NBA Contender Rankings: Nuggets & Celtics top list, Clippers elite, Bucks dangerous | Hoops Tonight

NBA Contender Rankings: Nuggets & Celtics top list, Clippers elite, Bucks dangerous | Hoops Tonight

All right welcome to Hoops tonight here at the volume happy Tuesday everybody hope all of you guys are having an incredible week we have a very special show today a podcast I’ve been looking forward to for a long time ever since I got into an argument with Sam on the

Phone the other day Sam Vini from the athletic covers the MBA good friend of mine a person who’s been very important to me as I’ve been beginning this journey into this industry someone who’s more of a grizzled vet who can help guide me along the way uh but in

Addition to that is also one of the the smartest basketball Minds that I talk to someone that I learn learn from every single time we talk and we were talking the other day and we got into an argument about who would win a playoff series between the Thunder and the

Lakers if it started tomorrow and it was passion it was heated and finally we were like dude we just got to get on a podcast and we got to Hash at all the contenders and also I kind of view this stretch right after the All-Star break

As the kind of like the halfway point not in the regular season but kind of between where we start in training camp to someone hoisting the trophy in June and so I thought today would be the perfect time for us to really take a closer look at our list of contenders

And so without any further Ado Sam how are you man it’s good to see you how’s your year going cover in the league it’s great man I’m super happy to be here as you know I think the world of you I would recommend everybody listening to this to subscribe to this

Channel I don’t really listen to other basketball podcast watch other basketball content Jason is like one of like one or two that I actually watch and listen to and view because I love his perspective on all of this so I really would recommend everybody watching this subscribe to Jason’s

Channel he’s the best you’re too kind without any further Ado though let’s get into the basketball so you know I would argue this is an interesting season in the sense that like there there’s very clearly a top tier or tiers of teams however you could like legitimately sit

Down as a fan of almost half the league and be like we got a shot at this thing and so we made our lists and if I’m not mistaken you told me you had 14 teams that made your list correct I did but I got by the time I

Got to the end of it it was like kind of loose and you know amorphous I wasn’t I think there are fewer teams that have a chance to win the title than 14 but yeah I had 13 before before we go into our actual list though I have four teams

That have won at least 31 games but that I think have no shot to win the title so I’ll go one at a time through them and you tell me if you agree I said the Cleveland Cavaliers have no shot to win the title where do I have the Cavs I think I

Had the Cavs a little bit higher than that uh I had them at 12 so a little bit higher but not terribly far off I think that like structurally it’s a little bit too easy to take advantage of of their deficiencies I am interested to see if the max stru

Addition helps to at least minimize some of the issues that New York presented them in the playoffs last year but I I think that at the end of the day the Mobly Allen combination is going to be really really difficult to manage in the playoffs for the Cavs I think there are

Too many schematic disadvantages and I really worry about the defensive side as well uh even though they’ve been Elite defensively I do worry that you can really take advantage the Garland Mitchell back court in a real yeah Donovan Mitchell’s defensive season this year has been really

Impressive to me and it’s made me like a little bit less concerned about the backourt long term than I was like the only Universe in which a Garland Mitchell backourt would have worked long term in my opinion would have involved Donovan becoming a not just a plus

Defender but a good Defender and I think he’s been a good Defender this year I think Dean Wade and some of the two-way play that he’s brought to this uh uh to the wing forward position has been super valuable but again everything to me comes down to the Moy Allen front court

And I thought people kind of got off the scent a little bit last year with the focus on shooting not that shooting isn’t an important element to this team’s ability to have success in pick and roll and stop teams from guarding it three on two but to me it has more to do

With Evan Mo’s offensive development and the simple fact that especially in the short role he’s just not very good uh I’ve advocated even for swapping it and just having Jared Allen run the short rolls and and having Evan Mobley kind of operate more the dunker spot to to mix

It up but the bottom line is is like when you start to really get to me the Cleveland Cavaliers are an extremely well coached team that plays extremely hard that thrives in these middle portions of the season when effort and energy kind of waxes and wains more for

Other teams and so I think they’re nowhere near as good as their record and I gave them no chance my second one was the New Orleans Pelicans I don’t think they have a real chance to win the title what do you think I agree with you uh they were like

14 15 on my list like in that back end of the Amorphis list I had them with a lower chance than the Cavs the Cavs at least like play hard and I can see and I’m not saying the Pelicans don’t but like I can see the Cavs like at least

Winning a playoff series maybe if they get a super advantageous matchup in the second round maybe they can get past that the Pelicans I really have enjoyed Brandon Ingram in the playoffs generally I think his game translates well there weirdly but it’s still the combination of Brandon Ingram and on they’ve been

Running these like Point Zion combinations from time to time that I think have been somewhat effective but I still don’t love the fit between the two of those guys I still think they haven’t figured out how to elevate each other in a way that makes them better than what

Their singular skills are and this team just frankly is not talented enough compared to the top teams in the league that’s the reality and it’s going to be difficult for them I think to come up with lineup combinations in the front Court in the back court in

Ways that uh allow you to defend and score in the playoffs they’re a team filled with one-way players right now is the biggest issue yeah specifically in the front court and like that that’s death in the NBA Playoffs to me they’re like a worse version of the Clippers

They’re a team that has a lot of length on the perimeter they’ve got a lot of guys like that you think of as you know drive and kick guys that can but that on the other end can also compete on the perimeter like we’ve seen um the the

Pelicans beat really good teams before where they lock in on the perimeter and they’re driving kicking you to death on the other end of the floor uh and specifically like like using Zion a lot Zion’s been playing a lot better as of late getting guys like CJ McCollum attacking Closeouts more rather than

Constantly operating and pick and roll I’ve seen a lot of good from them but to me like there’s not there there isn’t this one big draw it’s like do I think they defend at a Championship level no I don’t I don’t think they’re good enough

In the front Court do I think that they have a superstar offensive player that can truly just for four straight rounds just be a surgeon in the half court no I don’t think they have that type of player do I think they have an absurd depth of talent that can overcome a lot

Of these issues no I don’t so like they don’t just they don’t have like that Ace in the Hole there are a lot of bad or not bad teams but flawed teams that we’re going to hit today where it’s like they have this Ace in the Hole like it’s

The Bucks it’s Dam and Yannis if it’s the Lakers it’s LeBron James and Anthony they they don’t have that like One Singular like transformatively great thing that they do uh that kind of sets them apart the third team I put on this list was the Sacramento Kings what about

You yeah I mean they just aren’t going to be able to defend at a level commensurate with winning a title in my opinion uh I loved their Series against the Warriors last year uh I thought that they really proved that their style of play has a better chance to hold up

Under like realistic scrutiny in terms of like a coach adjusting against what they’re trying to present to the opposing team but again like they just haven’t fixed the defensive issue and for as good as D sabonis has been this season for as uh incredible as the combination between he and dearen fox has

Been I really need to see it from him in the playoffs at the end of the day before I trust them uh that that feels like you know TV talking potish but the way that cavon Looney was able to minimize his impact on that Series last

Year really kind of sticks in my head in a negative way it’s the same with the Cavs like Jared Allen like got his ass kicked last year by Mitchell Robinson in that playoff series and Jared Allen is probably one of the most underrated players in the NBA at this point during

Regular season competition he’s a huge part of why they’ve been successful it’s kind of the same with the Kings like I thought that Kavon Looney marginally compared to what their commensurate values are to their team you know deos played better than cavon Looney did in that series but I thought cavon got the

Better of him uh compared to what they needed from each of those players in that Series so it’s hard for me to get that out of my mind and it’s hard for me to imagine they’re going to defend it a level high enough to win that dropping the right shoulder and getting that

Lefty hook especially on the rolls to the rim when he kind of catches and takes that power dribble they’re just there he just inevitably runs into a guy who’s big and strong enough to kind of withstand that and then he’s a below the rim player at that point you know it’s

Funny because we’ve seen this a lot in the NBA history where like Kevin Love was this really good postup fulcrum pick and pop fulcrum in the regular season and then he’d get to the postseason and he’d get his butt kicked by a big strong forward or like Julius randle’s kind of

This kind of guy too like that that big forward who’s not really exceptionally athletically gifted but that relies on a lot of bully Ball but isn’t necessarily the best touch or that kind of guy can sometimes struggle when they run into Super physical IRS and I tend to agree

Like what’s funny you look at the the Kings uh I was I was pulling these numbers the other day when they defend they win that’s the crazy part like when they when they defend they win and when they don’t they’re not good offensiv they’re not good enough offensively to

Just simply outscore teams and and and that that has ended up being the issue more often than not like like they’ll have a night like they did against the nuggets the other night where they can really defend and they have perimeter talent to actually they have enough

Speed on the perimeter to actually be pretty good in rotation and to be pretty good at the point of attack when they want to be but it’s just never been a consistent and it’s it’s crazy too with Mike Brown as the coach that that hasn’t become more of an identity for them in

The long run the the last team I had on this list was the Indiana Pacers I love Tyrese Alberton he’s legitimately in my opinion like a transcendently great offensive player I think some of his recent struggles are more just classic soft tissue stuff like you come back

From a hammy you don’t really take that aggressive step like you normally do like I think I I I tend to think that he’s on that trajectory to be the next like truly great offensive engine and I think the yakum fit is beautiful there love everything about it I just I just

Think within the scope of this season they’re not physically imposing enough or good enough in any unit to win the title what do you think yeah the halberton injury I hope that he’s used this you know little week that he’s going to get I know that he

Had so many events that he had to do at All-Star this weekend being like the hometown hero basically like it felt like he did everything he could to get himself out there like probably did not get the rest that his body necessarily needed hopefully he’ll get like just

Days off of physical activity in some way that allows that hamstring to recover a little bit uh I agree with you in terms of the soft tissue thing he just hasn’t quite been there but I believe in him in big moments as we saw during the inseason tournament uh I

Think that super skill super decision-making great shooting those skills translate to the highest level and I think that he’ll be great in those settings in the playoffs I do worry a little bit about just for this season not long term this season the Synergy between he and seum uh and trying to

Figure out the ways to make their defense at the highest level it possibly can be with seak and Turner in the front Court uh that Synergy is just missing a little bit right now maybe they can get it there by the time that April rolls around I don’t know that they would be

Like 0% chance to me just in case the SE yakum Turner thing like turns into being able to hold up their defense on their shoulders in a substantial way but I think you’re safe to keep them out of this conversation just for now I do think though that there are some

Interesting schematic advantages that they can create both in the half court and with their transition opportunities in the full court okay I have a followup for you cuz you’re way more connected than me around the League what are you hearing about the Pacers and their long-term vision for the surrounding

Players around Halle Burton and and SE yakum so for instance like do they view uh do they view Ben Maan and like a uh like an Aaron n Smith as good enough at the two and three do they view Miles Turner as their long-term solution at

Center like where are they at as a team building as far as team building goes yeah so I haven’t heard a crazy amount about the surrounding pieces I know that they are very excited about Pascal and the ability to pair him with tyres Halbert in long term I know that they

Love the fit of Miles Turner with Pascal seak part of what the Raptors struggled with spacing wise is that se yakum you know up until this season with that little stretch he had before he got moved hadn’t really shot the ball well at all for the previous four years that

He’d been there right that led to him being in the mid poost and yako purle being willing to like short roll into that middle like area at the foul line extended right and then you have Scotty Barnes who loves to operate in that area as well and it led to a condensed difficult

Court to deal with with Miles Turner who can go out and space the floor in a semi-real way like teams don’t ignore him out there they tend to at least try to get a late close out on him when he shoots threes and pick and pops and when

He spaces to the corner I think that they can really operate in an intriguing way using Pascal seum Tyrese halberton you know one4 ball screens the thing though that I think they’re going to miss for this season particularly and this feeds into the idea of their kind

Of pieces around these guys buddy heeld was a sneaky really important thing for them just schematically he didn’t have his best season this year for whatever reason but the way that they would utilize him and the gravity that he possessed around the court for the Pacers I mean tyres halberton like he

Said this as soon as they moved him he’s played basically every game of his career up until you know the trade deadline with Buddy hee on the court and the level of spacing that heeld creates because you have to stay attached to him at all times across the court is so

Essential it is so so dangerous for an opposing team it’s why I love the Buddy heeld acquisition for the Philadelphia 76ers like we’ll talk about that when we get to the 76ers maybe but I wonder if we get some diminishing returns more than what people expect by the Pacers

Moving heeled and maybe that might be the best case for you thinking that they’re a no chance team the fact that they moved a guy that is actually like a really important schematic Cog for them in the playoffs the fact they moved him is really gonna hinder what they do but

Long term I think Matan they really like Ben Maan they really like jarus Walker they actually really really like Andrew nard as well I mean I’m not going to sit here and say that like they think nard is a long-term starter necessarily but they love having nart as like your

Either your fifth man out on the court your Sixth Man something like that a guy that takes on tougher defensive assignments from time to time makes great decisions can shoot it a little bit uh they they like a lot of their younger pieces and I think they’ll be

Aggressive trying to go out and get the final piece next to their Halbert and seum Turner core but beyond that uh I think it remains to be seen where they’ll go the big piece of the SE yakum deal though is that they didn’t move any of Matan jarus walker uh Andrew nard and

Thus they still have assets to move in order to fill out that roster around them yeah the the Buddy heel piece is interesting because he’s that’s actually one of their biggest pet actions like the two actions they run most frequently are halberton Turner pick and pop and

Then basically a ghost screen with Buddy hee which screws everybody up because they they can’t figure out how to to to guard that specific action I do understand it from the big picture of like a big picture you can’t have a halberton heel but back Court you just

Can’t like there’s not enough that you’re not good enough defensively in my opinion at the point of attack in terms of a big picture goal for that type of uh of situation ideally you’re hoping for a guy like Ben Maan to kind of develop into a better Defender than he

Has been and he’s been really bad but uh anyway we spent enough time on these lower level teams I just I I wanted to kind of get that flushed out just for from the stand point of the way we kind of constructed our lists the way this

The way that I’m going to do it and uh who knows how the hell this will go so just going to we’re just going to try it and see what happens I have my list and I’m going to go through one at a time Sam’s going to tell me whether or not he

Agrees and if he disagrees he’s going to tell me whether or not that team should be higher or lower and he’ll give the case for why U my first tier is Bonafide traditional top tier contenders these are teams that in my opinion check all of the boxes that you

Hope to have checked for a team that typically will go on to win the title number one I have the Denver Nuggets I think they’re by far the best combination of halfcourt offense and defense that we know translates to the playoff setting um the record is not as bad as

It looks when you factor in how much time Jamal Murray has missed um as a matter of fact they’re 28 and 12 when Jamal Murray has played that’s a 70% win percentage that’s basically what the Minnesota Timberwolves have been they’ve definitely had some kind of like flat

Efforts this year uh where they’ve could gone out and just been blitzed for whatever reason but that to me is kind of a typical part of being the Target on your back defending champ type of uh type of situation the bench is an issue but it was an issue last year like they

Were around 11 points negative net with jokic off the floor last year they’re around 11 points negative net without joic this year according to cleaning the glass so like I think hyperfocusing on that misses the point that it was literally a non-issue in the postseason last year they just scaled the minutes

Up and they were so dominant that it never ended up being an issue um so to me like I’ll actually place it a little bit more aggressively if the Nugget starting five is healthy I would I would be surprised if they didn’t win the title that’s how

That’s how confident I am in this team so so I I’m I’m curious even if you have the nuggets at one you could at least tell me if you don’t View them as strongly as I do I do have the nuggets at one I think they are the clear favorite right now to

Win the title we’ll talk about I think the team that maybe both of us will have next or in the you know top three I would have this team in the top tier with the nuggets as well the Nuggets so far have played a top 10 strength of schedule they’ve

Played a tougher schedule than any of the other uh Timberwolves Clippers uh Thunder as well they’ve played a tougher schedule than any of those teams so when you look at the record plus they’ve had the Murray injury I’m not concerned about what their record looks like right now I

Think they’re going to be 100% fine once the playoffs hit my only concern for Denver is they didn’t make a real move at the deadline obviously and this team still does not have amazing depth if somebody was to go down if a uh even like if a cavius calwell

Pope or an Aaron Gordon goes down I do worry a little bit about you know elevating somebody like Christian Brown or Payton Watson into the starting lineup and then having to replace those you know let’s call it like 20 minutes that one of those two provide with

Somebody like deep on their bench that I really would have like concerns about uh in a playoff setting so that I think is the one point of contention but if we’re starting to get into concerns about that that’s the sign of an elite team a truly fantastic basketball team they

Have the best player in the world in nicolea yic they have constructed a roster Calvin Boo has done a fantastic job building an organization that fits around their best player to the nth degree uh he elevates everybody they elevate themselves beyond what they’re capable of I think Jamal Murray when

He’s been on the court this season uh has been outstanding and was All-Star quality so I I have I have no real concerns about the Denver Nuggets outside of potentially even if one of their starting quality non-star players gets hurt what does that look like in terms of their lineup flexibility in the

Playoffs so I 100% agree for the record I’ve actually done rants on my show before about how I think it’s like if you to Calvin Boo’s credit I I can’t think of a lineup you probably have to go back to like the 2014 Spurs to find a

Lineup that has a larger gap between like the individual reputations of all five players kind of combined versus the basketball effectiveness of their five together like to put it simply like the some the their actual tangible greatness so far supersedes the sum of their parts and it to his credit they he just

Constructed in my opinion a perfectly complimentary starting five now the the counter to that would be CU I agree you take kcp out of the equation you take your best guard Defender out of the equation at least out of the starting group and a very very very important

Spacing guy second side action guy kcp has always been one of my favorite transition guards in the league too Aaron Gordon just the job he did on Kevin Durant and on LeBron James like uh even going on to Jimmy Butler like he was just incredibly important on the

Defensive end of the floor anchoring them last year like I 100% agree with you here’s the thing if the Celtics lost Chris opsp zingus what would you say they fundamentally become a significantly lesser team if they lost Derek white they fundamentally become a significantly lesser team yeah like go

To the the the Timberwolves it’s like if they lose Jaden McDaniels fundamentally lesser team Mike Conley is so important to them in their half court execution fundamentally lesser team the Clippers you take any of their core guys Terrence man out all of a sudden it’s a whole lot

More Norman pal and Russell Westbrook you take you know Paul George out you take James Harden out you get the point so like I I do think that even though I agree with you that I don’t think the Nugget starting five can withstand an injury really to anybody in that group I

Suppose if you had to pick one it’ probably be Michael Porter Jr right and then pton Watson slides into that spot but even then like that he’s such an important part fundamentally of guarding actions two on two versus three on two against Denver like you just you just

Have a better chance pton Watson he’s gotten good at that slot cut out out of the weak side wing and and moving along the Baseline like he’s learned how to play off the ball but he just isn’t the same level of like Michael Porter Jr is

One of the best offall players in the entire league so like he’s even a very good offensive rebounder like it like I I to me to me all five of those guys are of vital importance and so yeah like I I I agree that they have a lack of depth

But I just don’t think that that necessarily I just think it’s unfair to nitpick that without necessarily pointing out that the same exists for any of these other teams so I think the perfect way to transition this here is to go to my number two which is the Boston C

And I guess let’s start with this like I I I think a Celtics nuggets finals is pretty likely um I I think it’s pretty likely uh I so in that matchup I think I’m higher on one team like than you are here I’m interested to do this this is

I’m higher on the Clippers than I think okay I I had the Clippers at number three and let’s hit the clip see like I I think the Clippers I think the Clippers can lose one of Norman Powell or Terence man or somebody like that they can’t lose zubot because zubot is

Like the real siiz guy I think they can lose one of those guys and still be okay Terren man takes their primary point of attack assignments and puts these long athletes off the ball I find and then it just like all of a sudden it’s like 15 more minutes of Russell Westbrook every

Single night too which is which is terrifying to me a little bit I okay let let let’s let’s hit the Clippers let’s do the Celtics first all right let’s do the Celtics first yeah and we’ll get there let me just let me just start by asking you a

Question why are the Boston Celtics 27th in paint points scored per game why why why do they do that why are they third and pull-up jumpers taken why are they why do they take the most reason like why are they as athletically gifted as they are so perimeter oriented can you

Explain that to me well honestly so like they are athletically gifted but a lot of their players are not like perimeter paint touch guys right Jason Tatum has never been a super highend like I’m gonna go get paint touches drive and kick I’m gonna go get paint touches like he’s a

You know if I’m gonna get the ball I might get a post up and try to bully somebody in a mismatch onto the block but I’m probably gonna pull up more than I’m going to try and get all the way to the rim that way uh Jaylen Brown like

Can be a real paint touch guy I would say he’s their one but like Drew holiday is 33 34 4 years old at this point hasn’t really been that guy the last couple of years Derek white has never been like a super high-end paint touch guy kristofh porzingis has always been a perimeter

Big it it kind of does line up to me in terms of that but I also can see why this would be a concern because we’ve seen you know in general the last couple of years under Joe Missoula their late game offense has been a slog from time

To time the ability to get a paint touch is is a real combo breaker a counter breaker which is why we’ll talk about the Thunder and this is what people I think are waiting for after your intro why I do like the thunder in some way

With their late game offense to be able to uh consistently get interesting looks the Celtics have struggled to consistently get interesting looks the Timberwolves this year another team that has struggled to consistently get good looks around uh around the rim certainly uh from different scenarios in late game

Situations so that would be my one concern with Boston uh can they consistently find lat game offense that works for them we need to also call it out too this is a truly Elite offense I mean they have like a 122 offensive rating right now they are Elite on that

End because Jason Tatum is incredible Jason Tatum’s pullup game has really shifted over the course of I would say what the last month and a half or so he’s been out outstanding knocking down pullup threes I think he’s at like 39% since like the start of January something like that with pullup threes

Uh that really trans uh transforms their potential on offense in late game situations having the spacing of kristo porzingis has totally transformed everything that they can do on the offensive end in addition to being able to play Big with porzingis and Al Horford and be able to guard a lot of

Different things stay big on defense while having five out spacing which is so important to what they want to do yeah look I love the Celtics I think they’ve been fantastic this season I would have them you know number two number three I basically have them like

2A right now with the team we’re going to talk about momentarily here they defend at the point of attack at a super high level they can play Big they’re flexible lineup wise again they’re just not that deep and probably can’t withstand much in terms of injuries but

Yeah the Celtics are an elite team and they are clearly the favorit to come out of the Eastern Conference right now yeah I’m I’m kind of trolling a little bit there with the way I presented you that question I think a lot of people Galaxy brain the Celtics a little bit with the

Standpoint it’s like well watch this you know they’re clearly bad at this and it’s like well they’re [ __ ] awesome at everything else you know like it does people definitely Galaxy brain them a little bit I I I love the fact that they have so much uh depth at very

Specifically important skill sets like they have a depth of perimeter Defenders at the guard position they have a depth of perimeter Defenders at the wing position they’ve got a legitimate blocker and chrisop porzingis they’ve got a guy in Al Horford that can guard some of the bigger post players in the

League and and usually tends to cause problems for them you know they’ve got guys that can beat mismatches out of the post they’ve got guys that can beat mismatches out of iso they can play driveing Kick basketball the thing the big thing that I’m going to be watching

With them down the stretch of the season because like they have like an incredibly easy schedule down the stretch they’re pretty tough here for the next few weeks and then it lightens up basically the rest of the way they are already six games up on the rest of

The Eastern Conference they are four games up on Minnesota for the number one overall seed they have some slush here to like really treat the last 20s something games as almost like like a as almost like a a testing ground for a lot of stuff I’d like to see them work on

Essentially I don’t know if it needs to be a different offensive configuration entirely or just an an approach but like to me they are cuz they their offense is not just legitimate it’s been it’s been really good regardless of matchup they’ve also been one of the very best

Offenses in the league against top 10 defenses they um have had no issues scoring the basketball in the large sample but they have had issues scoring the basketball in the small sample what what I mean by that is they’ve had games where they go broke and they look like

[ __ ] and a big part of in a big part of in like just recently in this last month it’s like the Clippers game it’s the Nuggets game it’s like these big high profile games where it just seems like none of the shots can fall and so My My

By the way I love that you didn’t mention the Lakers game there because that’s the obvious one that came to mind for me you know what’s funny though like I don’t even look at the Lakers as one of those top teams anymore so it’s like I know I’ve become such a defeatist

About them we we’ll see but um the uh when it comes to the way that they’ve configured their offense like for instance like Tatum is shooting the pull-up jump shot better but he we’re talking like 45% of his shot diet is pullup jump shots like that’s a hefty

Chunk of his like and and when you factor in that he’s taken a few catch and shoot jumpers every game like more than half of his game is Jump shooting and this is a guy that I agree with you that that’s kind of who he is as a

Player I agree but this is also one of the most physically gifted forwards we have in the league I’m saying he needs to change is what I’m saying I’m saying he needs to twe or or he just needs to be like the best shooter in or be the

Best shooter in the league it needs to be one’s not like Ka Leonard gets away with this like kawh Leonard takes like you know what two or three shots at The Rim per game and lives off of a diet of mid-range jumpers and occasional three-pointers and still shoots a

Billion percent from the field approximately so like that’s that’s the level that Jason Tatum needs to get to he either needs to be that guy or he needs to be able to get to the rim in the way that and for the record I think that that I think Tatum can undergo a

Little bit of that transition in the sense that like what makes Kawai such an outstanding mid-range jump shooter is he uses his R to get to spots closer to the rim and whereas like Tatum takes highly difficult like longer distance pull-up jump shots and so between the leaning on

The pullup jump shot between the team wide leaning on like the they’re they’re third in pull-up jump shots as a team they uh lead the league in three-point shots attempted as I mentioned earlier they’re 27th in points in the paint per game it has added a huge element of

Variance to the way they play and so as a result of that they are capable of having games and I know that like a lot of the analytics guys disagree with me on this but I do believe that shooting is contagious I do believe that like

When a team starts missing it gets in the head of the team and like everyone starts to kind of get tight and their hands get sweaty and and like and I it’s a competence thing in big 100% yeah and so I do think that stuff matters and so

Like I think the the if the Celtics lose it’ll look like what it looked like in these games we saw in the last month it’ll be a big game five game six against a Milwaukee or somebody or the Knicks I’m pretty high on we’ll talk

About in a little bit or a big game in the in the finals against the Nuggets where it’s like or against the Clippers or somebody like that where it’s like they miss five or six in a row and it’s like it almost they almost start to get

A little hesitant but they don’t have this other punch that they can go to so I just want to see I would love to see over these last 20-some games like just an an attempt to add more versatility to the way they attack on offense I to me that would go such a

Long way like what are you going to do in the game when we call a timeout and we’re down seven in the middle of the third quarter and we just missed five or six threes in a row what are we going to do are we going to sit down and be like

Hey guys this is one of those nights we’re a little in our heads we’re not making these shots how about we you know spam this wedge action to get Tatum you know like some low post touches or or porzingis you know whatever it is you

Got to do something to just kind of like almost bake in a physical aggression to the the beginning of their offensive possessions cuz then from there it might color cuz then you might still get catch and shoot threes but they’ll they’ll at least come out of an attempt to get the

Ball into the paint first I I would just like to see them try that to me would be a a big uh um like thing I’m going to be keeping an eye on here down the stretch did you have any other thoughts on the Celtics before we move

On I don’t but honestly like that ability to be multiple on offense is why I think I’m higher on the Clippers than what many people are and why I actually have them in the same tier as the Celtics and the Nuggets right now like I think they have a real ability to

Be multiple on offense and have different ways to beat you in a way that they haven’t had previously now like we’ll talk about the major factor with the Clippers here momentarily but like uh I’ll let you kind of take the lead on where you want to go with that

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So when you finally step into those Grail kicks you’ll realize that the feeling is unlike any other and with eBay’s authenticity guarantee that feeling of real is always Within reach ensure your next purchase is the real deal visit ebay.com for terms so this next tier I have titled teams hitting traditional Championship

Benchmarks but that have playoff question marks and so that to me is where I have the Clippers the the big like uh question marks I have for the Clippers are kind of similar to some ones that I have for other teams like they’re not a good defensive rebounding

Team that to me is another kind of like Hallmark we’re going to I I pulled some stats for you I’m I’m prepped for a thunder argument Sam just wait I I pulled some stats about defensive rebounding in in uh in recent NBA champions and so there’s some concerning

Stuff there they’re not a good defensive rebounding team they they are actually a better a pain attacking team than you’d think the Clippers are actually 15th in points in the paint per 100 possessions um I do think they have more scoring resiliency in the sense that like I just

Think they’re a better like like type of they play in my opinion uh they ha they they they take a lot of the same shots that Boston does although fewer threes but they’re just better at it they’re better at playing that brand of basketball I think in terms of like that

Slow down half court environment they they’re top five in both half court offense and defense that’s usually a big uh a Hallmark for a championship Contender they’re sixth in clutch net rating that’s another Hallmark for a championship Contender and again like you mentioned to me let’s just put it

This way kawai’s a better player than Tatum would you agree yes I think Kawai is the player I would take if we were drafting players for a playoff series right now I would take Kawai number two behind you really there’s a take yes okay so so for the

Record I generally I’m generally super high in kaai too a healthy a healthy Ka to be clear but to your point kawhai Leonard brings a scoring resiliency to the playoffs that I think is super valuable when we get to this Point um I think James Harden too like I think

There’s less pressure on him in this playoff run than there was last year in the sense that like I think this team can kind of withstand a bad James Harden Knight in a better way than uh that the Sixers could so like I I’m really really

High on the Clippers too again it really just comes down to for me and again I’m not even going to talk about health here the only thing it really comes down to for me is like they’re a they’re bad uh defensive rebounding team they do take a

Lot of Pull-Up jumpers and we have seen them go cold they did against Denver in 2020 although that was a long time ago other thing too is there a really bad transition defense but I feel like I’m being kind of nitpicky you’re high on the Clippers tell us where you uh tell

Us why I should say okay so Kawhi Leonard this season has missed I believe five games so far uh coming down the stretch last season I believe he missed I think it was like six games in their last 50 games maybe eight games in their last 50 games

Somewhere along those lines again the problem is that he did not stay healthy for the playoffs I think any conversation you said you wanted to ignore the health I’m sorry but any conversation with the Clippers revolves around the health on some level in the four years that they have had

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard they are a plus 12 per 100 possessions when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard share the court that is NBA title worthy that is Elite of the elite of the elite these guys when they take the court together the Clippers win games they are fan

Fantastic to me I’ve loved everything that they’ve seen you bring up James Harden the key is that when he was the point guard and the number two option on the Philadelphia 76ers last season their primary action was they were going to try and run a one five ball screen with

Joel and B Joel was going to pop into the mid-range maybe sometimes it’ be an empty maybe sometimes uh James would be trying to get to his pull-up jumper you know there’ be different minations of it James does not have to be the primary guy this year James can be a combo

Breaker for them if for whatever reason they are able to an opposing team is able to shut down Paul George and Kawhi Leonard you can’t really shut down Kawhi Leonard at this point in my opinion but like if a team is able to make his life more difficult well not enough teams

Have three legitimate point of attack Defenders with size and with quickness to be able to cause problems for all of these guys which means you can just go into like one five ball screen with James Harden and a Vita zubot and then have kawh Leonard Paul George and somebody like

Norman Powell who has been Elite of the elite of the elite in spot-up situations this season uh surrounding him and you can play five out and that’s going to be able to create all sorts of problems that way and that’s like your second or third option right they have so many

Different ways to be able to attack a defense that’s why they have a top three offense in the NBA and and why it wouldn’t surprise me if by the end of the year they actually have the best offense in the NBA as long as these guys

Stay healthy I think they are the most dangerous offensive team on top of it I think Kawai has been better than what we’ve seen in the last couple of years defensively this season Paul George remains an elite Defender who can handle point of attack situations getting over

The top of screens using his length to disrupt disrupt actions that way you mentioned Terren man can obviously do that they use him a lot more than they use Paul George in that scenario but I think Paul if you get him going in the playoffs he’s going to be able to do

That the only issue like you said is the size one uh I am with you I have worries about the fact that zubats is really their size based counter and like I I actually don’t know what their counter is to zubats right now that that is my

Number one worry what do they do if they have to go small I actually don’t really know what like a small lineup looks like for them given that PJ Tucker has been like Mia here for the recent while do you think they intend to do you think

That was why they didn’t buy him out and why they’re trying to get him to kind of refocus and come back do you think it’s centers around them wanting to have him as an Ace in the Hole if they need to use him I think no I think it’s more that

They could have his contract as an expiring $10 million sense for the off season um but like he still has next year that was a huge win for Daryl myay to get off of that deal within the James Harden uh trade but look I mean it probably plays like a

Small role in it like as a potential option but I think much more it’s you know have him as A10 million expiring for the offseason when they don’t have like a crazy number of contracts they can do like honestly is their best small lineup something crazy like James Harden kawwai Paul

George like Powell man or even like like is it like Russ given his like ability to go up Tempo and like try and beat opposing teams down the court like do you involve him in your best small lineup they they don’t have like a great answer i’ go I’d probably go power man

But I I have noticed the same thing where like when these Clippers go small it doesn’t look the same as it did a few years ago when it was like a Marcus morrris out there or it was a you know Nick patum or it was just like another

68 guy that just kind of added so at least they were like longer if that makes sense but at the same time like zubach is like zubot is on the short list of guys that like you’d love to have for a up with yic like as well like

So so like yeah I I I love this Clippers team I I love their character too they just they have they they they just give me Championship Vibes and that’s why I put them in that that’s why I titled that tier like hitting Championship benchmarks cuz like I think there are a

Lot of teams especially in the modern NBA uh that like I don’t want to say cut corners but that that view the regular season is almost unnecessary and I feel like the NBA does a good job of Sho those team the primary example of this yes Jason the Clippers

Were the primary example of this for three years like that’s exactly right they they have not cut Corners this year it’s really important exactly and and I just I just I I love that the NBA tends to chew up and spit out teams that don’t take the regular season seriously it’s

One of my favorite it’s one of my favorite things about the league like don’t Don’t cheat the game and the and the game won’t cheat you back uh the other team I only one other team on this tier and that is the Minnesota Timberwolves I absolutely love the combination of like truly physically

Imposing perimeter defense and rim protection specifically I love their the I love the the matchup versatility that an ant and a Jaden McDaniels gives you in the sense that like Jaden McDaniels brings this like length that is like oppressive but then ant brings this like fire hydrant you could never get past me

Strength and like handsy physicality at on the perimeter I love that they can like kind of play with those matchups a little bit because like certain offensive players like are really good at shooting over the top and the fire hydrant guys don’t really bother them and then like there are certain

Offensive players that like are bothered by length more and so like you can kind of like play with that a little bit the my main red flag with the Timberwolves is I really have hated their crunch time off offense as of late yes and you know

It’s funny because like you talk to Tim rolls fans and like we’re a top 10 half court or we’re a good half court offense like Mike Conley you know organizes us and we’ve you know Anthony Edwards is ascending to superst start them and I buy into all that like I’m a huge

Anthony Edwards guy love Mike Conley but like to me because Mike Conley is not overly aggressive at the end of games like generally speaking it comes down to decision- making from Ant who’s very very young and Carl towns who’s if he decision maker and I think that that

Ends up being the issue now they they dropped a game in crunch time against the Bulls the other night or about a week and a half ago where it looked exactly like all the things I’m telling you about and then they won four straight where they kicked everyone’s

Ass and there wasn’t even any crunch time games and I remember teams used to be concerned about like the Lakers in 2020 and their halfcourt offense and their ability to execute and then guess what their defense was so damn good they just W they it didn’t matter and they

Were able to win and so I still think the Timberwolves are very much in that tier of teams that I think have a real chance to win at all but like like we mentioned earlier if I saw them lose that’s what it would look like I think

It would come down to half court execution where you at with the Minnesota Timberwolves have the same exact concern you do and it’s not just like like if the Bulls game was a one-off I would feel better but they have recently dropped crunchtime games to the Spurs

The Hornets I think the magic if I remember correctly as well like teams that aren’t exactly like bastions of late game offensive execution right so and almost always it looks the same it looks exactly like what you’re saying I really worry about okay let’s say that

They play the Clippers or they play the Nuggets or somebody like that right I still don’t totally know what that’s going to look like from a halfcourt defensive perspective when teams look to specifically attack Rudy goar and Carl towns in mismatch situations in those scenarios now having both of them is

Really valuable but like the clippers for instance who does Carl towns guard on the Clippers in a fully healthy series for those guys I think you put him on Kawai right and basically try to have him handle the bullyball stuff and like like because kawai’s not an overly

Like quickness based player what do you think but that’s I he Kawai would cook his ass but I think that’s I think that’s what you talk yourself into right so I think that’s my answer but what I think the Clippers would do even more than anything else I think they would

Run Kawai off of a bety of off Ball action we by the way we saw the Pelicans do this by putting Zion on kawhai by the way yeah yeah just like literally make cat chase the whole game and that’s going to have diminishing returns on cat’s offensive game as well because he

Has to chase and Chase and Chase so I am to a lesser extent than like the Cavs for instance worried about what schematically the two big foundation looks like in the playoffs even though it has been tremendously successful defensively this season I I look I I think Rudy is Rudy’s reputation

Defensively in the playoffs is probably a little bit overblown in terms of his Effectiveness but again like that Clippers team like really did show kind of The Benchmark for or how to cause problems for him when he was playing in Utah playing Five out if you can play

Five out it causes some problems now the Clippers don’t have the wherewithal to play five out uh as we just discussed which is valuable but like I I have the Timberwolves a little bit lower and you’re gonna like laugh at the team that I have ahead of the Timberwolves in the

West it’s it’s not the Thunder let me guess we them once we get to them Phoenix no you’re not gonna say the Lakers are you but I uh I’m not going to say the Lakers no I have Phoenix like relatively in this tier I have the Mavs holy [ __ ]

Man I have the Mavs really high Jason okay well so let let’s do this I for the record I agree with you with Minnesota like they they there’s specific configurations I worry about with them because you know what’s interesting too you know what also has been really shitty their crunchtime defense like

They they yeah look look and I want to be clear here for everybody like I feel like I’m playing the role of like nitpicking all of this on this podcast which is fine like and that’s the role that like I kind of want to play a

Little bit um I have the I have the Timberwolves in this tier I have them like a couple slots lower than you but like I have the Timberwolves in this year they’ve had a fantastic season and I’m all for what they’ve been able to accomplish this season and I think

Anthony Edwards is like a total stud that is probably like a year away but if it came a year early I wouldn’t be surprised the key is the decision making like said but sorry I wanted to get that out there so my tiers the way I have it

Set up I have the the like I said the Bonafide Championship contenders and then I have the teams that are hitting benchmarks but have question marks obviously the Clippers and the Timberwolves after that every other team for me is missing the traditional Championship benchmarks that like legitimately like the team like that

They’re not hitting those like like like and we can get in we’ll get into the individual teams but I don’t have any other teams on that tier but it’s sounds like you have multiple so before we go any further What teams do you have that

Are in what you consider to be like that real Championship winning capability tier so so like I said at the top realistically I think there is a 90% chance that the title comes from one of Denver the Clippers or the so I think those are really the three teams okay so

That’s the end of your top tier trly that’s my to so I really I’m including Minnesota and you’re not basically gotcha yeah exactly like I I have a bigger second tier well maybe not I don’t know but I I have a I’ll be interested to hear the way you break out

The rest of your tiers my my clear thing is like I think the Nuggets Clippers and Celtics are a level ahead in terms of playoff basketball especially if the Clippers are healthy so I I agree with you I just am including Minnesota in there to me to me the case for Minnesota

Is they’re just like one of the most physically overwhelming teams in the league and that tends to be a a weapon when you get to the postseason and and like you can’t write off too like the just like the what if ant is just awesome you know that that’s always uh

No he he really shot and he shot the pull-up jump shot incredibly well in the postseason so far in his career so and that to me like you know people always make fun of Tatum for relying on a ton of pull of jump shots ant’s kind of in

That camp too where like an considering his physical gifts there’s a huge portion of his shot diet that is kind of difficult which always has been um but yeah like all you can’t write out the possibility of him making that making them so my next tier is teams that are missing traditional Championship

Benchmarks but you can see a legitimate Pathway to the title for them and the first team I have on this tier at number five is the Milwaukee Bucks and it’s really this simple they they they they cannot score the they cannot score the basketball since Doc Rivers has taken

Over it’s the craziest thing Dame Lillard to shot yeah I was going to say is there is there missing traditional Championship benchmarks like having Doc Rivers as their basketball coach so the traditional benchmarks here are like one there’s just like a weird Funk kind of hanging over the team

That’s never like how many teams win the title when it looks like they’re not even sure they’re having fun playing together for large chunks of the Season you know uh their defense is not good enough but they’re not transcendently great offensively to make up for it like

That was always the case when you’re watching Denver last year it was like it like oh their defense is kind of medoc but like hey man this is like a potentially an all-time great offense you know what I mean and and so that that’s kind of the way I look at like

That them missing The Benchmark is like they don’t have good defensive Personnel they’re not a good defensive team and they’re not like they don’t have an elite unit that you look at as like the driving force behind their Championship kind of odds but to put it simply most

Of this team construct is based on Dame being a superstar offensive player and he just hasn’t been and so that that’s where you like see the legitimate pathway is like what if Dame and Giannis and them all just kind of figure it out on offense and then they’re able to get

Enough stops through a funneling scheme that just try to it tries to send everybody in towards their size so before we go any further where do you have the bucks um in this tier do you have them at the top of your tier do you have them lower what are the bucks for

You yeah I had Denver or I had Milwaukee at four okay I had Milwaukee at four I I think that they are the team that I probably trust most outside of that well trust is the wrong word they’re the team whose Talent level I believe in most

Outside of that top group of teams that we talked about if you look at it since January 15th they’re 12th in defense like the defense you know I know it’s not been great Vibes wise since doc got there but like the defense has gotten better from the catastrophic levels it

Was at early in the season particularly uh offensively I really think think that there is a shot they just figure this thing out like truly at the end of the day they have a top five offense in the league uh the Giannis Damen Lillard combination is more offensive star power

Than I don’t know how many teams can match that at the end of the day it is precious view I would say Denver can match it I would say the Clippers can match it I I don’t know like I I think that they probably enter the series against

Boston with a better top two than what Boston has they absolutely trust yeah it’s just that I trust Boston’s you know rest of the core pieces much much more than I trust milwauke and honestly like I think that Pat Beverly solves some things for them in terms of like constructing playoff

Lineups that could be beneficial I’m not going to sit here and say Patrick Beverly is like a 30 minute perame guy in the playoffs at this point in his career I I don’t believe that necessarily at 35 years old but I think that having him around really does present uh more

Opportunities for them to create coherent lineups that can defend at the point of attack which is what they desperately desperately need you can’t go into a playoff series having Malik Beasley is your primary defensive option like it’s just not going to work uh it just is not the reality of playoff

Basketball at the end of the day uh you know Chris Middleton’s kind of dealing with like a little ankle injury heading into the deadline and or heading into All-Star break and hopefully he’s able to get back to 100% I think he’s been better since his start to the season at

Least you know it’s been a little bit Hit or Miss but they’re going to enter the series they’re going to enter any Series in the East with uh the best one two punch and that gives them a better puncher chance than I think anybody else has even if uh they’re at a real

Coaching disadvantage uh in the playoffs which I think unfortunately for doc has been proven time and time again ever since he won won that title in Boston I to your point about the talent like I I made a little list earlier as part of my Lakers uh you know whatever shred of

Optimism there is around the Lakers to me there are four teams in the NBA that you can stay that you can State definitively have two of the 15 best playoff players in the league Denver Milwaukee the Lakers and the Suns like those are the four teams where it’s like

If you’re just taking playoff players to me and the one that’s oh the the Clippers the Clippers I don’t think Paul George necessarily is a top 15 player do you I would take Paul over Jamal Murray even though I love Jamal and I think that the combination of joic and Jamal

Elevates uh itself and I have like I have an immense immense immense amount of respect for Jamal Murray I don’t mean to uh like I would have Jamal Murray in the top 20 but I would take Paul over in a vacuum I agree with you I think Paul

George is a better basketball player than Jamal Murray but I have this thing on on this show this this this ethos which is your impact as a basketball player really only matters within your own situation meaning like everything else is theoretical so for instance like as the Twan

Game specifically next to joic as a shot maker like think about how specifically important what Jamal Murray does for the Nuggets so that to me like to me Jamal Murray was like a top five winning impact player in the postseason last year because of what he did in his role

This dude was like a 30 I can’t remember the exact numbers but he was like he was making shots at a Bonafide Superstar like what he did last year in the postseason is every bit as impactful as what Kyrie Irving did for the Cavs in 2016 Sans the gigantic performance in

Game five and game seven like like the like terms of like value in a role like no one actually thought Kyrie was a top five player in 2016 or 2015 but his fit next to LeBron with the Cavs in a playoff setting brought a winning impact

That was of similar ilk to some of the stars of The League so that would be the case but I’ll allow it in the sense that we’ll say the Clippers too so that’s five teams I I think I think you’ve sold me honestly I think I think you’ve sold

Me on the Murray idea uh I I do tend to think of that argument more in a vacuum but you’re wrong or you’re right that it I’m wrong and it’s not in a vacuum at the end of so I I think you’re right I just had a mailbag question about this

Earlier today which is what why why I brought it up like I can’t even remember what the mailbag question was but it like I ended up saying like like to me like your value as a basketball player is what you bring to your team like that’s what that’s not theoretical

That’s real but anyway to your point though Milwaukee is one of five teams let’s just do let’s make it a little bit more broad it’s it’s one of five teams in the league that can State definitively they have two of the best 20 playoff players in the league the

Clippers the nuggets the Bucks the Lakers and the Suns and so to me that’s the bucks thing that they bring to the table is like what if Damon jannis figured out now on the Bucks front this is oh like what I’m noticing on tape is like I

Think we all plad forever for Giannis to be more of a screen and roll guy and like he just never really did it until Dame came to town at the volume that he’s doing it now and you know as much as Giannis is a great I shouldn’t

Say great as much as Giannis has become a good passer in terms of like in his isos and post-ups at like drawing attention and making these plays I actually think he hasn’t been that great as a screen and roll guy this year in terms of like his decision- making and

His ability to interpret the defense I think he’s I don’t think he’s doing a good enough a good enough job screening I don’t think the as a team they’re actually organizing the floor well enough to get him into situations where he can make easier reads in a weird way the Dame

Yannis pick and roll not being as productive as you would hope I think it’s been on both of them I think it’s been on Dame not doing a good enough job just being the offensive threat you need to get the Panic coverages that you need to kind of generate the really easy roll

Opportunities but I think Giannis has left a lot to be desired in terms of like Giannis to me is the MVP of the league right now I think he’s been the best regular season this year uh regular season player this year I’m not trying to pick on Giannis I think it’s just he

He’s in as much of a new role here as Dame is and for Dame it’s just the geometry of the offense is very different compared to what he had in Portland but like to me Giannis hasn’t really the that whole Synergy just hasn’t really taken shape yet to your

Point what if it does because like if it does that’s where it could like really really take off I personally I I like their configurations better when they clear the side or empty corner for their ball screens I I I feel like it just gets like easier toly read I think that’s the

Difference like in his isos and post UPS he’s really focused on the floor whereas in the ball screens he kind of has to like go from setting a screen to like quickly interpreting the floor and what’s happening right in front of him and I think it’s just a little bit more

Of a of a of a hesitation there which has caused some issues but I I I’m wondering what you’ve noticed watching the Bucks this year that you think’s holding them back offensively well and I think that you know to your point that empty side actions I mean empty side actions it

Feels like have taken I don’t want to say taken the league by storm obviously teams have used empty side actions for years but I would be fascinated to see numbers to see if it feels like teams are using empty side actions far more and the idea behind empty side actions

Is that you have to pre-rotate basically you have to bring over the tagger for somebody like Giannis for somebody like Joel embiid uh the Maxi embiid one has you know stood out in my mind all year they use it a ton in Philadelphia uh to

To be able to get Joel into open space you have to pre-rotate and because you have to pre-rotate and you essentially have to play three on two defensively it I think creates an easier Avenue to be able to read the court for players like Joel embiid jannis and TMO

That can be a little bit turnover prone right like not can struggle a little bit with passing and playmaking at the end of the day I think that you’re 100% right in terms of why their struggles have been Giannis and Dame together still do not have that Synergy in ball

Screens I think that it’s giannis’s screening to an extent and I think it’s giannis’s ability to read the floor as well it’s just not a situation that he’s been comfortable with uh throughout the course of his career to this point because he hasn’t had that Elite gravitational force as a pull-up player

Previously he’s still adjusting to this new reality that he currently lives in it took Joel embiid and James Harden like probably half a year to be able to figure that out together I’m not surprised that it’s taken Giannis and Damen Lillard like hopefully half of a

Year to figure it out they need to spend like these last 28 games that they have 27 games whatever they have left figuring that out that is their critical critical thing I don’t think they win the title unless they have that Elite attack figured out because for as much

As I think Chris Middleton’s been a little bit better over the course of the second half of the you know first half of the season it’s Chris has not been good enough as a second side option to where you can consistently truly rely on him yet uh Brook Lopez has been everything

That he normally is I think he’s been uh tasked with different defensive assignments that have made him a bit less functional under Adrien Griffin but uh for instance them playing a bit more aggressive uh in ball screens especially early in the season was Bonkers to me

Given that you have Brook Lopez on your team but I think doc will play to their strengths a little bit better at least they’re gonna have to get something out of the Malik Beasley Jay Crowder has been like somewhat serviceable this year I kind of thought there was a chance he

Was cooked but he hasn’t been totally cooked in the way that like Pat Conan for instance has been they need Pat conon to be able to give something something in my opinion uh and then they need to figure out if they can rely on Andre Jackson and Mar bamp and some way

My guess is that it’ have to be Andre Jackson to be able to provide like real point of attack defense Beyond Patrick Beverly uh they need two of those guys I think one of them can be Pat Bev it needs to probably be Andre Jackson to be able to give them like 10

15 minutes a game in the playoffs that they can at least use to tire out opposing ball handlers yeah the Patrick Beverly uh acquisition I actually liked I I think the way you mentioned it is perfect like you can’t be a 30 minute per game guide not even just because of

Like his own you know gas tank so to speak but also I think you kind of have to keep Malik Beasley in the starting lineup for his confidence like I almost think you have to like start Malik Beasley because he has been shooting the [ __ ] out of the basketball you kind of

Have to start him and kind of like feed into his confidence and then basically lean into Pat you know for specific stretches of the game uh and and maybe even play him more minutes it’s like almost like a like a 25 minute per game

Type of guy um but in general I I Jason what is their closing lineup I I that’s what I’m I’m closing with Pat I think I think Pat is good against guards I just think he gets into trouble when you put him against bigger players I think he

Has a reputation as being a guy who can guard bigger players but I don’t think it actually matches up with reality okay question two what are you closing against Boston with because they’re going to like just absolutely spam like pick and Pops or trailer 3es with christops I would guess

So I I actually don’t know if you can totally trust Brooke to close those situations I I you know it’s funny before the season I had the Bucks above the Celtics on my contenders list and then like it just it flipped after like 15 games and I’ve never looked back I

Think that I think the Celtics would beat the Bucks pretty handily if they played him I do too I I like I don’t know what their option is I guess that’s my thing that that’s what worries me I I don’t like it’s probably Dame Giannis Middleton honestly is it Crowder Pat Bev

And then you just what do some more switching you try and switch like everything but then you have Dame who has not been very good defensively so far this season structurally their lineups are hard like do you try and switch with Brooke maybe like that that feels like a

Bad idea to be clear I’m not I’m not I I think it’s choosing between bad ideas in terms of what their like closing lineups against Boston could look like uh yeah they’re they’re in a really intriguing difficult spot I think I would I would switch against Boston I my

My thing with Boston I think if you switch and you dig down into driving Lanes I think you can get them to settle that’s that’s if I if I was coaching against Boston I I would lean into whatever I could do to make them lean into their worst Tendencies and like

They are an they their ISO and postup guys tend to settle for tough shots so that that would be I think I’d probably leave Brooke out there and I would switch and just offer a lot of help and test their decision making um I think I agree with you uh

And look like they kicked the [ __ ] out of Boston last time they played them like truly like they they absolutely on the second night of a back to back for the record because they just played the that was like a 100% and that was a game where like

Both teams were relatively healthy I think they might have sat Al Horford for that game if I remember correctly but like both teams like relatively healthy um I’m I think Boston has real schematic advantages against them which work no I Agree

Jason Timpf is joined by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie to break down the NBA’s top contenders post All-Star break. The guys discuss why Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are once again the team to beat, whether Jayson Tatum’s Boston Celtics or Kawhi Leonard’s Los Angeles Clippers should be considered the No. 2 contender, and if Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Milwaukee Bucks will “figure it out” before the NBA Playoffs begin.

Timeline:
00:00 – Introduction
02:10 – Cavaliers just miss the list
04:50 – Pelicans come up short
07:36 – Why Kings aren’t ready to win
10:39 – Pacers fall short
17:45 – #1 Contender: Denver Nuggets
24:25 – #2 Contender: Boston Celtics
37:00 – #3 Contender: Los Angeles Clippers
45:25 – #4 Contender: Minnesota Timberwolves
53:37 – #5 Contender: Milwaukee Bucks

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