Can anyone stop Shai and the OKC Thunder in the clutch? | ALL NBA Podcast

Can anyone stop Shai and the OKC Thunder in the clutch? | ALL NBA Podcast

[Applause] What is up everybody and welcome to the all NBA show part of the All City Podcast Network I’m your host Adam MZ I’m joined by my steam colleague Tim legler legs we had some Great Hoops over the weekend man my goodness well we’ve been hyping up like you know how this is

Going to go here the rest of the way and uh it’s just it’s already like kicking off like with an incredible weekend of games last night’s games um there’s so many story lines and every week is just going to get more impactful so I can’t wait let’s Jump Right In because we got

To get into the Thunder because they were really impressive last night we got so much to get into from over the weekend we’re going to talk about the thunder in the clutch shild just Alexander in the clutch in particular we’re going to talk about the wolves in

The clutch which is kind of the opposite story we’re going to do Celtics nuggets Jaylen Brunson gets an injury the Mavs lose another one and wiim Bama puts up an another insane box score but first all NBA sponsored by DraftKings stay tuned because you’ll hear more about

DraftKings and all they have to offer throughout the show DraftKings the crown is yours all right legs let’s get right into it here the Thunder last night blow out the Phoenix Suns until the Phoenix Suns stormed back in the third quarter I it looked like this game was going to be

Over a complete dismantling but the Suns used an enormous run in that third quarter to get back mainly Yousef nerkish dominating the offensive boards so we get clutch time and who who better in the clutch than Shay gildas Alexander and the Thunder they were Unstoppable in

The final five minutes of this game what stood out to you about this one well first this was one of the strangest games I’ve watched all year because Phoenix came out of the gate blazing they go up 174 and just look like right they’re they’re in like perfect Rhythm

To start the game and then the Thunder just pretty much dominate from that point on the rest of the half build a big lead 14 at halftime it was over 20 at one point then you get into the third quarter and you know the the Phoenix Suns you know

They they kind of turn things around offensively and and honestly part of that run that they went on Oklahoma City started missing shots that they had been making through the first two and a half quarters they they just they had good looks they weren’t going in they were

Earlier in the game Phoenix started to figure some things out offensively they were horrible playing out of the double teams against Kevin Durant they they they kind of improved that in the third quarter they were getting their shot quality was better they had some unlikely contributions out of some guys

And boom now looks like Phoenix is back up they’re almost up double digits in the fourth quarter it looks like they’re going to you know get this win at home and then Shay gilas Alexander checks back into the game with five six minutes to go and it pretty much absolutely

Takes that game and makes it his own right just completely makes that a blank canvas and he paints all over it and he was by far the best player on the court and you know you’re looking at you know have Booker but you had Bradley Beal played pretty well in this game Kevin

Durant on the other team and it Shel just Alexander was so much better than every other person on the court particularly when he needed to be at that time when he came in and reestablished order in control of the game um so it’s a wild game with these

Big runs roller coaster you you thought it was won a couple times either direction it ends up being Shay gilis Alexander being the difference in the end and you the thing I love about that Adam like they never look remotely phased their squad Yeah by any that’s

Going on by by by a guy going off a great player going off against them you know a team stringing together a bunch of Threes they just never look unsure of how this is about to go and look part of that’s the confidence you have when you

Have a player like that on your team I get it but it’s more than that it’s the way that those guys collectively play together on both ends the quickness defensively the ball movement and flow offensively built around this incredible isolation player that they have it’s a

Beautiful thing to watch and it was on full display now Suns some of their issues that they have are really surfaced last night and we’re get into that too but let’s focus on Oklahoma City I just thought this was a as impressive you know performance as

You’re going to see and I thought Shay gilis Alexander took that Gava last night and pounded it like don’t forget about me for when you start voting for MVP and that guy doesn’t get a ton of votes and finish in the top three I think there probably needs to be an

Investigation well I think he almost certainly will he might even win the thing I think he’s second right now on DraftKings only behind joic um and you know that one’s going to go down to the wire between those two guys I think the clutch thing is so interesting for me

Because they’re the number one offense in the clutch this year a 127 offensive rating in clutch games the the Oklahoma City Thunder are that’s number one and you think about all the great offenses we have in the NBA this year I think one of the reasons that they are that good

Is one they have multiple players they can attack you with Jason Williams by the way was also great in the clutch last night he had a in the few possessions Shay wasn’t sautéing the Suns uh Jaylen Williams was so they have a couple guys but their offense is also

Some pretty simple they get that screen basically a screen right straight they they they set the screen almost straight from the foul line straight to the top of the key and then they just play off of that action and Shay is so good in isolation and that action is so hard to

Guard with the spacing they provide that I feel like they’re like the Nuggets who know what they’re doing in the clutch the Thunder seemed to simplify things in the clutch in a way that it’s like yeah we’re just counting on the Brilliance of this player and we set him up to be as

Comfortable as he possibly can and he looks comfortable yeah and I think I was really noticing this last night just in terms of the point that he was making in this game kind of always noticed it about him but this is what I wanted to talk about with him today he’s so unique

In this way you go and look at all of the great individual offensive players in this league I’m talking about like the the the top 10 like raw scorers and guys that can isolate you and you know get a get a quality shot in a one-on-one situation those guys operate all over

The place rightwing left wing top of the key Either slot right you know sometimes even out of the deep corner you know they they’ll they’ll go on a guy or get a ball screen from there Shay Gil just Alexander like 90% of what he does stays

Between the edges of the foul line like if you drw if you drew those lines all the way up to half court Shay gilis Alexander stays within that area of the floor which is a really difficult thing to do because it’s tight and it’s crowded but it also makes them really

Hard to guard because it’s so difficult to throw a double team at a guy that’s controlling the ball in that area of the floor because he can see everything coming at him there’s no blind spot um and so it becomes really difficult and tricky if you’re trying to come up with

A scheme to try to get the ball out of his hands the other thing that he does in that area of the floor once he goes on a guy he might even have a guy like partially beat where he’s going to get to that mid-range and and pull up which

Is absolutely lethal or to the rim and see that that next Defender like coming up his way he will find a way to spin out of that or to go behind his back to get the ball back to the opposite hand and then attacked in that other slot

Away from that guy but never gets sped up he’s never in a situation where he’s Tak into an area of the Court where he’s hemmed in I’ve never really seen honestly a player operate quite like he does in the middle of the floor to the

Extent that he does and not be guard um because of his handle and his shooting ability you know from from 15 to 18 feet it’s incredible that’s really how he ended the game with those mid-range jumpers like one after another so I was just thinking about that like most guys

You know they could be anywhere on the floor at times and at times they end up not taking the shot they want to take I feel like Shay always takes the shot he wants to take when he wants to take it and he’s just incredibly special and they’re they’re something Adam they got

Five starters and he’s the oldest he’s 25 years old he doesn’t turn 26 till the summer and and they they’re they’re building something incredibly special primarily because his talent allows you to do things offensively that a lot of teams could not get away with by the way

Also three Steals and three blocks in this game just throw that in for good measure um your point I think he has the best hips in the NBA I think you could John morand is in this conversation Giannis is probably in this conversation but when you talk about his ability to stay

Between those lines of the paint a lot of guy if you think about like an Allen Iverson crossover it’s five feet left to right there’s a lot of left to right movement into it a lot of guys’ drive when they go around a guy the angle they

Have to take around it’s kind of wide Shay somehow is able to attack one hip and then the other and that’s why it’s like he he can cross you over with 12 seconds or 12 inches between right and left steps because he pivots so well and I think that’s part of what you’re

Talking about why he’s so slithery I think that’s the definition of slithery is he doesn’t need a lot of Left Right movement to go around you absolute very astute observation that that is exactly what he does and he had a you know he had he has individual

Plays within games that I need to watch a second time to see how exactly how he did it he had one in the open floor last night we had the ball in his left hand coming up the floor Suns had four guys back he’s coming out with a full head of

Steam and he went inside out dribble with his left hand the ball never touched his right he went inside out so he got the top Defender to commit you know to to Shay’s right because that’s where he took the ball on this Inside Out move got it just to create enough of

A gap because he wanted to bring it back and stay in his left hand and stay down that slot and then the only chance he had to get it up off the glass before that last Defender had an opportunity to contest a shot was to take it directly

To the glass with his left hand without ever touching his right because he had to get it up there really quickly in the moment and he did all of that in the blink of an eye and it was like 100% certain about how that was about to go

Like as he’s coming up the floor he’s just he’s in he’s special man he’s he is fun Oklahoma City fans you’re are lucky to have a guy like this because he delivers night and night out his shooting splits are incredible for a guard that takes a lot of contested

Shots 54% from the field um doesn’t take a ton of Threes but he selectively takes them just enough where you have to guard him and he’s almost 90 from the line so the efficiency levels off the charts uh and it’s that’s very rare for a guard

His size that takes a lot of tough mid-range jump shots you just those guys typically shoot like 43 44% from the field because all their shots are tough and when you look at 54% from the field and what that allows your offense to do and it allows your defense to set up so

Much against half court set um incredible there’s no there’s no other word for him he’s just and he’s he’s just rapidly ascended here you know over the last couple of years to this point now where we’re discussing Shay gilas Alexander legitimately as the MVP in this league so let’s you you threw it

Out earlier best one-on-one players in the NBA we’re always behind the curve because you w have to go to playoffs and prove it and I think it’s fair like you have to go there but if you’re just watching what we’ve seen so far this year and you said okay best one-on-one

Score if you need a bucket and it’s the end of the game Shay right now is making a case that he is up there with any of these great scores the Kevin Durant and anybody else Luca donic anybody because he’s not just getting buckets he’s half

The time he’s getting to the exact spot he wanted to and and you’re sitting there going like how did he get there well he got there because you can’t stop him so where does he rank for you at this regular season moment where does he rank amongst bucket get tell you what

I’ll tell you what Adam look there’s a game uh we used to play and work out all the time in the NBA called rise and shine where you play one-on-one from the top of the key and say that say there’s eight guys playing so there’s six guys

Under the rim they’re in a single file line and you score you keep it you can’t get a stop you’re off the court go to the end of the line the next Defender comes out and if you played a game like that against Shay gilis Alexander I

Don’t I’m telling you I might put my money he’ll win it now because that’s just getting one bucket now if you were keeping threes and twos in a 101 game he doesn’t shoot a lot of those so you you know you run into a guy like a Luca who

Gets hot from out there or a Kevin Durant you know who gets hot from out there that could be kind of tough to deal with but I think Shay gilgas Alexander might win it and the reason that he is so I would think that is because he never allows you ever

Defensively to be on balance against him because of the number of things he hits you with in in tight windows and everything he does is for like a nanc and then he goes to the next thing he never allows you to find a trend against him or something you feel like you can

Time it to get up in the air and contest his shot you are always off Rhythm against him defensively because of his handle because of how his footwork is pivoting and then how quickly he gets off the ground and releases the basketball I might put money if Shay gilgas Alexander would win that

Competition I just described yeah we’re in the era of slow you know what like there’s a lot of fast players obviously Giannis and and jaw but Luca yokich Shay they all have this thing to them where their moves are so slow and it doesn’t matter because to your point

They’re just constantly getting you off balance and it’s Shay in particular he uses his slow to his Advantage there’s just this way he has of slowly going One Direction until you move and then going the other direction and you just it’s like the defense is going fast and he’s

Going slow it’s it’s like magic and he has he has by the way he has replicated this this low trajectory on his shot in the mid-range like kawhai has now Kaw is the flattest I’ve ever seen for for a for a great player I mean there’s literally no margin for error

Which which blows me away with the Precision with which he does it because it it can only go in at one angle because because it’s a flat line that has to clear the front of the rim but but has to die before it hits the back

Of the rim and so it takes an incredible amount of Precision to do that and Shay’s kind of got some of that there’s not a lot of arc on those mid-range shots at all um he’s got a natural lean back though um more so than kawhai he’s

Got a natural lean back which allows him to get it off anytime he even has situations at him I’ve seen him do this countless times this year where he goes to make a move on a guy and and the the defender really does a great job and

Forces Shay to pick the ball up at like 12 feet 15 feet whatever it may be and actually he’ll start like pivoting and looking around a pass realiz that like there’s nowhere to go with the ball the shot clock’s winding down and then he’ll just pivot one more time out of it spin

Away from where you are lean back and still make a 15 foot jumper completely out of rhythm um so he’s just he’s a force man he is a force and he’s convinced me he’s GNA do this in the playoffs I don’t care who they play he

Is going to do this and I said to you before we went on the air it to me it’s looking more and more likely that we might be headed for if they avoid each other till the Conference Finals you could see a Denver Oklahoma City Conference Finals um they just they just

Defi and here’s other thing by the way I want to point this out very important their five starters have missed a total of 10 games yeah they play every night that means a lot that’s exactly what Sacramento followed that formula last year now they weren’t then they ran a

The bus s Golden State depending on who Oklahoma City gets listen that’s gonna be a first a very difficult first round series but the continuity that they have developed and the style of play is so consistent every night because they show up every single night they’ve had no

Injuries they don’t use load management five young sets of legs and they have this just incredible belief and chemistry together looks like they’ve been playing together for five years so Oklahoma City right now is is is making Believers out of a lot of people and I know there’s Thunder fans out there that

Think we have nitpicked that unfairly or criticized them and it’s silly we’ve pointed out stuff that we thought we were seeing and I’m not saying this team’s going to win a championship but right now with some of the question marks surrounding some of these other teams and I think they’re valid there

Are fewer questions about Oklahoma City and Denver than any other two teams in the Western Conference well there’s one big question for me and that is their size and then this game in particular Chad holen was a minus 19 you don’t see that very often in fact you look around

The starters you know Shay was a plus 13 everybody else about neutral and then you have one guy Chad holgren of minus 19 and it was because he was getting absolutely killed on the boards by of nkic 14 points 31 rebounds including 13 offensive rebounds now look the Thunder

Survived this they found a way to win despite getting killed on the boards but is is that just is it as simple as that that hey they got beat as bad as you could possibly get beat on the boards and still won or do you look at it and

Say yeah but that’s the weakness if nurkic did that to them what’s joic going to do in a playoff should they match up what’s what’s uh you know Rudy gobear going to do and Carl Anthony towns as a the front Court I mean the difference is with

Joic right he he’s killing you on the glass to that extent those are putbacks those are three-point plays those are kickout for you know for uncontested threes in in a chaotic scramble situation after a team gets an offensive rebound they’re gonna destroy you if joic is on the glass to that extent I

Mean the fact that nurk had 13 offensive rebounds crazy and had 14 points in the game I mean right so it speaks a little bit to his limitations I like him a lot no touch man no and he’s he’s more than serviceable man he’s he’s I like him a

Lot I think he’s he’s a good fit for this team but think about that you know you get 13 offensive boards and you only have 14 points total that’s crazy and you and you touch the ball a lot in your regular sets like he gets the ball quite

A bit so look I there I don’t think you’ve got look goar would be a problem clearly jic would be a problem and I guess we saw last night kage could be a problem um you know zubot to a certain extent zubot could be a guy that could

Maybe cause you some problems in an important time so and I said there are fewer questions about Oklahoma City and Denver than anybody else I didn’t say there were no questions right nobody’s nobody’s like you know I was just having this conversation on first take about

Did the Boston Celtics belong in a tier of their own I said no this isn’t this isn’t the Kevin Durant Warriors team that he joined where it was l Lally just give it to him now this is one of the greatest teams of all time nobody could

Beat that team and they proved it they won two in a row right off the bat um and then injuries kind of dismantled them but you know I don’t think the Celtics are there yet because they haven’t proven that they those guys are going to do it when it matters most and

There’s no perfect team in this league the closest we have to a absolute known commodity is the Denver Nuggets because they want it they’re just as good as they were they’re getting it together at the right time they’ve got Health like that’s the team you would look at and

Say okay yeah man like you’re going to have to take it from them Oklahoma City Boston Minnesota the Bucks like these teams all have questions Adam and and I think that’s a good one for Oklahoma City that you mentioned yeah and we just go to Phoenix really quickly five

Turnovers for Kevin Durant five for Yousef nerkish seven for Bradley Beal they had 21 as a team that’s their Key’s heel obviously no Devon Booker who relieves a lot of that pressure but my question with them they’re they’re another one of these teams that in the

Clutch they don’t seem to be able to when the game gets away from their comfort zone they seem to be more mistake prone than most teams and this was the case I thought especially of KD in the fourth quarter I talked about it last time but timely doubles just seem

To fluster him more than most players of his caliber and in this game the Thunder looked unbelievable in the clutch but the Suns also looked very unimpressive in the clutch in their own right and I to me maybe it was as simple as just missing Booker but I suspect even with

Booker that’s their Achilles heel as they’re just prone to turning it over in the clutch well well not having Booker completely allowed Oklahoma City to come up with the game plan they did which was the blitz Kevin Durant all over the floor yeah any CH anytime he got into

The scor area scoring area they ran somebody at him Kevin rant’s not used to seeing that level coverage and if Booker’s on the court that’s gonna be a lot harder to do because they might have gotten gutted on the weak side of the floor playing out of the double team and

You would had to get out of that pretty quickly so Lee in this game they kept getting it to S Lee like if that’s if you swap sa Lee with with Devin Booker that’s completely different story totally and but here’s what I think if I’m watching Phoenix the one thing that

Does stand out to me they do not have a pure floor leader table setter organizer they play with great raw scorers and even when Beal plays you’ve got three of them it’s a lot and if they could do find a way to not you know take the

First decent shot and make you work a little bit um it can look beautiful and I’ve seen them at times get humming when those three guys play together and you think man this that’s a lot for any team to have to cover particularly when you got other guys that can shoot youve got

Nerkach in the middle around these three incredible scores but but I also think it would be nice to have somebody alleviate some of that ball handling for these guys to make the game simpler and organize them and they don’t have that they don’t play with a point guard they

Don’t have one other roster they they’ve got they’ve got a bunch of guys that have been Alphas on their teams their whole careers and they’re all trying to figure out a way to share this thing together and make it work and sometimes they have but the consistency has not

Been there so right now you’re looking at Phoenix and you know as I think you can pick up from this conversation they’re not on the level of Oklahoma City they’re not on the level of Minnesota they’re not on the level of the Denver Nuggets probably not on the

Level of the Clippers so that’s four teams right there Phoenix is gonna have to do a lot of work for let’s start with this can you guys all play together can we get these three guys on the court together Adam like can we just see what that looks like for you know straight

Games because until we see that I don’t know that I’m going to be convinced that they’re going to figure this out and flow to the extent you need to beat the teams I just mentioned yeah and Devon Booker by the way out seven to 10 days according to

Sham chirania this morning so he the they have the Nuggets coming up they have some big games coming up but they’re going to be without Booker which obviously win or lose it doesn’t really tell you a whole lot about who they are or what they’re going to become so I

Don’t know my last note on this one though legs it’s kind of a before we go into our break this game had a quintessential review first you get a flagrant foul call on Shay gild just Alexander they review it and determine that it was only a common foul then it

Gets challenged and they review it and determine it actually wasn’t a foul at all that the call gets overturned double review that started as a flagrant and ended as a nothing and it took about five minutes maybe six seven minutes my thing with the review it was so dumb it

Was there every now and then we get a review that’s so ridiculous that it just want makes you want to pull your hair out my here’s my thing I like the review in the playoffs no reviews in the regular season the games they matter but they’re a little lower leverage I think

We should just get through these regular season games without these ridiculous reviews because taking five minutes out of a very tight game in the fourth quarter is it’s it changes the game that’s so funny you said that because I I was so was I was on SVP last night and

This happened right when that play happened initially they went over to the review and I’m like okay I had to run out of the room for a second I was gone like five minutes I came back they were still talking I’m like they’re still talking about the same play like you

Know hopefully one day we can get to to the technology Adam where they don’t even need to go over to the table like somebody in sarus um who has seen the replay twice by the time they get to the table salkus is and so if people at home

Watching the game we’ve all seen the replay twice by the time those guys even get to the Monitor and put the headset on how about somebody in salkus just see it twice and just tell them in their ear nope no foul fler foul stepped on the

Line didn’t step on the line it’s off this guy and just save us all a lot of time because that was I agree in a game you know like basketball that requires Rhythm and momentum and then to interrupt it for that long I got to

Agree with you on that my guy in the comments Randy Balon says no reviews come on are we just going to trust the refs you might find it surprising to know that for majority of the NBA’s history there were no reviews reviews is not a thing we always had they used to

Reviews I don’t hate the fact that that we’re we’re reviewing calls I don’t hate that I just I just wish number one there weren’t as many as there are in a given night and that they that they didn’t take as long as they did I do like the

Fact that you’re getting important calls right with everything that is at stake and let’s be honest there’s a lot more at stake with these games than ever before because of the influx of how much people are gambling on these games right there’s a lot at stake for people it

Matters so I don’t have a problem getting the calls right I just I just wish there was a better way to streamline the process all right let’s take a break on the other side there was another great game with the Clippers beating the Timberwolves a meaningful

Game that changed the top of the Western Conference and I know legs has some thoughts about the Timberwolves clutch offense probably not as favorable as he viewed the Thunder clutch offense we’ll get into that as well as the nuggets and the Celtics setting themselves up for a

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Hosting the Celtics cheapest ticket you can get in the lower bow right now is $200 that is abnormal for a Denver game but that just goes to show you there is a lot of excitement around that regular season game nuggets there’s a very good chance they’re bringing a win streak

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All right the other game that happened was the Clippers beating the Timberwolves and they beat them in a fashion we’ve kind of worried about with those Timberwolves first of all 89 988 we’re in a new er legs there were three 80 Point scorers uh last night and the

Pistons only had 91 so we the defense is back in the NBA we talked about this the other day on the show but 8988 this had a lot to do with the Timberwolves frightening clutch offense where they just couldn’t seem to get organized well first look I don’t know if anybody was

Paying attention but last night the Clippers they they took a train from LA to get to the game hot dogs were a nickel you had to listen to the game on radio if you wanted to see it right that’s that that score doesn’t go with today’s NBA and look don’t these are two

Minnesota number one defensive team in the league Clippers clearly have the ability to to be like a number one level defensive team on any given night the pace was slower the three-point shot I think there was a total of 19 made in the game for E for both teams Boston had

25 last night by that’s the Celtics in one half yeah I mean it’s just and and I think there were four three-pointers made in the fourth quarter of this game four okay so this was definitely like a turn back the clock two teams playing inside the three-point line very unique and

Ultimately uh pretty much the entire fourth quarter or even the second half this game was within Arms Reach either way they were within one possession of each other most of the time you knew this thing was going down to the wire and as it turned out Adam Minnesota late game

Offense has been something I’ve been concerned about and I thought it really reared itself last night they do not have a clear plan of how they want to attack and you think with Anthony Edwards emergence that would be that would be pretty simple about how you

Want to go about it and it doesn’t mean you have to shoot the ball I’m not one of these guys oh why didn’t he take the shot if he kicked it to a role player because he saw two guys in his path and that guy took a shot I’m cool with that

I don’t I’m not one of I’ve never been one of those guys if you make the right play and it goes to a guy that is taking a shot that’s in his strength whatever that may be I’m good with it if that’s the right play to make but you have to

At least let that player if he’s your guy initiate action he’s got to touch the ball in important moments in a way that put some sort of pressure on the defense to force a reaction they didn’t do that down the stretch and I can walk you through some of these possessions in

A second three of them in a row and before I do that I want to get your thoughts um you know what you saw overall in the game and then particularly in the fourth quarter well for me it was all about the fourth quarter and to your point here’s how I

Always look at it when I talk about clutch teams and fourth quarter and how you’re going to win in the postseason do you have a thing that you go to repeatedly that you’re comfortable doing and to your point both car Anthony towns and Anthony Edwards it’s not like they

Have oh yeah they run this action I just talked about about the thunder they run the same action all year long they’ve been run the same action they get that screen they fade out it’s it’s kind of like you screen and Veer out and then Shay goes and attacks okay you run that

Option Mo your Murray and yic you run the two-man game with them you have an option with the Timberwolves it’s almost like they’re running plays you know like you have to drop a play and say this tonight we’re gonna run this action and you come off of here and he comes off

And curls around and if you screw any of that up or if you even just call the wrong play then you get bogged down and that’s what happened in last night’s game I thought they called some weird actions that took a little long to to develop and didn’t involve their two

Best players and then by the time the ball got to their two best players the clock’s winding down and there’s no opportunity to build something so to me that’s why I look at the Wolves it’s not just this game it’s what is their act what is their go-to end of game action

And if you don’t can’t say that off the top of your head that’s a concern greed here’s where it’s here’s here’s their here’s their advantage that they have that has to be utilized and I’m going to walk you through three possessions on the first one they use the advantage the

Advantage they have is that they’ve got two bigs on the court one of whom is a multi-dimensional offensively skilled player that that you can get the ball to in certain spots in Carl Anthony towns and that could be a that could be a pick and pop situation if he’s got space um

It could be a situation where he catches and he’s really good at driving and attacking um particularly a closeout guy and he’s really good at StraightLine dribble Drive strength getting through him or you can post him and he could do well in the post his back basket and the

Other big is just an absolute Menace with Rim runs and lobs and putting pressure on the backline defender if you run ball screen with what gobear does running to the glass and then he’s positioned down there for offensive rebounds too so that’s your identifying feature we’ve we’ve got size and we can

Put pressure on you in the paint against smaller teams to converge on the paint to create opportunities in on the perimeter that could mean listen Maybe that’s Anthony Edward in a ball screen initially with cat trying to get downhill see what’s there for him or it’s Conley but that’s what

Differentiates you you have to take advantage of that now it’s 8784 they run a set connley twice on the same set runs off a high ball screen to goar goar Dives hard to the rim first time there’s nothing there but you could see the Clipper sort of converge on the

Paint they didn’t have it so they kicked it back out connley ends up with the ball Again by the way at the start of the set they went to Anthony Edwards who came off hard on a ball screen but got traps who reversed the ball so then

Conley ran ball screen first time then ran it again and Adam a second time he ran it Gober Dove James Harden was on the weak side of the floor guarding Carl Anthony towns who was in the corner yeah James Harden had no choice but to run

All the way practically to the rim to Pro protect against gobear jumping to get a lob well then what that meant was when that skip pass towns from connley to the corner Harden’s running at him full speed and towns Blows By in Baseline and dunks the ball to cut it to

One great set multiple actions the ball chain sides it’ll four three times right let’s take a look at the next two sets next one they come down the floor Anthony Edwards just doesn’t even look remotely interested in trying to get the basketball he just floats around on the

Opposite side of the floor kind of stands out there 28 feet not involved Conley comes off same ball screen accident with goar goar Dives nothing was there Carl Anthony towns is the only other player on that side of the court and he’s got James Harden on his back on

The Block and I’m going okay they’re going to throw it in here here force a double team what does Carl Anthony towns do he runs to the corner he ran to the corner on the same side of the floor and then Conley gives it to him and now

Harden’s guarding him who by the way 66 pretty strong now all that Advantage you had at your Carl Anthony towns is gone you’re now actually at the mercy of James Harden who’s gonna be quicker than you laterally and that possession ended with towns taking a really awkward runner from behind the backboard right

Shoots this really high floater off one foot he’s literally behind the backboard he lets go no good and then that takes us to now that at that point they foul they’re down three yeah you go to the play with 13 seconds left in the game they run that Iverson action where

Anthony Edwards starts on the right elbow gets the cross screen across the elbow and he’s gonna flare out to the left wing well the way he turned his body they weren’t looking for a three-point shot that was obvious because he wasn’t he wasn’t squaring up

Like that it was one of those plays they were trying to let him catch it with an empty side against Paul George to just turn the corner and go and he could probably either get fouled get a shot attempt or score probably with nine 10 seconds left in the game and you still

Have a timeout you cut it to one that’s what they were trying to do Anthony ever catches the ball takes one dribble to his left jumps in the air and throws it back out to Carl Anthony Towns at 28 feet again guarded by a smaller player

Terence man and then he kind of dribbles around tries to get one off he can’t throws it back to Edwards who then drives and dunks it with three seconds left in the game and that’s pretty much how it ended just a total lack of organization or Identity or structure

What are you trying to accomplish um and I’ve seen it before out of them it’s a major probably the most significant question I have about their team is what are they going to do in close games against these other teams that have a clear identity and what they’re going to

Do offensively at the end of the game because last night was kind of a mess at the end in the last minute those three possessions the the cat push shot possession was the most frustrating to me because nothing sticks out more to me than a big having position on the Block

And getting pushed out by a smaller player it drives me nuts and to your point I don’t even know if he was pushed out or if he just conceded it it might have been just that he conceded it because he was more comfortable catching and trying to face up which again a bad

Decision for me here’s where I disagree with you legs or or where I would push back you the first possession that you’re talking about in that sequence was the it bought three ball reversals right that’s a little bit like a college game you’re asking a lot of guys to do

Some things and it worked out and maybe that is their recipe I don’t know if they have the players to consistently pull that off because now you’re requiring a lot of players to read the chord and to do all those things if you think about your best teams in the

Clutch they often have one or two decision makers and other guys that are just playing off of that and that’s why I think you’re right about that play really worked and it was good but in the clutch I just think they have to figure out is it all right what you said

Earlier double High screens with your two big cat pops and uh goar rolls but is it Anthony Edwards who has the ball they run that but it’s with Mike Conley and that means that Anthony Edwards is just a floor spacer in that set so are

You do you in my opinion they have to develop some kind of simpler offense that they can repeat five six seven times rather than count on Five Guys all making these colleges execution plays no I agree with I agree with a lot of what you said but here’s the thing first of

All that first set that worked they started with the ball with Anthony Edwards he came off a ball screen trying to make something happen drew two made the right play get it to the opposite side of the floor where there was a lot of space connley Wentz once gave it up

To McDaniels got it back because there was nothing there ran it again they were patient they great ball movement they made a defense work I agree like you’re not going to come down and run like a set like that all the time my point was they were utilizing one Anthony Edwards

In ball screen action initially to create a reaction and then they utilized their advantage which is take advantage of of the amount of people that are going to react to gobear diving at The Rim in that situation they’re going to get to the edge of the lane you’re going

To create opportunities on kickouts and on spacing they did it on that possession the next two they had no idea what they wanted to do look here’s I think what we’re dancing around here’s what they haven’t developed and most of the teams in this league where where we talk about star

Players that we don’t think necessarily like work well off of each other or do things that collectively like as a Duo put pressure on defense it’s because they play the same position right when you have a guy two guys that play different positions you should be able to generate a really difficult two-man

Game to react to and they don’t really do that with with Anthony Edwards or Carl Anthony towns that’s not and it should be a very difficult thing for them to defend and I’m G to tell you why I think they haven’t been able to I don’t think as talented as Anthony

Edwards is Anthony Edwards has not arrived yet as a guy that you can trust with his with a with a clean enough handle and and counter moves to come off ball screen that situation and make the right read which is either going to be a

A a a pull-up jumper three because a guy went under the screen and consistently make that shot he’s inconsistent from out there a mid-range if if the guy goes under and you push to that shot it’s probably the best of the options for Anthony Edwards what about if you have

To make a pocket pass what if you have to make come off of that and throw a lob off the move to that guy right these are all these are all plays that require like a skill set and a per a and a proper read and I don’t know that he’s

As polished as a lot of the guys in this league that we’re describing so as a result that Twan action that those two players should have created by now is not something that they really utilize very much and they certainly don’t do it when the game’s on the line so I think

That that is what if I’m if I’m one thing that I’m trying to create if I’m Chris Finch is that I need to figure out a way for those two players to interact in a way that puts maximum press on defenses with their decision- making and reads and switches kind of like jokic

And Murray do in Denver um you know they but they don’t do that this particular pairing and I think it’s it’s you know even even Shay when he gets operates with like Chad like what they’re able to accomplish in Reading off each other is really high level I don’t see that as

Much with Anthony Evers or Carl Anthony towns that to me is maybe the unfinished step like that’s the next Evolution for this team is creating that between those two players do you think there’s enough time because they haven’t really been aiming at this target legs and I have a feeling when

You’re a young team that has never you know won in the playoffs that one seat is so enticing and I just wonder if is there enough time now if they were to say look we could follow a spot or two in the standings we have to figure out

What our fourth quarter playoff offense is going to be and we’re gonna have to adjust and and maybe we lose some games is there enough time or do you feel like that’s more we’re probably late in the year that’s a multi-year process now for Anthony Edwards absolutely is that’s an

Off season for Anthony Ed that’s an off seon for him and and so that’s not going to happen on the Fly and unfortunately I think it’s going to come back and bite him in big spots I I do I think and and again the West is so unusual because

Normally you work your tail off all year you end up with a one or two seed like you would think okay we’re just flat out playing an inferior team in the first round and our talent alone will get us through that even if we even if we have

A couple tight spots that aren’t great overall we’re just better they could end up with a really difficult matchup right off the bat where these games are coming let’s say they get a team like Dallas in the first round now look their defense is so good but think about the

Difference in the way that Luca will control an important game possession by possession if it’s tight compared to what we see out of Minnesota I’m like I’m not saying that necessarily to win that series I’m just saying this is a question mark about Minnesota that I don’t know that you necessarily have

With some of these other teams that you think can make a Deep Run and potentially win this thing yeah every time I watch the Clippers players just spend a little bit of time on them real quickly every time I watch them play I Feel Like Norman Powell is such an

Important player to them he was awesome in this game nine of 13 six of eight from the three-point line I I just I I don’t know we only catch so many games because you got to watch a little bit of everybody but I swear every time I turn

Them on I’m like man he’s their X Factor every time that is so true look there were six other players that played in this game besides Paul George kawii Leonard and Norma Powell and those six players collectively had 18 points okay Norman po at 24 so think about

Where they’re at in a game this low scoring possessions were like this vital where he doesn’t have the KN that he has and by the way he made some really big defensive plays too that triggered some stuff that they were able to get out and

Run one he created with a break for a breakaway dunk um I completely agree with you he is vital he’s like the one guy that rises up other than if Paul George gets like cooking that rises up to take a three-point shot to expect it

To go in like on that team right and that’s how important it you know what his contribution is to them they didn’t play great in this game neither team did obviously with that kind of a score but it was kind of fun to watch a game

Played in the high 80s low 90s that comes down to the wire like that it was it was a lot of drama involved and it was clearly a game that mattered a lot to both teams there was an awful lot of energy expended with pressure out on the

Perimeter very little space that you normally only seen in NBA game it was pretty physical not a ton of three-point shots like taken not very many made at all this was a different style of game and it was actually kind of fun and refreshing to watch and it got me away

From the monotony of watching 80 to 100 three-point shots taken yeah the other note I have for the Clippers a very brief one bones Highland has been in the rotation the last two games obviously with Russell Westbrook out he has been on the Shelf they have not trusted him

For most of the year he’s not shoo well 0 of three did have two assists was a plus 11 I I’m just curious to watch him because he’s such a talented but volatile player and that is a veteran old team and he is a young immature

Player but he’s very skilled and so far it’s been two games and he’s played within himself albeit not making his shots but as we talk about the thin margins one two three and four they’re they’re gonna have to survive with Bon Highlands playing heavy minutes here for the next you know foreseeable future

They definitely are they had two point guards play in the game combined for 48 minutes James hard and Bones Highland and they combined to go 0 for 13 from the field so they didn’t get a whole lot of production at them out of the point guard spot in this game but they still

Were able to win and I think in in large part to some of the deficiencies we talked about Minnesota we love their defense we love their size right they they’ve got I think a lot of knights they have pretty good cohesion but their offense is we’ve talked about it

Repeatedly can they get to the number that they need to get to on a nightly basis and look last night they only needed to get to 90 and they weren’t able to do that against a Clippers team that just look at these look at the stat

Lines of these players I mean even Paul George is five for 16 like up and down the roster Kawai was pretty darn good 12 for 26 Norman pal that was it and the Clippers still won the game that’s a good sign for them to win it on a night

They played that way um and a a maybe an ominous sign for the T rules two big games over the weekend between what I and I think you perceived to be the League’s two best play uh teams the Denver Nuggets go into Los Angeles short-handed without kcp and

They get a 124 114 win over the Lakers and what was impressive about this one the last seven and a half minutes of the fourth quarter was about perfection from the Denver Nuggets including eight of eight to close out the game eight scored on their final eight possessions and

They scored in ways that made you feel like yeah they did exactly what they wanted and then on the other side the Boston Celtics got a 140 to 88 blowout win over the Golden State Warriors which of those two games was more impressive to you the blowout win or the perfect

Clutch win I I would go nuggets because number one you know you’re in a game you’re you’re fighting for your life to win a game to to watch what they did the last six minutes of the game and the Simplicity with which they play when

They have to play that way it’s so basic and simple and there’s no over dribbling there’s no there’s nothing that’s wasted everything’s purposeful and it’s so direct and clean what they’re now look on the to finish those off you got to make shots and look they had some right

At The Rim they had some from the three they had some from the midrange so they did a little bit of everything so the ball’s got to go in or you’re having a different conversation but the fact that you’re getting those quality possessions at that time in the game over and over

And over and on the other end you’re just kind of figuring like LeBron’s not going to keep doing what he’s doing he’s not going to keep scoring every time down the court Austin Reeves had a couple big moments all right I dare you hit another three you know when he had

To have it he didn’t make that shot that that’s not what Denver’s doing they’re coming down and they’re precisely carving you up based on what the defense is reacting to their initial action they’re taking something so simple and easy um and that’s why look man it it’s

To me it’s it revolves around joic and his greatness he’s immovable you can’t really really you can’t really uh scheme for him there’s nothing that’s effective because he’s too versatile of a player offensively he’s too big and strong and he’s too smart and it revolves around

Him and the way that those guys operate around his orbit in those big moments like and that’s what they did in that game then they just they’re so comfortable in those spots too because they’ve been through it all now they went all the way and they got this thing

Across the finish line there’s no situation they haven’t seen and thrived in and that helps tremendously when you get into a one possession game five minutes too I did a a breakdown of the final seven minutes and 30 seconds of this game up on the dmvr YouTube channel

You could check that out maybe we’ll put a link in the description of this show that’s the team I cover so I I was so impressed with how Denver handled the last seven minutes that I broke down every literally every single play on both ends of the Court one of the things

That stands out to me though about him and we’re talking about you said simplifies the game Murray and yic can read without any hesitation without any loss of time they can read exactly what the defense is giving them and know what their adjustment is to it and in that

Game it wasn’t that they just went to the pick and roll they actually went to double High stagger they went to uh a little chest action and got yic on the elbow isolating they went to different plays but it it was within those plays if the if the defense went over a screen

Okay they adjust this way if a defense brought the help from the corner whatever it was those guys have been through everything and they just know right like that oh they’re guarding it this way we go to this action and that’s why it was so impressive is they got a

Dunk to finish the game it was a dunk a lob dunk when a team is locked in thinking we can’t give up a point they make it so easy they get a dunk and it’s because at paper rock scissors or rock paper scissors as some people say if

They know exactly what the counter is to whatever the defense throws yeah and some of it was easy um or at least it looks easy like kcp had to drive all the way to the rim and get a layup at a really important time in the game Jamal

Holiday not even kcp his replacement just in holiday in this game but you’re right holiday that’s what I meant to say and then it was Jamal Murray he drove from the right corner right along the Baseline for an easy layup yic caught the one unbelievable catch they threw to

Him in traffic he caught the ball at The Rim laid it in but then they had some other ones that required a little bit more Michael Porter like with a nice up fake you know one dribble Baseline the defender flies by hits a pull up midi Jamal Murray a turnaround jumper on the

Left mid-range post uh fading toward the Baseline hit a big shot and then I think one of the biggest was the Aaron Gordon 3 because that’s a bonus right the you know the way he has shot the ball this year and it’s the one thing people want

To give Denver and then he pops out to the you know the left corner and hits that three at a really important time in the game and it’s just like you’re just watching this team and I use the word certainty a lot because I think that

When you eliminate like any sort of of Doubt or wonder about what’s about to happen when you take that out of the equation and it’s amazing what what it looks like and that’s what Denver plays with they’re just sure they’re sure of themselves and I that’s starting to see

A little bit of that in Oklahoma City too like they seem pretty sure in any situation how this is about to go and the it’s the same reason for both teams because each of them have a player that they know for a fact is not going to be

Affected by what you throw at them they are going to operate in their space the way that they want to and so you can you you then it gives you such Peace of Mind knowing well we know that’s going to happen with our best guys so now you

Just have to stay in your lane and make shots if the situation calls for it because those two players are going to be here they’re going to be here all night they’re going to be here no matter what is thrown at them in important moments and and I’m seeing some of that

In Shay obviously totally different style but at very similar outcoming result there’s just nothing you can do to affect him in a way that throws their offense off kilter it’s the same thing with joic and Denver the Celtics though 25 three-pointers that’s pretty wild they are a team that is most in my

Opinion the team most likely to go off for 20 25 threes 25 threes is an enormous amount like if people don’t know I was tracking earlier in the year how many times teams would hit 23s because 20 is like an insane margin and the Celtics would hit it as much as

Anybody but 25 that’s like their their own bar um they’re just capable of doing that and so I think that blowout win also impressive and legs this week is going to be an incredible week because we have great games throughout the week including tonight’s game I mentioned earlier Clippers Milwaukee

Should be a good one but Boston and Denver are are slated to match up on Thursday Boston has an 11 game win streak Denver has a six game win streak I believe six or seven game win streak both of those teams look like they are

In a tier of their own and they’re on a collision course for each other carrying win streaks into a Thursday matchup I’m very excited to see how they stack up I can’t wait I mean remember and remember let’s dial it back a little bit Denver

Went in there won a game 198 right that to that point in the year was my favorite game I had watched all season I thought that the officiating was great because they let them play in that game it felt like it felt like what a late round playoff or Finals game would look

Like between those two teams and if you think about it you know stylistically that was Denver imposing their will on the Celtics and slowing this Buzz saw down because they they hit you with a flood with a Floodgate Of Three sometimes that you can’t recover from

That’s what happened in this game and it started right at the beginning first trip Jaylen Brown walks up just walks into wide open three bangs it and jayen and Draymond daring him to shoot makes five Jay Brown makes five threes in the first quarter game over basically um

Some incredible numbers with with Boston um that that my research Department gave me this morning so they they won 11 straight their average margin of w Victory is 22 points 22 points but now look it Scoot a little bit because they had a 52o win a

50o win and a 40o win all right so they had three games it does help but still it’s but still you’re 100 percent right you know when they when they get going like this because there’s so many guys that can hurt you they take more threes

And eight team in the league they shoot they shoot an incredible percentage that so many and Pingas didn’t even play in this game that’s another guy cable of hitting five to eight threes any given night uh nobody can really do quite what they do atam offensively nobody’s got

That kind of Firepower so what you have to do you’ve got to just figure out a way to do the best you can to make sure that that they’re taking more contested shots from the three-point line and then you have to be really good on the other

End to get the game favorable in your pace because this turns into an up and down sort of free flowing game you’re not gonna be able to slow this team down and and that’s what Denver was really good at up in Boston let’s see if they

Can do it again on Thursday night in Denver I know Boston’s got to have this one circled based on the way that first game went so given that Denver beat him and snapped their home win streak remember they were 21-0 at that point at home and given that they have just

Beaten to your point teams by 50 40 points you know in a row if you lose to Denver does it give you a Psy is it a psychological Edge a meaningful psychological Edge that you’re smacking everybody you’re playing the best basketball you have all season but

There’s this one team that got you when you had it circled no question I and I’m not necessarily a big believer in that when it comes to professional athletes or when it comes to the NBA you know it you know you think ah you know you

Dismiss it it’s one night I don’t agree with that they are the measuring stick for the Boston Celtics period and Boston can say all they want it’s about us and you know how we play and all that and that’s great and that’s what most basketball coaches want to believe but

Then you’ve got this team out there this measuring stick like the team that you definitely have to compare yourself to if they get them again if Denver gets them again at home and particularly if the game has a similar vibe to it where Boston is not just out just bombing you

Away and they’re not getting all these clean right it has that you know 104 101 look to it something like that yes I do think it and look they won’t have to see them again until the finals right right so a lot can happen between now and then

But you’re not going to get another crack at them to figure this code out that’s why this game is really important to Boston to not only win the game but to get the game more to their liking in terms of pace and the way they’re offense flows when they’re at their best

Because that was not the case the first time they played yeah quick hitters real quick before we get out of here legs Jaylen Brunson got hurt I have not seen an update on that injury it might have come out while we were doing the show but Jaylen Brunson goes down in a win

Over the Cavaliers and that was kind of a big win you know the Knicks and Cavs used to be right there in the standings but the Knicks are snake bit man we raved about them I’m not gonna lie there might be a legler curse because we’re

Gonna talk about the Mavs here in a second we had had the Mavs we were riding high on and they’re slipping we were high on the Knicks earlier they started slipping so I don’t know man maybe it’s a Modz curse but I don’t I don’t the only thing the only thing I’ll

Say any any any statements I make along the way uh I’ll own if they’re off but I but that doesn’t happen until the end of the season right because these are these are regular season games I went in on the Mavericks this morning on some TV work because I just flat out after

Watching them against Philadelphia they don’t play hard enough bottom line they do not play hard enough defensively Dall Dallas I’m talking yeah so just you just mentioned them so I’m finishing that up um yeah I mean that’s that’s that’s their biggest issue for me is the Dallas

Mavericks and the Knicks you brought up the Knicks they’re so banged up right now I Brunson injur is weird because it was it looked like non- contct but then they showed a replay where they said he banged knees prior to that catching the ball and elevating that was so weird the

Way he reacted I was very afraid it was something really serious looked like torn knee yeah for sure it look like something with his kneecap or patella he you know they say bone bruise I’ll take the word for it so we’ll see here’s the thing it’s crazy

Because you all you have to do is avoid the Celtics bracket and be healthy and the Knicks have every bit as much of a right to think that they can get to a Conference Final as the Bucks the caves the heat any of those teams if you play

The Celtics in the first or second round your season’s going to end like it has been ending and last year was a second round loss to the Miami Heat it’ll end that way again if you get Boston in the second round so it comes down to like at

This point they had a shot at two Adam that’s not going to happen now I can’t see them getting the two seat as hurt as they are as banged up as they are they just’s too much space there’re probably not gonna be two or three you don’t want

To be four or five you’d actually rather be six at this point and take your chances with the bucks or Cavs in the first round assuming by the way you’re fully healthy I still think think if they’re healthy with the depth that they have I still think the Knicks have every

Bit as much of a chance to get to the Conference Finals if they can avoid Boston as any of the teams I mentioned but I’ve got to see it and they’re running out of time to establish a rhythm of flow and a rotation for Tom Tibido

Yeah the that if if healthy is becoming a bigger and bigger if by the day sadly unfortunately hopefully we get an update on Brunson soon wanyama by the way 31126 and6 we don’t even have to talk about the game but um 30 a 30.4 by5 is becoming standard now which is kind of

Funny I we don’t even have to mention it legs but it’s just it’s just kind of funny that he keeps doing this we did have a super chat though Emma what do we got the Super Chat from Teddy Hart $20 thank you very much he says how do y’all

Feel about the people who gripe about chat not being a true rookie being in the running for Rookie of the Year same with Blake Griffin and Ben Simmons if they’re correct then those great second-year rookies should win MIP by default right so how do you feel about

This an interesting question how do you feel about this red shirt rookies being eligible for rookie of the year I mean here’s the thing my personal opinion is that it shouldn’t count interesting it shouldn’t count the difference between a guy that’s been with an NBA team All

Season whether he’s playing or not and what you are learning and maturing and picking up on it’s the best strength conditioning you’ve ever had the best competition you’ve ever going to face when you’re when you’re when you’re practicing the best level coaching everything you’re a pro for an entire

Year it’s a massive advantage over a rookie but here’s the thing having said that I look at it like this I if the rules allow it then the rules allow it I’m not going to sit here and take anything if Chad Homer were were to be if there wasn’t a Victor wanyama and

Chad hren was going to be the Rookie of the Year this year I am not in any way gonna denigrate it that’s beyond my decision making they made the decision you are eligible to Win It guys have done it so ched hren would be eligible

To do it and if he was a rookie of the year and I felt he was I wouldn’t even bring up the fact that he was a second-year player fact I haven’t mentioned it once all year because it’s that’s already been decided right that’s what the league wants fine if you’re

Asking my opinion I would view it differently I think that’s a massive advantage to guys I think there should be a minimum number of games that you have to play as a rookie what is the advantage what is the advantage you have in in in being there for year said it’s

A massive Advantage is it just familiarity with terminology and things like what is the advantage oh it’s it’s absolutely it’s it’s it’s the communication that you’re getting from that coaching staff and from guys that have been in the league for a while and what you are absorbing every day

Watching that sitting Courtside watching that level of talent watching the way the the NBA game looks and feels the speed of it the the athleticism associated with it and by the way you’re just the the pro life the pro life that you’re living is completely different I

I think for young a lot of young players and I can even say this about wanyama I mean wanyama right now Leaps and Bounds over what he was in November December yeah just the growth he’s shown this year because he looks comfortable now as a pro just that part alone like the

Whole culture shock thing of man I’m on the court with dudes that I like idolized and I’m out here playing with these guys all that’s gone by the time you step on the court as when you’re’ been there a whole year already so I just think that your ability to relax

And be comfortable and make maintain the speed and Pace you want to play at that’s that’s to your you know to your best advantage that’s what you get when you’ve been sitting there for a year that you don’t get as a rookie now look

You can find it as a rookie and but for some guys it takes two three months or some guys it takes the whole year um but if you’ve been sitting there for a year you have an advantage game game night one when you step on the court in that

Second year even though you’re a rookie you missed you have a totally different feel about it and and the anxiety that you have about performing you you’re kind of confident by that point you know you can handle it because you just watched it for a year up

Close another great show legs this was a really good one and I have a feeling all of them this week are going to be absolutely incredible shows because as we mentioned man Monday through Friday there are big games in the NBA there’s a lot of good teams I think we’re lucky

That there’s so many good teams it makes for so many good games down the stretch um and I think it all culminates with Friday show which will be recapping that Boston Nuggets game which I’m already looking forward to any final thoughts before we get out of here no man it’s

Just going to get better and better I thought today the topic the conversation was fantastic uh setting up a great week and I thought the chat was fantastic as well we appreciate all of you guys active today in the chat talking Hoops with us we appreciate it

Don’t forget to hit that like button for us on the way out share the show on social media rate review And subscribe on Apple podcast Spotify podcast rev you listen we’ll see you Tomorrow We all cting like the mayor

The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, scored a victory over the Phoenix Suns with a final score of 111-99 in the fourth quarter. However, there is concern for the Suns as their star player, Devin Booker, sustained an ankle injury which could lead to difficulties for the team. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered their second consecutive home loss as they fell to the Los Angeles Clippers with a score of 89-88. Finally, let’s take a look at what’s happening around the league.

00:00 – Intro
01:40 – Thunder-Suns notes
04:23 – SGA and OKC Thunder in the clutch
11:55 – Best 1 on 1 scorers
17:19 – Chet Holmgren vs Jusuf Nurkic or vs Nikola Jokic
20:14 – Phoenix Suns notes
23:24 – Bizarre flagrant foul review into a challenge
28:50 – Clippers-Timberwolves notes
31:40 – Tim Legler breaking down 3 Timberwolves plays
42:07 – Do the Timberwolves have time before the playoffs?
43:29 – Norman Powell
45:16 – Bones Highland
46:57 – Lakers-Nuggets notes
52:54 – Celtics dominating
57:30 – Jalen Brunson injury
58:00 – Legler Curse ???
1:00:02 – Chet up for Rookie of the year

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