NBA TODAY | Clippers reach NBA Final – Big Perk claims Kawhi-Harden-PG13 dominate 2nd-half of season
Welcome to NBA today I’m your girl chano gu filling in for my sis Malika Andrews we’ve got Ramona shelburn Austin Rivers with me Zach low is at home but he’s with us in spirit here in studio and everyone y’all Allstar Weekend is officially in the rearview mirror now
The second half of the season is right around the corner which means things are about to heat up can you believe y’all that the playoffs start two months from today so let’s catch you up on everything around the association with the little Coast to Coast starting with
The Boston Celtics who have a six game lead on the rest of the East with only 27 left to play so Austin with an overall homecourt Advantage is it Championship or bus for Boston absolutely uh when you talk about this roster outside of Denver they are the best put together starting lineup in
Basketball they have the best overall record in the Eastern Conference and this is a team that we all know gets judged in the postseason Jason Tatum is an MVP like player he’s got the cast that’s built around him to contend for championships this is a team that either
Goes to the finals wins the finals or it’s not a successful season fight oh okay you heard it from Austin now one lurking contender in the East is the Philadelphia 76ers who have been without dwell embiid since January so Ramona how optimistic is the team that they’ll get
Their MVP back this season there is an optimism in Philadelphia that Joel and be can return at some point during the regular season at least close enough to the playoffs to get his rhythm heading into the playoffs but they don’t want to put any time frame on it until he starts
Ramping up but I’m told he went to practice today he got there early he assumed everything was in the morning but the team’s not practicing till later in the day so his enthusiasm is there that’s good that’s really good let’s switch though to the west where the
Wolves Hold the top spot but only three games separate them from the defending champs in fourth so Zach what team most needs the number one seed April 20th I think you got to go with Minnesota only because there’s going to be a lot of pressure on them a lot of
Expectations for the first time Denver’s been there done that Oklahoma City is a young upand cominging team the Clippers are a veteran team Minnesota needs every Edge they can get but y’all when I personally look at the standings there’s one thing that jumps off the screen it’s
The idea that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors sit in ninth and 10th respectively meaning that we are on track for a single elimination game between LeBron James and Steph Curry in the playin now we would have an absolute popcorn shortage for that one
But you know looking into the future Zach those are the biggest story lines in the league right now but to you what is the biggest question whose answer can help to decide the second half of the NBA season the single biggest question in the whole league including the Lakers
And the Warriors and all that is this what exactly are the Milwaukee Bucks three and seven under Doc Rivers offense has gone in the tank have not put together even a five game stretch at any point in this season where you say to yourself uhoh here it is they’ve got it
They’re in a rhythm now on offense defense whatever if it’s not one thing going wrong it’s another thing the chemistry between Dame and Giannis hasn’t come as easily as we all expected it to be Dame hasn’t had the kind of season he had the last couple of Seasons
There’s 253 games left you have arguably the best player in the world I would rate him at number two some people number one and Giannis at age 29 at his absolute Apex there is no time to waste and they are running out of time to find
The kind of team they need to be to get out of the East Ramona are they really running out of time because if there’s one player that walked out of all-star weekend with a lot of momentum it’s Dame l i mean he was the first ever player to
Win the Three-Point Contest and allstar game MVP do you see that parlaying into success the second half of the season I do in the sense that anytime you get a new head coach anytime you do a big trade I usually like to give teams 10
Games to settle in and be what they are and it’s been 10 games right Zach you mentioned three and seven they had one of those losses was a weird one at the end as they heading into The Brak against Memphis but I think at this stage like you have to assume like
Talent is going to play here Giannis is too good Dame is too good and they’re both too invested in this team working to let this fall away and slide away and and quite frankly if they don’t get it together they’re on the clock I I know
He signed an extension I know Giannis is locked in there and made a commitment to the franchise but when you have Giannis on your team you are always on the clock he has made it very clear he does not want to sit around and wait for the team
Around to be as committed to winning as he is and his comments at that last loss in Memphis were pretty pretty profound they were pretty telling and Austin we got your timeline yesterday you said the Bucks have a year and some change a little bit not just this season you’ve
Got next season for them to really make that push for a championship but what do you think will decide the second half of the season I mean if we’re talking about what I’m into I want to see the race between the Lakers and the Warriors and
I don’t want a playing game between them I want them both to be in the playoffs I mean imagine turning on the playoffs and not having Stephen Curry or LeBron James in it it doesn’t even sound realistic these are the two guys who have carried
The torch for us in the NBA our two brightest stars that we have in our modern day era um and both of their teams are playing better basketball and before the season started we’re talked about as contending teams or teams that could possibly contend and we have
Obviously seen both of these teams sell you know Play Short look we’re going to talk about both those teams all season long but the teams that I want to see if they’re for real and everybody I mean who are the two teams lead in the west confence are this they’ve had y’ you
Understand this it’s 10 games do yeah and it took a while for it’s gonna take it’s gonna take a minute I’m not saying there’s no pressure with the Bucks it’s not a free year you don’t have a player like Giannis and Dame and that that roster
That they have and even you add doc as a coach like that team has to contend it should be them in Boston in the Conference Finals that’s what it’s supposed to it should be but the teams leading the western conference are the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma
City Thunder surpr teams that have young superstars MVP candidate and Shay Gil against Alexander and and I think can they hold on are they going to stay in those two spots right there we’re all talking about them and we’re all the Denver Nuggets defending champs the Clippers are coming but is Anthony
Edwards ready for this like he is is Chay ready for this because if they go in as one two in the Western Conference these young teams that are here before anybody expected them to be the pressure is on these young teams and that that Thunder team I’ll tell you they remind
Me a lot of the Thunder team from a couple from about 10 years ago Kevin Durant Russell Westbrook James Harden they got there to the playoffs they played the Lakers and Kobe Bryant said to those guys afterwards I’m glad we got you this year CU I’m not sure how much
Longer we’ll be able to beat you guys but to the finals of next year that’s true now Zach do you want to focus more this second half of the season on the Old Guard or the new guard when it comes to the Western Conference I want to focus on I guess I
Mean what are the Clippers are they Old Guard or new guard are the Nuggets Old Guard or new guard to me those teams at those teams at three and four are right there with the teams at one and two but I want to hit the the Thunder and the
Wolves thing for a second to me they’re totally different situations in terms of pressure and expectations for the Thunder yeah they have an MVP candidate in his prime but this is all gravy right now to be this good this young with this many extra draft picks to throw at
People this is fantastic the Wolves Carl Anthony towns is right in his prime has not want a playoff series Rudy goar is 30ish they traded a million draft picks to get him they got win right now and they are starting to realize I think in the entire history of this franchise
With maybe the exception of one Garnett season they have not faced the kind of expectations and pressure they’re going to face as a top three seed in the playoffs man if they go down 1 it’s going to get loud real fast in Minnesota this team has got to make a deep playoff
Run but Zach you started off by mentioning the Los Angeles Clippers how did you guys not mention them I mean to me this is the team of the second half of the season will the Clippers finally make their first NBA finals and win it all that’s what this city that we’re in
Really cares about will they finally emerge outside of the Lakers you know Shadow and if you look at the numbers kawii Leonard he has played in 48 out of 54 games that’s what you need they’ve got six players in double figures they are battle tested with their coach in
Tyou they have a new Arena and they need butts and seats and a championship will really bring that so I’m looking at the rest of the field yes those young Gunners out west the Thunder uh the Timberwolves they will have a little bit of a wiggle room to win a championship
Based on the young stars but right now with kawhai James Harden Paul George why not the Clippers I mean I think the Clippers have to be seen as the co- favorites in the west along with the Denver Nuggets I think they’re that good and the way the fit has gone with James
Harden since he’s since he’s really been given the ball has been tremendous but what the thing with the Clippers they’ve been here since 2019 when they went and got Paul George and kawh Leonard and they’ve been in this position they got to the Conference Finals one year kawhai
Was hurt but I I think until they do it they’re on a they’re in a pro prove me right stage too because I think they they like they’ve had that Talent there for five years now yeah I’m in I’m in a grean this is a team that’s built right
Now to win yeah uh all these guys are at the back end of their Prime as well we talk about timeline with other teams this team is a win now team they’ put it together you know we were very hard on this team early on but they have figured
Out a Groove James has been unbelievable yes for the Clippers he’s put them as a team that was good to being a contending team that’s James Harden um so the system is working Uno he’s doing his stuff out there Gotta Give the flowers du you know what I mean uh they are the
Team that I think other than Denver could you know come out the West yeah yeah it’s true I mean you said the system that was funny that was cheeky right there uh for me I’m looking forward to the Clippers to emerge out of the Lakers Shadow but you know I have
Another question who will emerge as the new face of the NBA because still to come on NBA for m foree fore fore speee for foree Fore fore foree for spee fore foree fore foree foree for H for foree speee for speee Fore fore spee oh
NBA TODAY | Clippers reach NBA Finals – Kendrick Perkins claims Kawhi-Harden-PG13 dominate 2nd-half of season
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