Dissecting the Western Conference playoff race + state of MVP consideration | The Lowe Post

Dissecting the Western Conference playoff race + state of MVP consideration | The Lowe Post

And now the low post welcome to the low post podcast basketball’s back all stars over leave it in the rearview mirror we had some real games last night Western Conference playoff implications everywhere 12 games some big ones to talk about Dallas continued its ownership of the Phoenix

Suns with a home win that was kind of a comeback and then kind of a runaway and then kind of demoralizing for the Suns and then there was a horrible fan interaction with fans calling KD names and then trying to be his friend oh sorry KD didn’t mean it blah blah blah

Losers and then the Oklahoma City Thunder Gordon hayward’s first game didn’t play that much but they laid the smackdown at home against the LA Clippers who are becoming everyone’s Chic pick to win the title I don’t disagree with it love the Clippers not my pick to win the title but they’re

Awesome Oklahoma City has now won the season series against the Clippers won the season series against the nuggets and is tied 2 two with the Timberwolves they are one game back in the Lost column they have a very manageable schedule and I think they want that

Number one seed and I think they told us that last night with how they played and then the Warriors and Lakers the battle to get out of the 910 bracket is it hopeless all these teams above them are doing them no favors to help us all sort this out Mo tequil former video

Coordinator for the Clippers illustrious LA Clippers tenure now writes for the athletic for bleacher report has a video series called one Mo thing where he teaches you stuff about basketball Mo how are you oh I’m doing great Zach thank you for having me I mean it’s I’m

Just happy we have basketball back like the couple of days off with no basketball it’s it’s it’s fun the first night and then after that I’m kind of looking around going like so what do I do you know what else is exciting what’s that we’re getting closer to the Victor

Wanyama 5×5 game it’s coming I’ve been talking about it all year year he’s my he’s been my pick since before the season started we have not had a 5×5 game in a long time there’s only like two dozen that have ever happened I think in recent history anyway and

Victor wanyama was one assist away last night he had five steals five blocks more than five points more than five rebounds and four ptry assists if it’s not him it might be one of the Thompson Twins they flirt with it every once in a while but it’s coming Mo it’s I no one

Loves five by I don’t know what it is about 5 by five games they’re just I get very excited by them no I mean it’s a first off it’s an unbelievable run where you look at it going like damn this guy literally did everything he could

Possibly do on the court with all of that but we got to put a five by5 watch on now like I want when uh Aaron judge was chasing the the home run record or whatever it was you know they had little boxes of whenever Aaron judge was at bat

I want that now I want that when when Victor’s close I want I want I want a little box of whatever game we’re watching of the five by5 yes can some can can he go for it too like keep him in the game in a blowout throw some nonsense passes just to try

To get assists Kings beat the Spurs last night and you know look here’s where we are in the Western Conference we have a four team Race for the number one seed the all of these races were in play last night in in head-to-head games of of great interest that’s Minnesota Oklahoma

City Clippers Nuggets that’s going to be the top four in the west then we have a four team Race currently for spots number five and six AKA escape the playin that’s New Orleans 34 and 22 they’ve won I think seven of eight now yeah Dallas 33 and 23 they’ve won seven

In a row have not lost a game since acquiring PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford and have in that stretch thumped the Thunder at home and thumped the Suns at home the Suns fell all the way out to 7th 33 and 23 same record as Dallas and the Kings kind of everyone’s forgotten

Team if there is a team that is going to fall from the top eight into the nine10 slot give the Lakers and the Warriors hopes of getting into the top half of the play the schedule would say it’s either the Kings or the Suns who have two of the hardest schedules left I

Think the two hardest in the west um I think people just sort of default to the sun’s high level talent and say it can’t possibly happen to them but suns are quietly seventh which is kind of a disaster and then so two of those teams will make the playoffs without a fight

Two will go through the plan then the Lakers and the Warriors who played last night the Warriors win with LeBron James sitting uh the Lakers are Ninth at 30 and 27 the Warriors are 10th at 28 and 26 and the you know look well I I’ve already seen the rundown for NBA today

Which we’re going to tape in about three hours to the surprise of No One the lead segment will be Warriors Lakers two of the Transcendent stars in the history of the NBA two glamour franchises and we keep asking the question Mo every day on

TV on every show we do which team has a better chance of making a long playoff run that’s a cool question right now they’re ninth and 10th they’re playing each other in The Losers braacket of the playin tournament and one of them will be out before you get to even the

Halfway point of the playin tournament the other will have to win another game just to get in so forget the long playoff run they’re three and four games out of the Lost column of seventh and eth and I think last night with the Dallas win with the Kings win with the

Warriors win with the Thunder win these races are going to be wild every single night the swings are going to be absolutely Wild and the stakes are enormous I mean the suns are all in the Mavs are 80% in um the Lakers and the Warriors are aging and trying to save

Their Seasons the nuggets are defending Champions the Clippers are almost all the way pretty much all in like this is the the Wolves went all in this is really exciting stuff I mean every night’s going to be a a deal where after the after the games you got run to the

Standings to see what’s changed because it’s just going to be like that it’s so tight with all of these races that you just kind of outlined perfectly where it’s like oh wow this lost now the suns are going to be eight whatever like it’s going to be one of those things where

You got to stay on top of it in that sense and this is kind of perfect for the NBA in terms of what we were talking about with the playing a long time ago it’s made all of this matter in a way where we’re a lot more locked in in

Terms of seeing who’s going to do what seeds team teams are competing there’s not going to be a lot of nights off for the LeBron even though he took last night off off with the ankle injury you can’t afford that you know with not going to be a lot of rest days in

Between with all those things the Clippers they need to keep rolling with everything they have in terms of just keeping the train going and moving forward all this stuff everybody’s gunning for it all these seeds matter and then it matters kind of like we’re going to start looking eventually at

Playoff matchups right and like how do we do you want to stay out of this bracket or what the West is such a wild crapshoot it’s kind of like it doesn’t matter they’re all it’s all chaos but I think that’s something to keep an eye on

As we go through the stretch run of this season look here’s the reality for all of these teams from New Orleans in fifth and by the way the New Orleans has two two Road games already done they played two more roads at home their schedule’s pretty manageable going forward

Basketball reference has New Orleans 89% chance to have a top six seed uh playoff stat is a little bit less than that it’s probably about 65 70% but New Orleans is in sneaky strong position and last night’s win for Dallas was a major swing win in the math now the math will change

Tonight again but right now those two teams have solidified themselves projection system percentage wise is Big favorites to get seeds five and six but all of these teams no matter where you go you get in at 7865 you’re facing a road where you’re going to have to go through three

Potentially barring upset and I do think there is some upset potential at the top of the West you’re going to have to go through Denver Clippers Thunder wolves three of those teams like I don’t really care how good you are that is if if your definition of a long playoff run is

Conference Finals and you got to beat two of those teams like the Warriors are two games over 500 the Lakers are three games over 500 they got they’re both hot they’re both playing well I believe in what the Warriors have going right now but you got to demonstrate a lot more

High level play for a lot longer than those teams have to put eight wins against two of those teams on the table yeah I mean that’s the that’s the thing about the playoffs like it’s especially in the Western Conference and it’s been that way for a long time is

Every matchups kind of a disaster in the sense of like it’s it’s chaotic there’s things about it that would you’d be excited about as a team that’s scouting and you know preparing for it and there are teams you’re just ter there are things you’re terrified about and that’s

In every matchup across the board I mean you know that everything we’re saying like if the Warriors sneak in and end up being the eight seed you know after the playing tournament that’s tough for the Wolves you know like I know they’ve had a lot of run with that but the Warriors

Aren’t going to be afraid of them I know the Wolves aren’t going to be afraid of them either but that’s a that’s a tough first round matchup for the number one seed to have to go up against a team with the pedigree that the Golden State Warriors have like that’s kind of the

The juxtaposition of of the Western Conference in that there’s no e Series in the first round right like the the one seed would normally get a series where it’s like okay four or five games we move on we’re good and it’s now it’s like oh this might go six or seven just

On that if the Wolves and the Thunder are one and two and the Wolves because I think they have like seven home home games in hand or something crazy like that and a pretty decent schedule they have like they’re being given like a 60 65% chance at the one seed period perod

The Thunder after last night’s win have the best point differential in the west they have something like a 30% chance at the one seed and then a 40% chance at the two seed so they’re like we could get them at one and two and then you’re

Looking at two teams who have not won a playoff series period at seeds one and two which is very very unusual and look I Min and and it’s an obvious thing but if Golden State and the Lakers are nine and 10 that’s where we end up and the is

Overwhelmingly I’m not overwhel like each of them has like a 33% chance of getting up to eighth and above um by most of these systems it’s an obvious thing but if that’s where they stick at nine and 10 those teams can only be eight those teams can only play the

Number one seed whoever gets through the play in tournament and Minnesota Golden State would be an incredible matchup because you have this Titanic siiz team the Wolves against this little Draymond at Center pass and Cut and Shoot spread you out machine in the Warriors and I

Mean not to get sidetracked we do this all the time on TV we ask the question who do you think has a better chance at a long playoff run the Warriors of the Lakers and I would Define long as 22 in the second round you got a real shot to

Get to the Conference Finals anything after that is like I got to see a little more I what is your answer to that question because I I I have one that’s starting to crystallize now but I’m I’m curious of yours for me it’s the Warriors in just the sense of like I

Love the way they’re playing now they’ve kind of have that identity of this is what we’re going forward with with Draymond coming back they’re 10 and five they’re over the past 15 games Curry’s playing at an unbelievable level I think you’re even beginning to see it’s only

Been two games but I think you’re going to see chemistry built Off the Bench with Klay Thompson and the bench unit and and eventually I think that’s something that Chris Paul should man as well when he comes back and that can be kind of the that whole unit kind of run

Together but I think you’re seeing everything sort of mesh together now that draymond’s back I think he’s made the Jonathan kaminga and uh Andrew Wiggins action work between the two of them and I think that kind of plays perfectly you got to talk about pods you know and just what he’s contributing and

I mean like I just think with them I think they have that there I think when you look at them over the past 15 games they have a a number one offense in offensive rating they have a I think it was seventh in defensive rating like

That that’s a that’s a profile if we saw that throughout the course of the season going like that’s a team that can make a Deep Run in the playoffs you know obviously we know the caveats that come with it but that’s what I look at with the Lakers I still don’t trust their

Offense I’m still they are LeBron is just as amazing as he is he’s also old and I’m I’m concerned with that being a thing where things start to creep up this ankle injuries it going to be nagging is he going to play some nights have to take a night off here and there

Like those are the things that worry me with the Lakers you know to be clear these are Beyond generational talents we’re talking about at the top of these rosters Hall of Famers Galore if I were Minnesota or Oklahoma City I’d be scared seeing either of these teams on the

Other side for me flawed as they are uneven as they are but I’m kind of with you and you said the word that’s been coming to mind for me which is Identity the warriors were so tantalizing because because of their shared history and their unique style of play they’re

Always like just this close to clicking and like some games you see you’d see it for five minutes and then it would go away and then you’d see Draymond get suspended and this guy’s out and Chris Paul’s out and it just they were always like right there it feels like like they

Know because of what they’ve done together they know what that feels like they know what their identity looks like I think they found it I think this is a real thing the starting five with jsky and kaminga is working Draymond at Center is working Klay had a bad

Shooting game last night I thought he he moved the ball well which is the number one thing I want to see from clay Don’t Force It just make the extra pass you’re still clay freaking Thompson people are still going to fly at you when you come off pin Downs just find Trace Jackson

Davis find Draymond on the roll find your pin down guy I thought he was doing that Chris Paul will help Moody came in last night and gave him good minutes hasn’t been in the rotation much lately it just feels like they’ve figured out who they are and the Lakers maybe

They’re getting there because of their they’re starting hachimura and Reeves finally I think dwiti will help them it just doesn’t it doesn’t feel as seamless to me as it does with the Warriors I think the Warriors right now they have me on high alert for like okay all right like this is interesting

They they they figured out a style and and a and a rotation that works um let’s talk about MAV Suns and specifically um what have you seen from the the Mavs in this seven game winning streak half of which has come with Washington and Gafford Gafford came off the bench I

Think for the first time last night Lively came back in the starting five what was interesting to me about last night was how often and how much they went with kba at the five which was reminiscent of how they beat the Suns in the playoffs two years ago just spread

You out Luca just hunts for his matchup gets his matchup plays bully ball you got to send help and there’s just shooting everywhere that was an interesting because when they got Gafford it was kind of like well now they have the same prototype Center for 48 minutes a game what does that mean

For Cle for kba and I think last night was a a smart move by Jason kid and the coaching staff say no no we still have this card in our deck and if he’s healthy we’re going to use it this team look I’ve said for like it’s obvious Luca is terrifying like absolutely

Terrifying I want no part of that dude in a playoff series the long-term risks of these trades are what they are like they they gave up a lot to chase their tail after losing Brunson after Grant Williams not working and on and on and on PJ

Washington is a role player for them I mean like that’s what life is next to Luca he’s a better role player than Grant Williams particularly on offense is he better enough to justify what they gave up we’ll see I mean he mostly stands around a couple dribble drives

Here and there solid defense last night guarding KD a lot um but but right now they look good and like I they be underdogs whoever they face but I I wouldn’t want any their their offense is legitimately terrifying it’s it’s it’s a nightmare across the board because we

Didn’t even mention Kyrie and all of that right like okay and then with everything you have there it’s okay you found a way to slow down Luca cool he’s just goingon to kick it to Kyrie and now you got to contend with that on a second side and and the action coming coming

Downhill at you like that’s kind of chaotic and all that stuff I think the important thing with the PJ Washington trade is it allows them to play kba at the five right and now kind of opens that door for them and puts them in that position where it’s like okay now we can

Kind of really spread you out a little bit more and I think that opens that door in that way it’s it’s one of those things you you you outlin the risks perfectly of the trade but just looking at it now like those guys kind of fit in

Seamlessly right off the bat I mean you know it’s Derek Lively gets to come in and he doesn’t have to worry about fouls whether he’s starting or coming off the bench he doesn’t have to worry about the fou just play hard dude we got a guy

Cover you if if we need to play Big we need to play small we can go with kba we can go with PJ Washington at the four and really kind of play the game and and spread the floor and make defenses chase us and work with all of that stuff like

I think there’s just a lot of things with it and I think you know the this is fun for Luca now like this is an area where there’s just so many weapons he can go to with everything and so many ways he can pick pick his spots

I mean he had uh uh an assist I forget where it went but from the post last night like they’re going to find ways to move him around the court now and play him in different areas because they’re able to kind of have more room and more

Space with all those things the Grant Williams stuff didn’t work but I think they’re going to get what they wanted out of PJ Washington not necessarily the same volume or whatever but I think the ability to play that way with PJ Washington that they wanted to get when

They had with Grant and I think the most important thing now is they found versatility like my thing in in the playoffs if you got to play multiple ways because A team’s going to stop you at a certain point if you just play one way they have

Ways to play they have now different ways to play and throw different things at you the suns were struggling man like they you know when they went small they had to take nkit out and then from there the offensive rebound started blowing up for the Mavs they started crashing from

The corners pulling up stuff and and getting you know two three opportunities every time down and that became a problem for the Suns that they couldn’t handle they even started switching with Lively on defense on a few different times and he’s he has the speed to do

That I mean look all of this is working because Kyrie and Luca have I have meshed even better I think on offense than even The Optimist thought they’re scoring 121 points per 100 possessions with those two on the floor that’s better than the number one offense in

The league which is now Boston by the way has snuck into the number one spot and you mentioned the chemistry like there’s always going to be a little your turn my turn with two ball handling Stars that’s just the way it is that’s life that doesn’t really matter when

Both of them are very dangerous spot up three-point Shooters particularly Kyrie it doesn’t really matter if your team is engineered to Luca pick and roll on one side kick to Kyrie attack a close out or a second screener coming up to get him on the other side that’s not stagnant

Your turn my turn and they’re they’re screening for each other more of and they’re running that Spain pick and roll and they can either one of them can do any role in that so like K it’ll be a Kyrie Gafford pick and roll and then Luca will come from the Baseline and

Slam gafford’s dude with the back screen and then Veer out somewhere for a three the more they cooperate like that the better it is and you mentioned PJ Washington enabling more kleba at the five I actually think that and Josh Green finding his his stride again all

Year despite the fact that he was playing well and making Corner threes I kept saying like I just don’t know if Derrick Jones Jr is is the starter on like what this team should be and now he’s not and they’re using him in the right dose as

Like an 18 minuted guy off the bench come in and guard the best guys on the other team this team is dangerous like I don’t know what it’s hard to know what dangerous means because so much is going to come down to playoff matchups and just winning a round in the west is

Really really hard but I I I would not want to I for any these teams I would not want to face these guys they’re scary yeah and one other thing too you’ve you’ve said this a lot in the past and I think it’s it’s a underrated

Point about Kyrie he gets them like four or five more transition possessions a game and it’s it’s it’s he he’s playing faster he’s looking to push right away and things like that like I think that’s something an element that they hadn’t had in the past with the way Luca likes

To kind of play the slow down and let me control everything method I think adding that with Kyrie to kind of kick that transition up and get those just man if you get three or four easy baskets a game it’s huge it makes a big difference

And I think that’s the stuff that like you’re seeing with the Mavs kind of all come together right now and it’s like you said like it’s it’s just like when you see the draws for the playoffs you know there’s a team that’s just going to

Be like H we got the Mavs like this is going to be tough like it’s a challenge and and I know that’s what I said about the West is going to be like that the whole way you got to be afraid because this team has they made it to the

Conference Finals when they weren’t supposed to they were uh uh Luca can go off at any point and can be the best player in any series you know he he has that capability like you just have to be worried about that and you got and you got to watch for this you know

Throughout this we got to see how it plays out they’re on a nice run right now seven in a row let’s see how it how it plays for them but this is a this is a team that can definitely put an upset out there I mean you could argue

And look over a two- week stretch this argument could be rendered invalid by one hot streak by another player the only Series in the Western Conference in which Luca is not the best player is a theoretical Dallas Denver Series where joic is the best player now look they

Could get Phoenix and Durant could average 35 a game um the Kawai Luca battles in the playoffs like for the first five games it was kind of like oh Luca is the best player then Kawai scores like 90 points in game six like oh actually and guards everybody and

Just starts taking the ball for people I like oh kawai’s the best player in in a two we stretch any of those guys are that good but that’s how good Luca is Kyrie has been unbelievable for them just and you nailed it on the pace and

Luca has brought into the pace too which people did not think he would do Skeptics did not he wants to walk it up he wants to be you know the puppet master control everything jog it up the floor um he he’s not even like whining

To the refs quite as much in the last couple weeks don’t jinx it I know let’s talk about the Suns um obviously no Beal last night just got Royce O’Neal see how much that helps their team I didn’t like how they played last night and I feel like the continuity in

Their offense has backslid a little bit in the week leading up to the all-star break and again last night part of that might just be the In-N-Out of Bradley Beal and and just his lack of availability but I just and look when when you just have two of the three it

Becomes much easier for the defense to hide weaker smaller Defenders that’s the whole thing of Beal is like oh our little point guards on Beal like he’s going to start setting screens for everybody and without that you can put two like-sized guys on Durant and Booker not that there’s any like-sized answer

For Durant but you know what I mean and at least make a go of it switching but I mean I just thought the last few times I’ve seen Phoenix including last night I just haven’t felt like much Synergy on offense between Durant and Booker and that worries me and Frank vogle just not

Trusting any of his backup big men at all anymore worries me I this team is look if they have the three guys healthy which they have not had very much they’re dangerous to anybody but this team traded everything for Kevin Durant then they traded everything they had

Left in the cupboard for Bradley Beal all these pick swaps that they’ve split a million times s they’re seventh right now like this is it’s not a brewing disaster that seems a little strong because the playoffs are always there but if if they’re in the playin tournament and that’s they I mean and

They got to get on a run against elite team after elite team it’s just that’s just too hard man I I don’t know what have you seen from Phoenix lately because I’m I’m not worried but I’m not like loving what I’m seeing this is a

Team that screams to me that like I wish they had a true setup man like just a guy and and you know with I understand like with Beal out you know that’s something he could have done I know Booker’s been doing a great job playmaking but I want somebody to set

Booker up like I think and and and and and more so than than even just Beal like that’s not the answer to me like they need somebody that can run them into hey just handle the ball while Kevin Durant and and Booker are running floppy just something even as simple as

That but they don’t it’s it’s Booker’s got to come down and set up KD or KD’s got to come down and set up Booker and it’s not really like a good flowing action I don’t think that’s something that I would want to have KD do a lot of

And I think you know as you need to be able to add that stuff there with with book and I just you know have him work a little bit more off the ball and run around and and and attack off that stuff coming off screens and pin downs and and

Working into those things and you just don’t have that ability to do that and then on top of all of this you know the turnovers are just absolutely Killers you know they I think they had seven in the first quarter last night like you’re just watching this stuff going over and

Over again it’s it’s you know balls flying Every Which Way that leads to transition points the other way that leads to opportunities for the other team to attack and so on and I just feel like when I’m watching the Suns it’s it’s a level of frustration in that they don’t necessarily know what

They want to do on offense and part of that is because Beal’s been gone for so long you know and and and when he comes in the lineup it’s a few games and then he ends up missing a few more and and there’s it’s that challenge of trying to

Figure out the chemistry like my concern for them is they’re running out of time you know because these guys all need to play you know something to like 30 games together and and I don’t even think we’re going to get that like I don’t know if they’re going to have enough

Time to build that chemistry that you’re going to need in the playoffs where you have to improvise something or whatnot and I think for me that’s the concern for me with their with their offense and and with the team in general yeah there’s been the last couple weeks

There’s been a lot more all right Durant go oneon-one or Durant nurkic pick and roll with Booker standing in the corner and even more of the flip side Booker Booker cooking and look he’s had some games where he’s been just killing people down the stretch and KD is just

Chilling in the corner which if it works it works and even when it works it’s I don’t know that either player is psyched about that Arrangement but last night like as the game’s getting away from him there were a bunch of possessions where KD just kind of dribbled and dribbled

And ran a little p and like Booker is in the left corner with Tim Hardway Jr on him and I’m like man can we get can you move man like can we get you to set a screen for Durant like put Tim Hardway Jr in the action and there was just

Nothing going on but look their talent is their talent but this season is not gone to plan and I don’t want to hear anything about how well this was year one with Beal you know it’s a 2-year window a threeyear window like the window is now the window was the second

You made the Durant trade it was urgently we have to win immedi no one last year was talking about oh this is just year one of Durant Booker I I mean I guess we were because they didn’t play that much Durant turned his ankle in the

Warm-up line his first game but it’s not like anybody was making excuses for them in the playoffs they’re the only team that took two games off Denver the whole playoffs like their expectation was to win a championship right away like that’s the deal sorry and now they’re

Seventh seventh and it’s not even that the rest of the West is getting better you know the Thunder aren’t going anywhere anytime soon you know we don’t know what’s going to happen with the Wolves Denver is not going anywhere anytime soon the Mavs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon like it it it’s

It’s it is now because there’s no other opportunity so West is only going to get tougher going forward in the in in the future years and they don’t and it’s not like they have means to go get better you know and I think the ner I mean the

Nerk stuff he’s been great for them this season but there are times where he’s got they got to play small and that and that’s going to hurt them and that’s going to put them in a bad position because I don’t think they’re well equipped to even play

Small there are teams that could out small them I think although at full strength you know at full strength if they put the big three O’Neal and Gordon out there or O’Neal and Allen or Gordon and Allen that’s pretty goddamn tough to beat and when they go five out is when

Aogi actually becomes more playable for them because you can kind of play like the center just screen and dive to the rim otherwise K is like only playable if he just it just happens to be one of those games where he makes a couple Corner threes where nobody’s guarding him

Um speaking of tough by the way Phoenix has easily the toughest remaining schedule in the entire league and it’s not one of those things where you look at the winning percentage and all but that’s really tough and then you look at their home Road it’s like well at least

Like six more of them are at home they’ve already played two more home games than Road games on top of having the toughest remaining schedule by opponent winning percentage like Suns fans don’t want to hear it if don’t come back soon and I I guess he’s on track to

Come back soon you just never seem to know and even if he does like it might be an uphill battle for the Phoenix Suns to not be in the playing tournament that’s where we are in the Western Conference I mean the Mavs I mean the Mavs won the playoff the season series

Off of that right like was that the uh uh the deal I haven’t I haven’t checked I have I’m not quite in head-to-head checking mode across the board yet but that’s a challenge for now you have to win an extra game you can’t tie the Mavs

You got to beat the Mavs if I’m correct if I’m wrong I apologize the single most interesting thing that happened last night in my opinion in the whole league it’s not like I watched every game I watched three of the 12 games start to finish um most interesting thing I saw

Was in the Clippers Thunder showdown at the top of the West the Thunder starting the second half with Isaiah Joe over Josh Giddy and the reason they did that is because aitu zubad was guarding Josh giddy and not guarding him at all and without Josh giddy there he kind of had

To guard Chet holen and they did not want him to guard Chet hren because they wanted to take away Chad Hog’s pick and pop threes by having kawhai on them or whoever whatever wing and they didn’t think zubot could drop and recover and sure enough like they tried to finagle all these schemes

Like okay um if Chet screens and Pops Zoo you’re going to drop and then someone else is going to come up from the wing and you can drop back and cover whoever on the base Baseline and it didn’t work and Isaiah Joe got a bunch

Of back door Cuts right away and it it it was interesting to me because the giddy variable has been sitting there kind of festering all season and to his credit he keeps shooting the open threes that people give him he made a couple last night still a very good player but

It was interesting to me because a this is why they got Hayward and they’re going to ease him into the lineup and B that substitution in the regular season in a game a lot of people are watching suggests to me obviously that the Thunder really wanted to win that game

Really wanted to win the season series against the Clippers and really would like to get the number one seed if they could that was a we’re a serious team taking this game seriously adjustment by Mark dagnal and it worked and man this team is we consider and talk about how

Young they are how they didn’t get another bulky Center although I like the bomo didn’t play last night but they they kind of did on buyout not via trade but everything I just said about Chad holgren and the adjustment to start Isaiah Joe to for zubot to guard ched

Homen that’s why they didn’t get a rim running you know paint clogging Center because their drive drive attack system does not work with that kind of player on the floor as well anyway this team look I mean they haven’t won a play they haven’t made the playoffs as as is

Currently constructed we don’t know what they’re going to look like in the playoffs you hear Skeptics say well Shay’s not going to get all these calls in the playoffs I don’t know he’s not like a he doesn’t strike me as like this crazy grifter who’s just just making

Stuff up and getting calls he’s an MVP candidate they’re just Elite on both sides of the ball and you know it’s a credit to um Sam presty like the first time he had a big three Harden West W Brook Durant those guys are picked second third and fourth

In the draft like everyone kind of knew those guys were going be good this is a this big three that’s happening now and not not enough people are talking about Jaylen Williams who is a Flatout star and is going to be more than that these guys were picked second that’s Chad 12th

And 11th now he didn’t pick SGA obviously he acquired SGA um just I don’t what did this team’s really goddamn good man what did you see last night from from what what have this game interested you what do you think of the Thunder going forward yeah just to kind

Of piggyback off your talk of the substitution the Isaiah Joe starting in the third quarter I mean that was that was a playoff move right like that’s a playoff adjustment and that’s a playoff adjustment you would make after a game like okay we’re changing our starting lineup whatnot like that’s their that’s

The Thunder’s first playoff adjustment if they if they don’t make that if they don’t make that a thing going forward here on out right there the thing that stood out to me Zack it was I rewatched the third quarter last night because I found that quarter just fascinating and

The thing that stood out to me was the Thunders defense these dudes do not stop coming like there is a play to talk about uh uh Jaylen Williams you know there’s a play where it looks like zubach has a clear dunk no Jaylen Williams comes VB backs or drops down

Blocks that shot leads to a transition Isaiah Joe gets a dunk in transition it’s a another possession where it looks like it’s a clear turnover like the Thunder have the ball are about to run I think the ball goes off Aaron Wiggins leg looks like Amir coffe is about to

Get an easy bucket Shay and Wiggins both recover and block that shot and they don’t get a bucket off that off of a two-on one Westbrook zubach two-on one versus Shay Jaylen Williams comes in at the end and blocks zubot like they just keep coming defensively and then off of

That they run so damn hard they were just running the clippers off the court in transition it was just flying up the court over and over again and with that kind of speed and the way they were playing and with that defense like I just kind of looked around and was just like

Okay you know I’ve been kind of a somewhat of a skeptic like I’m not sure what they could do you know we’ll see what the playoffs look like I’m still worried about never having won a series uh I’m I’m more and more inclined to be

Like Oh I’m in like this team’s a a a massive threat yeah like you just I’m in and and and and I want to give dagnar a lot of credit like he’s been phenomenal you know I just wrote a piece recently just of plays I like that I’ve seen

Recently and he had a great end of gaml where he used Shay as a decoy screener to get Aaron Wiggins a bucket to tie the game against Toronto I remember that game yeah they won it overtime I believe right yeah they want and they want an OT and it’s just like you’re you’re

Watching these things and you’re just seeing all the small stuff that they’re doing and he’s not afraid to make a change he’s not afraid to to call different plays out and and get them moving and I just think defensively it’s I mean they’re so tough and I haven’t

Even talked about just ch being at The Rim you know the PG tried to get him and missed a dunk but Chad altered that PG went for it though I like PG PG cocked it back and went for it if you’re gonna go for it go for it right and then and

And Terence man tried to get him in the third quarter and and and chett was right there and it’s like you know I just think there’s a a defensive like intensity within that team that’s just so hard to uh for teams to figure out how to attack and how to

Go through it and they’re able to hide Shay uh last night they were able to hide him a lot more I thought the Clippers could have done a better job trying to get Shay into more actions and try to attack him a little bit more but

Even then it’s it’s still a tough tough Go I mean Dort unbelievable like he strips PG clean when PG’s trying to go for a shot and that’s another transition bucket like they just their ability to turn defense to offense might be one of

The best in the league and I I I I think that’s really going to be the thing teams have to figure out come playoff time well that’s the that’s going to be the bellweather for them and why the matchups are going to be so interesting

Because if they run into at any point an extreme ball security team like the Mavericks who I believe have the lowest turnover in the league which is a luga thing it’s going to be interesting because the Thunder are a bad rebounding team they’re bad on both ends of the

Floor and they make up four by they force more turnovers than anyone they’re number one in in forcing turnovers and they turned that in offense they had nine Steals and 11 blocks last night against the Clippers those are 20 defense to offense transition play I mean if you are blocked at The Rim

That’s almost a steal like and that I’m not going to read too much into the game for the Clippers the Clippers shot 37% at the basket last night that will probably never happen again the rest of the season and Russ had just maybe the worst game he’s had the entire season

This is the first time with the Clippers at least that I could I’m sure there’s been another game or two but where it looked like Lakers Russ just out there throwing stuff up at the rim and hurting his team I don’t expect that to replicate itself but they need those

Those plays um to get moving and and they also make up for it because they are a great Rim Protection Team Chad may get you Zoo may be able to put him under the basket and and Bully him around and he he’s skinny he makes up for it by

Being extremely long having incredible timing and having incredible instincts and being able to block shots that normally don’t get blocked and he did that last night um I want to talk about Shay kind of a ho hum 31o performance last night you know 12 of 19 three of

Six from three I like when he gets a little frisky from the three-point Arc and I think he’s going to have to do that in big playoff games cuz teams are going to sell out on his drives and he’s a good shooter only six free throws 31 points eight two turnovers

Um part of the reason I’m in on this team as a legit Contender is I think his game will carry over to the playoffs like I just think this guy is that good um I know he’s not as tall as the Prototype Kawai Durant even Luca just

Like number one ball handlers but he’s so fast and so smart and so long that I he just doesn’t really have any problems getting his shot off other than like you know Tatum gave him a little bit of trouble here and there Kawai a little bit here and there although not last

Night um and you can see man when he gets a defender on him that he knows is just not on his level and last night it was Harden and air coffee you we get him on switches he just Cooks him like they have no shot his step back he knows I

Can get eight feet of space on my step back I think he’s a I think he’s absolutely 100% legit and I think MVP right now is pretty close to a tossup between Shay and joic and Lucas coming Giannis is right there those four guys are above and beyond everybody else

I have a I have a take I’ll I’ll get to in a second the Bucks have to figure some stuff out for giannis’s case to really crystallize but look 31 a game six and a half assists leads the league in steals 55% from the floor 38% from

Threes um the advanced stats are always going to lean joic because he’s just unbelievable and like the traditional stats are 26 12 and N it’s ridiculous he had a he had a 19 rebound 15 assist triple double we need to come up with a word for triple doubles where it’s over

15 in every category that should be like a special thing um and he’s got all the advanced stats but Shay’s close close enough that when you look at the importance he has we’re talking about how young and untested the Thunder are this is the guy that makes them Steely

And confident and like everything about his game and his mentality and the fact that hey man when everything’s tough and defenses are swarming and the crowds going crazy like yeah we’re young we got a bunch of 20 21 22 year olds this dude’s in his prime and he’s ready and

They all feel that and if you told me today you had Shay MVP or you think Shay should be the favorite for the MVP I don’t really have a strong argument against you I I actually it would be I I haven’t dug deep enough yet but he would be very very close to

Having my vote as of now not final not final as of now yeah I think the the one thing with Shay too is that he’s really mastered the stop on a dime at the elbow pull up with everybody so afraid of him getting to the rim it kind of makes him

That three-level scorer to the degree obviously the three-point shooting has has come along this season but that’s where everybody’s going to kind of lay off on him but I think his ability to do all of those things like the the um he can do pretty much everything on the

Court offensively minus deep three balls like in that sense pull up threes attack the rim everything like that drop in dimes the pick and pop game between him and Chad is perfect for them I mean they got zoo in one of those situations I think in the second quarter

Where they got by the way I I keep talking about how mature the Thunder are for their age how they do not look like a young team and there’s a million examples every game what you just said the minute they put Joe in the game and

The minute they saw zubats on Chad pick and pop with Chad just like there’s no wasted possessions is oh we got to figure out how to get to that no we’re going there right and that’s and and that’s him too understanding the plan and hey let’s go to work let’s get to

This stuff going through it like I loved Shay I loved him when he was a Clipper I loved him you know with the Thunder I I’ve been on the Sha bandwagon for a long time it’s fine to fine it’s fun to see this crystallize it’d be a lie if I

Told you oh thought he’d be an MVP at some point but like to see all of this come together and him hitting all the high marks that were just absolutely absurd across the board and it’s just at the end of the day Zach he’s just a competitor man he competes so damn hard

On all of these plays and everything like that it’s it’s the whole team doesn’t take a play off you know and it’s it’s it’s him not a great defender still tries a ton defensively you know leavs the league in steals and I I have my question about Steels in general

In terms of being a good good marker for defense but he’s there and he’s competing on all these things he’s contesting shots he’s fighting through everything honestly like that as your leader of your team at 25 for a very young team like that’s impressive like

That’s a guy you’re like this is a dude we want Forever This is a dude we want to face of the franchise all that stuff and we saw these things with like the Clippers I mean I I made fun of the the Clipper fans at the time when when Shay

Hit the gamewinner against the Golden State Warriors in that series uh that that last series with KD and they were all going nuts but that was like the starting point of like okay there’s something he’s a gamer he’s ready to roll with all those things and I think

We’ve just seen it continue to grow and you know credit to the Thunder for allowing it to to Really Blossom because that’s part of it too sometimes an organization can stifle that I think they’ve done a great job with his Development Across the board and I’m

Just I’m just excited to watch him in the playoffs because I really do want to see how this team reacts to the intensity level and more importantly the scrutiny you get from the other team cuz as a video guy like when we get to do playoff scouting reports and whatnot we

Know everything we know everything you want to go to for the most part you know you’re not it’s not a lot of surprises that come to us we’ve scouted the hell out of you at this point let’s see how you adjust to it that’s what I’m excited

To watch when we get to the playoffs with this team you know I’ve said many times that Warriors Clippers series was a big moment for SGA because he was a rookie I think he was a rookie was he a rookie or a secondary I think he was a

Rookie um and he got thrown in in his first playoffs to guarding the freaking Splash Brothers in that kind of quez andard offense where there’s copyright David Thorp that there is no analog to anywhere in the NBA and he was up for it and last night he guarded Paul George a

Lot of the game and that by the way is the whole conception of the Clippers is you are going have a very hard time quote unquote hiding your Defenders against us because you need three good ones to guard our three guys and they had Dort and Jaylen Williams on kawhai

And Harden and they didn’t want giddy on Paul George and they didn’t want Chad on Paul George and Shay’s got to do it and guess what Shay was fine Chay slid around every he’s great at getting around screens his arms and hands are annoying he’s intense look I don’t know

What’s going to happen with this team but I I think this team is really good and I do think last night was a signal they would like to get home court or close to it if they could and it’s funny to see Denver go the other way I don’t

Know if you saw Michael Malone’s comments yesterday about homec court versus Health but this is rational like last year having won a title tons of pressure on us we’d love to get the number one seed get us in as much of a comfort zone as possible give us home

Court every series we’re dominant home team this year been there done that confident in ourselves played great on the road in the playoffs last year we’ll we’ll take our chances you know would we like to not see Phoenix in the first round sure whatever but or Dallas or

Whoever it ends up being it’s not like they’re going to stop trying we’re not going all out for it because we’ve proven enough to ourselves can I give you an MVP an MVP thing real quick yes please look I picked Boston to win the title I’m still picking Boston W I’m not

Like perk I joked with with perk on NBA today yesterday I think perk has picked 10 different teams to make the finals combined in the last two seasons as the seasons go on I love you perk I picked Boston Denver Boston over Denver start the season that was my finals pick I’m

Sticking with it love Boston best team in the NBA right now 44-2 45 and2 I don’t know blew the out of the Bulls last night everyone played well it’s starting to happen Mo there is a burgeoning Tatum should be MVP take that is making its way across

The NBA media sphere Chan said it yesterday on NBA Today perk has been on it a lot all year and it defaults to the whole best player best team thing like well that’s isn’t that what MVP always is okay like look he was my preseason pick to Wi MVP when we made predictions

Statistically there just is not a case for him over these other four guys that I’ve mentioned like Advanced traditional there just there is not a case for Jason Tatum over yic SGA Luca or Giannis other than Boston has the best record and he’s the best best player on the best team

Boston has the best record partly because Jason Tatum’s amazing but even more than that because their entire top six is amazing and they had four guys who had legitimate claims to make an All-Star team and that doesn’t include Drew holiday or Al Horford their depth

At the their top end depth is the number one reason why they are this good and number one whatever it’s it’s it’s just apples to oranges and I get the reasoning he was my preseason MVP take I love Jason T him he’s a first or second

Team all NBA player every year at this point I think I’ve had him first team the last two or three years this year without positions it’s kind of I don’t I haven’t started to think about it yet so much um I just don’t I don’t know about

You it it’s hard his numbers are are and and and look I can see the counter argument Celtics saying well his numbers don’t compare to those other guys because we have all these guys who can produce so many points and so many assists and so many rebounds he doesn’t

Need to average 34 a game like Luca or 31 a game like SGA that’s fair the advanced numbers he’s a distant fifth like whatever Advanced numbers you want to look at he’s a distant fifth I just it’s a hard it’s hard it’s a little

Bit of a hard case to make I don’t know what you think I’m actually with you on this and and the reason why too though is I think he’s the best player on the Celtics team oh it’s not close he’s the best player on the team I don’t I don’t

Think he’s the most important player on that team oh I think that’s the and and and and and and are you gonna say porzingis I think it’s I think it’s uh Derek white I think what he does for that team and allow he’s the puzzle piece that

Allows everything to go you know he’s the the small piece that allows it so that Tatum can go completely nuts he does everything on the defensive end does a lot on the offensive end porzingis and him in the high pick and roll between the two of them and then

Kicking it off so Tatum can attack off of the second side and when they go to that is stuff there like I think it’s it’s I think when I look at it I think Derek white has grown to me in a way where I I look at him this season and

I’m like yo they need to have him ready to go for the playoffs and and you can make the argument that porzingis is number two in terms of most important stuff because we know what you’re GNA get from Tatum and this isn’t a shot at Tatum Tatum’s unbelievable right like that’s the thing

But if this team is going to hit the high marks that they need to hit they need those guys to really be that those those dudes whereas I I think they can I think they could win a playoff series in in in in the East without Jason

Tatum I don’t think any of the other teams that we’ve that that the other MVP candidates those teams can win a playoff series without them and for me that’s kind of an important thing there in the in in the most uh in the MVP kind of argument is I think Boston wouldn’t win

A championship without Tatum but they can win a playoff series I don’t know if the other teams can and I think that’s the uh for me that’s kind of like a where I’m going with the barometer of that and I don’t know if that’s hot take

Or not but I think that’s just the way I look at it when I watch the Celtics all right let me be clear I think your arguing about Derek white being the most improved most important player is is fun I Jason Tatum is the most important player on the

Celtics for me he’s the best and most important player in Celtics number two look it’s not if the season ended now today and Jason Tatum won MVP it’s not like I would be outraged like this is a travesty or anything I just don’t think he’s the MVP that’s all I’m saying

And it’s starting as we get toward the end of the season it’s starting now as and the Celtics put a big gap between themselves and everybody else in terms of record and point differential I mean they’re plus 10.5 per game or whatever it is now which puts them in like alltime great team

Conversations um which like fine like if if that and and yeah on on the thund he might average 32 points a game um would he be able to maintain the efficiency he’s at I don’t know I mean Shay’s shooting 55% Tatum shooting 48% um and true shooting is there’s a

Similar Gap not quite as big because Tatum takes more threes but anyway that’s just I just fine um okay I asked you I gave you homework and I did the homework too I said let’s pick our three most important players for the remaining 25 games SL playoffs and I said you can

Cheat on one the three if you want only if you want and make it a lineup a Duo a pairing a coach whatever you want to do you can cheat so I’m going to give you first dibs Give me the give me number one on your list the Minnesota Timberwolves and

Crunch time okay well you really cheated and you cheated right at the top right at the top I just looked at it and I just think I am for a team that is so good that we’re we’re excited about I am terrified every time they’re in a close

Game because I don’t trust I they think their fans are too yeah I mean it’s just you’re just and I just think when it comes to the playoffs you’re going to be in a ton of close games and I think that’s where they kind of lose their

Edge in those things they lose their head they lose their composure um Mike Connelly is uh um helpful in that area but like even then like it’s it it you just see Panic set in with this team in a way and they’re really I think they’re

Like 25th in net rating in in in clutch uh situations and it’s just like you’re that’s the worst out of all the the the top teams and you’re just like guys like you’re there with the Spurs like this is how bad you are at close games that for

Me is the most important thing like if I’m the Wolves I want to be in close games all the way to the end of the playoff till the playoffs begin because I need reps I need to figure these guys need to get comfortable in this environment when it’s tight and

Everything like that you just see them kind of clamp and get nervous with everything and Cat loses his head and then Edward starts to lose his head like it gets really bad I mean it’s a few weeks ago but that Charlotte game they blew was just like what are you doing

You lost to Charlotte right before Terry Rosier got traded and it’s it’s these guys all lost their composure completely Conley didn’t play that game but that’s not enough man like you got to be better than that like for me that’s one of the most important things in the season and

The playoffs it’s interesting because the timberos are number one in the west number one defense inside track to home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs they win most of their games um they don’t lose very often but every loss seems to be like a crisis they just don’t they don’t seem

To have like a normal run-of-the-mill loss they all seem to be like Crisis level losses I’ve said all year they’re decision-making in crunch time on offense is my biggest question mark about them I will say every clutch statistic you site and we all site is a

Very small sample and is two games away from looking totally different and so I do want to see them with more reps and but I do think their defense will will travel well into the playoffs but okay so give me number two on your list number two on my list is buan banovich

Wow he’s so I thought we were gonna overlap for sure on at least one so far we’re over for two I I I I I think we’re not me on bu bogdanovich I think for what he does for the Knicks and what that team needs now granted once this is

Visualizing them fully healthy and all that he is the most important thing guy for the Knicks to get them to at least the Conference Finals because he’s a guy that can relieve pressure off Jaylen Jaylen Brunson in terms of creating get the ball in his hands and do a little

Bit more with all that stuff and in that process he’s going to find OG and and Obi he’s gonna find Randall and all those guys I think what the Knicks have been missing is just another score and I think he’s huge in that sense and then when they’re fully healthy just having

Him in the corner just creates more space for them and I think it opens up more more opportunities for them in that sense like for me I’m really excited to watch this Knicks team when they’re fully healthy because I think bu On’s going to take them to another level I

Was pumped when they got that when they got him in the trade I was like that’s kind of a perfect fit for them right now for this playoff run that they’re going to need coming up in this season yeah I love the fit I love the shooting I am

Ined to see how it looks or if if they do it at I mean we’re talking about who closing games and what your best lineup is Brunson anobi bogdanovich Randall Center X is kind of a gigantic lineup that is three power forwards Jaylen Brunson in a center can you actually

Play that lineup functionally an anobi may be versatile enough defensively that maybe you can but there’s no Divan chenzo there’s no Hart there etc etc um it’s an interest it would be interesting but look I the East is Almost Boring to talk about in some ways because two of

The main teams have major health issues right now and it’s like it’s pretty Pat to just say well if the Knicks get healthy if the Sixers get healthy if everybody’s healthy in April and I mean healthy I mean like Joel embiid’s not dragging his leg around at 75% he’s

Pretty healthy Randall’s healthy he doesn’t have surgery he’s healthy I kind of think the Knicks might be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference which I didn’t as high as I was on knck before the season partly that’s embiid and the uncertainty about his injury partly that’s the heat

Just kind of haven’t found it I think they’ll find it at some point they’re kind of starting to now the Bucks have been a mess the Cavs I I love the Cavs it’s just they have not not only have they not won a playoff series together they were embarrassed in their only

Prior playoff series I love the way they’re playing they LED my 10 things column today CS fans you can go read that I talked to Chris Fedor about them last week Etc the Knicks their size their toughness and the shooting they’ve added with an anobi and bogdanovich is

Kind of scary I I if I were the Celtics I wouldn’t be scared of anybody but I’d be like G that’s gonna be annoying to play this team yeah it’s just you’re G to be in a a brutal fight with them in the playoffs like I think that’s the

Kind of way I look at them and I think their their toughness with all of that and you know if if they get Mitchell Robinson back and who knows what that what he looks like in that regard and then the other thing too is like I value

Versatility I value being able to play different ways they can throw a lot of different things out there on the floor with the way with with all these options they have now and I think you know for me that’s a team to really keep an eye

On and and I think bonovich Brunson is the guy but I think bonovich is so key to that for them for this stretch run here I just can’t wait give me your third your third player this is our last chance to overlap I I feel I feel it

Coming because I have my first two I thought are obvious choices I feel an overlap coming number three Zion Williamson now we’re 0 for three I thought we might be I thought we might be I look at it this way I think part of it is New Orleans nobody really

Knows what’s to make of the Pelicans but did you wa did you watch any of Zion stuff from last night I did not see them against the Rockets last night I did see both their Clippers and Lakers games right before the break and the Wizards game too right before the break and

There’s just a lot of points Zion going on and I wrote about today how they are running to death and no one figured out how to stop it this right-wing ultra low low angle pick and roll where valent chunis or Nance will screen for Zion like 9 feet from the basket and it’s

Just no one can stop it yeah and and he is the game last night against they they beat Houston pretty easily 27 and nine and and you just watch the way Zion attacked over and over and over again it’s kind of like a rejuvenated Zion I

Think I was on the podcast with you like we were right after New Orleans either before New Orleans in the season tournament or after where uh Zion just looked awful disinterested and whatnot it’s a complete 180 was fully engaged in everything that he was doing and the way

He was attacking in the paint and whatnot I think that’s the game for New Orleans and them sitting at the five seed like that’s tough there I think they’re a team that we tend to not talk about because we don’t know what to really make of them I’m still confused

About the team from time to time but they got a lot of talent and I think again he’s guy if he goes and attacks this way and finishes the season this tough like that’s a team we’re going to start talking about and in terms of like

Man that’s going to be a tough team to play in the first round of the playoffs with Zion attacking the way he is point Zion everything that goes with it well here are your point differential rankings in the Western Conference one Oklahoma City plus 7.5 two Minnesota

Plus 7.3 three Clippers plus 5.1 four New Orleans Plus 4.5 ahead of the Nuggets they’re just a really good team I think part of the reason including people including me don’t quite know what to make of them is no bi last night for the Pelicans and

They’re minus 15 for the season which is basically zero with CJ bi and Zion all on the floor and sometimes it gets a little clunky MIT Minnesota and crunch time New Orleans has been awful in crunch time all season it’s just a Strange Brew of players but something

About it works and I think the tribute to that is like they start you know I think probably people would say one plus defensive player in herb Jones who had seven steals last night talk about a 5 by5 candidate herb Jones um and four average to worst

Defenders and yet they’re in the top 10 in defense for the second straight season there’s something they are doing now they’re getting a little lucky with opponent three-point shooting but they’re a solid team uh can I give you my three rapid fight and by the way like Pelicans scary scary scary scary scary

Not as scary to me as the Mavs but scary uh here are my three in order number one with a bullet is Chris Middleton I think the single most important story in the NBA for the next 25 games plus playoffs is so what are the Bucks like what are we doing right

Now like three and seven under Doc Rivers half the teams in Cabo coaching change big trade up and down play have they had five games the whole season where they look like a good team both ends of the floor at the same time I don’t think they have I don’t think

They’ve had like a three or four game stretch of that and talked about it a lot last week doc has come in defense is better that’s great offense has gone in the toilet that’s not so good but if it’s the cost of fixing the defense having everyone’s Focus mental and

Physical be there fine I can pay that cost Dame hasn’t looked the same then he goes to All-Star and looks like Dame again um none of this matters without Chris Middleton who just keeps getting these little injuries he’s he’s had an ankle thing for a while he’s out again

He was out before the All-Star break well I think he’s going to come back pretty soon we’ll see um he had played in a few back to back maybe a couple back-to-backs um and the minutes had gone up and it looked like we were trending the right way if if he can’t be

34 Minute a game Allstar level Chris Middleton I just don’t see it with this team and all the focus on Dame and giannis’s MVP case and the coaching change and everything that comes out of Doc Rivers mouth what a week in the life of Doc Rivers by the way how I I’ve lost

Track of how many Doc Rivers controversies were litigating at the same time um just really it’s a lot kind of had a week none of it matters without Chris Middleton so that’s my number one that’s fair no I mean he’s such a a a key uh piece for them especially again down the

Stretch when teams are going to try to lock in on Dame and Giannis he’s the release valow to really kind of attack and this is kind of what we saw with them in the finals when they won the championship he was such he was one of the main reasons down the stretch of

Those games they were able to come away with the title and I think it’s fair it’s just I’m it’s part of me as just like I’m so worried with the injuries I just don’t know if we’re GNA see him really kind of be the guy we need him to

Be well look Doc is gonna have to figure out how much he likes Bo shamp and Andre Jackson Jr and AJ Green what do they call him Dairy bird I think Marcus John call bir which I like um but this is not a team that is built to be great for

Many more years Beyond this one they have a top three player in his absolute prime at age 29 and I know Milwaukee fans don’t want to hear this but the facts are the facts he has spent most of the last eight months being publicly cranky about the state of the team um I

Don’t know how many media sessions he’s had now where he says everything has to be better we just do this better that better everything’s got to be better better better like there’s a lot of pressure on this team and it’s it’s they’ve got to put it together and

That’s it number two on my list was Bradley Beal we already talked about that number three was where I cheated and I don’t know my my my level of concern about this is actually kind of unclear it’s the Nuggets bench um because the nuggets are still my pick to

Come out of the West they have the best player in the world they have the best two-man game in the NBA they have the best starting five that existed before this season the Celtics starting five is neck and neck with them for best lineup in the whole

NBA they did lose Bruce Brown and Jeff Green Jeff Green should frankly be replaceable and I think that’s not a big loss for them Bruce Brown is Bruce Brown closed games for them Bruce Brown played 30 plus minutes in pivotal playoff games and so the bench is Reggie Jackson who’s

Been fine don’t love the Jackson Murray pairing when they have to go to it but it’s been fine Christian Christian Brown has been just okay playing a little better lately um Payton Watson to me is one of the more interesting players in the league he seems to block like five shots every

Minute um shooting 34% from three and really coming along Zeke Naji got in and had four blocks last night taking over his backup center for DJ for at least tonight and I do wonder what would have happened had Julian Strather not gotten injured and and missed like 15 20 games

Whatever he missed he’s back now but played garbage time last night he out of rotation I thought he was on track to be an interesting part of their bench maybe none of this matters because at go time and we’ve seen it in games they care they’re just going to stagger

The minutes so two of the starters are on the floor all the time and Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon playing Center are on the floor when yic is on the bench maybe it’s much to do about nothing but Bruce Brown had moments where it was like Bruce Brown just swung

This game in a two-minute stretch helped them swing the game Corner three steel whatever I’m I’m not worried worried but the nuggets made a clear choice or unless they pick out some pick up a buyout player they will have made a clear choice we’re going with the young guys

Because we’re not just building for this year we’re building for next year and the year after and the only way to do that is to see what these dudes can do in the playoffs I think that was a conscious choice I can’t decide if I’m concerned but I’m curious where are you

On the Nuggets bench I’m probably more just curious because I think some of the questions are answered with what you said right more staggering of Jamal and joic Gordon playing the five in the fin in in the in the playoffs is more something we would see they’re saving in

More for that that regard it’s it’s the Watson Christian brown stuff that we’re we’re really curious can one of them feel that Bruce Brown role and that’s the the biggest question that you got to kind of keep an eye on for that I don’t know how much in the long run that

Matters though you know if if they’re coming in pretty healthy with everything I think you know you’re just going to be leaning more on your guys more on your kcps more on uh Michael Porter Jr kcp keeps getting injured by the way I’m a little I’d like to see him just even

Last night he didn’t play the second half of the game I think he jammed a finger or something I can’t remember right and and and but I think like as long as they can have those guys healthy with all that stuff the Julian Strather thing was big because I’m with you like

I think he was finding his way into the rotation and I don’t think there something fans don’t understand that’s how heasy you get out of the rotation especially as a rookie I mean as a rookie for a coach that has had a hard time trusting rookies you get hurt all

Of a suddenly you’re now in a situation where it’s like okay you miss a bunch of games you lose the rot the spot in the rotation you ramp yourself up it’s hard to get back in into those good graces and I think that’s the thing there like

He would have been a really nice piece to kind of come in and just again continue to help spread the floor or whatnot so it’s not as concerned about that just because I think they have ways to fix it in the playoffs and for me A lot of times depth in the playoffs

Really just turns to can you just not hurt us for four minutes till you know till joic comes back in the game or Murray or or whatnot and I think that’s kind of the the way so I’m not as I’m not I’m not worried It’s Curious is a

Good way to put it but not not worried did you have did you make a preseason finals pick I had I had Denver Boston and I Denver winning so we had the same finals but uh different outcomes do you have you do you do allow yourself the

Leeway the perk way to change to change your pick or do you stick with it no I I allow myself the leeway I I cheat all the time um are you sticking with it or where are you now I’m I’m sticking with it now I think if you asked me three

Weeks ago I probably would have been like clippers but like I’m kind of listen they got blown out by Minnesota the game last night like I have I have questions with the Clippers where I’m a little bit I think the Clippers have a chance but it’s like I need to see a

Little bit more because I feel like after the Grammy road trip I feel like they’ve let down a little bit which is you know natural they come in they have all this drama with Harden 0 and5 0 and six whatever it is then they Blitz the

League for 35 games and you know now it’s like Dog Days Allstar Etc I I need the Clippers are right if if if I had to power rank who comes out of the West I think I would go Denver one Clippers too and then from there the other top teams

Uh mod tequil uh read them at the athletic read them at Le report watch one more thing what what what do we have coming out what else we got what do you want to promote I have I have something actually coming out on the athletic excuse me on Bleacher Report coming

About looking at the uh potential free agents and who should potentially just think about staying where they’re at all right well tequil thank you sir I hope to see you in Los Angeles soon it’s always a pleasure to chop it up with you thanks for joining us thank you for having me oh

Zach Lowe and Mo Dakhil of The Athletic discuss the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, the surging Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma City Thunder going for the No. 1 seed, the state of the MVP race, and the three most important players for the rest of the season.

0:00 Intro
2:59 Western Conference standings update
5:54 Looking forward to wild Western Conference races
10:13 Who has a better chance at a run: Warriors or Lakers?
15:04 The Mavs are surging
23:29 The state of the Phoenix Suns
30:59 The Thunder are really going for it
40:11 The case for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP
47:38 The case against Jayson Tatum for MVP
53:20 The three most important players for the stretch run

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