NBA Today | Kawhi & Clippers are ready to reach the NBA Finals after All-Star break – Austin Rivers

NBA Today | Kawhi & Clippers are ready to reach the NBA Finals after All-Star break – Austin Rivers

G filling in for my sis Malik 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 judge 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 oh okay you heard it from Austin now one lurking contender in the East is the Philadelphia 76ers who have been without Joel 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 playoff 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 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 up incoming 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 storylines 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 is 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 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 Lily 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 any time 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 were heading into the break 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 him to be as committed to winning as he is and his comments at that last loss Memphis were pretty pretty profound

They were pretty telling and Austin we got your timeline yesterday you said the Bucs 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 play in 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 the two teams Le the conf are this they’ve had 10 but y you understand this it’s 10 games and it took a while for it’s it’s to take minut I’m not saying there’s no pressure with the Bucks it’s

Not a free year you don’t have a player like jannis 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 and 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 I Sur teams that have young superstars MVP candidate and Shay gilas 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 Chay ready for this cuz if they go in as onew 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 KOB Bryant said to those guys afterwards I’m glad

We got you this year cuz I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to beat you guys 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 that those teams at three and four are right there with the teams at 1 and two

But I want to hit the the Thunder and the wol 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 won a playoff series Rudy goar is 30ish they traded a million draft picks to get him they got a 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 10 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 in 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 kawhai 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 battl tested with their coach and Tao 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 BAS 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 Kawhi 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 proing prove me right stage too because I think they like they’ve had that Talent there for five years now yeah I’m in I’m in ag

Grean this is a team that’s built right now to win 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’ve 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 got to 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 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 today we hear it all the time the league is in great hands but whose hands exactly don’t miss what Giannis and KD

Said about who’s the next face of the association in Austin it’s trying to make some money honey with the second half of the season upon us we take a look at the Best Bets for who wins the eastern and western conferences plus Malika’s exclusive interview with Celtics allw World Superstar Jason t fore Speee Spee Fore Spee spe Fore Foree foreign up for foreign fore Speee foree spe Speee [Applause] For foree spee spee spe fore spee fore Spee for Spee spee Spee speee fore spee spe foree Foree Spe Foreign oh foreign foreign spee Foree Foree Foree foree

NBA Today | Kawhi & Clippers are ready to reach the NBA Finals after All-Star break – Austin Rivers