that's why that happened involuntary knee-jerk reaction like like a mansion of yoke it like no yoke is literally almost knocked out lewdort in game one same kind of deal but yokeet's like all right i kind of all right, I did it. Like, I mean, I'm sorry. I mean, Lou D'Or is like laying on the ground. I'm like, I remember I text you?

I'm like, dude, did he just knock him out with his elbow on the back of the head? Well, I think it's worth, I think it's worth transitioning off of this series, but I can see a world in which Minnesota takes down three and four. And Steph is reevaluated and maybe not ready. I just think this is, I think that this is Minnesota moving on. I just can't see a world in which this flips. I can't. Not in the absence of Steph Curry.

If it goes about your game five, they're down three one. Well, they would have to, I mean, obviously, yes. They would have to get one of these next two. Do you think comminga and Braxton Key or a, no, carry them to a win? If they lose, then, I mean, look, the only way they have any chance is to do it with, is, well, and to do it with defense,

because that is not what they were able to pull off tonight, because they gave up 117. You look at, their wins thus far in this postseason. So you've got the four against Houston, and then you've got the one against Minnesota. They have given up 85, 88, 88, 89, 93, and 106. So the recipe for them winning playoff games

is them being able to lock you down. And I think what you do is you hope, if you're Golden State, that you go back to Golden State, maybe these role players, the other DeVincos, the Nazes, the Jade McDaniels, maybe they won't play as well when they are on the road as they do at home when people are cheering for them. And so, as I said, if you're Golden State, for this to become a good series and even have a chance by getting Steph back, then and again, hamstrings, groins, calves, color me skeptical that anybody's able to come back anyway. But their only chance, I agree with you. If the wolves go up three one, the Warriors aren't winning three straight games.

Over. But if they split, then it becomes, right, a best two out of three the rest of the way. There's also something interesting happening with Anthony Edwards, because we do this pod twice a week. So we're locked in on every single week of the regular season. And one of the things that Anthony Edwards has done to his game and said, I'm a take, I don't have the numbers for me.

10.45 3s a game. And I'm going to make four of them. It was like Steph Curry level of like attempts in production. Right. And in this series, he's just decided that he's no longer a jump shooter. And in the second half of game one, he was unstoppable. It looked like Donovan Mitchell in that series. Like he was just getting to the rim, getting what he wanted, getting easy finishes at the rim.

And tonight he wasn't finishing them the same efficiency. But it's been surprising to me that that aspect of his game, is absent in these two games when it was such a big part of sort of his growth and was sort of in him leveling up in the regular season. Well, I can't explain it. I think it's a letting them, we're not going to let them off the hook. He is an absolute force of nature going to the basket.

And it's a lot like, you remember, you know, years ago, there were so many years where people were like, you would just sit there and you'd be like, please, please God, let LeBron take a step back jumper, right? Because what we don't want him to do is start barreling towards the basket because he's too big, he's too strong, he's too athletic. And it's like, this is, I got it. I'm going to push back on that, Chris. Like, he took 10 a game. I understand. And now he was taking zero. Like what, what happened? Is it intentional? Let's not take zero. He took four tonight. Well, I mean, he to hit. How many hit? He two for four. Okay. Two for four. And he took what, five, I think, of the first game.

I mean, look, what do you? Look at it's a function of going, oh, I think part of it is a function of going 0 for 11 in the last Laker game, too, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It's been an interesting journey with his jump shooting. Yeah. It was such like a fun wrinkle that he added that I was looking forward to watching and I just don't see it. Well, and I think, you know, they got big production off of their bench.

We've talked about how they have eight guys. I mean, when you get 20 out of. of Nikiel Alexander Walker and then you get 20 more from reading de Vincenzo combined. But tonight was like not. I got it. I got it. I got it. It's hard to like cite stats in this game when they put in the hyena package.

Julius Randall was infinitely better than he was in game one. You got to give him that. Julius Reynolds pissing me off. He's pissing me off. He was. He was much better than that. Speaking into this microphone being like, let him.

Julius Reynolds is going to let me out in these playoffs. Well, you look pretty, you look pretty good. in game one. I mean, he was a dud. He was a dud. He had as many turnovers, his rebounds in game one. And it was like, oh, you don't get to post up Austin Reeves anymore.

Can we talk about the Knicks, Chris? The Knicks are up to O'O on Boston. Are they? They're down 20 in the third quarter in both of them. But in the game two, they were down 20 with like 319 left. Because that's one of the things out, because I was watching the game, obviously. And I'm sitting there going, this feels a little different than game one.

Because game one, they started making a run about six and change left in the second quarter. And I was thinking about it was like, if they were going to make the run, it seems a little late now. But they made the run. It still feels like people don't think they're going to win this series.

They have not played well. I'm happy to say, look, I'm very excited as a Knicks fan that they're up too well. But they have not put their best basketball on the court. They have not at all. Here's what I said, Jacoby.

This is my thought. If that series, everything in my opinion depends upon what happens in these next two games in New York. Now that sounds, oh, yo, you really easy. No, no, no, no. What happens that series depends the next five games in the series. No, no, no, no, no. In these two, here's what I'll tell you. I think if the Knicks win one of the next two, they'll win the series.

If they lose both of them, they'll lose the series. That's what I think. I think that's what I think. Listen. No, I'm just saying they need to win. I don't think that they, I don't think they'd lose three in a row to Boston. And that's the position you would put them in. If you can get up, if you can win one of these.

Again, I'm not saying you have to win both of these at home, saying you've got to win one of these at home, but you have to win one of them at home. If you let that thing go to two, now I don't think you're winning the series. That's what I'd say. Here are my thoughts. I think that the Knicks can play much better basketball

than they did in game one, game two. I think that Jalen Brunson in particular, like I'm looking at the internet. I'm glad we're doing this like a couple days after, the game because all of a sudden I'm seeing all the memes and, you know, the algorithm is just punishing me with Jalen Brunson as Jesus and Jalen Brunson holding Jason Tatum as a baby. Jalen Brunson did not have a good game. He's had, he had down the stretch in game two, he was great.

Down the stretch in game one, he missed two easy game winners and he had two ridiculous turnovers. And in coming in up until crunch time, like, why does it have to be at the end of the game for you to score baskets. Like, why does it have to be till the end? He did not have a good game for 80% of the game, but he had 11 points, didn't he? Did he have 11 in the fourth? Come on. I know, but in Bridges had like what, 0 14. No, but in the first three quarters, he had zero. Yeah, who cares? Well, and but one thing I will say positive about the Knicks is this is, is Carl Anthony Towns has turned into like a, a 1999 four center. It's just like get him in the post and let him go to work. Like it's like, honestly, it's just like if he gets the ball in the post, no matter who is guarding him, I feel confident that it's a bucket or a foul.

I mean, I will say this, especially when you're playing against the Celtics, maybe the most shocking thing that took place in that game is Carl Towns took one three and it was that half court heave. Yeah, that doesn't even count. The idea that he doesn't even take a three. That was the whole thing about him that they required him to do. Which is, well, and you're also playing against the team where you feel like you got to match points on some level, but they're playing a different game here. They're not matching points. And these fourth quarters for Boston, in 50 possessions in the fourth quarter and overtime, they have had 38 points, shot 11 of 53 for 21% in those 29 minutes. That is unbelievable. Tateman Brown are two for 19 in the fourth quarter.

Two for 19. I mean, it's incredible. But I want to say this about Towns is, I think it was the beginning of the third quarter last night, is they went three straight possessions to him on the left block. He never gets deep in the block. He always gets like mid post and then like Carmelo's spot, I'll call it. But they went to that three straight times and they just had no answer. It was like, it was honestly, it was like Patrick Ewing.

It was just like, we're going to get the ball to the wing. and we're going to throw an entry pass. It was like old school basketball. And they were going to go to work. And I know it infuriates Nix fans that like it feels so basic sometimes what the Nix do. It's not a bunch of offensive ingenuity to say the least. A lot of it is. If you want to talk about lack of offensive ingenuity, we're talking about the wrong team right now.

No, no, no. But you have said in the past it's like Jalen bail us out. Oh, yeah, yes. No, last night I thought about this. I thought about this so much and I'm glad we're getting to do this podcast. I can talk about it. So get the big bucket at the end. Now there's the timeout.

And then they call their play. So that's the one. Tatum comes down, gets the high screen, blows past Mitchell Robinson wide open. It felt like a football game where you let the other team score. Honestly, you let him score touchdowns and get the ball back or whatever.

I was like, what are they doing? So took the one point lead. I thought about this so much. I did not see him broach this in the press conference, but I did hear Missoula in the press conference explaining the last play of the game. And he said, I didn't take a time out because we were going to run the same thing we just ran the last, right? We're going to do the same thing, right?

They have the same personnel. Horford's green. And we're going to beat this guy. Yeah, getting downhill, right? Yep, yep. And all I could think about. was I would bet any amount of money that when they took the time out after Tatum had the open dunk that that time out consisted of Tibbs saying, hey, no, Jalen, you go get a bucket, okay?

Like you get a bucket of the offensive event. That's basically the entire Knicks offense. Now, the reason we gave up that defensive, like I know. that that drove Tibbs so crazy to give up that, that I bet you that time out was oddly spent on explaining what we're doing against this. And this is what we did wrong. Therefore, it almost, because look, the other end was honestly, it was going to be like Jaila Brunson, go get a bucket. He ended up getting out, knocks down the free throws. Like, we know what's happening there. But on the defensive end,

the way they defended it. Missoula was like, well, just run it again. And the next time, they knew exactly how to defend it. And then ended up, I mean, Tatum just gets crushed in the corner. I mean, the McEl Bridges wing span is like, come on. I felt like when you watch the replays, the first time they ran it, Mitch is just, his weight is just all in the wrong place. He literally doesn't have to shuffle his feet.

He just gets, it just blown by. It really, I was, honestly, like, as a Knicks fan when I was watching it, I was like,

that's fine. Give us the ball. Give Brunson the ball. We're going to score again. And if you watch the second time, Tatum dribbles with his left hand and loses control of the dribble a little bit. Like,

the dribble bounces a little high. He just didn't, like, he didn't have full control over the ball the way he normally does. And that just threw the timing of everything off. And we all know what happened after that. But,

like, I'm walking away from these two wins as a Nick fan, like, Knicks didn't play well. They didn't. The Knicks didn't play well. And also, you're watching the Celtics, you're like, I don't know what they're going to throw at the Knicks that's going to be different. Well, can we, look, one of the big things I could throw is, how about they get a reasonably good Chris Staps, like, what has gone on? Like, nobody.

We shouldn't he be quarantined? What does he have? I wouldn't want to shake his hand. What does he have? I don't mean to make light of another person's like medical issues. But this happened in like February. What is he should quarantine that man? He's patient zero of like the next virus.

How can nobody know what is going on with him? I would if I was on his team, I'd be like, we need a new locker room for home visitors and porzingases because I don't want to be around this man. And he got he was over it a month ago. and then he starts the game and plays the first half of game one. Then he's like, oh, Poroszegos will not be back because of an illness. And I'm thinking it's some sort of like Pajemski seafood situation from Houston, like a like a neurovirus. I don't know what is going on with him, but he's playing. He's not playing well.

He doesn't have energy and he's not playing minutes. It's so bizarre. And that it was a thing that true. I mean, you would think he's got the best doctors in the world, right? You know, a $25 million NBA player. surely they can figure out what's going on with you. He's got some mystery illness that we have stabbed him. Bird flu, swine flu, porzingis flu.

I think that's where we are now. Porzingis flu. I'll say this though, as you talk about how you don't think the Knicks have played all that well, the Celtics, these collapses, it's truly historic. Like nobody has done this. Nobody has blown 220 pointers in like you go back to the tracking data. you're just not you're not up 20 at home in the exact same manner and drop and so they have dropped those games and so we will soon find out if that was if that is just a weird instance in NBA history

and just wow you remember when that happened or if that is truly signs of things to come I will say this that defense stuff that the Knicks bring and the defensive intensity and the attention to detail that they show when it when it's gotten big time and they've had to get stops is truly something to behold like they are this is not just the Celtics are missing a bunch of shots and you know on my local show i have tony all allen on every week and there was and there was something i was thinking about regarding a story he had told me uh when i was watching in the game the other night. I asked him about what it was like to play with Tibbs

because he was the defensive coordinator for those Celtics teams. Of course. T.A. was on in, oh, I played, I played for Tibbs too. I'll tell you that story later. And he said it was so hard back in the day, like, you know, this is when teams like really practiced. And he said he would be screaming at you the entire time. And he's like, and I guarantee he still does this.

He goes, he would split us up into teams. and we would play games to five, all right? But when you went down and scored, if you scored it was worth one point, right? But you didn't get to keep the point unless you got to stop. I love it. That's the way we should play.

That's the way basketball should be played. So the point didn't go on the board unless you got the subsequent stop. It's a chance to match. And he said these games would take forever and they're all out wars, right? Because that's, you know what? We talk about ratings.

We talk about the three points. I know. We should just play Tibbs ball is what we should do now. And he fixed the NBA. You're welcome, Mr. Silver. He's telling this story. And then last night at his press conference, he's asked about like these offensive runs and this 21 to two run or whatever.

And he goes, you know, you know how he talks. It's so gruff. He's like, people talk about offensive runs all the time. I believe in defensive runs. I believe in rebounding runs. You know what I mean? I love it. And all I could think about was TA telling me this story about these old Celtics

and about how, and I bet you the Knicks play the same way. And I had never heard that about like, I'm sure that is not wildly uncommon. But I thought as that game's playing out, if you get used to, hey, my bucket doesn't even count. unless I get a stop on the other end. There is a level of focus and intensity that then is driven into you on that defensive end. Because, I mean, in this, these guys are just trying to get practiced. Time out. Time out.

We didn't fix the NBA. I was joking about that. New All-Star format. Boom. New All-Star format. We always worry about defense. That's right. It just came to me.

I was like, we can't really incorporate that into the NBA. It makes no sense. But if you're playing around with formats with the All-Star game, that might be it. Your bucket doesn't count unless you get a stop. Quick personal story. You know, I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. My parents split up. My dad lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Some summers I would spend, like, August with my dad. And he sent me to Harvard basketball camp, me and my brother. So we'd walk there in the morning. We'd play basketball there. And my coach is like you had the same coach. You have a team. You play like two or three games a day. You know, basketball camp stuff, whatever.

My coach for a full week. The team only had probably like six or seven guys. And we won the championship that week, Tom Tibado. He was the assistant coach at Harvard. He was the assistant coach at Harvard. Tom Tibido. And then when we came, when he only sort of like came into my world after that.

When he was on the bench for the Celtics, and I looked at it, it was like, what the fuck? I was like, I know that guy. I was like, that's my coach.

Oh, Tom Tibdo is my coach. I was probably like nine. Honestly. I bet you could Google it. Whatever, he was the Harvard basketball assistant coach. He was my coach. Because you get one coach per team.

It's probably like, you know, per age group is probably like five teams, whatever. That is my basketball coach. I brought it up to him one time. He's like, oh, you make me feel old. You know what I mean?

It wasn't like, oh, that's a cool coincidence. He was like, oh, I just must be old. So a question for you that I'm asking as a Knicks fan. If I'm Joe Missoula, we're always talking about the timeout and this or that. What is he doing with Hackamitch?

Like Mitch Robinson took one of the worst free throws I've ever seen in the history of basketball in that game. And B goes into Hackamich before they're in the bonus to put them in the bonus. Why don't you just hack Mitch? It worked in game one. He never went back to it. I don't understand. I want to ask him.

I'm like, Joe, like, what is your philosophy? When do you hack Mitch? When do you not hack Mitch? Because it's all over the place. And as a Nickman, I, if I was a Celtics fan, I'd be like, why don't we just put Xavier Tillman in the game and foul this guy? over and over and over. And you know what's crazy is he got called out on hacking him or getting him out of the game and then that enabled them to get towns back in the game and the town's got that offensive rebound

of whatever else. And it's like and Missoula said totally unrelated. He goes and this is what I remember from the press conference when I was watching. He goes and he looks down at the box where he goes, every one of their start. starters was in the negative. He's plus 19. I don't understand why they don't get him out of the game. That's why I'm trying to get him out of the game. That's why I don't they do it. Right. Explain that to me. Chris, like I'm, I'm honestly asking like a real question. Like, I want to ask Joe Mazzou, like, why don't you just put Xavier Tillman in and get Mitch out the game?

Why not? Can someone explain that to me? I'm asking you a question. I guess it's, I guess it's the trying to not get in the bonus. and also and also get a bunch of your guys fouls. Because when Jalen Brunson sees that light go on, that bonus light go on, he goes into full merchant mode. When Jalen sees that light go on, he's like,

oh, he's just like, watch this guys. And I do want to share this with you. I was honored to host like the Spotify Sparks event. It's sort of like the Spotify Newfronts, which is when they put on like a little presentation for potential advertisers about what they do. And they asked me to host it and I was so excited about it. And we had a great time.

Shout to all the Spotify sales staff. It was awesome. But it was right by the garden and it ended like right at 7 o'clock. So I was like, I can't miss this game. So I'll go to like the bars around the garden and I'll get a seat and I'll watch the first half. And then I'll take a taxi home and I'll watch the beginning of the third quarter on Hulu. And I'll watch the rest of my house, right? On my phone.

But it was like, I'm sitting there. at the bar. I'm drinking slow because, you know, I have to like talk about the game or whatever. I can't just like just slam shots. You know what I mean? So I'm doing slow beers the whole time. But halftime comes. I'm like, I don't know, man. I don't know how I get in the cab right now. It's like crazy I hear. And I ended up staying at the bar for the game. And I said to myself, if they win, I can just walk over to the watch party. Because if you're like following NBA accounts, you know they have these watch parties around the arena. And the Knicks ones are kind of like, obviously you beat the Celtics on the road in the second round of the playoffs when you're

minus 1,000 underdogs, they get pretty exciting. So I walked over there. Then I texted you a couple times and you saw my social or whatever. There's probably 2,000 people out there. Do you not remember FaceTiming me? Of course. Of course. When you first FaceTime me, the crowd was chanting, F those picks.

Yes. I think in honor of the five first rounders given up from McKee. And we'll see what those first rounders turn into, but something tells me that it's, it's not going to be a bunch of all NBA guys. But I will say this, just because I'm old and negative, there is something about that environment. It's kind of like a concert when everyone's recording it the whole time. Like, it's not just like, let's get together and celebrate. It's like, let's get together and make content. You know what I mean?

It's like everyone and myself included, I was posting on my story. Yeah, you were. So you're guilty as well. Exactly. It's one of the things. where it's 2025 so we're not just like celebrating a Knicks win we're celebrating a Knicks win and trying to create content for the internet for followers about what I'm at yeah what I'm at you know what I mean I don't think there's a person there without their phone in their hand you know what I mean and I'm not

criticizing it per se because I don't fight technology I don't fight society I'm not like one of those guys but it's just it's kind of like a bummer it's kind of like going to a show and you're like why are you recording the show. You know what I mean? Like, it just kind of felt like there was a jubilation. There was an energy. It was exciting.

I was so happy I was there to share that moment. But it was very much a, in myself included, let's record this, get a good Instagram story out of it. You know what I mean? Are you with me that if the Knicks win one of the next two,

they'll win the series. But if they don't, they won't. No. Bro, I'm putting nothing past this. series. Like I, you're, if, like, I, I've heard a lot of people say like, well, the, you know, the Celtics are still, could still come back. I don't, I think the Knicks win the

series, like, like, look at what happened. Look at what happened. It's a collective energy from the Celtics. It's like, it's continued to be so, it should be so crushing. And you know what I did wonder? I wondered who's the Marcus smart. Thank you. Went in there and broke a chair. after that happened. Thank you. That was thinking the same thing. But like there's also an emotionality to like the Knicks. Like they're also boys from when they grew up or whatever.

But like you have those players that get a bucket and scream at the crowd. Like who is that guy on the Celtics? Like who's like the emotional leader? Who is the one that gets the team riled up? Like you said like the mark is smart. Who is it? And I don't fault people for not being that way like a like a famously Kevin Durant. It's kind of like isn't that guy.

But like who is. the sort of heartbeat of the Celtics? Is it Tatum? Who is it? Yeah. Horford is an elder statesman, right? And you, the guy that plays the hardest is either white or holiday. Pritchard. I don't know. Like, but who is the emotional leader? Like who's the one, like you said, when there's a right before a free throw that says guys come in like when push came to shove in the NBA finals last year, it was Jalen Brown. Yes. He looks, he doesn't look like himself. He just doesn't at all. Not at all.

Well, the first half, he looked good. Like, he was, he didn't, he didn't matter who was in front of him. Right. He was going into them. But it's the explosion has not looked the same. You know what I mean? This is an explosive athlete. And he has not looked like an explosive athlete.

Boston is minus 112. The Knicks are minus 104. So it's like, the Knicks are, the two game lead in this. And it's basically a toss-up. They've played worse than the Celtics. I think it's very easy to say that. They've played worse than the Celtics except in those little moments when it matters. I mean the fourth quarters?

Well, one thing about this Nick's team is what they always look at, and this is like so reductive and basic, I probably shouldn't even say it into this microphone, is when they put up the graphic of the starting five, you know what I mean? It's like, like I texted you like Max Struz and Sam Merrill are not starting on a championship team. That's, you know? It's like in tonight, it's like Quentin Post is not starting on a championship team.

And I feel like Tibbs in his tenure goes to World Wide West, goes to Leon Rose. And he's just like, I just need five guys. I need five guys. They don't have a great bench. Mitchell Robinson played well. Ducle hit some shots. But he's like, I just, when you put the starting five up for the Knicks, Josh Hart is the weak link. And we've seen what he's done.

Like they've got five guys was. unbelievable in both games in Boston. He was 9 of 15, and I believe led everybody in scoring with 23. Yeah. He played great. And so far in the playoffs, you know, this is the guy that is the unguarded one. Like if you were just going to say, okay. And you, that guy over there, you do what you want to do.

Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons, like that guy. Yeah. He's a, he's now 11 for 25 from 3, 44% in the playoffs. Well, here's, here's my thing about Josh Hart. That's a straight gamer. Here's my thing about Josh Hart is he has learned how to play when defenses play him like that. And it's not I developed a jumper, so now I'm a knockdown shooter, so you have to close out on me. It's if you're going to play five feet away from me, off the ball, that gives me space to sort of like rush the passer being the basket and get an offensive rebound.

He gets so many offensive rebounds because his man gives him so much space. So he can kind of like weave his way to the basket the way he does. You'll never see him get offensive rebounds the way Carlton Towns or Stephen Adams does, where you're already under there, you get position and you jump up and grab the ball. He's moving towards the basket and he's running towards the basket. And when you give him the ball in space, sometimes it frustrates me because he's 15 feet from the basket and he doesn't shoot it. But he just, he's learned to operate in that space to be a threat not to score. but a threat to break down your defense or get an offensive rebound.

You think the Knicks are going to win the series? Yes. I mean, because they're up to O. Like, come I got you. Yeah, they're up too O. And, you know, they've got it. I think that Carlin County Towns posed a lot of problems in game two. And we haven't seen, we've, I think the story of like Brunson being this God is kind of like, he has not played that well.

You know what I mean? Like, he really hasn't. He has. I did read this morning that in the playoffs, he has. 86 points in the playoffs and the next most by any player in the playoffs is 50. 36 more points than any of that was against Detroit. I think going into the fourth quarter, how many points did he have in last one? It was like eight or nine or something.

Eleven. I don't have it in front of me, but he's, I don't know. I think Brunswick can play a lot better. And I think Towns is a problem. Who are they, who's going to guard towns? Do you like 230? I think you wish that game was it. night. That game should be at night. I hate

2.30. I do too. I hate 2.30 if you're trying to take a 3-0 lead. I hate 2.30. They have these MLK games every year at the garden and it's like a noon start. We have them too. You go to these games. It's just like literally like everyone's just taking a nap. It's just like it just doesn't work and the crowd will be up for it or whatever. But like, you know, like, it'd be so much better if it was at seven. I've been lucky enough to go to a bunch of like SEC college football games because when I worked at ASPN. Those 8 o'clock games are so different than a 1 o'clock game. Like it's just a, it's cliche to say it's night and day, but it is night and day. It's like the 8 o'clock games are like bedlam, just absolute bedlam.

And I think that the 2.30 game hurts the Knicks, but I'm not worried about the garden crowd. That's one thing I'm not worried about. Fanduil is letting you get in on the NBA playoff action right from the first tip. Because right now, all customers can get a no sweat same game parlay every weekend when you bet the NBA playoffs. That's right. Just use your token on a three plus leg, same game parlay or same game parlay plus on any NBA playoff game. And you'll get bonus bets back if you don't win. And I love betting on Fanduel with their great.

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All right, let's get to these other series real quick. So while whoever comes out of this between the Celtics and the Knicks is going to play the winner of the Cavs and the Knicks. Don't you think the Knicks come out of it? I mean, they're up too O. Headed home. If you tell me they're going to win one

of the next two. You won't say it. Like, you have to pick the series right now in this podcast. Who do you think is going to come out? Yes, I would say, I mean, it's a two O league. I, here's what I would. All right. You're asking my opinion, I think they split in New York and they won't lose three in a row. I will say this that a game.

That's how I think about these series. Would I look? So I think they could lose. That's why I said, if it gets to two, two, I think they could lose two out of three. But I don't think so. Now they got those first two in Boston, but they have got to get one of these next two in New York to win the series. Well, if we game this out that way,

I think a game 7 in TD Garden is not as daunting now that you've won one and two in TD Garden. You see what I'm saying? Of course not. Who wants to do it? But I'm saying like if it goes that way. Yeah, I got you. It's not as daunting as, you know, you've already won two. Right.

So they're going to play the winner of the Cavs and the Pacers. And the Cavs have been on. It feels like the Cavs, they're collapsed. have gotten dwarfed by the Celtics, because they're truly historic as well. The Pacers have now won two games in the playoffs where they've been down seven with less than a minute 30 left, and every other team in the past 20 years,

down seven with 90 seconds left, has been 1 and 384 in the playoffs. in the playoffs. The only one of those wins was Oklahoma City doing it against the Clippers once in 2014. The Pacers have done it twice now. They did it obviously

Milwaukee to win the series and then they just did it against the Cavaliers. And so the Cavs absolutely vomited all over themselves at the end of the game. Aaron Neesmith put back dunk off a missed free throw. Max Struge

trying to throw a post-up pass to tie Jerome. It was just like, that was the imbalance. A nightmare. It's truly a nightmare. That was one of the worst passes I've seen. A nightmare.

LeBron did that in the, in the Timberwell series in a big spot. Yes. But they scored eight points in the last 47.9. Just think about that. Like, this is a 24 second shot clock. They got 48 and nine from Donovan Mitchell and lost. See, that's the thing is without that Halliburton 3,

this is Donovan Mitchell. a top five player in the NBA conversation. Is Donovan Mitchell one of the best playoff performance we've ever seen? There's no question. There is no question he is on that list. He's one of the top eight or nine scorers in NBA playoff issue. Remember last year when everyone was hurt,

except for Donovan Mitchell, and he was going toe to toe with the Celtics and scoring like 50 losses? Like this is, this is a remember him and him and Murray go back and forth. In the bubble? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Dude.

Like, Donovan Mitchell is an elite, elite playoff performer. And if they win this game, we're talking about his dunk. You know what I mean? We're talking about Max Trues' dunk. We're talking about, you know, are the calves the best team left in the east? That's the conversation if they win this game. But Halliburton getting that rebound and having the wherewithal to be like, you know what? I'm going to turn my back to the basket and dribble this thing out and get to my sort of sweet spot comfort place and do what he did.

that yank from right hand to left hand was just like have you seen all of these videos going around that this year in that spot like to tie or take the lead he is now 10 for 11 90 91% so i was like i saw that and i had to google it i was like this can't be i thought it was just just like an NBA centel or whatever i was like this can't be real here's a crazy thing to go which one did he miss no We can not find out about this until he was 10 for 10. Because 9 for 10 sounds pretty impressive too. It's unbelievable. Yeah, it's crazy.

Unbelievable. It's crazy. Yeah, dude, he is. And look, Mowbly, Garland and Hunter out. When they, when they show the shot of the end of the bench,

you see all those guys in street clothes, they have no chance. Yeah, what are you going to do? You know, but what do you mean you got to have no chance? They were up by like 24 in the second half. I'm saying to win the series.

Oh, to win the series. I'm saying to win the series. I just don't. They're not winning the series if they don't have three of their top six rotation players. Of course. Their team is really good. You made it.

You don't rarely make good points, but you made a good point earlier when you were like, how come everyone else can just break an ankle, go to the locker room for 35 seconds, then come out and dunk off a two feet. But Evan Mobley is unavailable. I'm not trying to say he should be. I would never call someone out for not playing. I think what nobody wants to play. And Daris, Garland's got turf toe, which everybody that's ever had,

it says the worst thing ever. And DeAndre Hunter might have like broken his thumb and they're just not telling us. That's what it's, that's what it seems like. It does. But it's like, it's like a dislocate or like a tendon tear or something. Like,

I mean, it's like Max Drew's is like their second option. You know, and you don't just, and again, you're not going to wake up and be able to grab the ball. Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

Like, I mean, if your thumb's effed up. So the Hunter thing, that's going to be a loss. But you could get by without Hunter. they got i mean look garlands their second leading score and mobile is defense garland's like all NBA and you got the defensive player the year that's that's gonna that's gonna

hurt your chances of winning the series and then this is forecast it and then you put the pacer's in the eastern conference finals for the second year in a row crazy and you talk to like NBA fans would you be like where would you rank the pacer's in the eastern conference yeah right i think people would be like sixth seventh but they're in the conference finals two years in a row I mean, they certainly have, you look at their, people have charted, you know, these last like 50-something games. You know, they started out the season like 10 and 15 or something like that. And then, but these last like 50-something games, their record, I think was one game off of one. Like seriously, like the last 53 games, their record was like one game off of Cleveland.

Like they have been playing at a very high level for a very long time under the radar because, They have, you know, they're not, they're not a premier team. They're not on TV a lot. And so there's a lot of people that are bearing witness to what Indiana does for the first time, especially in the manner that they're doing it. And much like I was just talking about that whole Knicks and Celtics thing on this front, this is the one when I said they're rocked because of this, Cleveland. It's because I do not think they can do any better than a split.

right like if i think Boston i could see yes going and winning too Cleveland the best i think you're hoping for now is a split in i don't think you're winning both of those games in indiana so if i believe that to be true now again i'm in that position of at best it's 3-1 and they're not that indiana team's not going to lose three games in a row to them they're not that big there's not that big of a gaffe between those two teams that one of them is going to beat the other one, three games straight. If I look at my Twitter, X, whatever we're calling it, and I see Garland and Mowbly are available for tonight's game and game three, then it's a completely different conversation. It is, but I still don't think they're going to win both in Indiana.

I think with those two available, they can win both in Indiana. But I think it's, I think basically what I'm saying is it all depends on the availability of those two players. if they're not available, they don't have a chance. If they are available, I can see them coming back in the series. Those teams have looked way more even than the records indicate, though. That Indiana team is, they got dogs on their team too. I mean, Neesmith and I love Nemhard. I love Nemhard.

I love them so much. I love those two. Wasn't these on the Celtics? Wasn't he on the Celtics? Yeah. Never got the, never found the floor. And now he was making huge plays. Well, it turns out they have two Hall of Famers as wings.

I mean, you've got to give a little bit. You didn't exactly have a clear path to develop. But I think it's also worth saying that like, I hate to say it, but injuries can change these series so fast. All of them. You know what I mean? Like just like like, like we're talking about the Knicks and riding so high, but, you know, if Towns goes down or, you know, Halliburton goes down. We almost, we almost, we, there was certainly a moment that flashed before all of our eyes as NBA fans. We were watching going, oh my God, we're about to watch the frigging curryless

warriors first. And the Anthony Edwards. Yes. No. I was thinking of the exact same thing. It's going to be Julius Randall versus Jimmy Butler for the last five days. It's shooting 33% from the floor. This is about to get brutal. No, nobody wants to see that. And then on the other one that we have not mentioned, Oklahoma City. They were absolutely out for blood last night. Denver at the very beginning of the game,

maybe it was Stephanie Reddy or whoever was doing the sideline report. She's like, guys, I talked to David Adelman before the game, and he tells me his team is totally focused, and they're not happy with just getting the first win in Oklahoma City, and I'm like, oh, God. Okay. Oh, God.

If he said that, that means they're for sure happy. that they got the split. If you, if like, that's what you have, like offered. Yeah.

It's like, you know, we're not happy. It's like yelling at somebody to calm down. It's like, calm down. It's just like, the words you're saying and the way you feel don't match.

You know what I mean? Look, Oklahoma City just ran them out of the building. Then all the starters in double figures in the first half, they scored 87 in the half. They scored 100. 49 in the game. I mean,

and there's nothing to take out of that. Like one team wanted that game like blood and the other one looked like a team that was happy with the split. And we're going, it's one of those that's very hard to analyze because we got to see game three. We've got to see game three to decide

where we're at in this series. Did Oklahoma City's adjustments provide unsolvable problems for Denver? Or was that, I mean, we've, we've, figured like Oklahoma City's going to to beat the shit out of them in the second game because Denver pulled off

the incredible with that Aaron Gordon game winner in game one and you knew there was a level of satisfaction that comes with that and hey we got the split again like analyzing this and taking anything away from this and this game was over over so early five minutes what did it start

there's like a nine oh start or something I forget what it was but a couple things keep an eye on that I want you to keep an eye on this I've said this before. Yokic is expressing a level of frustration with his teammates and referees that I haven't seen before. It's just like he's pissed. He's playing angry and he fouled out. Like I think like Yokic foul.

Tell me you've seen the video. Tell me you've seen the Scott Foster, the Scott Foster video. No. Oh, somebody made a compilation of like, it's almost like a. Scott Foster mixtape. Oh, it's hilarious. I wish I, if I can find it again, but I saw it today and I laugh so hard. And they were, you know, they said last night, Scott Foster has been gone for months.

It's coming off of injury. Yeah. So he has not refed anything in like several months. And that was his first game back. And they were like, Scott Foster, truly the goat, fouled out a three-time MVP in three-quarters. first game back. And that last foul, that last foul was ridiculous. Hey,

his first game back off of injury in months. And he fouled out a three time MVP in three quarters. They're like, he still got it. Yeah, it was like he was like Jordan putting on the four, five. And, uh, what? So the Thunder fans and, oh, this,

I always love it when my wife walks in the room. because she is not an NBA basketball fan, right? She's just not, that's not her thing. She's, she's more Met Gala than Nick's game. You know what I mean? And she walks and she's like, why is everybody wearing the same shirt? She's like, what the hell's going on?

I was like, well, they have this thing where they like, they shame you into doing it. If you don't put the shirt on, they put you on the Jumbo John. And she's like, this is the weirdest thing I've ever seen. She's like, everyone's wearing the same shirt. I was like, well, I was like, most arenas give you a shirt, but it's like the people don't put them. mom and she's like this is weird she's like what kind of cold shit is this oh you're lucky hey you're

lucky that she wasn't that she didn't walk it during that calves game do you see that one where they were all wearing shirts this the diff diff yeah it sounds like like you're your high school buddy's nickname like we're going over div's house his parents are out of town horrible horrible it's horrible so here's the thing about the crowd you cheer russell westbrook in game one yeah and then he lose but then you boo him like what happened in the 48 hours between game one and game three where you completely did a 180 on him. They won. They, they, they changed the man. Yes, it does. Yeah, now they, that Andy also like, he was trying to fight everybody.

He was like screaming at the crowd a little bit. No, and he's like, he was actually the only member of the Thunder that appeared to care about the outcome of last night to get. Or the nuggets. Well, he can't. Oh, whatever. Yeah. He has one speed. He's not like Steve Kerr.

Steve Kerr will be will show up and tell the team in the locker room before they take the floor like we're going 40% tonight. Russell Westbrook just has one one speed one speed. No, he doesn't he even did it when he played for the damn wizard. So we should have learned. How do you feel now about your personal professional and emotional investment in the nuggets beating the thunder in the series? I mean, they have home court advantage. the way in the series. Do you still think

the Nuggets win the series? I do not. Yes. There was nothing fluky about game two. There was nothing fluky about that. I got you. A little fluke game one could be a little fluky. I mean, Aaron Gordon hit a three.

Chet Holm has two free throws. Those those free throws are huge. Nicola Yokic had 42 and 22. Yeah. I think, I mean, there's probably some happy medium between Yokich game one and Yokch game two. And those Denver role players will play much better in Denver. And I would imagine Oklahoma City's role players will play much worse in Denver. During the Celtics deep playoff runs, we get so much like Deuce content.

I want more Yokic Brothers content. I want a Yolkish brothers cam. I want them to be mic up. We didn't mic up Edelman. We didn't mic up any of the Nuggets players. Instead, we mic'd up the Yokits brothers and we have a translator. So when they do like the audio assists, you know, and they do those little packages,

it should just be the Yokic brothers screaming at people. That's all I want to see. I'm going to be very interested to see how the thunder come out. Because if you remember, they, they destroyed Memphis. And before Morant got hurt, they were down 30. Oh, yeah. and in game four when Morant wasn't playing

it was very competitive it was a very competitive game four they were dicey in those two road games they were they were very dicey in those they were dicey in those two I would say no they know they were dicey in game four they were flat out terrible in game three they weren't dicey in those two game three

they were terrible until Morant went out and then they obviously ended up coming back and winning that game we have like the Manning cast like wouldn't watch a Yokic cast of just the brothers watching the game? It should be like if the game's on TNT

like TNT, like TNT West, should just have like the Yokish brothers with a translator. I'd like that. We got a million alternate broadcast. It's Adamatim. Adam.com, right? That's what it is? Yeah, I think so.

I'm going to write a strongly worded email. Let me pitch this to him. That's what I'm going to do. Thank you to our mayor Tucker filling in producing for us this week. Tucker, I will talk to you next week. Must be 21 and over in present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 over and present in D.C. Got a gambling problem?

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