Stephen A. vs. JJ Redick vs. Mad Dog 🍿 Nuggets-Timberwolves & Jayson Tatum criticism 🏀 | First Take

Stephen A. vs. JJ Redick vs. Mad Dog 🍿 Nuggets-Timberwolves & Jayson Tatum criticism 🏀 | First Take

Anthony Edwards game tying three-point shot hit off the rim As Time expired allowing the Nuggets to escape Minnesota with a 115 112 win Tuesday Denver moves a game ahead of the t-wolves in the west the two teams will meet twice more that’s on March 29th and April 10th the

Nuggets now moving second place in the west just percentage points behind the Thunder but our ESPN analytics give Oklahoma City a 41% chance to be the one seed and it has Denver with the hardest remaining schedule in the League interesting is last night more about Denver or Minnesota Stephen I think it

Was more about Minnesota simply because without Carl Anthony towns playing the second game of a back-to-back they came out on that floor and they fought against the reigning defending NBA champions led by the best player in basketball and Nia yic that’s the way I look at it it’s just that simple to me

And so you come into a game we started off the show yesterday we were talking about Anthony Edwards and what he was going to what what he’s capable of delivering we were all singing his praise or what have you he shows up on the court last night how does he start

The game off playing Center you know for the jump ball or stuff like that you just see a guy as JJ pointed out accurately yesterday that just gets it it’s not just about his youth um it’s not just about his ability as a play it’s that youthful enthusiasm that comes

Along with it him wanting to be out on the court him wanting to perform him sensing the fact that he’s the Marquee and oh I’m going to answer the call and then going out there and going at the Denver Nuggets the way that he did the Denver Nuggets is just an elite team

There champions for a reason yic is just something special to behold his backto back threes obviously you just looking you just thr up your hands like this guy is Sensational he really really is but Anthony Edwards finishing with 38 and8 I didn’t like the way Minnesota was

Jacking up threes in the fourth quarter JJ too many threes weren’t really trying to get to the basket wasn’t making them because they just seemed flat at that particular moment in time but I can’t say enough about Anthony Edwards from a personality stand Point his willingness to embrace the challenge the moment the

Hype and hoopla that comes along with it that’s what I walked away thinking about and remember they play each other again I think two more times March 29th April 10 exactly so they play each other two more times they already one-onone on with the season and come playoff time

Carl Anthony towns will be back and for based on what we saw last night if they were to meet it seems like it would be a highly competitive series which is all you can ask for yeah for for me this was more about the nuggets and I’ll say this

As a player for 15 years and as now a fan who watches basketball every night I how many times have we seen a fully loaded team a very good team go against an underman team and that underman team outperforms expectations like this is an opportunity for each guy Luke Garza getting big

Minutes right this is an opportunity nille Alexander Walker having getting to play a bigger role the the Denver Nuggets right now to me are in Championship form I agree coach Michael bone talked about this text message that Nicole yic sent over Allstar break hey guys we got to come

Back from break with a the proper Focus they’re 12-2 since the break them along with Boston have looked like the class of the NBA since the All-Star break Michael Porter Jr the way he’s played the way he closed last night that’s what it’s about to me absolutely having that

Guy that you can rely on he is averaging over 20 a games since the All-Star break shooting over 40% from three and the interesting thing about last night 63% of clutch time this year there you go the interesting thing about last night to me was this notion that uh we can

Beat the Nuggets if we make joic a score he had two assists last night only time he’s had that few of an assists was back in November against the Houston Rockets he feels the game he reads the game they start the game last night with Kyle

Anderson on him what does he do plays aggressive he’s got Luke Gars on him what does he do he plays aggressive he feels the game and he reads the game to Perfection almost every time I love him he’s a great and I tell you I do understand your point about Denver I I

Think that team is going to win a championship again and this is an interesting little rivalry because Minnesota played Denver very well last year they were down 3 they won the fourth game and they lost the game five in overtime did you do that game in

Overtime in Denver that was a great game they almost won they almost lost the game six in that series I did game three of but I know you did a game but Minnesota’s played Denver pretty well I got to give Minnesota a little break they have the teams out so I’m not going

To make too big a deal about that but I’m generally with you Denver continues to beat the Celtics twice they won in La when Kareem when uh Lebron had the 40,000 Point earlier in the year on a Saturday night lot of hoopla they beat the Warriors behind in Golden state that

Team is a tough team and I think they’re going to win the whole thing I want to say this I’m still not sold I’m not I’m not giving up on Boston I still think Boston I I think Boston and Denver appear to be on a collision course and I

Think that Boston that’s the finals we should have had last year Boston against Denver I thought it would have been a better matchup um in the NBA Finals I think definitely it would be an ideal matchup right there because second in terms of offensive efficiency Denver’s

Second only to to Boston right now at this particular moment in time last night Porter joic 22 points in the fourth quarter seven for seven shooting didn’t miss a shot Porter if he’s playing that way that’s the only time I look at Denver and I say no one has a

Chance I’ve been thinking Boston Boston Boston but if Porter plays that way and he’s more assertive more aggressive because you see him at times in the past correct me if I’m wrong being a bit more differential to obviously joic and Jamal Murray if this dude is aggressive and

Efficient like we’ve seen him I don’t think anybody can beat him I just don’t see that happening he’s figured out his role yeah and he’s embraced his role and so he has now he’s now comfortable with where his shots are going to be and when his shots are coming and I think that’s

That’s a big thing especially for a younger guy who at one point was averaging over 20 points a game before he got hurt he has now just completely Embrace this role of being the third but I think we could say that I think that’s what makes Denver so great and you got

To give Coach Malone so much credit because I think their starters all of them except their Ro they they play their position you know you don’t see anybody clamoring to step on toes and to be more than what they’re supposed to be it’s like everybody has clearly defined

Roles they fully accept it and there’s no problem no drama whatsoever I think Denver deserves a lot of credit for that and 26 points for him on the road you know that third score you like to see how he does on the road there you go

He’s played well I don’t know how he’s done all year in a row but that’s a big performance last night thing is Milwaukee is going to play the Celtics in the in the conference final unless you think Cleveland’s going to beat Milwaukee because Milwaukee is going to

Be a two or three seed because they three games ahead up on the five and a four so Milwaukee if they unless you think Cleveland’s going to beat him Milwaukee is going to be in the conference final and we all think the Celtics going to be in the conference

Final so that percentage should be more than 34% I’ll let you guys Wrangle over that here’s the thing about Tatum okay if you look at the top 10 players in the league right now and I was doing this the other day top 10 in the league where

Would you put Tatum about eight seven top 10 one of the top 10 players in the game well he is one of the top 10 but what number would he be I got to think about it but it certainly wouldn’t be as low as eight in my oh I think it gu it

Would I don’t think so well let’s go through him okay let’s do it yic I love doing this exercise we did it last year with Jaylen Brown you got to like 23 oh I have a down on him yeah I know I’m not down he’s not as good as joic we would

Agree with that correct okay he’s not goes LeBron we would agree with that at this point at you got even now in a big game oh in a big series you’re taking LeBron you’re taking big series well well listen I’m not talking about 82 games I’m talking about a big series

Life on the line I’m talking 82 games cuz that does matter that doesn’t matter you get reputation in the postseason taking LeBron James post game seven series a seventh game a seven game series right now my life is on a line would I rather have LeBron or Tatum I’m

Taking LeBron I’ll go with LeBron because of experience I can’t I can’t dismiss that but I I I love Tatum’s chances I think you’re dismissing him all right in a seven game series you’re taking Leonard or you’re taking him Leonard’s healthy Ka Leonard hey you can’t say that if Leonard’s healthy when

He never is Durant or Durant or him Durant don’t even don’t even hesitate JJ that’s four I gave you four right off the B well not even thinking without even giving it too much thought embiid or t I’m going with that’s okay so I haven’t even thought about this Curry

Rotato yeah six so before you even dig into it he’s no better than seven but this isn’t easy these aren’t easy it’s not these aren’t no they are no brainers but but what I have a question then if you’re saying that he’s not a top five player he’s not top five

Not is he better than Giannis he’s not better than then why is he being criticized like a top five player oh that’s a fair one argument that’s fair just getting the money that’s fair that’s a fair point though no it’s not about the money it’s not about the money

Money Mad Dog this is in the 1990s Buddy jayen Brown is Jaylen Brown the second best play is getting $34 million which is ridiculous okay well it’s today’s market it’s all about what the market Bears is he better than jannis it’s you know that very well if anybody knows

About Market what a I’m not I’m not listen Mad Dog I’m not here to debate who’s better between any player he there’s about eight nine players better than he is correct he’s a top 10ish player he’s a top top 10ish player that’s easy he’s also been First Team

All NBA the last two years here’s the thing I think I actually think whether you want to call it criticism or not I think the analysis around him not winning an NBA championship to this point I think it’s fair and I think it’s natural and the reason is because of the

Early success most High lottery picks that are a number three pick don’t walk onto a team that then makes a Conference Finals their rookie year most of the time there’s this growth process everybody’s really excited about this guy and then by year four or five when they’ve had a little bit of playoff

Success we start with the criticism of not winning the big one Jason tanb has known nothing but playoffs nothing but deep playoff runs for the six years and so the criticism is fair because that’s what we do for every player Luca donic makes a Conference Final or Conference Finals in

2022 everybody was so bullish on Luca it wasn’t until last year when Dallas struggled after the trade they don’t make even make the play in all of a sudden the chatter starts with Luca this is the natural progression for most players Jason Tatum had earlier success than most players because of the way

That Boston Celtics stock piled those draft picks he he joined a team that was already pretty good they get Kyrie Irving he doesn’t he doesn’t play in the playoff years in 2018 they lose in the second round in 2019 right they go back 20 2020 2022 2023 okay I get it I get

The criticism I think it’s fair it’s fair and it’s natural for how we talk about the best players in the world why do you say fair and natural but seem so unhappy when you say that you do angry I’m not I’m not I’m not you seem unhappy

About it you say it’s fair I do you I give it to you you say it’s fair but you seem unhappy about what you acknowledge is fair my natural state of being is one of an elevated level of expression I got it I got it okay all

Right fine your whole life you know good question you should see me in a locker room oh Lord I have it trust me I know I know but let me say this to you Jason Tatum right now doggy this status for you he’s on track to join Larry Bird as

The only players in Celtics history to average at least 25 points per game in four consecutive years here’s where the fair criticism comes in Larry Bird and that span won three NBA titles and three League MVPs you Jason Tatum you have neither in either category so of course people are

Going to look at it I look at the fact that he’s young as young as he is he’s been to the Conference Finals at least four times four or five times he been to an NBA finals I think what’s knocking and what’s being held against him was his performance in that NBA finals

Against Golden State he wasn’t even the second best player on the court it was Steph Curry it was Jaylen Brown and some people’s eyes obviously you look at it was I think Andrew Wiggins you can sit up there and say he was fourth because Jason Tatum didn’t have that great of a

Series I believe in this [Applause] [Applause] kid

Stephen A. vs. JJ Redick vs. Mad Dog 🍿 Nuggets-Timberwolves & Jayson Tatum criticism 🏀 | First Take

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, JJ Redick and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo discuss the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and more.

0:00 Reaction to Nuggets-Timberwolves
4:42 Thoughts on Michael Porter Jr.
9:25 Jayson Tatum criticism

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