Will bully ball beat small ball in this year’s NBA playoffs? | ALL NBA Podcast

Will bully ball beat small ball in this year’s NBA playoffs? | 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 mtis and I’m joined by my esteemed colleague on this Monday morning Tim legler legs how you doing I’m doing great man big big day big day got a lot of obviously

It’s a a momentous day for the league every single year honoring Martin Luther King Jr so a Full Slate starting with afternoon games on on Monday so it’s a little different for the players uh Iowa caucuses tonight we got politics going on we got all kinds of stuff going on

Man crazy weather all over the country it’s it’s a big day for sure I don’t think we’re going to be doing much on the weather or the caucuses today but we are talking about the Slate of games so both from the weekend and obviously for

Today we’re going to do a deep dive on the Clippers and the Wolves as well as the Kings and the bucks those are the two big games yesterday that were happening we had some news over the weekend we’ll get into and then since we’re at the halfway mark almost exactly

The halfway mark of the Season we’re going to talk about some bold statements that we can make right now that we maybe couldn’t have made at the start of the year but first we are presented as always by DraftKings Sportsbook um you guys check out what

They have to offer right now with promo code all NBA life’s more fun when you’re in on the action DraftKings the crown is yours if you have a gambling problem called- 1800 Gambler age and eligibility restrictions apply avoid were prohibited draftkings.com for details legs a couple notes from over the weekend the first

One I have for you there was a trade in the NBA and it was amongst two of the worst teams in all the NBA there it is on the the screen the Pistons get Danilo galinari and Mike muscala some much needed shooting for a team that had no

Floor spacing and shooting the Wizards received Mar Marvin Bagley the third Isaiah livers and two second round picks in the upcoming drafts not this year but 2025 and 2026 all right so I found this trade somewhat interesting because they are two of the worst teams in the NBA and

They’re going with two different strategies the Pistons who are in danger of having the worst record of all time they need to get up to that nine at least nine wins this season to tie which means they need to get six wins twice as many as they got in the first half they

Have to get that in the second half so they add muscala who can shoot and D Danilo G galinari who used to be able to shoot although hasn’t much and I think they’re just hoping that that gives them a little bit more spacing so again I

They don’t have any hopes of any long term you clear up your books a little bit those are both expiring contracts but this year they want to get to nine or 10 wins is that enough to do it muscala and galinari you know it’s funny when you first started um this segment

And you said you found this trade pretty interesting or a little bit interesting I believe is what you said and I would say that is a little bit more than I found it interesting I will tell like I’ll say like I don’t think I don’t know

That it would have been possible to come up with a trade that actually occurred that I think would be like less impactful on anything than this trade um Marvin Marvin baggley is it’s just a fascinating guy because I don’t know how you felt about Marvin baggley coming out

Um and into the draft I thought Marvin Bagley was a guy that was GNA be you know a a 20 and 10 type of guy in the league I really did with his length his athleticism he’s got a soft touch he just seemed like a prototypical modern

Day four that could run pick and pop he can shoot the ball a little bit hard to believe this is his seventh year in the NBA seventh year because I say that because you know I know it wasn’t gonna happen right away but you think by like

Year three four well guess what we’re three four years past year three four and it’s his his career is actually regressing the first year he got to Detroit he actually played decent that year and in his first real opportunity because he never really got that in Sacramento he got a real opportunity in

Detroit um to make it happen and he averaged 14 points a game that first year in Detroit his his scoring average has dropped each of the subsequent two years that he’s been there and I just don’t know what the reason is um but it it’s not gonna happen for Marvin Marvin

Hegley that he’s uh that he’s gonna be uh the player that we thought he was going to be so this is just like another landing spot for him there’s obviously a ton of opportunity in going there there’s there’s minutes to be had in Washington and I just don’t know what

Difference that makes now from your from your perspective the from the Detroit side like they’re adding some pieces maybe that fit a little bit better with what they want to do with spacing and shooting but I just again I I just I think there were people earlier this

Year that were surprised that Danielo giner was still in the league like people had forgot that he was even in the NBA at this point so I just don’t I don’t know that this really does much for either team maybe you know the picks turn into something that Washington’s

Getting but again they second rounders I I I just don’t know at the end of the day will we be looking at this at the end of the season and saying this legitimately helped either team I’m not sure we will the only reason I find it interesting is because the Detroit

Pistons did not care about tanking this year they knew they were going to be bad they knew they were going to be one of the four worst teams they’re going to have a good shot at the number one pick but three wins that’s what gets you

Fired if you set Rec records for being bad that’s what gets you fired so that’s the only reason I found this interesting is one if you’re the Detroit Pistons all right the wizard side of it real quick they get two second rounders you’re right it’s not much but they’re giving

Away guys that they don’t care about so they’re just we picked up a couple shots in the dark in second rounders as they start their rebuild in Earnest whereas Detroit is looking at this saying we need to see if Cade Cunningham is as good as we hoped he would be and the

Only way to do that is to give him more spacing and then on top of that we have to get up to nine or t wins if we get seven wins this year everybody’s fired you know you might have then some you’re not there to get to see the rebuild that

You set out to do so I think that this was a desperation move to just try to grab a couple extra wins for Detroit and I look at it and I go Danilo galinari used to be a good three-point shooter just like he used to be a good

Basketball player I think the injuries have Zapped that from him and I don’t know that he gives you anything uh but Mike muscala maybe allows you to play some of your other bigs that are remaining their Wiseman beef stew you know my guy uh Isaiah Stewart you might

Be able to play play muscala along both of those guys and now you have floor spacing to be able to run pick and roll and you get a better idea of what you have in in Kate Cunningham and everybody else there that you’re trying to see is

It worth committing to so I understand it and I do think it’s a desperation thing where they look at this and go 330 three and 36 nobody’s talking about the Wizards nobody’s talking about the Hornets nobody’s really talking about the Blazers everyone’s talking about the pist pistons and how bad they are and

How historically bad they are and this maybe clawed them out of that just enough to save face it’s the only reason I find it interesting and to be honest with you it’s kind of a fun storyline now for me with Detroit are they going to pick up seven wins in the back half

Of the Season uh I’m gonna have my eyes locked on that the other piece of news that happened the Chicago Bulls introduced The Ring Of Fame uh their to honor their past uh history at all these great players Michael Jordan Scotti Pippen not in attendance for this event

But what happened was Jerry krauss’s Widow was there they announced Jerry Krauss and the entire Stadium viciously booed it wasn’t just a little boo it was a big one I saw legs on Twitter you were upset with the response from the crowd my take on it is that crowds are pretty

Predictable in how they’re going to respond to things you kind of know I actually am more bothered by the Chicago Bulls and how they handled that event you knew the crowd was gonna oh you put his face up there they’re GNA boo you have the Widow there you cut to her and

She is absolute shambles I actually am more bothered with the bulls oper than I am with Chicago Bulls fans which look fans like to boo they like to cheer they like to boo I guess I guess I’m coming at it from a couple different perspectives number one I played against those teams

In the 90s right so I I know what they accomplished during that decade we all do and Jerry Krauss had a big big hand in that okay now there’s there’s a lot of different reasons why people feel the way they do and he certainly wasn’t depicted very in a very flattering way

In the last dance and right that that formed a lot of people’s opinion of him that didn’t really know much about the behind the scenes story and stuff but again that was that whole thing was created from a particular slant from a particular point of view right so you

Have to always view it that way my my problem with this is twofold number one I don’t think and you know look this is just me subjective my opinion I don’t think I’ve ever booed at a sporting event in my life really okay never I and

I listen I’m a I’m a commander fan you know going back Redskins Glory Days is growing up okay I me that right but I didn’t have to and I was growing up because we were good all the time right but so then but then look at all the lean years there a couple

Decades of really bad football and me going down there driving sometimes you know seven hour round trip game day to go to these games from New Jersey down to DC get back up there see a bad football game um and you know you only have eight or nine home games a year and

And but I still I never saw the point of it it really doesn’t affect athletes you’re not affecting anything you you’re showing your displeasure I guess at either effort or poor performance whatever it may be I just never got it I just don’t understand why people think

That that somehow is going to have some sort of an impact are you just expressing yourself so that’s first okay so I don’t understand that in general but here’s the thing that really bothers me why do people hold on to now in some cases some of these younger fans that were at the

Game and started building probably don’t even know anything about Jerry Crow they heard people booing that were fans during that era right and oh this boo like anybody in Authority gets booed right every time a commissioner comes out to award somebody anytime you bring out a team executive it’s boo right for

The most part I okay that’s just I guess the mentality I don’t understand on a night that is honoring the greatest decade right basically in the history of your franchise and it certainly hasn’t been very good since that ended for the Chicago Bulls that you would still hold on to that

Venom and vitrio on a night when it’s supposed to feel good we’re honoring a a team and a group of guys and a group of people that were responsible for delivering that much winning to the city and we haven’t seen it out of this franchise since why are you still

Holding on to that and that’s the part that I don’t get now look here’s what I’ll say about the the visual of Jerry krauss’s Widow and we all saw it she was visibly shaken and upset by that she’s sitting there she’s dressed up beautifully and she’s trying to come and

And be part of this they’re honoring the team and and you know obviously her her her late husband rough I don’t but here’s the thing I I I think what probably happened was people weren’t aware necessarily even probably that she was there okay all of a sudden they’re putting they’re putting the different

Players I’m sure up on the scoreb up on the you know this big screen for everybody to see and then boom Jerry krauss’s picture shows up and because this is the mentality around Jerry Krauss and the mentality with he’s an executive boo now it rattles her and

That’s the visual we’re all gonna take from it I don’t think they were intentionally trying to hurt Jerry krauss’s Widow but they certainly did and what it did was bring to light how painful holding on to that kind of Venom can be particularly when they’re honoring greatness they’re honoring winning they’re honoring championships

That’s what the whole thing was about and you’re still holding on to all this bitterness and by proxy affecting a human being to the extent that you did that was just a terrible thing to see and for me yeah I I I had some strong words on social media about it and

Because it really bothered me and I just don’t understand the mentality of fans particularly when you had that much success like what are you so mad about with Jerry Krauss Somebody explain think they were mad though I don’t think they were mad again fans go to the arena to

The stadiums to let emotions out cheers booze whatever and they just saw a moment to boo and it turned ugly I again for me I I just think this is a operations uh mistake from not knowing how a crowd would would react and and handling out how they did but

Nonetheless it was noteworthy from over the weekend because it was such a um you know it’s just such a big story such a big moment um and it was such an unfortunate thing but let’s get into some of these games because I want to talk some hoops now um and two games

Last night that I thought were particularly interesting the Timberwolves hold on they almost collapsed but they hold on to get a 109 105 win over the Clippers this was in Minnesota they led by as many as 17 they even LED big late they collapsed a little bit down the stretch but what was

Your big takeaway when you watched this game uh what stood out to you I think the thing that stood out the most was like first of all this is a really really good win big win for Minnesota because and despite the fact that it got a little sloppy because they could

Controlled this game and there’s no no no two ways about it particularly the pretty much the entire second half and and as we see all the time in the league now like these late runs get made sometimes you know you blow the lead so when you end up holding on you kind of

Forget about that and you just feel good about the fact that you won against a RedHot really good super talented team with everybody playing except zubach so you look at this win for Minnesota what I what I take from it is they won it at

A pace that looks more like a late round playoff game it was a physical game it was two really good defenses guarding each other there was a lot of contact on the perimeter there was contact in the post like stuff you don’t see every night in the NBA anymore both teams were

Doing it our question has been about Minnesota do they have enough offense to win games like that like do do you have enough to get to that number even if your defense is great and this one they had enough because their defense was that good in the Clippers this team has been absolutely

Destroying people and with their offense and they weren’t really able to get going in Minnesota’s front line and their size really mattered the length on the perimeter mattered and then finally Anthony Edwards was the best player on the floor he was the best player on the

Floor which is a big statement when you look at the way kawai’s been playing Paul George James Harden’s been playing great um and Anthony Edwards was the guy he was the guy and I thought it was a statement win honestly for Minnesota to beat a team in the Clippers that looked

Like a team that could cause some real damage here in the west and maybe who knows maybe we get to the finals potentially and the Minnesota timber rules handle them in the midst of their hot streak so I was pretty impressed overall with Minnesota won a slugfest

Physical game played to their pace and they dictated terms to the Clippers and they never really let up they didn’t allow that big run with a barrage of three points shooting that this league sees all the time to ever happen I agree with you I was very

Impressed with Minnesota and this is not beyond what you just said this is a very possible second round matchup right Minnesota right now in the one the Clippers in the four and if I were projecting forward it’s too early to really say with confidence where teams

Are going to wind up but I think the Timberwolves are the most likely team to be number one and I think the Clippers are the most likely team to be the four so this was a good Peak inside and Paul George was five of 19 Kawhi Leonard was

Nine of 19 James Harden was four of 14 that’s your big three and all of them had bad shooting nights and watching the game I don’t think that was just an off night I think that was incredible perimeter defense when we talked earlier in the year about the Minnesota

Timberwolves we talked about nikelle Alexander Walker a big guy for me because he adds an extra perimeter Defender to their roster and then of course you have McDaniels who was able to play 35 minutes with only two fouls in this game Mike Conley so they matched

Up and were able to defend on the perimeter thought a phenomenal job the point of attack defense in this one from Minnesota was phenomenal and then as you mentioned the bigs inside Rudy goar in particular cleaning up the glass 18 boards and dominating but the interesting moment was the Clippers

Tried to go small they started Daniel TI they didn’t have zubats and they did play a good amount of minutes with uh Mason plumbley but they tried in these little pockets to go small against Minnesota’s big lineups and they got killed in those minutes and that’s what’s interesting to me is if you’re

Minnesota you don’t really have the small ball option and if teams go small ball it’s going to be can you stop them this is just one game but they dominated their strength size in the paint they dominated that matchup in the moments where that mattered no and that’s there

It be their calling card that’s what differentiates them um and that’s what makes them so interesting that’s why they had the kind of year that they have have had uh they they look different than most teams in this league do in what they present defensively and you’re

Right like this wasn’t a situation where guys just had off nights that happens in the NBA if you really watch the game and watch the level at which Minnesota’s perimeter players were competing to to you know Contest time your jumps at the same time those guys were leaving the

Floor fighting around ball screen so guys aren’t walking into a mid-range pull-up I just thought the effort level was phenomenal and it I think that they felt this is a barometer game for us because even though we’ve had a great year to this point you’re talking about

A team right now in the Clippers that have gotten a lot of attention over the last few weeks for how well they have come together how fluid they look they are a team that can beat you on either end of the floor and there’s not many in

This league that can the Clippers are one of them and yet Minnesota really didn’t have a problem guarding them and they did what they needed to do on the other side with with their size and their offensive rebounding um it was just I thought it was one of the one of

The more physical like playoff looking games that I’ve seen this year definitely was and I and I think that the Timberwolves because they’ve had a really tough schedule and have dropped a couple close games the overtime game in Boston it’s almost disguised like okay they had a hot start

But they’ve cooled off I don’t know that they’ve cooled off I think they’ve had a couple balls bounced the wrong way on the road against very good teams but then you see games like this where again it’s a four-point game but this was a 17-point game with about 10 minutes to go

Um they they really outclassed the clippers for most of it and then another thing I thought of while I was watching this because the Timberwolves did blow this game it was some bad play goar was seven of 14 from the foul line and late

In the game he I think he closed it out with three of four and it made me wonder okay so you go up big ball versus small ball and you manage to use your strength still defend and and own the paint but what about late games I think teams are

Going to hack a goar late in games in the playoffs especially teams like this that feel um you know that they’re going to get points that they’re going to keep scoring all right go to goar and let’s just see if he runs cold and he ran really cold this whole game until the

Clutch and he knocked down a couple clutch ones but last night was the game that made me think goar is gonna get the hacka shack treatment in the playoffs do you agree I do and you think about this is a this was always a problem when he

Was in Utah like you know getting him off the floor at important times in the game not either because of the foul situation or there were other situations where teams would put five perimeter players out there five you had five legitimate three-point Shooters and he

Had no one to guard and because he loves to kind of hang back below the foul line and he wants to meet people at the rim and be that deterrent back there and they’d have to get him off the court because they just did not have a way to

Guard the three-point line when he was on the floor defensively and it it hurts because of how much he gives you from an offensive rebounding standpoint too yeah so I do think that that’s something to keep an eye on with this team because it was always a factor I felt like in Utah

It was always something we were talking about in in in important moments in playoff games now fortunately for them they’ve got depth at that spot with nas Reed so they they can go they can give a different look I mean Nas Reed’s one of the best backup bigs in this league and

You know and he’s not Rudy gobear in terms of of you know Rim deterrence but he’s very athletic and quick-footed on the perimeter even more so than Carl Anthony town so he can do some other things that are switchable where he can jump out late he can make a three-point

Shot on the other end he can space the floor so they do have really good depth at the position if that’s what they choose to do but I I definitely think it’s a strategy teams will be able to employ against Minnesota and it’s now

It’s going to be up uh to them to figure out how they’re going to handle those moments n in this game did you see it it was it was like a split two Defenders inside side out throws it between the two Defenders grabs it and then finishes and

It’s like that’s a total guard move even among centers we talk about like embiid and some of these guys Carl towns that have good fluidity and stuff Nas Reed really I think has the most fluidity he uses it in a very specific way off the dribble moves and stuff but he is so

Fluid with it let me ask you before we get out of this segment the title question which is is Bully ball now Superior to small ball we had a good run where the death lineup and you had all of these we’re going to play in the

Clutch we know we’re going to put a small guy at at Center and now we’re going to run teams off the off the line but you look at Denver you look at Minnesota um you look at teams like the Pelicans even they play big ball they have big guys two big front Court

Players and then you have teams like the Suns and the Thunder the Clippers who want to play small the Mavs those are small ball when you look at the landscape do you think it’s a situation byit situation basis or do you think that bully ball maybe is Superior to

Small ball now I think I think your point is is is good in that it’s it’s there are more teams now that aren’t necessarily locked into trying to play one of those smaller lineups to try to win a game but I do think it’s Personnel driven for each team each team’s going

To handle that differently um you know we’ve seen a Renaissance of of the big in this league over the last half dozen years and and you know yic is a big part of that and be’s a big part of that um you’re seeing now teams start to value

That a little bit more and the ways that you can attack you know even a guy like Zion Williamson is really for all intensive purposes a center the way that he scores and the way he can beat you and his efficiency with finishing in the

Paint um so I think the the big is a little bit more valued than it was and I think it’s going to be Personnel driven team by team I don’t think that you can make a blanket statement because there are some teams that’s going to benefit them still to go small particularly in

Those situations but let’s go to the two big ones it’s Minnesota and Denver both both of those teams do you feel that they have overcome that small ball is not an option to beat both of those those two specifically uh not necessarily Minnesota definitely Denver you can’t

You can’t do it because of yogat you just can’t do it it’s a joke what he will do to you trip after trip after trip and it’s it’s not like they’re gonna they’re gonna uh you know Cater to You defensively by going away from jic and then by their own doing and their

Own valtion they hurt themselves no jic will will pound you every single trip if that’s what you want to do and there’s just no answer for it because you’re gonna have to bring an extra guy and now he’s picking you apart with his passing and if you don’t it’s a joke how easily

He scores on anybody that’s like six eight and under it’s it’s just not even fair what he does because he gets the shot he wants every single time I don’t have the same faith in Minnesota and the way they operate offensively and the fact that yeah your bigs are not your

Primary scoring option Anthony Edwards is so so he’s got the ball and he’s going to be attacking there are times there’s gonna be possessions he’s going to shoot the ball without anybody else even touching it because he is the primary driving force of their offense

So you can you can get bailed out on some possessions if Carl Anthony towns where go bear don’t touch it that’s not the case with Denver their big guy is their driving force he’s going to touch it and if he’s got a smaller guy him it’s game over Aaron Gordon too and just

As if you go small then you’re really small at power forward now you’re you’re short at two positions and Aaron Gordon just so good at that exact thing as well uh taking advantage all right let’s take a break on the other side Dame time arrived for the first time this year

Damen Lillard with a walk-off three in Milwaukee we’re going to break down that game should it have been of close we just talked about collapses late in the game that was a game that featured not one but two collapses I think both teams should be kicking themselves for losing

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And Resort in Kansas 21 plus age varies by jurisdiction void Ontario bonus SPS expire 68 hours after issuance see dk.com basketball for eligibility and deposit restrictions terms and responsible gaming resources all right legs the other game that happened yesterday that was of intrigue was that the Milwaukee Bucks

Got up pretty big on the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter and then completely collapsed down the stretch as this game went to Overtime or maybe you say the Sacramento Kings made a great comeback to force it to overtime then the Sacramento Kings grabbed a lead in

Overtime and could put it away at the foul line not once but twice Malik monk goes 0 for two from the foul line Daren fox goes one of two and leaves the door open for Damen Lillard to hit about a 30 foot running three-pointer and closed

This game out on a buzzer beater that was my big note from this one is one not a lot of Defense in the game and two both teams’s execution when they had chances to just end the game was really poor these two teams are almost made for

Each other yeah this was one of those games where multiple times for each team I thought they had it locked up and you really didn’t you really didn’t know anything because of what you’re saying it was a combination of things for both teams free throw shooting missed free

Throw shooting played a major role in this game for both for both teams giannis’s inability to make one late in regulation keeps them up two instead of three that allows dearen Fox to then make a driving layup with one second left in in a situation where you know

Giannis was kind of riding his hip jumps but doesn’t want to foul him so he doesn’t really fully extend to block it and Darren Fox gets a fairly easy running you know layup off the glass to tie the game s overtime but it was set up by giannis’s Mis free thr though now

Go to overtime exact reverse happens the Kings Miss three out of four with Malik Monk and dearon fox going to the line I mean the two guys you’d want at the foul line they combined to go three out of four with Misses uh in in that situation two different possessions that allows

Milwaukee look if if they make the last free throw um Damen Lillard or make the one he makes one out of two at the end if he makes both free throws that shot lard hits even if everything plays out the same way it’s only going to send it

To overtime again so the fact that the Kings missed a free throw late right before that Darren Malik monk missed two free throws gives the Milwaukee Bucks a chance and finally that last possession something interesting happened Sacramento makes the free throw Damen Lillard took the ball out of

Bounds yeah throws it in and why that’s important he then was able to get the ball back running up the floor and he catches the ball and now he makes two three dribbles he gets over half makes an incredible shot it’s 35t he’s drifting left sabonis gets a hand up and

He bottoms it out to win the game but if Daven Lillard like most guards in that situation if that’s who you’re trying to get it into in the back court he’s probably going to be denied the ball to the point that he’s running back toward the Baseline so he catches it and now

He’s got a turn and all his momentum is basically stopped and he’s probably you know 50 feet to get into scoring range and totally different scenario so and I don’t know if that was like by Design ball goes to the net he kind of just grabbed it flipped it in they got it

Back on the dead run up the floor that enabled him to have enough momentum to get into that shot um and and and knock down a three to win the game so it was a really really strange game you feel like Milwaukee was the team that was supposed

To win and they did so I guess the basketball Gods you justice they had an eight-point lead with three and a half minutes to go in the game and they and they get gag it up and Sacramento made a couple big shots but that we have an eight-point lead three and a half

Minutes ago you usually have more to do with it than the other team and and what you’re not getting done offensively so it felt like it was the Bucks game um and that’s why Damen lard I guess winning it in that fashion it seemed app

Propo what was funny about it to me was this game was hilariously paced it just it was an extremely fast game and the transition defense from both teams in this game I thought was almost laughable I think yeah this game was at 103 possessions which is you know about five

Possessions more which doesn’t feel like a lot but that means there was a lot of transition and it was easy transition there was just so many times where it was made basket take it out of the hoop and there’s a bucket on the other end

And just a c few seconds both of these teams oh look they’re both good at transition scoring and bad at transition defense but that’s how you get to a 143 142 and we’re a bit of a broken record here with Milwaukee but that’s what scares you about them is yes they won

This game but they always make it as hard as possible on themselves because they don’t have the easy thing the easy stuff just shut off transition and we’re going to probably win this one by 10 they just don’t seem to have that in them uh once

Again something else jumped out to me in this one Adam that they now they’ve played this particular type of defense for several years with the drop coverage with Brook Lopez where anytime his man is setting a screen he’s 10 feet off the screener most times back in the lane

They play this coverage a lot I hate drop coverage um it became this this thing over the last few years it’s very much like what teams try to do now put their big guy back in the lane and see if you know more great Shooters than

We’ve ever had this league can make a pull up 18-footer uncontested it’s crazy to me but here’s what’s different about them doing it this year and I really noticed it in this game they got annihilated on it okay and the reason is because the guys that are on the ball in

The past whether it was a Drew holiday he he’s still physical enough to get over that pick even though he’s got no help at the point attackers low 10 feet back he’s still kind of making the guard feel his presence because he gets low he gets around it he still maintains a

Little bit of contact they know he’s GNA come from behind and swipe over the top and it’s kind of in your head as you go to pull up that Drew holiday is still pursuing you because that’s just the way he plays Chris Middleton was more of a factor defensively when his guy was

Setting those screens of Brook Lopez’s was drop back in the paint because he’s 6 foot eight and he Chase around a screen he’d come from Over the Top he’d bother guys well he wasn’t playing last night but even when he has played he’s not the impact defensively that he was

So the drop coverage and I maybe I you know I should have been making notes of this all year I was really watching it last night because it was so obvious to me that it was such an easy way for Sacramento to score and that’s when I started realizing wow that’s why it

Doesn’t look the same the guys that are chasing the ball downhill from behind the way that it did in the past and I just thought Malik monad Fox kind of did what they wanted to do anytime they got a ball screen they got exactly the shot

That they wanted in that foul line area um and it’s it’s something you know and again you say beating the point it is we talk about all the time with the Bucks they’re just a team defensively I think that are very very vulnerable to be

Beaten or to be upset in the playoffs um and I thought this was a team absolutely guaranteed Eastern Conference Final team I’m not completely sure about that anymore I’m definitely skeptical of it but you’re right they keep winning and keep criticizing the same thing so part

Of me like I want to cut a little slack because they are I know people did this to Denver for years and years and it always drove me nuts they’re winning so you have to put it in context and they hit 23s last night they hit 23s at a

Pretty good rate um in the Pacers the Mavs the Celtics the Bucks they all seem to get that that 18 19 20 threp pointers they’re capable of doing it and so they have nights like like last night but something happened in this game that I’d never seen before legs after the game

Mike Brown who was thrown out of the game you know during it brought a laptop he brought a tell he looked like Tim legler up there on the stand doing the telestrator this look like sports center man I thought I was watching 11 o’clock Sports Center he brought the the laptop

Out to highlight some of the fouls that he got thrown out for because of the things that he want and I gotta be honest with you I agree with him referees have been at the heart of so much of the conversation this year and I hate it because I don’t like talking

About officials but I do like talking about the way the league is officiated and he was highlighting and I think Damen Lillard is actually the offender number one of one of the plays Mike Brown was highlighting which was there was somebody had like a hand on a hip or

Something like this and he takes it off as soon as Dame goes into the shooting motion but they call a foul on it and I’m sitting here thinking Dame is shot hits the side of the backboard not even you know he’s not really trying to shoot

He’s just trying to throw it up there and get the foul and I hate that in today’s NBA that is a foul that is allowed to be called had no impact on his ability to drive and maneuver had no impa on the shot but Dame of all players

Is so good at forcing you him and Chris Paul you better have your hands behind your back when you’re trying to guard him around a screen because if your hands are not on him but just out he’ll find a way to rip to the side or jump to

The side or stop and so that’s what he was complaining about hilarious that he brought out his laptop but at least I kind of agree I like that he’s bringing up this what are we doing with these dumb calls on the perimeter yeah and Mike Brown is a guy that you you just

Don’t see him get that animated to that extent very often man so he had he had had his limit and I guarantee you this wasn’t even something that necessarily was all just taking place in that particular game this is something that’s probably been going through his mind for

A while and this was The Perfect Storm for it to happen in for him to unleash I agree with you and ironically the guys you’re mentioning I’ll throw another one in there Trey young Trey young is another guy that absolutely murders you coming off those screens and timing up

The contact and the start stop make you run into him from behind or if you feels any sort of contact on his hip or his left side of his body he’ll just jump into the air and flail and the league was trying to you know trying to

Legislate that out of the game but yet it’s I feel like it’s still a part of what’s going on on a nightly basis um and I think that’s what I’m gonna hold up I’m gonna disagree with you because I think they made a point of emphasis I

Don’t remember if it was last year or the year before where it’s like okay we’re gonna make a point of emphasis for this and that point of emphasis lasted two months if you fast forward we’re GNA talk about this in a second the best defense five years ago would be the

Worst uh would be or I’m sorry the worst defense five years ago would be about average now offenses have just kept going up and up and up and I think a large part of it is teams just don’t know how to guard the perimeter legally anymore and that’s part of what he was

Getting at is if that’s a foul how do we guard anybody right and that’s what that’s and that’s that’s kind of what I think most players feel like and that’s why you’re seeing the scores that you see every night Adam that’s why that’s why the scoreboards are just lighting up

Every night you know at a record Pace on a nightly basis you know you got 10 game slate it’s like you feel like you know 80% of the teams are getting over 120 130 points it’s because of that and look it’s a combination of you can’t really touch guys you’re worried about touching

Guys at all and they’re more skilled than they’ve ever been there are more skilled shot makers on the court at one time than this league has ever had and we can’t really do anything to impede their progress and you get that so it it

You know it is what it is and I think Mike Brown he was reacting to to a trend that he has been seeing over period of time because he’s just not that’s just not his way um to go about that and and to get thrown in I thought it was

Hilarious that he brought the laptop because you know what better way to have visual proof of what you’re talking about um than to bring it right up there and show people I the only problem was it’s kind of a small screen you know it

Was a little bit of a small scen I think we got to get he’s got to get a monitor next time bring out a little laser pointer I think you go all in you know I me he got ejected early enough he could have put together a PowerPoint

Presentation or something back in the locker room and really you know blown people away with his presentation yeah I I’m Pro you know what I hope this becomes a I don’t even think he’s gonna get fined because I don’t think he was critiquing the officiating or this or that in a way

That gets you fined I think he was highlighting a broader thing and so I’m curious but I am I think my official statement is I Am pro coaches bringing the telestrator to the press conference I think that’s a trend that I can get behind um all right we’re g to make we

At the halfway point of the Season let’s make a couple bold statements or somewhat bold statements that are bold that we would not have made maybe at the start of the Season these are things that I feel like we know halfway through the year that we didn’t know you agree

With some of these I know but I don’t know if you agree with all of them I’m going to start here the Draymond clay era is over in Golden State I don’t know if that means there’s a trade coming leg tonight by the way Draymond Green makes

His return to the lineup against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road in Memphis uh which is kind of a hilarious team for him to come back against since they’ve had a history in the past but whether he comes back and is good whatever it is

It’s just the r is over for the Warriors they might claw back into the playin which they’re two games out right now of the playin of the 10 seed in the playin but whatever it is I just think their their ceiling now is low enough for me to say that that era is

Over interesting because I think okay so here’s how I would interpret that so you’re are you saying one that you think that they actually do like break this up one which I don’t because I don’t think that’ll happen and then the second part of it is

What what does that mean like the that the the run is over like there’s no more relevance which I guess would mean for me are they ever gonna have a second round playoff appearance in them are they ever gonna be you know a conference finalist because you don’t necessarily

Have to say like definitively you you know they have to win a championship like that means that they’re still relevant in the mix no that’s not true I mean teams can keep guys together and still win at a high level and be in the mix for a few more years I’m not

Sure that the curry clay Draymond like that Trio of guys I’m I’m not sure yet that I’m ready to throw dirt on it completely and say that they will never be be Beyond a first round playoff team um with those three guys on the roster and that’s how I would interpret what

You’re saying I’m not quite ready to go there I might be one of the last people you’re gonna find sort of holding on to that little glimmer of hope and it’s really mainly built around saying though is that enough is Steph enough anymore that we know he’s playing great is that enough

For him to be for that team to be able to make a nor run when I say it’s it’s over what I mean and your your computer might have froze their legs you might have to back out and come back in the when I say it’s over I mean that they

Are done competing for a title they either will break up or they will stay together but not be in contention does that mean they’d win a Playoff round an upset here or there I think that is possible but I don’t think that they will ever be a team that we say man they

Could have won it I think the days of them being able to have could have won it are probably in the rearview mirror um let’s see if my legs tries to get his uh computer back here looks like he might be frozen trying to get in let’s see um

I’ll just throw out a couple of these next ones for me the top tier teams I I have six of them that I will consider in the top tier I don’t know if I would have had all six of these and I might have had one or two more at the start

That I’ve taken out but for me it is Boston Denver Minnesota Milwaukee Philadelphia and the Clippers I definitely didn’t have the Clippers in there at the start of the year I don’t think I had Minnesota in there at the start of the year but I feel comfortable

Now saying that all of those teams to me are uh in the top tier so the teams that didn’t make it in the top tier the Oklahoma City Thunder who I think are in that next one the way I would Define the top tier for me personally is teams that

I would be not be surprised if they won if you told me either of those teams won the championship I would not be surprised if you told me the Thunder won this year I would be surprised not because I don’t think they have a bright future and not that I don’t think

They’re great I would just be surprised that they went all the way through to winning a championship winning four rounds and got all the way there I think they’re a great team I think they’re going to compete but I would be surprised it’s still possible so there’s

A whole other tier there’s like the top tier for me is you’re not surprised if they win the second tier is you would be surprised if they win and then the third tier would be they can’t win I don’t think they have a chance of winning the

Thunder to me are in that next tier and the Miami Heat by the way are in well so I know the Miami Heat the New York Knicks they’ve been playing really well but um they would be in a separate tier for me so legs I just said the top six

Teams to me I have six teams in a tier that I would say I would not be surprised if they won that’s how I’m defining my top my most top tier and it is Boston Denver Minnesota Milwaukee Philadelphia and the Clippers if any of those teams won I would not be surprised

Whereas the the next team in that Bunch would be the Thunder and if they won I would be surprised all right you you when you say won you mean won the whole thing yeah win the championship we’re halfway through and I have I don’t know if I

Would go six deep on that I don’t know that I would can say I would I wouldn’t be surprised if Philly won it I think that would surprise me if Philly won the whole thing um and then I also probably feel that way about Minnesota I don’t

Know that I can see Minnesota winning the whole thing really I no I I I don’t know that you go I don’t know that you that there there seems to be a level of progression that typically takes place with this thing and you know to go with from from really very little playoff

Success at all to winning a championship when there’s this many quality teams right and and you know I think the West is probably deeper in terms of the number of really interesting relevant teams than we’ve ever seen now part of that might be am I holding on to things

Like the Warriors and the Lakers and yeah they because they look terrible some nights but it’s because of who they are that I’m including them I’m I’m not sure but I look at I look at Denver I look at Minnesota Oklahoma City the Clippers the Pelicans the Kings the

Mavericks the Suns I mean it’s so deep and so to think Minnesota could Traverse that like all those landmines when they’ve had very little playoffs success at all that would surprise me I completely agree with you I would not be surprised if Boston won it I’m I’m going

Tell you right now though I’m starting to get closer to saying I’d be surprised if Milwaukee won it that their true night after night that’s why right now for me I mean I’m really looking at Boston I’m looking at Denver and I actually think the Clippers might be the

Third team I put on there as the most likely and viable team that I could see winning it I I think though I would almost put those three three teams in a different category and actually maybe I just put Boston and Denver alone on the top shelf and then the Clippers on the

Second shelf all by themselves and then a number of teams on the third shelf I think that’s probably how I would do it that that’s an interesting one for me Minnesota I just have a lot more faith in and I I just think they’re a really good team you’re right about the prove

It Factor that’s a big one but teams like the Clippers outside of Kawhi Leonard have any of those guys proven it I mean we’re talking about now you’re starting to give and Westbrook and Paul George they have playoff experience but not necessarily like you know noteworthy playoff

Experience so I don’t know it’s an interesting question halfway through I do think that there’s just a lot of teams that are at least at the very least you would say you would be only somewhat surprised rather than completely floored I think at least I don’t want to put words in your mouth

You might be surprised if Minnesota won it but you wouldn’t be floored it’s not like if the Houston Rockets won it you would be floored correct it’s not like they’re coming out of nowhere yeah yeah but I’m just I guess I have some skepticism to think that you could take

That leap and win three four rounds because you’re talking about it would be assume for me Boston at the end of it but first you got to get through three really difficult rounds in the west um when you haven’t really been you know been in that position where you’ve gotta

You know make big shots to close series out like and in those moments I think there are some question marks around them and look would I be you know just absolutely jaw Hit the Floor no if they made it to the finals but if they made

It all all the way to finals and beat Boston I think I would be pretty stunned by that um I just think I just think Boston it looks like their year uh I think it’s Boston and Denver if I had to lay money on it today I’m expecting to

See those two teams meet in the finals we can go quick on this next one because I don’t know how interesting it is but for me another thing I I feel like I know is that ‘s up in Atlanta Atlanta had a nice run to the Eastern Conference

Finals a couple years back they reto they you know you pick up to Jon Murray but they are currently the 11 seed um right in head in front of Toronto I almost put Toronto on this list as another team where the time is up but I’m just gonna stick to Atlanta they’ve

Been rumored to be trying to trade dejonte Murray I look at them and I go they might need a full-on reset because I don’t know that there is a one move pivot for them I just think time is up I listen I think you’re 100% right and I

Think the The Dilemma they have is they have to view their roster with in reality and is Trey young a winning player is Trey young the kind of guy that you can really win with if he’s your best player and he’s that ball dominant and a guard that size taking

That many shots and the way that runs offense he’s obviously super talented and he’s very entertaining they they they their problem would be if they make that decision they want to blow this whole thing up how do you get somebody that’s as box office as Trey young like that’s always something that the

Organization is worried about but I just don’t think this is a winning formula and I think I look and I don’t necessarily know that Trey young could be the second guy on any team I just think the way that he plays it’s like his show his ball and he could play in

Atlanta for you know 10 12 15 years I know they made the one runs of the Conference Finals but that shouldn’t have happened like they should not have beaten Philadelphia in that series I mean with what Ben Simmons the way he melted down right before our eyes and

Beid was banged up he didn’t play well they shouldn’t have won that series against the Philadelphia 76ers that year and they make it to the Conference Finals and I think people masked over like how hard it is to win with a guard that size as your predominant shot taker

When he’s shooting in the low 40s from the field every single year that is a very difficult way to run your offense but it was masked over that one year and I think reality has said in the last couple of years you’re 100% right I don’t think that this thing is going to

Go anywhere I don’t know where you’d begin to break this down because I don’t know what you do with Trey young if you wanted to rebuild that way and as long as you keep him and he plays the same role have unless you put Adam and I

Don’t know this will work in the modern NBA what if you put a team around him that looked a lot like the team Allen Iverson had around him in Philadelphia right which is a bunch of hard-nosed Defenders screen Setters offensive rebounders right that’s what he played with his second best offensive player

Was Aaron mcke that year and you had a bunch of dudes that k protecting the rim Eric snow on the ball defense George lynches of the world like these this is who they surrounded him with let do whatever you want offensively we’ll protect you defensively but I don’t know

That that would work in the modern NBA because of the way the rules are set up you’ve got to get to a certain number to win so I don’t know that you can even put that type of Team around Trey young but to just roll him out there as your

Best player and play up and down pickup basketball the way the league looks I just don’t think he’s going to be efficient enough to give you a chance I don’t know if we’re going to hear it in the next six weeks weeks in fact I would

Bet we don’t but I do think in the next six months we start to hear the Trey young you know conversation heat up with some trades I mean he’s already been rumored to the Spurs may be having interest so it’s already out there a little bit but I think it’ll become a

Bigger and bigger storyline here because I just I think they’re stuck where they are um next big statement I have offense is dominating more than ever and kind of at a rate that’s almost frightening legs the Kings the Sacramento Kings last season had the best offensive rating in

The history of NBA this year there are seven teams with a better offensive rating than the Kings had last year so there are currently seven record setting offenses in the NBA what does that all mean if everybody’s doing it how impressive is it is can it possibly be

But the Timberwolves who a 108 defensive rating in 2019 that would have been averaged I alluded to that earlier offense is keing in the NBA right now and these offenses are I mean we can definitively say that the numbers are now so great that I think everybody is

Faced with just what an outlier it is that these games are 130 every single night yeah and it’s it’s think about what you’re saying with regard to last year’s Sacramento Kings team and the number of teams you’re talking about this year that are even surpassing that

You know you know look at some of the rosters you’re not talking about teams that are Laden with like four future Hall of Famers I mean the Sacramento Kings have a really really yeah that’s what I’m saying the Indiana patot I know tyes halberton is a great player right

And he’s a great engine and he scores and facilitates but look at the rest of the roster is that a roster that you think can average 126 points a game in the NBA and have a record setting you know offensive rating and and it’s you can say the same thing

About the Kings last year yeah Darren Fox a really good player he’s a perennial All-Star caliber guard sabonis is not gonna overwhelm you with talent but he comes at you relentlessly puts up really good numbers every night and then it’s a bunch of role players that were

Like outcasts from other teams and they break the record for offense iive rating it’s and it’s it’s the way the league is designed it’s the number of three-point shots the way teams are constantly you know designed offensively to get those shots um and and and the pace the pace

At which teams want to play and trade baskets it allows teams that have rosters that wouldn’t indicate they would be that good offensively be able to do things that are historic that’s where we’re at right now in the league I think my next big statement is

That the MVP race is wide open you know this wasn’t the case maybe three weeks ago but embiid got hurt and now he’s he’s up against his games total joic had a run early on and now you have newcomers into the conversation and Luca and Shay Giannis is still there I just

Think at this moment last year yic and and beid had kind of risen to the top it became a two-man race and it was right around now that the maybe it was in February where the race kind of tilted in embiid’s favor we know there was the conversations around that but this year

I think you look at it if any of those guys I just mentioned wanted I wouldn’t be surprised I couldn’t have said that in the last couple years and you know what’s really interesting about the you the names you just mentioned one guy you didn’t mention and it kind of blows me

Away because I think what they have done from a team standpoint and who they’ve added actually hurts Jason Tatum’s chances to win an MV you’re right because he’s been in the hunt he’s gotten votes he’s gotten votes for the last few years he he because Boston’s

Had one of the best records in the league every year he’s their best player he’s basically a 30 point per night type guy and I think because now they went out and they added porzingis they added holiday they it’s almost like they’ve given him so much help that now he’s

Viewed like differently even though his numbers are very similar and you didn’t and you didn’t mention his name and you know why because his name’s not being mentioned nationally yeah as an MVP candidate so I I agree with you I think embiid had firm control of that thing a

Few weeks ago he was playing out of his mind he went down and and here’s the thing you know know he’s got this persistent swelling in his knee I don’t know how much this is going to affect him the rest of the way and is he going to miss time periodically because of

This injury and as a result it’s opened up now for a number of people to be in the mix I agree with you as we sit here now at almost the Midway point it feels a little bit more wide open with the and the number the number of guys in the

Race maybe a little bit greater than we usually see at this time I got two more for you this one can be quick but tanking is back tanking is back we just talked about at the top the trade the Wizards made the Wizards are seven and

31 and they made a trade to get worse tanking is back in the NBA the Pistons are tanking the the Charlotte Hornets have had some injuries they’re ready to tank Memphis you know some bad luck for them and now you’re starting to see guys take little rest days I just think we’re

Going to see tanking and it’ll become a bigger storyline I think in the final month of the season when you start to look at matchups and you’re thinking oh my gosh Memphis is sitting everybody I just think last year we did not have a tanking problem this year we’re back to

Having about five teams that are projected to win about 13 games or less and that is wild you know it’s nuts too I can say this from a Fan’s perspective all the teams I’ve loved my entire life and I have passion for nobody more so than than my Washington football team I talk

About him all the time I actually just sat through the first time as a fan in my lifetime a team I rooted for tanking and it is painful man it is painful they made the decision at about midseason they knew there was going to be a

Coaching change at the end of the year we lost to the Bears in the Giants twice right and I it’s like okay now we’re just gonna try to secure the highest pick we can and we ended up with the number two pick in the draft five of the

First 100 picks but I I know from a fans perspective how brutal it was for me this football season when you’re turning on games that you and I lost interest for the first time I didn’t have to watch I didn’t want to watch because we’re not trying to win and that’s what

I feel like some of these NBA teams like I know I know Philly went through it for a number of years and all my friends were fans of that team and what that must feel like I’m going God that must stink you got a team you look for and

They’re they’re not even trying to win I just experienced it and there are a number of teams in the NBA you’re 100% right their fan bases are going through it right now the big difference though is right now you don’t know what the payoff is with the NBA because of you

Know the NFL you tank enough you’re G to get that pick NBA you don’t know exactly what your pick’s going to be and you don’t know who’s even coming out so it’s so it’s so much more vague when you tank in the NBA what the reward is going to

Be at the end you want to tank hard enough in football you’re gonna end it with a top two or three pick and you’re G to get one of the top quarterbacks coming out of the draft if that’s what you want in the NBA it’s vague I don’t

Know who’s coming out I don’t even know what pick we’re gonna have I just know we’re not trying to win right now it’s a brutal place to be and I think you’re right there are more teams doing it right now than we’ve seen in recent

Years the last one I have for you I think the first round of the playoffs is gonna not just be good I think it’s going to be great and I don’t know if I would have said that coming in let’s look at the top four in the west Minnesota Oklahoma City Denver the

Clippers I think that’s going to be the top four in the west because I think those are the four best regular season teams but that means you’re G to have Road games uh or Road teams are going to be the Pelicans big- time upset potential if they play well the Kings

The Mavericks the Suns maybe the Lakers if they get it together those are some big upset potential Heavy Hitters that would go on the road I mean Luca donic can win a series KD Booker Beal even though they haven’t played well they could win a series so I think the first

Round is going to be great and then you’re talking about Minnesota and Oklahoma City unproven teams carrying that one or two seed label into the first round there’s pressure there so I just think the first round that’s just the Western Conference and then if you

Go to the east as much as the top of the East is really solid with you know Boston Milwaukee Philadelphia Miami and the Knicks one of those teams going going on the road in the first round the Pacers who have had the bucks’s number I just think you’re going to get an upset

In each conference in the first round I think the odds of that are very very high I completely agree I I I would almost look want to look at the odds on that and lay some money on it because I think there will be a team with in each

Conference with homecourt advantage that loses in the first round and I think it’s more true more certain to happen in the west because of the teams you’re talking about I mean if it ended right now you’re talking about the Pelicans the Kings the Mavericks and the Suns

Going on the road okay going on the road those four teams going on thead the first round now you probably have less belief that the Kings could maybe pull off right that but when you look at Dallas uh with the star power they have the star power Phoenix has and the

Pelicans having to go on the road in the first round yeah I I think somebody’s going to be in trouble particularly when you got teams at the top which you talked about at the beginning of the show that don’t have a lot of winning under their belts collectively right in

The playoff with Oklahoma City and Minnesota in particular and now all of a sudden they got a Target on them and they’re going to host one of the teams I just mentioned that that is like a scary proposition for those teams Sacramento dealt with it last year as a three seed

And losing at home in the first round because you get the gold State Warriors and Steph drops a 50 spot on a game seven so yeah I mean this is this is dicey it’s gonna be dicey for those top teams in in the west to All Advance yeah

So I like it I think the playoffs are I mean it’s too early to really be keying in but I think they’re shaping up to have some really good match and I just there’s a lot of teams there even though there’s a handful of taking teams

There’s a lot of teams that can make noise in the playoffs this year and that’s why I think it’s kind of an exciting year um all right Emma hit that outro music Tim another great show a good Monday to get us started and I don’t know be like you said MLK Day

Always a big holiday in the NBA and they always uh put a bunch of great games on so we have pelicans Mavericks tonight we’ve got magic Knicks which is a very good game we have Spurs Hawks you know two tanking teams that one’s going to be close you got uh Draymond turn you’ve

Got a uh Thunder Lakers game that I think should be very compelling so a lot of good games on the docket tonight tomorrow’s show should write itself everybody do us a favor hit the like button on the way out we’ll see you Tomorrow sitting like the May

The Washington Wizards announced on Sunday that they have traded forwards Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers, along with two future second-round draft picks, to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, the Wizards acquire two second-round picks in 2025 and 2026 by taking on the salary. The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the LA Clippers thanks in part to an impressive performance from Anthony Edwards. Kings’ coach Mike Brown was also seen using a laptop to vent his frustration over calls during a recent game. And finally, let’s take a look at some bold mid-season statements.

00:00 – Intro
02:02 – Pistons-Wizards trade
07:44 – Jerry Kraus Boo’d
13:33 – Clippers-Timberwolves notes
22:22 – Bully ball vs small ball
28:53 – Kings-Bucks notes
36:37 – Mike Brown bringing out his laptop in postgame
41:00 – Mid-Season bold statement
41:24 – Is the Draymond-Klay era over?
43:02 – Top teams
49:46 – Is time up in Atlanta?
53:13 – Offense dominates more then ever
55:22 – MVP Race wide open
57:22 – Is tanking back in the NBA?
59:55 – Great Playoff games

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