FIRST TAKE | Clippers are an average team- Stephen A.: Bucks have high chance of reaching NBA Finals

FIRST TAKE | Clippers are an average team- Stephen A.: Bucks have high chance of reaching NBA Finals

No problem last night the Milwaukee Bucks took their six straight Dub with a 113 to 106 win over the Clippers as atino missed his third straight game with a left achilles tendonitis they’ve also been winning without Chris Middleton who missed an 11 straight game with a sprain left ankle despite those

Absences the Bucks are clicking right now winning their last six games after starting three and seven under Doc Rivers they’re holding opponents under 100 points per game during the break and winning by almost 17 points per game JJ is is back with us and I’m going to

Start with you on this one who is more likely to reach the finals the bucks or the Clippers well let let me say this let me say this both these teams can reach the finals I want to be clear on that they both can right but the

Question is more likely so for me it’s the Milwaukee Bucks uh and here’s why they are the second best team in the Eastern Conference particularly when you look at the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference and and really some question marks particularly as it pertains to health Donovan Mitchell uh

It was reported he just got PRP done on his knee the Cleveland Cavaliers the Knicks are banged up I I think if they’re healthy and in Rhythm they can be a contender in the East but they’re banged up so there’s question marks about them there’s question marks about

The Philadelphia 76ers of course because they don’t have Joel on beid Milwaukee or I’m sorry Miami has never really looked consistent until lately and and we all know what the Miami Heat are capable of I still think when all teams are healthy in the Eastern Conference the Bucks are the second best team

They’ve had and and we talked about it a couple weeks ago when I was on the show even prior to this six and0 streak their defense has completely changed it it it changed and was trending in the right direction last six games since the allar break they’re the number one defense in

The league and Stephen A you asked me what’s different and when I watch them play Under Doc Rivers they know what they’re doing there’s buyin to the schemes and it’s little things it’s communication it’s uh helps side positioning it’s Brook Lopez defending the rim it’s limit limiting blow buys

That’s something I brought up last time Patrick Beverly has been a great addition to them think about the game last night him Bobby poris leading that comeback the emotion like all of all of a sudden now the Bucks have an identity the piece is fit the other thing I

Brought up two weeks ago the offense was trending in the wrong direction Damen Lillard went into All-Star break on a cold streak 29% over the last nine or 10 games going into the All-Star break from three he’s shot over 40% since the All-Star break so now you got the

Offense clicking you got the defense clicking they look like a true Contender I still think the Clippers are a true Contender but as I mentioned in the first block there’s just too many good teams right now in the Western Conference and you go uh matchup by matchup you could talk me into anything

Happening out in the west well first things first breaking news I mean you were nice and you were calm and you had a smile on your face when you were talking about dog R in the Milwaukee buts my brother I mean I mean that’s good that’s good that’s good I’m with

You I with you I’m just messing with you JJ I just me you a first take baby you know going let that slide you know going let that slide JJ you know to go do that but anyway seriously seriously the bottom line is this I disagree with you here’s the only

Reason I disagree with you because the Boston Celtics look that special I think that there’s a closer Gap from the Clippers to the Nuggets than there is from Milwaukee to Boston that’s the only reason I’m disagreeing with you I agree with everything youve said about Milwaukee I get all your

Points it’s just that I’m watching Boston right now 11 game winning streak Jason Tatum he’s my favorite by the way he’s my favorite for League MVP at this particular moment time best player on the best team in the league Etc Jaylen Brown doing his thing Chris azing

Doesn’t even play when they blow out the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon 45 points in the first half you have to explain that one to me I said 45 Point loss I said 52 Point loss I don’t understand how you could be down by 45 in the first half I mean that’s

Just that’s just a subject that we’ll have to tackle another day I just didn’t understand it but in the end I’m looking at what they do top three defensively and offensively in terms of efficiency you know what they can do from three-point range not just percentage

Wise you know they’re GNA jack up threes even though they dialed it back from about 44 to about 42 and a half now I’m just looking at the Boston Celtics and I’m looking at how lethal they appear to be and I just think that there’s a wider

Gap when I look at the Los Angeles Clippers I didn’t like what I saw JJ Shay Shay I didn’t like what I saw against the Lakers and I get that and of course they’ve been struggling a little bit as of late just lost to OKC if I remember correctly but I’m just looking

At at at at I’m looking I’m saying if Harden shows up and obviously there some ifs because Paul George and Ka are they gonna be healthy I mean that’s a question mark But JJ I had to tell you this because remember I want you to use

This I want you to use I know you don’t like mentioning first take too much when you’re covering those games but I want you to do this you and and darus and Bre I the new mik microwave Vinnie the microwave Johnson from the from the Detroit Pistons of course I know who he

Is Norman pal yeah this brother Off the Bench he’s something else I love this kid he’s like I’m just telling you right now he’s like instant offense to me I look at him and I see him as a huge factor for the Clippers come playoff time I’m not saying they gonna beat

Denver because I ain’t betting against Denver in the west but I’m telling you right now I think there is a closer Gap there’s there’s a there’s a there’s a shorter Gap from the Clippers to the Nuggets than it is from Milwaukee to Boston right now Stephen I’m have to disagree with

You for the first time in first take history JJ reick and I agree on this topic I agree I think it’s m walkie I think it’s the m walkie bucks and let me tell you why and I think it might be a blessing in disguise that Giannis is out

And Dame is able to find his game so now you pair that with what Dame is doing since the allstar break and you bring jannis back and we know what jannis represent they’re going to be and see I don’t really trust I don’t trust the

Celtics as much as you guys do cuz I saw them in the playoffs last year I saw what they did I saw them give it up at home and you want to say Jason Tatum but they shouldn’t even have been in that situation you and I both know that step

And JJ they should have never been had to get to a game seven had they taken care of the business had leads and Miami walked them down every sing basically every single game that they had a lead and end up winning those games but I

Like the way Dame is played I love Bobby Porter’s last night and you see what last night it looked like to me over the last 5 minutes Milwaukee jumped into a Zone what what uh the Clippers have is three great ISO players kawhai can go

Get his own shot Paul George can get his own shot and we know hard what Harden can do now all of a sudden you forc them to make shots don’t let them beat you off like you said JJ they didn’t get beat off the dribble a bunch and now

They had to take tough tough contesting shots and it didn’t follow him and Bobby Porter got it going in the second half I mean the fourth quarter and and and uh Dame had it going the entire game I like this for Dame that that Giannis is out

He’s able to find his game he’s able to find his shot so now when you bring him back if this Dame Lillard I’m not saying he needs to give you 40 but if this Dame Lillard that we saw last night and he shows up with Giannis because I know

Bobby poris is gonna be consistent he’s a double double he’s gonna give you that every game they they absolutely absolutely 1,00% can beat Boston in a seven game series so I like them I like the bugs I’m glad I’m glad we agreed uh Shannon cuz you first of all I apologize for

Interrupting you in the a blot let me say this you’re in Dallas remotely in your Bion suit all right and and the only reason I would let you talk the only reason I I I felt like you were putting words in my mouth so I I wanted

To clarify before you did your full point and I apologize for interrupting okay it’s a it’s not a it’s not a very becoming behavor mind I want to actually I want to but you never apologize to me I will never apologize to you I I I want

To actually I want to ask I want to ask you guys something actually because I I know you kind of talked about this last yesterday and I watched some of the clips from yesterday uh uh when I was when I was on YouTube last night okay

But you bring up the the Celtics in the playoffs last year there was no christops porzingis to me he is the cheat Coach Joe moula and I we sat down in September I interviewed him one of the things he talked about was like having a curveball particularly in the playoffs to me christops

Porzingis is the curveball he’s the guy when teams go to switching lineups he can he can punish mismatches he’s the guy if teams want to go big he can go spot up at 27 feet the other under talked about thing and this is not a

Knock on Marcus Smart at all this is not a knock Marcus Smart helped build the identity of the Boston cels true this version of the Boston Celtics he was so key to their core defensively offensively the way he played his effort all of that stuff so key to it so it’s

Not a knock on on Marcus Smart but him being gone has allowed Derek white to elevate his game Derek white and Chris tops porzingis you talk about the Celtics last year they didn’t have this version of Derek white last year and they didn’t have christops porzingis so

My question to both of you because he he you brought up something do you got you brought up the gap between the Celtics and the Bucks the reason I said the buck because I think the Bucks are more more likely to get to the Conference Finals not saying the Clippers

I’m just talking about the state of the Western Conference versus the state of the Eastern Conference now all of a sudden You’ only got to win one series my question to you two is the gap created now between the Celtics and the rest of the NBA I I I want to say

Yesterday you guys talked about this a little bit I want to the nuggets are really the only team it sounds like that you feel like are in the same tier as the Boston that is what I said I said that that’s the only team that was on

The same tier and I’ll let Shannon answer the question but go ahead Shannon cuz I got got a question for JJ as well but go ahead I did and that was a discussion yesterday but even with that being said I still think Boston is a notch above

The Denver Nuggets and I know Denver went to Boston and beat him in a close ball game but the way they’re playing now JJ and I use the analogy uh uh Kristoff porzingis is like adding a couple of drops to my KAC Shay by latier it opens it up and what he’s been

Allowed to what he’s been able to do he’s allowed Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown to expand their gam they have more space because as you mentioned he can Dr he can jump out to 25t and drain a three but then you put a 65 guy on him he can

Punish him down low so I do like what you’re saying but I still believe Dame and and Giannis is going to be more than a handful for only only quick question I have was that you brought up Marcus you know you Marcus you said Marcus Mark

Right yes him be what about Drew holay being there is that more of a factor to Dereck white looking I I’ll be quick I really believe that Joe Missoula and Drew holiday were destined to work together I believe that spe speech that so fun For Y fore speeech first you to show you have defeated an enemy your team has destroyed a tower an ally has been defeated you have been defeated your tower has been destroyed an enemy has been defeated an enemy has been defeated double kill Victory for There foreign spee spe for for for Spee strike First Blood an ally has been defeated you have defeated an enemy an ally has been defeated

FIRST TAKE | “Clippers are an average team” – Stephen A.: Bucks have high chance of reaching NBA Finals