Debating the Heat & Lakers’ postseason ceiling + What are the Phoenix Suns? | NBA Today

Debating the Heat & Lakers’ postseason ceiling + What are the Phoenix Suns? | NBA Today

But we are going to do we’re going to do a little mid-season report card Coast to Coast Edition we’re going to start in Boston the Celtics they beat wanyama Spurs Boston is now 20 and0 at home this season Austin your mid-season grade for the Celtics sir I’m giving them an a A+

We’re talking about 20 and0 at home uh this is the best team in the Eastern Conference they’ve proven that uh they they seem like last year if anything their playoff appearance and how they played motivated them A+ I have them yeah A+ 20 20 know at home is impressive

A+ in January is fantastic I’m sure Jason Tatum is more looking forward to what his report card is going to be in the postseason though from Boston to Cleveland where the Cavs dismantled the Giannis lless bucks by 40 perk the Bucks currently 28 and 13 what’s your letter

Grade for Milwaukee so far they’re getting a B minus a B minus and I’m being nice about that and look I understand you have Giannis and you have Dame but my boy Chris milon and I hate to say it he just don’t look the same right now he looks old and they’re

Struggling guarding on the perimeter I don’t know if Malik Beasley and those guys could get it done I know Jay crowd is coming back but as of right now I’m giving them a B minor well they’re allowing more than 120 points per game this season that’s 24th in the NBA and

On Pace to be the worst in franchise history but let’s stick in the East here Jaylen Brunson returned last night for the Knicks had 30 points in route to beating rockets at home Randall also had 31 in the win now they sit at 24 and 17

Richard to grade the Knicks first of all I’m going to grade perk’s picture first that’s an F minus and then the Knicks I’m going to give them I’m going to give them an A minus and this is why they added the right piece they’re playing

Well they got off to a really slow start shooting wide Brunson struggled shooting Randall struggled shooting but they figured it out they’re playing good basketball and they look in my opinion like they are one piece away from a a Conference Final quality team they are a

Very good team but I don’t know if they’re quite there yet well what about the heat they got blown out by the Raptors 12197 we know Miami turns up the heat during the playoffs but they are currently 24 and 17 Professor Zack what grade are you given them the heat are

Cruising along with a nice quiet B+ they’re like Jaws they’re just lurking under the surface 24 and 17 they got a lot of stuff they might trade 24 and 17 Jimmy Butler Tyler herro and Bam have played 10 games together the whole season Butler and Bam their two best players

Have played only 17 of and there still 7 over 500 tough as hell never sleep on the Miami Heat B+ B+ all right well this is where the east standings are right now Boston four games clear everyone else and the Bucs and the 76ers are in Pursuit and then after that things get

Pretty Stephen would say things are fluid the Cavs the heat the Knicks the Pacers they’re all separated by a game and a half so let’s stick in the East here specifically with the the reigning Conference champions the Miami Heat even SPO he told reporters reing to where

Miami referring to where Miami is in the standings he said buckle up right he said we are not hiding from anybody so perk do you think history is going to repeat itself I don’t and I got so much respect for them goons from day County and their exposure and what he bring to

The table but I just can’t put them ahead of the Celtics in the seven game series I feel like the Celtics would get their leg back I feel like Philly is better than them if they happen to match up in the seven game series currently constructed just so just those two teams

Al I gotta say they’re they’re not going to repeat to represent the east in the so the two teams that they beat last year you don’t think that they are in the same class of them this year no those two teams got better oh okay I

Just my my that’s what I just say yeah they got better look the Miami Heat when we talk about the heat culture and all that that means when they get into the fire the way they play the intensity that they play with there’s very few franchises that can match that so yes I

Do believe the Boston Celtics are better than they were last year I think Philly is better but I still wouldn’t put Philly over Miami why mainly because I’ve seen Jimmy Butler show up in the highest of high playoff moments he has played the best basketball maybe on the

Planet during stretches I can’t say the same thing about the best player for Philly not currently right now so if you put Miami and Philly in a playoff series in the second round I’m not putting my money on Philly I’m not I’m not putting my money on so are they oppos for

Another playoff run the answer is yes yeah I think they are yeah thank as long as you have bam SPO and Jimmy and then they have surround shooting with you talking about they they got better I know they lost stru Josh Richardson’s just as good they lost Gabe Vincent but

Now they got a rookie hame Hawkins better nice on both ends they still have Caleb Martin they got they got all their key pieces man you still don’t want to see them in the playoffs seriously no no but but see here here’s the messed up part the question says the question is

Are the heat po to make another playoff run this season Malik ask po okay whatever Malik ask me Malika asks me will history repeat itself I said no that means I don’t have the Heat going back to the NBA finals I didn’t say they wasn’t

Go it is very unlikely the heat will go back to the NBA finals that’s fine and like accurate they’re going to be underdogs against the top three teams in the East but can they do it yeah absolutely they can do it this is the Miami Heat Philly they beat them in the

Playoffs recently Milwaukee Milwaukee like starts to quiver when they see the mere sight of the Miami Heat Boston we saw what happened last year like these guys are deep and they’re if they get healthy they’re they’re deeper than they were last year and they have stuff to

Trade and I think they’re going to look around and see can we get one more ball handler one more offensive threat in here to fortify us cuz offenses they’re weaker half of their team and I think they could use a boost look I I’m not

Going to pick them I’m not going to pick them but they could beat all those teams even Boston and I think Boston’s the best team in the league and in the East for sure and they don’t care if we don’t pick them like that’s the thing that’s

What fuel fools the heat fire well my thing about Miami and what’s been frustrating really kind of since the bubble is that it feels like they’re one player away and they’ve been trying they’ve been in conversations with a lot of different players you’ve seen names in kind of most they seem like they’re

One player away Jimmy Butler he’s very close to being a onea I think he needs to be have another onea right next to him or somebody better than him if they do that that’s a team that could win two out of the next four championships because they have young Talent they have

Great pieces around them but it’s like they can be everybody but can they do it for a sustained run all the way through the NBA finals and the answer is I think they have shown us time and time again that they don’t care about actually going out there and getting a Dame L

Because if they did they would have got him right they would have gave up the necessary pieces I think the heat always show us that they’re not scared to bet on themselves right like you you asking for another onea in their eyes they’re saying bam is our other one a like we

Think he could Elevate we watch him get better every season like that’s how they go about it you got to respect so Zach how far can the Lakers go with this kind of continuity I mean they can get back in the playoff race for sure and you saw

Last night they’re dangerous like and what I like about this lineup is they have two Playmakers with LeBron Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russell which gives two guys who can screen for him get mismatches when they’re switching and when the Lakers are at their best when they can alternate when they can push

The pace and when they can’t push the pace when they can beat you up and hunt mismatches and play calculated pred offense and they hit that gear last night the the question though is like with Rees and Russell can they hold up well enough defensively but I like

Maximizing the number of Playmakers next to LeBron and AD who is playing just awesome awesome basketball oh absolutely yeah and they’re a better team when DLo is consistent when he adds scoring to this team consistently it it it helps them and not it alleviates pressure on LeBron’s shoulders this is you do this

Every time I talk about every time I bring up or say something positive about DLo guys just I’m not saying no no but I’m say I just think about the time when he was getting off the private with C it was like it’s timeing you look at D’s numbers bro and

How negative people talk about DLo if you look at his numbers what else do you want him to be I’m being disrespect more defensively are the concerns with him and Reeves right I’m not being disrespectful to D better than than Reeves are they but you said this you

Said when DLo is consistent what is the biggest issue with DLo his consistency so that’s fair that’s fair so you’re basically saying when plays well when DLo plays well good when they struggle or when he struggles then they kind no no no no he’s not the defining he’s not

The X Factor I think he can be at times Austin Reeves I think if we’re going to talk about who’s like the x- factor for this team when he plays well they’re they’re really on a whole different level okay but I think DLo can alleviate pressure on Reeves on LeBron on ad

Because this is a guy who’s capable of going for 20 30 points any night the Bell weathers we’re why we’re talking about DLo is that like he’s kind of an all offense player and his opposite is Jared Vanderbilt who’s been big coming in for them guarding ball handlers

Hounding point guards and the ideally you’d find a player who’s kind of in between those two players and they haven’t been able to find that so they’re just kind of finagling like offense here defense there and right now it’s working the Lakers how they’re approaching the trade deadline is a

Question that remains the season how the Lakers finish the season is a question that remains while these two fight I’m glad I’m in the middle Zach what is your biggest question that you want answered in the second half of the season so I went micro I went small scale and my

Question was what exactly are the Phoenix Suns like what is this team going to be where we’re halfway through the season that feels existential well you could go League wide I just went on one team like and and you know I kept hearing when they when they got Bradley

Beal you know this is a this is a two-year window you’re one you know we’ll see how it works there’s no two-year window when you have Kevin Durant on your team at age 36 or whatever he is they got to like get back in the championship picture now and

Maybe these few wins that they’ve had lately are start of the process of getting there but like get out of first of all get out of the 7 to 10 range get into the top six but that’s my question is this a team that’s going to be

Serious are we are we going to get there with them is it I like Phoenix but I got a different question okay my my question is can the Lakers make another run again what oh my come we’re back to it no we talk about him enough I want to bring

You more coverage man can they make another run without making a move can they do it yes they can I think they can this is not a team bro the Nuggets uh who else is at top of these or west the nuggets the Thunder the OK one of those

Teams are going to be rewarded with the Lakers first round that’s worst case scenario I’m telling you all three of those teams do not want to play the Lakers first round I’m see atin know they need shooting he know you still got a strap is it personal with me no it’s

Always person it’s always personal perk what’s your what’s your question for the rest my question is to us you know when we go start shine in the light and put some respect on Anthony Edwards name we’re talking about a guy that could possibly that’s really should be the

Front runner being the face of the league right after LeBron James look right now you know what we’re watching the 88 89 version of Michael Jordan that’s what we’re seeing out of this young man playing both ends of the floor and guess what we didn’t Jimmy Butler

Can pull couldn’t pull the things out of call Anthony towns that Anthony Edwards is doing Donovan Mitchell couldn’t have couldn’t pull the tenacity out of Rudy Goldberg like Anthony Edwards is doing Antman we need more we need more out of him we need more from us about him what’s the face rich I

Look I just don’t I believe in Anthony Edwards I don’t believe in the Minnesota Timberwolves quite yet quite yet I believe in them but I don’t have a I don’t have a big question in the second half of the season this I believe in Minnesota but I’ll tell you right now

This is a new kind of pressure they’re going to face in the playoffs this season being at the top let’s see how they handle it

Kendrick Perkins, Richard Jefferson, Austin Rivers and Zach Lowe join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to give mid-season grades for the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and the Miami Heat before debating the Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers’ ceilings in the playoffs.

0:00 Mid-season grades
2:55 Miami HEAT playoff run
7:00 Lakers finding consistency
9:12 What are the Phoenix Suns?
10:52 Anthony Edwards

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